Karnataka, Gujarat top Indian states to adopt clean energy, Bengal and Bihar lag behind, says report
2 min read . Updated: 01 Mar 2023, 10:54 AM IST
PremiumKarnataka and Gujarat have topped in the list of Indian states adopting cleaner energy transition. Whereas, states like Bihar, West Bengal and UP lagged behind in the transition
Showcasing a strong commitment towards clean energy adoption, Karnataka and Gujarat have made maximum progress towards clean electricity transition. Whereas, states like West Bengal, Bihar and UP are lagging far behind in the field, says a joint report published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
The report has analysed a total of 16 Indian states which account for 90% of the country's annual power consumption. The report has measured the performance of these states in terms of four dimensions, ie decarbonisation, performance of the power system, readiness of the power ecosystem, and policies and political commitments.
These dimensions help in tracking how much a state is prepared to shift away from fossil-fuel based power plants, its capability to incentivise green market, its government policy to push for power sector decarbonisation. To measure the performance of the state, the authors formulated a States’ Electricity Transition (SET) scoring system to measure the performance of these states.
“India’s revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets have put the country on the right path for transitioning its electricity sector. To achieve those targets, the centre now needs the cooperation of the states to move faster in their clean electricity transitions. This means states redoubling their efforts to walk the electricity transition pathway, and both central and state governments tracking progress and taking corrective measures as required," says the report’s co-author Vibhuti Garg, Director, South Asia, IEEFA. Following are the key highlights of the reports about Indian states' preparedness.
Key highlights of the report on Indian states' energy transition
-Karnataka and Gujarat made the most progress in terms of clean electricity transition.
-Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu needs to improve their power system readiness. Whereas, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal need to work more for the clean electricity generation.
-States need to explore multi-dimensional efforts for effective and sustainable transition to clean electricity.
-There is a need for enhanced green market mechanisms participation through more favourable policies like green energy open access and banking of power.
-Higher data transparency and availability of data will help in tracking progress of the report and enable government to take corrective actions.
The report also talked about the introduction of private sector participation to increase competition in the sector in addition to infusion of more capital and management expertise. Development of a holistic approach for handling solar panel, battery and electric vehicle waste also finds special mention in the report. There is an urgent need for the states to focus on the implementation of the policies along with their formation.