RM September Issue 2022

Leading String Inverter Solis-Global

Developing Technology To Power The World With Clean Energy

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Teledyne FLIR Thermal Imaging Camera is the perfect tool for solar panel inspections.

This within solar cell indicates physical damage within the cell

EDITOR’S DESK Readers,

With great pride, we are delighted to bring our Golden Anniversary Edition of RENEWABLE MIRROR. This is the 5th Anniversary of the magazine and it follows Renewable Energy India Expo (REI) being held during 28th-30th September 2022.

Renewable Mirror offers unique, refreshing and informative content to assist and inspire our readers & clients. Renewable Mirror is bound to evolve to tough new Zenith of success. It is our hope that the breadth of our coverage is representative of the quality and rich content with the interests and concerns of our readers as well as the surrounding community.

As we believe that the pursuit of knowledge is never ending, we have brought in focus perspicacious, thought-provoking topics in this issue like - Renewable Energy, Transmission lines & its Mitigation, Energy efficiency, Floating Photovoltaics, etc. are worth pondering your thoughts.

A warm thank you for admiring our magazine and looking forward to it with such vigour and enthusiasm. You are truly wonderful audiences; it gives us great pleasure to present you our ‘Golden Anniversary Edition’. We are very proud of the work displayed here by the writers and the whole team who made this issue possible. We hope you enjoy reading an exclusive content as seen through the experts’ journalistic eyes.

Happy Reading...

Please keep giving us your invaluable feedback at editor@renewablemirror.com For more details check out our website: www.renewablemirror.com

Press

Goldi Solar, India’s most qualityconscious solar brand today announced the completion of 2+ MW supply order of solar modules for a ground-mounted project for UREDA (Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Department) commissioned in July 2021 based in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Goldi Solar is known best as a quality-conscious brand owing to its quality products and quality people. The company currently operates two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Gujarat. Goldi Solar comes with more than a decade of rich industry experience. Its

current production capacity is 2.5 GW and the manufacturer is looking to expand to 6 GW soon.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Bharat Bhut, Co- founder & Director, Goldi Solar said, “The order completion is a moment of pride as we add another name to our client portfolio. Goldi Solar is slowly increasing its footprint in Uttarakhand. We believe that this is our small contribution to the state’s vision of harnessing the sun’s power, especially to empower those in hilly terrains and remote areas.”

RM

A Project of Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF) to illuminate the homes of 750 families of unsung heroes of India

with rooftop solar panels shall be executed by Goldi Solar! India's most quality-conscious solar brand, Goldi Solar, will act as an implementing agency for the project. In a program to commemorate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, SRKKF announced the launch of the project for the Nation in a unique initiative of 'Rastra ki Roshni.' These unsung heroes include martyred soldiers, ex-army men, doctors, sanitation workers, firefighters, and scientists of India.

Mr. Ishver Dholakiya, Managing Director, Goldi Solar, said, "We are extremely proud and thankful to our mentor, Shri Govindbhai Dholakia, Founder & Chairman, Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK) and SRK Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF), for allowing Goldi Solar to participate in such a humanitarian initiative. This project will improve and impact the quality of life of over 3000 lives. Earlier, SRKKF had supported BSF

Jawans at the Nadabet border by providing medical relief and monetary help to deceased soldiers. The sole purpose of this initiative is to salute and acknowledge the heroes of the nation who have always stood and kept our families and us safe. This is the time to show our gratitude towards their family and enlighten their lives with this endeavour. This will empower them not only personally but professionally too."

Mr. Bharat Bhut, Director, Goldi Solar added, "This project takes a step towards achieving PM Modi's promise of 24x7 power for all and captures the spirit of his Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. With this goal in mind, Goldi Solar has supported SRKKF's 'Rastra ki Roshni' initiative and pledged to support the families of brave souls. We will provide the modules and the installation service. Rooftop solar systems with a capacity of over two megawatts will be used to power homes. Consequently, over 25 years, each family will save approximately Rs. 2000 per month. This project is expected to complete by the beginning of 2023. RM

r eleaseGoldi Solar supports Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundation (SRKKF)’s 'Rastra ki Roshni initiative to illuminate and empower 750 families of unsung heroesof India!

r eleasePower Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy & Infrastructure Technology Limited (MAHAPREIT) on 22nd August 2022 in Mumbai for extending financial assistance across the value chain in the form of long term debt, working capital/ operational funding requirements and other funding requirements for projects to be undertaken by MAHAPREIT. The MOU inter-alia envisaged financial assistance of approx. Rs. 6750 crore to various solar power projects with proposed capacity of 1550 MW within the state of Maharashtra.

In order to achieve the renewable energy capacity addition targets,

these projects shall also generate wage and self-employment opportunities in the state of Maharashtra.

The MoU has been signed in the presence of Shri. Bipin Shrimali (IAS), CMD MAHAPREIT, Shri R.S. Dhillon, CMD PFC (Joined virtually), Sri R.R.Jha, Director (Projects), PFC. Shri R.K. Chaturvedi, Executive Director (Projects), PFC and senior officers from PFC & MAHAPREIT were also present at the MoU signing event.

The MOU underlines PFC’s commitment towards playing a pivotal role in powering the nation's aspirational journey into a greener and more sustainable future. RM

Govt. to pool wind energy bids to diversify projects

The central government is working on a plan to pool wind power bids to diversify projects across states that have the scope for it, power minister RK Singh said, adding that his ministry is targeting bids of at least 8 GW per year of wind energy to boost the sector.

The move comes at a time when wind energy installations have slowed in the country, even as the government has set a target of setting up wind energy projects totalling 140 GW by 2030. Against this target, India has an installed capacity of about 40 GW of wind projects, data from the ministry of new and renewable energy showed.

“We are lagging behind in harnessing wind energy. What happened 3-4 years ago was that distribution companies (discoms) used to buy wind energy on the basis of feed-in tariff. Thereafter, discoms became reluctant to buy feed-in tariff as they shifted to more market-oriented methods.

PFC signs MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Limited for funding Solar Projects in Maharashtra

story cover

GROWTH STORY OF INDIA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLED CAPACITY

ABSTRACT: Energy is one of the most important & major factors for determining the economic development of any country. India has a huge potential of renewable resource & is moving at a very high speed toward the development especially sustainable development i.e. development without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs.

This article gives overview and analysis of growth story of installed capacity of renewable power sector from 1stJanuary to 31stJuly of 2022 & the same are being compared with installed capacity from 1stJanuary to 31stJuly of 2021 based on the data available on public domain.

Keyword: Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Biomass Energy, Hydro Energy, Waste to Energy.

Fig.1 Sources of Renewable Energy

1.0 Introduction:

Renewable source of energy plays an important role in the total generation capacity of electricity. India’s population is approximate 1.39 billion & is continuously increasing year by year, so the demand of power (Consumption) is also increasing. In order to make a balance between consumption & generation, renewable sources of energy need more attention and work in that direction must be done.

• Solar Power: Solar energy is the energy which is received to the earth from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which makes the production of solar electricity.

• Small Hydro Power: Small Hydro Power refers to energy, mostly electric, which is derived from water in motion. This power is harnessed and used to drive mechanical device.

• Wind Power: Wind Power captures the natural wind in our atmosphere and converts it into mechanical energy and then electricity. Basically, wind turbines can convert its kinetic energy into electricity.

• Biomass Cogeneration Power: Cogeneration is the production of electricity and heat which using a primary fuel. Biomass cogeneration uses waste wood and horticultural materials as fuel.

• Waste to Energy: Waste to energy technologies convert waste material into various form of fuel that can be used to supply energy.

It is important to mention here that small hydro power contributes approx.4.2%, wind power contributes approx. 35.7%, solar power contributes approx. 50.6%, Biomass cogeneration power which contributes approx. 8.9% & Waste to energy contributes approx. 0.4% respectively in the total renewable power contribution.

2.0 COMPARISON OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLED CAPACITY

The renewable energy installed capacity of India (region wise & component wise) for the month of January 22 is compared with January 21 in table 1 and 2 respectively. (Reproduced from cea.nic.in/Monthly Reports).

Fig.2 Types of Sources of Renewable Energy

The total installed capacity (approx 404GW) is the combination of Thermal, Nuclear, Hydro & Renewable Energy Sources. Further, Thermal Energy is divided into 4 parts: Coal, Lignite, Diesel and Gas. The contribution of Thermal energy is approx. 58.4%, Nuclear Energy is approx.1.6%, Hydro Energy is approx. 11.5% & Renewable Energy Source (RES) is approx. 28.3% respectively.

