A decisive choice for the growth of clean sources, a natural calling to innovation and many open challenges to build a sustainable, low carbon future with energy access for all. The South Asian colossus is a strategic country for the global future of renewables and Enel Green Power is fully committed to this new frontier.
India is a country that forces you to get used to big numbers: 1.335 billion inhabitants, 3,287,263 km2 of land, 179 languages and over 1650 dialects spoken. The list of “extra large” data of the Asian country’s hypothetical identity card is long and describes its complexity: resources, potential, growth and expectations for the future coexist with inequality and poverty. They are sides of the same coin that can be found to some extent in all economic, civil and social spheres of the country, even in the energy sector.
The past was marked by a dependence on fossil fuels and by a limited levels of energy access for the population. The future will be shaped by renewables and by the elimination of the so-called energy divide once and for all. The present is a picture of this transition, a turbulent and profound change from old to new.
Enel Green Power made its entrance into India on 22 September 2015, accepting the challenge of facing the dynamics and paradoxes of a country becoming increasingly relevant and strategic on the global panorama of renewables.
A strategic choice
According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), wind and solar together now represent about 90% of the total of new installed capacity in India and “by 2022, the country should more than double its current capacity of renewable energy”, aiming for its goal of 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind.
The IEA also forecasts that India will be able to bring electricity to all its inhabitants at the beginning of the next decade. They have succeeded in providing access to the electrical grid to half a billion people since 2000.
“India is one of the most dynamic and strategic countries in the global renewables market. Its combination of goals, needs and potential make it a place where any industry player must be present in order to build and grow.”
– Lamberto Dai Pra’, Head of EGP for Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Australia
What the South Asian colossus has been able to do so far is impressive, but growth in population and in energy demand, infrastructural underdevelopment and ambitious goals mean that the effort to enter a new era must be just as great.
High Speed Competitiveness
Enel Green Power is now present in India with a wind farm in operation in the State of Gujarat (150 MW) and two in Maharashtra (22 MW total) for a total installed capacity of 172 MW.
Our entrance into the country has opened the doors to Asia and the Pacific, a part of the planet previously unknown to EGP. We need to be included in its dynamics and involved in its constant effort to define the framework necessary for renewables development.
“The Indian market is an opportunity we are investing greatly in, because of the prospects it offers and for its highly competitive context. It’s like marathon to be run at the speed of a 100-metre race. And we have all the cards needed to win.”
– Simone Vercesi, Country Manager for EGP in India
Our team in India now includes 60 people, professionals with significant experience in the renewable energy sector and with diverse skills ranging from technical, design, development and maintenance, management, legal and financial.
Working in our three plants in operation and in our offices in Gurgaon, a Northern city near the capital, New Delhi, and in Bangalore, capital of the State of Karnataka in the South, means being part of a challenge that we build gradually, following the successful model that led us to become one of the main players in South Africa.
Wind, solar and much more
The country is increasingly becoming a global reference for advanced technologies. Bangalore, capital of Indian innovation and ICT, is considered a new Silicon Valley. And innovative solutions are a distinctive element in the race for new renewable plants as well.
For EGP, the country’s calling to innovation presents an opportunity to show off the best technologies we’ve developed globally, especially in solar, and capitalise on the know-how that has made our offerings competitive in the most diverse markets.
Universal access to energy, distribution infrastructure and grid management systems are also decisive factors in the development of the country’s new course. On these fronts, too, EGP’s smart technology innovation – from mini grids to storage systems – is an added value to test out on the market.
In India, the challenge has begun. EGP is investing confidently in this long marathon, in order to be present yet again on the cutting-edge frontier of renewables development.
Source: enelgreenpower
