India’s announcement to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and to meet 50% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030 is a watershed moment in the global fight against climate change. India is pioneering a new model of economic development that could avoid the carbon-intensive approaches that many countries have pursued in the past – providing a blueprint for other developing economies.
Empowering industries, institutions and homes along this journey is critical to transforming the energy landscape. Tata Power is helping a variety of consumers to weave clean energy and sustainability into their energy consumption thereby becoming energy independent as well.
According to the UN world population dashboard, India has recently surpassed China to become world’s most populous nation. As the country grows, so will its energy requirements. To become Atmanirbhar in such a scenario, India must meet its growing energy requirements with reliable resources and become energy independent. However, we need not look far to count on the most abundant source of energy available to us: the sun.
With over 300 sunny days a year, India’s solar energy potential stands at 5000 trillion kilowatt-hours per year. Solar power generation maps closely with India’s power needs: the days when power demand is highest (peak summer, when we experience heatwaves), are also when solar power production is highest.
This also creates an opportunity for homeowners and businesses to monetise a space they rarely use - their rooftops.
For Tata Power, a foray into solar power isn’t new: their first rooftop installation happened back in 1991, and today, the company boasts of an installed base of over 1300 MW in rooftop systems. They’ve been the trusted partner of choice for over 30,000 residential customers, in addition to the most noteworthy names amongst India’s industries, brands and institutions. It doesn’t surprise any of their customers that Tata Power has been chosen as India’s No.1 Solar Rooftop EPC player by Bridge To India for 8 years in a row.
When Solar Power Adoption Just Makes Sense
Solar power generation needs no additional inputs once set up. It produces electricity for years to come, without emissions, by-products or wastes. The conversation around solar is no longer limited to small academic or environmental circles, especially after the government’s push for solar rooftops.
The technology has matured: gone are the days when your array could power just the fans and lights. Today’s solar panels can even power anything and these solutions cost a fraction of what they used to. Not only that, attractive financing options that make solar adoption easier for all types of consumers - be it a housing society that needs a massive solar array, or a single homeowner who only wants to get a few panels.
Even for small arrays on individual roofs, the savings are significant. Solar panels provide electricity that is up to 40% cheaper than the grid, leading to significant savings. Not at home? The excess electricity can be sold back into the grid, turning you into a prosumer. Irrespective of selling back, energy independence is assured - and with the rising costs of power, the solar panels pay for themselves several times over. And, you don’t have to worry about power cuts either.
Businesses Jump on the Solar Bandwagon
Many corporations have also jumped onto the solar rooftop bandwagon in order to fix their energy costs. Also, as rooftop solar doesn’t involve setting aside any real estate, this becomes a double win: beating inflation on energy costs, while turning their roofs into an additional revenue stream. For instance, Tata Power is helping GE generate over 1 million kWh of solar power per year at six key manufacturing and maintenance sites in India. This has not only led to a tariff reduction of over 30% but is also helping them cut emissions by 13,000 kg of CO2 per day.
Tata Power has built India’s largest grid-synchronized, behind-the-meter solar carport at the Tata Motors car plant in Chikhali, Pune. The 6.2 MWp solar carport deployed by Tata Power generates 86.4 lakh kWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 7,000 tons of carbon emissions annually and 1.6 lakh tons over its lifecycle. Spanning over 30,000 square meters, this carport will not only generate green power but also provides covered parking for the finished cars in the plant.
Similarly, Tata Power has set up carports for Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata as well. With 335Kwp capacity, the project generates approximately 4.26 lakh units annually for the hospital, which is equivalent to about 4-5 per cent of the health facility’s power consumption. Not only is the carport helping the hospital reduce its carbon footprint by an estimated 80,000 grams per annum, but it also has a capacity of keeping 125 -150 vehicles, successfully making efficient use of vast parking areas.
Tata Power is enabling companies to consciously anchor sustainability in their functioning and become a part of India’s journey towards achieving Net Zero.
With a successful background of executing multiple large solar solutions, Tata Power’s portfolio includes the world’s largest rooftop (16MW) at a single location at Radhasoami Satsang Beas (RSSB), Amritsar; 2.67MW at Cochin International Airport; world’s largest solar-powered cricket stadium-Cricket Club of India (CCI) with 820.8 kWp capacity; unique installation of a solar vertical farm (120kW) at Dell Technologies at Bangalore and 1.4MW floating solar at Tata Chemicals, Nellore. In addition, Tata Power is carrying out an extensive pan-India residential rooftop program to make people aware of the benefits of savings through solar energy.
Creating A Solar Power Ecosystem
In addition to creating great consumer experiences, Tata Power is also helping grow the solar rooftop ecosystem by making components easier to procure, and at lower costs. They’ve invested approx. 3,400 crore in setting up a 4GW solar cell and module manufacturing capacity which will greatly reduce India’s dependence on solar cell and battery imports.
Tata Power also understands the role that innovation plays in staying ahead of the technology curve. Tata Power’s Clean Energy Incubation Centre incubates new clean and green energy start-ups, fuelling the next wave of innovation in green energy technologies that will propel India to the forefront of global energy conservation, generation and sustainability.
In 2021, PM Narendra Modi made waves in the international community by committing India to an aggressive net zero emissions target by 2070. He also committed to generating half of India’s power through renewables by 2030. According to the latest estimates, we are well on our way to achieving this goal.
As Tata Power solar never fails to remind us, Sustainable is Attainable. In a country where our solar potential stands at 5000 trillion kWh per year (dwarfing our 204 million kW installed power capacity from coal), what is stopping us? Imagine what we, as a country, could do if we even achieved half our solar power generation potential. Would we ever need to worry about power shortages? Would we be vulnerable to the vagaries of international energy markets? What could we do with the money we would save on oil imports?
The sky’s the limit. And in this case, also the source of India’s power.
This is a Partnered Post.
