Delhi’s draft climate action plan aims to reduce dependence on hydropower from other states

New Delhi: As Delhi prepares for the impact of climate change, the city government’s draft action plan proposes a reduction in the national Capital’s reliance on hydropower from other states, taking into account potential future challenges to generation capacity due to changes in temperature and precipitation.

According to the Delhi Economic Survey 2022-23, the total electricity procured by Delhi in 2021-22 stood at 37,460 million units. Of this, about 16.65 per cent came from power plants owned by the Delhi government. The rest was bought from the central government and other states. With climate projections indicating rising temperatures and intensified periods of heavy rainfall, the energy and power sector in Delhi faces a slew of challenges. Extreme weather events, rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns pose threats to both infrastructure and supply security.

Hydropower output can be severely affected by changes in temperature and precipitation. Since Delhi doesn’t have its own hydropower generation capability, it relies on other states for this power.

Climate change can impact water flow, affecting hydropower capacity. It is important to reduce dependence on hydropower and focus more on other renewable and clean energy sources, the report states.

To encourage the use of clean solar energy in Delhi, the city government launched the Delhi Solar Policy in September 2016. The goal of the policy is to set up 2,000 MW of solar power installations by 2025.

According to this policy, all government buildings with rooftops larger than 500 square metres must have solar panels installed.

To make solar power more popular in homes, a Generation Based Incentive was offered for three years. This means people were rewarded for using solar power in their homes.

Data available till September 2022 shows there are solar power systems installed across 6,864 places in Delhi and together they can produce 244 MW of electricity.

The draft plan recommends improving specifications for new structures to help those withstand extreme conditions such as higher wind speeds and safely handle higher temperatures. In some cases, retrofitting or moving vulnerable existing infrastructure might be necessary.

The draft State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) has highlighted that underground distribution can protect against wind, high temperatures, corrosion and flooding. Similarly, higher design standards for distribution poles can guard against strong winds and floods. Additionally, better cooling systems for substations and transformers will help manage rising temperatures.

For solar photovoltaic systems, it says designs that improve airflow under mounting structures can reduce panel temperature and boost power output. Using heat resistant cells, modules and components is also a good idea.