Key Facts & Data

  • Non‑fossil installed capacity (Nov 2025): 262.74 GW, 51.5% of total capacity.
  • Solar: 132.85 GW (41% YoY growth).
  • Wind: 53.99 GW.
  • State‑wise bottleneck: Rajasthan – 23 GW renewable capacity, only 18.9 GW evacuable (≈4,000 MW stranded).
  • Transmission utilisation: 765 kV double‑circuit corridors designed for ~6,000 MW operate at 600–1,000 MW (≈10‑16% utilisation).
  • Storage requirement (by 2032): ~411 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) & Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS).
  • Policy milestones:
  • PM Surya Ghar – Muft Bijli Yojana (≈14.43 lakh rooftop systems, 2025).
  • National Green Hydrogen Mission – target 5 MMT green H₂ by 2030.
  • Approved List of Models & Manufacturers (ALMM) – quality‑ensured solar PV modules.
  • One Sun One World One Grid – multilateral renewable integration.

Background & Context

India’s renewable expansion outpaces its transmission planning. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) governs access to the Inter‑State Transmission System (ISTS) through General Network Access (GNA) and Temporary GNA (T‑GNA) mechanisms, managed via the National Open Access Registry. The Central Transmission Utility (CTU) allocates corridor capacities, while Grid India operates the grid and often limits power flows citing stability concerns.

Significance for Governance & Policy

  • Economic impact: Stranded renewable assets lead to billions of rupees loss for developers and higher tariffs for consumers.
  • Net‑Zero 2070 goal: Efficient evacuation is as critical as generation for meeting the 500 GW non‑fossil target by 2030.
  • Institutional accountability: Lack of performance reviews for CTU/Grid India hampers corrective action.
  • Supply‑chain vulnerability: Heavy reliance on imports for lithium, cobalt and solar cell materials exposes the sector to global shocks.

Legal & Constitutional Provisions

  • Article 246 (Union List) – Electricity is a Union subject; the central government can legislate on transmission infrastructure and grid operation.
  • CERC Act, 1998 – Empowers CERC to issue GNA orders, set tariffs, and enforce compliance.
  • National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2023 – Calls for integrated planning, dynamic capacity allocation, and storage integration.

Challenges Identified

  1. Grid Congestion: Generation > evacuation capacity.
  2. Operational Conservatism: Over‑cautious curtailments despite available mitigation tools (STATCOM, SVC, etc.).
  3. Under‑utilisation of Assets: Low loading of high‑voltage corridors.
  4. Institutional Disconnect: CTU’s projected capacity vs. Grid India’s actual dispatch.
  5. Storage Deficit: Insufficient BESS/PHS to balance intermittency.
  6. Supply‑Chain Risks: Dependence on imported critical minerals.

Recommended Measures

  • Redefine Grid India’s mandate to balance reliability with asset utilisation; introduce performance‑based incentives.
  • Equitable curtailment policy – distribute load‑shedding proportionally across all generators, not only T‑GNA projects.
  • Dynamic capacity reallocation using real‑time monitoring and transparent protocols.
  • Automatic accountability reviews for persistent under‑performance of transmission assets.
  • Deploy advanced grid‑management tools – dynamic security assessment, probabilistic risk evaluation, adaptive line rating.
  • Scale up storage – achieve 411 GWh by 2032 through BESS, pumped hydro, and emerging technologies.
  • Strengthen domestic manufacturing under ALMM, PLI and NGHM to reduce import dependence.

Institutional Platforms

  • Bharat Climate Forum (BCF): Platform for policy dialogue on climate action, supporting Net‑Zero 2070 and 500 GW targets.
  • Bharat Cleantech Manufacturing Platform: Aims to create a USD 120‑150 billion annual cleantech market by 2030.

Conclusion

Aligning transmission planning with dynamic grid operations and rapidly expanding storage are non‑negotiable steps to avoid billions in stranded assets and to secure India’s renewable energy future.

Drishti Mains Question: India has rapidly expanded its renewable energy capacity but faces structural bottlenecks in grid infrastructure. Examine the causes and suggest measures to address them.