Cement, Energy and Environment

arranging soft loans to tide over initial periods of low corridor utilisation and policy for indigenisation of equipment manufacturing. However, economic viability would play a key role in deciding the success of the plan involving such a huge quantum of solar power potential. "Market analysts have broad consensus that utility scale solar photo-voltaic (PV) generation will achieve grid parity around 2016-17 based on the pace of reduction in cost of PV technology and the ri se in conventional energy prices," Powergrid said in its report . Central Electricity Authority and Power System Operation Corporation would work on the design and implementation of energy storage technologies while Central Electricity Regulatory Commission would have to work out regulations to govern the market design for flexible generation. The plan requires setting up hybrid extra high voltage or alternating current high voltage direct current transmission systems for evacuation apart from transmission lines inter-connecting the desert corridors with major load centres in the states. India's demand for power is likely to reach 890,000 Mw by 2050, requiring an installed generation capacity of 1300,000 Mw (as against 240,000 Mw, currently). Renewable power's contribution to this demand is likely to stand at 485,000 Mw by 2050. Of this, 300 Mw could be would be developed as part of the desert power plan. A bulk of this capacity - 223 Mw - is envisaged to be created in Thar desert alone. Cowtesy: The Business Standard, New Delhi, 04.07.2014, Pg. No. 4 WB TO INVEST $775 MILLION IN CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS IN INDIA The World Bank plans to invest $775 million in clean energy projects across India, even as it expects the new government's plan to give fiscal and policy support to the sector to galvanise further investment in renewable energy. "The support shown by the new government towards clean energy is quite encouraging and is expected to give the much-needed push to the sector and unlock pending investments," said Ashish Khanna, lead energy specialist at the multilateral funding institution. "The World Bank is ready to pa1 ..1er with the government in scaling up sustainable clean energy investments." Minister for power, coal and renewable energy Piyush Goyal, recently said that the potential and scope of renewable sources were part of the government's vision for ensuring energy security. Narendra Taneja , national convener of the BJP's energy cell , told ET earlier that the ruling party "strongly believes that renewable energy will play a pivotal role in bringing power to every household in the country". India's clean energy sector has attracted interest of international investors. Recently, companies such as Welspun Energy and Renew Power saw investments from General Electric, Asian Development Bank and Goldman Sachs . Gevorg Sargsyan, programme manager for climate investment fund at the bank, said it had approved two projects for investment - a $1 00- million Himachal Pradesh development policy loan and the $200-mi ll ion Rajasthan renewable energy transmission investment programme implemented by the Asian Development Bank. According to the World Bank, the climate investment fund provides the middle-income countries with highly concessional resources to ex– plore options to scale up the demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies in renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport. India has substantially increased its share of clean energy projects, said Khanna. "But, in order to achieve the targets of its own national solar mission , the government must provide long-term clarity in pol icy, regulations and financial support mechanisms and encourage sustained commercial lending from financial institutions," he added. Courtesy: The Economic Times, Mumbai, 08.07.2014, Page No. 12-13 ACCELERATED DEPRECIATION SCHEME FOR WIND ENERGY RESTORED fANS New Delhi July 18. 2014 Acceding to demands from wind power generators, the government Friday announced it was reinstating the accelerated depreciation (AD) scheme which was withdrawn two years ago. "This is being done because of the many requests from the wind energy sector, number of 28 ) r .f ' t{ l