ABSTRACT
While the clean energy trajectory charted out over the last decade has supported a reduction in emission intensity, it has also made India vulnerable to material intensity thereby posing challenges for self-reliance. While renewable energy, particularly solar, penetration increased as it achieved grid parity and attracted large investments, it has added substantial cost to installed fossil fuel–based generation capacity. Power sector already invested into large number of coal-based generation plants, which comprises of more than half of the total installed capacity, are sitting idle with low plant utilization as solar and wind plants have a must-run status. Most studies to match energy requirements and supply have been projecting fossil fuel, and most importantly coal, to remain the mainstay for energising India's development trajectory.
Given India's coal ecosystem and the energy trilemma it faces along the desired growth trajectory, it is imperative to have a strategy for decarbonisation that defines a short-, medium-, and long-term approach. This chapter discusses the challenges of navigating the maze of the energy trilemma – Access, Security, and Sustainability – as India aspires to rapidly grow and develop. The chapter also charts out a strategy for a just energy transition taking into consideration the imperatives of the role of coal and fossil fuels, alongside clean energy technologies and demand management, in achieving the growth objectives in a sustainable manner.
