We are happy to present the much-awaited issue of Renewable Mirror Magazine, filled with uncommendable stuff and some admirable interviews, press releases, a valuable cover story, and an overview of Gujarat. Every issue of our magazine attempts a diverse and appealing mix of features, whether written by management professionals or our own in-house editorial team that provides in-depth study and observation.
The magazine prides itself in providing the latest news, study, and observation on a fast-moving industry that is compelling from an environmental and governmental aspect. This month, we carried some engaging press releases and articles related to solar inverters, renewable energy, smart cities, and solar panels. Our special focus is on solar inverters, which have special functions tailored for use with electrical phenomenon arrays, along with most wall plug trailing and anti-islanding protection.
We centralised smart cities on a single platform as a special focus. The vision of a contemporary Asian nation encapsulates the conception of “smart cities” to deal with the phenomenally speedy urbanisation of our nation. The government has proclaimed plans to form 100 sensible cities to satisfy the challenge of the longer term, because it has been calculated that by 2050 India’s urban communities are expected to rise to a thumping fifty percent of the population.
Furthermore, we invite you to stop by our booth at the Helipad Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar on December 7-9, 2022. We are eagerly presenting our December issue to all of our
and hope that our efforts are meeting the
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The tilt and azimuth of a solar panel have a great influence on the energy yield of the overall system. The same panel, at the same installation site, can have different azimuth or tilt.
This is a topic we are often asked about so in this Solis seminar, we explore the subject further.
Azimuth: Is the angle between the vertical plane of the PV panel and the south direction (90°in the east and -90°in the west).
Tilt: This is the angle between the plane of the PV panel and the horizontal ground, and it is hoped that this angle is the optimal inclination angle of the phalanx when the power generation is the largest in a year. The optimal tilt angle is related to the local geographic latitude. When the latitude is higher, the corresponding tilt angle is also larger.
In a solar PV system, the azimuth or tilt on the PV panel can have a great influence on the power generation of the system. Take the area of 39°north latitude as an example. Through a PVsyst simulation, it is found that the best tilt is about 39°, the best azimuth is 0°. See below which shows the impact of changes:
Figure 3: PVsyst simulates the effect of azimuth and tilt on power generation losses
The impact of Azimuth changes on the yield
If the installation direction of the PV panel is not due south, but has a certain angle with due south (changes from -90°~90°; east is 90°, west is -90°), the relative loss of power generation changes will be as shown in the figure shown.
Figure 1: azimuth and tilt
The figure below shows the influence of azimuth and tilt on the power generation of a system in an area 30°north latitude.
Figure 2: Impact of azimuth and tilt on system power generation
Figure 4: azimuth VS PV system power generation relative losses
It can be seen from Figure 4 that when the azimuth changes from -90° to 90°, the power generation change has the following characteristics:
1. The azimuth changes eastward and westward, and
the impact on the power generation is the same; if it is installed facing east or west, the relative loss of power generation changes similarly.
2. The relative loss of power generation changes as a parabola, that is, when the azimuth gradually increases from 0°to the east or west, the loss of power generation changes significantly
3. The angle between azimuth and due south varies within±15°, and the relative loss of power generation is within 1%.
In any area, PV panel installation has an optimal tilt, which is related to the latitude of the installation site, as shown in Figure 5. When the PV panel installation tilt changes, the power generation changes accordingly. The PV panel tile tilt is 0; when the PV panel is installed vertically on the ground, the tilt is 90°, and the corresponding changes are as follows.
Table 1: Variation table of relative loss of optimal tilt±5° power generation of PV panel at different latitudes
Figure 5: tilt VS relative loss of power generation
It can be seen from Figure 5 that when the installed tilt of the PV panel deviates from the optimal tilt, the relative loss of power generation changes, and the variation range increases with the increase of the deviation between the actual tilt and the optimal tilt.
In addition, as shown in Figure 6 and Table 1, the curve changes are slightly different at different latitudes, but the overall trend is as follows:
1) In low-latitude areas, the less power loss is when tiling, and the greater the power loss when vertically installed.
2) Its value changes are parabolic. And the greater the difference between the actual tilt and the optimal tilt, the greater the relative loss of power generation.
3) The tilt changes at the optimum tilt±5°, which has little effect on the power generation, and the difference of the radiation amount is within 5‰.
Power generation of a solar PV system has a lot to do with the azimuth and tilt of the PV panel. Generally speaking, the power generation of the system is the highest under the conditions of the south azimuth and the best tilt. Therefore, attention must be paid when the system is installed and designed. Of course, other factors need to be considered, such as snow cover, terrain conditions and land area restrictions. It is necessary to choose between the azimuth and tilt of the PV panel to ensure the best system performance.
RM
Figure 6: Relative loss of PV panel tilt VS power generation at different latitudes
After the successful launch of the HELOC ® Pro Series (M10 wafer size) and HELOC ® Plus series (G12 wafer size). Goldi Solar brings the Mono PERC range of DCR modules under the HELOC ® Pro series for its valued customers. The modules are available in Monofacial and Bifacial variants with a power output ranging from 520 Wp - 550 Wp. Goldi will showcase the new range at the Intersolar exhibition at Gandhinagar from December 7-9, 2022.
Hardip Singh, President of Sales & Marketing, said, “Currently, we ship 330-340 Wp Poly DCR modules. Goldi’s new offering HELOC ® Pro DCR modules (525 - 540 Wp), made with Indian solar PV cells, are the perfect fit for government projects and schemes that mandate the use of DCR PV modules to promote and
encourage domestic solar manufacturers.”
HELOC ® Pro DCR range modules are equipped with the new circuit design with multi-busbar technology, reducing the current losses. It has an advanced glass and cell surface textured design, which ensures excellent performance in low-light environments and reduces hotspot losses. Modules are adaptable with panel cleaning robots, trackers, and fixed mounting systems and compatible with central and string inverters.
Vigorous quality tests have been undertaken, and the modules have been known to provide mechanical support up to 5400 Pa snow load and 2400 Pa wind load. The panels come with a 12-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty for the Bifacial variant. RM
Bangladesh’s leading Developers and EPCs all under one roof. The company also promoted Tiger Neo at Bangladesh’s biggest Apparel Expo!
Jinko’s South & Central Asia team came together in Dhaka for a week full of interesting client meetings and site visits. The response and reception to Jinko’s products and technology in Bangladesh was welcoming. “Jinko will go on to establish itself as a serious and competitive player in the Bangladesh market. We are working with local partners and clients to bring the latest N Type technology to Bangladesh with our Tiger Neo offering”, said Mr. Daniel Liu – Managing Director, South & Central Asia.
On 20th November, Jinko organized an exclusive corporate event in Dhaka. The event saw a better than expected turn out with an overall participation from Government Officials, Project Developers, EPCs, System Integrators among others. Jinko showcased its latest product – Tiger Neo, based on the N Type technology and its brand-new ESS solution for the residential, utility and C&I segments.
The event was attended by all the known personalities in the Bangladesh solar space. Jinko’s Sales Director for South & Central Asia, Mr. Michael Wang, gave a comprehensive presentation about Jinko’s capacity and technology strength, followed by a brief on the Bangladesh solar market and way forward by Mr.
Shahidur Rehman, Country Manager – Bangladesh, who is based in Dhaka and leading all of Jinko’s initiatives in the country. The highlight of the event was the technical presentation on module technology which clearly established N-Type technology as the future. This was done by Mr. Sai Charan himself, Jinko’s Technical Director for South & Central Asia. He went on to explain Jinko’s ground-breaking ESS solutions as well which can be customized as per consumer requirements, especially now when it is absolutely needed in Bangladesh.
There was an interactive Q&A session with the audience and the Jinko team enjoyed every bit of it. “We are glad to see today’s turn out and the immense interest that the market has in Jinko’s offerings. We are sure that Jinko will build a strong and reliable brand name for itself in this market and replicate the success we have had in India and other regions”, quoted Mr. Michael Wang.
JinkoSolar was also an exhibitor at the Dhaka Apparel Expo during 14th to 16th November in the Made in Bangladesh Week. The team got an overwhelming response from key decision makers in the textile industry who are all-in to solarize their operations and tap into the huge potential for savings and going green. This will be a primary client segment for us in Bangladesh in the Distributed Generation space as the garment and textile industry is the largest here and growing each day”, commented Mr. Daniel Liu. RM
As an internationally renowned independent third-party testing, inspection and certification organization, TÜV Rheinland has been deeply engaged in the PV field for 40 years so far. Its “All Quality Matters” Solar Congress has become a platform that brings together leading PV industry players with the purpose of standardizing product quality and establishing quality benchmarks. It is also the highest competition stage for PV inverters with objective and credible evaluation process and authoritative and neutral selection organization.
With first-rate performance in terms of product reliability, efficiency, power quality, input and output capability, Growatt’s MAX 125KTL3-X LV model stands out from the rest in the test program. “We are honored that our MAX 125KTL3-X LV inverter is recognized by TÜV Rheinland as the best high power PV inverter of the 100-150kW group for commercial and industrial use,” commented Mr. Woody Wu, the company’s vice president of research and development. The 125kW MAX inverter achieves a European efficiency
of 98.26% — the highest in the group. Its input and output capability surpass the others with an MPPT voltage range from 180V to 1,000V and 1.1 times the rated output power reaching a maximum of 137.5kW, enabling it to work with high power modules and realize higher energy yield for solar investors.
On the aspect of reliability and environmental adaptability, the inverter also achieves the best performance in long-period tests at switching extreme temperatures between -30°C/-22°F and 60°C/ 140°F. Moreover, it delivers a lower total harmonic distortion (THDi) of 1.08%, which is far better than an industry standard requirement of 3%, making it the top performer in the test program.
“At Growatt, our team is dedicated to bringing product and technology innovations to change the way homes and businesses are powered. Striving for excellence, we’ll continue to develop advanced products of high quality and reliability for global customers,” Wu concluded. RM
Power or electricity is one among the foremost crucial parts of infrastructure moving economic process and well-being of each nation. The existence and development of adequate infrastructure is crucial for sustained growth of the Indian economy. India’s power sector is one among the addition al unheeded sectors within the Indian economy particularly within the rural elements of the country remains while not power, as will half-dozen p.c of the urban population.
Solar inverter market outlook provides an unbiased and detailed analysis of the market trends
The recently free HTF Market Report is regarding the market size of the ability inverters in India and the way is it aiming to facilitate the economy of the country by providing keeps a copy of the ability whenever required. This report reveals however government is supporting the ability inverter market by mechanization of faculties and alternative development factors to realize the grid parity in India. The report conjointly reveals the trend during this trade is shifting to hybrid electrical converters and star electrical converter in Indian power inverter market.
The Power electrical converter market in India was growing at a CAGR of over eleven p.c throughout the amount 2011-2015. The producing system for these products is kind of mature whereas technological necessities of inverter producing square measure bigger than the producing and style capabilities gift in India presently. A number of the key players within the inverters market are lambent, Su-kam, and Microtek. Steady demand from the house and SOHO segments is predicted to buttress the expansion of the inverter market. The unorganized section contains a giant share of the inverter market, although its share has been declining latterly because of increased shopper awareness.
According to “India Power Inverter Market Outlook, 2022”, the marketplace for power inverters in Asian India is predicted to grow with a CAGR of over eight p.c from 2015 to 2021. Central Inverters are the key market share acquirers of the inverter market. Micro-inverters are forecasted to extend its share technology wise. Residential section is that the new target of the inverter trade. The unorganized sector that was leading the market until 2012 is forecasted to shrink within the coming back years. New entrants are increasing and their revenue share is predicted to grow over the forecasted amount, because of their growth plans and widening of franchise networks.
The government’s promise to deliver ‘24x 7 powers for all’ would reap edges for the ability back-up trade. The inverter-battery phase expects additive growth of near to ten per cent annually within the returning years as additional households, urban and rural, get electricity connections. The trade estimates the market size at 5 million inverters and twelve mn batteries annually. “The market grows between 5 and ten per cent each year,” aforementioned Associate in Nursing
govt. Others say as grid electricity reaches tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and rural households, it spurs demand for back-up. “We mostly expect growth to still be in line with the past 5 years in inverters and batteries and of over twenty five per cent (annually) in star,” aforementioned Vipul Sabharwal, administrator (MD), aglow Power Technologies.
His afore mentioned tier-3 and tier-4 cities and interior markets would grow quicker than the larger cities and top-tier cities. Aglow has full-grown by fifteen per cent annually in recent years. “Power generation isn’t a problem within the country; accessibility is. There square measure infrastructural problems in reliable power offer. Power storage would emerge as a significant business and also the demand for inverters-batteries goes to simply grow.
With renewable energy returning, storage is required quite ever, whether or not domestic or business,” aforementioned Kunwer Sachdev, MD at Su-Kam.
One major addition within the back-up phase is solar-based solutions. Sabharwal aforementioned within the past 3 years, the expansion of such systems had hyperbolic by thirty per cent annually. Sachdev says star storage would see the best growth among all segments. For Su-Kam over the past 3 years, it’s been a one hundred per cent combined annual growth. With increasing whole consciousness, the unregulated market of native batteries has fallen considerably. The share of the unregulated phase is near to forty per cent of the market, largely in tier-3 cities and rural areas. At a similar, it’s phased out diesel gensets, that accustomed be major competition until fairly recently.
Experts say that with the exception of business units like medium towers and little manufactory units, the inverter-battery has tired the diesel genset market from the domestic phase.
A star electrical converter or PV electrical converter could be a kind of convertor that converts the variable DC (DC) output of an electrical phenomenon (PV) solar battery into utility frequency electricity (AC) which will be fed into an advertisement electrical grid or employed by an area, off-grid electrical network. It’s an essential balance of system & 40; BOS & 41:- component in an exceedingly electrical phenomenon system, permitting the employment of normal AC-powered instrumentality. Solar energy inverters have special functions tailored to be used with electrical phenomenon arrays, together with most wall plug trailing and anti-islanding protection.
Solar inverters are also classified into 3 broad types: Stand-alone inverters, employed in isolated systems wherever the electrical converter attracts its DC energy from batteries charged by electrical phenomenon arrays. Several complete inverters conjointly incorporate integral battery chargers to make full the battery from AN AC supply, once accessible. Commonly these don’t interface in any means with the utility grid, and in and of it, aren’t needed to possess antiislanding protection.
Grid-tie inverters, that match section with a utilitysupplied wave. Grid-tie inverters are designed to close up mechanically upon loss of utility offer, for safety reasons. They are doing not offer backup power throughout utility outages.
Battery backup inverters, are special inverters that are designed to draw energy from A battery, manage the battery charge via AN aboard charger, and export excess energy to the utility grid. These inverters are capable of supply AC energy to choose masses throughout a utility outage, and are needed to possess anti-islanding protection.
Maximum wall plug trailing
Solar inverters use most wall plug trailing (MPPT) to urge the most attainable power from the PV array. Star cells have a fancy relationship between star irradiation, temperature and total resistance that produces a nonlinear output potency called the I-V curve. It’s the aim of the MPPT system to sample the output of the cells and verify a resistance (load) to get most power for any given environmental conditions.
The fill issue, additional normally identified by its abbreviation FF, could be a parameter that, in conjunction with the circuit voltage (Voc) and short current (Isc) of the panel, determines the most power from a electric cell. Fill issue is outlined because the magnitude relation of the most power from the electric cell to the merchandise of Voc and Isc.
There are 3 main sorts of MPPT algorithms: perturband-observe, progressive electrical phenomenon and constant voltage. The primary 2 ways are usually noted as hill rise methods; they consider the curve of power planned against voltage rising to the left of the most wall plug, and falling on the correct.
Solar micro-inverters
Solar micro-inverter is an electrical converter designed to control with one PV module. The micro-inverter converts the DC output from every panel into electricity.
Its style permits parallel association of multiple, freelance units in an exceedingly standard means.
Micro-inverter blessings embrace single panel power optimization, freelance operation of every panel, plug-and play installation, improved installation and fireplace safety, decreased prices with system style and stock reduction.
A 2011 study at geographic area State University reports that individual integrated electrical converter setup yielded concerning two hundredth additional power in unshaped conditions and twenty seventh additional power in shaded conditions compared to string connected setup mistreatment one electrical converter. Each setup used identical star panels.
Grid tied star inverters
Solar grid-tie inverters square measure designed to quickly disconnect from the grid if the utility grid goes down. this is often associate degree NEC demand that ensures that within the event of a blackout, the grid tie electrical converter can clean up to stop the energy it produces from harming any line employees World Health Organization square measure sent to repair the ability grid.
Grid-tie inverters that square measure offered on the market nowadays use variety of various technologies. The inverters might use the newer high-frequency transformers, standard low-frequency transformers, or no electrical device. Rather than changing DC on to one hundred twenty or 240 volts AC, high-frequency transformers use a processed multi-step method that involves changing the ability to high-frequency AC then back to DC then to the ultimate AC output voltage. Historically, there are issues concerning having transformerless electrical systems feed into the general public utility grid. The issues stem from the very fact that there’s a scarcity of galvanic isolation between the DC and AC circuits that may permit the passage of dangerous DC faults to the AC aspect. Since 2005, the NFPA’s NEC permits transformer-less (or non-galvanically) inverters. The VDE 0126-11 and IEC 6210 even have been amended to permit and outline the security mechanisms required for such systems. Primarily, residual or ground current sightion is employed to detect potential fault conditions. Conjointly isolation tests square measure performed to make sure DC to AC separation.
Many star inverters square measure designed to be connected to a utility grid, and can not operate once they don’t sight the presence of the grid. They contain
special electronic equipment to exactly match the voltage, frequency and part of the grid.
Advanced star pumping inverters convert DC voltage from the solar panel into AC voltage to drive submersible pumps directly while not the necessity for batteries or alternative energy storage devices. By utilizing MPPT (maximum outlet tracking), star pumping inverters regulate output frequency to manage the speed of the pumps so as to avoid wasting the pump motor from harm.
Solar pumping inverters sometimes have multiple ports to permit the input of DC current generated by PV arrays, one port to permit the output of AC voltage, and an additional port for input from a water-level detector.
Conversion potency for progressive star converters reached over ninety eight p.c. whereas string inverters square measure utilized in residential to mediumsized industrial PV systems, central inverters cowl the massive industrial and utility-scale market. Marketshare for central and string inverters square measure concerning 50 p.c and 48 p.c, severally, effort but two p.c to micro-inverters.
Unseasonal rains haven’t solely broken crops however have conjointly hit the sales of battery makers. Rain delayed the onset of summer, impacting client
purchases. Home electrical converter revenue of Exide Industries Ltd is calculable to possess fallen by 10-12% within the March quarter. With around fifth part of the company’s turnover returning from electrical converter batteries, the sales drop created a major dent to its revenue, that grew simply a pair of within the March quarter.
