India’s renewable energy story has, until now, been one of ambition and acceleration. With targets to double non-fossil fuel capacity to 500 gigawatts, the country’s energy transition is among the most aggressive in the developing world. But the government’s new proposal to tighten deviation norms for renewable producers ~ effectively demanding greater precision between forecasted and actual power supplied ~ signals a new phase: one where enthusiasm must meet engineering discipline. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission’s move to gradually narrow the permissible deviation gap between committed and delivered energy reflects an important truth, that grid reliability cannot be sacrificed at the altar of green ambition.

As renewable capacity expands, unpredictability in generation, especially from wind and solar, can destabilise grid management. The principle of accountability, therefore, is sound. But the manner and pace of its........

© The Statesman