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Access to inexpensive, safe, consistent, and clean energy is a critical necessity for all to achieve the SDGs. India's renewable energy (RE) currently accounts for more than a third of the 482 GW of installed capacity and more than 40 percent of power production (including large-scale hydropower). Reforms such as the establishment of a single national power grid have improved access to electricity for people, and the ambitious development of renewable energy, which is the world's third-largest energy generator and third-largest electricity user, has helped in achieving these aims. As a result, the expansion of national targets signifies and reflects the country's optimism and goal for the forthcoming generation. Standardization of the guidelines and development of the stable grid and transmission networks will only enable the country to achieve the ambitious target of 500 GW of green and clean energy by 2030. This paper highlights the important development in the power sector regarding the energy security of India. As well as specifically examining the initiative of NSMs for achieving the 2030 targets, the key challenges, and the way forward to increase the cumulative installed capacity, comprehensive studies of various policies and government initiatives are also discussed. Furthermore, the key challenges usually faced by the developers in the industry, along with the steep decline and rise in the tariffs of solar projects and the previous trends in capacity installation, are also pointed out. This research work also highlights the potential key challenges to achieving the targets, and will thus provide a focus for power developers, policy makers, researchers, and industry practitioners and help with their planning. In the current scenario, the supply of food and the clean energy nexus are required to meet the demands of people's livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cogeneration is preferred mostly in process industries where both thermal and electrical energies are required. Cogeneration plants are more efficient than utilizing the thermal and electrical energies independently. Present government policies in India made renewable energy generation mandatory in order to minimize fossil fuels consumption and to protect the environment. Hence, many cogeneration plants have been integrated with renewable energy generation. However, post-integration effects increase and introduce inefficiencies in the operation of cogeneration systems. In this paper, a case study of an identified typical cogeneration plant where renewable energy is integrated is considered. Post operational effects on the plant due to integration of renewable energy (solar) are studied and by practical experimentation through cost-benefit analysis the break-even point beyond which renewable energy generation introduces inefficiencies is estimated. Next, a systematic methodology is developed based on the heuristic forward-chaining approach technique to establish the breakeven point. An algorithm/flow chart is developed using an iterative method and executed through MATLAB using practical data from the industry. Suggestions for suitable energy storage devices to store renewable energy beyond the breakeven point, based on a techno-economic analysis of energy storage technologies, are made. Further, the battery energy storage system is designed and the capacity is estimated based on the practical solar irradiance data. A rule-based algorithm is developed to control the charge and discharge cycles of battery storage based on predefined conditions. The payback period is estimated based on the expected monetary benefits of proposed energy storage and the economy of the proposed system is ensured. The post-operational issues are resolved by introducing energy storage. The methodology presented in this paper can be a guiding tool for optimization of various renewable-energy-integrated cogeneration systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power generation using wind has been extensively utilised, with substantial capacity add-on worldwide, during recent decades. The wind power energy sector is growing, and has turned into a great source of renewable power production. In the past decades of the 21st century, the capacity of installed wind energy has almost doubled every three years. This review paper presents the crucial facets and advancement strategies that were approved and adopted by the Government of India for intensifying the country's own power safety, by the appropriate use of existing power sources. From India's viewpoint, wind energy is not only utilized for power production but also to provide power in a more economical way. The particulars of India's total energy production, contributions of numerous renewable sources and their demand are also encompassed in this paper. After an exhaustive review of the literature, detailed facts have been identified about the present position of wind energy, with an emphasis on government achievements, targets, initiatives, and various strategic advances in the wind power sector. Wind power potential is discussed, which can assist renewable power companies to select efficient and productive locations. All analyses carried out in this paper will be incredibly valuable to future renewable energy investors and researchers. The current scenario of wind power production in India is also paralleled with that of other globally prominent countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy harnessing from renewable energy sources has become more flexible with power electronic technologies. Recent advancements in power electronic