RM June Issue 2021 by Icon Media Group

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RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Dear Readers! Editor Anjali

Sub Editor Roopal Chaurasia Shipranshu Pandey

Editorial Advisor

Priyanka Roy Chaudhary

Design & Production Pankaj Rawat Mukesh Kumar Sah

National Business Head-India

Subhash Chandra Email: s.chandra@renewablemirror.com

Sr. Manager ( Sales )

Ms. Neha Email: neha@renewablemirror.com Pradeep Kumar Email: pradeep.k@renewablemirror.com Sunil R Shirsat Email: sunil@renewablemirror.com

Currently the installed renewable energy capacity in the country is 95,656 MW, and the report says that cumulative capacity addition in 2021 and 2022 is expected to be 17,100 MW. This pace makes it impossible to achieve the target of 1,75,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2022-end. Among the 84,408 mega-watt (MW) of large-scale renewable energy projects announced since the beginning of 2018, only 8,039 MW are currently underconstruction and the remaining capacities are still under various stages of implementation, a report jointly released by Ficci and Ernst & Young pointed. The report, which tracked the development of 332 renewable energy projects of 84,408 MW capacity announced since 2018, found out that tariffs have already been discovered through auctions for 57,154 MW renewable energy projects, but these are under various stages of signing power purchase agreement (PPA), getting approvals from regulators, completing financial closure, land acquisition and seeking permission for grid interconnection. Stay Home, Stay Safe... Happy Reading… Please give us your feedback at editor@renewablemirror.com For more details check out our Website www.renewablemirror. com & you can also visit our facebook page www.facebook.in/ renewablemirror

Sales & Marketing Hemant Chauhan Manju K

Manager-Subscription

Praveen Chauhan Email: subscribe@renewablemirror.com

All rights reserved by all events are made to ensure that the information published is correct; Renewable Mirror holds no responsibility any unlikely errors that might occur. Printed, published and owned by Usha, Published from 13/455, Block No. 13, Trilok Puri, Delhi-110091 and printed at, IG Printers Pvt. Ltd., 104-DSIDC, Complex, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi -110020 Editor : Anjali

Editor

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RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Cover Story

Press Release Greenko

Jinko Solar

08,17,18

Renew Power

SRAM & MRAM

Ginlong Solis

10,12

Kirloskar EnterPrize Energy

The limitations of renewable energy in meeting ‘baseload’ requirements

State Overview

Gujarat

Special Focus: Solar PV Modules Indian module manufacturers are operating at very low capacity utilization

Adani 16 CIEL & TERRE

Growatt

Ad Index

Event Diary

Special Theme: Smart Solar Panels

The solar PV currently represents one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy in the world

Special Feature: Steam Turbines

The global steam turbine market is projected to grow moderately

CSAD/SQ/0120

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m

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Solar Quarter • January 2020

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Press Release

Greenko Group airlifts first consignment of 1000 large medical grade oxygen concentrators Hyderabad-based Greenko group, India’s largest renewable energy company has unlocked global supply chain network to bring in critical oxygen support systems to India while putting in best efforts to deliver mission critical oxygen domestically at the earliest time. Its first of the five dedicated cargo planes are landing in Hyderabad today with 200 large medical grade Oxygen concentrators with 10 liters per minute capacity to aid in India’s fight against the deadly second wave of infections. Hon. Minister Shri K.T.Rama Rao, Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and IT E&C of Telangana, along with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar received the flight on behalf of the state government. Greenko Co-Founders, Mr. Anil Chalamalasetty, and Mr. Mahesh Kolli were also present at the airport for this maiden arrival of the cargo flight. Revealing Greenko Group’s plans, Mr. Anil Chalamalasetty, MD & CEO Greenko group said to reporters at the airport today, “This is first of the five dedicated cargo planes we are bringing in through the strong global supply chains that we have set-up in the last two weeks. Within the next 5 days, four more dedicated aircrafts will land in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and New Delhi with 1,000 such large medical grade oxygen concentrators. This will aid our medical teams in tier 2 and tier 3 cities for pre-ICU support and post-ICU stabilization of patients and help combat the second wave of CoViD that has put severe strain on our healthcare infrastructure and support systems. We will continue our work to help the country and aid the efforts to fight the pandemic and have India again

JinkoSolar Awarded the Best HR Strategy of the Year

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (“JinkoSolar” or the “Company”) (NYSE: JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that it has been awarded the Best HR Strategy of the Year at the Energy HR Summit India 2021 commending JinkoSolar’s outstanding HR performance during these challenging times. Energy HR Summit is one of the most professional conference globally that allows Energy HR leaders to share and brainstorm on the innovations happening across the energy spectrum and to uncover the novel people strategies that are driving the 8

breathe freely.” Hon. Minister Shri K.T.Rama Rao thanked Greenko founders for their effort, and said, “Our first priority as government as business leaders and as responsible citizens is to provide relief to the patients and avert this oxygen crisis as prudently and judiciously as we can. We are indeed grateful to the Greenko group for helping us in these efforts.” In addition, 1000 large oxygen cylinders of 50 liters capacity each are in transit from Middle East to be delivered in the coming week to India. These systems will be deployed as stationary units in existing hospitals, healthcare units and mobile units to cater to the additional case load of oxygen deprived patients. Greenko Group, one of the largest clean energy companies in India, is focused on establishing reliable and medium-term supply chains quickly by navigating the diplomatic, geopolitical and logistical channels so as to ensure continuous supply of essentials including oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders to multiple states in India. “As a country, we have been fortunate to receive critical monetary and non-monetary support as aid / donations, but we need to focus on establishing strong robust supply chains for mission critical equipment and supplies locally and globally. These supply chains that we at Greenko Group have established are capable of delivering 5,000 plus concentrators and cylinders continually which will hopefully help India in fighting the pandemic and breathe freely again,” added Mr. Anil Chalamalasetty. RM

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transition to a low carbon future. At the Summit, Dr. Suyog V. - HR Director at JinkoSolar South Asia shared JinkoSolar’s strategy for protecting its employees while maintaining productivity, experimenting new ways to connect its people and customers during these unprecedented times and helping individuals and communities emerge stronger. The past fifteen months have been extraordinary for every organization and its employees. The outstanding efforts from JinkoSolar’s human resource management have enabled its employees to stay united by a common culture of discipline, flexibility, trust, and cooperation that makes us stronger even in the face of these uncertainties. Mr. Gener Miao, CMO of JinkoSolar commented, “We are glad to be awarded the Best HR Strategy of the year. At Jinko, we have always kept people first. This award is a reassurance that our efforts on people management, our most valuable assets, are worth it. We will continue to provide a safe and balanced workplace for all our colleagues, wherever they are.” RM ||www.renewablemirror.com||

ReNew Power, India’s Leading Renewable Energy Company, Announces the Commissioning of 105 MW Solar Generation Project now 105 MW) of combined wind and solar energy projects. Speaking about the Gujarat solar farm project, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ReNew Power, Mr. Sumant Sinha said, “The 105 MW Gujarat project commissioning is a significant step forward for ReNew Power. The project has been commissioned amidst a COVID-19 surge and reflects the commitment of our team to contribute towards India’s ambition of achieving 450 GW of clean energy by 2030.” As previously announced, ReNew Power has entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination with RMG Acquisition Corporation II (NASDAQ: RMGB), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), that would result in ReNew becoming a publicly listed company. Completion of the proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2021. RM

SRAM & MRAM join hands with ATD Group to set-up Oxygen Concentrators, Oximeter, and Oxygen Generator Plant in India

SRAM & MRAM, a UK based conglomerate through its Indian partner ATD GROUP has signed an agreement with Rajasthan State Government to install 60 Oxygen Generator Plant in the next 2 months to fight Covid 19 pandemic SRAM & MRAM Group along with ATD GROUPis working towards expandingin Healthcare products supply like Oxygen Concentrators, Oximeter, Oxygen Generator Plant and many other items manufactured and supply globally by SRAM & MRAM. Both the groups are ready to support Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthanto complete the installation of Oxy Generator Plants in their respective states so that they could help India fight avoid any scarcity of oxygen in future expected waves to come.

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Press Release

ReNew Power (“ReNew”, or “the Company”), India’s leading renewable energy company, announced that it has commissioned a 105 megawatt (MW) solar generation facility in the Indian state of Gujarat. The project has a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) to provide clean electricity to the state of Gujarat at a tariff of Rs 2.68/ kWh (US$0.036/kWh). ReNew will deploy advanced mono perc solar modules with seasonal tilt structure design as part of the project to ensure greater generation efficiency and maximum utilization of assets at the solar farm. This project located in the Patan District of Gujarat, takes ReNew’s total operational solar capacity in Gujarat to 145 MW and total aggregate Solar capacity to 4.7 GW across India. Since March, ReNew Power has announced commissioning of over 500 MW (300 MW in Gujarat, 110 MW in Rajasthan and

200 members from the team of SRAM MRAM are working around the clock towards procuring oxygen concentrator to India.So far, 200 unitsof oxygen concentrator, oximeter and 10,000 units of oximeter have been airlifted from Malaysia. "We are happy to be associated with ATD Group for setting up new oxygen concentrator,Oximeter, Oxygen Generator Plant plant in Rajasthan (India). We have been pushing our teams to actively work around the clock.It’s my earnest endeavour to provide best help to people of India, who with more oxygen concentrators and generators in the coming months to fight the dreadful effects of pandemic," Dr. Sailesh Lachu Hiranandani, Chairman, SRAM & MRAM Group commented. Almost every employee of SRAM & MRAM is gearing up for helping India fight the disastrous pandemic. RM || June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Press Release

Solis Seminar Episode 21: Installing AC Circuit Breakers Correctly

Press Release

Background

Recently, a customer reported that the circuit breaker in the fuse box of the newly installed solar PV system was experiencing an abnormal arc when it was disconnected. The customer suspected that it was caused by the inverter, however, a Solis technical engineer discovered that the circuit breakers were reversed fed. After replacing the circuit breaker and wiring it correctly on site, the arc disappeared. In this Solis Seminar, we will analyze in detail why the circuit breaker must not be reversed (power line enters the load terminal of the circuit breaker) using this example and what harm it will cause.

such wiring because of the limitation of current direction, which as shown in the figure below.

Reverse Feeding of AC Breaker

Normal wiring and reverse wiring In the fuse box, the power interface is on the top and the load interface is on the bottom. When installing the PV system for grid connection, you will add an additional circuit breaker. In order to save material costs, installation space and reduce installation workload, some installers choose to use the bottom-in and top-out method (reverse wiring). However, many miniature circuit breakers generally do not allow

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2. Potential Damage Due to Reverse Wiring • Incomplete arc extinguishment. This will cause longer arc time between moving contact and static contact, which cannot be quickly extinguished through the arc extinguishing chamber, causing part of the arc to escape. • The braided wire, bimetallic sheet and the common rotating shaft are always under the power supply voltage, which will cause them to age rapidly. • The input circuit contains components such as electromagnetic coils, therefore the switching impedance will be higher than that of normal wiring. The transient recovery voltage will be higher when the circuit is disconnected. It is more difficult to extinguish the arc and this will cause the contact heat to accelerate aging, and a long-term switch action will cause the circuit breaker to be damaged (shown in the figure below). Risks of Reverse Wiring 1. Principles of Extinguishing Circuit Breaker Arcs An electric arc is formed between the contacts of a circuit breaker when it interrupts the current flow to loads during normal operation. In the event of short circuits, the arc formed will be more intensive than a normal one. Metal plates in arc chutes are made of ferromagnetic material to ensure the any arc formed is attracted towards the plates and moves towards the arc chutes through the arc runners.

Solution

As it reaches the arc chute, the structure of the arc chutes widens the arc further and split it into small segments. This increases the length of the arc. It then cools down and eventually gets extinguished (as shown in Figure below).

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There are many circuit breakers with a margin of breaking capacity, so it is often seen that some circuit breakers are nominally capable of reverse wiring. Solis recommends to very all AC wiring are normal and not in a reverse wiring state for ongoing safe and stable operation of your system.

Conclusion

When installing a circuit breaker in a PV system, pay attention to reverse wiring of the circuit breaker. If absolutely needed, choose reverse wiring, and pay attention to the use voltage and breaking current specified by reverse wiring. If it is not clearly marked that the device can use the reverse wiring method, you need to confirm with the circuit breaker manufacturer and install it to ensure the long-term safe operation of the PV system. RM

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Press Release

Solis Seminar Episode 22: Solutions for Error Code “GRID INTF”

Background

The power grid is a fragile and complex system and its operation will affect connected equipment. At the same time, the abnormal operation of connected equipment will also affect it causing what’s known as, “grid disturbance”. Grid disturbance is a relatively common type of a grid-side fault . The frequency of its occurrence is second only to the over-voltage/under-voltage of the grid; In this Solis Seminar, we will share the causes and treatment methods of such faults.

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Fault Description

If the inverter is affected by the voltage distortion on the grid side during operation, the output current of the inverter will suddenly increase to 1.4 times the peak current. Simultaneously, abnormal current fluctuations will be automatically monitored 5 times within 30 seconds. If it occurs again for the sixth time, the inverter will be disconnected from the grid for the protection of the equipment and show the message “GRID INTF”.

What Can Cause the Error GRID-INTF?

PV System Issues In the photovoltaic system, the wiring points between equipment, cables, and power grid are most prone to problems. When the "GRID-INTF" message appears, it is recommended to check the following points first: 1) Check whether the AC wiring of the grid side is satisfactory, if it is incorrectly connected, it will cause AC current fluctuations; 2) Check whether the wire diameter of the AC cable meets the standard requirements. If the wire diameter is too small, it will cause the grid voltage to fluctuate. || June 2021 ||

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3) Check whether the material of the on-site AC line is satisfactory. The inverter output can be abnormal due to the use of sub-standard materials. Grid Surge Grid surges can be a very difficult issue to diagnose. The simplest way to start your diagnosis is to confirm whether there are large-scale electrical machinery in the owner’s electrical load or surrounding it, such as stamping machines, high-power motors, processing machine tools, etc. The switching of this type of equipment will have impact and interference on the grid, causing excessive harmonics and exceeding the tolerance range of Solis inverters. In order to protect itself, the inverter will disconnect from the grid and display the “GRID INTF” message.

