<p>Bengaluru: Karnataka, on Monday, etched a new record by generating 143 million units of renewable energy which accounted for close to 80% of the state's power demand for the day. </p><p>According to a statement by the Energy department, the power generation through renewable sources has increased significantly in the state over the last few months.</p><p>“This feat was achieved because of good rainfall which brought down the agriculture power consumption in the state. This was also possible because of one of the season’s best wind generation of 65.8 million units and solar and hydro contributing to 22.6 million units and 55.3 million units respectively,” the statement said.</p>.India's stranded renewable projects double to over 50 GW.<p>This record has been made possible by the state government's strategy of prioritising renewable energy sources, Energy Minister K J George said.</p><p>“It is possible to generate electricity at a lower cost from renewable energy sources. This reduces the burden on the government and hence priority is given to these sources. It also reduces the load on hydro and thermal power plants, making it easier to generate more power from these sources in summer to meet demand," George said.</p><p>Karnataka has been improving its renewable energy generation capacity through various projects and that has paid off, said Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy department).</p>.A newer way to store energy.<p>"Through several initiatives, especially solar parks and wind power projects, Karnataka is increasing its renewable energy capacity. This has been made possible by our ambitious strategies and actions aimed at achieving renewable energy goals," Gupta said.</p><p>The department said that the wind power generation had increased significantly since the onset of the monsoon.</p><p>“More than 50 million units of electricity have been generated daily from wind. Currently, 65.80 million units are being produced. As a result, dependence on thermal power generation has declined. At present, thermal sources are contributing only 15% - 25% of the state energy generation,” the statement said.</p><p><strong>Power demand comes down owing to good monsoon</strong> </p><p>The heavy rains across the state have brought down the demand for power in the state. At present, the energy demand stands at 179.03 million units per day as against 200.35 million units during the same period last year.</p><p>The power demand was also lower during the summer months.</p><p>“By the end of January, power demand in the state had started increasing. Summer demand was expected to cross 350 million units per day but pre-monsoon rains kept it within the 320–330 million unit range. Around May 16–17, due to pre-monsoon showers and the early onset of the monsoon, demand fell to 230–240 million units per day. Now, it has reached its lowest level,” the energy department said in a statement.</p><p>Along with reduced demand, increased wind and solar generation have decreased the amount of power purchased from central generation stations. As a result, the government’s expenditure on power procurement has also come down.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Karnataka, on Monday, etched a new record by generating 143 million units of renewable energy which accounted for close to 80% of the state's power demand for the day. </p><p>According to a statement by the Energy department, the power generation through renewable sources has increased significantly in the state over the last few months.</p><p>“This feat was achieved because of good rainfall which brought down the agriculture power consumption in the state. This was also possible because of one of the season’s best wind generation of 65.8 million units and solar and hydro contributing to 22.6 million units and 55.3 million units respectively,” the statement said.</p>.India's stranded renewable projects double to over 50 GW.<p>This record has been made possible by the state government's strategy of prioritising renewable energy sources, Energy Minister K J George said.</p><p>“It is possible to generate electricity at a lower cost from renewable energy sources. This reduces the burden on the government and hence priority is given to these sources. It also reduces the load on hydro and thermal power plants, making it easier to generate more power from these sources in summer to meet demand," George said.</p><p>Karnataka has been improving its renewable energy generation capacity through various projects and that has paid off, said Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy department).</p>.A newer way to store energy.<p>"Through several initiatives, especially solar parks and wind power projects, Karnataka is increasing its renewable energy capacity. This has been made possible by our ambitious strategies and actions aimed at achieving renewable energy goals," Gupta said.</p><p>The department said that the wind power generation had increased significantly since the onset of the monsoon.</p><p>“More than 50 million units of electricity have been generated daily from wind. Currently, 65.80 million units are being produced. As a result, dependence on thermal power generation has declined. At present, thermal sources are contributing only 15% - 25% of the state energy generation,” the statement said.</p><p><strong>Power demand comes down owing to good monsoon</strong> </p><p>The heavy rains across the state have brought down the demand for power in the state. At present, the energy demand stands at 179.03 million units per day as against 200.35 million units during the same period last year.</p><p>The power demand was also lower during the summer months.</p><p>“By the end of January, power demand in the state had started increasing. Summer demand was expected to cross 350 million units per day but pre-monsoon rains kept it within the 320–330 million unit range. Around May 16–17, due to pre-monsoon showers and the early onset of the monsoon, demand fell to 230–240 million units per day. Now, it has reached its lowest level,” the energy department said in a statement.</p><p>Along with reduced demand, increased wind and solar generation have decreased the amount of power purchased from central generation stations. As a result, the government’s expenditure on power procurement has also come down.</p>