Now we will focus on Renewable Energy Source (RES) which is more than 1/4thpart of total installed capacity. Renewable energy is useful energy that is collected from renewable resources, referred to as clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes. This type of energy doesn’t harm to the nature. The main components of renewable source of energy (Refer figure1&2) are:

• Solar Energy

• Hydro Energy

• Wind Energy

• Bio-Power – (a) Biomass Power Cogeneration (b) Waste

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of January 2021 & January 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 3 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there has been addition of 13303.39MW capacity from January 2021 to January 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 13303.39 MW please refer table 1. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 2.

capacity from February 2021 to February 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 13404.15MW please refer table 3. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 4.

Fig.3 Comparison of Renewable Energy January 2021 & 2022

Next, the renewable energy installed capacity of India (region wise & component wise) for the month of February 22 is compared with February 21 in table 3 and 4 respectively (Reproduced from cea.nic.in/Monthly Reports).

Fig.4 Comparison of Renewable Energy February 2021 & 2022

Further, the renewable energy installed capacity of India (region wise & component wise) for the month of March 22 is compared with March 21 in table 5 and 6 respectively. (Reproduced from cea.nic.in/Monthly Reports)

The

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of March 2021 & March 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 5 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there has been addition of 15451.59MW capacity from March 2021 to March 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 15451.59MW please refer table 5. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 6.

Fig. 5

Next, the (region wise for the month of April 22 is compared with table (Reproduced from cea.nic.in/Monthly

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of May 2021 & May 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 7 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there has been addition of 17570.22MW capacity from May 2021 to May 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 17570.22MW please refer table 9. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 10.

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of April 2021 & April 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 6 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there has been addition of 16386.41MW capacity from April 2021 to April 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 16386.41MW please refer table 7. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 8.

Fig.7 Comparison of Renewable Energy May 2021 & May 2022

Next, the renewable energy installed capacity of India (region wise & component wise) for the month of June 22 is compared with June 21 in table 11 and 12 respectively. (Reproduced from cea.nic.in/Monthly Reports). nergy

Fig.6 Comparison of Renewable Energy April 2021 & April 2022

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of June 2021 & June 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 8 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there was addition of 17108.50MW capacity from June 2021 to June 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 17108.50MW please refer table 11. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 12.

The analysis / comparison of Renewable Energy Source Data of July 2021 & July 2022 can be better understood with the help of chart shown in figure 9 below. By comparing these data, we can see that there has been addition of 15554.65MW capacity from July 2021 to July 2022. Every region as well as Island has contributed to this addition of 15554.65MW please refer table 13. In order to get capacity addition in all component of renewable energy please refer table 14.

Fig.9 Comparison of Renewable Energy July 2021 & July 2022

3.0 Conclusion: From the above comparison, we may conclude that:

• January: There has been addition of 13303.39MW from January 2021 to January 2022.

• February: There has been addition of 13404.15MW from February 2021 to February 2022.

• March: There has been addition of 15451.59MW from March 2021 to March 2022.

• April: There has been addition of 16386.41MW from April 2021 to April 2022.

• May: There has been addition of 17570.22MW from May 2021 to May 2022.

• June: There has been addition of 17108.50MW from June 2021 to June 2022.

• July: There has been addition of 15554.65MW from July 2021 to July 2022.

As we can see from above comparison, India installed capacity (in MW) of power station is increasing month by month.

India’s renewable energy capacity crosses 100GW: India’s total installed renewable energy generation capacity crossed 100 GW mark on August 12, 2021 and the country has become fourth in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. The country has set an ambitious target to have 175 GW or 1,75,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2022.

Dr. RAJESH KUMAR ARORA obtained the B. Tech. & Master of Engineering (ME) degrees in Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, University of Delhi, India in 1999 and 2003 respectively. He completed his PhD in grounding system design from UPES, Dehradun. He is also certified Energy Manager and Auditor and has worked in 400kV and 220kV Substation for more than 14 years in Delhi Transco Limited (DTL). He has also worked as Deputy Director (Transmission and Distribution) in Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) for 03 years and 06 months. He has also given his contribution in the OS department of DTL for more than 2 years and rendered his services in the SLDC of Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) also. Presently he is working in D&E (Design and Engineering) department of DTL. His research interests include high voltage technology, grounding system, protection system, computer application and power distribution automation.

MSPL established in , orking in Rene able energ sector ha ing e per se in Solar Po er plant EPC, Lithi m Ba er and Electric and heeler man fact ring as co-assembler/man fact rer OEM’s for brands.

We ha e o r o n man fact ring /assembling nit in L ckno , UP, spra ling o er an acre of space and c rrent capacit of de eloping o er ehicles per month. We o ld like to in ite companies ho are illing to e tend their prod c on and spread hands to a h ge c stomer base all across the co ntr . We also help in dealership and complete b siness de elopment for the ne pla ers in the market as ell as old firms illing to e pand at er minimal cost. C rrentl , e are orking ith Lord’s A toma e P t. Ltd., as OEM partner for their EV heeler (ZOOM) and De am heeler (KING) man fact ring in o r facilit . We are looking for ard to e pand ith more brands in o r facilit and orking as their OEM’s and co-assembling nits.

Along ith heeler man fact ring e are de eloping projects of electric heeler man fact ring categori ed into Loaders and E-Ricksha .

Apart from man fact ring, e also ha e e per se as Solar EPC cons ltanc in S olar po er plant s stem designing, post installa on monitoring, training, a�er sales ser ices and installa on of On-Grid, Off-Grid and H brid s stems.

Mr. rahul Bhutiani Head Sales & Marketing adani solar

We at Adani Solar, believe that the Solar industry in India is poised for an orbital change. The Government, regulators, manufacturers, the developers are working in tandem to ensure India meets its ambitious (but achievable) targets for Renewable Power.

The solar industry is capable of taking India to Energy Security while helping decarbonize the Power Generation industry in India. India is currently the 3rd largest market for Solar Industry behind China and USA, and we will continue to hold our position in near future too. The solar installations in the country are expected to grow exponentially in the next 5 years and Adani Solar is geared to support this massive growth. Adani Solar will continue to hold a dominant market share going forward too.

Q.Please brief our readers about your solar journey.

In 2017, Adani Solar became the first company in the world to start a Greenfield Project of GW scale at Mundra, with its platinum-rated manufacturing facility of 1.2 GW of Solar PV cells & Modules. This setup was enhanced to 1.5 GW in 2019. This facility has been successfully catering primarily to the Domestic Markets – Residential Rooftop projects, Ground-based IPP projects, Solar Parks, and even the Agricultural Solar Pump projects under the KUSUM scheme. Adani Solar has been a consistent performer not only in terms of volumes in manufacturing but also in terms of Market Share – consistently being the largest and the most prominent Indian Player against the onslaught of Chinese manufacturers.

Adani Solar prides itself in having created a very robust Retail Distribution Network across all states of India that ensures Adani Solar Modules reach every nook & corner. We pride ourselves in holding a 50% market share in residential retail and KUSUM markets.

In 2022, Adani Solar expanded its capacity by adding a 2 GW line. With this capacity addition, Adani Solar has brought to India the state-of-the-art, contemporary MonoPERC technology that is capable of delivering high-efficiency modules thereby making Solar projects more viable. With these, Modules Adani Solar is now serving the domestic and international markets very efficiently and effectively.

Adani Solar is the only Indian manufacturer to be awarded Top Performer by DNV-GL PVEL Global Reliability Testing for five consecutive years (2018 to 2022).

Q. Which are the advanced technologies that have been adopted in your products and processes?

/ What kind of products and new technologies you are going to launch in this or next year?

I n T er VI ew I n T er VI ew

The capacity expansion of 2 GW that is already done is with the latest MonoPERC Technology that is capable of giving us high-efficiency Modules. The manufacturing set-up is flexible and can work with both 182 mm and 210 mm cells thereby offering Modules in the bin range of 535 -660 Wp. We are also setting up the associated Cell line which will again be flexible and capable of manufacturing cells of 182 mm and 210 mm.

Interestingly our MonoPERC lines are also capable of being upgraded to n-type TOPCon technology thereby further enhancing the efficiency of modules we can offer to the market.

Adani Solar has also set off an expanding capacity by another 2 GW by bringing to India, the N-type TOPCon technology with its futuristic technology and is capable of further enhancing the Module efficiencies.