AC line or replace the AC terminal(s); 2) For undersized AC wires, the AC wires need to be replaced with properly sized wires that have higher current carrying capacity. Grid Surge If the owner's electrical load or surrounding areas have high-current equipment running, use an oscilloscope to test the voltage and current waveforms on the AC side of the grid. The waveform should be shared with the customer and Solis engineers. Based on the waveform, Solis engineers can evaluate and solve the problem through special software settings.

Normal grid waveform

Grid INTF waveform

Summary

Solutions

PV System Side 1) For poor AC terminal wiring of the inverter, re-tighten the

Grid interference is a common problem that can be managed through installation best practices and an understanding of onsite loads. If a solar PV system is installed with correct and compatible wiring and connection solutions this will help to prevent errors on the PV system side. Grid surges are more difficult to plan for but with a detailed survey of the site and knowledge of all equipment at the property and surrounding areas, a PV system can be designed to properly function and withstand grid surges.

Adani Power, Torrent Power, Tata Power, NTPC jump on hopes of demand growth Shares of power companies Adani Power, Torrent Power, Tata Power and NTPC rose on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). While there are no new policies on the anvil in near future, experts said expectations of growth in power demand after several states began unlocking is a plausible reason. Adani Power stock rose 20%, Torrent Power 7%, CESC 6.3% and Tata Power 5% at close. Shares of state-run Power Grid Corp increased 4.44%, and BHEL and NTPC by 4% each. ABB stock increased 2% and NHPC 1%. “Power demand is increasing and due to lockdown relaxations in many states, discom collections are expected to increase,” a government official said adding the Rs 3 lakh crore distribution sector scheme announced in Budget is in works. Electricity demand has recovered gradually since last week of May. India's electricity demand shrank for nearly 10 days of May even compared with the same period of last year, when the nation enforced ||www.renewablemirror.com||

a strict lockdown across states. Electricity demand — a key economic indicator with a 20% weigh in the Index of Industrial Production — started dipping on May 18 when cyclone Taukate made its landfall on the west coast. RM || June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Press Release

KBL's HYPN system: An intelligent water supply solution for serving the changing water demand at constant pressure Kirloskar Brothers Limited’s (KBL’s) pressure boosting HydroPneumatic (HYPN) system is an intelligent water supply solution ideally designed for residential and commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, and industries that can serve the changing water demand at constant pressure. HYPN system is a conventional pumping system converted into an automated pumping system. A HYPN system maintains constant pressure and helps eliminate unnecessary functioning of pumps in case of low flow conditions. Also, the performance of the HYPN system is controlled, smooth, and facilitates energy and water optimisation. KBL’s energy-efficient HYPN system requires low maintenance and its customised configuration and design ensures its long life, making it one of the most cost-effective pressure-boosting systems globally. An operational standard pump significantly contributes to operational expenditure in two ways: high energy consumption and high spending on pumps’ maintenance. The HYPN system helps curb these associated costs, majorly by optimising the energy cost through greater control on the supply capacity of liquid, varying it as per user or system demand. KBL has accomplished further value addition by coupling HYPN system with remotely accessible smart monitoring devices such as mobile phone, iPad, among others. As a result, customers can remotely monitor and keep a tab on the status of their system on the go, wherever they are, right on their mobile devices. The remote monitoring option gives customers an edge in two ways: firstly, through its predictive modelling capabilities, customers can take corrective measures before pump breakdown and, secondly, it substantially reduces dependency on field inspectors thus ensuring manpower optimisation. Most pump manufacturers offer only vertical inline multistage pumps in pressure booster applications. However, site conditions may require

a different type of pump. KBL has successfully coupled its pressure boosting technology with a wide range of pumps like inline, end suction, sump pumps, split case pumps, VT pumps, among others. This ensures the most suitable pump being used yielding the best performance over the entire life of the system. This customisation has also enabled the application of KBL’s HYPN system in almost all the industrial verticals right from pharmaceutical and chemical process industries to other critical sectors such as mining, textile, steel, railways, hotels, hospitals, malls, multiplexes, and metro, among others. KBL is a UL registered supplier of packaged pumping systems. As far as the certifications and accreditations for its HYPN system are concerned, KBL achieved one of its biggest milestones recently when the company became India’s first manufacturer of HYPN systems to be recognised with the prestigious India Design Mark (IDM), a design standard backed by a stringent evaluation process that symbolises product excellence in the form of quality and innovation. The IDM symbol is a befitting testimony to the extensive and dedicated efforts of KBL’s R&D and Design team that went into the development of such a highly usable, durable, and efficient HYPN system. KBL has a dedicated facility for testing its Kirloskar HYPN systems located at Shirval, Maharashtra. In fact, KBL is among the only few pump companies in the country to possess a dedicated facility for testing HYPN pumps. The HYPN systems are primarily used for maintaining critical water supply across some of the biggest and dedicated Covid-19 hospital buildings built or set-up for the treatment of coronavirus patients. These included the 551-bed hospital building set-up near Kasaragod, Kerala, the 500 bed Sardar Vallabhbhai Covid Hospital constructed by DRDO at Delhi, the 400 bed District Hospital building at Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and the 800-bed Covid-19 hospital in Pune. In all these hospitals, KBL’s HYPN pumps are operational. RM

Solar industry hopes the Budget will pave way for tariff barriers on imports

The renewable energy industry is hoping that the upcoming Union budget will provide clarity on implementation of the long-pending basic customs duty on solar cells and modules, which they said would fast-track investments in the sector. “We look forward to clarity on schemes that would attract investment towards capacity creation in the solar PV supply chain in India,” said Sujoy Ghosh, vice president – APAC & India Region at First Solar, a leading US solar panel manufacturer that has been considering setting up a production unit in India. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a 20% basic 14

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customs duty on solar cells and modules in the 2019-20 Union budget, but it has not come into effect yet. Last year, power minister R.K. Singh had said the duty would soon come into effect, but the industry is still waiting for it. At present, around 85-90% of cells and modules used in Indian solar projects are imported, mostly from China, as Indian manufacturers are unable to compete with their Chinese counterparts on price. The basic customs duty, if and when it is imposed, is expected to help local manufacturing compete better. RM ||www.renewablemirror.com||

ENTERPRIZE ENERGY LAUNCHES FIRST VIETNAMESE FLOATING LIDAR SURVEY AT THANG LONG Enterprize contracts Fugro and local partner PTSE to install the first floating LiDAR technology in Vietnamese waters at the site of the 3.4GW Thang Long project

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as we had predicted during our proposal for a survey license, a majority of the seabed throughout the Thang Long Zone is suitable for placing turbines. Now, we can quantify how much energy can be generated throughout the project based on using all of the seabed we initially planned to build on. “We are delighted to have taken another step towards harnessing the incredible wind resource off the coast of Binh Thuan, bringing a further 3.4GW of renewables into Vietnam’s energy mix and opening up the opportunity for even more green energy capacity as we explore the potential for energy storage. We have lain the foundation upon which the full potential of the Thang Long zone can be released for the benefit of the Vietnamese people, in line with national planning and policies.” Mr. Truong Tuan Nghia, Director of PTSC G&S also stated: “Today's signing ceremony shows our respect for the cooperation with Enterprize Energy, and this is an important milestone for our next steps in the future. PTSC G&S believes that, with the experience of leading experts, technical facilities and high-class equipment, can provide the best service in developing the Thang Long Wind project. “With the support from Enterprize Energy, together with our long-standing partner – Fugro Singapore Marine, and commitment from all levels of our organization, PTSC G&S is fully confident that the project will be completed within the agreed time schedule, to the highest quality and safety standards”. At the virtual contract signature ceremony, Emily Hamblin, British Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, commented: "I’m very pleased that Enterprize Energy are leading the way by promoting the extraordinary potential of clean energy sources. The Thang Long project would provide reliable, clean energy, supporting Vietnam’s ongoing development by enabling prospective investors greater access to green energy solutions. "The timing of this signing is particularly apt. We are very pleased that COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma will be visiting Vietnam to discuss Vietnam’s clean energy ambitions and explore further collaboration in the run up to the November COP26 Climate Summit, to be hosted in the UK. We see this as a critical opportunity for meaningful international action on climate – we hope Vietnam will be a central part of that conversation and show visible leadership through the adoption of renewables.” The first 600MW phase of the 3.4GW Thang Long offshore wind farm is due to come online by the end of 2025, with further phases developed on a rolling basis. RM || June 2021 ||

Press Release

Enterprize Energy, a pioneering low carbon energy developer, has announced it has commissioned Fugro, the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, and its Vietnamese partner, PTSC, to install floating LiDAR survey technology at the site of the 3.4GW Thang Long offshore wind farm – the first time such technology has been used in Vietnam. Offshore wind in Vietnam is increasingly recognised as the primary route to decarbonising the country’s energy supply, with its southern waters ranked in the top 10 per cent of global wind locations. However, there are few offshore wind developers currently positioned to capture this abundant resource and secure economic benefits for the country as it works towards a target of 42% wind power by 2045. In 2018, Enterprize Energy brought the potential of offshore wind energy off the coast of the Binh Thuan Province to the attention of the Vietnamese government, with a focus on accessing the best resource and identifying opportunities for grid stability solutions such as hydrogen storage. This announcement for the installation of floating LiDAR marks the next step in the surveying process for Thang Long, the only large-scale offshore wind farm to be granted a survey licence by the Vietnamese government. To date, a full year of wind data measurements have been collected via fixed LiDAR to assess resource over the allocated area, with reconnaissance surveys to support the project team’s understanding of geological and seabed features occuring earlier this year. Based on initial results, Enterprize Energy has confirmed there will be no reduction in prospective area due to unsuitable seabed features such as basalt intrusions. Enterprize Energy has engaged Fugro and its local partner, PTSE, to deploy Fugro’s ‘SEAWATCH Wind LiDAR Buoy’ to collect detailed wind resource, meteorological, and oceanographic data across the 2000 km2 project site over the next 12 months. The technology - comprising the SEAWATCH Wavescan Buoy as a platform into which the ZX 300M LiDAR is integrated - will track air pressure, humidity, air and water temperature, wave height and current, with support from a guard vessel which will also track fishery activity and supplementary ocean data from its own onboard sensors. Ian Hatton, Chairman, Enterprize Energy, said: “Contracting Fugro and their local partner PTSE to install the first floating LiDAR technology in Vietnam at the Thang Long project site was a natural decision for us. The data the team will collect is central to informing the next stages in Thang Long’s development process, including long-term financial modelling and power purchase agreements. “The results from our initial marine survey demonstrate that,

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Press Release

Adani Solar wins “Top Performer” at PVEL PQP awards for 4th consecutive year EDITOR’S SYNOPSIS

Press Release

• • • •

Adani Solar rated as the Top Performer by PVEL in its PV Module Product Qualification Program (PQP) PV Module PQP at PVEL is the most comprehensive program for stringent testing of PV Modules Adani Solar is the first & largest GW scale, Vertically Integrated Cell & Module manufacturer in India Adani Solar is the only Indian BNEF Tier-1 Manufacturer that has been rated as a Top Performer at PVEL’s PQP Program for four consecutive years (2021, 2020. 2019 & 2018)

PVEL (PV Evolution Labs LLP) released its seventh annual PV Module Reliability Scorecard and rated Adani Solar as the Top Performer in its PV Module Product Qualification Program (PQP). With this recognition, Adani Solar emerges as the only Indian solar manufacturing company to win it for four consecutive years (2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018) PV Module PQP at PVEL is the most comprehensive program for stringent testing of PV Modules on Reliability & Quality parameters, with data & results publicly available. Today, as COVID19 challenges the fundamental assumptions of our lives, the urgency of a solar revolution in the energy sector gains greater importance. Higher efficiency PV modules drive growth in installations with new materials projecting higher returns and lower LCOE (Levelised cost of energy). This recognition would infuse confidence about new high efficiency PV modules such as PERC and PERT in customers thereby popularizing adoption of solar energy. Adani Solar is the First & Largest GW scale, Vertically Integrated Cell & Module manufacturer in India with a capacity to produce up to 1.5 GW of Multi, Mono-PERC and PERT Bifacial PV Modules at its factory located in Mundra SEZ, Gujarat, India. It is noteworthy that Adani Solar is the only Indian BNEF Tier-1 Manufacturer that has been rated as a Top Performer at PVEL’s PQP Program. Ramesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Adani Solar said, “PVEL’s PV Module Reliability Scorecard is an invaluable tool that banks, IPP, developers and engineers use to ensure that projects are built with reliable and durable products. Four wins in a row for Adani Solar is a testament to our manufacturing excellence and reflects on our commitment to produce Solar PV Cells & Modules while ensuring highest quality, bankability & reliability. We at Adani Solar will

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continue to provide the most reliable and high efficiency products, which pass through stringent test procedures from material selection to finished good stage along with continual in-house reliability tests that has enabled us to create benchmarks for ourselves.” He further stated, “Developers and investors should always be aware that not all manufacturers have got their modules tested extensively for performance and reliability. Procuring unevaluated modules could have major ramifications for their projects. Adani Solar is a committed manufacturer, with state-of-the-art facility and best in industry practices, ensuring superior performance and reliability of its products”. Mr. Tristan Erion-Lorico, Head of PV Module Business, PVEL LLC shared, “Congratulations to the Adani Solar team for achieving Top Performer recognition in the PV Module Reliability Scorecard for the fourth consecutive year. As the first Indian solar manufacturer to appear in the Scorecard four times in a row, we are pleased to name Adani Solar in our report once again. We hope to see the company’s continued growth in the near future and look forward to further collaboration.” RM

