Consultancy firm Bridge to India explains how southern India represents a test case for grid integration of variable renewable energy, accounting for 45% of the country’s total wind and solar power capacity.
China added 7.21GW of solar PV in the first quarter of the year, roughly 70MW compared to the same quarter last year, according to figures from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA).
On 11 March, for the first time ever, over 50% of California’s power needs were met with solar power, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
China has released its latest five-year plan for the solar industry with a focus on tackling curtailment, improving project quality and further reducing its feed-in tariff.
Grid curtailment of solar power is already affecting Germany and China despite billions being spent on grid projects. With a target of 100GW, India is hoping to get 8% of its power requirements from solar PV by 2022, which is a higher penetration than both Germany and China today. Jasmeet Khurana, associate director, consulting, Bridge to India, investigates the potential for future curtailment of solar power in India and its consequences while identifying which states might be most affected.
