ABSTRACT
The electricity sector is a key piece in the global transition to a low-carbon economy. In this chapter, the author outlines the changing roles of coal and renewable technologies in the energy supply. Being able to use intermittent renewable energy effectively will become increasingly challenging, as we have greater shares of renewables in the generation mix of various actors. Much of the rise in emissions is driven by the energy sector. In 2014 alone, the Indian energy sector accounted for the largest share of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, at 68.7%. At the same time, in 2017, India ranked second highest in climate-related fatalities in the world. These data attest to the importance of decoupling energy production and consumption from GHG emissions through a transition to low-carbon systems for climate change mitigation. However, distribution companies across the country see their obligation to buy renewables as a burden that is too heavy. How do we grapple with these different narratives for integrating renewables, and what do they mean for India’s energy transition? What do they mean for our incumbent institutions-norms, capabilities, rules, markets-and for competing technologies, primarily conventional ones? And, finally, what is the way forward?
