The project funded by WWF Norway and administered by WWF India was the Indian state equivalent of WWF Global’s ambitious report on 100% RE for the world. The project required WISE to assess the feasibility of meeting 100% energy from RE in Kerala by 2050.
WISE carried out detailed stakeholder interactions in Kerala with its topmost stakeholders and experts in the energy and environment domain and assessed the renewable energy potential (wind and solar) of the state using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and high-resolution datasets of land use and land cover, topography and resource layers. The project team also used an open-source modelling tool to design different energy demand scenarios and model impacts on energy utilization through energy conservation, energy efficiency and energy substitution (renewable energy use). The energy model covered electricity, industrial heat and transport energy.
The report was widely disseminated and some of the recommendations from the report were implemented by the state electricity department and state nodal agency. The main conclusion that emerged was that Kerala can technically meet about 95% of its energy demand from RE by 2050. Based on the report, the Kerala State Electricity Board created a separate division for development of renewables, resulting in the sector gaining momentum in the state. Post the project, WISE was requested by the state to undertake a follow-up project focusing on Palakkad district in Kerala. Both the reports were widely appreciated and, on the request of the state, were translated into the local language, Malayalam, for enabling wider dissemination.
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