technologies achieve converter efficiency higher than 98%. Today, reliable power electronic devices are needed to design a PV-based energy converter (inverter) to reduce the risk of failure and maintenance costs during operation. Wide-bandgap SiC devices are becoming more common in power electronic converters. These devices are designed to reduce switching loss and improve the efficiency of the system. Nevertheless, the cost of SiC devices is a major concern. Hence, to improve the reliability of the PV inverter while considering the economic aspects, this paper develops a highly reliable PV inverter with a hybrid Si/SiC power module that consists of a Si-IGBT with a SiC anti-parallel diode. A test case of a 3 kW PV inverter is considered for reliability analysis. The loading of the PV inverter is done under uncertain environmental conditions by considering the yearly Mission Profile (MP) data related to Ambient Temperature (AT) and Solar Irradiance (SI) at the India and Denmark locations. The effectiveness of the proposed hybrid Si/SiC power module is tested by comparing it with a conventional IGBT power module. The results showcase the marked improvement in PV inverter reliability with the proposed hybrid power module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insular grids are fragile owing to lower inertia and the absence of interconnection with other grids. With the increasing penetration of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources, the vulnerability of such insular grids increases further. The government of India has proposed several projects to improve the photovoltaic systems (PV) penetration in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands' grid. This paper investigates joint stochastic scheduling of energy and reserve generation for insular grids fed from diesel and gas-based generators, PV, and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The proposed stochastic scheduling model considers a wide range of probabilistic forecast scenarios instead of a deterministic model that assumes a single-point forecast. Hence, it provides an optimal solution that is technically feasible for a wide range of PV power forecast scenarios. The striking feature of the model developed in this work is the inclusion of stochastic constraints that represent (i) the coordination between PV and BESS, (ii) reserve constraints, (iii) battery charging/discharging limit constraints, and (iv) non-anticipatory constraints that ensure technical viability of scheduling decisions. The proposed model is validated on the dataset for South Andaman Island. Results reveal the applicability and feasibility of the proposed stochastic dispatch model for different generation mix scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By considering the weight penalty of batteries on payload and total vehicle weight, this paper shows that almost all forms of land-based transport may be served by battery electric vehicles (BEV) with acceptable cost and driving range. Only long-distance road freight is unsuitable for battery electrification. The paper models the future Indian electricity grid supplied entirely by low-carbon forms of generation to quantify the additional solar PV power required to supply energy for transport. Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis for use as a fuel for road freight provides an inter-seasonal energy store that accommodates variations in renewable energy supply. The advantages and disadvantages are considered of midday electric vehicle charging vs. overnight charging considering the temporal variations in supply of renewable energy and demand for transport services. There appears to be little to choose between these two options in terms of total system costs. The result is an energy scenario for decarbonized surface transport in India, based on renewable energy, that is possible, realistically achievable, and affordable in a time frame of year 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a summary of financial instruments to address two biggest risks to renewable projects in India. These risks include the following: first, off-taker (or counterparty) risk, which relates to payment delays by public-sector distribution companies to independent power producers, which then impact project level cash flows in the domestic currency; second, currency (or foreign exchange) risk related to currency fluctuations, which impact foreign investor level cash flows in foreign currencies. This paper then describes multiple solutions for each of these risks, using public funding mechanisms. For payment delays, the category of solutions is termed Payment Security Mechanisms; whereas, for currency fluctuations, the category of solutions is termed Foreign Exchange Hedging Facilities. The coverage in this paper shows the evolution of the solutions from theory to practice over time. These solutions are likely to be applicable to other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal planning of renewable energy generator (REG) units helps to meet future power demand with improved flexibility. Hence, this paper proposes a grid-oriented genetic algorithm (GOGA) based on a hybrid combination of a genetic algorithm (GA) and a solution using analytical power flow equations for optimal sizing and placement of REG units in a power system network. The objective of the GOGA is system loss minimization and flexibility improvement. The objective function expresses the system losses as a function of the power generated by different generators, using the Kron equation. A flexibility index (FI) is proposed to evaluate the improvement in the flexibility, based on the voltage deviations