Amara Raja Batteries Ltd derives a lesser quantity of its revenues from electrical converter batteries. However subdued client demand suggests that the corporate is additionally expected to report a call in home electrical converter revenue, once it releases its earnings later within the month. “Inverter revenues of Amara Raja may additionally fall in this fall, however the corporate principally trades in electrical converter batteries,” aforementioned Jay Kale, Associate in Nursing analyst at Elara Securities (India) Pvt. Ltd. The summer season continues to be beneath means. However sales might not come during a massive means. That’s thanks to up electricity provides. The electricity state of affairs within the country is up. Many massive states saw negligible electricity deficit of but I Chronicles in March, information from Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows. The low electricity deficit is either thanks to subdued demand or higher electricity handiness.
In fact, matters could be a way cry from what it had been some of year’s a gone. Information from CEA shows that overall electricity deficit in Asian country halved from eight.5% in 2011-12 to three.6% within the last financial year. Deficits in states like province, Madhya
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Pradesh and geographical region fell drastically. If so electricity provides still improve, then the electrical converter batteries business is certain a “structural decline,” Emkay international money Services Ltd warns.
According to Kale of Elara Securities, if electricity provides improve as projected “then it’ll have a sway on the electrical converter battery sales within the long-term.”
Perhaps that’s the explanation why, when rising sharply in 2014, the stocks area unit trailing the broader markets since the start of current twelvemonth. Whereas Exide is down virtually 14 July, Amara Raja increased simply I Chronicles since the start of this year. Of course these corporations preponderantly rely on automobile and industrial batteries for his or her sales. However a major quantity of the business-inverter batteries-is facing the threat of a fast decline. Meaning recovery within the core automobile and industrial batteries ought to be stronger for corporations to take care of revenue momentum.
To conclude, the Expert Group strongly feels that in the first place, all non-financial support options should be made available to RE e.g. project development, policy support, legislative enablers, and coordinated implementation ecosystem. Such interventions are
critical to reach the 175GW RE targets. The ecosystems should also ensure that all direct and indirect incentives should get reflected in the tariff of RE at the procurement end. Further the incentive design and procurement mechanism should be specific to the characteristics of resource and technology under consideration. Options which do not require any project specific government approvals like AD should be made available in any case, with appropriate changes so that operational performance is ensured. Lenders (banks and financial institutions) should be made aware of the specific requirements and characteristics of RE projects so that they can take informed decisions, resulting in reduced risk perceptions, and hence better terms of finance. Beyond same, sector specific financing mechanism (low cost money based refinancing, interest subvention etc.) need to be structured avoiding the possibilities of market distortions. GBI should be used as a bridge tool. Being a tail end incentive, GBI may offer very little financial leverage, however it can be designed to be very effective to incentivize distribution companies to buy RE and bring down their cost of RE procurement. Same should also be used as a tool to facilitate timely payments.
The India Solar Inverter Market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.4% during 2020-2026F.
The Indian solar inverter market grew at a considerable rate during the period 2016-2019 as a result of several government efforts to improve the share of solar power
in the country’s energy generation mix such as the National Solar Mission by the Government of India targeting 100 GW solar energy by the year 2022.
Rising consumer awareness, the growing participation of residential and commercial segments towards solar system installations, supportive government policies & solar schemes, and increasing private sector involvement are the other major factors contributing to the growth of the solar inverter market in India.
However, the ongoing pandemic COVID-19 slowed down the growth rate of market revenues during the year 2020 as a result of a decline in market demand in the lockdown phase across the country. Moreover, with the gradual opening of the economy and removal of lockdown measures, the market began to show signs of improvement during the second half of the year and is anticipated to return to a normal growth trajectory in the upcoming years.
Increasing environmental awareness, financial support from the government in the form of subsidies, new initiatives and targets for renewable energy launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) would further drive the solar inverter market revenues in India over the coming years.
The market is dominated by the utility sector owing to its large-scale solar projects deploying a large number of solar inverters. Further, the commercial segment is estimated to exhibit the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The high growth is attributed to growing solar installations across educational institutes, offices, factories, hospitals, and warehouses. In addition, the residential segment is also exhibiting significant growth with a focus on sustainable development and overlaying the rising power cost in the country.
Government initiatives such as the Smart City project, the development of solar parks, and the solar energy subsidy scheme would further accelerate the adoption of solar installations across residential and commercial segments.
Moreover, among system types, on-grid systems dominated the market in 2019 owing to huge adoption across different applications, whereas, off-grid systems are majorly limited to rural electrification applications only however, growth is expected in coming years.
The India solar inverter market report comprehensively covers the market by type, system type, power rating, application and region. The India solar inverter market outlook report provides an unbiased and detailed analysis of the India solar inverter market trends, opportunities, high growth areas and market drivers
which would help the stakeholders to devise and align their market strategies according to the current and future market dynamics.
A solar panel refers to a collection of solar cells which is employed to generate electricity using sunlight as the energy source. A solar inverter, on the other hand, is a device which helps in converting the direct current produced by the solar panels into alternating current. This current is then supplied to storage batteries, power grids or houses for operating various appliances. Several efforts are being made by the Government of India to harness renewable sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, etc. for energy production due to their easy availability. Amongst these, solar power is amongst the fastest developing segment, owing to the suitable geographical location of India which offers an ample supply of sunlight throughout the year.
•
The Indian government is encouraging the use of renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, etc. so as to decrease the dependency on non-renewable sources and reduce their carbon footprint. As a result, the Government has undertaken several initiatives including the Solar Rooftop Scheme, Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and Solar Energy Subsidy Scheme which are catalyzing the demand for solar power systems in the region.
• Solar power systems are currently available in various forms such as off-grid solar power system, grid inter-tied solar power system with battery backup, and grid inter-tied solar power system without battery backup. According to their requirements, the consumers can easily choose from these varieties and install the system in their houses or office buildings.
• Due to its location between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, India has an average annual temperature that ranges from 25 degree Celsius to 27 degree Celsius. Owing to this, the country has a huge potential for solar power generation. As per government estimations, India receives solar radiation of about 5,000tn kWh per year. This, coupled with the availability of barren land, increases the feasibility of solar energy systems in the country.
• Although, the initial cost for setting up a solar power system is very high, the maintenance
cost associated with solar products is relatively low. Moreover, there is no professional operator required to run the system, unlike the conventional power system.
• Decreasing prices of equipment used for solar panel manufacturing has significantly reduced the overall cost of solar PV panels, enabling solar power companies to expand their capacities. This report provides a deep insight into the Indian solar electric system and solar inverter market covering all its essential aspects. This ranges from macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, recent trends, key market drivers and challenges, SWOT analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis, value chain analysis, etc. This report is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the solar electric system and solar inverter industry in any manner.
The Indian non-solar high-capacity inverter market size stood at $391.3 million in 2021 and is projected to reach $760.1 million by 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 7.7% during 2021–2030. This is attributed to the increasing demand for power backup solutions across industrial, commercial, and residential areas, along with the surging need for inverters in tier II and tier III cities of the nation.
Moreover, the Indian solar high-capacity inverter market size is projected to reach $1,199.0 million by 2030 from $426.0 million in 2021, surging at a growth rate of 12.2% during the forecast period. This is due to the rise in the usage of solar power for several applications, along with various government initiatives
for promoting renewable power sources, especially solar energy, and the country has a vast source of solar energy due to its geographical location.
Rapid advancements in the solar energy sector in terms of power generation and utilization are contributing to an increase in the number of solar PV installations for a variety of applications in India. The rising adoption of renewable energy in the country enhances the Indian renewable power inverter market. For instance, the country had a renewable energy capacity of 150 GW in November 2021, comprising solar (48.55 GW), large hydro (46.51 GW), wind (40.03 GW), bio-mass (10.62 GW), nuclear (6.78 GW), and small hydropower (4.83 GW). Also, India has planned to achieve a renewable energy capacity of 450 GW by 2030.
A key growth area is hybrid inverters, which connect both PV panels and battery storage systems. This essential function performed by hybrid solar inverters or PV Inverters made it an indispensable item for the success of renewable energy development. Due to cheap labor and higher manufacturing facilities, China is leading in production and export with lower hybrid solar inverter prices than anywhere else.
The easier installation and higher efficiency provided by string inverters are constantly replacing the traditional central inverters in all significant solar firms worldwide. String inverters also constitute a significant segment of the experiencing increased traction of 5.2% CAGR during the forecast years. And yet, central PV Inverters will be the dominant segment of the global PV Inverter Market by Product that is poised to reach a market value of US$ 7.7 Bn by 2028 in terms of revenue generated.
RM
Mr. Tarang Khurana Director
Icon Solar-en Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
We cater to lot of rural areas, slum areas, remote areas with a same objective “Solar Is for All” and Icon’s idea is that solar should be accessible to all. India is blessed with an immense amount of Sunlight.
As we started our conversation, talking about the future outlook of the Renewable energy sector, Mr. Tarang Khurana, Director, Icon Solar-en Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd said, “Icon Solar is already expanding its module manufacturing capacity by double. The government of India is also driving this program very well across different sectors. People now understand this and the stronger pace of the domestic industry coming up. So, according to me, Solar & Renewable energy sectors have a bright future ahead.”
Given that your company is a top producer of highly effective products using cutting-edge technology, what role do you see your company having in the future development of the solar industry?
For the past eight years, Icon Solar has had a big impact on the industry. Today, we are also fortunate in that Icon is a name that symbolizes quality and confidence among our vendors and customers. Similarly to that, our primary goal is to positively influence the future of the overall renewable energy sector. People should feel secure, hence the words “trust” and “solar” are synonymous.
We have a very keen focus on the quality of our brands and have built our product on that aspect. As a result, whenever people think of good solar products, they should think of “Icon Solar” and they should have complete confidence in the entire functioning of the system as well as the assurance of the power generation issues as well.
Going forward in renewable energy, As more people nowadays become aware of the opportunities and strength of the solar industry, Icon aspires to be a company that truly guarantees high-quality products without sacrificing anything. Our responsibility is to inform people about the solar industry, climate change, and the advantages of using natural resources, in addition to selling modules. Icon’s true aim is to make solar energy accessible to everyone and to make an impact on society as a whole in order to have a good effect on people’s lives. Even
today, we provide services to several rural, slum, and distant locations with the same goal of “Solar Is for All.” India is fortunate to have an abundance of sunlight.
He said, “We have put solar panels in Kargil, Ladakh, and Chhattisgarh when asked about the company’s market presence. Our solar panels have been placed from Kargil to Ladakh. In my opinion, solar energy will be a significant contribution to everyone’s life.
Talking about the current market demand & supply, Mr. Khurana said, “Since India is physically and demographically situated in a region where solar energy is a logical extension of its programming, there is a significant opportunity for the development of solar power in India. It is therefore an adoption in the form of individual rooftop installation, be it in the form of social agricultural pumps, be it in the form of grid-scale these things are only going to increase in the future which is why the demand for solar will also be much more than what a current supply is even right now there is huge pent of demand of solar across the nation and across the different verticals. Now that the government has introduced its PLI scheme to naturally increase the manufacturing capacity and capabilities of solar across the nation, the supply is catching up. The MSE sector, which is the growthdriven engine for any economy, must also be publicly supported. Many people all around the country have the skills necessary to build solar plants of the highest caliber, but they may not have been eligible for the PLI program. Therefore, there is a huge gap that needs to be filled, and the MSE sector may make a significant contribution to closing this gap between the demand and supply chains. In the last two years, India has also begun to move toward backward integration; formerly, there was a lot of import-based production, but today there are many businesses producing various parts. As India aims to have 90 Gigawatts of manufacturing capacity, we also need to speed up this process and support the sectors that will be necessary to meet this goal. RM
Mr. Shakti Kumar Dubey Director
Icon Solar-en Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
We are one of the manufacturers who has supplied the higher voltage products in the whole world from Assam to Rajasthan to Chhattisgarh to Bihar. We have standardized our products accordingly the climatic conditions, geographical conditions and motive of the clients.
Q. Government has very ambitious plans of expanding and upgrading the solar energy sector in India. What are your plans ahead in the government’s quest for creating better opportunities for growth?
The growth story was there, but the government is now concentrating on the efficiency of solar energy, which should be welcomed whatever the PLI scheme is also intriguingly coming for the improvement of the efficiency of the modules. The technological changes will be there, and we are also prepared & upgraded and our machines are well-equipped. The changes that are on their way, will be copped up with all types of technological advancement that are going to happen for the next five years. As the market needs new kinds of technology, our machines won’t just keep up but will also satisfy customer and market wants.
Q. Please highlight some interesting facts about your unique names products RIG, SAAM, YAJUR, & ATHARVA.
These solar products have a lengthy lifespan, and because the Vedas are trustworthy, respectable, and relevant for a longer period of time, we took inspiration from them when naming our products. This is because our products are reputable and long-lasting.
Q. What products and solutions are offered by your company in this space specifically as compared to other brands?
Based on the voltage and current demands of the various segments, there are several types of models. We offer this particular product since some markets call for higher voltage products. Other businesses typically don’t pay attention to the solar modules’ efficiency; instead, they tend to offer lower voltage items with lesser efficiency.
From Assam to Rajasthan to Chhattisgarh to Bihar, we are one of the producers who have delivered higher voltage items all over the world. According to the climatic conditions, geographic locations, and client objectives, we have standardized our products.
Q. Give us an overview of the company’s presence in the market. What are your marketing plans?
There are three different types of segments: utility, megawatt-scale projects, and rooftop. We are already working on a scale of 290, are directly or indirectly supplying 19 states in India, and have entered the rooftop segment with a clear vision. With the “PM Yojana” and the “Rooftop Yojana,” we also want to reach new heights of success. As we already do in Hyderabad, we are currently concentrating mostly on the Northern region, with Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab & Haryana also making up a large portion of our attention. In Gujarat, we are offering massive megawatt projects. In the utility sector, we are active in numerous regions of the nation. In the pumping sector, we are responsible for 40% to 50% of all the pumping systems in India.
As more and more businesses establish themselves, the need for items also grows. We have completed a significant amount of installation work this year, whether it is rooftop or pumping segments, and are currently engineering for increased output. Each quarter, we increase our production capacity in response to the rising demand and requirements. The government is focusing on “Make in India” and the “PIL plan,” and they are giving us good support. We are using this support in our endeavours to provide our clients with better products and services.
RM
With a workforce of industry professionals and having great expertise in the field of manufacturing and supply, we aim to provide a complete range of services, while prioritising customer satisfaction. We are fully equipped with a high end technical team that make us competent in the market.
Q. What are measures are you taking to make your product, more efficient and more affordable?
We source our raw material directly from the manufacturers instead of buying from the Channels, where margins are shared e.g. we source all our Busbar Materials directly from Hindalco and all Sheet Metals directly from Tata Steel / Jindal Steels only. As we also source our material in bulk, we ensure that our Inventory Buffer is maintained enabling us to deliver the finished goods on time, with the requisite quality of the finished goods making it affordable and cost effective.
Q. What other issues are currently affecting the sector and how can they be overcome?
Currently, there is a cut throat competition in the Power Sector. Companies are ‘cutting corners’ to be able to meet the Price Expectation of the Customers. Secondly, many manufacturers are also sourcing low grade of raw materials which helps them to offer a better price to the End User, but this is a very short-term approach and will not sustain for a longtime. Sooner or later all such vendors will be exposed, provided the Purchasers are careful about it and of course with the test of time.
Q. Could you please give a briefing of what new products and solutions will you bring this time?
LS Power Control has been synonymous with a large basket of products with a service assurance and resolution within 48/72 hours on a Pan India basis. Currently, we are offering our Sandwich Bus Trunking Solution from 63Amps - 6300 Amps both in Copper and Aluminium. We are offering Package Substation Solution up to 3.0 MVA in 11, 22 and 33kV having Dry / Oil type Transformers with / without OLTC. This is a big range of offering with an in-house design without any external Technical Support.
Q. What makes LS Power Control different from other competitors?
LS Power Control apart from its wide range of Product Offerings have, sourcing of raw materials from premium vendors like Tata, Hindalco, Schneider Electric, L&T etc. LS Power Control have employed nearly more than 20 people in their Design, R&D Teams investing heavily in the R&D segment. Besides, we have a dedicated Turnkey Contracts Team that carries out projects specializing in HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Fighting and Grid Substation up to 33kV. This is something really unique which many of our nearest competitors don’t have or depend on outsourced resources.
Q. Tell us about your commitment towards Solar Sector in India & your strengths to achieve your targets.
About more than 95% of Products of LS Power Control are Type Tested with the most respectable laboratories viz. CPRI and ERDA. Having said so, we are not stopping there and we intend to go further, carrying out all the
requisite Type Tests for almost all Products including the MV Panels, Sandwich Bus Trunking, Solar DBs which are testimony to our quality manufacturing processes. We are continuously adding new machines to our existing fleet and expanding our Manufacturing base. We constantly look for new avenues and new partnerships that can help us expanding our horizons.
Q. Present some noteworthy projects or case studies built using your products.
(i) India International Convention Centre, Dwarka (ii) Navi Mumbai International Airport, Navi Mumbai (iii) Western Dedicated Freight Corridor for 27 Stations already (iv) National High Speed Rail Corridor (v) Tata Power Solar, Bangalore (vi) Foxconn, Chennai (vii) ATL Batteries, Haryana (viii) Oppo and (ix) Vivo, Noida (x) TCL, Tirupati and soon.
Q. If we look ten years ahead, what do you hope to have achieved?
10 years down the line we would be doing a business revenue of approximately 600-800 crores.
Q. What is your outlook on the solar energy sector? What could be the major trends to look for in future?
India being a tropical country, Solar is there to stay for a very long time. We are seeing emerging trends as more and more Indian players are coming in to join the league vis-à-vis what we witnessed 10 years before, when more and more Chinese players were being seen taking the lead. With the participation of more Indian players and the Make in India initiative taken by our Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, our Solar Industry will help to reduce our dependance on the fossil fuels thereby reducing our Carbon footprints drastically.
Q. What are some of the other opportunities or emerging trends in the making that will shape a more sustainable future for our country?
We are witnessing a change in the Automobile segment already with setting up of a large number of EV Charging stations and people using Electric cars as an emerging trend. Secondly, we are also looking forward to Hydrogen fuel for cars which could also be another breakthrough, even better than the EV, provided things are economically positioned for the common masses. We are closely monitoring the trends. RM
Director
Pankaj Pandey is the Director for Business Development at EKI Energy Services Ltd. Along with Business Development he also leads team EKI across its global operations for the effective implementation of mitigation projects for successful generation of high quality carbon credits.