Q. What makes your product the best fit for any kind of requirement?

At Adani Solar, our attempt has been to have better control on the supply chain – which gives us the ability to ensure the best quality of the product. We have and continue to build out integrated Cell and Module capacities. We have also set up an ancillary eco-system to ensure supply chain independence for other critical components of the Module – like Aluminum Frame, Back-sheet, POE, Glass, etc.

Adani Solar Modules are ALMM approved and have all the

T er ew

requisite national and International Certifications for them to be accepted for any type of deployment – Retail, Commercial, Industrial, and IPP.

Q. What are your growth and expansion plans for the next couple of years?

Adani Solar will be expanding capacities with the latest Technologies. With MonoPERC technology we have 2 GW of Cell and Module capacities. We are already underway with an expansion of another 2 GW which will be based on the n-type TOPCon technology. This facility will be operational by Mid-2023.

As a vision, Adani Solar intends to have, over the next few years, a fully integrated capacity of 10 GW starting from Polysilicon up to Modules. The ancillary eco-system will also be appropriately expanded to support the 10 GW capacity. Once completed, this facility will maybe the world’s only fully integrated 10 GW Solar PV manufacturing capacity with the entire ancillary eco-system co-located.

Q. How do you see India’s solar sector progressing in the next 5 years? How do you see Adani Solar contributing to the sector during this time?

We at Adani Solar, believe that the Solar industry in India is poised for an orbital change. The Government, regulators, manufacturers, the developers are working in tandem to ensure India meets its ambitious (but achievable) targets for Renewable Power.

The solar industry is capable of taking India to Energy Security while helping decarbonize the Power Generation industry in India. India is currently the 3rd largest market for Solar Industry behind China and USA, and we will continue to hold our position in near future too. The solar installations in the country are expected to grow exponentially in the next 5 years and Adani Solar is geared to support this massive growth. Adani Solar will continue to hold a dominant market share going forward too.

Q. What kind of pricing and technology roadmap do you see coming through in the industry?

The industry has seen unprecedented price increases last year on the back of an all-time increase in Polysilicon prices. With a lot of new polysilicon capacities coming on stream now, it is widely expected that there would be pressure on prices, and we may soon see a downward trend in prices for the industry. This will augur well and help boost the growth in the industry.

In terms of technology, the industry is gravitating towards higher and higher module efficiency. The current favorite, MonoPERC technology will likely rule the roost over the near future. TOPCon and HJT are the technologies that are maturing very fast and will be the technologies that the world and India will work with in times to come.

Q. How has the rupee devaluation affected the solar industry and your business?

The Indian solar industry is reeling under pressure created by rising raw material prices primarily driven by the Polysilicon price spurt and commodity prices surge. The World’s geo-political situation triggered rises in Crude prices and that has led to an impact on our Rupee.

This devaluation has resulted in a further impact on Module prices since a lot of the raw materials are imported and lead to a very strong linkage to dollar Rupee movements.

To the extent a company exports its products, there could be a natural hedge against dollar Rupee fluctuations. However, for domestic sales, the impact of the dollar Rupee movement is Challenging.

Q. What kind of growth do you see coming in the residential sector demand?

The Indian Government has been very proactive in creating a very positive environment for the Residential Rooftop Solar market. The schemes announced and implemented and also under implementation are very generous and should ensure good participation by the Residential sector. MNRE’s grid-connected rooftop solar program is aiming for residential installation of 4 GW and offers a 40% subsidy for the first 3 kW of generation capacity in residential rooftop systems. Estimates suggest that Residential Rooftop installations are only 17% of total rooftop solar capacity and just 2.9% of the nation’s total solar capacity. Only around 0.5% of independent urban homes have installed rooftop solar which clearly shows the potential for Rooftop Solar in the residential sector. The major deterrents till now have been consumer inhibition and low awareness about the technical, financial, and operational aspects of installations, and the industry and Government are addressing this appropriately.

Q. What are the cost and raw material challenges for solar modules and solar cells?

China’s share in the entire supply chain – all stages from Polysilicon to Modules is in excess of 80% and for wafers is as high as 95% plus. Economies of scale, supply chain integration, innovation, and significant government support for the last

2 decades have made China a formidable force in the Solar Supply Chain. As a result, India like most other countries around the world is dependent on Chinese imports (wafers, cells, etc.) for Solar Module Manufacturing. This dependence does not augur well for the industry – always susceptible to disruption in availability and prices.

Our governments intentions through the PLI scheme is clearly to slowly and steadily move away from this dependence on Chinese imports by encouraging the Indian Industry to create a domestic fully integrated supply chain that is capable of effectively meeting the Domestic Demand.

Q.Adani solar has expanded its business from manufacturing to retail distribution. What is the company’s strategy for the domestic market? Please explain.

Adani Solar PV modules should be available to every individual customer across the country. In keeping with this objective, Adani Solar has built out a very robust Retail Distribution network comprising over 20 Authorized Channel Partners, over 50 Resellers, and through these partners, a reach of over 2500 Integrators across the country.

Adani Solar is committed to serving the domestic market wholeheartedly.

Q.

Shed some light on Adani’s plans of developing domestic supply chain/backward integration including timeframe, investment etc.

The major setback faced by the Indian solar industry is the supply side constraints like the shortage of polysilicon, and glass, basically, the supply of raw materials required for the manufacture of cells and modules, increase in steel prices, aluminum, copper, silver, shortage of containers, freight spiral. India has no option but backward integrate and build capacity for manufacturing the whole spectrum of Solar PV supply chain domestically to mitigate the risks arising from the supply chain constraints.

Adani Solar has ambitious plans for the same. The backward integration at Adani solar will start with starting with 2GW Ingot, 2GW Wafer along with cumulative 4GW cell and 4GW module by January 2024. And by January 2026, we look forward to becoming a 10GW Fully integrated Solar PV manufacturer from Polysilicon to Module. To support this massive upscaling and integration, we shall also develop a comprehensive ecosystem of ancillary units like Glass, EVA, Backsheet, etc. to reduce our import dependency and ensure a seamless supply of all the key raw materials. RM

I n T er ew I n T er ew

JINKO is making all efforts to support the industry by offering our Latest Technology products to reduce overall lifetime investment by Solar Power Developers. At present, as you see, the price trend of Solar Modules is stable, only the landed price is higher due to BCD. It is likely to go down as we see more Manufacturing capacity getting commissioned across the Globe.

Mr. Manish narula Executive Vice President - South Asia jinko solar

Q. What kind of changes do you see in the Industryafter the BCD Implementation on Solar Panels?

The industry is gearing up to invest more in Local Manufacturing. Also, some of the players are finding loopholes in the system to bring Duty free products from other routes. Overall, a reduced demand due to heavy Duty imposition.

Q. How does the Dynamics of Price - DemandSupply Looks Like for this and the next Year?

It looks like that due to global disturbances, the prices are going to stay on a higher side briefly before it settles down. Demand-supply situation will improve after seeing many new manufacturing capacities getting commissioned. Next year, if no further disturbance is there, the prices shall stay lower than what it is this year.

Q. What Kind of Products and New Technologies you are going to launch in in this or next Year?

Several Global Manufacturers are launching their new technologies. At Jinko Solar, we’ve already launched the Tiger Neo Solar Modules, which are based on N Type Technology. These products have been accepted very well by the Industry due to its High Efficiency, Low Degradation as well as High Bi-faciality. All these advantages make this product a low LCOE product, which makes Investors happy as this means better ROIs on their projects.

Q. What kind of Pricing and Technology RoadMap do you see coming through in the Industry?

Pricing and Technology go hand in hand. We’re making all efforts to support the industry by offering our Latest Technology products to reduce overall lifetime investment by Solar Power Developers. At present, as you see, the price trend of Solar Modules is stable, only the landed price is higher due to BCD. It is likely to go down as we see more Manufacturing capacity getting commissioned across the Globe. Also due to high demand during certain peak times, say Q4, we may see a spike in the prices.

Q. What is the total quantity you supplied to India in Last 1 Year and What is the Expectation from coming one year?

We did great business in India last year. We were leading all charts every quarter across all analysis from Bridge to India, JMK, etc. From Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, we supplied almost 5 GW capacity to India. We also completed a 8GW cumulative shipment milestone this year.

