SECI intends to set up 5GW wind and solar projects for the next 10 years.

Around 15GW of wind-solar hybrid (WSH) power is expected to come up in India over the next five years as it has increasingly received strong support from the central public sector and several state governments, according to CRISIL Research.

Of this, about 10GW is already in the works—either under construction or being tendered—and will start feeding the grid by 2024.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) intends to set up 5GW of solar and wind projects with storage under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode over the next 10 years. WSH projects, which harness both solar and wind energy, are expected to account for much of the pipeline.

Amongst Indian states, Andhra Pradesh formulated a Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Policy in 2018 and has set a 5GW target from WSH projects by 2022. Other windy states, such as Gujarat and Maharashtra, have also identified land parcels to develop such projects.

At the national level, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) adopted a policy promoting the hybridisation of wind and solar energy. This was in response to challenges in integrating such projects because of the variability in generation from these projects, with generation of solar energy tending to peak during the day and wind energy at night.

“As a result, although RE plants enjoy a must-run status, there have been instances recently when distribution companies (discoms) in RE-heavy states stopped offtake from solar power plants to ensure grid resilience, much to the discomfort of the generators,” CRISIL said.

In WSH projects, the two energy sources complement each other to reduce the variability of generation and improve grid security, the report stated. This could help discoms overcome their reluctance in power offtake from RE plants.

WSH could also boost India’s wind energy sector, which has seen developer interest waning due to technical and pricing issues. Over 2018-2020, wind energy capacity logged a CAGR of just 5.2% to 37.69GW, whilst that of solar clocked 26% to 35GW.