Under his leadership, EKI has achieved newer heights, especially for community based projects that empower the weaker sections of the society with access to energy efficient alternatives for necessities like clean cooking, home lighting solutions, safe drinking water amongst others.
An climate industry veteran, Pankaj has over 15 years of experience and specialization in the implementation of robust business strategies, effective organisational development and excellent client relationship management that can enhance a company’s reach and market share. Prior to joining EKI, he was with CG Power & Industrial Solutions Ltd. (erstwhile Crompton Greaves).
Anthropogenic global warming [popularly known climate change] is a very significant threat to humanity and as described by the UN, it’s the “existential threat” of our times. From rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding to shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, the impacts of climate change are unprecedented in scale and global in scope.
The change is happening at a fast pace, leaving no corner of the globe immune from its devastating consequences.
Food and water insecurity, rising temperatures fueling environmental degradation, weather extremes, economic disruption, melting Arctic and dying coral reefs - the current situation of the world is surely not good enough.
An urgent system-wide transformation and real climate action at global level are only ways to avoid climate disaster. Even the Emissions Gap Report 2022 has highlighted that the global community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place.
The report shows that policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century and implementation of the current pledges (under NDCs by countries) will only reduce this to a 2.4-2.6°C temperature rise by the end of the century, for conditional and unconditional pledges respectively, which, indicates that actions towards emission reductions should be beyond the boundary of ‘Parties’ of UN multilateral system and without effective participation of businesses we will not able to restrict the Global Warming with 1.50/20C limits. Climate action and carbon market
It is high time that businesses and corporations take urgent and real action to reduce their carbon footprint and meet carbon neutrality goals, and Carbon Market is the only possible avenue through which the efforts and investments of businesses can be channelized toward emission reductions, very quickly and drastically.
Carbon credit is an offset mechanism that is issued for an equivalent avoidance or absorption of carbon emissions from the atmosphere as result of a targeted carbon reduction project. These credits are supplied to anyone and everyone aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. By purchasing carbon credits, a company invests in other projects that reduce GHG emissions on its behalf. In other words, it is offsetting its emissions by removing/reducing it from some other location.
The two very fundamental aspects of carbon market are
• Possibly in the history of modern consumptive economy, this is the first pioneering attempt to put a cost of environmental degradation in the financials; internalizing environmental cost to a product and service.
• It rationalizes the ‘marginal cost of abatement’ aspects, considering the lifespan of carbon in the atmospheric pool is more than 100 years.
We, at EKI Energy Services Ltd. offer climate change and sustainability solutions to businesses to help them achieve their carbon neutrality goals. We provide consultancy/ advisory services for the end-to-end management of carbon assets including carbon credit generation, supply, monetization and offsetting.
Q. What according to you are the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian solar market?
Solar power is a fast-evolving industry in India which has shown visible impact on the Indian energy sector during the last few years. The best aspects of Solar technologies is it’s modular in nature which can easily be deployed at small household level off-grid applications to large grid connected utility scale power productions. The democratization of commercial energy is really possible with present day solar technologies.
According to a report by Mercom Capital, the capacity addition in Indian solar market in the first six months of 2022 is 7.2 GW, a record 59% increase when compared to 4.5 GW installed in the same period of last year. India’s capacity additions rank the country fifth in solar power deployment, contributing nearly 6.5% to the global cumulative capacity of 709.68 GW.
India was one of the first signatories of the Paris Accord, who shortly published its NDCs thereafter, laying out its path to address the GHG emissions. According to India’s NDC’s, the country aims to increase the share of renewable power to 40% of total power generated; thereby reduce the consumption of coal – which is the single largest GHG emission source in the country. Steps outlined to meet NDCs:
• Develop 175 GW of renewable power generation capacity by 2025, which will result in reduction of 326 million tons CO2 eq, which has now extended to 500 GW of no-fossil power generation by 2030. The renewable power generation program embarked by India is one of the largest in the world. On execution these programs
• will result in increasing the share of renewable power
Q. Climate change, carbon credit, and sustainability solutions.” How will you elaborate this?
capacity by 33%, over its 2015 levels.
• Solarization of all petrol pumps as well as toll collection points across the country.
• Development of 25 solar parks, ultra-mega solar power projects, canal top solar projects, and distribution of one hundred thousand solar pumps to farmers.
• Green India mission, green highway project (which involves tree lining of 140,000 kms of roadways), and tree plantation along riverbanks. Among other key developments in India’s energy sector, National Hydrogen Mission is a significant step to reduce emissions and meet NDCs. It was proposed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget Speech 2021-22. In this regard, a Green Hydrogen policy has also been framed by Ministry of Power.
Challenges
While solar energy has the potential to be an alternative source of power generation in addition to being an environmentally friendly source, there are still many challenges that India’s solar market face, limiting us from scaling up.
The government has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of non-fossil (primarily loaded with renewable) capacity by 2030 and majority of it is expected from solar installations. However, Indian solar sector has been majorly dependent on imports for cell and module. According to ISMA, modules import accounted for more than 65 per cent of total module demand in 2021.
India’s dependence on imports and external sources to meet its energy demands results in a fragile energy security. Uninterrupted availability of energy sources is key to achieving energy security. Also the investment in Solar project in India is yielding socio-economical value additions [livelihood / job] outside of country boundary, deprived of the developmental imperatives to our society at large.
Solar waste is another challenge facing Indian solar energy sector. According to a report by the National
Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), India could generate over 34,600 tonnes of cumulative solar waste by 2030. Strong e-waste or renewable energy waste management policy is the need of the hour. It should immediately be incorporated in the PPAs as a obligation to project developers, else down the time we will face a grave problem of solar waste and loose productive land & top-soil for any future usage.
What is your mission and vision and what does your logo mean?
EKI is a leading professional services firm that specializes in the realm of “climate change, carbon credit and sustainability solutions” across the globe. We enable organizations to shape their climate action with an aim to build a better world and rehabilitate Earth to a low carbon future with a climate resilient global economy for our clients, our people and our communities.
Our logo is inspired by nature and depicts our perseverance to build a sustainable environment. It showcases our vision – of a greener planet and bluer skies. The three colors symbolize important elements of the environment – Earth (green), Sky (light blue) and the Oceans (dark blue). Overall, our symbol represents the Earth. The green shape is a leaf motif. The energetic strokes in the symbol, inspired by Jackson Pollock’s unique painting style, showcase the dynamism of EKI. The positivity of the overall logo unit represents EKI’s optimism and belief in a better future. EKI has been leading the race in global decarbonization through market-based instruments with a mission to steer the world to net-zero through end-to-end climatepositive, community-based projects and nature-based solutions. We are committed to inspiring communities and organizations to minimize their carbon footprint. At EKI, we believe in leading by example and therefore have incorporated a sustainability mindset across all our processes with our commitment to become net-zero by 2030. RM
Solex have been involved in projects such as solar EPC for over 15 years. There are numerous notable projects, but they are primarily divided into two categories: rooftop projects and water pumping projects. Since we are coming up as a module brand, we are expecting some very memorable and noteworthy projects for our modules yet to come.
Q. What is the main purpose of the company to participate in Inter Solar India 2022 and what are the expectations you have from this mega event?
Basically, at Intersolar, we are launching our module series. One of our upcoming Tapi series is called “Tapi, which is the name of a river in Surat that is known as “the daughter of Surya.” So, our main module, which is the M10 and G12 series, is behind this Tapti. Now we are also coming up as a module brand in the market, we have big expectations from Intersolar and really want to be recognised as a module supplier and module brand in India and the global market.
Q. What according to you are the current opportunities in Indian solar market?
There are lots of opportunities in the Indian solar market for Indian manufacturers and Indian project companies to focus on the Indian market and execute those projects. We are already behind our timeline for 500 Gigawatt; we’ve got a lot to do to stay on track with this timeline. So, there are a lot of requirements for the materials and components from the Indian supplier and the project execution. So, I believe that in the next ten years, Indian manufacturers will be so good that if anyone gears up and prepares for future demand, they will have plenty of business for Indian manufacturers.
Q. Whats your commitment towards the solar sector in India?
In the solar business, we are basically committed for more than 25 years; we have a long-term commitment as far as the renewable energy sector is concerned. We started as a thermal water heating solution and then moved into PVE, so we have a lot of commitment on both the project and manufacturing sides, and we have a huge expansion plan not only for the Indian market but also for the international market.
Q. Present some noteworthy projects, case studies.
Essentially, we have been involved in projects such as solar EPC for over 15 years. There are numerous notable projects, but they are primarily divided into two categories: rooftop projects and water pumping projects. We are one of the largest installers in the country for water pumping projects, and we also have a very good record for rooftop installations in Gujarat’s north-eastern and western regions. We’ve executed many challenging projects. Since we are coming up as a module brand, we are expecting some very memorable and noteworthy projects for our modules yet to come.
Q. Currently, what kind of challenges do you see in the power sector in India and their possible solutions?
Challenges are basically everywhere since everybody is trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels for power generation. So, this is the transition period from fossil fuel to renewable energy or some other alternative energy, so anyway, we’ve got to get rid of the consumption of fossil fuel for the generation of power.
The only alternative that I can see is renewable, but renewable has its own challenges, such as solar generation during the day, wind, and hydro being seasonal, so basically the majority of renewable energy sources have their own limitations and cannot supply power 24 hours a day. I think India must look at the cleanest energy, which is nuclear energy. Indian growth
can happen only through the combination of renewable and nuclear energy; that is what India’s future is.
Q. Kindly shed some light on Solex’s project engagements from the different segments it is involved with.
We are involved in different segments: one is the manufacturing part, where we have just started our first line of manufacturing and we are scaling up to the largest capacity in the future. For the EPC projects, recently we got an order for a very intelligent solar street light that has live communication; that is something more than a 100-million-dollar project that we are working on right now, and we have started execution of this project. Apart from that, we’ve got various rooftop projects, and recently we got into the development of solar power, where we will have utility skill projects for captive use. So, these are some of the areas where we are developing.
Q. What role do you anticipate Solex will play in the Indian solar panel market over the next few years?
The Solex will have a very important role as far as not only the Indian market but also the international market because we are not only focusing on Indian customers but also the international market, and the factory that we have built here is a global factory that makes all the global standards. Solex will undoubtedly play a significant role in enhancing Indian manufacturers’ global reputation. Solex’s goals are essentially to build up and grow in accordance with global standards; this is why we call it a global factory.
Q. What is your outlook on the solar energy sector?
As I said, the solar energy sector has a very bright future, and the coming 15 years is going to be a golden years for the Indian solar industry.
Q. Lastly, what revenue you are targeting for FY2023 and in the next three year?
Since we only started our manufacturing facility in September, our top line would be higher this year compared to the previous year. Because we are a publicly traded company on a national stock exchange, we cannot declare some information publicly about our revenue and other things, but what I can say is that Solex has a massive expansion plan for the next three years, and we are setting up our facility to produce 4 Gigawatt modules and 1 Gigawatt of cells. Basically, from one of our very reputable EPC companies to now, we are developing as a very reputable module manufacturing company. So, we cannot give any numbers because of some restrictions from the stock exchange. RM
Gujarat is located on the western coast of the Indian Peninsula. It has the longest coastline in the country of about 1600 kms. Therefore, Gujarat plays host to foreign trade and is a natural ‘Gateway’ to the fast growing economy. Conducive business environment, abundance of natural resources, skilled and semi-skilled man power, proximity to markets, responsive administration
are a few reasons why Gujarat has turned a ‘Leader.’ A steady implementation of structural reforms to make Gujarat shine with its vibrant economy.’
MNRE steps in to help green energy developers
The renewable energy ministry has held discussions with state governments to find out how much land they are willing to set aside for renewable energy parks.
This follows a recent announcement by the ministry that it will ensure that land and transmission facilities are in place for developers who win wind and solar projects in auctions conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), its nodal agency.
Last week, MNRE officials held discussions with their counterparts in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the central government official said, requesting not to be named. Meetings with Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka are in the offing, the official added.
“We want the states to identify actual parcels of land where projects can be set up,” the official told ET. “Developers can bid comfortably knowing they won’t have to hunt for land. We will make sure Power Grid Corporation of India provides connectivity in these places too. PGCIL is already working on extending its transmission.”
It is learnt that Gujarat has agreed to provide land to accommodate 10,000 MW; Andhra will be giving space for 8000 MW, while Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have offered land for 19,000 MW and 5,000 MW, respectively.
“The broad areas of land have been identified. In around a month, SECI will start floating more tenders,” the official cited earlier said.
Gujarat, in particular, had been reluctant to provide land for centrally-auctioned renewable energy projects, since the power produced would not necessarily go to Gujarat, but could be provided anywhere in the country through the inter-state transmission network.
The ministry hopes that these meetings will iron out any differences that may have arisen with the states. In March, it had announced an incentive scheme by which states putting up renewable energy projects would be entitled to Rs 0.02 of every unit of power produced by the plant, irrespective of where the power was supplied.
Gujarat has associate degree put in capability of around 30394.29 MW. 22.94% of this is often contributed by Renewable Energy (RE) supply. The state has planned augmentation of generation capability considering current demand provides things additionally as demand from coming customers. Gujarat has remained frontrunner in climate economical initiatives by adapting numerous policies for promoting property energy sources. Another sig. undeniable fact that contributes to glorious power conditions in state is that the dominance of pvt. players within the generation sector. pvt. sector contributes to around 61.49% of
total power generation followed by State Utilities with 25.35% and Central Plants having contribution of 13.14%.The rules and new policies have given a positive momentum to capability addition in past years. Generation capability addition in Coal primarily based thermal plants has been important alongside star & wind. 2 of the most important Power comes within the country i.e. 4620 MW (Adani Mundra Project) and 4000 MW (Mundra UMPP of Tata Power) is found within the Gujarat. Torrent Power is working 3130 MW of typical power comes in several components of the State. In last 6 years state utilities has value-added capability of 7,214 MW in coal, 1,429 MW in gas, 2424 MW in wind and 1127 MW in star comes. By 2022 state utilities has planned to feature 3540 MW from typical sources. Throughout an equivalent time it’s expected that around 8000 MW from renewable sources are out there within the state. RE generation in state can result in property development. Gujarat is on the verge of infrastructure revolution. State’s gross domestic product has been rising at rate of growth of 9.3% over the last decade. State is involving integrated developments of enormous areas like SIRs, PCPIR and DMIC to rework the economic state of affairs within the state. India’s 1st SEZ for international money services GIFT emerges as a fore runner of recent opportunities in Gujarat. Attributable to the high pace of development peak demand of State is predicted to achieve 21,847 MW by FY 2022 at a CAGR of vi.3%. State has created adequate progressing to meet the coming demand. Considering the main target of GoI on promoting RE sources State would be needed to feature 8000 MW of RE by 2022. Gujarat is a renewable rich state and is witnessing frequent deviation in schedules due to variability in RE generation. In case the RE generation is excluded while working out the deviation at inter-state level, the impact of the RE generation would be minimized and would encourage further augmentation of RE sources. Alternatively, RE power may be absorbed in the national grid so that the generating stations of the State Utilities are not subjected to cyclic loading. The state has undertaken several initiatives leading to increased Pvt. participation in generation segment and has achieved consistency in capacity addition to meet its rising demands. Some of the initiatives take up by state for promotion of the sector are as follows. State has emphasized on increasing power generation from renewable sources such that RPO obligated entities like Discoms will able to meet their targets. To promote
www.renewablemirror.com
solar as well as non-solar power generation GERC has set separate RPO targets in each category. In order to promote solar power generation State has come up with Solar rooftop Net metering regulation & Solar pump schemes where in power generated can be used for captive consumption and excess power can be sold to third party or state distribution companies.
Charanka Gujarat:
Proposed capacity more than 750 MW. Currently 350 MW commissioned. Land selected 2000 Ha Govt. Waste Land for development of the Park. Enables accelerated development of solar project through availability of suitable land common infrastructure grid connectivity water availability.
State commissioned the world’s first canal-top solar power project over 750m on Narmada branch canal new in Mehsana district of 1MW capacity producing 1.6 MU/year/MW. Another 10MW Sardar Sarovar canal top project has been made operational in 2014 generating 16.2 MU/year.
For promotion of distributed power generation the state has developed solar rooftop projects of 5 MW at Gandhinagar and 4 MW at Vadodara. For wider
consumer participation the state has rolled out the solar policy 2015 with special emphasis to solar rooftop project. Subsidy of Rs. 10,000/KW (maximum 2 KW) is provided by the state for these projects.
Capacity more than 700 MW. It is proposed to be built on 1,407 acres of waste land in Banaskantha district. MNRE released grant of Rs. 30 Cr through SECI to GPCL for development of this project. MNRE/GoI will provide central finance assistance of Rs. 20 lakh / MW based on achievement of milestone.
Energy efficiency adoption is gaining momentum in Gujarat. GEDA is State Nodal Agency for MNRE and State Designated Agency for BEE. It works on RE& energy conservation policies framework and their implementation in State. It also undertakes investment grade energy audits on Govt. buildings including offices, educational institutes. Some of the other initiatives are as follows. State has broadened fuel base by adding renewable capacity over last few years. State is developing gas network & LNG terminals for improving gas availability. 1ststate to implement Energy Efficient pump sets in Agri sector. Conducting Energy conservation awareness & training programs. Implementing energy efficiency programs like Domestic Efficient Lighting Program, National LED Street Lighting Program and Super-Efficient Fan Program & PAT scheme in State.
RE resources are remotely located from the load centers. Due to variability of RE generation the system operator is facing issues of grid management. State Regulatory Commission has incorporated scheduling of wind and solar generators in its Grid code in 2016. Forecasting is done by generators & SLDC is ensuring secured grid operation. Technical collaboration with Academia like IIT’s, NIT’s for solving RE grid integration issues and optimum utilization of transmission line is an initiative taken for promoting transmission sector by Gujarat. And in order to evacuate electricity from large capacity RE projects state transmission utility GETCO has made financial provision of 1,737 Cr to add 1,570 ckm of dedicated transmission lines with capacity of around 6,160 MVA by FY 2020.
