Climate Action is Energy Security: Recent Developments in the Power Sectors of India, China, and Europe

Significant progress has been made in the renewable energy sector, with wind and solar power making up a substantial portion of global power production, accounting for almost one-quarter of noncarbon-emitting generation. This is a considerable improvement from just a decade ago when they produced less than 1% of total global electricity. Furthermore, wind and solar power are now often the long term, least cost options, making them an attractive investment for countries looking to decarbonize their energy systems.

Despite the growing momentum towards renewable energy, global coal-fired generation still totaled a record high in 2021, up by 8.5% from the previous year. The lion’s share of CO2 emissions still come from countries committed to becoming net-zero carbon in the next few decades. Nonetheless, this article suggests that a decarbonized global power system is still possible and the transition can be achieved at a low cost while maintaining high levels of reliability.

To support this clean energy transition, the article discusses the power sector reforms that are currently underway in India, China and Europe. Despite their different institutions, history and power system setups, these regions share some common trends: they rely heavily on planning and recognize the value of demand-side resources. These regions offer promising pathways for power sector reform and they provide hope for a decarbonized energy future.

本报告已有中文版

气候行动就是能源安全：印度、中国和欧洲电力行业的最新发展

可再生能源领域在近年取得了巨大进展：十年前，风能和太阳能仅占全球电力生产的1％，而现如今，这些资源已成为全球电力生产的重要组成部分，占非碳排放发电的近四分之一。这与它们成本的不断降低有很大关系。长期来看，目前风能和太阳能通常是成本最低的选择，这使其成为了有能源系统减碳目标国家的有利投资。 

尽管可再生能源增长势头不减，全球燃煤发电在2021年仍达到了创纪录的高度，比上一年增长了8.5％。二氧化碳排放的绝大部分仍来自于承诺在未来几十年内实现净零碳的国家。尽管如此，本文认为，一个脱碳的全球电力系统仍然是可能的，并且可以在保证高水平可靠性的基础上，以低成本实现过渡。 

为了支持这种清洁能源转型，本文讨论了目前正在印度、中国和欧洲进行的电力行业改革。尽管它们有不同的机构、历史和电力系统设置，但这些地区有一些共同的趋势：这些转型都以可靠的规划为基石，同时越发重视需求侧资源的价值。这些地区为全球各国电力行业改革提供了可实现的途径，为脱碳能源的未来带来了希望。 

English version is also available.

Review of Integrated Resource Planning and Load Forecasting Techniques in India

Accurately forecasting electricity demand in India is imperative for governments, utilities and industries when it comes to investment and planning decisions. Over the years, forecasting has becoming even more challenging as planners must take into account changes in technology, load profiles, consumer energy end-use, and economic growth. The changes are the leading cause of uncertainty when it comes to future electricity demand.

In Review of Integrated Resource Planning and Load Forecasting Techniques in India, the authors provide an overview of India’s system of load research and integrated resource planning (IRP), describe related experiences in other developing countries, and deliver recommendations that could strengthen the process in India. The goal is to enable India’s power sector to reliably, efficiently and sustainably meet the country’s demand for electricity.

Ira Prem

Discom Business Models Require Changes to Promote Distributed Energy Resources

In this third part of our distributed energy resources (DER) in India series, we look at changes to the current distribution company (discom) business models. These models can overcome the financial disincentives DERs often face. Instead, discoms can embrace and promote DERs to improve system efficiency, increase consumer savings, and address climate change goals.

This short paper discusses the reasons the current discom model should change and how regulators should listen to concerns many discoms have when it comes to the changes associated with promoting DERs.

