Supporting India's States With Renewable Energy Integration

Tamil-Nadu

NREL is using the open-access model ReEDS to support optimal bulk power system planning in Tamil Nadu, one of India's pioneering renewable energy states, by evaluating several clean energy pathways. This work is helping decision makers understand how policies or other sector trends might impact the needs of the state over the next several decades by bringing together stakeholders to prioritize questions and share key results.

NREL also worked closely with Tamil Nadu's distribution company (DISCOM) to build a custom software tool, EMeRGE, that allows engineers to have better visibility on the impacts of rooftop solar or other distributed energy resources (DERs). By enabling a greater understanding of the impacts of DERs, Tamil Nadu can take aggressive steps to modernizing its grid while continuing to increase reliability. Both tools allow Tamil Nadu a better understanding of the impact of renewable energy on their system and will lead to an acceleration of the growth of these clean and low-cost sources of energy.

Publications

Distributed Solar in Tamil Nadu, NREL Fact Sheet (2021)

Long-Term Planning for the Tamil Nadu Power System, NREL Fact Sheet (2021)

Pathways for Tamil Nadu's Electric Power Sector: 2020–2030, NREL Technical Report (2021)

An Analysis Framework for Distribution Network DER Integration in India: Distributed Solar for Tamil Nadu, NREL Technical Report (2021)

Karnataka

NREL is convening a stakeholder driven Modeling Working Group to coordinate with Karnataka officials and power system engineers on bulk power system planning studies and the identification of unique challenges and analysis needs associated with the changing power sector in Karnataka. Developing state-of-the-art planning models and methods specific to Karnataka will enable continued ambition for the state renewable energy sector and more closely integrate renewable energy growth with the power sector growth. Flexible tools and methods will also ease the integration of other sector transformations into power sector planning, such as transportation and buildings electrification.

Publications

Rajasthan

NREL is working with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to support the State of Rajasthan Energy Department in medium- and long-term power sector planning. With guidance from a broad array of power sector stakeholders, NREL will be using ReEDS to understand how different policies and technology costs impact system requirements. Additionally, in close coordination with RMI, NREL will forecast the potential for rooftop PV in the state using dGen. This data will be combined with demand forecasts from RMI and fed into ReEDS to provide insights on how distributed generation, and other potential changes to system demand such as electric vehicle growth, could impact the generation requirements of the state in the coming years.

Publications

Opportunities for Renewable Energy, Storage, Vehicle Electrification, and Demand Response in Rajasthan’s Power Sector, NREL Technical Report (2022)

Uttar Pradesh

NREL collaborated with RMI and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency on long-term power system planning. NREL and partners adapted the ReEDS India model to focus on Uttar Pradesh and model its policies and plans for in-state solar PV, pumped storage hydropower, and green hydrogen. Through a series of in-person and virtual stakeholder meetings, the team estimated the effect of in-state green hydrogen production on electricity demand and studied how Uttar Pradesh could meet this demand through in-state renewables, storage, and imports. NREL also assessed the air quality impacts of the different power sector scenarios.

Publications

Impacts of Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Policies on Uttar Pradesh's Power Sector Future, NREL Technical Report (2024)

Impacts of Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen Policies on Uttar Pradesh’s Power Sector Future: Additional Modeling Scenarios to Explore Hydrogen Flexibility, NREL Presentation (2024)