The Indian state of Karnataka has become the new national leader in renewable energy generation, according to a report published Tuesday by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
The report entitled Karnataka’s Electricity Sector Transformation showed that Karnataka had a total of 12.3 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity installed as of March, after adding 5 GW in 2017 to 2018 alone.
Karnataka lies along the southwest coast of India and has a population of more than 60 million.
"The gains helped Karnataka’s renewables sector overtake that of the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, which had long been India’s top renewables market," the report said, adding that the trend was driven by state and national energy policies that have encouraged less reliance on imported energy.
The report also argued that the declining costs have helped build momentum around the uptake of renewables, especially solar in Karnataka.
As other states follow Karnataka’s lead, India is set to take its place as a "global leader" in decarbonization, according to the report.
"The merits of adopting increasingly low-cost technology innovation and more sustainable development provides India with an alternative path to the now outdated plan of increased reliance on expensive fossil fuel imports,” it continued.
By Ebru Sengul
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