and system losses. A power flow run is performed after placement of REGs at various buses of the test system, and system losses are computed, which are considered as chromosome fitness values. The GOGA searches for the lowest value of the fitness function by changing the location of REG units. Crossover, mutation, and replacement operators are used by the GOGA to generate new chromosomes until the optimal solution is obtained in terms of size and location of REGs. A study is performed on a part of the practical transmission network of Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd. (RVPN), India for the base year 2021 and the projected year 2031. Load forecasting for the 10-year time horizon is computed using a linear fit mathematical model. A cost–benefit analysis is performed, and it is established that the proposed GOGA provides a financially viable solution with improved flexibility. It is established that GOGA ensures high convergence speed and good solution accuracy. Further, the performance of the GOGA is superior compared to a conventional GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying and analyzing the challenges that the renewable energy sector faces can help evaluate the risks and improve the planning. This research is done by considering the challenges in the implementation of sustainable generation of electricity through RESs in India, based on factors, including technical, financial, involvement, support, and others. The triangular fuzzy number (TFN) method, based on fuzzy logic concept, is used to analyze the challenges in this study. In general, TFN comprises of three numbers, likewise Gaussian fuzzy numbers, trapezoidal fuzzy numbers also exist. The classified sets of numbers are denotations to decision-makers' perspective or a choice towards the criterion preference. Although alternatives are many to design a fuzzy set depending on elements count, the TFNs are the ones considered as actual representations of a fuzzy number. On the other hand, cases the Gaussian or trapezoidal, are manifestations of fuzzy intervals. Another argument is that the membership function shape corresponding to the number of fuzzy set elements is largely dependent on the study. The challenges identified along with analysis in this paper will help the industry, governments, and policymakers focus and tackle essential issues to facilitate further the deployment of RESs in India towards a more sustainable country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the technical growth and the reduction of deployment cost for distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar photovoltaic (PV), energy trading has been recently encouraged to energy consumers, which can sell energy from their own energy storage system (ESS). Meanwhile, due to the unprecedented rise of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, some countries (e.g., Republic of Korea and India) have mandated using a renewable energy certificate (REC) in energy trading markets. In this paper, we propose an energy broker model to boost energy trading between the existing power grid and energy consumers. In particular, to maximize the profits of energy consumers and the energy provider, the proposed energy broker is in charge of deciding the optimal demand and dynamic price of energy in an REC-based energy trading market. In this solution, the smart agents (e.g., IoT intelligent devices) of consumers exchange energy trading associated information, including the amount of energy generation, price and REC. For deciding the optimal demand and dynamic pricing, we formulate convex optimization problems using dual decomposition. Through a numerical simulation analysis, we compare the performance of the proposed dynamic pricing strategy with the conventional pricing strategies. Results show that the proposed dynamic pricing and demand control strategies can encourage energy trading by allowing RECs trading of the conventional power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher penetration of variable renewable energy sources into the grid brings down the plant load factor of thermal power plants. However, during sudden changes in load, the thermal power plants support the grid, though at higher ramping rates and with inefficient operation. Hence, further renewable additions must be backed by battery energy storage systems to limit the ramping rate of a thermal power plant and to avoid deploying diesel generators. In this paper, battery-integrated renewable energy systems that include floating solar, bifacial rooftop, and wind energy systems are evaluated for a designated smart city in India to reduce ramping support by a thermal power plant. Two variants of adaptive-local-attractor-based quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (ALA-QPSO) are applied for optimal sizing of battery-integrated and hybrid renewable energy sources to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCoE), battery life cycle loss (LCL), and loss of power supply probability (LPSP). The obtained results are then compared with four variants of differential evolution. The results show that out of 427 MW of the energy potential, an optimal set of hybrid renewable energy sources containing 274 MW of rooftop PV, 99 MW of floating PV, and 60 MW of wind energy systems supported by 131 MWh of batteries results in an LPSP of 0.005%, an LCoE of 0.077 USD/kW, and an LCL of 0.0087. A sensitivity analysis of the results obtained through ALA-QPSO is performed to assess the impact of damage to batteries and unplanned load appreciation, and it is found that the optimal set results in more energy sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]