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JinkoSolar Large-Area N-Type Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cell Reaches Record-breaking New High Efficiency of 25.25%

research facility of measurement science, and CNAS Capability Verification provider for solar cells and modules in Electrical Parameter Testing, NIM is committed to providing consistent, accurate and reliable data for scientific and technological progress. At present, it has accounted for 80% market share in third-party calibration services for standard solar cells and innovative solar cells (including perovskite cells). China aims to reach carbon emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, so the PV industry has been gearing up for even faster growth with LCOE and solar cell efficiency being the most important factors. I am glad to witness this new world record, and our teams will continue to cooperate and contribute to the industry through R&D.” Dr. Hao Jin, Chief Technology Officer of JinkoSolar Co., Ltd., commented, “We are very proud to have set three world records for the most advanced large-area N-type cell in the world in less than one year. Maximum cell conversion efficiency improved from 24.79%, to 24.9%, and now to 25.25%, with the latest breakthrough acknowledged by NIM. Each milestone has been a global recognition of our world-class R&D capabilities for which I’m very grateful to our talented R&D team. All the R&D we have invested in has been to further our goals of improving cell and module efficiency and lowering costs. As an industry leader with multiple awards, we are committed to promoting a carbon neutral future based on technology upgrades that will accelerate mass production of competitive industrial products, and provide global customers with more efficient, reliable and clean products.” RM

Press Release

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. ("JinkoSolar" or the "Company") (NYSE: JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that the maximum solar conversion efficiency of its large-area N-type monocrystalline silicon solar cells reached 25.25%, setting a new world record for large-size contact-passivated solar cells. This result has been independently confirmed by the National Institute of Metrology, China (“NIM”). It is the third time that JinkoSolar has broken this world record since July 2020. JinkoSolar continues to solidify its reputation in R&D and has made industry-leading iterations in silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules over the years. Material upgrades integrated into the cell process and fabrication on a practical size of 267.4cm2 of high quality monocrystalline Czochralski (CZ) silicon substrates allowed the Company to achieve 25.25% cell efficiency. To achieve this extremely high solar cell efficiency using ultra-thin polysilicon, several advanced technologies have been implemented including JinkoSolar’s high quality N-type wafer, passivating contact technologies, advanced diffusion system, surface passivation, metallization of crystalline solar cells and other innovative technologies. This major breakthrough has not only increased the solar cell’s energy conversion efficiency, but has also paved the way for the Company’s mass production of N-type TopCon cells. Mr. Limin Xiong, Researcher of NIM, commented, “As China’s highest

Adani Green’s subsidiary commissions 150-MW solar plant in Gujarat Adani Green Energy’s subsidiary has commissioned a 150-megawatt (MW) solar power project in Kutchh, Gujarat taking its total operational renewable capacity to 3,125 MW, the firm said on on Wednesday. Adani Solar Energy Kutchh One, a subsidiary of Adani Green, has a power purchase agreement with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam at Rs. 2.67 per unit for a period of 25 years. “This is the third solar plant commissioned by Adani Green over a span of less than a month. The trend demonstrates our sharp focus on timely project delivery and our long-term vision to achieve renewable capacity of 25 GW by 2025,” said ||www.renewablemirror.com||

Vneet S Jaain, managing director and chief executive officer, Adani Green. According to the company press release, with the commissioning of this project, the Gautam Adani-led firm has reached a total renewable capacity of 14,795 MW including 11,670 MW awarded and under implementation projects. Gujarat contributes to nearly 13 per cent of the renewable energy production in India and has a generation capacity of 30 GW. Adani Green has commissioned 635 MW renewable energy projects in the state, and 4,730 MW of projects are under implementation. RM || June 2021 ||

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Press Release

JinkoSolar Tops India Market Again in Q1

Despite COVID-19 and the implementation of lockdowns impacting the sector, India added 3.9GW solar installation in the first quarter of 2021. JinkoSolar is poised to be at the number 1 spot again, with a total shipment of 800MW, accounting for 20 percent of India's Q1 deployment, according to the latest report published by a leading research company JMK Research & Analytics. JinkoSolar’s flagship model Tiger Pro, which is believed to have been dominating the market since last year, contributes greatly to this figure. New figures released by JMK Research showed that about 3900 MW of solar capacity was added between January and March, with around 800 MW of that being supplied by JinkoSolar alone. Although there were construction delays, restricted movement of equipment, supply and labor shortages due to COVID-19, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had issued a blanket extension to all project developers foreseeing the additional delayed capacity coming online in the first half of 2021. JinkoSolar having built its footing in large-scale utility markets

in India, is now marching towards the DG segment to capitalize on opportunities in the growing rooftop business. “Moving to the second quarter of 2021, JinkoSolar’s Tiger and Tiger Pro ultra-high power series modules will continue to meet the needs for higher power generation so as to maintain our market share in the high-end distribution market," said Daniel Liu, General Manager of JinkoSolar India. JinkoSolar has been doing its bit to change the perception of the Indian market from low cost and low quality. Whether consciously or unconsciously, customers use pricing as a quality and reliability indicator. We believe that premium pricing guarantees a premium product too. So pricing is crucial to ensure quality, reliability, and longevity. JinkoSolar through its unique product and costing strategy strives to achieve these virtues while staying competitive too. This makes us stand out as leaders in this dynamic market and we hope for similar results in the coming quarters with the support from our esteemed customers in India. RM

Women's group set up solar panel making unit in Maha village A women's self-help group has set up a solar panel manufacturing unit at a village here in Maharashtra, as part of a project aimed at encouraging women to take up jobs and sustain their livelihood, officials said. Talking to on Thursday, Wardha Zilla Parishad's Chief Executive Officer Dr Sachin Ombase claimed it to be the first such unit set up by a rural women's self-help group in the state. "The project is aimed at helping women in rural areas towards sustainable employment and to raise their standard of living," he said. The unit, set up by the Tejaswi Solar Energy Backward Women's Industrial Society, comprising 214 members which include 200 from backward classes, will be inaugurated by district Guardian 18

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Minister Sunil Kedar on January 26, he said. These women, who are uneducated, took up the project and made efforts towards gaining technical proficiency in solar panel construction and manufacturing, the official said. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has provided technical support for the project, he said. "Through this project, we are trying to be entrepreneurial in a village where majority of the women belong to backward classes," the women's industrial society's director, Sangita Wankhede, said. "We received training under the zilla parishad's UMED campaign and now, we are manufacturing solar panels, street lights and lamps in our village," she said. RM ||www.renewablemirror.com||

CIEL & TERRE INDIA ANNOUNCES THE SUCCESSFUL INSTALLATION OF INDIA’S LARGEST FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT

and capabilities”. In 2019, CIEL & TERRE INDIA commissioned its first pilot 452 KWp project at CIAL Cochin, followed by the second project 5.4 MWp at Sagardighi thermal power plant, West Bengal last year being the biggest grid-connected floating plant in India as of today’s date. Currently, CIEL & TERRE INDIA is executing the mega floating project to the size of 75 MWp in South India and is expected to commission by Oct 2021, the Hydrelio floats are being produced from 150 MWp/year production capacity factory by CIEL & TERRE INDIA at Kerala. This year CIEL & TERRE INTERNATIONAL, launched a Global R&D center in Bangalore for innovative engineering and new product development activities. CIEL & TERRE INTERNATIONAL, with more than a decade of solar experience, is indulged in implementing 1.2GWp of floating projects in 32 countries, 285+ bankable projects executed in 5 continents & reduced more than 510000 Tons of carbon footprints. Acknowledging the milestones, CIEL & TERRE INDIA Chairman, Stephane Provoust said “We are fully devoted to floating PV and our track record makes the company become the most experienced group in ‘Floating PV’, especially thanks to ‘all-in-one’ solutions and high quality of services.” RM

Press Release

CIEL & TERRE India, Subsidiary of CIEL & TERRE INTERNATIONAL, Global leader in floating solar, has successfully completed the plant engineering, float supply, supervision of the 14.7 MWp at Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) Limited, in its water storage pond in Thoothukudi in the State of Tamil Nadu. Hydrelio® patent Equato floats, locally manufactured under “Make in India” campaign mounted 37,632 photovoltaic panels with 390 Wp capacity, over an area of 15.6 hectares. This plant will produce competitive electricity and avoid more than 18686 tons of CO2 emissions. CIEL & TERRE INDIA Managing Director, Deepak Ushadevi said “a captive project like this will benefit the industry from a competitive price compared to the grid & we can replicate the same model on other industrial reservoirs such as steel, thermal, fertilizers, cement, chemical, etc. Since we have high valued investors to finance similar projects, industries should utilize such benefits. Over the years, Ciel & Terre® has gained vast expertise and strong experience in the installation of large-scale floating PV plants on artificial and freshwater reservoirs, our team has a thorough understanding of floating PV’s challenges and accordingly assisted our SPIC customer in the realization of the biggest floating plant in this country despite the covid19 pandemic challenges, this demonstrated our valued commitment

China doubles new renewable capacity in 2020, but continues to builds thermal plants

China more than doubled its construction of new wind and solar power plants in 2020 from a year earlier, government data showed, reflecting Beijing's pledge to cut fossil fuel dependence and bring carbon emissions to a peak within a decade. China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, added 71.67 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity last year, the most ever and nearly triple 2019's levels, according to data released by the National Energy Administration (NEA) late Wednesday. China's 2020 figure is ahead of the 60.4 GW of new wind capacity added globally in 2019, according to data from the ||www.renewablemirror.com||

Global Wind Energy Council. The rise came as Beijing announced an end to subsidies for new onshore wind power projects starting from 2021. New solar power capacity also rebounded in 2020 to 48.2 GW after falling for two straight years, the data showed, beating an earlier industry estimate of 40 GW. China had vowed to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to 15% by 2020 from just 6.8% in 2005, and President Xi Jinping said last month this figure would rise to 25% by 2030. RM || June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

News

News of the month

Solar storages for Covid-19 vaccines to be tested during polio drive on January 31

The efficiency of solar vaccine storages for preserving Covid vaccines in the most inaccessible locations of Assam will be tested during the nationwide polio vaccination drive on January 31. Of the 32 solar vaccine stores that have been developed in the hilly terrain and chars (sand bars) in the riverine areas of the state, 25 have been installed in 2019-20. The Centre has approved another four solar cold storages for Assam.

Biden puts US back into fight to slow global warming

President Joe Biden returned the United States to the worldwide fight to slow global warming in one of his first official acts and immediately launched a series of climate-friendly efforts that would transform how Americans drive and get their power. "A cry for survival comes from the planet itself," Biden said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. "A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear now." Biden signed an executive order rejoining the Paris climate accord within hours of taking the oath of office, fulfilling a campaign pledge. The move undoes the US withdrawal ordered by predecessor Donald Trump, who belittled the science behind climate efforts, loosened regulations on heat-trapping oil, gas and coal emissions, and spurred oil and gas leasing in pristine Arctic tundra and other wilderness.

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The Paris accord commits 195 countries and other signatories to come up with a goal to reduce carbon pollution and monitor and report their fossil fuel emissions. The United States is the world's number 2 carbon emitter after China. Biden's move will solidify political will globally, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday. "Not a single country in this world, however powerful, however resourceful one may be, can do it alone," said Ban, speaking virtually at a briefing in the Netherlands for an upcoming Climate Adaptation Summit. "We have to put all our hands on the deck. That is the lesson, very difficult lesson, which we have learned during last year," as Trump made good on his pledge to pull out of the global accord. RM

Govt ready for policy changes to support industry through energy transition: Amitabh Kant

The government is ready to support the domestic industry through policy changes required to ensure companies are able to create growth opportunities amid the disruption in business models caused by the ongoing energy transition, Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant has said. Delivering his Chief Guest address at The Economic Times ETEnergyworld Smart Electricity Conclave, Kant said the energy transition trends create churn and disruption in the power sector but also create opportunities for new and innovative business models. "We have the opportunity today to affordably meet the electricity needs for economic growth. We can open up new investment opportunities while also meeting carbon emission targets. We can increase our energy security while also creating a large 20

Health officials said before the Covid vaccination drive is rolled out for the masses with procurement of vaccine doses in large amounts in the days to come, the efficacy of these solar stores is going to be crucial for carrying out the Covid vaccination in these inaccessible locations. “There is a plan to immunise 47 lakh children across Assam during the upcoming pulse polio immunization drive. The efficiency of the solar vaccination stores for Covid vaccine stocking will be tested then only. Because these same solar stores will be used for keeping polio vaccines and Covid vaccines. Since most of these units are new, their efficiency to serve the people in the hilly and char areas in Covid times will be put to the test,” said state cold chain officer, BK Choudhury. “For 24 hours, the solar units will work. After getting charged on one sunny day, a solar vaccine store can remain functional for the next seven days, maintaining 2-8°C needed for preserving Covid vaccines,” Choudhury added. RM

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number of new jobs. I assure you that the government will stand ready to enact any policy changes that are required for this purpose," Kant said. He listed out the transition trends that can be turned into growth opportunities including the increasing deployment of renewables, the rising prevalence of grid-connected distributed generation, the use of utility scale energy storage and the digitalization of the power grid. "I am confident our dynamic private sector will be able to rise to these challenges leveraging its strengths in IT and manufacturing. Out of this churn, the "Sagar Manthan", will emerge the "Amrut" of ample, affordable, clean and high quality power for all," Kant said. RM ||www.renewablemirror.com||

Nel says 'green' hydrogen could be as cheap as fossil alternative by 2025

Amit Shah launches farmer-friendly projects in Karnataka, emphasises on use of ethanol

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various farmer-friendly projects in Bagalkot, Karnataka. While addressing a rally at the Kerakalmatti village of Bagalkot, Shah listed out various programmes and initiatives of the central government for the welfare of the farmers. He emphasised on the use of ethanol and asserted that it is a multi-facet project that will help farmers. "A large amount of foreign exchange is spent on import of petrol and diesel in our country. One of its alternative options is ethanol, which is being made from the by-products of sugarcane. My farmer friends, the sweat you sweat becomes ethanol to meet the energy needs of the country," Shah said. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked towards increasing use of ethanol. This is a multi-facet project. On one hand, the income of farmers increases by making ethanol, on the other

hand, the sugarcane mills benefit and thirdly, the option of petrol also saves the country's foreign exchange reserves. Through this the country will move towards the path of development and self-reliant," he added. Shah said that Prime Minister Modi has taken many steps to supply ethanol throughout the country. RM

News of the month

Norway's Nel, a maker of zero-emission hydrogen technology, will expand its operations in 2021 to make its products more cost competitive, leading to a significant loss for the year, it said on Thursday. Nel makes electrolysers used to make so-called green hydrogen from water rather than from fossil fuels, and also hydrogen fuelling equipment.

