Integration of Renewable Energies into the Indian Electricity System (I-RE)

Despite ambitious targets, the development of renewable energies in India has so far fallen short of the government’s expectations. Decentralized photovoltaic (PV) installations, especially on roofs, have a particularly high potential in the solar electricity generation sector. The project combined climate and energy policies, particularly in urban development. It has supported key climate and energy policy stakeholders (mainly distribution network operators) in the transition to a low-emission energy sector with the aim of achieving the national climate targets and NDC s. The project also developed framework conditions for a decentralised PV energy supply, demonstrating its feasibility by means of a prototype. In addition, the economic and technical advantages of a rapid expansion have clearly been shown, and recommendations to support the expansion of PV rooftop installations have been developed and implemented together with pilot cities in the Indian Smart Cities Programme.

Project data

Countries: India
IKI funding: 2,947,466.00 €
Duration: 12/2014 till 01/2023
Status: completed
Implementing organisation: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy - India
Implementing Partner: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy - India
Online: https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/39697.html

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State of implementation/results

Under the project, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the cities of Amritsar (Punjab), Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and Gandhinagar (Gujarat). Five work packages have been designed for each of these cities. In the first work package, the project is developing a multi-sectoral Energy Action Plan (EAP). This is designed to help the cities move towards a cleaner and greener path, reduce greenhouse gases and reap climate-related benefits, while achieving other development goals.
The second work package will also draft a strategic plan on how each of the four cities can fully meet their electricity needs with renewable energy (RE).
With a focus on distributed PV, the project is working in work packages 3 and 4 to analyse the potential and aggregate the demand from distributed renewable energy sources (DRE) in different consumer categories. To monitor and map progress in each city, the project will develop digital dashboards at city and national level.
To enhance the visibility of intra-city solar, the installation of 40 plug-and-play solar plants in Gandhinagar was started. Now known as the PV Port System, the scheme was developed and 30 off-grid and 10 grid-connected versions were installed at prominent locations, including the Akshardham Temple and the college campus. The main objective of this exercise is to demonstrate the usage pattern of the system (plug and play, power to go, grid interaction, etc.) in relation to various stakeholders for a potential business model.

Latest Update:
03/2025