K’taka, Gujarat top States in clean energy transition

New Delhi: Karnataka and Gujarat continue to lead the race to clean energy transition, but States like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh need to step up efforts, according to a new report released on Tuesday.

The joint report by research organisation, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), and clean energy think tank Ember evaluates the clean electricity transition preparedness at the sub-national level. The report’s authors said Karnataka and Gujarat continue their strong performance across dimensions, effectively integrating renewable energy sources into their power sectors, making strong strides in decarbonisation. But States like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh need to improve.

While these States are in the early stages of their transition, they now need to focus on increasing renewable energy deployment, enhancing short term market participation and strengthening their distribution companies. The report launch coincides with a spell of intense heat wave sweeping parts of India, leading to the Ministry of Power preparing for a projected peak power demand of 260 gigawatts. Harsh summers also offer the chance to utilise more clean energy like solar power. Although, this requires preparedness of States to transition to clean sources of electricity.

“Cyclical weather conditions coupled with faster economic activity is pushing India’s peak electricity demand higher every year. While the central government is taking steps to integrate more renewable energy into the grid, States, too, need to be prepared to do so. Gauging sub-national progress now requires constant monitoring of several parameters at the State level.