SolarQuarter got an exclusive opportunity to interview Dr. Arulkumar Shanmugasundaram – Executive Director, Operations, Ayana Renewable Power Private Limited, wherein he shared his views on India’s present position to achieve its 2030 RE target, and South Indian states’ contribution to the Solar journey so far. He also spoke about the company’s upcoming projects and recent partnerships for Green Hydrogen development.
How do you see India currently positioned to achieve its 2030 RE target?
India has crossed the milestone of 100 GW installed renewable energy capacity this year. With renewable energy tariffs dropping to record low levels, renewable power becomes more and more competitive to be integrated into the grid, challenging many conventional power plants.
To achieve this target, India needs to install approx. 40-50 GW per year and with sustained policy support this target can be achieved. With increased focus on Hybrid, Peak Power, and Round the Clock projects, the capacity addition can be utilized effectively and this increased focus will help achieve the target.
What is the current project portfolio size of Ayana Renewables? What new projects are you coming up with in the near future?
Currently, Ayana is developing and managing 3.69 GW of renewable energy projects with a mix of Solar, Wind, and Hybrid projects. We have an operational portfolio of 1.29 GW across the states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
At present, to name a few, we are developing a 300 MW Solar Project in Rajasthan, 450 MW of Wind-Solar hybrid in Karnataka, and 300 MW of Wind in Karnataka.
How do you see South Indian states’ contribution so far in India’s RE journey?
States in Southern India have huge potential for Renewable energy with high wind intensity and a good number of sunny days. Tamil Nadu has the highest installed Wind power capacity and Karnataka is also one of the states with the highest RE installed capacity. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also have appreciable RE capacity.
In my view, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are already playing a major role in India’s Energy Transition journey. With support from State Governments on regulatory and policy aspects, these states will be the drivers of India’s target of 500 GW of installed RE capacity.
Tell us about your recent partnership with Greenstat Hydrogen to develop green hydrogen projects.
We have signed a Joint Agreement with Greenstat to develop large-scale Green Hydrogen projects powered by renewable energy. This partnership is in line with India’s National Hydrogen Mission. Under this agreement, we plan to install large-scale green hydrogen plants which will supply green hydrogen for commercial and industrial purposes in India. To start with, we are setting up a pilot project in Karnataka.
Anything else that you would like to highlight?
We plan to develop a 10 GW RE portfolio by 2025 with a mix of Solar, Wind, Hybrid, and Storage projects. Our focus is also on firm and dispatchable RE solutions including round-the-clock power supply for industries as well as distribution companies. We have already partnered for 6000 MWh of storage capacity. This initiative will support in creating standalone storage market in India. Providing firm and round-the-clock solutions with renewable energy instead of conventional sources reflect the growing maturity of the RE sector in our country.
