Jai Sharda, a Mumbai-based IEEFA energy consultant, said in an afternoon presentation at Energy Finance 2016 that the government of India will probably achieve its goals of doubling wind-energy capacity by 2021 and increasing solar-energy capacity 10-fold by then.
Sharda said the rapid rise of renewables combined with policy shifts at the government-owned Coal—including “huge growth in coal production domestically”—will create an “end game” for coal imports into India.
He noted that solar tariffs in India have dropped 25 percent in the past 12 months—making solar energy more affordable for more people. He reported also that more than three gigawatts of solar capacity have been added over the past year and that the government is pushing for an additional twelve gigawatts of solar capacity in 2017.
“It is not outside the realm of possibility,” Sharda said.