The State has a potential of 35,000MW in wind energy and 69,000MWin solar energy. Gujarat houses one of the Asia’s largest solar parks. After a feasibility study of Indian offshore wind potential, Gujarat is one of the two states that has been selected as ideal to feature the first Indian offshore wind farm. The state with a ~1600km coastline also has a potential of 8200 MWin tidal energy. Gujarat has the 4thlargest Wind Power installed capacity in the country which is about 3948.61 MW (as on March 2016). The Centre for Wind Energy Technology, an autonomous R&D institution under MNRE, has identified and approved 40 sites for wind energy deployment with annual average wind power density greater than 200 W/sq. m. at a 50 m height in Gujarat. Over a period of last more than 25 years more than 65 sites have been monitored for the wind speed
and wind power density, and over 50 sites have been found feasible for harnessing wind power. Gujarat has over 1GW of installed solar capacity, accounting for ~17% of India’s total. Gujarat also has Asia’s First Solar Park in Village Charanka,Ta: Santalpur, Patana in 2024hectares of wasteland. For setting up 3000 MW Generation & Manufacturing Facilities. 345 MW Capacity Power Plants have been installed at Charanka Solar Park. 91 plants totaling to about 1121 MW capacity were commissioned in Gujarat up to March 2016.
The total bio-mass potential for Gujarat is about 1,800 MW from crop residue and about 140 MW from forest residue. 41.10 MW capacity biomass projects commissioned in Amreli, Junagadh and Vadodara. 14.389 MW waste-to-energy power generation projects. Institutional biogas plants with capacity15730 m3/day across the state. Gujarat has initiated the world’s first canal-based solar power project on Narmada branch canal new Chandrasan village of Mehsana district. Energy generated from this pilot project will be directly fed into the local electricity grid and utilized by nearby towns and villages
Gandhinagar: The Model Solar City project:
GoI declared to develop Gandhinagar as a Model Solar City setting an example for Solar Cities throughout India and other nations. Two solar projects with cumulative installed capacity of 2000kWinstalledin the
city. 7415 kW Grid Tied RoofTops installed under the Solar City Project. Wind-solar hybrid system with 60 KW capacity installed in the city. The Model Solar City project has led to an annual savings of 149.20 lacks in Gandhinagar. The project has helped reduce 14,900 tons of carbon emission and avoid usage of 10,430 tons of coal.
This Programme provides an opportunity to property owners in Gandhinagar City for participation by offering their rooftop or terrace for installation of Solar Photovoltaic System for solar power generation. 5 MW solar rooftops have been setup in Gandhinagar as part of the Model Solar City Project on Govt. and Pvt. Households. 328 locations have been covered in Gandhinagar including 276 households and 52 Govt. Buildings. The programme has been replicated in Vadodara too where solar rooftops with capacity of ~4 MW are setup. The owner of property is paid a “Green Incentive” on the basis of units (kWh) of electricity generated by the SPV system installed on the property. To raise the contribution of renewable energy in overall electricity generation within the state, the Gujarat government plans to add 3,000 MW of renewable power generation capacity every year till 2022, which includes 1,000 MW from wind and 2,000 MW solar energy sources.
Renewable energy currently constitutes around 28% of total 27,200 MW installed power generation capacity in Gujarat. “In order to meet our renewable purchase obligation (RPO) of 17% by 2022, we plan to add 1,000 MW and 2,000 MW from wind and solar every year till 2022,” said Pankaj Joshi, managing director, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL).
RPO is the minimum percentages of the total power that electricity distribution companies and some large power consumers need to purchase from renewable energy (RE) sources. To meet its RPO target, GUVNL purchases electricity distribution companies and some large power consumers need to purchase from renewable energy (RE) source. To meet its RPO target, GUVNL purchases electricity from private and public sector renewable power project developers at tariffs reached through competitive bidding.
“GUVNL will soon invite bids for 1,000 MW solar power projects to be developed in the first phase of 5,000 MW
Dholera Solar Park. Also, a tender for procurement of power from solar and wind hybrid projects will also be floated in the near future,” added Joshi.
To promote renewable power, state energy and petrochemicals department has organized a seminar on “Renewable Energy Opportunities in Gujarat and India” on January 20 as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019.
“Since the first Vibrant Gujarat Summit in 2003, more than 100 large investments in renewable energy sector have fructified within the state. These investments total over Rs 40,000 crore,” said Raj Gopal, additional chief secretary, energy and petrochemicals department, government of Gujarat.
Apart from renewable energy, defence and aerospace is yet and aerospace is yet another focus area for the state government, which has organised a special plenary meet and seminar on the opportunities for industry in defence and aerospace on January 18. The seminar will bring together senior policymakers from the government of India, defence personnel, industry leaders and academic experts to deliberate on the emerging opportunities in the Indian aerospace and defence sector.
The developers were tasked with transforming an expanse larger than New York’s Central Park into a city with more than 100 skyscrapers supporting more than 1 million jobs - all within a decade.
When he was Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2011, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off an ambitious project to develop a financial hub in the style of Singapore or Dubai.
The developers were tasked with transforming an expanse larger than New York’s Central Park into a city with more than 100 skyscrapers supporting more than 1 million jobs - all within a decade.
Nearly eight years later, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City, supports only 9,000 jobs and only about 3 million of its 62 million square feet of planned development have been built, according to documents from the company’s current presentations to investors reviewed by Reuters, and interviews with GIFT officials.
Three million square feet are under construction. Despite efforts by the Modi government over the past
five years to offer tax and regulatory concessions, and a big push to get banks and brokerages into GIFT, the project remains far short of expectations. GIFT’s future is uncertain, with its main partner in financial trouble over soured bets in other projects.
The lack of development and job creation at GIFT, critics say, reflects one of Modi’s challenges as a whole as he begins a second term in office.
Critics contend GIFT is a high-profile example of some of Modi’s ill-conceived and over-ambitious initiatives. They note demonetisation - Modi’s move in 2016 to ban all high-value currency notes then circulating - is another big example of overstretching, as was his government’s hurried and botched rollout of a nationwide goods and services tax. Those moves stung small businesses and dented India’s economy.
“The real issue is Mr. Modi’s quixotic approach to macro-economic management,” said Sebastian Morris, a senior faculty member of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, one of the country’s top business schools.
He said GIFT was impracticable, ignoring issues such as location and skills availability. Some bankers also complained that the Gujarat state’s decades-long alcohol prohibition policy hasn’t helped either.
Modi’s office and the Gujarat chief minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for GIFT said that the project’s timeline had been roiled by subdued demand after the global financial crisis and the lack of a clear regulatory framework until 2014, when Modi took power.
GIFT is now at an “inflection point,” as the Modi government only set up a favourable tax regime in 2016, the spokesman said, adding that dozens of finance and technology firms, including Tata Consultancy Services and Axis Bank, have now set up shop in GIFT.
He said two foreign banks, which he declined to name, are expected to begin operating there.
India’s two top bourses have begun international operations in GIFT and trading volumes have grown, but are still a fraction of that at India’s main exchanges, making firms tentative about trading via GIFT.
“Location has been a huge problem,” said a retired state-government bureaucrat involved in the project for four years, who asked not to be named as he is not authorized to speak to the media. “Most companies are willing to pay higher rents and operate out of Mumbai because the talent pool exists.”
GIFT was conceptualised in 2007, soon after Modi returned from a trip to Singapore. He was eager to be seen as a business-friendly leader and rebrand himself in the wake of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat that tainted his image, four people who closely worked with Modi since 2003 told Reuters.
GIFT was set up as a joint venture between the government of Gujarat and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), which provides construction services and financing for infrastructure.
Lease terms required that Gujarat get 50 percent of the profit from the sale of development rights in the first phase, and 80 percent thereafter. Reuters could not determine how much has been spent on development so far.
To add to GIFT’s troubles, IL&FS, which is laden with 910 billion rupees ($12.95 billion) of debt, largely tied to road and other infrastructure projects unrelated to GIFT, defaulted on several debt obligations late in 2018.
One source involved in the project said IL&FS’s woes had little to with GIFT, and he estimates that less than 0.5 percent of IL&FS’s outstanding debt is tied to GIFT projects.
The defaults by IL&FS and its group entities relate to loans and bonds financing other infrastructure projects as well as unsecured lending to non-creditworthy entities, according to an interim report from audit firm Grant Thornton, which IL&FS’s new board hired to dig into the books.
India’s government took over the company in October, in a rare move that it said was needed to protect the country’s financial system and markets from potential collapse.
Law enforcement officials are also investigating IL&FS over potential fraud. Last month, India’s Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) arrested the former chairman of IL&FS and accused him of abusing his powers and granting loans to entities that were not creditworthy.
IL&FS has not publicly responded to the allegations and did not respond to multiple requests from Reuters for comment. The former chairman and his lawyer were also not immediately reachable for comment.
GIFT’s chief executive, Ajay Pandey, quit last month without citing any reasons. He did not respond to calls
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and messages seeking comment on his departure. The GIFT spokesman said that Pandey stepped down as part of a larger exodus of top IL&FS officials, and that IL&FS’s troubles would not stall the project.
IL&FS did not respond to multiple requests for comment about its financial health, the ongoing fraud investigation and its current role in the project.
IL&FS did not respond to multiple requests for comment about its financial health, the ongoing fraud investigation and its current role in the project.
“Mr. Modi sold GIFT as the flagship programme of Gujarat 12 years ago,” opposition Congress party spokesman Sam Pitroda told media this month. “Today ... no one talks about it. There are failures after failures.”
The renewable energy (RE) sector is witnessing rapid strides on behalf of Gujarat that has entered with an array of mega green energy projects. These projects include issues related to electricity generation and equipment manufacturing. Gujarat’s RE power generation capacity, backed by policy initiatives and strong investor support, is expected to jump to 38,466 MW by 2025 and 61,466 MW by 2030, as per estimates by the state government.
The state’s present total installed power generation capacity from renewable energy sources- solar, wind, hydel, biomass and bagasse, is about 13,152 MW. As told by Mamta Verma, principal secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals department, Gujarat government, told the TOI.
“In the next 3-5 years, Gujarat will certainly be a global hub for the renewable energy sector. Our installed capacity to generate power from renewable
energy sources is expected to surge to over 38,000 MW by 2025 and over 61,000 MW by 2030. These estimates are based on project plans that have already been finalized. The estimates are likely to be revised soon given the influx of fresh proposals.” She added, “With the state and central government’s policies and positive approach, Gujarat’s dependency on non-renewable energy will be negligible or zero in the coming years,” he further noted.
Several mega projects are being implemented across the state to boost electricity generation from renewable energy sources. The foundation stone for a 30,000 MW hybrid (solar and wind) renewable energy park in Kutch, claimed to be the world’s largest of its kind, was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The park, spread across 72,600 hectares, is being set up near the Indo-Pak border, around 90 km from Khavda. The project is estimated to attract an Rs 1.5 lakh crore investment.
Four power distribution companies, affiliated with the state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL), recently signed power-purchase agreements (PPAs) for 3,979 small-scale solar power projects (0.5-4 MW) with a total generation capacity of 2,500 MW. Expected to be commissioned within the next 18 months, these projects will bring an investment worth Rs 10,000 crore in sectors associated with green energy.
Work-related to the development of solar energy parks at Dholera near Ahmedabad, and Raghanesda and Harshad in Banaskantha. Gujarat, the top state in solar rooftop installations, is also working on a slew of other solar and wind energy projects auctioned by the Solar Energy Corporation of India. RM
Adani Solar is the Solar PV manufacturing arm of the Adani Group, a diversified organization in India with a combined market cap of $260 Bn comprising 7 publicly traded companies. The Company’s presence in the solar manufacturing sector contributes to India’s climate goals and bolsters its vision of embracing a healthier energy mix.
Contributing to the nation’s journey of becoming self-reliant in terms of Energy Security, Adani Group ventured into what is known to be the pathway to a greener world – Solar in 2017. Since Adani Solar’s inception in 2017, we have consistently been India’s 1st, largest and most trusted, vertically integrated Solar PV cells and modules manufacturer from 1.2 GW to 1.5 GW in 2019 and to 2 GW in 2021.
Now, we are building the World’s 1st ever Fully Integrated and Comprehensive Ecosystem of 10 GW Solar PV manufacturing – an ecosystem that is not only vertically integrated from MG silicon to PV Modules but also hosts all ancillary units in the same geography. This expansion which is a true embodiment of Atmanirbhar Bharat, will help the nation not only address its supply chain challenges but also dominate the global renewable industry in times to come. Adani Solar’s cutting-edge technology, the scale of operations, cost leadership, and reliability, sets it apart from all other global competitors and supporting utilities.
Currently, the plant produces high-efficiency Bifacial & MonoPERC modules of M10 and G12 footprint with Power class of 535-660W, with a module efficiency of 21-22% and targeting Bifaciality of 75%. We are also
coming up with our solar PV Modules with TOPCon technology next year and other emerging solar module technologies in future.
Clean energy, affordability, and quality are the key drivers of the Company. Adani Solar is devoted to enhancing the reliability, quality, and bankability of its products, and solutions that will help India, and the world, build a new greener, sustainable future.
Retail horizon dawns upon Adani Solar
The company has rapidly expanded its retail presence across the country. Through its retail channel partners, the company has a sizeable presence in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura states, enabling over 3000 Indian towns to take the country’s renewable energy vision to the next level.
Connecting with able channel partners across each of these states has been a significant stride towards facilitating the switch to sustainable solar power, across consumers, SMEs, MSMEs, and institutions at the lowest Capex costs.
Through such exclusive channel partners in these regions, the Company has sold more than 1.5 GW of solar panels to date. The Company aims to achieve a greater reach and visibility of its product in the country by bringing down power consumption costs for the consumers and reducing the load on the grids. On the retail front, Adani Solar will target an aggressive 50 percent market share. RM
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Indian renewable energy sector is the fourth most attractive renewable energy market in the world. India was ranked fourth in wind power, fifth in solar power and fourth in renewable power installed capacity, as of 2020.
Installed renewable power generation capacity has gained pace over the past few years, posting a CAGR of 17.33% between FY20-21. With the increased support of Government and improved economics, the sector has become attractive from investors perspective. As India looks to meet its energy demand on its own, which is expected to reach 15,820 TWh by 2040, renewable energy is set to play an important role. The government is aiming to achieve 227 GW of renewable energy capacity (including 114 GW of solar capacity addition and 67 GW of wind power capacity) by 2022, more than its 175 GW target as per the Paris Agreement. The government plans to establish renewable energy capacity of 523 GW (including 73 GW from Hydro) by 2030.
India’s renewable energy capacity stood at 1.49 GW representing ~38.27% of the overall installed power capacity and providing a great opportunity for the expansion of green data centres. In October 2021, India’s renewable energy capacity increased by 1,522.35 MW (megawatt).
India had 101.53 GW of renewable energy capacity and represents ~38% of the overall installed power capacity. The country is targeting about 450 Gigawatt (GW) of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 – about 280 GW (over 60%) is expected from solar. India had 101.53 GW of renewable energy capacity and represents ~38% of the overall installed power capacity. By December 2019, 15,100 megawatts (MW) of wind power projects were issued, of which, projects of 12,162.50 MW capacities have already been awarded2. Power generation from renewable energy sources in India reached 127.01 billion units (BU) in FY20.
With a potential capacity of 363 GW and with policies focused on the renewable energy sector, Northern India is expected to become the hub for renewable energy in India.
It may have started with sensible cars and sensible homes, however as technology advances, the “smart” trend is taking on entire cities. Across the country and therefore the world, cities of all sizes area unit reworking their infrastructure, systems, and operations to maximize new technologies and integrate connected solutions into the terribly cloth of however they operate and look after their voters. Through advances in information assortment and analytics, they will anticipate and reply to daily challenges
like traffic flow and potential emergencies like severe storms. But these new sensible cities are not simply forward-thinking once it involves the most effective ways that to serve the general public — several of them also are pioneering efforts to include property and energy potency into developing sensible town solutions. Integration of solar energy and alternative renewable energy sources is quickly changing into a trademark of sensible urban planning. Here’s a glance at a number of the innovative ways that sensible town initiatives and school leaders area unit harnessing solar energy in their quest to make the cities of the longer term.
Federal Government focuses on sensible and Property Development.
The movement toward adopting renewable energy to power sensible cities is not while not its hurdles. Solar energy is nice as long because the sun is shining, however cloudy days will minimize the energy output star arrays will manufacture. One grid-tied home losing star potency is not an enormous downside, however, once a city-wide infrastructure is tied to solar energy production, having the ability to set up around periods of low potency is crucial.
In a trial to mitigate the impact of overcast weather, school big IBM is staring at ways that to accurately predict bad weather. As a part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sun Shot Initiative, IBM has conducted analysis that they claim produces weather predictions that area unit half-hour a lot of correct than the National Weather Service.
Increased accuracy can facilitate town governments and utility firms recognize beforehand what quantity sun a star plant can receive at any given time, permitting them to raised set up their power masses. With the correct response, this foresight has the potential to save lots of cash and cut back reliance on coal and gas power plants that usually got to obtain the slack once clouds appear.
These examples area unit simply the tip of the iceberg once it involves sensible town initiatives. Due to solar energy efforts and alternative renewable energy sources, the town of the longer term goes to be a lot of economical, a lot of connections, and a lot of property. Creating cities smarter and greener can amendment the manner municipalities operate and facilitate
voters maximize their potential as accountable, property members of a world community?
Independent solar energy producer Azure Power these days proclaimed it’s bagged a contract to put in two power unit capability top star comes for Udaipur sensible town restricted (USCL).
As per the contract, the company’s subsidiary Azure Roof Power can style, supply, install, commission and operate the grid-connected top star Photo-Voltaic (PV) comes for twenty-five years at multiple government buildings in Udaipur. The project is calculable to save lots of twenty-five per cent of USCL’s existing electricity price.
“Rooftop star forms a necessary a part of the sensible cities development and is remedies to the growing infrastructural issues of the Asian nation to create a better and a lot of property future. In 2013, we have a tendency to designed the primary MW-scale top project in Gandhinagar below the sensible town initiative and recently we’ve got worked on many sensible towns comes in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack,” same Inderpreet Wadhwa, Founder, Chairman and Chief officer of Azure Power.
Azure Roof Power offers top solar energy solutions for industrial and industrial customers in cities across the Asian nation to lower their energy bill and meet their greenhouse emission (GHG) emission reduction targets. The corporate has over one hundred fifty Mw of in operation and committed star assets in twenty states with government-backed entities accounting for a bulk of the client base
Azure’s customers embrace industrial property firms, a sequence of premium hotels, distribution firms in sensible cities, warehouses, urban Centre railway Rail Corporation (DMRC), Indian Railways, a water utility company in the urban Centre and government ministries.
The vision of a contemporary Asian nation encapsulates the conception of ‘smart cities’ to deal with the phenomenally speedy urbanization of our nation. The govt. has proclaimed plans to form 100 sensible cities to satisfy the challenge of the longer term, because
it has been calculable that by 2050 India’s urban community’s square measure expected to rise to a thumping fifty per cent of the population. Significantly, regarding sixty six per cent of the world’s population would then be living in urban areas. Cities worldwide would consume simple fraction of worldwide energy and contribute up to eighty per cent of worldwide greenhouse emission. At present, regarding three hundred million of our countrymen live sans electricity. Therefore, we’ve protracted thanks to go as way as our endeavors to administer basic wants and quality of life to voter’s square measure involved. This, indeed, could be a warning sign.
