By 2022, the Indian Government wants to bolster its capacities for generating renewable energies up to 175 GW. To get closer to this target, …

… the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced at the end of last year that there would be greater support for hydropower projects with an output of less than 50 MW. Officially the target set was increased from 5 GW to a current level of 6 GW. The funding which is about to run out is set to be readjusted. The Indian classification under the umbrella term of hydropower is as follows: small-scale hydropower: 2-25 MW, mini-scale hydropower: 100 kW-2 MW and micro-scale hydropower: anything below this. The estimated potential for small-scale hydropower is around 20,000 MW, with most potential being identified in the Himalayan region. But the irrigation channels in other regions of the country could also be utilised by small-scale hydropower plants.