State generating excess power, but unable to use it: top official

P Ravi Kumar, Principal Secretary, Energy Department, on Friday said that there is excess generation of power from various sources, including solar energy, in the state. However, the state is unable to use the generated power effectively for want of proper infrastructure.

He said that on Friday the maximum demand was 9,150 MW and on Thursday it was 9,755 MW. The department can meet the demand even up 11,000 MW. But, this is not happening in the absence necessary infrastrure, he said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of "Karnataka State Report- Greening the Grid: Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India's Electric Grid- Volume 2," organised by Renewable Integration and Sustainable Energy Initiative. The report was prepared by United States Agency International Development (USAID) and Ministry of Power.

The national target of solar power generation for the year 2022 is 6000 MW. By June 2018, Karnataka will be reaching this target. Through captive generation and open access 4,000 MW is being generated.

"We are unable to use our hydro resources. By June, the water levels will increase and it will be surplus. This will become a problem to us. There is now a need for a policy decision on how to manage the power and the grids. There is a need to ascertain how much load the grids can take," he said.

Kumar said that as per the new energy policy, power generation from coal has to be  reduced by 55%. To do this, renewable energy needs to be enhanced. The grid and transmission lines need to be maintained in such a manner that power will be supplied for only eight hours a day. There is a lot of cost factors involved, for which a proper long-term policy is needed.

He said that there is a huge financial impact due to excessive generation and there is a need for a regulatory model on how to manage renewable energy, cut down on thermal storage and generation and how a balance should be maintained.

Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) is now discussing on plans on how renewable energy needs to be managed and generated, said H D Aurn Kumar, member, KERC.