Bifacial solar panels capturing sunlight from both sides just the beginning

A balanced approach, combining technological innovation with environmental stewardship, is essential to achieving sustainable growth while minimising the environmental footprint of large-scale projects.

The journey toward energy security hinges on a strategic transition to renewable sources, particularly solar. Maintaining conventional sources like coal and enhancing grid infrastructure and storage technologies is essential to balancing India’s energy needs. Juhi Marwadi shares more insights into the sector.

How can India balance renewable energy growth with coal for energy security?

India can achieve greater energy security by gradually increasing its reliance on renewable sources like solar while ensuring coal remains part of the mix during the transition. The focus should be boosting solar energy capacity, improving energy storage, and upgrading grid infrastructure.

At PIXON, harnessing the country’s abundant solar energy potential is crucial to this effort. Solar power, a free and inexhaustible resource, offers a viable way to reduce our dependence on coal and mitigate environmental impacts. However, to achieve this balance, India needs to invest in advanced energy storage technologies and grid infrastructure to manage the intermittent nature of renewables.

By fostering innovation and promoting investment in green technologies, India can secure a more sustainable and resilient energy future, ensuring energy security while lowering carbon emissions. The balance is delicate, but through thoughtful planning, strategic investments, and a commitment to renewable energy, India can achieve greater energy security while minimising its reliance on coal.

How are advancements in grid management enhancing solar energy integration?

Advancements in grid management and storage technologies are significantly enhancing energy security in India by addressing the intermittent nature of solar power. Modern grid systems now allow for more efficient integration of renewable energy, ensuring that solar power can be seamlessly transmitted and distributed across the country. Additionally, energy storage technologies, such as battery storage systems, enable the excess solar energy generated during the day to be stored and used during periods of low sunlight or peak demand.

These advancements stabilise the energy supply and reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable energy mix. By combining these innovations with ongoing improvements in solar technology, India is well-positioned to meet its growing energy needs while reducing carbon emissions and enhancing long-term energy security.

How can large-scale energy projects balance technological innovation and environmental stewardship effectively?

Large-scale projects often involve environmental trade-offs such as land use, habitat disruption, and resource consumption. For example, solar farms require vast land areas, which can impact local ecosystems, and the manufacturing of solar panels involves using materials that must be sourced responsibly.

Several strategies can be employed to mitigate these impacts. First, careful site selection is crucial, prioritising degraded or non-agricultural lands to reduce habitat disruption. Second, adopting sustainable manufacturing practices, such as recycling and using eco-friendly materials, can minimise resource consumption. Third, integrating biodiversity conservation into project planning can help maintain local ecosystems.

At PIXON, we believe that a balanced approach, combining technological innovation with environmental stewardship, is essential to achieving sustainable growth while minimising the environmental footprint of large-scale projects.

How will advancements in energy storage impact the growth of renewable energy?

Solar and wind energy are on the verge of transformative breakthroughs. Technologies like bifacial solar panels, which capture sunlight from both sides and large-scale offshore wind turbines with gigawatt capacities represent just the beginning. These innovations will enable more efficient harvesting of renewable resources, making solar and wind energy more competitive with traditional power sources. The expansion of solar PV capacity is a key trend, projected to surpass a terawatt of global solar power generation, contributing significantly to renewable energy growth.