Context :
Rajasthan to set up 172 units of 1 MW/ 4MWhr BESS
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The article , "INDIA : the NEW LAND OF THE RISING SUN ?" (April 2017), outlines
an ambitious early vision for India’s solar transition. Reflecting on that piece
today, I can see how much of the underlying logic remains central to my current
outlook, even as the scale and complexity of the challenges have evolved.
Then vs. Now: A Strategic Evolution
In 2017, the focus was on the raw audacity of the goal: hitting 100 GW of solar
capacity by 2022 by turning a "million buildings into Sun Temples." Back then, I
argued that the barriers—import dependence for PV modules, the nascent state of
energy storage, and the massive financing required—were significant but
surmountable through aggressive government procurement (like the LED tender
model) and innovative policy mechanisms.
Today, the industry has matured in ways that 2017-era planning could only
anticipate:
- From "Vanilla" to Dispatchable:
- My 2017 analysis correctly identified storage as the "missing link" for solar
- power. Back then, I looked to Tesla’s early Australian projects as a proof of
- concept. Today, that vision has shifted into concrete policy; the industry has
- moved past simple "vanilla" solar toward firm and dispatchable renewable
- energy (FDRE) and storage-linked tenders.
- Blog - "Beyond Vanilla Solar" - 2025-12-01
- The Supply Chain Reality:
- While I once suggested that India could replicate the LED procurement model
- for PV modules to drive down costs, the reality has been more complex. The
- focus has shifted from mere import-based deployment to building domestic
- manufacturing ecosystems (for both cells and BESS) to ensure energy
- security and industrial competitiveness.
- Blog - "Rebidding Languishing Solar and Wind Projects" - 2025-09-01
- Viability as a Public Good:
- The funding challenges I highlighted in 2017 (the need for billions in asset
- finance) have been met with more nuanced financial instruments.
- Government-backed Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for BESS has become a
- cornerstone of current policy, recognizing that storage is not just a
- commercial product but a strategic "public good" essential for a resilient grid.
- Blog - "3760 cr viability gap finance for battery energy storage system" - 2024-09-01
Synthesis
In 2017, I viewed the shift to solar as a moral and environmental imperative—a
modern "Surya Namaskaar" for health and wealth. While that core motivation
remains, the conversation has moved from "Can we build it?" to "How do we
integrate it?"
The transition from a "land of the rising sun" to a "land of the stable, dispatchable
grid" requires the sophisticated bundling, market mechanisms, and industrial
localization strategies I have been advocating for in my recent posts. We are no
longer just chasing megawatts; we are building the structural, investible
framework necessary to power a modern economy.
Sources
| # | Title | Date | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | INDIA : the NEW LAND OF THE RISING SUN ? | 2017-04-01 | Initial vision for India's massive solar expansion and renewable energy potential. |
| 2 | 3760 cr viability gap finance for battery energy storage system | 2024-09-01 | Discusses government viability gap funding to support BESS deployment. |
| 3 | Rebidding Languishing Solar and Wind Projects | 2025-09-01 | Analyzes the strategy of bundling storage with stalled renewable projects. |
| 4 | Beyond Vanilla Solar | 2025-12-01 | Explores the evolution of procurement towards dispatchable, storage-linked energy. |
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