New Delhi: Renewable energy is a key determinant of growth and India needs to undertake strong action on integrating renewable energy sources into the power grid to continue to grow at 7 to 8 percent annually, according to energy experts who have gathered in New Delhi for the 2nd International Conference on “Large-Scale Renewable Energy in India.”

More than 300 representatives and energy experts from 28 countries are attending the three-day conference, jointly convened by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) from September 4-6, to share information on large-scale grid integration and its benefits to countries like India, which has embarked on one of the most ambitious clean energy programs in the world.

Speaking at the launch of the conference, Edgard D. Kagan, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, said: “Today’s conference is dedicated to identifying potential concerns and solutions for grid integration with higher levels of renewable energy.  This year, in addition to GIZ, we are also joined by the U.K. Government to showcase the U.S. government’s commitment to support large-scale integration of renewable energy in the Indian power grid.”

India is proceeding aggressively toward achieving its commitment of adding 175 gigawatts of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022. However, variability and intermittency of solar- and wind-based energy continues to pose a techno-commercial challenge for stability of the power grid and its reliability.  The three-day conference is set to discuss these crucial issues and make recommendations for the Indian power management system to raise overall responsiveness of power generation and make the system more balanced and advanced.

Dr. Jasper Wieck, Chargé d’Affaires, German Embassy New Delhi, said: “Green Energy Corridors are one of the key elements to achieve this goal. Integrating such a large quantum of variable power into the existing grid is a challenge and requires specific knowledge and skills, adequate regulations, enabling policies and flexible market mechanisms. Thus policy cooperation in Green Energy Corridors was initiated and Germany also supported India in the expansion of the transmission grid to be capable of taking in more renewable power with concessional loans of up to 1.4 billion Euros through KfW bank. More funds are yet to be committed.”

Jan Thompson, British Deputy High Commissioner, added: “As a joint Force for Good, the UK and India aim to address significant global challenges including climate-focused investments, enabling power sector reform through high calibre technical assistance, and supporting cutting edge research and innovation on grid integration. International platforms like this conference deepen partnerships, support innovative solutions and raise our ambition to tackle the global climate challenge. I would like to thank our partners GIZ and USAID for their role in co-hosting the event, and the Government of India for their endorsement and continued support.”

To meet the global benchmarks in renewable energy, the Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy have entered into bilateral cooperation with many developed countries including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. The U.S., Germany and the U.K. have achieved a high share of renewable energy in total electricity generation i.e. 18 percent, 54.5 percent, and 33.1 percent respectively, through adopting innovative policies, market regulations and technology transformations. Lessons learned in these regions could provide useful insights for India.

The opening day covered deliberations between representatives from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Central Electricity Authority, Central Electricity and Regulatory Commission, and Power System Operation Corporation Limited on technical and economic issues. Some of the international representations include; Ofgem (UK), CAISO (USA), Eurelectric (Germany), NREL(USA), International Energy Agency (IEA), Southern California Edison (USA), DNV GL (Germany), AMSC (USA), Next Kraftwerke (Germany), Electric Power Research Institute (USA), Uniper Kraftwerke (Germany), Fraunhofer IEE (Germany), Recognis (Finland), and Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).