Hydrogen, currently mainly used in oil refining and to produce ammonia for fertilisers, is lauded as a potential future green fuel of choice as it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions5 per when it burns. Nel's goal is to enable customers to produce green hydrogen at $1.5 per kilo in 2025, a cost level where it can outcompete fossil alternatives, down from between $2.5 and $4.5 per kilo in 2019, it said in a strategy update. "Achieving this would allow green hydrogen to start to reach fossil parity, representing one of the most significant achievement for zero-emission solutions and a carbon neutral planet," Chief Executive Jon Andre Loekke said. Green hydrogen requires using electrolysis to split water into its components of hydrogen and oxygen, an expensive method compared to extracting hydrogen from natural gas or coal. Finding a way to make this cheaply, or under $1.50 per kilo, is often described as the holy grail of green energy transition. RM

Micro Solar Inverter Market Set for Rapid Expansion during Forecast Period 2021-2026 The report highlights exclusive and relevant factors that are likely to have a significant impact on the Micro Solar Inverter market during the forecast period. This report also includes the COVID-19 pandemic impact analysis on the Micro Solar Inverter market. This report includes a detailed and considerable amount of information, which will help new providers in the most comprehensive manner for better understanding. The report elaborates on the historical and current trends holding the growth of the Micro Solar Inverter Market. Further, the report presents profiles of competitors in the market, including the following: ||www.renewablemirror.com||

• • • • • • • • • •

ABB SMA Solar Technology Canadian Solar SolarEdge Technologies SunPower Delta Electronics Solectria Renewables Sineng Electric Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Power electronics RM || June 2021 ||

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Cover Story

The limitations of renewable energy in meeting ‘baseload’ requirements

Rooftop solar has been a key part of the recent renewable engery revolution around the world, and its appeal is clear – residential, commercial and industrial buildings can generate their own electricity, which is green and potentially less expensive than the power they draw from the grid. What’s more, they can inject excess power back into the grid and get paid for it. 22

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India is fast moving towards an energy future with systems that will combine solar power and battery technologies, according to research firm JMK Research & Analytics. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of such a system is already economical for the commercial and industrial category in most of the states for both open access and rooftop solar projects, it said in a statement. “Solar+storage is also a viable option for the standalone system where there is no grid connectivity, and the electricity is generated using diesel gensets. The cost of storage systems is likely to fall further with the proposed battery manufacturing facilities. Thus, improving the financial viability of solar+storage system,” the firm said in a press release. JMK Research considered three scenarios to understand the current cost dynamics of battery storage. In this, they analysed technical and financial parameters of the solar+storage system for behind the meter installations for the commercial and industrial segment. The rationale behind the four-hour battery backup is that the peak demand comes from 6 pm to 8 pm in the evening and as more and more states opt for the time-of-day tariff, the battery back-up of four hours would help consumers avoid the high cost of tariff applicable in these peak hours. ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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Solar & Storage Energy

Cover Story

The financial model is based on assumptions including for solar a depreciation of 3.6 per cent for 25 years and for battery a depreciation of 9 per cent for first battery life, followed by 6 per cent for second battery life was assumed. The tariff of the combined solar and battery system would range between Rs 6.6 per unit and Rs 9 per unit under different capacity scenarios for both the technologies. The report said that in order to increase storage adoption, policymakers should devise policies to benefit all the stakeholders and promote storage systems along with solar. “Financial incentives can help in reducing the burden on consumers and utilities and will help in faster adoption. A separate fund can also be created to support solar+storage systems,” it said. The firm added that the government can also direct financial institutions and banks to provide low-cost financing to the upcoming solar+storage projects, which would further help in tariff reductions and improve projects’ viability. According to a draft ‘National energy storage mission’ (NESM) document, Battery making represents a “Huge economic opportunity for India”, which also contour how the country could capture value across the supply chain and increase speed of the country’s adoption of renewable energy. The Indian government Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued a declaration some time ago, announcing the publication of a joint report on the potential for scaling up domestic manufacturing of batteries for EV. Written by NITI Aayog – (the National Institution for Transforming India) and US think tank Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the frames key policy recommendations to be a part of three distinct stages. While the MNRE statement referred to energy storage as “one of the most prominent and analytical components

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of India’s energy infrastructure”, with the mission itself and its Expert Committee brought together to achieve a target of becoming a leader in the energy storage sector, the report focuses almost absolutely on the manufacture of batteries for EVs. The NESM also demonstrate incentives and other various methods to speed up the market, such as tax incentives and land grants for manufacturers as well as the streamlining of empowering systems. Government of India is targeting for 100% of the car sales which runs with electricity by the year 2030, which NITI Aayog and RMI said was ambitious but can be achieved, with a supportive government and an “active and involved consortium”. In fact, the report’s authors only mention addressing the need for batteries for the stationary storage market once this all-electric consumer transport future has been reached. According to sources, Power Minister Mr. R.K. Singh attended the meeting with battery-based energy storage manufacturers calling on them to set up manufacturing units in India, stating that a “Make in India” policy favoring such attempts and identical to ‘Make in India’ policies for other sectors was forthcoming. Within the short time, the industry also received a boost just a few weeks ago when the rate of the newly introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) - applied across all sectors of the Indian economy – that is applicable to lithium-ion batteries, was short by 10%. SECI Likely to Issue RFS for 2.5 GW of Solar in Kargil very soon The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a notification expressing that the Request for Selection (RFS) for setting up of 2.5 GW grid-connected solar PV projects in Kargil region will be issued shortly. This capacity comes under phase-I of the government’s plan to set up of 23 GW in the Leh and Kargil Regions, Jammu & Kashmir. Latest in the month of November 2018, the

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Cover Story

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced a plan for the execution of 23 GW of ultra mega solar projects in the Leh and Ladakh regions of Jammu & Kashmir. The grid-connected solar PV projects are planned to be set up in the Pang region in Leh and in the Zangla region in Kargil. The 2,500 MW grid-connected solar PV project is tentatively planned to be in New Wanpoh region and the 5,000 MW grid-connected solar PV project is tentatively planned to be in Hisar. The scope of work would include the setting up of the grid-connected solar PV projects along with implementation of the entire power evacuation infrastructure (substations along with transmission lines), up to the drawl point. A single tender would be issued for the selection of the project developer, who would be responsible for the setting up of the project along with the power evacuation infrastructure. Speaking at the CII’s Government and Business Partnership Conclave in August, the Minister of Power, Mr. R.K. Singh had said, “We have 35 GW of installation potential in Ladakh. We will come out with single bid of 25 GW with storage and delivery at Una.”This will be India’s largest tender so far in terms of the capacity envisaged. The solar system is expected to save 1 million/year in electricity cost The Delhi Legislative Assembly building has gone green with RENEWABLE MIR ROR

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the recent installation of a 100 kW rooftop solar system. The cost of the solar project installation is estimated to be Rs 735,000 (~$10,470), according to PTI. It is anticipated to save Delhi assembly nearly Rs1 million (~$14,244) in electricity bill on the annual basis. The agedness of the solar project is expected to be 25 years. Ram Niwas Goel, the speaker of the Delhi assembly, told PTI, “The second phase of 100 kW of solar panels will be installed in Delhi Vidhan Sabha premises soon.” Delhi government has taken several steps in the past months to increase the adoption of renewable energy in the region in order to combat the harmful and unsafe air quality and make the national capital more sustainable. For instance, in July 2018, the government had planned to launch a Solar Rooftop Demand Aggregation Program for domestic customers in the nation’s capital. The program would benefit consumers including residential, schools, hospitals and municipal segments with an anticipated assembled demand of 40 MW under the RESCO mode. In the same month, it approved Mukhya Mantri Agriculture-cum Solar Farm Program to enhance farmer productivity and revenue attain the state’s solar target as per the Delhi Solar Policy 2016.Recently, Delhi’s Indraprastha Power Generation Co. Ltd. (IPGCL) issued a tender for 35 ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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w w w. r e n e w a b l e m i r r o r. c o m

MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects in Delhi under the Mukhya Mantri Solar Power Program. In September 2018, BSES, Delhi’s major distribution company (DISCOM), announced that it has installed more than 1,000 solar rooftop connections with a sanctioned solar load of over 40 MW. According to BSES, the total number of solar rooftop net metering connections is likely to cross 2,000 and the sanctioned solar load will double up to around 80 MW by the end of 2018.In November 2018, the Delhi government also released its draft Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2018 to improve Delhi’s air quality by bringing down the emission from transport sector. This policy will apply to Battery Electric Vehicles as defined in Fast Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME). Moreover, Mild Hybrid, Strong Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles are not included in the policy. Markets and Policy GRIDCO signs PPA with Aditya Birla Renewable for the remaining 75 MW. The Grid Corporation of Odisha (GRIDCO) recently cancelled 125 MW out of its recent auction conducted for 200 MW of grid-connected solar projects. The GRIDCO has now signed a 25-year PPA to develop the remaining 75 MWs with Aditya

Birla Renewables. The capacity was tendered by GRIDCO in April 2018 and was oversubscribed by almost four times. In the auction, Aditya Birla Renewable had quotedRs.2.79 (~$0.0406)/kWh to develop 75 MW of solar capacity. Sukhbir Agro bid Rs.3.19 (~$0.0464)/kWh to develop 25 MW, Gupta Power quoted the same tariff to develop 20 MW. Eden Renewable quoted Rs.3.19 (~$0.0464)/kWh to develop 50 MW and ACME Solar quoted a tariff of Rs.3.20 (~$0.0466)/kWh to develop another 50 MW. Previously, Mercom reported that the tariff aboveRs3 (~$0.0429)/kWh mark was not financially feasible for GRIDCO and any tariffs over that could be cancelled. As the difference between L1 and the other bidders was more than Rs.0.40 (~$0.0057)/kWh, GRIDCO asked the other bidders to match the lowest tariff of Rs.2.79 (~$0.0406)/ kWh. According to Mercom’s sources, despite the plea made by GRIDCO, the bidders denied to reduce the tariff rates. This, consequently, led to the cancellation of 125 MW of solar projects, and the capacity is now likely to be retendered by GRIDCO. An official at Sukhbir Agro, who’s 25 MW has been cancelled, commented saying, “We have denied matching the L1 price as it is too low, and the other players are in the same price range”. The solar industry is trying to overcome the safeguard duty and GST, but government agencies continue to insist on lower tariffs which developers feel are unviable. Progress in the Off-Grid utilities The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has received approval to launch phase II of Atal Jyoti Yojna (AJAY) during the financial year 2018-19 and 2019-20. The ministry has also received Rs.500 million (~$7.13 million) to meet the pending liabilities of phase I of the program. Under the phase II of AJAY, 304,500 solar street lights are expected to be installed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North Eastern states including Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep and parliamentary constituencies covering 48 aspirational districts. The estimated cost per light is Rs.25, 000 (~$356) and the MNRE will provide Rs.5.71 billion (~$81.41 million), which is 75 percent of the total cost of solar street lights to be installed in phase II. The remaining 25 percent will come from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund of respective constituencies. The Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is the implementing agency for the phase II of the AJAY scheme. The project needs to be implemented within one year from the date of notification. The MNRE had launched the Atal Jyoti Yojna in 2016. By March 2018, 1.45 lakh solar street lights were installed in 96 parliamentary constituencies. In June 2018, the Union Cabinet approved phase three of

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Solar & Storage Energy

Cover Story

the Off-grid and Decentralized Solar PV Application Program. Under the program, a total of 3, 00, 000 solar street lights would be installed across the country and areas devoid of grid connectivity with no facility of street lighting solution would get precedence over other areas. The program also aims to distribute 25, 00, 000 solar study lamps in northeastern states and left wing extremism affected districts. Tenders and Auctions Indian Railways Invites Bids for 2 MW of Solar Projects along Delhi-Ambala Line. The last date for submission of bids is January 28, 2019. The Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL), a joint venture of Indian Railways and RITES Limited, has invited bids for setting up of 2 MW of solar projects along the Delhi-Ambala railway track. The projects, which will be located near Diwana station, will follow a tariff-based competitive bidding. The successful bidder will sign power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Northern Railways for a period of 25 years. To be eligible to bid for the project, the net worth of the bidder should be equal to or greater than the Rs.10.7 million (~$0.15 million) per MW of the project capacity as on the last date of financial year 2017-18. Earlier, REMCL had also invited bids for a 50 MW solar project on railways land at Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. Railways are the single largest consumer of electricity in the country, with roughly 2 percent share of national energy consumption. Moreover, Indian Railways has announced that it is planning to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030 and is working tirelessly on all fronts to reduce its carbon footprint. The infrastructure as well as the space available to

