Summary

Uttar Pradesh ranked tenth among the 10 Indian states surveyed for Climatescope 2014. It scored 0.77 overall and performed best on Parameter III, Low-Carbon Business.

With 200m residents, Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state, and on its own has a larger population than Pakistan or Brazil. Services make up half of its $148bn economy . The state received $1.6bn in clean energy investments during 2006-12, the last year for which data is available. The state is India’s largest producer of sugarcane and many sugar mills use bagasse (fibrous cane waste) for biomass-fired cogeneration. Biomass and waste is the state’s major renewable energy sector, accounting for 80% of 2006-12 investments and 95% of its 1.3GW clean energy capacity.

In 2012, power plants located in Uttar Pradesh generated an estimated 96TWh, though not all power was consumed within the state. Coal-fired plants supplied 74% of total electricity generation, while renewables contributed only 2% (and 7% of installed capacity in 2012). The state’s distribution utilities are in quite poor financial and operational health, with ‘C’ ratings issued by the Ministry of Power in most of the cases.

In 2013, the state held its first solar auction. The 200MW up for tender received a limited response and only 130MW were permitted.

In 2014, the state launched a second auction, this time for 300MW of capacity to meet its 2017 solar target of 500MW.

Its landlocked location and vast expanse of fertile plains, mean that Uttar Pradesh is not ideal for wind energy generation.