News Excerpt:

According to a report from global energy think tank Ember, India surpassed Japan to claim the title of the world's third-largest solar power generator in 2023 as it climbed from ninth ranking in 2015.

• India generated 113 billion units (BU) of solar power in 2023 compared to Japan’s 110 BU.

Key Points:

• The Global Electricity Review 2024 was published which offers a comprehensive examination of the global power landscape in 2023, drawing on data from individual countries.
• Accompanying this review is the world's inaugural open dataset on electricity generation in 2023, encompassing 80 nations that represent 92 percent of global electricity demand, along with historical data from 215 countries.
• In 2023, solar energy achieved a milestone as it contributed 5.5 percent to global production and India alone generated 5.8 percent of its electricity from solar energy.

India’s effort:

• India experienced the world's fourth-largest surge in solar generation in 2023, adding 18 Terawatt hours (TWh) to its capacity, following China (+156 TWh), the United States (+33 TWh), and Brazil (+22 TWh). 
• These top four countries collectively accounted for 75 percent of global solar growth that year.
• For the nineteenth consecutive year, solar maintained its status as the fastest-growing electricity source worldwide, outpacing coal in new electricity additions by more than twofold in 2023.
• The trajectory of solar energy has been accelerating rapidly. 
• Global solar generation in 2023 exceeded six times that of 2015, with India experiencing a seventeen-fold increase during the same period. 
• India's share of solar generation surged from 0.5 percent in 2015 to 5.8 percent in 2023.
• Pathways toward decarbonizing electricity underscore the pivotal role solar energy will play in shaping the future energy landscape.
• According to the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario, solar energy's contribution is projected to rise to 22 percent of global electricity generation by 2030. 
• The aim of tripling global renewables capacity by 2030, as agreed upon at COP28, holds promise in advancing this trajectory.
• India stands among the select few nations committed to tripling renewable capacity by 2030. 
• Ember's analysis suggests that India will need to significantly ramp up annual capacity additions to meet this ambitious target.
• Increasing clean electricity isn't just for reducing carbon emissions in the power sector. 
• It's also needed to meet the rising electricity demand in an increasingly electrified economy and decoupling economic growth from emissions, which is crucial for tackling climate change.

Prelims PYQ

Q. With reference to solar power production in India, consider the following statements: (UPSC 2018)

1) India is the third largest in the world in the manufacture of silicon wafers used in photovoltaic units.

2) The solar power tariffs are determined by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Mains PYQ

Q. Do you think India will meet 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2030? Justify your answer. How will the shift of subsidies from fossil fuels to renewables help achieve the above objective? Explain. (UPSC 2022)