Q. What are your views on the ALMM / BIS etc…?

It’s a must for any country to get its own Quality Standards and other regulations. However, these standards and regulations should be constantly upgraded to match with Global Standards. At present, as we understand, these standards are not up to the mark and need improvements. Another key factor is that such standards should act as enablers for Industry’s growth rather than act as hurdles. We strongly believe that MNRE will find ways to help Industry and allow level playing field for all global players till the times sufficient capacity is not developed in India.

Q. What is the Opportunity in India Currently… in Terms of Projects in Tender, Pipeline etc… Opportunities in Manufacturing etc…?

India is a booming market. 3rd largest in the Globe. Its one of the most preferred investment destinations as well. The present Projects demand is also great. However, if we see the expected installation targets going up to 2030, this annual demand could be made higher. In terms of manufacturing, we see a big demand due to PLI scheme and push for local manufacturing. However, let’s not rely on domestic manufacturing only due to its very limited supply chain control within the country.

Q. How has the rupee devaluation affected the Solar Industry and your business?

Not major implications our business as such.

Q. What kind of Solar Tariff Trends do you see coming?

If all factors are considered, the tariffs should remain range bound.

Q. Visible Changes in RE Industry w.r.t. Energy Storage, RTC, Hybrid RE Projects, Floating, etc and their likely impact.

These types of installations could be key supporters of plain Vanilla Solar Installations that country has witnessed till date. However, India which has always been a price sensitive market, may not have total reliance on such high-cost installations. At present India needs to complete its main RE target at reasonable tariff. Energy Storage and other kind of projects will only make the installation targets slower and costlier at the same time. Let’s stick to the base load from Conventional Energy while adding more RE power within the country. In all, such additional installations may be there in low percentage in order to find its own way towards several new Technologies.

Q. India couldn’t achieve the RE Capacity Targets Set for 2022 and now has set up another ambitious target for 2030…What are your views on the same.

Key Learnings, Expectations?

We should allow level playing field to meet the high demand first. Later we may develop local industry to sustain the growth. If we get influenced by just one segment, it is likely to create stress on overall economy of RE installations.

Q. What is your expectations from the Government, Policy Makers and Regulators?

We expect Govt to support all Industry segments towards meeting RE goals of the country. The key stakeholders, Solar Power Developers, who invest for 25-30 years in a project, needs to be heard first before anyone else.

Q. Rise of Role of PSU’s in the RE Sector and your views on the same?

It is great to see all major PSUs in India being so enthusiastic about RE with the likes of NTPC leading the way. We believe these companies have huge potential and can contribute significantly to solar capacity addition by way of tenders and self-consumption. They are serious competitors with private player in all solar auctions. We hope that the new policies will allow Jinko and other foreign brands to cater to the huge demand of PSUs directly which hasn’t been the case till now. RM

Q. Please shed some light on the Solis growth journey within the country, and what sort of technological shift you have seen since the commencement?

Solis has always kept focus on continuous product development by keeping a focus in-terms of product (Quality, Reliabilities, Performances) this three factors are the major one, where we improved solis product to 6th Generation, where product key features which are very useful for any solar project, refer below.

• Enhance DC input current for high watt peak module.

• DC Arc fault detection functions

• String level monitoring improve quick decision on O&M activities.

• Type II DC and AC over-voltage protections.

• DC reserve polarity protection

• DC:AC ratio upto 150%

• Instance control on output total Harmonic distortion to 1.5%

• Enhance inverter conversion efficiency upto 99%

• Smart cooling control concept

• Flexible in design the solar system by compatible with Y-type DC connection

very proficiently and so are the results in terms of the better acceptability for our brand here in India. Better service and shorter response time has been a key driver for our growth story here in India. We have the best trained personnel with vast experience to handle any situation in optimized manner.

Q. What are the newest products Solis is bringing to the REI and what are their main specialties for Indian customers?

Solis has kept the clear focus to do continuous product develop and improvement based on market trend and requirements, at REI expo we are displaying our new S6 single phase and S5 in Three phase models, Where it come with great compatibility with High watt peak PV modules like (500watt to 650watt) PV modules. As globally PV module manufacturing are shifting from 185mm wafer size to 210mm wafer. Which industry has seen great advantage to optimize the project LCOE. Solis S6 & S5 model has now capable to handle higher DC current from PV string. And some more other feature like DC Arc fault detection, to identify any DC Arc fault which happen during new solar plant installation and commissioning. Below are some of the key features for better understanding.

• Compatible with High watt Peak & bi-facial PV module technologies.

• DC Arc fault detection functions

• String level monitoring

Solis is regarded as best product in Indian Market, we comply with all the rules and regulation listed by MNRE, Government of India as well as few more required by different State Governments. Keeping the quality at its top we are able to get the certifications like BIS very easily and were the first to get for all portfolio products covered under this notification. Hence, we didn’t face any major hurdles even being the foreign player.

Solis has been catering to India market for past 6 years and have developed a stronger partnership with our customers, EPC and developers helps us if any new compliances are there to follow. This is because of our long term commitment towards our customers and those indeed regards very well for this support.

Another important aspect for acceptability of our products is Innovating and developing solutions for customized needs of India market. Residential and Utility not only require the standard and advance features but also some time requires the specific need of the geographical location or grid. Solis Inverters R&D team handles these requirements

• Type II DC and AC over-voltage protections.

• DC reserve polarity protection

• DC:AC ratio upto 150%

Q. Does Solis have any immediate intentions to invest in or expand in the Indian market?

Since the Inception back in 2017 solis has now well structured in India for supporting Indian customers and there project, this is our 6th year which is running for solis in India as we got India HQ in Mumbai and region office in Delhi, Bangalore, and service station at Jaipur, Bhopal, Assam, Ahmedabad, Pune, Cochin and in coming year we will expanding our service station at eastern part of country state like West-Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand & Andhra. And having 7 service warehouses across country as of now and plant to establish 2 more service warehouse for to keep service stock for catering quicker service support to our customers, solis always kept focus to giving best in class after sales support, on the same to support customer after

Q. Being an exotic player, do you encounter any difficulties while working in the Indian solar industry?

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warranty period we are also coming up with Repair-centre where we can offer inverter repair service for the product which finish standard factory warranty period.

Solis recently received the 2022 Green Leadership Award. Please elaborate on its significance to Solis.

Q.Solis has not only been recognized for championing sustainable and responsible business practices but also for its immense contribution to the welfare of the society.

Some of the initiatives undertaken by Solis include helping the less fortunate, fighting COVID-19, and participating in photovoltaic poverty alleviation programs. The company donated $155,000 in early 2020 to combat COVID-19. It also donated large quantities of medical supplies to the frontline medical staff. Solis has donated $465,000 in scholarships to universities and colleges, as well as donated inverters for several non-profit photovoltaic projects.

Solis is committed to its success and continues to live up to its Corporate Social Responsibility commitments as well. With the cumulative shipment of 30GW+, which is equivalent to the annual contribution of more than 36 billion degrees of green electricity, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 35.88 million tons, which is equivalent to planting nearly 19.56 million green plants on the earth.

Solis has been at the forefront when it comes to meeting its Corporate Social Responsibility commitments. It uses public media, professional organizations, and its website to raise awareness about environmental issues and concerns. Solis will continue to fulfill its corporate social responsibility commitments even in the future by actively contributing to society and devoting itself to public welfare projects.

Q. How much capacity Solis has installed both on-grid and off-grid in India?

Since the inception of solis India back in 2016, solis have supplied 2GW+ of cumulative inverter capacity including all (Residential + C&I + Utility) project across country. As India market from last 1 decade has shown great focus on ON-Grid product that was the prime focus solis has supplied for India market. As now policies are being introduce for storage, Hybrid & off-grid project on the same solis has also develop and introduce Hybrid & off-grid inverter for India market.

Energy storage is an ideal solution to help compensate for an unstable power grid as well as protection from ever increasing energy prices. The S6-EH1P(3-6)K-L low-voltage energy storage hybrid inverter is designed perfectly for residential rooftop installations with multiple array orientations and is compatible with high-power and bifacial solar panels. Compatible with multiple globally recognized battery brands gives customers optimum choice and installer’s flexibility around supply of compatible products. It's integrated with multiple protection and fault finding systems to ensure the safe running of the system and give ultimate peace of mind to homeowners.

Solis off-grid inverter-S5-EO1P(4-5)K-48 is designed for areas without power grids or areas with frequent power outages. It supports parallel operation up to 10 units, system up to 50kW. Exquisite appearance and compact structure make installation more convenient. Integrate multiple protections and fault monitoring to ensure the safety of batteries and equipment.