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the Indian Railways has opened avenues for the development of rooftop and ground-mount solar projects that can be utilized to address its increasing energy needs. Solar panels at rooftops of 78 railway stations across Kerala have been planned based on feasibility at the stations. Mercom previously reported that the Indian Railways had announced it will soon launch tenders to set up large-scale solar power projects, inching closer towards its overall solar power target of 5 GW. The 5 GW capacities will consist of utility-scale and rooftop solar power projects. BHEL to Set Up 129 MW of Solar Projects in Telangana for Singareni Collieries. This is by far the largest solar power project order won by BHEL. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), a public sector undertaking (PSU) involved in the manufacturing of electrical equipment, has won an order for setting up 129 MW of solar power projects in Telangana from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). This is by far the largest solar power project order won by BHEL with a value of Rs 5.65 billion (~$ 79.79 million). The 129 MW projects are to be set up at four locations in Telangana – Ramagundam (50 MW), Yellandu (39 MW), Manuguru (30 MW), and Pegadapally (10 MW), on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) had issued a tender to award EPC contracts for development of 150 MW solar PV capacity spread across various locations of SCCL. It was a domestic competitive bidding tender. “BHEL has been awarded 129 MW in the first phase and the remaining capacity is yet to be processed. The most likely time to process the remaining capacity will be around February ||www.renewablemirror.com||

end”, an SCCL official informed Mercom India. SCCL has estimated the entire capacity development to cost approximately Rs13,615 million (~$199.9 million) through a debt equity ratio of 70:30. Per SCCL, the debt portion of Rs.9, 530 million (~$139 million) will be met through banks and foreign investors and equity portion of Rs.4,085 million (~$ 59.6 million) will be met through SCCL’s internal resources. The SCCL board has approved detailed project reports for nine solar projects. In June 2018, BHEL had announced bagging orders worth Rs1.25 billion (~$0.019 billion) for the development of two solar power projects in Gujarat. The recent win for Renew Power in the round the clock power tender for 400 MW at Rs 2.90 kWh marked a huge turning point for storage in India too. For one, the renewable+ storage combination as a way to get power at all hours possibly, and at scale, is no longer a possibility that will get laughed off. A reaction we would regularly hear as recently as 9-10 months ago. The 1200 MW tender RE+storage that preceded this one, although with peak power supply requirements, had already indicated that things were changing far faster than people imagined. Secondly, questions about the opportunity in storage, while no longer relevant, will now be focused on the fact that the same cost pressure that accompanied the growth of solar in India will bear down on storage suppliers and manufacturers too. For storage, that means the margin premium for early movers is a very small window indeed. How the sector, that is still taking shape, adapts to this reality remains to be seen. Will it impact manufacturing decisions for India? Or will it mean government protection of some sort soon? While there are multiple technologies aiming to make a mark, at this point, Lithium Ion remains well ahead. The good news is that being a little behind the curve; India will get the benefit of both scale economics and research investment already made into storage technology. The storage market was already projected to rise from $18 billion in 2019 to $100 billion in 2025. On the back of strong pipelines for capacity creation in China, the US and Australia. All three countries have seen resurgence in Hybrid solutions, or Renewable+ storage systems, something India discovered last week with the Renew bid. In fact, Woodmac, the global research firm predicts that despite the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, global storage addition will go from 5.2 GW in 2019 to 12.6 GW in 2020. In India, there is a strong pipeline building up for storage linked projects, of which the smaller ones will start coming online from 2021 onwards. In terms of long term demand and growth, any number of triggers could increase it, or sustain it. Old, polluting coal powered stations could be retired, for instance. The power ministry itself had informed a Parliamentary Standing commitee on energy that thermal ||www.renewablemirror.com||

power plants of 42,877 megawatt (MW) capacity have outlived their lives and have been operational for 25 years or more in India. The 1973 make Badarpur Thermal Power Station was virtually forced to shut down in 2018 as pollution worries in the NCR region reached a crescendo. There is no reason not to apply the same standards to many more areas where similar vintage plants operate, especially as the low cost argument of coal fired energy versus renewable is laid to rest now. In fact, over 50% of the country’s thermal plants today are over 25 years old, if one goes by the list of plants on the CEA website. The oldest ones that are over 40 years ( pre -1980) are a sizeable cohort themselves. Close to 60 GW of capacity is linked to these plants. many of these plants are already living on borrowed time, as they have managed repeated extensions on deadlines to comply with new pollution norms. The latest deadline is 2021. At some stage, the owners of these plants, which include many state discoms themselves or the NTPC , will take a call on closure or extending their lives further, with the latter becoming an increasingly expensive proposition. That means fresh installation demand for renewable energy, but this time with storage. As power markets evolve to a more competitive market possibly, customers will also get more choice from generators who go with renewable energy+ storage options to meet demand. The drop in storage costs seen recently challenges many projections, and notions about the limitations of renewable energy in meeting ‘baseload’ requirements. 2015 might be too early, but 2030 is definitely a time when the last of the doubts are blown away by the performance of the hybrid projects that come up by then. Throw in better handling of the power produced today ( a lot of captive commercial renewable power is wasted on holidays, for instance), and you have the making of a perfect, long runway for storage in India. RM

|| June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

F ocus: State

Overview

State Overview:

Gujarat

(As on 31.05.2021)

INSTALLED CAPACITY (IN MW) OF POWER UTILITIES IN THE STATES/UTS LOCATED IN Western REGION INCLUDING ALLOCATED SHARES IN JOINT & CENTRAL SECTOR UTILITIES

State

Gujarat

Ownership/ Sector State Private Central Sub-Total

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Modewise Breakup Coal Lignite 4510.00 900.00 7144.67 500.00 4301.50 0.00 15956.17 1400.00 || June 2021 ||

Thermal Gas 2177.82 3985.00 424.00 6586.82

Diesel 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 7587.82 11629.67 4725.50 23942.99

Nuclear

Hydro

0.00 0.00 559.00 559.00

772.00 0.00 0.00 772.00

RES (MNRE) 86.09 13399.93 243.30 13729.32

Grand Total 8445.91 25029.60 5527.80 39003.31

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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 ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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. || June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

F ocus: State

Gujarat

Overview

“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

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

|| June 2021 ||

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

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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 69,000MW in 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 MW in 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, Patan in 2024hectares of wasteland. For setting up 3000MW 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 Roof Tops 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 lacsk Wh in Gandhinagar. The project has helped reduce 14,900 tons of carbon emission and avoid usage of 10,430 tons of coal. Gandhinagar & Vadodara Solar Rooftop Programme: 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 || June 2021 ||

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sources such that RPO obligated entities like Discoms will able to meet their targets. To promote 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. State of Art Solar Power Park Project – 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. Solar Canal Top Projects: 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. Solar Rooftop Project: 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. Upcoming Ultra-Mega Solar Power Park Project: Capacity more than 700 MW. Proposed to be built on 1,407 Hectare 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. 1st state 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

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

F ocus: State

Gujarat

Overview

in Gandhinagar as part of the Model Solar City Project on Govt. and Pvt. households. 328 location shave 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.

India's jobs deficit: Project in Gujarat struggling to create employment The developers were tasked with transforming an expanse larger than New York's Central Park into a city with more than 100 34

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

|| June 2021 ||

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 ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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. IMAGE MAKEOVER GIFT was conceptualised in 2007, soon after Modi returned from IL&FS has not publicly responded to the allegations and did a trip to Singapore. He was eager to be seen as a business- not respond to multiple requests from Reuters for comment. friendly leader and rebrand himself in the wake of the 2002 The former chairman and his lawyer were also not immediately Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat that tainted his image, four reachable for comment. people who closely worked with Modi since 2003 told Reuters. GIFT's chief executive, Ajay Pandey, quit last month without GIFT was set up as a joint venture between the government citing any reasons. He did not respond to calls and messages of Gujarat and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services seeking comment on his departure. Ltd (IL&FS), which provides construction services and financing The GIFT spokesman said that Pandey stepped down as part of for infrastructure. a larger exodus of top IL&FS officials, and that IL&FS's troubles Lease terms required that Gujarat get 50 percent of the profit would not stall the project. from the sale of development rights in the first phase, and 80 IL&FS did not respond to multiple requests for comment about percent thereafter. Reuters could not determine how much has its financial health, the ongoing fraud investigation and its been spent on development so far. current role in the project. To add to GIFT's troubles, IL&FS, which is laden with 910 billion IL&FS did not respond to multiple requests for comment about rupees ($12.95 billion) of debt, largely tied to road and other its financial health, the ongoing fraud investigation and its infrastructure projects unrelated to GIFT, defaulted on several current role in the project. debt obligations late in 2018. "Mr. Modi sold GIFT as the flagship programme of Gujarat 12 One source involved in the project said IL&FS's woes had little years ago," opposition Congress party spokesman Sam Pitroda to with GIFT, and he estimates that less than 0.5 percent of told media this month. "Today ... no one talks about it. There IL&FS's outstanding debt is tied to GIFT projects. are failures after failures." The defaults by IL&FS and its group entities relate to loans The GIFT spokesman said that the project was in good financial and bonds financing other infrastructure projects as well as health and that 11,000 people would be working there in the unsecured lending to non-creditworthy entities, according to an next year. RM interim report from audit firm Grant Thornton, which IL&FS's 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 stategovernment 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."

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|| June 2021 ||

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Special Focus

Solar PV Modules

Indian module manufacturers are operating at very low capacity utilization

India is considering a new tender to develop solar power equipment manufacturing that doesn’t include a requirement to also generate electricity, a move aimed at sparking investor interest, according to people with knowledge of the plan. In addition to separating manufacturing of solar cells and modules from generation, the government may also offer some form of financial aid, said the people, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public. There has been little interest from solar equipment makers in the previous manufacturing tenders, a hurdle to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plans of building 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity by 2022. India has been struggling to spur its nascent domestic manufacturing industry, which the government estimates can currently only meet just 15 per cent of the country’s annual needs. The South Asian nation has been seeking to boost its capabilities through both manufacturing tenders as well as a safeguard duty on cheaper Chinese imports. A tender issued in May 2018 was downsized and delayed multiple times, before being scrapped due to poor investor interest. It was replaced by a smaller version in January, for which the bidding deadline has been extended three times. The latest deadline, May 14, is expected to be extended again, the people said. Anand Kumar, secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, declined to comment on either the extension of the deadline or the possible new tender. India’s efforts to develop its own solar equipment industry will be challenged by both domestic policies and overseas competition, according to Bloomberg NEF analyst Rohit Gadre. “A delinked manufacturing tender will not work unless it provides an assured long-term demand for domestic modules,” Gadre said. As well, “Indian photovoltaic module production will not be able to compete globally on its own as China has already built economies || June 2021 || of scale and a strong supply chain.”

Special Focus

Solar PV Modules

Solar PV Modules: Challenges and Market Scenario

Solar Energy is an important source of energy Currently Solar Energy fulfills about 0.5% of earth’s energy needs, however, as per several reports; Solar Energy is on the way to become one of the largest sources of energy. It is expected to supply 16% of energy requirements by 2050. India alone has set up a target of 100 GW solar by 2022. Out of which, 40 GW is to come from rooftop solar. Nonetheless, this journey doesn’t seem easy. There are obstacles at every step. One of the biggest markets for solar energy is the distributed rooftop segment. This is a game-changer segment. Advantages of rooftop solar PV plant are multifold. It aids DISCOMs by reducing the peak demand during daytime and leads to decreased transmission and distribution losses as the power is consumed at the point of generation, it reduces land and interconnection costs, it has minimum government intervention as there is less involvement of government infrastructure, it can also be set up in remote places, and it also produces considerable savings for the consumer over its lifetime because of the increasing costs of grid electricity. All the other energy solutions, wind energy, thermal energy, utility scale solar, nuclear and hydro and many others, require huge setups and investments. Then, these also require deeper and troubling government intervention. Hence, solar rooftop segment presents a huge opportunity for countries like India. Despite the obvious advantages, rooftop Solar has not really taken off. In India, Rooftop solar has maintained a 10-12% share of overall solar capacity1. This is much lower than other key markets such as US, Germany, China, Spain and Australia. Please refer figure 1 for a better understanding. Currently, India’s focus is to build more capacity and raise awareness about the technology

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

|| June 2021 ||

in the market. At this stage, few topics which require attention are mentioned below. In our country the prime factor for the slowdown of Solar Photovoltaics (PV) sector in last year was the implementation of safeguard duty on imported panels. While imposition of this duty was aimed at incentivizing domestic manufacturing, it led to an increase in tariffs, resulting in the cancellation of many solar auctions and their retendering. This slowdown might be temporary, since long-term trends like falling cost of photovoltaic (PV) modules do remain in place. The growth in India’s solar capacity has been driven mainly by imported PV modules that enjoy nearly 90% share, as their costs are up to 30% lower. The safeguard duty was pegged by the government at 70% on foreign modules, but was introduced at 25% owing to pressure from energy companies. The industry is facing many other challenges which are creating a hindrance in industry’s growth.

Challenges for the PV industry in India

Cost and T&D Losses: Solar PV is some years away from true cost competitiveness and from being able to compete on the same scale as other energy generation technologies. Adding to the cost are T&D losses that at approximately 40 percent make generation through solar energy sources highly unfeasible. However, the government is supporting R&D activities by establishing research centers and funding such initiatives. The government has tied up with world-renowned universities to bring down the installation cost of solar power sources and is focusing on upgradation of substations and T&D lines to reduce T&D losses. Regulatory And Policy Aspects: The major concern of any project developer or EPC player is usually from regulatory and policy aspects. For example, net metering policy in India is more than 2 years old now. However, implementation on the ground is still ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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Market Scenario of Solar PV and Future of Industry

The global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels Market was valued at $118,704 million in 2016, which is expected to reach $307,204 million by 2023, registering a CAGR of 15.0% from 2017 to 2023. The key components of PV power system are various types of photovoltaic cells (also known as solar cells). These components are interconnected and encapsulated to form a photovoltaic module, the mounting structure of modules which is manufactured for the grid connected and off-grid systems. Moreover, solar energy is renewable and helps countries to meet their policy goals for secure, reliable, and affordable energy and provides electricity access with reduced price volatility and the promotion of social and economic development. Therefore, decrease in price of solar energy has further led to the demand for production of solar power which in turn proves to be a cost-effective solution. The solar photovoltaic (PV) panels market is segmented based on technology, grid-type, end use, and geography. Based on technology, it is classified into thin-film, crystalline, and others (organic and concentrator photovoltaics). Crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) is further segmented into mono and multi crystalline. Based on grid type, it is bifurcated into grid connected and off-grid. Grid connected is further segmented into centralized || June 2021 ||

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not smooth. At state level, the electricity distribution companies are not willing to sacrifice their premium high tariff paying customers. Such policy level inconsistencies are a big deterrent to the ambitious plans of the govt. to meet their solar targets. Fluctuation in PV material price: There is fluctuation of PV material price in the market. A movement in price of Solar PV modules, which forms a major component of the installation cost, has the major impact. At Insolergy, we have seen residential solar market in India responding very fast to such fluctuations. These aspects are likely to impact many solar projects in the country. But we believe that customization and offering valueadded services with innovative solutions is the only way to succeed. India’s PV module manufacturing sector needs serious attention: India’s manufacturing sector is set to take a giant leap forward, with the govt. announcing a slew of measures to boost domestic manufacturing in recent past. As a result, various CoS are gearing up to expand their production facilities in India. However, Indian manufacturers continue to face a stiff competition with Chinese & other global manufacturers leading them to operate insufficiently. There could be various reasons ranging from the govt.’s existing domestic insufficient content policy to fewer types of subsidies or the interest rates on raw material thus making them to be inadequate in promoting the domestic PV module manufacturing industry. However, the challenges in the current policy regime & steps India might take to better position itself to become a global leader in the PV module manufacturing needs a strong overhaul. Solar power is the strategic need for the country as it can potentially save USD 20 bn in fossil fuel imports annually by 2030 & domestic manufacturing can save USD 42 bn in equipment imports by 2030. “In the absence of manufacturing, India will need to import $42 bn of solar equipment by 2030, corresponding to 100 GW of installed capacity,” warns a report by KPMG, an advisory

firm. The report further highlighted that solar manufacturing can also create direct employment for more than 50,000 people in the next five years assuming local manufacturing captures 50% domestic market share & 10% global market share. Inventory Management & Capacity Utilization: Indian module manufacturers are operating at very low capacity utilization; however the capacity is currently sufficient to cater to the demand. The major reason for this is lack of demand for domestic PV modules & unavailability & limited access to raw material. Therefore, to at least keep their plants running, raw materials are stored in the warehouse. Also, the finished modules need to be kept in the warehouse because of intermittent demand in the market. Therefore, higher inventory levels for raw materials & finished modules increase the operating cost & puts upward pressure on manufacturing costs. More long term contracts with manufacturers could assist in this regard, allowing firms to procure raw material just in time to meet demand. Access to working capital is important for Indian CoS to compete against the firms from China/ South East Asia, who offer better terms. Inferior Technology and Quality: The efficiency and quality of solar panels produced by the Indian players is not able to compete with its global counterparts. This is because of the lack of technical expertise and intellectual property with Indian players. An earlier ban of silicon wafer fabrication, which was removed in 2013, is one of the examples of setback which the Indian panel manufacturers have had to face in the past. This ban has considerably set back the developments in the Indian semi-conductor industry. Another major issue is of dust in our environment. India being a highly populous developing country literally lives in a dust storm. And, as a matter of fact, even a single grain of sand can affect the performance of a solar PV cell/module. These challenges have had an overtly deep impact on the abilities of Indian Solar Panel Manufacturers.

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Solar PV Modules

Special Focus and decentralized. By end use, it is categorized into residential, commercial, and utility scale. Based on geography, it is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Recently, India achieved the third rank globally for solar installation capacity. Mercom India, a clean energy research organsation, has reported that the installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity has reached over 28 GW as of December 2018. However, this accounts for only about 5.5 per cent of the total global cumulative installations. India may have emerged as the third largest market for solar, but a comparison at the global front suggests that India has a long way to go in order to become a solar super power. India added 8.3 GW of solar capacity. It has observed a 13 per cent dip from the previous year, when the solar PV installation addition was 9.6 GW. The total installations globally accounted 104 GW for FY 2018, during which China and the US added 44.3 GW and 10.6 GW respectively. Surveys suggest that global PV solar installations will see nearly 18% rise in 2019, finally reaching and may be surpassing 100 GW capacity addition. Although, at the end of 2019, we would still be far from ‘0’ emission future, rising PV installation growth and emergence of new markets within developing countries will get us closer to that goal. China is predicted to lead the installation growth in the present year, but its market share will fall from 55% to 19% by 2023. Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa will scale rapidly and several new markets like Egypt, Span, Argentina, Vietnam will also see boost and may account for nearly 7% of global PV installation growth in 2019. The government has also introduced a number of incentives and specific policies to make solar more attractive to overseas investors, including national and state solar auctions, increased investment in the grid and various favourable tax adjustments. As a result, the country has made global headlines for the record low prices being realised in its latest solar auctions.

India revises solar manufacturing tender specs to attract investors More than a year and 10 extensions later, the Union government has revised the tender specifications for the first solar manufacturinglinked power plant project in the country. Hoping to attract more investor interest, the tariff cap has been set at Rs 2.75/unit. Solar Energy Corporation India (SECI) on Tuesday issued a request for a selection (RfS) notice for selecting solar power developers. This will be for setting up 6 GW (per annum) of solar power plants linked to 2 GW of solar manufacturing plant. A bidder can quote any capacity up to 1.5 GW of solar power projects linked to 0.5 GW of solar manufacturing capacity, corresponding to one project. A total of four such projects have been put up for bidding. A company can bid for one or all four. In an interesting amendment introduced in the new RfS, SECI has allowed using imported solar modules at the power plant and

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not necessarily the ones manufactured at the linked unit set up by the company. Earlier, this was mandatory. “The solar power developers or SPDs would be allowed to set up a solar power plant parallelly with a manufacturing facility, that is, the mandatory requirement of using self-produced modules in the plants under this scheme will not be there. This can be set up either through imported modules or through modules made by the manufacturing unit being set up by the bidder or through any other domestic module,” said the RfS document reviewed by Business Standard. Another addition in the tender is regarding manufacturing, wherein the companies can submit a bid for setting up manufacturing units for ingots and wafers as well as solar cells and modules. Ingots and wafers are key components in the making of solar cells. The module is a collection of solar cells and panels are the single power producing unit. The tender, however, has not included the long-awaited demand of the industry to include the existing solar manufacturing units. “As this scheme calls for setting up solar manufacturing plants in India, commissioned manufacturing plants cannot be considered under this RfS. However, expansion of the existing manufacturing facilities can be done anywhere in India,” said the RfS. After several extensions, the Central government, in January, decided to cancel the lone bid that came for setting up solar panel manufacturing along with a solar power plant. The single bid came from Azure Power in tie-up with Waaree Energies. The government re-issued the tender in March and it was also extended again. The latest global tender closes in August 2019.

Indian solar cells and modules manufacture 'obsolete', says MNRE

At a time when the government of India is trying to decide on whether or not the Indian solar cells and modules manufacturers deserve protection by way of anti-dumping duty, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has said that the cell/module manufacturing capacity in the country is “obsolete”. In a ‘concept note’ for supporting solar manufacture in India, the Ministry speaks of a “direct financial support” of Rs 11,000 crore and a ‘technology upgradation fund’, for solar manufacture. The Ministry notes that the country has installed capacity for producing 3.1 GW of cells and 8.8 GW of modules (cells are used to make modules). However, “even this capacity is not being fully exploited because of obsolete technology,” the concept note says. Only 1.5 GW of cell manufacture and 3 GW of module manufacture are used. It adds that the existing capacity is mainly of the conventional technology of multi-crystalline Al-BSF (Aluminium-Back Surface Field) solar cells, which have efficiency limitations and that very few players have ventured into the superior PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) technology. PER cells, which have a light reflecting layer on the rear, are more efficient and cost-effective. The Ministry has said it would bring in a ‘Technology Upgradation Fund’, borrowing the concept from a scheme of the same name for ||www.renewablemirror.com||

textile industry. The TUF could be an interest subvention scheme (as it is for the textile industry) or capital subsidy for technology up gradation projects. Apart from providing financial incentives for solar manufacture, the Ministry also proposes to “revive” the ‘domestic content requirement (DCR)’ scheme, which reserved a slice of the market for locally made cells and modules. The scheme was adjudged violative of global trade rules by the World Trade Organisation. Today, 1,436 MW of solar projects have been commissioned under the DCR and another 1,000 MW are under construction, but there won’t be any more. However, the government proposes to get central government-owned companies to set up 12,000 MW of projects using local-made products. The concept note also speaks of capital subsidies to those who set up solar manufacturing capacities, with subsidies indexed to the levels of value addition. Conversely, they could also set up solar power plants to supply the electricity needed for the manufacture, with facilities to bank the power with the grid for later withdrawal. Manufacture of solar panels (also called modules) start with polysilicon, which is made from silicon. Polysilicon is made into ingots, which are cut into wafers. Cells are made with wafers and a string of cells is a module. Today, only modules and cells are made in India, with imported material. At present, the only incentives available for manufacturing these is the Modified-Special Incentive Package Scheme, which is available to all electronic goods manufacturers and implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, but there have been few takers for the scheme. However, a few companies have expressed desire to set up manufacturing facilities in India—notably, Trina Solar and Longi, both of China. “If these incentives are seriously implemented and there is clear market visibility of the next five years, then more manufacturers may decide to establish manufacturing units in India,” says Mercom, a renewable energy consultancy.

India needs a solar manufacturing strategy

India has made significant progress in creating capacity for solar energy generation in the last few years. The Prime Minister’s

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emphasis since 2014 has given a new fillip to solar power installation. The unit costs of solar power have fallen, and solar energy has become increasingly competitive with alternative sources of energy. India expanded its solar generation capacity eight times from 2,650 MW on May 26, 2014 to over 20 GW on January 31, 2018, and 28.18 GW on March 31, 2019. The government had an initial target of 20 GW of solar capacity by 2022, which was achieved four years ahead of schedule. In 2015, the target was raised to 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022.

Relying on imports

This rapid progress should have been made earlier, however. India is energy deficient, yet blessed with plenty of sunlight for most of the year. It should have taken a lead in solar panel manufacture to generate solar energy long ago. Despite the new policy focus on solar plant installation, India is still not a solar panel manufacturer. Just as India has had no overall industrial policy since economic reforms began, there is no real plan in place to ensure solar panel manufacture. The share of all manufacturing in GDP was 16% in 1991; it remained the same in 2017. The solar power potential offers a manufacturing opportunity. The government is a near monopsonistic buyer. India is regarded by the global solar industry as one of the most promising markets, but low-cost Chinese imports have undercut its ambitions to develop its own solar technology suppliers. Imports, mostly from China, accounted for 90% of 2017 sales, up from 86% in 2014. Substituting for imports requires human capabilities, technological capabilities and capital in the form of finance. On the first two capabilities, the supply chain of solar photovoltaic panel manufacturing is as follows: silicon production from silicates (sand); production of solar grade silicon ingots; solar wafer manufacturing; and PV module assembly. The capital expenditure and technical know-how needed for these processes decreases from the first item to the last, i.e. silicon production is more capital-intensive than module assembly. Most Indian companies are engaged in only module assembly or wafer manufacturing and module assembly. No Indian company is involved in silicon production, although a few are making strides towards it. According to the Ministry of

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New and Renewable Energy (2018), India has an annual solar cell manufacturing capacity of about 3 GW while the average annual demand is 20 GW. The shortfall is met by imports of solar panels. So we may not see domestic players, in the short term at least, replacing imported ones. While the safeguard duty now puts locally made panels on par with imported ones in terms of cost, the domestic sector needs to do a lot more to be effective. For instance, it will have to go down the supply chain and make the input components locally instead of importing them and putting the modules together here. Public procurement is the way forward. The government is still free to call out bids for solar power plants with the requirement that these be made fully in India. This will not violate any World Trade Organization commitment. However, no bids will be received as manufacturing facilities for these do not exist in the country. But as Ajay Shankar, former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, argues, if the bids were large enough with supplies spread over years, which gives enough time for a green field investment to be made for manufacturing in India, then bidders will emerge and local manufacturing can begin.

Lessons from China

China’s cost advantage derives from capabilities on three fronts. The first is core competence. The six largest Chinese manufacturers had core technical competence in semiconductors before they turned to manufacturing solar cells at the turn of the century. It takes time for companies to learn and put in action new technologies. When the solar industry in China began to grow, Chinese companies already possessed the know-how. Experts suggest that the human and technical learning curve could be five to 10 years. Indian companies had no learning background in semiconductors when the solar industry in India began to grow from 2011. State governments need to support semiconductor production as part of a determined industrial policy to develop this capacity for the future. The second source of cost advantage for China comes from government policy. The Chinese government has subsidised land acquisition, raw material, labour and export, among others. None

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of this is matched by the Indian government. Perhaps even more important is commitment by the government to procure over the long run — without that the investment in building up the design and manufacturing for each of the four stages of production of solar power equipment would come to nought. The third is the cost of capital. The cost of debt in India (11%) is highest in the Asia-Pacific region, while in China it is about 5%. Fifteen years ago, the Chinese could also have remained dependent upon imports from Korea or Germany; they did not. Remaining dependent on imports only leads to short-term benefits for India. A continuation of the current approach means India’s energy sector will be in the same condition as its defence industry, where enormous amounts of money have been spent procuring weaponry — so much so that India has been the world’s second largest importer of defence equipment for years. In the solar panel manufacturing sector, the Indian government allows 100% foreign investment as equity and it qualifies for automatic approval. The government is also encouraging foreign investors to set up renewable energy-based power generation projects on build-own-operate basis. But the Chinese government is clearly adopting an aggressive stance while the demand for solar power in India continues to grow, as does the government’s commitment to renewables. In 2018, China cut financial support to developers and halted approval for new solar projects. As a result, Chinese producers will cut prices to sustain their manufacturing plant capacity utilisation by sustaining exports to India. In other words, the Chinese strategy is to undercut any planned effort by India to develop the entire supply chain capacity within India so that dependence on imports from China continues. As a counter, India needs a solar manufacturing strategy, perhaps like the Automotive Mission Plan (2006-2016), which is credited with making India one of the largest manufacturers of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and lorries in the world. This would also be a jobs-generating strategy for an increasingly better educated youth, both rural and urban. RM ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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Smart Solar Panels

The solar PV currently represents one of the fastestgrowing sources of renewable energy in the world

Why use Solar Energy

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

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Smart Solar Panels

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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.

Smart module market gaining momentum

These intelligent packages have grown from being just panels equipped with power optimizers. Today’s good smart modules involve any type of module-level electronics with functions like remote monitoring, module-level shutdown, voltage limiting, increasing power harvest and more. The way we think of smart modules is anything that has something built into it that does more than just sit there and generate power from the sun. Smart modules are something where it differentiates a module. In an industry where basic solar modules used to use bankability to differentiate, there are more and more companies that claim that. This is a way to continue to innovate and be different from all the manufacturers out there. Power optimizers are still the dominant add-on for smart modules. With system owners demanding more from their PV systems and installers demanding more in terms of installation efficiency, module manufacturers can better satisfy the current market requirements by embedding power optimizers. There is an obvious price difference between traditional modules and the smart variety. With added monitoring and hardware come

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added costs, and the potential for added import taxes. Many module manufacturers were paying import tariffs on their finished goods. Integrating power optimizers into the modules meant that they also had to pay tariffs on the power optimizer, thus raising the cost. This offsets the value of integration. Industry is starting to see more strategies from module manufacturers that limit the impact of the import tariff, meaning that these integrated products are starting to drive cost reduction for installers. There have also been some hiccups in relaying to end-users the real benefits smart modules can bring. People who thought solar couldn’t work on their houses because of huge oak trees casting shade now have real generation capability with smart modules. People will see that these technologies work; there will be a longer track record of increasing your energy production, a track record of them working properly. It’s also likely that other industry requirements could spark the rise in smart module popularity. Now is an ideal time in the market for smart modules. Cost reduction for installer is a constant battle. Since integrated modules can reduce hardware costs and decrease installation times, they have potential to drive costs down. Also, smart modules also have the potential to create differentiation for module manufacturers in a highly commoditized and competitive market. An intersection of cost reduction and creates a highly attractive environment for smart modules going forward. This smart solar technology provides support, communication, distribution, monitoring and planning and enhanced integration systems. Such ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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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 eblasts, 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

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advancement in technology has led an increase in the demand for smart solar system. Deployment of solar solutions helps user to save electricity expenses and increase the efficiency of solar components using monitoring and communication technique. Increasing rates of conventional electric energy and high consumption demand for more energy are the major factors driving the market growth. Also the awareness for natural energy solution is increasing, because people are showing their interest in alternatives for energy solution. Moreover govt. is creating policies and regulations to utilize the solar energy which is also driving the solar energy market. Only restraining factor is high cost of installation. Cost of solar panel itself is high. Adding other components for smart purpose makes system highly expensive. But this high cost will eventually cut down by more production and more deployments. Solar energy system is developing in recent years; even economies of nations are increasing rapidly which could offer new opportunity to the solar industries. Evolving solar industry and increasing environmental awareness coupled with technological evolution open major opportunities. Market size for smart solar segment has considerably grown over the past few years on the account of evolving solar industry and the emergence of technologies such as MDM, SCADA, and remote metering have further augmented the opportunity areas for this market. Advancement in solar applications, platforms, services coupled with increasing integration of IoT with smart solar solutions has led to sig. investment in smart solar projects

globally. Increasing env. Awareness about solar industry amongst the public will also act as an opportunity for the smart solar market. High initial investment, inadequate financial incentives for utilities and reduction of solar subsidies in many countries are the major restraints of the overall growth of this market. Meter data management and network monitoring solutions segments are expected to be the most promising segments. Smart solar market has been segmented into solutions, services, applications, and industry sectors. Meter data management and network monitoring solution segment is projected to grow with a high growth rate; hence, will present good market opportunity during the forecast period. System integration and deployment services hold a major share in the smart solar services segment. Increasing integration of smart solar technologies with different industries is considered as the primary driver influencing the growth of the smart solar services market. Presently, North America contributes the maximum market share North America is expected to have the largest market share and would dominate the smart solar market from 2015-20, with growing no. of smart solar projects, increasing smart solar meter roll outs, and increasing grants and solar subsidies from the U.S. govt.. APAC and Middle East and Africa offers potential growth opportunities due to the developing large-scale infra, growing no. of smart city projects, and growing energy requirements. Major vendors covered in the smart solar market for this study include ABB Group, GE Power, Itron Inc., Schneider Electric, Siemens AG, Echelon Corporation, Land is +GYR AG, Sensus USA Inc., Silver Spring Networks, and Urban Green Energy Int’l. Smart solar market can be segmented on the basis of Solutions like asset management, network monitoring, meter data management, analytics, SCADA, remote metering, and outage management Services like system integration and deployment, support and maintenance, consulting, and demand response services Applications like commercial and industrial, residential, Industry Sectors like govt., utilities, healthcare, construction, education, agriculture, others and Geography.

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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 goal: building 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,

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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.

Developing a Marketing Plan - How to Begin

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. Establish Marketing Objectives What wills the marketing plan accomplish? What are the goals? 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 ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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 analysing the solar pv panel price trends and market competitiveness.

Global Market Overview

The solar PV currently represents one of the fastest-growing 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

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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.

Global Solar Pv Panel / Module Market

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.

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Special Theme

Smart Solar Panels

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.

India Solar PV Panel / Module Market

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

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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.

Solar PV Panel Technology Trends in India

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. ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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.

PV Panel / Module Price Trends – India

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.

duties, GST ambiguity, etc. Though, things have changed a little in the Indian solar industry after the imposition of the safeguard duties. The market witnessed a little rearranging when it comes to solar pv panels / modules suppliers, while others have consolidated their positions. No doubt, the imposition of the safeguard duty has helped domestic solar pv panel / module manufacturers seize a larger share of the market in 2018 as compared to 2017. India solar pv market is growing at a remarkable pace. If the growth trend continues at the current pace, the country is expected to achieve its 100 GW targets by 2023-24. Most importantly, the on-going developments and projects in pipeline show a positive growth trajectory ahead for solar pv market in India and bodes well for solar pv panel demand in the market.

Conclusion

India is unlikely to achieve its target of 100 gigawatt (GW) solar electricity capacity as it faces short-term uncertainty due to imposition of various taxes, research and consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie said. India's installed grid-connected power generation capacity increased 4 per cent from January to October 2018 to reach 347 GW. Renewables accounted for 9.7 GW of the total increase of 13 GW, highlighting the significant investment flowing into the sector, it said in a note adding that India is, and will be, the third largest solar market globally. "As bid prices stabilise and costs continue to drop, long-term development remains positive but still not sufficient to meet the 100-GW solar target by 2022," said Rishab Shreshta, solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie. "India faces short-term uncertainty due to the imposing of various taxes & levies on solar products, the cancellation of tenders and tariff renegotiations," he added. The year-on-year growth rate of annual solar install capacity is expected to reduce from 63 per cent in 2017 to just over 1 per cent in 2018 before rebounding to over 12 per cent in 2019. "Despite strong domestic demand and safeguard duties on imported solar modules, domestic solar manufacturers still struggle to compete with foreign suppliers," it said. RM

Way Forward:

Though the solar pv market in India suddenly witnessed a slowdown in Q3 of 2018 – irrespective of huge solar tenders and huge demand in the country. There are several reasons for this – such as currency depreciation, cancellation of auctions and tenders, re-negotiation of Power Purchase Agreements, Anti-dumping ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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Special Feature

Steam Turbines

The global steam turbine market is projected to grow moderately

Steam turbines are popularly known for their use in thermal power stations for generating electricity. Various power plants came into existence when there was a lack of techniques to meet the exceeding power demands in both developing and developed countries in the past. Coal being the primary fuel used in these power plants’ performance has raised various ecological concerns across the world. The world has already started replacing coal-based power plants with cleaner energy options like renewable energy, among others.

Growth potential of steam turbine market Talking about the global steam turbine market, India and China are the most lucrative country-wide markets for the steam turbine market which makes Asia-Pacific the most significant region for this market. The global steam turbine market looks good with opportunities in coal-fired, gasfired, and nuclear energy-based power generation. The global steam turbine market for power generation is expected to reach an estimated $33.8 billion by 2024 with a CAGR of 5.7 percent from 2020 to 2024. In India, because of the availability of coal in abundance, coal-fired power generation is increasing in the country which is anticipated to boost the demand for steam turbines. Furthermore, steam cycle plants are easy to manage and operate and are very durable, which is expected to positively

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Special Feature

Electrostatic Precipitation (ESP) systems, etc. in the existing power plants, leading to an additional capex of around ₹3.91– 3.96 lakh crore. While some plants are planning to incur this capex, it is anticipated that there would be a number of shutdowns of the older inefficient power plants, which were due for mothballing shortly, especially among the stateowned generation companies. Hence, it is anticipated that there would be an inflow of orders for setting up of new power plants in the critical and supercritical categories from these generation companies.

Steam Turbines

influence the growth of the Indian steam turbine market over the coming years. This growth can be attributed to the growing adoption of agro-based power generating systems and captive power plants coupled with rising focus to improve energy efficiency. It is anticipated that 1 MW to 120 MW steam turbines are expected to show lucrative growth owing to the rising demand for captive power systems. General Electric (GE) is introducing 660 GW and 800 GW supercritical steam turbines in India, while Siemens is investing $44.2 million in India to expand its steam turbine facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Challenges plaguing steam turbine players Companies in the steam turbine market are taking steps to deal with the challenges that have arisen due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many steam turbine generator sets being imported from China and elsewhere in the past few years, especially in the critical and supercritical categories above 350 MW, the earlier focus for Indian manufacturers was on reduction of the pricing of the steam turbines to make them competitive with predatory international costing in this capacity range. Aditya Gandhi, Partner, Nitin Corporation says, “With reduction in orders for critical and supercritical categories in the private sector, due to emergence of other renewable sources, i.e., solar and wind-solar combination in this capacity range, the focus shifts back on obtaining orders and business from captive and cogeneration units in the capacity range of 1–120 MW. Due to significant ramp up in the domestic steam turbine manufacturing capacities, one challenge is the intense competition for obtaining orders by undercutting on the pricing. Impact of closure of thermal plants on steam turbine sector owing to emission norms The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had set up new norms in 2015 for capping of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from thermal power plants in line with the Paris Agreement, in a phased manner up to 2022. This would require installation of Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR),

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Market outlook Increasing demand for uninterrupted power is a major driver of the steam turbine market that caters to power generation. The steam turbine market for power generation is projected to grow at a good rate amid growing industrial, commercial and residential activities. Thermal capacity addition is rising every year with constantly increasing electricity consumption. Growth in the renewable energy market, particularly in biomass, is another factor driving the demand for steam turbines. Increase in captive and cogeneration operations are expected to propel the growth of steam turbines for power generation further. Though it is not possible to accurately predict the market in the coming year due to the coronavirus crisis and the immediate slowdown in capex due to this, it is anticipated that the demand cycle would be normalised within 8–10 months and the long-term growth would stay intact. A steam turbine of AL-Dura power plant of type (160MW) is used in this work, a steam turbine used to transfer heat energy in pressurized steam into useful mechanical work. The steam turbine consists of three sections, high, medium, and low pressure; first section is high pressure section that consists of two horizontally split casings; inner is placed inside and it is fixed in the axial directions, outer casing with scope for expansion in all directions. The second section is medium low pressure section that is split horizontally and comprises three parts connected by vertical flanges. The outlet branches are connected rigidly with condenser which is supported on springs. In the middle casing, tube nests of 1st and 2nd low pressure heaters are mounted. The casings are interconnected by guide keys and fixed points in the axial direction are at the central part of the low pressure casing. A unit of General Electric Co (GE.N) and India’s Triveni Engineering & Industries (TREI.BO) has formed a joint venture to manufacture steam turbines in India, the two firms. The partnership between the diversified Indian firm and GE Oil & Gas will design advanced technology steam turbines in the 30 to 100 megawatts range, and sell to Indian customers as well as export to global markets under the GE brand name. "Our strategic alliance reflects GE's continued commitment to India and strengthens our local market presence through technology transfer," GE India's President and Chief Executive ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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turbine market in India was valued at $660m with a global share of 7.11%, followed by the US, Egypt and Vietnam with $570m, $370m, and $310m respectively. GlobalData’s report finds that the global market for steam turbines is restricted by the growing environmental concerns, lack of domestic fuel resources, supply chain risks and market volatility. Countries are promoting a number of measures such as low carbon power generation and energy efficiency and management, which are gradually reducing the need for coal-based power generation. Nevertheless, coal will continue to play an integral role in power generation within certain emerging markets. Governments promoting coal have mandates for the use of advanced technologies such as ultra-supercritical, supercritical, and other clean coal technologies for existing and upcoming coal power plants to ensure emissions and efficiency standards are maintained. Other factors such as increased demand for combined-cycle gas turbine plants, low coal prices, and expansion policies will aid in the growth of the market. With over a century of experience and continuous development in our steam turbine technology. More than 120,000 steam turbines delivered worldwide prove that we are a reliable and experienced partner. Our steam turbines work as generator drives or as mechanical drives for compressors or pumps. They play a significant role in many combined cycle and cogeneration plants and in industrial applications. Be it power generation plants, district heating, biomass, waste-to-energy, seawater desalination or solar heat: There is a wide range of applications for steam turbines. A steam turbine is a rotary heat engine that converts thermal energy contained in the steam to mechanical energy or to electrical energy. The basic operation of the steam turn is similar to gas turbine expect the working fluid which water

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John Flannery. GE Triveni Ltd will be headquartered in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. GE will exclusively transfer technology and provide R&D support at Triveni's Bangalore turbine manufacturing facility. The global steam turbine market registered a market value of $9.25bn in 2018, primarily driven by growth in China, India, the US, Egypt and Vietnam, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The two firms did not disclose the financial terms of the venture, but Triveni said it will hold one extra share in the JV, with both partners having equal board representation. The transaction is expected to be completed in the next few months. The global steam turbine market is projected to grow moderately and be supported by growing industrial, commercial, and residential operations. Thermal capacity is being added every year due to the increasing demand for electricity. Frequent power cuts, blackouts, and load shedding have also contributed to the increased demand for steam turbines. The Asia-Pacific region led the global steam turbine market in recent years and will continue to do so over the forecast period. In the emerging economies of Asia-Pacific, extensive power plant capacity additions, economic growth and the need to improve access to electricity are aiding the growth of the steam turbine market. Coal will continue to be the dominant power generation source in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The production of coal and natural gas is being increased and is being earmarked for power generation to assist in the rapid economic growth and development of the region. With respect to market value, China was identified as the leading country for steam turbines by registering $3.56bn in 2018, with a global share of 38.46%. In 2018, the steam

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Steam Turbines

Special Feature

and steam in steam turbine instead of air and gas. Steam turbine is a common feature of all modern and also future thermal power plants. In fact, also the power production of fusion power plants is based on the use of conventional steam turbines. Since the steam turbine is a rotary heat engine, it is particularly suited to be used to drive an electrical generator. Note that about 90% of all electricity generation in the world is by use of steam turbines.

