by Kumar V Pratap

India’s Northeast region (a collection of eight states that account for 3.8 percent of the Indian population and 8% of its territory) is critical for the country to achieve Paris Agreement obligations as well as COP 26 Glasgow commitments (India 2070, will be carbon neutral by 50% of electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels and a reduction in 1 billion tonnes of cumulative carbon emissions from business as usual by 2030). Not many of us would be aware that with just 8% of the area, the North East Region (NER) contributes 24% to the National Forest area. Furthermore, while 22% of India’s total area is under forest, this figure is 65% for NER. So, taking the argument a little further, what heroine is for the world, NER is for India.

However, with about two-thirds of its area under forest, little land is available for productive economic activity, resulting in an average per capita income and widespread poverty in the area. An index to measure this is the region’s low level of per capita electricity consumption, which is one-third of the national average. There are other similar figures that NER accounts for only 1.1% of the total electricity sales in the country and 1.5% of the installed capacity.

It is not up to anyone to make way for productive economic activities by reducing the forest cover in the region. But, the low level of electricity consumption in the region is a binding impediment to the economic prosperity of the region. In this scenario, harnessing the vast untapped Renewable Energy (RE) potential of the region would be an attractive option. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) data, the total RE capacity of the region is 129 GW, of which the actual capacity is less than 4%.

The actual capacity is only 176 MW (less than 0.3% of the potential), in contrast to the solar power potential of about 62,300 MW in the NER. Though the solar intensity in the North East is less than that of Rajasthan, the higher average cost of power supply in the region, would be able to absorb this constraint, enabling the RE power to be supplied in an economically viable manner. Since solar power is intermittent, the vast hydroelectric potential of the region will help in providing round the clock (RTC) RE power to the region.

Given the vast forest resource of NER, solar energy is land-intensive and land is a highly competitive resource. However, according to the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA), solar power now accounts for about a third of the global renewable energy capacity, partly due to the many unconventional ways in which solar power can be generated: it is estimated that Germany has approximately There can be 20 houses. GW of solar power on water and this can be replicated in the NER, given the many water bodies in the region – according to the World Economic Forum, floating solar power systems are also considered sustainable and are quicker to install.

renewal power Recently won a tender for 400 MW RTC RE power at first year tariff of Rs.2.90 per unit of electricity. As already stated, the high average cost of supply in the NER (as high as Rs 7.49 per unit power in Nagaland in 219-20) leaves enough margin to address the issue of low solar intensity in the region so that the financial to be provided with solar energy. in a practical way. To make NER a solar energy hotspot in India, one may need to think differently – a solar water park may be the answer to installing solar panels in extensive water bodies in the region. The use of more solar energy in NER is essential for the world, the country and the North Eastern region.

The author is Senior Economic Adviser, Government of India and former Joint Secretary (Infrastructure Policy and Finance), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance