I recently wrote blog that was published in SolarPlaza, titled 'India – A Renewed and Resurgent National Solar Mission'.
In this article, I have analyzed that Solar PV Markets in India are witnessing a dramatic transformation which can be attributed to the following main reasons:
1) Appointment of Shri Piyush Goyal as the Hon'ble Minister of State in charge of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy. 2) The vision and leadership of the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in inspiring the Minister to set a 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal' – BHAG – of 100,000 MW (or 100GW) solar power by 2022.
I term these two moves of the new Government in India as 'The Tipping Points" in Solar PV Market Transformation in India. The tipping point phenomena is brilliantly illuminated by Malcolm Gladwell in his best selling novel – THE TIPPING POINT. The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wild fire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend or the popularity of a new product.
The Tipping Point has 3 characteristics
– It is contagious
– Little causes have big effects
– Changes happen not gradually but at one dramatic moment
The alignment of the bigger and powerful Power Ministry with the relatively small Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under a dynamic, young and knowledgeable Minister combined with an audacious goal of 100GW of Solar Power by 2022 (a five fold increase in the target) has stirred the whole Indian Industry and Investors from all over the World and spurred them into action. In the last ten months or so, after the announcement of the 100GW target, the current pipeline of solar projects in India (PPAs signed or RFS issued) has crossed 10,000MW and is likely to exceed 15,000MW by end of 2015. NTPC has taken a target of developing 10,000MW and purchase another 15,000MW from other developers. It is heartening that SECI has been mandated to develop 20,000MW of solar park capacity in various States. Softbank, Bharti and Foxconn consortium's plans to develop 20GW through SBG Cleantech, Sunedison's target of 15GW and Rosneft's plan for 10GW are all encouraging signs and that Hon'ble Minister for Power, Coal and RE, Shri Piyush Goyal's statement 'I want to kill 10 birds with one stone!' is turning out to be prophetic.
Now, India has shown to the entire world, that it's development goals have been aligned and integrated with its National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) and can expect a warm reception at the UNFCCC's CoP meetings scheduled in Paris in Dec 2015. India can exercise a strong influence in the international negotiations having set an example that is worthy of emulation by the OECD countries who are responsible for causing global warming through their industrialization and greenhouse gas emissions.