Working of a Steam Turbine Working of a steam turbine is bit typical as it works on the thermalenergy contained in the steam is converted to the mechanical energy by expansion through the turbine. The expansion of turbine takes place through a series of fixed blades or nozzles that orient the system into high flow into high speed jets. These jets contain significant kinetic energy, which is converted into shaft rotation by the bucket-like shaped rotor blades, as the steam jet changes direction. The steam jet moves over the curved surface of the blade, which exerts a pressure on the blade owing to its centrifugal force.Each row of fixed nozzles and moving blades is called a stage. The blades rotate on the turbine rotor and the fixed blades are concentrically arranged within the circular turbine casing. In all turbines the rotating blade velocity is proportional to the steam velocity passing over the blade. If the steam is expanded only in a single stage from the boiler pressure to the exhaust pressure, its velocity must be extremely high. But the typical main turbine in nuclear power plants, in which steam expands from pressures about 6 MPa to pressures about 0.008 MPa, operates at speeds about 3,000 RPM for 50 Hz systems for 2-pole generator.(or 1500RPM for 4-pole generator), and

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1800 RPM for 60 Hz systems for 4-pole generator (or 3600 RPM for 2-pole generator). A single-blade ring would require very large blades and approximately 30 000 RPM, which is too high for practical purposes. Therefore most of nuclear power plants operate a single-shaft turbine-generator that consists of one multi-stage HP turbine and three parallel multi-stage LP turbines, a main generator and an exciter. HP Turbine is usually double-flow reaction turbine with about 10 stages with shrouded blades and produces about 30-40% of the gross power output of the power plant unit. LP turbines are usually double-flow reaction turbines with about 5-8 stages (with shrouded blades and with free-standing blades of last 3 stages). LP turbines produce approximately 60-70% of the gross power output of the power plant unit. Each turbine rotor is mounted on two bearings, i.e. there are double bearings between each turbine module.

Types of Steam Turbines Steam turbines may be classified into different categories depending on their construction, working pressures, size and many other parameters. But there are two basic types of steam turbines • Impulse turbines • Reaction turbines.

In impulse turbine, the rotating blades are shaped like buckets. High-velocity jets of incoming steam from carefully shaped nozzles kick into the buckets, pushing them around with a series of impulses, and bouncing off to the other side at a similar speed but much-reduced pressure (compared to the incoming jet). This design is called an impulse turbine and it's particularly good at extracting energy from high-pressure steam. ||www.renewablemirror.com||

it cools down, loses pressure, and gives up its energy to the piston. The piston pushes the locomotive's wheels around before returning back into the cylinder so the whole process can be repeated. The steam isn't a source of energy: it's an energy-transporting fluid that helps to convert the energy locked inside coal into mechanical energy that propels a train. A steam turbine is powered by the energy in hot, gaseous steam and works like a cross between a wind turbine and a water turbine. Like a wind turbine, it has spinning blades that turn when steam blows past them, like a water turbine, the blades fit snugly inside a sealed outer container so the steam is constrained and forced past them at speed. Steam turbines use high-pressure steam to turn electricity generators at incredibly high speeds, so they rotate much faster than either wind or water turbines.

In an alternative design called a reaction turbine, there's a second set of stationary blades attached to the inside of the turbine case. These help to speed up and direct the steam onto the rotating blades at just the right angle, before it leaves with reduced temperature and pressure but broadly the same speed as it had when it entered. In both cases, steam expands and gives up some of its energy as it passes through the turbine. In an ideal world, all the heat and kinetic energy lost by the steam would be gained by the turbine and converted into useful kinetic energy (making it spin around). But, of course, the turbine will heat up somewhat, some steam might leak out, and there are various other reasons why turbines (like all other machines) are never 100 percent efficient. Modern steam turbines frequently employ both reaction and impulse in the same unit, typically varying the degree of reaction and impulse from the blade root to its periphery. The rotor blades are usually designed like an impulse blade at the rot and like a reaction blade at the tip.

Driven Generators: Steam Turbines and Electric Generators A steam turbine driven generator, sometimes known as turbo generators, can be best explained by understanding a steam turbine and a generator separately. A steam turbine is a steam-driven driver. Water is heated at an extremely high temperature to convert it into steam. Energy created by highly pressurized steam is converted to mechanical energy which rotates the blades in the steam turbine. And a generator is best described as a machine by which mechanical energy is transformed into electrical energy. The coiled wires used in a generator spin inside a magnetic field which causes an electric current to flow through the wire. When a steam turbine is connected to a generator, it produces electricity and is known as a steam turbine driven generator. The auxiliary systems built in them make them work safely and with greater efficiency. Steam turbine driven generators are commonly used in solar thermal electric power plants, coal, geothermal, nuclear, waste incineration plants and natural gas power plants. They are also used extensively in cement, sugar, steel, paper, chemicals and other industries. Steam turbine driven generators are generally high-speed

How steams provide energy? If you've ever seen an old-fashioned steam locomotive, you'll have some idea just how powerful steam can be. A steam locomotive is built around a steam engine, a complex machine based on a simple idea: you can burn fuel (coal) to release the energy stored inside it. In a steam engine, coal burns in a furnace and releases heat, which boils water like a kettle and generates high-pressure steam. The steam feeds through a pipe into a cylinder with a tight fitting piston, which moves outward as the steam flows in—a bit like a bicycle pump working in reverse. As the steam expands to fill the cylinder, ||www.renewablemirror.com||

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Steam Turbines

Special Feature

machines. Most of the electric power in the world is produced by a steam turbine driven power plants. In the United States alone around 85.0% of the electricity is a produced using steam turbine generator. Steam Turbine Driven Generators can range widely in size. They rarely exceed about 1,500 Megawatts (2 million horsepower) on the top end, and are used on a small scale as well, down to about 500 kW (670 horsepower) on the low end.

allow the steam to expand more and facilitates the turbine in extracting maximum energy from it. This makes the electricity generating process much more efficient. Non Condensing turbines don't have this feature and thus are rarely used except for small, auxiliary systems where only low power is needed. In large steam turbines, in fossil-fuel power plants, the steam pressure can be as high as 20–30MPa (3000–4000 psi or about 200–270 times atmospheric pressure), but is generally operates at less than 1,000 psi. A typical power plant steam Working principle of a Steam-Driven Generator In a steam turbine driven generator, heat is generated from turbine rotates at 1800–3600 RPM. a source. There is a boiler which contains water and the heat Efficiency of a steam driven generator is used to convert it into steam which is of high temperature The efficiency of a steam driven generator depends on many and high pressure. Steam production depends on the flow factors such as the type of steam turbine, its size, the inlet rate and surface area of the heat transfer and the heat of steam pressure and temperature, the exhaust steam pressure combustion used. This steam from the boiler is pushed into and temperature, and the steam flow rate. the turbine through nozzles, which spins the blades mounted Steam turbines are suitable for large thermal power plants. on a shaft. The steam turbine consists of a casing to which They are made in a variety of sizes up to 1.5 GW (2,000,000 stationary blades are fixed inside and a rotor has moving hp) turbines which are used to generate electricity. However, blades on the periphery. coal power plants and burning fossil fuels or nuclear power, The working of a larger steam turbine may be complex and used to generate electricity from a steam turbine generator difficult to comprehend since it uses a set of blades on the has an adverse impact on the environment. They emit carbon rotor. Each set of blades is called a stage which works by dioxide and other pollutants into the air and water. They have either impulse or reaction. A mixture of impulse and reaction slower startup than gas turbines. stage complicates its working since these set of blades are all Market Scenario mounted on the same rotor axle and all turning the generator Global steam turbine market is projected to grow at a CAGR of at the same time. 4.4% from 2015 to 2020, to reach a market size of USD 19,292 Steam turbines regulate their speed with the use of automated Million by 2020. The growth is attributed to the continuing valves and a control governor, so they generate optimum power investments in electricity generation infrastructure, particularly as needed at any particular time. in the large economies of Asia-Pacific region.With respect to Turbines also vary in their cooling process of steam. Condensing market value, China was identified as the leading country for turbines, usually used in large power plants to generate steam turbines by registering $3.56bn in 2018, with a global electricity, convert the steam to water using condensers which share of 38.46%. In 2018, the steam turbine market in India

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the 30 to 100 megawatts range, and sell to Indian customers as well as export to global markets under the GE brand name. "Our strategic alliance reflects GE's continued commitment to India and strengthens our local market presence through technology transfer," GE India's President and Chief Executive John Flannery. GE Triveni Ltd will be headquartered in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. GE will exclusively transfer technology and provide R&D support at Triveni's Bangalore turbine manufacturing facility, the companies said. The two firms did not disclose the financial terms of the venture, but Triveni said it will hold one extra share in the JV, with both partners having equal board representation. The transaction is expected to be completed in the next few months. Earlier this year, a senior official at Triveni had told Reuters the firm was in talks to find a strategic partner for its turbine business and would make an announcement soon. GE, the world's biggest maker of jet engines and electricityproducing turbines, aims to boost its growth in the fast-growing Indian economy by developing lower-cost products that will appeal to emerging market customers. In October last year, it named Flannery as head of its Indian operations, in a test of a new country-specific management style for the largest U.S. conglomerate. GE's energy arm has announced plans to set up a wind-turbinegenerator plant in southern India, due to start production in Conclusion A unit of General Electric Co (GE.N) and India’s Triveni the second half of 2010. GE also hopes to build at least one Engineering & Industries (TREI.BO) has formed a joint venture nuclear power plant in India following the 2008 U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation pact. to manufacture steam turbines in India, the two firms. The partnership between the diversified Indian firm and GE "I think, as a mechanism to growing our business in India Oil & Gas will design advanced technology steam turbines in partnerships is key," Flannery told reporters, when asked about the likelihood of more joint ventures in the country. RM

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was valued at $660m with a global share of 7.11%, followed by the US, Egypt and Vietnam with $570m, $370m, and $310m respectively.With respect to market value, China was identified as the leading country for steam turbines by registering $3.56bn in 2018, with a global share of 38.46%. In 2018, the steam turbine market in India was valued at $660m with a global share of 7.11%, followed by the US, Egypt and Vietnam with $570m, $370m, and $310m respectively. Asia-Pacific is the leading market for steam turbines in 2014 with strong demand from China and India. It is also projected to be the fastest growing market with CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. China is expected to be the fastest growing market for steam turbines across the world, followed by India, with a CAGR of 5.7% and 5.5% during the forecast period respectively. These countries account for around 60% of the global thermal power capacity additions projected for the next five years helping drive the market for steam turbines. The global steam turbine market registered a market value of US$9.25bn in 2018, primarily driven by growth in China. Despite a slowdown in capacity additions, China will continue to lead the global market, followed by India, the US, Egypt and Vietnam, between 2019 and 2023. The increasing demand for uninterrupted power in developing countries such as China and India, and the rise in combined-cycle and cogeneration operations are set to drive the aggregate value of the global steam turbine market to US$36.70bn between 2019 and 2023.

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

Guest Article

Growatt Leading India’s Rooftop Market of 1352MW in 2020 with market share of approx 18%.

India has installed more than 1.3 GW of rooftop solar capacity in 2020, as per the recently released report by Bridge To India. There has been an overall reduction of 40% in solar rooftop installations as compared to year 2019 due to coronavirus pandemic. Among inverter suppliers in India for the rooftop solar sector, the research firm has ranked China’s leading inverter manufacturers, Growatt, on top with 18 percent of the market share. Growatt entered the Indian market in 2021 and has been serving the Indian PV market for 9 years. Because of its high-quality services and products, Growatt has been recognized by the Indian PV market and has maintained a leading position in the Indian rooftop photovoltaic market.Till date Growatt has shipped more than 1,50,000 units ranging from

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1KW to 80KW for Indian market aggregating to approx 2.5 GW till date. Growatt also attaches great importance to providing customers with localized services. Growatt has built an extensive service network to provide Indian customers with localized marketing, warehousing, technical support and after-sales service. Growatt Has more than 15 service engineer on payroll in different cities in India, with 2 service centres, one in Hyderabad and second in Ahmedabad. the service team of the company has also been actively providing installation, commissioning and technical training for its clients. Looking ahead this year, Growatt will be more supportive of Indian customers and help them overcome the impact of COVID19 pandemic. In the long run, we have unwavering confidence in the potential of Indian solar market.

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EVENT DIARY 03-05 JUNE 2021

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India http://evindiaexpo.in/

EV India 2021 Expo is an International Electric Motor Vehicle Show will provide the opportunity and platform to electric vehicle manufacturers to showcase their latest Products , technology and equipment ,Smart and NextGen transport ,electric passengers cars, scooter, motorcycle, cycles, buses etc to meet and network with the trade industry as well as end users with the main aim to find out new business and protection of the environment.

The 14th edition of Renewable Energy India 2020 Expo observed a grand opening on the first day, with participation from leading international stakeholders and experts from across the globe at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida.

27-29 Oct 2021

14-16 Dec 2021

Over the years, REI has been established as the most comprehensive, reputed and Asia’s largest expo in this domain where the green community congregates to discuss the trends, addresses challenges and showcases the best and most innovative technological solutions available to overcome them.

IECC, PRAGATI MAIDAN

Mumbai, India www.thesmartere.in

For more than 15 years, POWERGEN India has served as India's premier forum for the power generation industry. Attracting over 8,000 attendees, POWERGEN India covers all forms of power generation, from conventional to renewable energy and other low-carbon options. This leading forum is where the power industry can meet, share and discuss solutions for India's energy future.

Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition & conference series for the solar industry. As part of this event series, Intersolar India in Mumbai is India’s most pioneering exhibition and conference for India’s solar industry. It takes place annually and has a focus on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production and solar thermal technologies. Since 2019, Intersolar India is held under the umbrella of The smarter E India – India’s innovation hub for the new energy world.

www.powergen-india.com

15-17 Sept. 2021

India expo mart, greater Noida www.renewableenergyindiaexpo.com

RENEWABLE MIR ROR

|| May 2021 ||

||www.renewablemirror.com||

RNI No. DELENG/2017/74537 English Monthly Date of Publication 9th of Every Month

RM June Issue 2021

Articles inside

Kirloskar

EnterPrize Energy

Adani

Greenko