The paper also discusses the steps regulators can take when it comes to transforming the current discom business model, including:

• Require discoms to evaluate non-wires alternatives to meet system needs where practical and cost effective
• Require discoms to create distribution system platforms
• Require discoms to modify tariff design to send unbundled granular price signals to facilitate DERs
• Require discoms to develop DER programs
• Develop a process to effectuate changes to the discom business model

Read Part 1: Empowering Retail Customers: Improve Efficiency, Lower Costs and Reduce Emissions

Read Part 2: Facilitating Distributed Energy Resources Requires Policy Actions 

Shravya Reddy

Alejandro Hernandez

A policy toolkit for global mass heat pump deployment

Heat pumps, a critical technology for clean energy systems, are poised to become the most important technology for heating decarbonisation. Currently, the vast majority of heat is provided by fossil fuels. In order to promote and encourage heat pump installations across the globe, the Regulatory Assistance Project, CLASP and the Global Buildings Performance Network have developed this heat pump policy toolkit, which provides a suite of tools, and advice on how to use them, for policymakers interested in promoting this critical technology.

The structure of the toolkit is loosely based on that of a Greek temple, with foundations and pillars, supporting a rapidly growing heat pump market. The interactive toolkit (which includes clickable links throughout) also features short videos that give an overview of each relevant element of the toolkit. These videos make up a short series which complements this document.

This toolkit works as a synthesis of policy approaches to heat pump deployment and a guide to designing the best packages of policies. As you’ll see in the toolkit (and in the graphic below), a complete policy package needs to consider foundational elements and must also take account of each pillar. We provide details, examples and potential issues, and solutions within the various policy elements discussed.

Foundational elements of this toolkit recognise the need for coordination and communication around heat pump policy efforts and strategies.

Pillar 1 considers economic and market-based instruments. These instruments are fundamentally associated with balancing the economics of heat use towards clean options, such as heat pumps, so that their lifetime costs are cheaper than fossil-based alternatives.

Pillar 2 considers financial support. Within this pillar, we identify three key elements of financial support for heat pumps — grants and tax rebates, loans and heat-as-a-service packages.

Pillar 3 considers regulations and standards. We look at buildings codes and standards, appliance standards and heat planning and zoning.

To build an effective heat pump policy package, policymakers must consider foundational elements as well as each of the pillars. And even within each pillar, combinations of elements may be appropriate.

Facilitating Distributed Energy Resources Requires Policy Actions

Distributed energy resources can provide key opportunities that would empower India’s retail customers to improve system efficiency, lower costs, and reduce emissions. In the first part of our DER series, we laid out the arguments for how deploying distributed energy resources (DER) in scale provides a key opportunity to empower customers.

DERs include elements such as energy efficiency, demand response, storage resources, distributed generation closer to load (such as rooftop solar), and more. DERs help customers modify their electric usage in ways that will save them money, offer reliability products to electric wholesale system operators and discoms to increase reliability and efficiency of the system, and help reduce emissions. The promotion of DERs, however, requires affirmative action by utility regulators and policy makers.

In the second part our series, we outline policies that will facilitate the entry of DER providers.

Empowering Retail Customers: Improve Efficiency, Lower Costs and Reduce Emissions

As a tool in combating greenhouse gas emissions, India is aggressively adding renewable energy resources to its electric system resource mix to displace fossil fuel and meet future electric load growth. Much of this is being accomplished using competitive procurement processes and private capital for investment needs. At the same time the country is also rapidly implementing wholesale competitive electric markets to improve the efficiency of the electric system.

Deploying Distributed Energy Resources (DER) in scale provides another key opportunity to improve electric system efficiency and combat emissions. DERs empower customers to modify their electricity usage and help reduce emissions, as well as offer reliability products to electric system operators. The promotion of DERs, however, requires action by utility regulators and policy makers. There is a real need to allow private sector participants to assist customers and bring private capital in implementing DERs. Applying advanced metering, while not mandatory, would also be very helpful to facilitate full utilization of DERs. Advanced metering and sophisticated tariffs would allow customers to react to granular wholesale granular price signals, help reduce distribution utility operating and capital costs, and improve efficiency and system reliability.

This paper will be the first in a series about the benefits of DER. The first part describes the benefits of deploying DER and advanced metering for customers and the electric system, discusses different business models that can be used, and recommends key actions regulators and policy makers must take.

Future papers will delve into more detail on the specific regulatory actions that would be required to:

• allow customers to participate in DER programs;
• motivate utilities to actively facilitate and promote DERs; and
• facilitate the entry of DER providers that would allow them to deploy their technical expertise and private capital in the space.