Energy is a key factor in combating climate change, one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today. India has committed to cutting emissions to net zero by 2070 and set ambitious targets for adopting renewable energy. Achieving these targets requires careful planning and an overhaul of our current energy system.
Our work aims at enabling policies that encourage the adoption of rooftop solar, facilitate the development of technology for energy storage, strengthen the grid and transmission infrastructure, advance hydrogen technologies, and promote green mobility. CSTEP's research looks at the various aspects of mainstreaming renewable energy for a cleaner, greener energy sector.
CSTEP Signs MoU With the Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh
CSTEP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (APTRANSCO) on 30 November 2021. CSTEP will act as the knowledge partner to APTRANSCO in high impact research projects in Andhra Pradesh. CSTEP will try to develop least-cost pathways for the power sector in the state. CSTEP will also carry out transmission network analysis and grid balancing analysis for integrating high renewable energy in the state.
Study on Pricing Mechanism for Energy Generated by Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) in India
India plans to install 450 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy (RE) generation capacity by 2030. However, RE is highly intermittent in nature and cannot be dispatched on the basis of real-time demand. Utility-scale energy storage technologies such as battery and pumped-hydro could be the answer to this problem. Pumped-hydro energy storage (PHES) is the oldest and most mature large-scale storage technology and accounts for 96% of global installed energy storage capacity.
RE Atlas Can Provide Pre-feasibility Analysis for Setting up Solar Plants to Make OSOWOG a Reality
The Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG), announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of COP26, aims to harness the solar potential and facilitate a faster transition to renewable energy. With the US being the latest country to join the India-led International Solar Alliance, One Sun, One World, One Grid may not be too distant a dream after all.
The Nuclear Option
With the escalating integration of intermittent renewables to the grid along with the net-zero 2070 target, nuclear energy must play a complementary role. However, nuclear energy in India seems to be on the backburner, with the installed capacity at just 6.8 GW even though we are expected to reach 22 GW by 2030. From this perspective, let us take a fresh look at nuclear energy in the Indian context.
COP 26: What India Must Do
India must follow a three-fold strategy at the UN Climate Change conference. It must call upon developed countries to advance their net-zero target years by a decade or two. It should draw focus on shorter-term climate goals, particularly for developed countries, and highlight the enormous scale of finance needed for climate action in developing countries.
Ensuring Efficiency: Role of AI in Distributed Solar Segment
Renewable energy is gaining traction in India as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. It is cleaner and safer than traditional energy sources. The renewable energy sector in India has achieved substantial progress because of technological improvements in the recent decade. The most used renewable energy sources in India are solar (45 GW) and wind (39 GW), totaling 85 GW out of the total renewable energy capacity of 100 GW.
Delivering the Hydrogen Economy
Hydrogen demand will increase rapidly as several sectors realise its applications. It is important to start building capacity of storage technologies like compressed or liquefied hydrogen now.
How Supportive are Indian EV Policies to Charging Infrastructure in Order to Power the Mobility Transition?
It is known that adequate and accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is a necessary precondition for the mass adoption of EVs in India. To support an electric mobility future, governments must focus on building the necessary charging infrastructure – one that supports the target vehicle numbers it hopes to achieve. Even though there is no perfect EV to charging station ratio to aim for, every country will have to design fit-for-purpose solutions to cater to their electric mobility needs.
Recycling Of EV Batteries In India: What Opportunity Lies Ahead?
A lithium-ion battery circular economy will significantly benefit the domestic EV and storage industry. Recycled materials from retired batteries by 2030 can support the manufacture of ~60 GWh LiB cells in India.