South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) Program is a US government flagship initiative that is closely working with South Asian national and regional government entities to meet their clean energy goals and strengthen their energy-security priorities by providing technical assistance to scale deployment of renewable energy, advancing new technologies and strengthening grid integration. In India, the program is instrumental in supporting the country’s goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070, a commitment which includes achieving 500 GW of non-fossil-based electricity generation capacity by 2030. This aligns with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 45% within the same timeframe. A notable example of this support is the Indian Railways’ target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, where SAREP plays a key role in facilitating this transition. Similarly, other countries in the South Asian region have also set themselves Net-Zero emissions and Renewable Energy targets. SAREP is instrumental in this regional endeavor, providing technical support and capacity-building interventions to help these countries achieve their clean energy goals.
Strategic Policy Advocacy
- Assisting MNRE in designing new policies and regulatory reforms for advancing rooftop solar (RTS) capacity deployment
- Institutionalizing the Vendor Rating Program to ensure the quality, safety, and performance of RTS installations
Grid Integration
- Identifying multiple revenue streams and applications of utility scale BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) in Haryana, Assam, and Gujarat
- Assessing the market potential, feasibility, and business case for behind the meter solar with energy storage systems
Regulatory Support for RE Integration
- Assisting For working groups on RE Policies, Regulations, and their harmonization
- Supporting CERC on Deviation Settlement Mechanism Regulations
Institutional & HR Capacity Building
- RE procurement planning tool and financial model for utility scale solar and storage applications for Indian Railways
- Training of Trainers program to build capacity of IR officials on RE and other emerging technologies institutionalized at Indian Railway training institutes
Achievements
- 900 MW Round-the-Clock (RTC) Renewable Energy tender awarded by IR, leading to a deployment of ~3.3GW capacity
- National Repowering and Life Extension policy for Wind Power Projects 2023 released by MNRE
- Model Regulations on Resource Adequacy issued by FoR