Context
The Indian government has committed to achieving CO2 neutrality by 2070. To achieve this, India needs an estimated solar capacity of 1,689 gigawatts (GW) by 2050, which is to be expanded to 5,630 GW by 2070.
However, there are major challenges to overcome in order to achieve this ambitious goal: Solar photovoltaics (PV) in India is currently mainly generated in ground-mounted and rooftop installations, which are associated with high land consumption. These conventional methods will not be sufficient to meet the projected demand for solar power. Moreover, land use for energy generation is increasingly competing with other social or economic needs. India therefore urgently needs to identify and introduce new innovative technology solutions for solar PV projects.
Objective
The regulatory framework and technological conditions for climate-friendly solar power generation with reduced land requirements have improved.
Approach
In order to achieve the Indian target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, the project focuses on the following areas:
- In close cooperation with the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, seven innovative solar PV applications were selected for further dissemination. The applications were tested for their potential throughout India. For this purpose, an online atlas was developed based on a geographical information system.
- The project called for proposals for pilot plants. Three of the numerous proposals received were selected for pilot implementation.
- The project supports ten cities on their way to a 100 percent renewable energy supply. It also offers support to promote new and innovative solar PV applications in other cities.