Coal-based plants to stay in TN for years to come: Tangedco CMD

“In Tangedco, we feel that coal is going to stay for a long time. You can’t just wish it away. Although we are moving towards the transition to renewables, given the complexities and present state of development, there is no solution. We can build on renewable energy, but we cannot simply shutdown coal-based plants and we need to invest in it,” he told at a workshop on Tamil Nadu’s Sustainable Energy Transition organised by WRI India.

Instead of investing in coal-based plants within the State and transporting coal from long distance, he said that it might make more sense to set up the plant at pit heads where coal is available.

About 14 per cent of electricity comes from renewable energy, even though the State has 40 per cent installed RE capacity, he said, adding that integration of renewable energy, particularly windmills, into the grid remains a big challenge with the frequent ramping up and ramping down of generation in the thermal plants leading to breaking down of the units.

“The huge variability of renewables is a big challenge, especially in the context of its must-run status. This would need ramping up and down of thermal power plants, which creates technical problems. It costs Rs 1.57 per unit just to integrate renewables,” he noted.

Raj Cherubal, CEO of Chennai Smart City said that the city Corporation has completed a 3D mapping of buildings in the city, which can be used to assess the solar rooftop potential in the city.

Toine Van Megen, co-founder of Auroville Consulting, said that Auroville is in the process of setting up a mini-grid, with distributed generation and demand-side management, and the option to introduce electric vehicles at a later stage.