These newly updated inverters are the result of Solis' in-depth analysis of market and customer demands. With the expansion of its product portfolio, Solis has established a strong foothold in the India market.

Q. What percentage of the Indian market does Solis intend to capture by FY23?

Last few year 2020, 2021, & 2022 we have seen globally COVID hit and seen various challenges and difficulties in terms of supply chain and country lock down, and globally IC chips and Semi-conductor, IGBT are still not come back on track in terms of full-filling the industry demand, due to that we have seen increase in PV module prices, where big project are on hold or waiting for some GOI support or waiting for some reduction in prices, considering all those factors solis has manage to do good sales and has touch a satisfactory numbers, and if the things getting improve in RAW material supply chain then probably most of the project we are on hold in year 2022, those project will be back on track where we feel we solis would able to grab good amount of share based on past supply history.

Q. Kindly brief us about Growatt?

Gro watt was established in 2010 by a group of pioneers in the global PV industry with a vision to build a green and sustainable future. Specializing in sustainable energy generation, storage and consumption, as well as energy digitalization, the company designs, develops and manufactures PV inverters, energy storage products, EV chargers, smart energy management system and others. Favored by global customers, Growatt ranks among the global top three PV inverter suppliers. In particular, the company is ranked the number one residential inverter supplier globally as well as the world's largest supplier of user-side energy storage inverters in terms of shipment volume.

Q. Can you shed some light on your current inverters and solutions in India and global?

India has been being Growatt’s strategic developing market since 2012 and being leading in rooftop segment. Growatt continuously brings product and technology innovations to Indian market. Currently we provide the full range of PV inverters with capacity from 1kW to 253kW and with BIS certificates covering residential, C&I, and utility-scale diverse scenarios. Featuring AFCI and Type II SPD on both AC and DC sides, Growatt’s residential PV inverters arm the solar system with ultra-protections, reassuring a reliable and safe operation. As for utility-scale solutions, outstanding features such as 15 MPP trackers and compatibility with 15A high power modules are made available in order to maximize the system yields, thus helping realize a better transformation to a de-carbonized business model.

Towards global emerging energy storage markets, as the world's No.1 user-side storage inverter supplier, Growatt offers a whole set of solar energy storage solutions, including storage inverters, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and monitoring solutions, and it also provides one-stop technical support services and whole system warranty, delivering excellent customer experience.

Q. What are Growatt's preparation and plans for REI-2022?

REI is one of the best platform for us to interact with the EPCs , distributors and end users directly. Apart from last two years (due to COVID-19 pandemic) , Growatt participated mostly in all edition of REI. Basically every year Growatt has a huge and classy booth to showcase our upcoming and presently available products, where all the visitors can interact with our pre-sales, sales and after-sales team for technical clarification or requirement of product. We are expecting to have a record breaking visitors this year and make “Growatt” be a household name in coming years.

At this REI, Growatt will bring the new product WIT 50-100KTL3-H/A, the commercial hybrid inverter to cover India’s energy storage market for commercial and industrial applications. This new product features scalable system configuration up to 300kW, EPS function and black start, 100% unbalanced load when backup and 110% continuous AC overloading capacity, remote control of DG, multiple MPPTs input and grid-support.

Q. How do you think the key factors which support Growatt's success in India market?

Localization is always one of our core strategies to expand our business. To date, we have deployed local team of more than 25 employees with two service centers, one is in Hyderabad and another one is in Ahmedabad, providing dedicated fast and effective support for local customers. We are also seriously scrutinizing various options for manufacturing in India.

Another reason behind Growatt success is our products’ safety and reliability. Quality is the lifeline of Growatt. Thanks to Growatt’s strong R&D capabilities and stringent quality control system, we are able to ensure product quality and provide advanced and reliable products for customers, through which Growatt has earned widespread popularity across India even in the world RM

MR. Vikas Jain director ENERGY LTD.

Insolation Energy Limited is a Jaipur based company founded in March 2017 with an objective of engaging in manufacturing of high efficiency modules of various sizes catering to various applications from KW to MW scales. Insolation Energy is having fully automatic & state of the art manufacturing unit spread in more than 65000 Sq. ft area with sophisticated machinery which delivers A-grade quality solar PV module that follows all the standard of IEC, UL, MNRE, CE, BIS –IS: 14286 etc. We promote our products with the brand name 'INA'. The management is focused towards the government “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative and are taking required steps to achieve the same. n T er VI ew I n T er VI ew

Q. Please enlighten our readers about the journey of theCompany since its incorporation?

I started my business as a trader and distributor of pipes and fitting segments. During this journey I saw rising demand for solar components not only in Rajasthan but across India. In 2015, I had set up a solar power plant of 1 MW which gradually increased to 3 MW. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission introduced in January 2010 to promote solar power in India, gave us the major boost to enter into solar panel manufacturing business. In 2015, we decided to diversify our business model and enter into a solar panel manufacturing segment. Isolation Energy was promoted by me with Mr. Manish Gupta in October 2015 to manufacture high efficiency solar modules of various sizes in Jaipur. The Company commenced its production with60 MW capacity in 2017 which was gradually increased to 200 MW in 2021. Today solar panels contribute 90% of our total revenues while the remaining 10% is contributed by trading in other solar power components as well as contract manufacturing for other big players. We are the largest manufacturer in Jaipur and second largest in North India.

Q. What kind of Products and New Technologies you are goingto launch in this or next year?

As discussed we are expanding our capacity by additional 500 MW. The new facility will have setup to manufacture 500+ W, 600 + w modules. We are also coming up with glass to glass modules in a big way. Recently we have introduced hybrid PCU’s. Plans are also afoot to explore grid tied inverter market. The strategy is to have presence in major solar system components like modules, inverter& battery etc.

Q. How Insolation Energy is going to participate in REI- 2022and what are your expectations from this big event?

Insolation Energy has always been participating in all the major Renewable Energy shows. Our association with REI started in 2016 even before our commercial production started. We always look forward to meeting our vendors, clients & industry peers at such events. In fact, these events are learning platforms also. New technologies, products are showcased. After Covid-19 uncertainty over preceding two years we expect REI-22 to be mega successful. We expect to see lot of promising new clients this year.

Q. What does Insolation offer unique to its investors thanother competitors?

We are grateful to our investors and confident that our investors would be beneficial by being a part of an emerging sector. As I mentioned, this industry is growing at a much faster pace and will attract impressive valuation as far as the equity market is concerned.

In my opinion, the solar panel and modules industry is an emerging industry and can mirror the growth trajectory of the telecommunication industry which has seen a robust growth from its emergence in 1995 till date.

What would differentiate us from our competitors are our USPs. First and foremost is the quality of our solar panel. Our solar panel has a guarantee of 25 years. Additionally, we have a wide product portfolio

from 40Wp to 545Wp. We are competent in supplying any order at any point of time due to raw material inventory maintained by us. Our products are already well accepted in market & our team has a strong market presence and are well poised to tap the robust demand in the coming years.

Q. According to you, how is the competition environment inthe market for your company?

There are few big players who are in the business of power generation and manufacturing solar panels. The industry also has a presence of few medium level manufacturers and many small time players. The healthy competition is good for the industry & we are sitting at an advantageous position having earned a good name in the market by virtue of offering quality products at a competitive price.

Further as discussed above the country aim is to achieve 280 GW of solar capacity by 2030. Our current installed capacity stands at approx. 58 GW which means we need to install about 27+GW of solar capacity every year to land up at 280 GW by 2030. Hence I can see enough space for every manufacturer to cater to this demand.

Further as far as my knowledge goes, we would be the only listed entity manufacturing solar panels post our listing on BSE SME. We are growing at a much higher rate and will have a first mover advantage in the listed space.

Q. Insolation Energy is focusing on solar module, solar PCU,Solar battery and solar charge controller etc. Can you shedsome light on how do you see the threat to our business fromimported solar panels from China or Taiwan?

It is true that most of the solar panels and solar cells are imported from these countries. But with government support and its niche initiative of "Atmanirbhar Bharat", things are changing drastically. Many domestic companies are given incentives to produce solar panels in our Country. In the Union Budget 2022-23, the government allocated Rs. 19,500 crores (US$ 2.57 billion) for a PLI scheme to boost manufacturing of high-efficiency solar modules.

Further, MNRE has approved the list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) which are eligible for use in government and government assisted projects or government schemes widening scope for domestic products. Our modules are manufactured under stringent quality standards & thus are approved under BIS, ALMM & other quality standards.

