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BENGALURU: Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu to become the country's largest renewable energy producer, even as its coal import bill increased by Rs. 2,006 crores during the last financial exercise. The state had a total of 12.3 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity installed as of March, of which 5 GW was added in 2017/18 only, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Energy. Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
The report noted that "because of its push towards renewable energy sources," Karnataka is set to become a net importer of electricity to have a net balance, and it could become a net exporter "by 2028. Sources of renewable energy such as wind energy now accounts for 27% of the total power produced in the state.
On the other hand, coal-fired power plants generate 49% of the total power. Nuclear and hydropower plants each account for 12% of total electricity production, says the report entitled "Transformation of the Karnataka Electricity Sector".
Due to its dependence on coal-fired power plants, Karnataka's coal bills increase crore to Rs 9,500 crore in 2017-18. The increase was due to the rising costs of imported marine coal – which doubled between 2016 and 2018. While the coal import costs of other countries increased by 1,364 crore the year last, the price of interstate supply increased by 645 crore.
As coal costs have risen, the cost of renewables has decreased. The report notes that recent calls for solar offerings in Karnataka – such as the one at Pavagada Solar Park – have almost reached record levels of '2.82-3.06 rupees per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which was below the average of Rs 3-5 / kWh for domestic thermal energy tariffs and tariffs of Rs 5-6 / kWh required for imported coal plants. "A further reduction in energy costs Renewable was achieved by introducing reverse auctions for wind power, with tariffs falling by almost 50 per cent, from 3.45 rupees / kWh to 2.43 rupees / kWh.
Study by Tim Buckley, Director of IEEFA Australasia, and Kashish Shah, Associate Researcher at IEEFA, estimated that renewable energy sources would account for 23 GW of electricity generated in 2028 , compared to 12.3 GW at present
Karnataka's ability to become an exporter of Electricity 2028 is a "possibility currently limited by insufficient interstate network capacity," notes the report. In praising Karnataka for its "cautious energy policies," he said that the fully subsidized solar energy access model has ensured cheaper and more reliable energy sources. . Mr. G Prabhakar, a member of the advisory board of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, said that the state had considered increasing renewable energy production more than a decade ago. "Because of the same, we are becoming a state of over-energy," he said.
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