The electricity requirement and peak demand in India are increasing rapidly due to rapid urbanization, improved economic conditions, and increasing ownership of electrical appliances. To meet India’s electricity demand sustainably, India aims to attain 500 GW of total installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy sources by 2030. The majority of clean energy added to the grid will come from variable renewable power plants, with a > 50 percent share in the generation mix by 2029-30. As renewable generation is primarily dependent on weather conditions and usually does not align with the peak of electricity demand, a high share in the generation mix can create a potential supply-demand mismatch, causing grid imbalance or unpredictable price fluctuation.
In this scenario, demand flexibility (DF) can aid in shaping demand profiles to better match generation profiles by allowing electricity demand to respond strategically to grid conditions enabled through technological and incentive tools. DF can facilitate DISCOMs to integrate higher renewables and manage demand, thus providing customers affordable and reliable power quality and reducing the fossil-based electricity generation requirement.
GW-scale programs on-demand flexibility exists worldwide and directly contributes to improved grid stability, faster integration of renewable energy, and notable economic savings. The session, through examples and experience sharing, will examine business models that Indian DISCOMs should consider, brief updates on ongoing work in different states, and how industry partners are working on the appliances side to incorporate demand flexibility into state DISCOM resource adequacy plans.