To decrease reliance on imports& to give fillip to the domestic industry, the government of India imposed a basic custom duty of 40% on solar panels and 25% on solar cells on imports i.e. April 1st, 2022, which makes solar panels manufactured in India much cheaper as compared to imported materials.

Q. What is your future outlook for the company?

I am very confident about our company’s growth perspective as explained earlier. We would grow in tandem with industry, may be at a much higher rate. RM

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MR. BRiJesh naiR Senior exhibition director

Since its first show in 2009, Intersolar India has been an integral part of the Indian solar industry and its growth story, and in 2022, the 14th edition of the Intersolar India will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Every year for the last 13 years, Intersolar India has served as the pitstop for this industry to reflect on the previous year’s progress as well as prognosticating the industry’s future. The gathering of solar industry stakeholders – policy makers, project developers, EPC firms, component manufacturers and financiers – facilitates sharing of valuable feedback on the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector and helps the industry progress accordingly.

Q. What is the idea or concept behind The smarter E India/ Intersolar India 2022?

The world is going though a major energy transition resulting in a paradigm shift here in India as well, from individual products and processes to systems and value chains. Today, energy generation, consumption, and storage cannot be viewed in isolation. Smart energy solutions and smart grids are being considered as potential solutions. All forces must work in tandem and revolutionize the system to achieve Net Zero emission targets. The smarter E / Intersolar is the world’s oldest and largest exhibition that brings energy generation, storage, and consumption industries under one roof. With three parallel energy exhibitions, The smarter E India is India’s innovation hub for the new energy world, focussing on the generation, storage and use of energy. It brings together local experts and international stakeholders to reflect on solar energy generation, energy storage solutions, and the electric mobility industry. The smarter E India brings together the renowned Intersolar India, ees India and Power2Drive India. The 14th edition of this exhibition will be held in Gandhinagar on December 7–9, 2022.

Q. How much exhibitors and footfall you expectingthis year?

Exhibitors: 200 Visitors: 11,000 Speakers: 130 Conference Delegates: 800

Q. What is your aim to push forward the electrical energystorage in India?

At this year’s edition, we will address battery manufacturing technologies for improved efficiencies and cost reduction. We will also address critical questions like what are the improvements in battery technologies, and how are costs being driven down. With essential minerals like Lithium and Cobalt currently sourced from regions with geopolitical conflicts, what alternative chemistries are being developed to replace the dominant lithium-based batteries? What is the role of Battery Management Systems (BMS) in the success of EVs?

Our conference this year will play a major role in developing this ecosystem. We have several international and regional speakers who will deliberate on various topics like policy and market for energy storage, EV and batteries manufacturing, and grid management.

Q. Kindly highlight something about Power2Drive India. Increasing crude oil prices in the global market is putting upward pressure on household expenses, offering a big incentive for buyers to switch to Electric Vehicles which have a lower lifecycle cost compared to Internal Combustion Engines. This presents exciting opportunities for thousands of entrepreneurs in the 2 and 3-wheeler EV market, both for vehicles and for charging infrastructure. The Venture Capital industry also expects massive scaling potential in this sector. We discuss all aspects from policy and market expansion for the EV Startup Ecosystem – Role of Venture Capitalists, Incubators

and Academic institutions. The event is happening in Gujarat and Power2Drive has attracted several manufacturers as well as component and infrastructure companies in the EV space. On 23rd June 2021, the Government of Gujarat released its Electric Vehicle Policy which laid out the roadmap for catalysing the growth of the EV industry in Gujarat for the four-year period (2021-25) with a total outlay of Rs. 870 Crores. The policy aims to support the purchase of 200,000 vehicles during this four-year period, out of which more than 50% demand will come from 2-wheelers and the rest from 3 and 4-wheelers. Such favourable policies, coupled with the expo and conference, will result in a huge visitor turnout for Power2Drive from all parts of the value chain.

Q. Kindly brief us about Milestones of The smarterE India / Intersolar India till now?

Since its first show in 2009, Intersolar India has been an integral part of the Indian solar industry and its growth story, and in 2022, the 14th edition of the Intersolar India will take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Every year for the last 13 years, Intersolar India has served as the pitstop for this industry to reflect on the previous year’s progress as well as prognosticating the industry’s future. The gathering of solar industry stakeholders – policy makers, project developers, EPC firms, component manufacturers and financiers –facilitates sharing of valuable feedback on the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector and helps the industry progress accordingly. The event has also served as the leading networking platform for industry professionals.

Over the years, the scope of the event has also grown beyond solar and currently includes two major related industry sectors – energy storage and e-mobility. These sectors are extremely important for the decarbonisation of energy systems and to accomplish the global energy transition that will help the global community achieve the goals under the Paris Agreement. The expanded Intersolar India (IS) now includes Electrical Energy Storage India (EES) and Power 2 Drive India (P2D), and together, these events are now part of “The smarter E India” (TSE) India’s innovation hub for the new energy world.

Q. What are the key factors which inspired you to expand thebusiness in India?

On India’s 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a vision to transform India into an energy independent nation by 2047. The country has set a target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW by the end of 2022. This is the world’s largest renewable energy expansion plan with a target of 450 GW by 2030 through the allocation of Rs 19,500 crore for solar PLI scheme in 2022 with up to 100% FDI allowed for renewable energy generation and distribution projects. India currently ranks third in the Renewable Energy Country Attractive Index. India’s electric vehicle market size is expected to reach $152.2 billion by 2030. The Government of India has targeted 30% EV penetration by 2030. All these factors will contribute towards India’s Net Zero emission targets, thereby increasing the importance of The smarter E as a common platform to achieve these targets.

RM

PIXON believes in advancing with the latest technological developments in the market. We are going to launch an exclusive range of Multi-Busbar Modules with 600 MW capacity manufactured with latest European technology.

Solar energy is expected to play a major role in the expansion of renewable energy sources during the next few years. In comparison to now, solar energy’s potential would practically treble. Future estimates for renewable energy are likely to rise, and solar energy will also experience significant growth. In order to reach new heights, PIXON has previously established milestones and consistently provides effective solar energy solutions.

The company is equipped with a state-of-the-art turnkey manufacturing facility of 400 MW capacity and houses a cleanroom environment facility to 1GW manufacturing line for EVA films. The company is also backed with a strong financial background of its parent company – the Marwadi Shares & Finance Limited. The blend of a young team, under the guidance of experienced players, makes PIXON versatile for creative operations and futuristic innovations.

PIXON envisions to globally providing efficient solar energy products and solutions. Thus, contributing and enhancing Global Climate Sustainability.We are expanding our manufacturing to 1 GW with Multi-Busbar modules by early 2023.

Mission

• To contribute and enhance the Global Climate Sustainability, by promoting and providing solar energy solutions.

• To promote the transition towards solar energy and thus reduce carbon footprint globally, fostering the betterment of our Earth’s ecosystem.

• To constantly improvise and explore new technologies and their economical deployment to harness solar energy.

Vision

To be a global leader in Solar Industry by providing efficient Solar Energy Solutions.

• Innovation

Advanced Manufacturing System: -

Automation- Manufacturing facility of 400 MW along with minimal human interference. Computation- Very well-equipped data analysis for forward integration and Reverse engineering tracking.

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Artificial Intelligence- Advanced MES that provides production, quality and stringent quality control systems.

Infrastructure Highlights

PIXON’s industrial entity is well spread and equipped with smart tech to enhance processes and security.

• The industry spread on 65,000 sq. m of land.

• Fully automated Machinery with minimum human intervention.

• In-house Raw Material Production for quality control.

• In-house skilled R&D team.

• Spacious warehousing stacking 20+ MW of modules & raw materials.

• Smart w arehousing ready for delivery & dispatch

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Q. What is the purpose of participating in REI and what are your expectations from this mega event?

We at PIXON believe that these types of events and exhibitions provide an excellent opportunity to network with industry leaders. By providing possibilities for sustainable development to companies in this field, this yearly event seeks to hasten the expansion of India’s renewable energy industry. REI is the venue for showcasing cutting-edge technological solutions to any fundamental problems our industry faces. The event brings together influential individuals, technical experts, and professionals from top businesses engaged in the production, transmission, and distribution of renewable energy in India and around the world.

Q. Going forward, what role do you see your organization playing in the future development of solar modules?

PIXON believes in advancing with the latest technological developments in the market. We are going to launch an exclusive range of Multi-Busbar Modules with 600 MW capacity manufactured with latest European technology.