The vision of a contemporary Asian nation encapsulates the conception of ‘smart cities’ to deal with the phenomenally speedy urbanization of our nation.
The govt. has proclaimed plans to form 100 sensible cities to satisfy the challenge of the longer term, because it has been calculable that by 2050 India’s urban community’s square measure expected to rise to a thumping fifty per cent of the population. Significantly, regarding sixty six per cent of the world’s population would then be living in urban areas. Cities worldwide would consume simple fraction of worldwide energy and contribute up to eighty per cent of worldwide greenhouse emission. At present, regarding three hundred million of our countrymen live sans electricity. Therefore, we’ve protracted thanks to go as way as our endeavors to administer basic wants and quality of life to voter’s square measure involved. This, indeed, could be a warning sign.
However, we would positively return up with answers for such challenges of the twenty first century supported its civilization’s knowledge and attribute. Indians square measure conservative naturally, however precocious with such qualities as resilience, ability and frugalness - these square measure our strengths. For instance, even those that will afford to pay the next electricity bill can have solely such lights switched on as square measure essential. Most homes have one house that’s unbroken cool within the summer or warm up in winter. Entire homes are rarely climate-controlled. If one were to require a glance at rural Asian nation, a revolution of kinds has taken place within the past few years. Light-emitting diode lamps have replaced traditional electrical bulbs all over, thereby saving an enormous quantity of electricity.
It is calculable that by 2030, India’s energy demand can increase by virtually two hundred per cent. in line
with AN analysis allotted by the ministry of recent and renewable energy, at AN doable and conservative gross domestic product increase of half-dozen.5 per cent, our energy would like would bit 7,55,719 MW. This was capably exhorted by the prime minister at the COP twenty one summits in Paris - “We ought to guarantee, within the spirit of climate justice, that the lifetime of some doesn’t force out the opportunities for the various still on the initial steps of the event ladder”. whereas coal is probably going to be our dominant energy supply for the close to and mid-term future, we have a tendency to square measure doubtless to ascertain larger use of other, carbon-free sources of energy like gas, hydro, nuclear and a bunch of alternative renewable sources.
We have no alternative however to travel sure less and fewer fossil fuels and step by step enhance dependence on nature-based clean and renewable energy sources and reach planned targets in an exceedingly timebound manner. What’s additional vital is that we’ve to reinforce investments in research project and develop technologies to maximise the assembly, storage and loss-free distribution of unpolluted energy. Besides that, new technology would want to be exploited to evolve energy-saving and energy-efficient techniques and build the entire initiative property as an integrated ‘smart energy system’. India, as an accountable international player, has set for itself formidable
targets of, firstly, cutting carbon emissions intensity of its gross domestic product by thirty five per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 with forty per cent of its energy returning from ‘non-fossil fuels’. Secondly, it aims at making a hundred seventy five GW of renewable energy by 2022, of that a hundred GW would be made from alternative energy. The International star Alliance was launched throughout the COP twenty one summit in Paris by Narendra Modi and therefore the French president, François Hollande. The latter not solely praised India’s initiative however conjointly assured handsome support by France. This step would possibly well become another pillar of the strategic partnership between the 2 countries. The importance of alternative energy as another power supply has so been globally enshrined.
The conception of sensible cities is so a visionary, innovative and timely plan. Though there’s no universally accepted definition of a wise town, there’s convergence on vital options that frame one. primarily, a wise town should offer ‘21st century standard’ quality of life supported innovative info and communication technology in order that the voters square measure able to sleep in a secure, peaceful, productive and arranged setting with assured amenities, together with public transportation, and services that square measure efficient, integrated, wired and property. The stress ought to get on greening the town therefore on
scale back the carbon signature and on the utilization of economical and renewable energy systems. All this can’t be achieved while not the institutionalized participation of the voters. The sensible cities of the longer term ought to have none of the ills and therefore the urban chaos that almost all of our contemporary cities and metros suffer from.
In view of rigorous climate management protocols, in Kyoto and recently in Paris, Asian nation has committed to bring down ‘emissions by thirty five % of 2005 levels and forty % of its put in capability are from non-fossil fuels’. Further, the prime minister has given AN assurance that the ‘balance between ecology and economy’ would be reconditioned and conjointly that ‘between our inheritance and obligation to the future’. However, it might be unreasonable to expect the govt. alone up-to-date the value of such an enormous transformation within the manner urban Asian nation lives. Resorting to public-private partnerships, encouraging the non-public sector and voters by giving grants, subsidies and concessions and adopting the simplest practices of developed countries would be the manner forward during this endeavor. Productive models of public-private partnerships worldwide ought to be studied, fitly changed, and incorporated to suit our culture and manner of life.
In the close to term, whereas we have a tendency to specialise in new and various sources for power, we’d primarily ought to rely upon fuel and gas-based energy. Yet, efforts should be created to realize cleaner power and to lower the carbon footprints of existing power plants. The choice suggests that comprise nuclear, hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, solid bio-mass, biogas, biofuel and energy created from waste. significantly, for our sensible cities, we’d like to crank in these ‘almost carbon-free’ and environment-friendly energy therefore at the origin stage itself so on guarantee uninterrupted and stable power provide once the cities develop. These cities should have integrated and networked grids that will not solely lower the consumption of power however conjointly build it efficient. Urban Asian nation produces over forty per cent of carbon emissions on account of business activity, transportation, and construction, renovation of infrastructure, assets, and handling and disposal of solid waste. Sensible cities conceive of the utilization of inexperienced and renewable energy with newer technologies that, hopefully, square measure doubtless to be shared by the advanced countries on the idea of real international partnerships.
In a country like ours, wherever there’s abundance of daylight, alternative energy has the potential to
satisfy a serious a part of our future energy wants. The govt. has consequently created a formidable decide to reach a target of a 100,000 MW from alternative energy throughout subsequent six years close to. Besides harnessing this renewable and clean energy in giant star plants and desegregation the facility made with the national power system, sensible cities would have integrated roof-top star harvest all told major buildings, railway and railroad line stations, schools, hospitals and even residential complexes, thereby creating economical use of house. The suburbanized alternative energy so made would be meshed with sensible grids to serve the native communities. To realize this, we’d have to be compelled to have in situ progressive transmission and distribution systems for power that are planned with the assistance of geographic info systems. Driving on the throughway the Mohave Desert, one is actually hypnotized by what seems to be an enormous lake with its surface shimmering within the sun and some brightly lit towers among it. Amazingly, unfolded over some kilometers, it’s the 392 MW Ivanpah solar-thermal power project, the most important of its kind within the world. We’d like star parks of this type. Impetus should be provided to construct energy-efficient inexperienced buildings with intelligent metering devices to control power, gas and installation and be joined to a wise town grid. The sensible grid would be the in group or the backbone of the ‘e-governance’ set up of the town and can connect the administration with every district, infrastructure project, industry, piece of ground, public facility or sweetness, residential advanced and colony. This may facilitate industrial growth that will be globally competitive and make jobs. This new approach to manage cities can have high dependence on digital technology. The Indian railways has plans to provide an enormous quantity of solar energy by having panels on its platforms and enormous railway yards as conjointly to run locomotives on solar energy. Similarly, the metropolis railroad line has plans to travel ‘completely solar’. India is that the world’s fifth largest producer of wind energy. To create it to the highest, the govt. has planned to extend wind-power generation to 60,000 MW by 2028. This is able to imply that roughly 5,300 MW would be extra each year, and for that tidy tax incentives are proclaimed. The advantage of alternative energy is that such plants might be unfolded everywhere the country supported surveys of wind conditions and so be able to
feed electricity on to the closest town or city grid. This set-up would be fairly efficient as transmission losses would be reduced.
The other renewable energy sources square measure biomass and tiny hydro comes, that are targeted to achieve up to 10,000 MW and 5,000 MW, severally, by 2022. Pulp co-generation is pegged at a pair of waste to power at 107 MW presently, though plans square measure afoot to reinforce energy production from these clean sources. These facilities might be set getting ready to sensible cities and metros. The electricity generated by these sources would be integrated within the urban power grids and enhance the handiness of electricity. Biogas made from organic material like municipal waste, sewage, food and plant waste includes regarding sixty five per cent of gas and therefore the rest is greenhouse emission. It is wont to generate electricity and, once compressed as fuel, for conveyance in role of CNG. Sub-Himalayan states like Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh square measure putting in several mini electricity plants within the remote square measure as; a number of them in locations wherever roads are nevertheless to achieve. Apparently, the primary tiny hydro-power plant in Asia was established by British in 1897 at Sidrapong regarding twelve kilometres from Darjeeling. This visionary project had 2 electricity sets manufacturing sixty five kW every, that was adequate to satisfy the energy wants of Darjeeling at that point.
In addition, new technologies with an enormous potential square measure rising. Among them square measure ‘geothermal’- a viable various supply of unpolluted and renewable energy whereby the warmth in geothermic zones below the surface of the planet is getting used to provide electricity in several elements of the globe (at gift this can be at a aborning stage in India) - and ‘hydricity’- solely an idea at the instant, wherever alternative energy isn’t solely wont to generate electricity, however conjointly for manufacturing and storing H from superheated water; the H, later, getting used to provide electricity employing a turbine-based hydrogen-power cycle.
As a viable various to standard and coal or gas primarily based power generation, Asian nation has conjointly planned to supply a serious portion of its energy from atomic energy plants having the most recent technology and larger safeguards. “Energy independence is India’s 1st and highest priority”, aforementioned India’s former president, A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam, a soul of repute. Further, he declared that the state has “to get in for atomic energy generation in exceedingly massive manner victimization thoriumbased reactors”. The govt has planned to reinforce the assembly of atomic energy therefore on fulfil twenty five per cent of the national energy necessities by 2050. Within the developing world, Asian nation is among the front runners within the field of atomic energy. At present, 5,780 MW of electricity is generated from seven atomic energy plants. That approximates to regarding a pair of.2 per cent of India’s energy production. There square measure plans to require it up to 20,000 MW within the next few years. On the opposite hand, France generates seventy five per cent of its energy necessities from atomic energy plants and could be a web bourgeois of power price 3 billion Euros each year. Asian nation has similar aspirations of changing into a ‘world leader in nuclear technology thanks to its experience in quick reactors and the fuel cycle’. As an accountable, are would honour its commitment to considerably scale back carbon emissions by 2030. India, that is presently the fourth highest producer of greenhouse gases, has embarked upon a journey to step by step scale back its dependence on fossil-fuel primarily based energy. Therefore, to satisfy its energy demand, it’s immersion on various, cleaner, renewable as conjointly unconventional sources of energy and introduces this energy design into the plans of sensible cities. This strategy of 100 sensible cities with sensible and economical energy populous by ‘smart citizens’ would be a serious step to deal with the challenges of a speedily urbanizing Asian nation. At an equivalent time, we have a tendency to should ruminate and act on the sagacious words of Plato spoken 2 millennia ago: “Any town, but tiny, is indeed divided into 2, one the town of the poor, the opposite of the wealthy. This Square Measure it’s imperative that we have a tendency to forestall such a war.
The Government is committed to increased use of clean energy sources and is already undertaking various large-scale sustainable power projects and promoting green energy heavily. In addition, renewable energy has the potential to create many employment opportunities at all levels, especially in rural areas. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set an ambitious target to set up renewable energy capacities to the tune of 227 GW by 2022, of which about 114
GW is planned for solar, 67 GW for wind and other for hydro and bio among other. India’s renewable energy sector is expected to attract investment worth US$ 80 billion in the next four years. About 5,000 Compressed Biogas plants will be set up across India by 2023.
It is expected that by 2040, around 49% of the total electricity will be generated by renewable energy as more efficient batteries will be used to store electricity, which will further cut the solar energy cost by 66% as compared to the current cost. *Use of renewables in place of coal will save India Rs. 54,000 crore (US$ 8.43 billion) annually3. Renewable energy will account for 55% of the total installed power capacity by 2030. As per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates, by 2029-30, the share of renewable energy generation would increase from 18% to 44%, while that of thermal is expected to reduce from 78% to 52%.
According to the year-end review (2020) by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, another 49.59 GW of renewable energy capacity is under installation and an additional 27.41 GW of capacity has been tendered. This puts the total capacity of renewable energy projects (already commissioned or in the pipeline) at ~167 GW.
The Government of India wants to develop a ‘green city’ in every state of the country, powered by renewable energy. The ‘green city’ will mainstream environmentfriendly power through solar rooftop systems on all its houses, solar parks on the city’s outskirts, waste to energy plants and electric mobility-enabled public transport systems.
India has 40 cities with more than a million people, 397 cities with between 100,000 and 1 million people, and 2500 cities with between 10,000 and 100,000 people. (Source: World Population Review) and is projected to add 300 million urban residents by the year 2050– Urbanisation and Development: Emerging Futures’ report by UN Habitat. In view of the fact that the existing urban infrastructure and services in Indian cities are already under pressure, the Indian government announced the Smart Cities Mission in June 2015. 100 cities have been taken up for development as smart cities and will be financed with a combination of government funding under this mission, convergence with funding under other schemes, multilateral/ bilateral support, internal revenue mobilisation, value capture financing, municipal bond issue and public private partnerships. A total investment of INR 203,979 crore is proposed to be undertaken for
the development of 4500 projects across 99 cities. The objective of the Mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, provide a decent quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment to its citizens through application of ‘Smart’ Solutions. The focus of Smart Cities is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas to create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities. The Smart Cities Mission is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country.
The intent has been to leverage these 100 smart cities to catalyse further investments and improvements in Indian urban infrastructure. Present Status of Implementation of Smart City projects in India the smart cities mission has come up for significant criticism on account of delayed implementation and lack of ‘tangible progress on the ground’ over the last three years. In this article, I have attempted to look at the long-term opportunity that smart cities represent particularly for technology/smart solution providers, challenges that they could face, ways in which these could be resolved and also the reasons why this sector represents a long-term business opportunity and must be viewed as such.
Smart solutions/technologies will be required across a variety of urban sectors to improve liveability of cities and reduce the increasing pressure on urban infrastructure and civic services.
The Command and Control Centre (CCC) will constitute the backbone of each Smart city, where information from various departments and various applications will be collected, processed and analysed for better planning and delivery of civic services/infrastructure.
The CCC therefore aims to achieve the following:
• Single source of information for all civic functions.
• Platform with the ability to receive, intelligently correlate and share information with stakeholders who are into city operations and planning to better predict outcomes.
• Act as the city’s emergency and disaster management platform.
Since Command and Control Centres constitute the heart of any Smart City, they are being operationalised on priority.
The CCC will depend upon real time as well as recorded inputs from various civic departments and these will be available through smart technological solutions
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implemented in each of these departments. I have listed some of the areas where smart solutions would be required across various sectors in the following graphic:
Although the business opportunity for technology providers is huge, the significantly delayed implementation of various projects under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) has led to valid concerns among this community.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development has reported that no more than 1.8 per cent of the funds released for Smart Cities Mission (SCM) have been utilised since its launch in 2015. While the Committee cited shortage of urban planners as one key reason for the delays, the author by virtue of his experience in Smart Cities from conceptualisation to implementation has attempted to identify reasons underlying delayed implementation of Smart City projects at each stage of the project cycle in a more comprehensive manner:
During stage 1 of the Smart cities challenge:
Many Urban Local bodies were not in a position to comply with various requirements (e.g., Online grievance redressal system, recovery of O&M charges for water supply, coverage of toilets, etc), required for shortlisting under stage 1. An effort was however
Appointment of consultants for preparation of SCPs was mostly on a least cost basis. This factor coupled with the fact that barely four months were given for preparation of SCPs led to compromises in the quality of SCPs. Projects were often included without adequate consideration given to technical and financial feasibility. Interlinkages between projects to be taken up across sectors were not taken into account. Cities which were not selected in the initial rounds continued facing quality issues in subsequent rounds leading to multiple rounds of SCP preparation.
After selection of cities in various rounds of SCPs, there were often delays in selection of Project management consultants (PMCs). Previous rounds of selection through competitive bidding were scrapped and a fresh round taken up when there were changes of government at the state level.
PMCs faced considerable challenges in mobilising teams with the requisite experience particularly when the cities in question did not have direct air connectivity to the metros where most experienced consultants are based. There were delays in mobilising the team, ensuring the team’s continued commitment to the particular smart city (teams continued to be stretched thin with experts shuffling between projects) and ensuring continuity of the respective team member given that these were often changed at regular intervals. In case of cities where PMCs had quoted aggressively, there were challenges in getting the required experts on board at a competitive price given the demand for skilled urban professionals in recent times.
The timelines given for the implementation were unrealistic in my view to start out with. This was coupled with constant monitoring and reporting at the local, state and central level which led to further compromises in the quality of deliverables. RFPs for selection of contractors were often issued without a judicious estimation of project costs and feasibility.
Delays in project implementation led to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as well as the PMCs being taken to task by the local media which was in turn instigated by vested interests. Solutions under smart cities are often initially expensive but with a reduced life cycle cost. This comparison is often not understood by laypersons as well as the media which raises allegations. Responding to media articles has led to a further reduction in time given to the PMC for actual work and delivering projects on the ground.
SPVs are often inadequately staffed with appointment of the necessary staff taking much longer than prudent and often delayed due to external interference. In some states, the funds provided by the Centre and the state have not been released to the SPV. In many cases, the challenge is prudently utilising the funds made available.
An analysis of the above reasons makes it clear that the reasons for the delays in project implementation
so far have been on account of issues that typically occur when taking up any first of its kind initiative. The cities are now higher up the learning curve in the implementation of Smart City projects. There have been no issues with regard to provision of smart solutions. There are no reasons underlying the delay that will impact the long-term business potential of Smart city projects.
Therefore, from a technology providers’ perspective as long as payment related aspects are protected through a robust contractual structure, the following reasons continue to render Smart Cities as a key business opportunity going forward:
The opportunity inherent in providing smart solutions across various urban sub-sectors across numerous cities is intact given the growing urbanisation, pressure on urban infrastructure and increasing aspiration levels.
The opportunity to conceptualise innovative solutions to address urban issues which can be showcased elsewhere. Adequate funding is available for these projects. Unlike core infrastructure which requires significant investment and which will be funded largely through convergence with other schemes, smart technological interventions will be largely funded through government funding.
