COIMBATORE: The transition from conventional power generation to renewable energy is being driven by the need to address climate change, strengthen energy security and widen access to electricity, said Dr Mohammad Rihan, director general, National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), on Friday.Speaking at the inaugural session of the Sustainability & Energy Practitioners Association (SEPA), organised in association with Codissia as part of the sixth edition of the Sustainable Bharat Advanced Clean Energy Workshop 2026, Rihan said reliable electricity supply was closely linked to a country’s development.India’s installed power generation capacity, which stood at around 96-97GW in the late 1990s, has crossed 500GW and is expected to reach nearly 2,200GW by 2047, he said. With economic growth driving up electricity demand, relying on conventional coal-based generation would pose a major environmental challenge.“Electricity supply cannot be compromised, but it can be made more environment friendly,” Rihan said, stressing the need to shift towards green and clean sources of energy.He said solar energy offered three major advantages — environmental sustainability, energy independence and wider access to electricity. Since sunlight was available domestically, solarisation could reduce dependence on imported fuel. Strengthening local manufacturing of solar components would further improve India’s energy security, he added.He said solar power could be deployed at different scales, from 1kW rooftop systems to gigawatt-scale plants. Its modular nature also made it suitable for remote regions where laying transmission lines was difficult. “This is the democratisation of electricity, as consumers are not entirely dependent on licences or grid connections,” he said.India has more than 300GW of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity, with solar accounting for nearly 170GW, Rihan said. Solar capacity is expected to touch around 1,200GW by 2047, while more than 5,000GW could be required to meet the net-zero target by 2070.He highlighted the role of renewable electricity in decarbonising transport, fertiliser and cement industries. Green hydrogen produced using renewable energy could replace fossil fuel-based grey hydrogen in hard-to-abate sectors, he said.Rihan called for stronger industry-academia collaboration and a review of engineering curricula to prepare students for rapid changes in the energy sector.At a press meet later, he said most parts of India received around 300 sunny days a year. Supportive policies, domestic manufacturing and falling costs were accelerating solar adoption. He advocated common solar plants for housing societies and wider use of building-integrated photovoltaics in densely populated areas.
