Draft National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

On June 14, 2016, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), has come up with a draft National Wind Solar Hybrid Policy.  The policy lays down the framework for promoting large grid connected wind-solar photovoltaic system.

Objectives

The policy has been launched to lay down a framework for optimal and efficient utilization of transmission infrastructure and land in order to reduce the variability in renewable power generation for achieving better grid stability. It aims to facilitate hybridization of existing solar or wind systems besides setting up of new hybrid projects. It also aims to encourage new technologies and methods for combined operation of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) plants. The tangible goal of the policy is to achieve wind-solar hybrid capacity of 10 GW by 2022.

Salient Features

The key salient features of the policy are discussed below:

Incentives

Fiscal and financial incentives for hybridization of existing and new hybrid wind-solar Photovoltaic (PV) plants may be made available through financial institutions like IREDA and multilateral banks.

Hybridization of existing wind/solar PV plants

The existing wind power projects which are willing to install solar PV plant and existing solar power projects which are willing to install wind turbine generators are required to abide by the following conditions:

• The injected hybrid power by the projects into the grid should not be more than the transmission capacity/grid connectivity allowed for existing wind/solar project so that no augmentation of transmission capacity is required.
• The additional power generated through the hybrid project may be sold or used for captive purpose.
• No additional transmission capacity charges shall be levied by the respective transmission entity for installing the solar PV/wind turbine generators, given the usage of transmission capacity being the same.

Implementation

The implementation of wind-solar hybrid projects may make use of the following technologies:

• Wind-Solar Hybrid- AC integration
• Wind-Solar Hybrid- DC integration

Regulatory interventions

Under the policy, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) is required to lay down the guidelines for determination of generic tariff for wind-solar hybrid system. In addition, the CERC is also required to frame regulations for forecasting and scheduling of the hybrid systems.

Research and Development

Support will be provided by the government for technology development projects in the field of hybrid systems and also for the development of standards for hybrid systems.

Questions & Answers

• What are the targets set by the government with respect to renewable energy sources?
• Why is the rationale behind the wind-solar hybrid policy?
• What are some of the positive points in hybrid wind solar policy?
• Which state is expected to benefit more from the policy?
• What are the criticisms of the draft policy?

What are the targets set by the government with respect to renewable energy sources?

The Government seeks to achieve 175 GW of installed capacity from the renewable sources by 2022. This includes 100 GW from solar and 60GW from wind. As of May 2016, installed capacity of the country stands at 26.8 GW of wind and 7.6 GW of solar.

Why is the rationale behind the wind-solar hybrid policy?

Solar and wind power are variable in nature and have posed challenges for the grid security and stability. Various studies have established an almost complementary relationship between the solar and wind power. Hence, hybridization of two technologies would reduce the variability apart from facilitating optimal utilization of the infrastructure including land and transmission system. Superimposition of wind and solar resource maps has identified many areas where both wind and solar energy have significant potential. The existing wind and solar power projects have the scope of adding solar PV capacity and wind turbine generators respectively. Hence, the policy intervention have becomes necessary for new wind-solar hybrid as well as for hybridization of existing wind and solar plants for achieving grid security and stability.

What are some of the positive points in hybrid wind solar policy?

• Reduces variability in renewable power generation.
• Makes effective use of existing transmission and land infrastructure.
• Enhances the grid stability and security. It would help to address the concerns of the distribution utilities over the variable nature of wind and solar power.
• The cost of setting up of wind-solar hybrid project would be less than setting up of separate wind and solar projects as it uses common transmission infrastructure and land.
• Both the wind and solar power plants can complement each other. Solar generation is available during day time throughout the year except in winter and cloudy periods while the wind generation is available throughout day & night subject to windy conditions. Around 65-70% of wind based generation occurs in between May and October. Also, while solar generation is available during day time the wind generation picks up in the evening and peaks at night time.

In summary, the new draft hybrid policy is believed to be a step in the right direction for the large scale promotion of renewable energy sector and also to promote grid security and stability.

Which state is expected to benefit more from the policy?

According to the Wind Industry experts, the new draft policy is expected to benefit Tamil Nadu as it has the highest wind installed capacity.

What are the criticisms of the draft policy?

The experts feel that the new draft policy is restrictive as it limits the hybrid capacity addition for existing plants to the sanctioned transmission capacity. This will be a problem in those areas where transmission capacity is not enough to cater to the energy potential. For instance, it is likely that a significant solar potential could be tapped in wind farms with low turbine density. In such cases additional transmission capacity would be required. But the new policy proposes to restrict the capacity addition only to the sanctioned level.

Secondly, tariff structures and financial incentives are not detailed well in the draft policy. The policy merely refers to the existing incentives for solar and wind projects.