Many of these projects are structured as an EPC prior to completion with an additional O&M contract for the operations stage. The supplier therefore does not bear the revenue risk associated with collection of user charges. Provisions such as escrow accounts are being incorporated to provide the necessary comfort to the private sector. Possibility of scaling up the solutions developed in other parts of the same city given that the SCM has started out with only one area within each city for being smartened up under the Area based development.
Possibility of replicating smart solutions across other cities since there is a likelihood of other cities being developed as Smart cities in addition to the first 99. Specific states are exploring the possibility of smart cities at the state level in addition to those identified under the SCM.
Extending smart solutions to other private sector clients given that private developers looking at large area based developments such as integrated townships are also exploring the possibility of smart solutions to enhance overall quality of life. Smart solutions in areas such as healthcare and education where there is a significant presence of the private sector can also lend themselves to being marketed to private players. RM
Renewable energy sources and technologies have potential to provide solutions to the long-standing energy problems being faced by the developing countries. The renewable energy sources like wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, biomass energy and fuel cell technology can be used to overcome energy shortage in India. To meet the energy requirement for such a fast growing economy, India will require an assured supply of 3–4 times more energy than the total energy consumed today. The renewable energy is one of the options to meet this requirement. Today, renewable account for about 33% of India’s primary energy consumptions.
India is increasingly adopting responsible renewable energy techniques and taking positive steps towards carbon emissions, cleaning the air and ensuring a more sustainable future. In India, from the last two and half decades there has been a vigorous pursuit of activities relating to research, development, demonstration, production and application of a variety of renewable energy technologies for use in different sectors. Efforts have been made to summarize the availability, current status, major achievements and future potentials of renewable energy options in India. This paper also assesses specific policy interventions for overcoming the barriers and enhancing deployment of renewables for the future.
In India, using renewable energy is primarily done to advance economic growth, increase energy security, increase access to electricity, and slow down climate change. By using sustainable energy and guaranteeing that all residents have access to costeffective, dependable, sustainable, and contemporary energy, sustainable development is made feasible. India is becoming one of the top leaders in the most lucrative markets for renewable energy in the world because to strong government support and the increasingly favorable economic environment.
The government has created liberal rules, programmes, and an atmosphere to entice international investment and quickly advance the nation in the renewable energy sector. Over the coming years, it is projected that the domestic employment situation in the renewable energy sector will improve significantly. This essay seeks to outline important developments in renewable energy in India, including prospects, projections, electricity generation, obstacles, and potential for investment and employment. The numerous challenges that the renewable energy business is up against have been identified in this review. Policymakers, innovators, project developers, investors, industries, related stakeholders and departments, researchers, and scientists will all benefit from the advice based on the review’s findings.
One-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to the sources used to produce power, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Elevating the standard of living requires the provision of cleaner and more dependable electricity. India’s need for energy is raising as a result of the country’s current economic growth initiatives. An essential condition for a nation’s economy to grow is the provision of increasing amounts of energy.
With the aim of providing energy across the nation, the National Electricity Plan [NEP] defined by the Ministry of Power (MoP)
has created a detailed 10-year action plan. Additionally, it has created a separate plan to guarantee that power is given to the public effectively and affordably. India ranks fourth in the world in terms of carbon emissions, after China (26.83%), the USA (14.36%), and the EU (9.66%), according to the World Resource Institute Report. The natural equilibrium of the planet may also change as a result of climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement has both received submissions of intended national voluntarily determined contributions (INDCs).
The peak of the world’s electricity demand is expected to occur around 2030, according to the World Energy Council. One of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, India imports expensive fossil fuel. Coal and oil together provide nearly 74% of the world’s energy needs. India imported 171 million tonnes of coal in 2013–2014, 215 million tonnes in 2014–2015, 207 million tonnes in 2015–2016, 195 million tonnes in 2016–2017, and 213 million tonnes in 2017–2018, according to a research from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy. Therefore, it is crucial to find alternative means of producing electricity. In this way, the country will have a rapid and global transition to renewable energy technologies to achieve sustainable growth and avoid catastrophic climate change. Renewable energy sources play a vital role in securing sustainable energy with lower emissions. It is already accepted that renewable energy technologies might significantly cover the electricity demand and reduce emissions. In recent years, the country has developed a sustainable path for its energy supply. Awareness of saving energy has been promoted among citizens to increase the use of solar, wind, biomass, waste, and hydropower energies. It is evident that clean energy is less harmful and often cheaper. India is aiming to attain 175 GW of renewable energy which would consist of 100 GW from solar energy, 10 GW from bio-power, 60 GW from wind power, and 5 GW from small hydropower plants by the year 2022.
The peak of the world’s electricity demand is expected to occur around 2030, according to the World Energy Council. One of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, India imports expensive fossil fuel. Coal and oil together provide nearly 74% of the world’s energy needs. India imported 171 million tonnes of coal in 2013–2014, 215 million tonnes in 2014–2015, 207 million tonnes in 2015–2016, 195 million tonnes in 2016–2017, and 213 million tonnes in 2017–2018, according to a research from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy. Therefore, it is crucial to find alternative means of producing electricity.
The advancement of renewable energy technology should be encouraged by a combination of push policies and pull mechanisms, complemented by specific tactics. Technology development, sound regulations, tax deductions, and efforts to increase efficiency as a result of research and development (R&D) are some of the avenues for energy and environmental conservation that should ensure that renewable resource bases are exploited quickly and affordably. Thus, methods for promoting investment prospects in the field of renewable energy as well as positions for technicians, contractors, and unskilled labourers are highlighted. This page also details government-led training and educational programmes, financial and policy frameworks, and technology advancements for the expansion and improvement of renewable energy sources.
The development of renewable technology has encountered explicit obstacles, and thus, there is a need to discuss these barriers. Additionally, it is also vital to discover possible solutions to overcome these barriers, and hence, proper recommendations have been suggested for the steady growth of renewable power. Given the enormous potential of renewables in the country, coherent policy measures and an investorfriendly administration might be the key drivers for India to become a global leader in clean and green energy.
The country is expected to add 35 to 40 gigawatts of renewable energy annually until 2030, which would be sufficient to power an additional 30 million homes. India’s renewables business is flourishing. India, the third-largest energy consumer in the worlwd, is predicted to have 405 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. By the end of the decade, it is anticipated to exceed the government’s goal of generating 50% of its electricity from nonfossil fuel sources.
According to forecasts made by the Indian government, the nation will generate 500 gigawatts more renewable energy within the same period. Fossil fuels currently make up 59% of India’s installed energy capacity, but by 2030, they are only going to make up 31.6% of the country’s energy mix. India has great intentions, despite the fact that its transition to sustainable energy has been delayed by the European War among other factors. India has an energy shortage, which will only get worse as our economy and population continue to
expand. The low cost of renewables as well as the need for cleaner energy sources to curb climate change have driven the growth of the sector in the country, which is the world’s third largest renewable energy market. No other country’s energy needs are expected to balloon as much as India’s in the coming years, as living standards improve and its 1.3 billion populations grow. The report, which analyzed data from various green energy corporations and publicly funded energy companies, also found that 151 gigawatts of renewable energy will be added by private clean energy companies alone. Adani Green Energy, a private company, will account for the largest single addition, going from 5.8 gigawatts to 45 gigawatts of renewable energy production. Although the country has made significant strides in clean energy, experts say there is still room for improvement. India’s “ambitious renewable energy policies” haven’t yet halted the country’s coal pipeline, a climate and energy economist at the Berlin-based think tank, Climate Analytics. Scheduled retirement plan of the existing coal capacities to give a clear signal that we are moving towards clean energy and the current subsidies for fossil fuels in India should be reformed. But shutting down coal and moving towards greener energy needs financing. Recent estimates say India will require around $223 billion of investment to meet its 2030 energy goals. Long-time observers of India’s clean energy transition point out rooftop solar energy is also lacking: the country has just 7.5 gigawatts of rooftop solar installed of a planned 40 gigawatts by the end of the year. The challenge is that different states have different rooftop solar policies. We don’t have a holistic national policy for this segment. Renewable energy projects also need to be ramped up. We really need to increase the build rates. This year we are installing an average of 1.7 gigawatts every month and we need to be hitting 3.7 gigawatts. To ramp up but that is the foremost thing that needs to happen and this needs to happen very soon.
The renewable sector suffers notable obstacles. Some of them are inherent in every renewable technology; others are the outcome of a skewed regulative structure and marketplace. The absence of comprehensive policies and regulation frameworks prevent the adoption of renewable technologies. The renewable energy market requires explicit policies and legal procedures to enhance the attention of investors. There is a delay in
the authorization of private sector projects because of a lack of clear policies. The country should take measures to attract private investors. Inadequate technology and the absence of infrastructure required to establish renewable technologies should be overcome by R&D. The government should allow more funds to support research and innovation activities in this sector. There are insufficiently competent personnel to train, demonstrate, maintain, and operate renewable energy structures and therefore, the institutions should be proactive in preparing the workforce. Imported equipment is costly compared to that of locally manufactured; therefore, generation of renewable energy becomes expensive and even unaffordable. Hence, to decrease the cost of renewable products, the country should become involve in the manufacturing of renewable products. Another significant infrastructural obstacle to the development of renewable energy technologies is unreliable connectivity to the grid. As a consequence, many investors lose their faith in renewable energy technologies and are not ready to invest in them for fear of failing. India should work on transmission and evacuation plans.
Customers have less faith in some renewable energy technologies as a result of inadequate facility servicing and maintenance and low technology reliability, which discourages their selection. To prevent equipment failures that stop the flow of electricity, adequate abilities to repair/service the spare parts/equipment are needed. Communities should be encouraged to use renewable energy, and a strong emphasis on local socio-cultural traditions should be taken into account.
To hasten the commercialization of these technologies, governments should promote investments in the expansion of renewable energy sources. The Indian government should announce a well-established fiscal aid package that includes tariffs, debt deductions, and credit provision.
To ensure that all power DISCOMs have power purchase agreements (PPAs) to completely meet their RPO responsibility, the government should enhance legislation making obligations under PPAs statutorily binding. It is strongly advised that renewables be employed in a hybrid design comprising two or more resources combined with conventional source and storage devices in order to achieve a dependable system. The appropriate standards and laws for hybrid systems should be created by regulatory agencies. Effective laws and tax incentives will make investments economically feasible and produce social benefits in addition to economic gains.
The 40-country RECAI (Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index) assessment is based on the appeal of potential for renewable energy deployment and investment. RECAI is based on macro-essentials including economic stability, the environment for investing, energy needs like supply and security, the clean energy gap, and cost.
It also consists of policy support for renewable energy and political stability. Its focus is on the project
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delivery characteristics of finance, cost and availability, transaction liquidity, infrastructure, and distributed generation. The rating of technology potentials takes into account factors including natural resources, power take-off appeal, potential support, technical maturity, and anticipated growth.
The renewable sector suffers notable obstacles. Some of them are inherent in every renewable technology; others are the outcome of a skewed regulative structure and marketplace. The absence of comprehensive policies and regulation frameworks prevent the adoption of renewable technologies. The renewable energy market requires explicit policies and legal procedures to enhance the attention of investors. There is a delay in the authorization of private sector projects because of a lack of clear policies. The country should take measures to attract private investors. Inadequate technology and the absence of infrastructure required to establish renewable technologies should be overcome by R&D. The government should allow more funds to support research and innovation activities in this sector. There are insufficiently competent personnel to train, demonstrate, maintain, and operate renewable energy structures and therefore, the institutions should be proactive in preparing the workforce. Imported equipment is costly compared to that of locally manufactured; therefore, generation of renewable energy becomes expensive and even unaffordable. Hence, to decrease the cost of renewable products, the country should become involve in the manufacturing of renewable products. Another significant infrastructural obstacle to the development of renewable energy technologies is unreliable connectivity to the grid. As a consequence, many investors lose their faith in renewable energy technologies and are not ready to invest in them for fear of failing. India should work on transmission and evacuation plans. Inadequate servicing and maintenance of facilities and low reliability in technology decreases customer trust in some renewable energy technologies and hence prevent their selection. Adequate skills to repair/service the spare parts/equipment are required to avoid equipment failures that halt the supply of energy. Awareness of renewable energy among communities should be fostered, and a significant focus on their socio-cultural practices should be considered. Governments should support investments in the expansion of renewable energy to speed up the commercialization of such technologies. The Indian government should declare a well-established fiscal assistance plan, such as the
provision of credit, deduction on loans, and tariffs. The government should improve regulations making obligations under power purchase agreements (PPAs) statutorily binding to guarantee that all power DISCOMs have PPAs to cover a hundred percent of their RPO obligation. To accomplish a reliable system, it is strongly suggested that renewables must be used in a hybrid configuration of two or more resources along with conventional source and storage devices. Regulatory authorities should formulate the necessary standards and regulations for hybrid systems. Making investments economically possible with effective policies and tax incentives will result in social benefits above and beyond the economic advantages.
Energy security, economic growth and environment protection are the national energy policy drivers of any country of the world. The need to boost the efforts for further development and promotion of renewable energy sources has been felt world over in light of high prices of crude oil. A critical part of the solution will lie in promoting renewable energy technologies as a way to address concerns about energy security, economic growth in the face of rising energy prices, competitiveness, health costs and environmental degradation. According to NAPCC other sources of renewable energy would be promoted. Specifc action points that have been mentioned include promoting deployment, innovation and basic research in renewable energy technologies, resolving the barriers to development and commercial deployment of biomass, hydropower, solar and wind technologies, promoting straight (direct) biomass combustion and biomass gasifcation technologies, promoting the development and manufacture of small wind electric generators, and enhancing the regulatory/tariff regime in order to main stream renewable energy sources in the national power system. Accordingly, increased focus is being laid on the deployment of renewable power that is likely to account for around 5% in the electricitymix by 2032. Alternate fuels, essentially bio-fuels, are proposed to be progressively used for blending with diesel and petrol, mainly for transport applications. Finally, renewable energy provides enormous benefits and can contribute signifcantly in the national energy mix at least economic, environmental and social costs and it is expected that the share of renewable energy in the total generation capacity will increase in future. RM
Solar energy is gaining popularity in India and is becoming more affordable and easier to generate than ever. Solar energy is the one of the most effective sources of Renewable Energy because of the reliable amount of sun the world gets. Ever-advancing technologies that are emerging will continue to harness this source in better, easier and cheaper ways making solar the fastest growing RE source. Carbon footprint of solar PV panels is already quite small and, as the materials used in them are being increasingly recycled, it continues to shrink. Your electricity bills could decrease quite a bit because of the power you are generating and using and not buying from your supplier.
As solar panels are considered ‘permitted development’ you usually don’t need a permit to install them on your roof. There are a few limitations you need to bear in mind before installation. Once installed, solar panels require very little maintenance. They are generally installed at an angle which allows rain to run off freely, washing dirt and dust away. As long as you keep them from becoming blocked by dirt, solar panels could last for over 25 years with little loss in efficiency. Investing in a solar power system makes you less reliant on the National Grid for your electricity. As an energy generator, you can enjoy cheaper electricity throughout the day. And if you invest in battery storage, you could carry on using solar energy after the sun goes down. You’ll be contributing to a more efficient way of generating energy. Transmitting energy from power plants across extensive networks to your home inevitably results in energy loss. When your power is coming direct from your rooftop, the loss is minimized, so less energy is wasted. The Feed in tariff is a govt. backed scheme offered by your electricity supplier and, if you opt for it, you could get paid for the energy generated by your solar PV system. Solar panels are generally good investment for your home. Current trends in the energy market mean that a home with solar panels could command a higher price in the future than one without.
Smart solar is the advanced version of solar energy technology converting the solar energy into electrical or thermal with advanced management and efficient utilization is the new global smart solar market. With the increasing demand of energy worldwide, usage of alternative sources is increasing day by day solar energy is the best evergreen energy option. That is the key development factor for advancement in smart solar energy solution market. Currently smart solar market is valued at $6.47 billion, and it is estimated to achieve $13.89 bn by 2022, at a CAGR of 16.8% during 2016-23.
Marketing and the 4 P’s We live in a society that bombards consumers with messages, from pop-ups on computers, to on-line chat room links, to e-newsletters and e-blasts, to advertising in traditional media, all designed to build a “share of mind” for a product, service or social cause. Marketing is not merely communications. It is the sum presentation to the customer of a value equation that results in a sale or action. Marketing is the process of identifying what the consumer needs, how the product or service can address that need, how to communicate that value in a compelling way, and
how to deliver that message in the most efficient and effective manner. When state solar incentive program managers think like marketers, they will sharpen the focus of outreach efforts and improve the effectiveness of their solar program offerings.
The classic elements of marketing, the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Place & Promotion; offer a useful matrix to assess state solar programs. Solar program initiatives should address each of the 4 P’s. For example, a consumer will not buy a poorly manufactured product or one with a questionable reputation merely because the price is good. Similarly, the best quality product must be affordable to ensure market share. While state solar programs do not produce solar panels, price them, or control quality of technology or installation, their program success is integrally linked to success of solar suppliers. Both share the same goalbuilding a strong customer base for solar power in their region. Each plays an important part in marketing solar. However, state incentive programs define the 4 P’s in a slightly different way than do solar suppliers.
For marketing purposes, state programs can evaluate the Product from the perspective of consumers’ rational and emotional attitudes towards solar technology. These attitudes affect desire to purchase. Consumer reaction to solar tech (e.g., price, reliability, quality issues) informs marketing and communications approaches by identifying both the opportunities, the strengths and positive attributes that should be marshaled, and the barriers, the concerns and “issues” that prevent sales.
Price is one of the single biggest barriers to growing the solar marketplace; many states are addressing the financing of solar to help overcome consumer price concerns. Today, financing mechanisms are broadening access to solar power and making it available to new customer groups. However, states must ensure that prospective customers are aware of these new financing strategies and aggressively promote the financial “value” of solar products to consumer targets.
Place, or channels through which solar is sold, also is an area where solar programs have an important role through their work with installers, developers, and suppliers. Building a strong supplier network is critical in keeping up with rising demand; ensuring that customers can easily find an installer is part of this task. States also should look at how complex the solar sales process can be for consumers and how solar programs can minimize and ease the transaction process.
Promotion of solar should be a primary focus as state programs seek to increase visibility of solar installations and broaden the appeal of their solar incentive programs. Using communications and promotional strategies to favorably present solar in the marketplace and ensuring that the right messages are presented to the public will help build a stronger market for solar technologies.
As solar incentive programs examine their program offerings through the lens of Product, Price, Place and Promotion, they may conclude that they need to better understand their customer through market research, focus their efforts on specific target customer bases (customer segmentation), and address key messages to reach those audiences effectively and efficiently (communications). This evaluation process informs the elements of a solar marketing plan. Whether a marketer’s goal is to persuade a customer to visit a store, sample a new product, purchase an existing product, visit a website, make a donation to a nonprofit organisation, or inquire about a solar incentive program, the process is the same.
