India’s renewable energy generation capacity has cross the 20 Giga (billion) watt mark, according to the latest numbers from the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE).
Renewable power generation capacity, which was around 16.8 Gigawatt (GW) at the end of March 2010, has increased by 22.4% to 20.6 GW at present, the ministry said.
The increase is slightly higher than the 2.33 GW added during the year ended March 2010.
Though nominally, the total capacity of 20.6 GW in renewables is equal to around 12% of India’s total, in actual production, they account for only around 5% or so due to the fact that actual production is only around a fifth of the capacity.
In solar, full sunlight is available only for a few of the 24 hours of a day, while in wind, the breeze is available only for around 15-20% of the total capacity.