In Short : Scaling up clean energy adoption in SME clusters of Haryana will not only lead to environmental benefits but also help in reducing energy costs, improving productivity, and enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. It will contribute to the state’s sustainable development goals and create a cleaner and greener business environment.
In Detail : SMEs contribute a significant portion to the states GDP, and with the state aiming increase its non-conventional capacity, SMEs need to be prioritized to achieve the said goals. Cluster level activities, particularly interventions in the form of aggregation of demand for both, the adoption of Renewable Energy (RE) and enhancement of Energy Efficiency (EE) must be undertaken for effective scaling up of clean energy technologies in SMEs.
WRI, along with MSME DI, Karnal and local industrial associations had analyzed and aggregated demand for scaling up solar rooftop in SME clusters of Haryana. We identified a solar demand of around 34 MW across 4 SME clusters in Haryana through analysis of geospatial data and machine learning algorithms. We used this data and went forward by aggregating a demand of 2.5 MW in Yamunanagar Plywood Cluster, wherein the final system rates discovered were around 8-12% lesser than the market average price at that time. While around 17% of the participating units have installed SRT PV, around 28% of the units remains at different stages of the pipeline. We have presented our views, opinions, and suggestions and challenges of this study through the Practice Note titled, “Scaling Up Demand Aggregation in SMEs in India Through Solar Potential Estimation and Mapping Using Machine Learning: Case Study from Haryana SME Clusters”. We will present the findings from this study during the event.
The analysis can be effectively used to achieve India’s global NDC commitments and be the required push for penetration of solar rooftop among SMEs, which have largely remained neutral in the achievement of 450 GW target of RE by 2030 as well as the earlier rooftop solar target of 40 GW set up in 2015.
We will be sharing the overall analysis done during the study and how the analysis can be used to scale up higher penetration of RE across Haryana’s SME clusters. We will also be elaborating on how Energy Efficiency can lead to savings whereas providing a holistic view of the policies and schemes of the government and other agencies that promote RE and EE in SMEs.
