GigaWhat: Building the backbone

GigaWhat: Building the backbone

Author: Mongabay.com September 6, 2022 Duration: 17:43

We are all familiar with the buzzing sound under high-voltage power lines and transmission towers. The electricity passing through it is generated from coal power plants, solar parks, wind farms, dams and other sources. It passes through transmission networks and substations to eventually reach the end users.

Day by day, the share of renewable power entering this system is increasing. However, the solar and wind farms that are coming up or expanding to meet India's renewable energy goal are concentrated within a few states. India will need to upgrade and expand its transmission infrastructure to evacuate the power generated here and feed it into the national electricity grid to be distributed across all regions.

The transmission infrastructure in India needs two trillion rupees! But there isn't enough money flowing for the development.

Without adequate transmission systems in place, renewable energy plants can turn into stranded assets. And that's a fear for project developers and investors.

Listen to GigaWhat and explore some of the biggest questions, challenges, and opportunities in India's transition from fossil fuel to clean energy sources. Mongabay-India is an online publication dedicated to bringing you stories on science and the environment in India.

Read the full Clean energy series on our website

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Guests:

Balawant Joshi, Managing Director, Idam Infra

Deepak Krishnan, Associate Director, WRI India (Energy)

Links:
Financial Constraints in Renewable Energy Sector, Ministry of New And Renewable Energy

Power Map of India

Renewable Energy Industry in India, IBEF

Renewables Integration in India, IEA

Renewable Energy Management Centers

Credits:

Host: Mayank Aggarwal

Writer and producer: Kartik Chandramouli

Audio editor: Tejas Dayananda Sagar

Copy editor: Priyanka Shankar

Podcast production assistant: Ayushi Kothari

GigaWhat cover art: Pooja Gupta


From the team at Mongabay.com comes Everything Environment by Mongabay India, a podcast that digs into the complex and often overlooked stories shaping India's natural world. This isn't just about headlines; it's about connecting the dots between biodiversity, climate change, and the natural resources that underpin daily life across the subcontinent. Each episode is a deep dive, whether it's examining the real-world impacts of the country's clean energy transition, uncovering lessons from ancient paleoscience, or giving a voice to lesser-known species fighting for survival. The conversations move beyond abstract problems to focus on tangible solutions and the people on the front lines. By weaving science and news into compelling narrative, this podcast places environmental discussions exactly where they belong: central to our understanding of India's present and future. You'll hear clear analysis and on-the-ground reporting that makes intricate topics accessible, fostering a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of ecology, policy, and community. For anyone curious about the forces shaping our environment, this series offers essential listening.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 28

Everything Environment by Mongabay India
Podcast Episodes
Trailer: Environomy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30
The economic reforms of 1991 caused a radical shift in India's economic and social structure. It gave a new life to the middle class. But did you know that the reforms also changed how India dealt with its environmental…
Imprints: Lake hopping with Anoop Ambili [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:06
Lake-hopping is Anoop Ambili's thing. For Ambili, a paleoclimatologist, the Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, Tso Moriri in Ladakh and Renuka in Himachal Pradesh hide clues that help him reconstruct past climate changes going b…
Imprints: Sifting through microfossils with Rajani Panchang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:04
Looking at sediment under a microscope is a window into past environments and climates. In a dot of sediment, you may find thousands of microfossils - tiny remains of bacteria, protists, fungi, animals, and plants. Rajan…
Imprints: Digging up bones with Advait Jukar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
Imagine this: When modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, they saw creatures such as giant prehistoric elephants, a hippopotamus and a zebra-like horse, alongside other great beasts. Infact, these…
GigaWhat: What not to do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:57
India's renewable energy dreams have been big since the country shifted gears post-Paris climate summit in 2015. The country is now working towards achieving 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2…
Imprints: Finding molluscs with Devapriya Chattopadhyay [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:38
What can shells tells us about marine paleoclimate? Shells and molluscs store a wealth of paleoclimate information. Molluscs build their shells with calcium carbonate from the sea water. Their shells record the sea water…
Imprints: Lake and archive diving with Atreyee Bhattacharya [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:11
It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Atreyee Bhattacharya's work takes her to lakebeds and libraries. She's a paleoclimatologist who looks back at past climates to devel…
GigaWhat: Fuelling startups [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:18
India has an ambitious clean energy target that needs technology and innovation. While government and private sectors have their role to play, startups are critical for innovation and faster execution. They identify loca…
Trailer: Imprints [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Fossils, trees, lake sediment, other natural objects, and archival documents are like time portals. They tell us when and how ancien…
GigaWhat: Clean the messy trail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:47
The clean energy sector maintains that it is crusading the fight against climate change. But first, governments and companies have to fix the road to making clean energy technologies. The supply chain to create clean ene…