Solar energy is expected to play a major role in the expansion of renewable energy sources during the next few years. In comparison to now, solar energy’s potential would practically treble. Future estimates for renewable energy

are likely to rise, and solar energy will also experience significant growth. In order to reach new heights, PIXON has previously established milestones and consistently provides effective solar energy solutions.

Q. How does the company help in improving the quality and reliability of solar PV projects?

PIXON symbolizes integrity and quality. We generally uphold the formality of many administrative and policy issues connected to the quality of goods like BIS and ALMM. Every one of our products is created with international standards.

The ALMM is most likely not going to directly benefit production segments, but it will indirectly benefit solar power facilities in India by managing the quality of the modules that are installed.

Q. Tell us about your commitment towards Solar Sector in India & your strengths to achieve your targets.

The opportunity to incorporate solar modules into people’s daily lives increased as the world embraced the solar revolution. PIXON materializes into solar products by providing specialized solutions of the highest standard and calibre. Sustainable energy may be able to re-empower India’s economy by creating a sizable number of new jobs, making it possible for India to become energy independent. RM

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Mr. rajnEEsh khattar Senior Group Director Energy Portfolio inforMa MarkEts

At the end of September this year, the Renewable Energy India ( REI ) Expo is returning to its’ favourite home ground, India Expo Centre, Greater Noida for its 15th “Crystal” edition during 28 – 30 September. It comes at an exciting time for energy in India while the country begins to ramp up its own domestic solar manufacturing, and looks for a leading role in the development of both green hydrogen and electric vehicles.

Q. So far in 2022, the localization of supply chains and manufacturing has been the major topic worldwide for the PV industry. How is this playing out in India?

Covid-19 has exposed that dependency on external economies can, at times, become quite dangerous. Hence, the momentum of a “Self-Reliant India” has picked up rapidly. The federal and state Governments are supporting solar manufacturing with a lot of incentives and putting in place domestic content requirements for new PV projects.

A lot of new players are booming up and joining the revolution wrt Manufacturing side besides few of the most leading big players have too jumped onto the bandwagon and are aiming at setting up the entire value chain…...From upstream manufacturing segment to downstream installation/finance segment – All under one roof !! When you see that large players like Reliance and Adani are making a huge investment into the manufacturing base, this spells a silver lining in the minds of the industry stakeholders and helps gaining more confidence. And this applies not only to solar, but, to electric vehicles and green hydrogen as well.

Q. For now, the new PV manufacturing plans taking shape in India largely focus on the cell and module segments. Do you see ingot, wafer and polysilicon projects going ahead as well?

Those are the most expensive supply chain segments, and I can say that there is not an adequate momentum at this juncture. This is where India perhaps missed the bus. Most of the investments have gone into manufacturing of the modules, the EPC, O&M, BoS etc aspect of the Solar PV sector. But if we look at the next tranche of the production-linked incentive policy, the federal Government is trying to put less into the modules, and to give a huge push to polysilicon and wafer manufacturing. Because if you do not focus on the raw materials, and leave this to other global markets, you end up being in a bit of a catch 22 situation.

If you don’t have these fundamentals in place, it can derail your mission. There are still not so many players in this upstream manufacturing segment, but, few of them have some fantastic plans to vertically integrate their supply chains. The stage is set though, but, it will take a little more time.

Q. Alongside PV, we have seen a steady flow of big announcements on green hydrogen. Is this this is something you expect India to be a global leader in as well?

India has embarked upon a rather ambitious and robust Green Hydrogen mission of producing 5 MMT GH by the Yr 2030 that’d

require 211 GW of Solar PV energy in addition to 1,41,000 hectares of land and 168 Bn liters of water. In the latest announcements, India is talking about installing 500 GW, but if 211 GW of that goes to green hydrogen, even this 500 GW may not be enough. Green hydrogen is a very hot topic, and it is on the top of Govt. agenda. Time will tell how far we’d reach, but, all I can say with confidence and conviction that India is moving in the right direction. And in India we are privileged that we have the capacity to bring 500 GW of RE installation online, so the country can also potentially sustain large-scale green hydrogen production as well.

Q. When we're talking about integrating huge amounts of solar like this, transmission infrastructure presents another challenge. How are the grids developing in India?

The grid needs a lot more flexibility to deal with the pace at which RE installations led by Solar, are happening. And the work is underway to achieve this, but, there is a long way to go. Every state government has been given a mandate to ensure that they have robust grid infrastructure. India is making a big push for better interconnection between states since every Indian state is not equally blessed with the renewable resources, and if one state doesn’t have enough resources it can buy from a neighboring one.

The federal government is appealing for cooperation on this, because when we talk about the goals India has to achieve, it’s about the entire country. It looks simple on paper, but, political divides can prove a major roadblock. We need to rise above the political lines because we should talk about Country first. It's the equal right of every Indian to have access to clean and green energy.

Q. And how will all of this be reflected on the show floor at REI Expo later this month?

In 2022 edition few weeks from now, I see a lot of freshness in content, a new breed of manufacturers and lots of international stakeholders’ participation. These companies need a big market like India, to sell their technologies, innovations and find business partners. And as I have been mentioning time & again, one of key focus area for this year edition is Green Hydrogen. We are hosting a 2 x day training workshop , few purposeful technical sessions as well on GH. Another sector to see traction is E-mobility….Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure. We are expecting around 30,000 visitors over three days, and more than 450 Exhibitors from across the globe….. Germany, Canada, Belgium, Israel, Singapore, China to name a few on the show floor while the event is spread over 14,000 sq meters net display area.

We are certain that our Exhibitors, Delegates, Speakers, Visitors will enjoy those 3-days and will go home richer in knowledge, networking and returns on their investments. RM

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Sungrow is always committed to providing the best innovative and quality products to RE Industry. We believe to provide cost benefits to users/customers by offering them a solution that can optimized the LCOE. Also, we are always open to take feedback from the customer and further optimize the design of the solution. We are committed to serve solar sector for long term in India and innovate its products as did in past too in line with customer and market demand.

MR.

Q. What is the purpose of participating in REI and what are your expectations from this mega event?

Sungrow brand positioning as for the last two years Sungrow has not participated in the REI due to covid scenario prevailing in the country. This time REI will run on its full capacity so there is expectation that huge crowd including top dignitaries and influential people from renewable sector will attend the event. We have one of the largest set up in the renewable sector featuring latest products apart from the current running products there to cater different sector demands. So we are fully excited to showcase our strengths among the customers and other prospects.

Q. Going forward, what role do you see your organization playing in the future development of solar panels and inverters?

Sungrow is the first company to introduced highest rated central inverters (3.125 MW and 5 MW) as well as most powerful string inverters of 220 kW and 295 kW in solar market and other followed the same. We always strive and develop new products based on customers and market demand feedback. Further, in support of “Make in India” initiatives of Govt of India, Sungrow has set-up 10 GW manufacturing capacity factory for Solar PV Inverters at Bengaluru and offering “Made in India” products to Indian as well as some overseas market also. With all these advancements Sungrow India retaining no. 1 position with a market share of above 30% in solar PV inverter segment continuously since last 3 years, we are geared-up to further increase it with technological advancement and introduction of innovative Globally accepted products, which ultimately helps in lower LCOE.

Q. The company is focusing on Renewable Energy; can youshed some light on the current Renewable Energy Marketboth in Indian as well as in the global context?

Sungrow is offering various products for RE industry with a mission of “Clean power for all”. Specifically for Indian market, Sungrow is optimistic and having long term plan to serve RE market. Sungrow, in addition to solar PV Inverters introduced in India’s RE market- Battery Energy Storage System solutions (BESS), solar floats, module cleaning robotics and also have plan to introduce some more products in near future. In terms of potential and growth of RE market, solar now growing 10-12 GW every year and in addition while looking the Govt plans for RE development, Sungrow looking forward with much of positive vibes that specifically solar market may grow above 15 GW annually, however, there are some challenges, which need to be addressed to achieve these targets of solar and RE developments like long term policy, resolution to supply chain challenges in manufacturing of RE equipment’s in India. Sungrow is the only company who has the RE business in over 150 countries across the Globe and experiencing RE deployment in almost all regions and countries.

Q. Please highlight some interesting facts about your uniquelynamed products.

We have the largest capacity string inverter SG320HX to optimize utility scale plant design with string inverters with different module configurations

We have bridged the gap with string and central inverter capacities by launching 1+X series inverters which offer multi MPPTs while maintaining the comfort of using central inverters.