In essence, marketing matches the right customer to the right product, resulting in a sale. As states apply marketing approaches to their solar initiatives, they will become more customer-focused, rather than program-focused, and as a result, become more effective in achieving solar goals. If one starts with the end in mind, a solar marketing plan identifies how a state program will achieve installed megawatt goals through acquisition of residential, commercial and institutional customers. 4P’s ensure that all aspects of the sale are covered. Improving process of purchasing
solar will not alone make a difference in overall sales if the price/value equation has not been addressed. If consumers are not confident about reliability of solar, improved pricing alone will not matter. All elements must work together to motivate target customer to take action. Hence, the dev. of a solar marketing plan must start with consumer in mind.
Marketing is a problem solving activity. Finding and understanding what problems require solving is the first and most important Step in constructing an effective marketing plan. Thinking like a retailer is key because it will ensure that programs and initiatives, as well as communications and promotions, are designed to create a call to action and move customers towards the sales process. A marketing plan is a living, breathing document that guides activities over a period of usually no more than one to two years and is focused on achieving quantifiable and measurable goals, such as megawatts of installed solar. Activities within the plan must address core customer segments that are important to the solar program, such as low-income housing, schools and institutions, large commercial customers, and installers. The process of developing an effective plan includes the following steps. Market analyses begin by assessing past successes and failures. Identify what has worked and what has not. Which customer bases are responding and which are under delivering?
Are there geographic issues to be addressed within your
plan? Customer Research If there are questions about the motivations and attitudes that core customer groups have about solar power, a customer research project and market analysis will identify the opportunities and barriers that must be addressed in the marketing plan. Solar programs may want to rely on an outside resource such as an advertising agency or marketing consulting group to help with this aspect of the plan. A marketing objective might include a percentage increase or megawatt goal for specific customer segments, such as commercial and industrial, residential, or institutional solar installations. Marketing Strategies How will the solar program reach its objectives? This report suggests that Cost, Reliability, Complexity, Inertia and Message all must be addressed in an effective marketing plan. There may be other strategies relevant to your specific market that should be included or receive priority. A marketing strategy that addresses value, for example, might include offering financial tools that reduce the high out-of-pocket costs for solar installations. A marketing strategy to address reliability may include raising visibility of solar in the marketplace. Implementation Tactics are the specific programs and initiatives that address the marketing strategy. The examples cited in this report from solar stakeholders across the country are examples of marketing tactics. The rest of the marketing plan includes a budget and timeline, as well as an approach to evaluate the success of specific tactics. There may be other resource needs required by the solar program. All key stakeholders across the organisation should review the marketing plan while in development to ensure that it is addressing the right issues and to ensure buy-in. It is also critical that implementation challenges be coordinated with appropriate personnel to ensure that adequate resources and timeframes are accounted for.
In a solar energy project, solar PV panels / modules accounts for around 60 per cent of the total project cost. With increasing penetration of solar power in Indian energy mix, the solar panel market is also seeing a tremendous growth over the recent past years. Currently, India ranks as the third largest solar energy market globally which complements the solar panel market growth in the country.
The cumulative installed solar energy capacity in the country has crossed the 28 GW mark. In other words, the country still has to accomplish more than 70 per cent of the 100 GW solar energy capacity targets set for 2022. With India’s eagerness to achieve 70GW of target
makes it stand out as one of the most attractive market for solar panels / modules manufacturers and suppliers in days to come.
Power Insight looked into the growth of solar panel / modules market in India while also analyzing the solar pv panel price trends and market competitiveness.
The solar PV currently represents one of the fastestgrowing sources of renewable energy in the world.
Global Solar PV capacity has been estimated to be around 500 GW at the end of the first quarter of 2019 –as per various market reports.
Though, the year 2018 witnessed a fall in the demand however, market reports expects 2019 a comeback year for the sector. Various market reports predicts that the global solar PV market will see growth of around 25 per cent in 2019 and will install a total of around 130 GW worth of new solar capacity.
Asia region has been generating the highest demand for solar installations since last 5 years and will continue to be the leader with an estimated market share of around 55 per cent for the next five years too. China, India and Japan have been predicted to be the highest contributors – accounting for over 75 per cent of this capacity increase, according to various market reports.
The worldwide market for solar PV panels / modules was estimated at US$ 188.5 billion between 2012 and 2017, according to Global Data, the world’s leading data and analytics firm. Global Data aggregates the global solar PV module market value to decline and likely to be USD 137.6 billion between 2018 and 2022.
Analysing the region wise market for solar pv panel / module in 2017, it reported that Asia-Pacific represented the largest share of solar PV panel / module market, registering 74.9 per cent of the global market share, followed by America with 15 per cent of global solar pv panel / module market share. While, Europe, Middle East and Africa region together accounted for remaining 10 per cent of the global solar PV panel / module market value.
While many market studies have reported that the global solar PV panel / module market is projected to decline over the coming years due to changes in financial support provided the governments, decline in technology prices,
shift in focus towards grid infrastructure development, and growth of other technologies.
However these reports also suggest that the Asia-Pacific region that led the solar PV module market over the past years – will continue to lead the market. Although a drop in its share of the global market is on the card. The market is likely to decline as China the largest market for solar PV, has proposed the removal of subsidies in 2018, which is expected to have a negative impact on the market over the coming years. Similarly Japan has reduced its feed-in-tariff rate for solar PV which is likely to cause the market to drop.
However, global efforts to reduce power sector carbon emissions and improve self-sufficiency are few primary drivers which will contribute to the continued deployment of solar PV in various nations across the world.
Top solar PV panel / module manufacturers that lead the global solar pv market are Canadian Solar, Jinko Solar, Yingli Green Energy, Hanwha SolarOne, JA Solar, Sharp, First Solar, Kyocera, Renesolar, SunPower and Trina Solar.
Indian solar pv panel / module market has seen tremendous growth as the country has witnessed huge solar pv capacity additions in the last four years. With mega solar power plants developing in India at a full swing backed by huge amount of domestic and foreign investments is good news for solar pv panel / module manufacturers and suppliers. This was also possible due to ease in land acquisition and other legal approvals from the central and state government. The governance of the market is maintained by large domestic and international project developers with partial intervention of government.
Solar pv panel market demand seems positive during 2019 as a positive market growth is on card. This is based on analysis of various market reports that says that over 400 MW of solar PV projects are in pipeline across India at the end of 2018.
In addition, solar pv panel market is also expected to see a boost in demand from the rooftop segment. With technological developments in solar rooftop PV segment such as Net-Metering, Feed-In Tariff, Accelerated Depreciation Mechanism, Generation Based Incentives, etc., have pressed the use of renewable solar energy at small scale and this is expected to boost the solar rooftop
PV market – too, over the coming years.
Though solar pv panel market in India is set for a strong growth ahead, however, there had been some chaos in the market during the recent past. India that was the second largest solar market in the world till first half of 2018 has slipped to the third position.
Experts believe that the solar PV market in India will continue to face disorder for some time moving forward. The solar energy installations in the country weakened mainly due to imposition of the safeguard duty and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), among other issues.
Imposition of safeguard duty on imported solar pv panel was aimed at incentivizing domestic manufacturing.
Unfortunately, it led to an increase in tariffs as solar components have become more costly. Thus, resulting in the uncalled for delays as well as cancellation of many solar auctions.
According to certain market reports this duty levy could result into reducing the solar PV market demand in India by around 2 GW through to 2020.
However, as India is aspiring to reach it 100 GW of solar pv targets and still has a long way to go. The country will remain as one of the major region that will create a substantial demand for the solar pv panels market.
The three major types of solar pv panel / module available in the Indian market are Mono-crystalline solar pv panel, Multi-crystalline or Poly-crystalline solar panel and Thin-film solar panel.
India, being a price sensitive market, the use of multi crystalline solar panel / module still leads the market. However, developers have seriously started considering mono crystalline solar pv panel for projects looking at the added advantages it offers.
Solar markets around the world are noticeably inclining towards mono crystalline solar panels technology. Recent trends in the Indian solar market have also shown a significant increase in market share of mono crystalline solar pv panels.
Mono crystalline panel’s offers high efficiency along with many more advantages over multi / poly crystalline panels. Increasing demand for energy efficiency and optimum resource utilization are set to propel the mono crystalline solar panel / module market growth in India. Meanwhile, one of the most important aspects of mono crystalline panels is higher ROI along with reduced use
of land when used in large-scale projects. Since, land availability has been one of the major challenges in India – mono crystalline panel’s market share is projected to witness gain over the coming years. However, increasing investment toward utility installations coupled with declining component cost will keep the positive drive the polycrystalline solar PV module market for some time.
The decline in the cost of solar PV panel / module is one of the major factors driving the global solar PV market. If we look at the trends of solar panel prices – by 2014 the price of solar PV panel / module was reduced by 75 per cent, as compared to that in 2009. This decline can be mainly attributed to the improvement in material efficiency, production optimization, and economies of scale.
Asia accounted for about two-thirds of the world’s solar photovoltaic additions for the last three to four years. In 2017, nearly 85% of the total addition came from the top five markets in China, the United States, Japan, India and the UK.
While the Indian solar market completely depends on the demand and module supply. The last few years’ trends show a huge market boom in the country. The growth during the period was majorly dependent on the supply of modules at the lowest prices leading to competitive environment in the industry.
As South East Asia – especially China has been the major supplier of solar pv panels to India – India has witnessed a declining price trends in solar pv panel / module space since 2014 till January 2019 with the
increase in solar pv demand. The solar pv panel / module prices have seen decline of around 31 per cent during the period.
The CAGR of module prices have been estimated to -14.78 per cent year on year basis. If the trend continues, the pv panel / module prices are expected to fall down to approximately 8 cents by 2026.
As further analysed by the industry experts, the pv panels / modules prices trends in India have been in direct proportion to the demand trends. However, stable module prices are expected throughout the year, which is a direct result of continued high demand.
The Sun has been worshiped as a life-giver to our planet since ancient times. The industrial ages gave us the understanding of sunlight as an energy source. India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. About 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India’s land area with most parts receiving 4-7 kWh per sq. m per day. Solar photovoltaics power can effectively be harnessed providing huge scalability in India. Solar also provides the ability to generate power on a distributed basis and enables rapid capacity addition with short lead times. Off-grid decentralized and lowtemperature applications will be advantageous from a rural electrification perspective and meeting other energy needs for power and heating and cooling in both rural and urban areas. From an energy security perspective, solar is the most secure of all sources, since it is abundantly available. Theoretically, a small fraction of the total incident solar energy (if captured effectively) can meet the entire country’s power requirements.
There has been a visible impact of solar energy in the Indian energy scenario during the last few years. Solar energy based decentralized and distributed applications have benefited millions of people in Indian villages by meeting their cooking, lighting and other energy needs in an environment friendly manner. The social and economic benefits include reduction in drudgery among rural women and girls engaged in the collection of fuel wood from long distances and cooking in smoky kitchens, minimization of the risks of contracting lung and eye ailments, employment generation at village level, and ultimately, the improvement in the standard of living and creation of opportunity for economic activities at village level.
Further, solar energy sector in India has emerged as a significant player in the grid connected power generation capacity over the years. It supports the government agenda of sustainable growth, while, emerging as an integral part of the solution to meet the nation’s energy needs and an essential player for energy security.
National Institute of Solar Energy has assessed the Country’s solar potential of about 748 GW assuming 3% of the waste land area to be covered by Solar PV modules. Solar energy has taken a central place in India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change with National Solar Mission as one of the key Missions. It will also constitute a major contribution by India to the global effort to meet the challenges of climate change. The Mission’s objective is to establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating the policy conditions for solar technology diffusion across the country as
quickly as possible. The Mission targets installing 100 GW grid-connected solar power plants by the year 2022.
This is line with India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions(INDCs) target to achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from nonfossil fuel based energy resources and to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent from 2005 level by 2030.
In order to achieve the above target, Government of India have launched various schemes to encourage generation of solar power in the country like Solar Park Scheme, VGF Schemes, CPSU Scheme, Defence Scheme, Canal bank & Canal top Scheme, Bundling Scheme, Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme etc. Various policy measures undertaken included declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) including Solar, Waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned up to March 2022, Must run status, Guidelines for procurement of solar power though tariff based competitive bidding process, Standards for deployment of Solar Photovoltaic systems and devices, Provision of roof top solar and Guidelines for development of smart cities, Amendments in building bye-laws for mandatory provision of roof top solar for new construction or higher Floor Area Ratio, Infrastructure status for solar projects, Raising tax free solar bonds, Providing long tenor loans from multilateral agencies, etc.
RM
The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), a public sector body under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, has issued the tender for setting up 500 MW/1000–MWh Standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). A first–of–its–kind tender in the country, it will provide power distribution companies with storage facilities to be used on an “on–demand” basis.
The tender marks the first tranche of the government’s immediate target of setting up 4000 MWh of Battery Storage Capacity to inject more renewable energy in the national grid. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA)/MoP have recommended that a battery energy storage capacity of 27,000 MW/108,000 MWh (4–hour storage) ought to be part of the installed capacity in 2029–30.
A BESS system is made up of batteries that can be charged by solar power during the day and then making that power available in the evening or night. As evening power demand is fulfilled by coal plants, having a battery system integrated with a solar power plant will mean that the dependency on coal can be reduced and more renewable energy can be supplied to homes and establishments.
India, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitments at the United Nations Conference of Parties in Glasgow last year, has committed a target of 500 GW (gigawatts) of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2030. This hinges on solar–BESS. “The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects India to have about 140 GW of battery storage by 2040, the largest in any country. The government estimates that India will require 27 GW of grid–connected BESS by 2030. A more recent academic study estimates that India will require 63GW/252 GWh (gigawatt hour) BESS to achieve the goal of 500 GW of solar energy generation capacity,” according to a report by the Observer Research Foundation.
While the BESS systems have helped provide power supply during coal–fired plant breakdowns, they’ve also been involved in accidents and fire hazards. Analysts also say because they are primarily based on lithium–ion batteries, it could end up being expensive to install at large–scale in India. The capacity envisaged in the SECI tender is 1000 MWh (500 MW x 2hrs), which will constitute two projects of 500 MWh (250 MW x 2 hrs) each and to be installed in the vicinity of the Fatehgarh-III Grid–Substation in Rajasthan.
Of the capacity being installed under the tender, 60% will be bought by the SECI on behalf of power purchasing companies, and the rest can be sold by project developers, through third party or market sale. Thus, through this tender, the government provides substantial support for market development in the energy storage domain.
The developer shall make the system available for two operational cycles per day or two complete charge–discharge cycles per day. The successful project should be able to provide power atleast 95% of the time annually. The term of the projects would be 12 years.
The draft National Energy Storage Mission expects to kick-start grid-connected energy storage in Bharat came upon a restrictive framework & encourages autochthonal manufacture of batteries, consistent with a member of the skilled committee came upon by the MNRE last month. The draft sets a sensible target of 1520 GWh of grid-connected storage among subsequent five years. Power grids don’t presently use storage choices that will facilitate in swimmingly group action RE sources. The draft has been submitted to the Ministry discharged for public feedback within the next few months. The mission can target seven verticals: autochthonal manufacturing; associate degree assessment of technical school. Trends; a policy framework; funding, business models & market creation; analysis & development; standards & testing; & grid coming up with for energy storage. RE sources currently conjure virtually simple fraction of India’s total put in power capability. However, as power grids increase their share of star & wind energy, the matter remains that the height offer of renewable sources doesn’t continuously meet peak demand. For example, alternative energy generation could also be at its peak at time of day, however unless hold on, it’ll not be obtainable once required to light homes in the dead of night. Moreover, renewable sources square measure inherently intermittent: there square measure days once the wind doesn’t blow or the sky is cloudy. Batteries may facilitate store surplus energy throughout peak generation times, however square measure a lot of right away required to stabilize the grid once shifting between renewable load thermal capability. Once the put in capability of renewable reaches one hundred GW from this sixty five GW, it’ll become vital to include storage choices. SECI expects to issue tenders for grid-connected storage by the tip of the year. For its own one hundred sixty MW plant in province, the SECI is anticipated to issue tenders for a storage possibility by the tip of Gregorian calendar month. Up to 100 percent of alternative energy is injected into the grid while not storage. After that, storage can become a necessity.
However, trade players complain that the SECI furthermore because the NTPC & the NLC off a minimum of 9 earlier tenders for grid storage in 2017. This sends a negative signal each to world makers & Indian CoS UN agency square measure wanting to diversify into metal particle battery producing. Central Electricity Authority is considering regulation to create storage obligatory for giant scale star comes go between one hundred MW. SECI indicated that value considerations were the explanation for the cancellation of bids. Adding storage choices may lead to alternative energy spiking Rs 3-4 per unit higher than its current low value of Rs a pair of.44 per unit, creating it unattractive to distributors. It is vital to seem on the far side mere capex prices think about life cycle prices & the distributor’s prices because of grid instability & transmission & distribution losses. Currently, the metal particle cells required for battery storage aren’t factory-made in Bharat, though major players, as well as Indian Oil Corporation & Exide, square measure operating to develop autochthonal producing capability.
Storage is meant to bring stability to an infirm life. However, it is bound to make infirm RE more exciting & moreso solar, considering that it has both the distributed & large (as other RE) versions. The impact on residential solar & open access projects would be the most exciting. Distributed solar on unreliable grids or off grids will both flourish with storage prices coming down. On-grid versions will include residential solar & small commercial sectors, for example- telecom towers, petrol pumps, toll plazas, highway restaurants & off-grids versions will include border posts, islands, micro-grids, resorts. The last mile infra in Indian grid will continue to have reliability issues, especially in Tier 3 towns & this is where energy storage, sold as part of solar kits, will grow as DIY systems or through local distributors. Large solar will include Discom sale & private sale projects. Sale to Discom projects will benefit from a reliable grid that will be supported by energy storage, either as frequency regulation support or if the grid operator decides to add energy for storage & hence absorb energy & consequently expand the utilization of grid infra.. The impact on open access projects, in comparison, will be very different. Open
access projects bank on banking. Banking regulations allow these projects to store their generation into the grid bank, from which their customer can withdraw energy as & when required. The bank’s passbook is the customer’s monthly electricity bill which reflects the deposit & withdrawal from the grid bank. Unfortunately, the grid owner (Transco) is a not-so-distant-cousin of the Discom & Discoms are not really fond of open access projects for the simple reason that these projects take away their creditworthy commercial & industrial consumers & therefore, the banking regulations may change or even vanish. & because open access projects have been or will be setup under policies that provide 10 to 15year certainty on banking, they would be left with 10-15year project life but no banking facility. It is at this point, that energy storage will move in & create a new business model, where on-call & dispatch able power will be available for sale. As should be obvious from the above, energy storage is a toll of free markets, bringing power to consumer, away from regulations. Amplus Solar is the first solar energy firm in India to offer full-fledged solar energy solution combined with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to a commercial establishment. Following are the 2 projects that have been successfully commissioned: A. Siwaya Toll Plaza- Amplus’ first BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) – Solar Hybrid System with 96 Kwh battery&83 Kw solar has been running successfully. Also we have the remote battery system up & running giving system updates. This is one of the first plant of its kind in India with the extensive logic in the EMS (Energy Management System) controlling all the sources. B. Solar+ Storage Project – Off grid Application. Amplus has successfully commissioned a solar hybrid system with 96 kWh batteries & 15 Kw solar PV located at the Forest Department of Gadchiroli, Nagpur to cater to their office power requirements. This Solar + Battery system has helped them get uninterrupted, reliable & a very good quality of power at nearly constant frequency, voltage levels.
