RENEWCONNECT - All about renewables & power sector

Hydropower remains the largest single source of renewable electricity worldwide , supplying ~14% of global power and anchoring system flexibility in more than 150 countries. The fleet surpassed ~1.25–1.41 TW of installed capacity by end‑2024, with pumped storage providing >90% of long‑duration energy storage globally. [hydropower.org] , [iea.org] , [hydropower.org] Small hydro (typically <10–50 MW, often run‑of‑river) offers low‑impact, distributed generation with sizable untapped potential (~222 GW identified by UNIDO/ICSHP), but today totals only ~79 GW. If we hypothetically replaced large dams with only small hydro , three structural consequences follow: [renewablee...yworld.com] Massive loss of storage and seasonal flexibility. Reservoir hydropower and pumped storage underpin diurnal and seasonal balancing —capabilities small run‑of‑river projects largely lack. Without this, grids would need trillions of dollars of alternative storage, transmission, and firm capacity. [iea...

  Converting coal power stations to run on biomass —via co‑firing , full conversion , and, in selected cases, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) —can deliver dispatchable, lower‑carbon electricity while leveraging existing assets and workforce. Globally, modern bioenergy is expected to more than double by 2050 in net‑zero pathways, with solid bioenergy serving hard‑to‑electrify sectors and providing firm power; BECCS plays a critical role by delivering durable carbon removals. [iea.org] , [ieabioenergy.com] But conversion is not a silver bullet . The business case depends on sustainable feedstock supply , emissions accounting under RED III and similar frameworks, pellet price volatility , and retrofit costs —especially at utility scale. India’s policy ecosystem is evolving rapidly: a mandatory 5–7% biomass co‑firing obligation in coal plants, the SAMARTH mission for agri‑residue, and MNRE’s revised Biomass Programme to catalyze pellet capacity and cogeneration—c...

Renewable portfolios (wind, hydro, solar) operate under stringent 15‑minute block forecasting and scheduling regimes— week‑ahead, day‑ahead, and intra‑day —to ensure grid stability and market discipline. Historically, this required 24×7 manual workflows across commercial and scheduling teams, exposing utilities and IPPs to human error, missed gates, and compliance risk . An Automation Process with AI/ML replatforms this end‑to‑end scheduling chain— ingest → predict → compile → validate → submit → reconcile —into a resilient, policy‑aware digital process that is on‑time, accurate, auditable, and secure , freeing scarce human capacity for value‑adding analysis and portfolio optimization. International evidence shows that grid digitalization cuts outages and integration costs; India’s CERC/SLDC procedures explicitly codify forecasting/scheduling at 15‑minute granularity and encourage improved accuracy and discipline—creating the perfect context to industrialize AI/ML scheduling automa...

Global power systems are entering an “Age of Electricity,” with demand rising faster than overall energy use—driven by cooling loads, industrial electrification, EVs, and data centers. Clean capacity additions are hitting records, yet grids struggle to integrate variable renewables and retire fossil baseload fast enough. In that context, globally scalable geothermal—clean, firm, 24/7 power and heat—would be a structural game‑changer . Recent technology progress (enhanced and advanced geothermal, superhot rock) and oil‑and‑gas supply‑chain crossover suggest that scalability is no longer a distant aspiration. If realized, geothermal could (1) rebalance portfolios away from coal and gas baseload, (2) lower system costs by reducing storage and peaking needs, (3) unlock regional industrial strategies around drilling, turbines, and heat networks, and (4) accelerate decarbonization where wind/solar siting or grid constraints bind. [iea.org] , [ember-energy.org] Thesis: As enhanced geothermal...