SECI called for EoI for 160 MW storage-equipped solar-wind hybrid power project
After 2 failed attempts to attract competitive rates for RE storage projects, the SECI has issued yet another document to gauge the interest of developers & stakeholders in such a project. The SECI has called for
EoI from CoS for development of a 160 MW storageequipped solar-wind hybrid power project in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Interested CoS will have to share their past experience in execution of solar power projects, wind energy projects, & battery storage systems. The first 2 requirements would easily be fulfilled by numerous Indian developers, but not the third. The final requirement opens up a potential tender to international CoS. SECI, on its part, has made it clear that the intention to float this EoI is ‘only learn about the market scenario’ for implementation of a hybrid solar-wind project equipped with storage. Last year SECI had launched two separate tenders calling for bids from interested developers to set up storageequipped solar power projects in the states of Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka.
A 200 MW project was planned at the Pavagada solar park, Karnataka, while a 100 MW project was planned at the Kadapa solar power, Andhra Pradesh. Eventually, both the tenders were cancelled as SECI realized that bids for the projects would be sig.ly higher than those with no storage systems & that it would be difficult to find long-term buyers for the power generated from these projects. Late last year, NLC India; a power generation & coal mining Co.; awarded India’s firstever utility-scale RE storage power project. The capital cost to set up the project is estimated at around $44 mn, twice the cost of a project without a storage facility. SECI will likely offer capital cost support in the form of cheap loans or grants to set up these projects as it
has applied for a funding of $200 mn from the IBRD & Clean Tech. Fund (CTF).
The 10MW India project is expected to act as a great confidence booster for policy makers who are forming a National Energy Storage Mission. The start of construction on India’s largest energy storage project is not only of strategic importance to regulators, but could also drive another wave of utility-scale projects in India, the chief of the country’s storage alliance has said. AES India, a subsidiary of AES Corporation & Mitsubishi Corporation started work this week on the 10MW project that will support the network operated by TPDDL that serves the North & North-West parts of Delhi. What is claimed to be India’s first grid-scale energy battery storage project is designed to aid the integration of rooftop solar in particular. The AES project is expected to demonstrate the multiple value proposition of energy storage for the distribution grid such as peak shaving, distribution upgrade deferral, reactive power support as well as ancillary services for improving distribution grid reliability. The project was of strategic importance for Indian regulators, given that the CERC had already released a staff paper on energy storage last year.
The project would act as a great confidence booster for policy makers, such as NITI Aayog, MNRE & MOP, who
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are working on a National Energy Storage Mission. In this way, the new project will go towards addressing questions about tech. readiness. India’s National Solar Mission (NSM) was particularly successful in driving the local PV market to become the third largest in the world last year & the nation will be eyeing up similar success in energy storage. The AES, Mitsubishi project being deployed in Rohini, Delhi, at a substation operated by Tata Power-DDL will enhance grid reliability for more than 7 mn customers across the Delhi region. Storage tech. & services Co. Fluence, a Siemens & AES JV, will supply AES’ gridscale Advancion tech. platform for the project. The Advancion solution is designed to provide long-term dependability. The project should also demonstrate storage’s ability to balance distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar. The Tata Discom has already implemented smart grid techs with AES & Mitsubishi, leading the way in India with several country-firsts. Indian renewables sector has been described as having its head in the sand in terms of future grid integration challenges, so the deployment of large-scale storage will be welcomed. The head of consultancy firm Bridge to India expressed surprise at roughly 2GW of solar tender issuances in the state of Karnataka as he forecasted troubles with grid integration & balancing of such a heavy solar load, particularly as the state also has sig. amounts of wind capacity. The Delhi project
followed a successful demonstration by PGCIL last year using advanced lead acid & Li-ion batteries for grid support services: This project can lead the next wave of adoption of grid-scale storage in India. IESA research has found that India has already reached 1.5GWh of storage capacity over the last three years, while growing interest in electric vehicles, has seen various Indian CoS including Exicom, Delta, Acme set up more than 1GWh of annual production capacity for lithiumion battery pack manufacturing.
India is looking for rapid adoption of clean tech’s with anticipated addition of 30-50 GW of new wind capacity & 20-30 GW of solar capacity by 2020. 2 recent major announcements by MNRE & PGCIL have opened doors for energy storage deployment for ancillary services & renewable integration in India. India has witnessed number of transformations in past 50 years starting with the Green Revolution of 1960s that transformed the agricultural practices in India. In 1970s & 80s, the White Revolution - Operation Flood included the world’s biggest dairy development program which transformed India from a milk deficient nation to
India poised to adopt energy storage revolution with 2 new initiatives for energy storage deployment
the largest milk producer in the world within a span of 30 years. The 1990s saw the economic reforms that opened up the Indian economy & led to the telecom & IT revolutions that have made India a leader in the knowledge economy in the 2000s. Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with current electricity generation capacity of ~230 GW to meet the needs of over 1.25 Bn populations. India’s per capita annual consumption of energy at ~600 kWh is one of the lowest in the world, even when compared to developing countries like Brazil & China. This is a decade where India needs a clean energy revolution for transforming the electricity infra. to provide energy access to over 400mn of households that still lack basic access to electricity.
At the same time India currently boasts a middle class population exceeding 300 Mn (almost the size of USA) that is looking for the same level of energy access & power quality that is taken for granted in developed countries through movement towards Green Cities & sustainable living. Also the lack of reliable & quality power supply is a major obstacle for accelerating development of manufacturing & industrial sector in India that is required to maintain 8-10% economic growth for the world’s largest democracy. Consumers bear a large burden due to poor quality & unreliable power supply. Industries maintain diesel powered generators & households have inverters with batteries as backup for unscheduled power cuts, low voltages or variable frequency. Advanced Energy Storage systems can play a key role in every part of the modern grid in India. The newly elected govt. in India has taken number of steps in past couple of months to fast track development of the energy infra. & set aggressive targets for continued RE deployments in India. Policy makers have taken some key initiatives that can drive grown of storage & microgrids: India is looking for rapid adoption of clean energy tech’s with anticipated addition of 30-50 GW of new wind capacity & 20-30 GW of solar capacity by 2020. India has various initiatives for providing energy access where govt. of India provides up to 90% of the capital funding for building microgrids in rural areas with no access to electricity. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has mandated use of renewable power for telecom towers in India that are currently utilizing diesel power as primary source of energy. These policy initiatives have resulted in tremendous opportunities for integration of energy storage tech’s for variety of applications. Advanced energy storage market in India is in its infancy however
it carries sig. market potential. A recent market assessment by India Energy Storage Alliance suggests a potential of 15-20 GW by 2020 in India. Immediate applications range from telecom tower backups to grid ancillary services & renewable integration. The $300 Mn orders during 2013 by Indian Telecom CoS for purchasing Li-Ion batteries for telecom tower backup is a perfect example of the value proposition of the advanced storage tech’s, & willingness of Indian businesses to adopt such tech’s. Now with the RFPs issued by PGCIL & MNRE similar opportunities will open up for grid scale energy storage deployment. India has also recently launched a National Mission on Electric Mobility with a target of 6 mn electric vehicles (4 mn2-wheelers & 2 mn4-wheelers) by 2020.
For efficient roll out of the EV program, electrical distribution infra. Upgrades & smarter systems are required which will control/limit simultaneous charging of hundreds of EVs from the same feeder. Beyond just timing the consumption of power, immediate policy level support is required to build enabling infra. to integrate the EVs in the electrical network so that these mns of EVs connected to the power system can be leveraged as virtual power plants (VPPs) that can store energy when there is surplus generation & support the grid during moments of deficit. Globally Vehicle to Grid (V2G) tech’s are evolving rapidly that can achieve these objectives. Recent India Auto Expo featured for the 1 time a pavilion dedicated to electric & hybrid vehicles. The key challenge for making this electric mobility possible is the advancement of cost effective energy storage systems. The rapid advancement in tech. & the scale provided by growing Indian market coupled with localization potential can help drive down the cost of these emerging tech’s.
The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) was launched by Customized Energy Solutions in 2012 to promote Energy Storage & Micro grid tech’s & their applications in India. To further the growth of awareness about storage & the application of storage to solve electricity system problems, we launched the knowledge Partner Network (IESA KPN) for an open & transparent information exchange. In past 6 months, IESA network has grown rapidly & currently more than 25 members are actively exploring opportunities for energy storage & microgrids. These members include a good mix of energy storage tech. providers, power conversion system providers, system integrators, project developers, large users, potential investors as well as research institutions.
Solar operate at a nominal cost as no fuel cost is involved & maintenance cost is the only operational cost. India needs to build a storage system for electricity from its fast-expanding solar network in a bid to balance costeffective energy mix, according to a senior researcher. There is a mismatch between peak demand & electricity generation period for solar. The solar electricity must be stored for use during peak period, which is late at night, while the energy can be harnessed in afternoon. While solar is seen as the cheapest form of electricity, as the latest bid shows that it could be available at less than Rs 2.5 per unit & hence one can imagine a situation where solar power price go down to Rs 1-1.5 per unit, it is in a conundrum on supply & demand scenario.
However, concerns exist over the high cost of the storage system, mostly to be a battery-based setup. This would raise the solar electricity cost to the consumer to Rs 10 per 2.5 kV, from just nominal right now, he said. In such a case, coal-fired power plants will be more competitive with the green-energy, he pointed out. India’s coal-plant electricity would compete with solar during the off-peak period in the day, say, at Re 1.But as the night sets in, it would raise prices to as high as Rs 10, as solar without storage would no longer be in competition, or with storage system be offered at Rs 10 at least. Solar operate at a nominal cost as no fuel cost is involved & maintenance cost is the only operational cost. Comparatively, coal-fired plant s cost is Rs 2 & above & it faces rising coal prices as well as environmental issues. India’s coal-fired plants also lack the flexibility of shutting during the off-peak period. They are old & designed to operate 24/7, which compels the operators to run at full capacity & compete on prices in marketplace. Building a coal-fired plant with flexibility to shut & restart will take a long time & it is an option not in line with the Indian govt’s green energy & enhancing environment programs.
Comparatively, India’s slow-paced industrialization would also not be able to support the 100-GW solar electricity output, he pointed out. Higher industrial growth could generate higher demand during daytime. Producing electricity without demand & or storage is wastage. India has made good progress on the ambitious solar development, 100-GW by 2022, but has raised concern about backup of the green electricity. Solar electricity exports to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, where gas fired plants have the
flexibility of shutting down during off-peak period & restarting during peak demand. Bangladesh could take Indian solar electricity at prices much lower than their gas-fired generation cost as it continues to face gas shortage & its volatile prices. Pakistan, also facing a huge shortage of electricity, is another export market. But it is a political play though some talks have been held on exporting electricity to that country. India has already installed 16 GW of solar plants & 40 GW of other green energy networks including Wind, of the total 175-GW target by 2022.
India’s RE sector needs a strong backbone in the form of a robust energy storage industry in order to sustain its growth trajectory. Energy storage has numerous potential applications in India, including aiding in renewables integration, providing grid support services, supporting C&I segment & creation of big role in facilitation of early adoption of electric vehicles. However, India’s current position in the battery manufacturing sector could hinder its plans to add more RE. The solution is for the country to create a strategy to transform itself into a global hub for energy storage solutions. As the country waits for an energy storage solution in the foreseeable future, it is important for all stakeholders to come together & enable a full & transparent ecosystem & policy guidelines so that indigenous manufacturers have clear access to the market. Indian energy storage market looks promising with opportunities for both stationary & EV applications, particularly with the govt.’s push towards EV segment. With supporting policies & investments at the right time, it is very likely that India will become one of the leading markets & a manufacturing hub for energy technologies, not just for domestic production but for various export markets as well.
Govt. is going in the right direction on supporting the segment. However, there are various communication gaps on the policy front that are creating an atmosphere of uncertainty for the investment community. Incentivizing indigenous manufacturers by means of import subsidies, providing clear market access & guiding them with a solid way forward with the help of transparent policy guidelines will give a big boost to the sector. Govt. should also give preference to Indian companies with a local manufacturing base alongside the weightage on local deployments & local R&D. Besides, the GST on batteries must be taken in the same way as solar. Import subsidies in importing raw material & creating manufacturing facility should
be provided. Our country needs to set up mid & largescale, lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity & reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries used in such storage applications. We should strive & become an export hub for lithium-ion battery production. India is already a leading manufacturer of the lead-acid batteries that are used for both automotive & stationary applications.
With energy storage demand expected to reach 70 GW by 2022, it is expected that India will also become one of the largest markets for advanced energy storage technologies in the next decade. Govt. also has played a sig. role in setting standards & regulations for charging infra. & providing incentives for electric vehicles. Govt. should also encourage research & development, localization, & training to improve energy access to developing charging infra. Policy interventions, including mandates & incentives that promote investments in developing local EV targets, will also be needed. There is also a need to scale up the rollout target by focusing on shorter & pre-defined routes as well as by providing charging stations at multiple locations which would further enable the cost of storage to drop. There is a clear shift underway in
global trends as countries promote the adoption of RE. With COP21 commitments from countries to reduce carbon emissions (made at the 2015 Paris Climate Congress), the use of coal-based power applications is declining globally. With the ambitious target of installing 175 GW of RE by 2022, energy storage technologies have strategic importance for India’s energy security & clean energy future. Ongoing concerns about climate change have made renewable energy sources an important component of the world energy consumption portfolio. Renewable energy technologies could reduce CO2 emissions by replacing fossil fuels in the power generation industry and the transportation sector. Because of some negative and irreversible externalities in conventional energy production, it is necessary to develop and promote renewable energy supply technologies and demand for renewable energy. Power generation using renewable energy sources should be increased in order to decrease the unit cost of generation. Energy consumption depends on several factors including economic progress, population, energy prices, weather, and technology.
RM
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About PIXON:-
The company is equipped with a state-of-the-art turnkey manufacturing facility of 400 MW and expanding it to 1 GW with exclusive range of Multi-Busbar modules. PIXON also houses a cleanroom environment facility to 1GW manufacturing line for EVA films. The company is also backed with a strong financial background of its parent company – the Marwadi Shares & Finance Limited. The blend of a young team, under the guidance of experienced players, makes PIXON versatile for creative operations and futuristic innovations.
PIXON envisions to globally providing efficient solar energy products and solutions. Thus, contributing and enhancing Global Climate Sustainability.
Mission:-
• To contribute and enhance the Global Climate Sustainability, by promoting and providing solar energy solutions.
• To promote the transition towards solar energy and thus reduce carbon footprint globally, fostering the betterment of our Earth’s ecosystem.
• To constantly improvise and explore new technologies and their economical deployment to harness solar energy.
Vision:-
To be a global leader in Solar Industry by providing efficient Solar Energy Solutions.
Our Values:-
Quality and Integrity Consistency Innovation Accountability Transparency.
Advanced Manufacturing System:-
Automation- Manufacturing facility of 400 MW along with minimal human interference.
Computation- Very well-equipped data analysis for forward integration and Reverse engineering tracking. Artificial Intelligence- Advanced MES that provides
production, quality and stringent quality control systems.
INFRASTRUCTURE HIGHLIGHTS:
PIXON’s industrial entity is well spread and equipped with smart tech to enhance processes and security.
• The industry spread on 65,000 sq. m of land.
•
Fully automated Machinery with minimum human intervention.
• In-house Raw Material Production for quality control.
• In-house skilled R&D team.
• Spacious warehousing stacking 20+ MW of modules & raw materials.
• Smart warehousing ready for delivery & dispatch
Product Features:-
Our products are categorized majorly into 3 categories:-
Solar Modules:-
Our premium range of solar modules are engineered in India using European technology. Our Modules exude excellence through quality & high yield. PIXON offers highly efficient modules tested in our in-house PV Module Test Lab which are as follows:-
• Mono-Crystalline Perc Modules.
• Poly- Crystalline Modules.
• Poly- Crystalline DCR Modules.
• Poly- Crystalline Half-Cut Cell Modules.
• Mono- Crystalline Perc Half-Cut Cell Modules.
PIXON has a bandwidth capacity of up to 1 GW, for the manufacturing of EVA films. EVA Films are conformable and flexible for ease of lamination with excellent UV and damp-heat stability.
Our EVA films are PID-resistant with lower shrinkage and provide excellent durability and transparency.
PIXON EVA sheets goes through rigorous quality testing and verification.
EVA Films are divided into two sub-categories which are as follows:-
PIX FAST CURE:-
PIXON houses clean room environment facility to 1 GW manufacturing line for EVA films. With higher productivity and lower shrinkages, the PIXON EVA films ensure that the solar cells are protected and solar modules provide better performance, even while facing utmost harsh weather conditions.
Available Variants: Top Layer-FC Bottom Layer-FC
PIX ULTRA FAST CURE:-
PIXON’s PID-free EVA film are suitable for all types of solar cells and back sheets with lesser cycling time and it speeds up your module production and provides
increased yield.
Available Variants:
Top Layer- UFC Bottom Layer -UFC EPC Solutions:-
PIXON provides turnkey Engineering, Procurement & Construction Services for the installation of solar projects. We have an in-house, well-trained, and dedicated EPC team for the execution of solar projects – from small solar projects to large-scale utility-based projects.
Ground Mounted Solar Solutions Rooftop Solar Solutions Floating Solar Solutions RM
www.pixonenergy.com
Long-standing, diverse experience
Wide range of products and solutions
Hitachi Energy’s comprehensive power quality portfolio improves grid reliability and availability, enables optimization of operating costs and ensures grid code compliance. Good power quality is key to reliable integration of renewables in the grid and enhanced energy efficiency leading to lower CO2 emissions, thereby advancing a sustainable energy future for all.