We have further optimsed the design of the central inverters with plug and play components to have faster maintenance times without requiring highly professional personnel at site

With a focus towards Future co-located BESS and PV projects, we have made the same design platform for PV inverters and Battery PCS, so as to share the spares lower the inventory costs of maintaining spares at site.

Q. Tell us about your commitment towards Solar Sector in India& your strengths to achieve your targets.

Being a Global company, we are always committed to providing the best innovative and quality products to RE Industry. We believe to provide cost benefits to users/customers by offering them a solution that can optimized the LCOE. Also, we are always open to take feedback from the customer and further optimize the design of the solution.

Sungrow is committed to serve solar sector for long term in India and innovate its products as did in past too in line with customer and market demand. Sungrow’s core strength is expertise in Power conversions technologies and develop its products. In addition, Sungrow also has 25 years of experience in the solar industry and serves in 150 countries, having achieved the No. 1 position in India's solar PV inverter segment and becoming a global leader. Sungrow has deployed 270 GW of PV and energy storage equipment worldwide. We have 145GW of annual manufacturing capacity globally (largest in the sector). As per Bloomberg NEF, "Sungrow is the most bankable inverter brand" consecutively last three years.

Q. What are Sungrow's highlights in 2021 & 2022? What are the company’s hopes in 2023?

Sungrow brand acceptance across the segment (residential, C&I and utility), expansion and inauguration of 10 GW Solar PV inverter manufacturing unit in India in early 2022, introduction of battery energy storage system (BESS) and introduction of new “1+X” Modular Inverter which is the most innovative central inverter are the major highlight for 2021-2022. Presently, if we talk about the Indian solar industry, the trends and sentiments are negative due to increase in solar equipment’s prices specially the cell and module, electronic components, it was expected that approx. 15 GW of solar may be added in 2022 but it seems difficult as not much time left. However, we are very optimistic in coming year where Govt in policy front as well as industry stakeholders will take appropriate steps to reignite the solar industry. Sungrow, is prepared to serve solar market as per demand arises.

Q. Sungrow possesses a dynamic technical R&D team. How many R&D centres does Sungrow have and how do they work?

In simple words we can say core technology is the permanent power of Sungrow and i. e. the power conversion technologies and to excel in it Sungrow have largest R&D team in the sector having 40%+ Proportion of Technical R&D Personnel and 4400+ Cumulative Patent Applications.

The first & most exciting part for us is meeting our Customers & Partners face-to-face in the REI. GoodWe was missing in the REI because of COVID-19 challenges and thus this year’s participation is very important for us. We are going to showcase our best-inclass range of products, engage with the audience, play some fun quiz & games, giveaway goodies & gifts, and interact with the teams, fellow industry partners & colleagues. REI is a great platform that will enable us to make our presence felt in a bigger & better way. We are expecting a great footfall in the direction of GoodWe BOOTH: 5.42A

MR. JaMes hou head of Sales – india & Sea

Q.GoodWe is a world – leading PV inverter and energy storage solutions manufacturer. How do you see GoodWe as a No. 1 brand?

We think it’s our customers & partners who make us No. 1. We truly believe in our core Vision of Driving the World’s Smart Energy Future and we are leaving no stone unturned in achieving so. We are committed to the digitalization and smart transformation of all powerplants. In line with this, we provide complete, integrated solutions for the future of smart energy by creating software and hardware products that allow for smarter and more efficient energy systems, while also building communities in sustainable energy.

We are also fortunate to be recognised with many Awards & Accolades which boosts our spirit and encourages us in the Pursuit of being No.1. For e.g. GoodWe has ranked as one of the Top 10 inverter suppliers by IHS Markit and has achieved 6 consecutive TUV Rheinland ‘All Quality Matters’ Awards.

Q. Tell us about your commitment towards Solar Sector in India & your strengths to achieve your targets.

Simply put, Our Strength is our Product Quality. We know that the devil is in the detail.

Only the most reliable and prominent components after rigorous quality control experiments are selected for the inverters. 90% of them comes from World Top 500 companies. We continuously work on R&D of our products that enables GoodWe to produce safe and defect free products while ensuring products and performance will be of customers satisfaction.

Q. Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar projects built using your solar inverter.

Apart from the 10MW Cochin Airport Project we did in 2018

and many other important C&I Projects in MW size that we supplied through TATA Power, a recent noteworthy project I would like to mention particularly is our first-of-its kind Single Axis solar tracker project with Bi-Facial solar panels done for Seven Solar Energy and end customer Excel Ceramic in Jamnagar, Gujarat – India. This 1.8MW project is eyeing on 24% Plant Load Factor over the years, which will be highest yield among present plants.

Its unique design helps reduce the maintenance effort and cost. The plant is powered by GoodWe 250KW -1500VDC inverters with Fuseless design and real time string monitoring. The Inverters are enabled with Smart PID recovery feature which will support complete plant to work on higher performance by reducing the effect of PID on modules.

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Power line carrier communication (PLCC) adopted for communication to reduce maintenance effort, cost, and achieve flawless monitoring & operations.

GoodWe provided it’s 250kW inverter, which is compatible with high power modules, has Smart O&M along with enhanced safety. Look at some beautiful pictures of the installation. We have a plethora of projects to showcase but keeping I guess we will save some for next time! *laughs*

Q. The company is focusing on Renewable Energy. Can you shed some light on the both in Indian as well as in the global context?

As we all know, the global renewable energy market was valued at $881.7 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $1,977.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2021 to 2030.

We are witnessing a collective & aggressive push from all regions & the market is growing. Countries like India which are endowed with vast Renewable energy potential are showing

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nleadership in Renewable energy like never before. Multiple government arms are hard at work trying to ensure capacity additions to the next level. And both in Indian & Global context I can confidently say that – ‘Solar is booming’!

Q.What is the purpose of participating in REI and what are your expectations from this mega event?

The first & most exciting part for us is meeting our Customers & Partners face-to-face in the REI. GoodWe was missing in the REI because of COVID-19 challenges

and thus this year’s participation is very important for us.

We are going to showcase our best-in-class range of products, engage with the audience, play some fun quiz & games, giveaway goodies & gifts, and interact with the teams, fellow industry partners & colleagues.

REI is a great platform that will enable us to make our presence felt in a bigger & better way. We are expecting a great footfall in the direction of GoodWe BOOTH: 5.42A *Smiles*

Come & meet us to experience GoodWe at REI’22 RM

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DNV GL has been in place since the 2013 merger between DNV (Det Norske Veritas) and GL (Germanischer Lloyd). After a comprehensive review of our strategy, we decided to change our name to DNV on 1 March 2021 as we position ourselves for a world in which many of our markets are undergoing fundamental change. Many customers have been referring us as DNV. Our brand name is stuck in the minds of our customers and is something which they trust. A simpler name is a strong trust mark for our customers in the future, but still carries with it all our strengths and proud 158 year-old legacy with a purpose to safeguard life, property and the environment.

MR. salian VaRadaRaJ country chair - india, DNV

Q.Brief us about DNV and let us know how DNV GL becomes DNV.

DNV is an independ ent assurance and risk management provider operating in more than 100 countries to safeguard life, property, and the environment. We use our broad experience and deep expertise to advance safety and sustainable performance, set industry standards, and inspire and invent solutions. As a trusted voice for many of the world’s most successful organizations, we help seize opportunities and tackle the risks arising from global transformations.

DNV GL has been in place since the 2013 merger between DNV (Det Norske Veritas) and GL (Germanischer Lloyd). After a comprehensive review of our strategy, we decided to change our name to DNV on 1 March 2021 as we position ourselves for a world in which many of our markets are undergoing fundamental change. Many customers have been referring us as DNV. Our brand name is stuck in the minds of our customers and is something which they trust. A simpler name is a strong trust mark for our customers in the future, but still carries with it all our strengths and proud 158 year-old legacy with a purpose to safeguard life, property and the environment.

Q. How DNV uses its knowledge to advance safety and performance. Also, let us know how DNV GL becomes DNV.

DNV is globally recognized for providing classification, technical assurance, software, and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil and gas, and energy industries. We also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. We empower our customers’ decisions and actions with trust and confidence by combining leading technical and operational expertise, risk methodology and in-depth industry knowledge.

Q. DNV is a world-leading provider of digital solutions for managing risk and improving safety. Kindly tell me how it works.

Digitali zation has a key role in enabling Energy Transition. DNV provides solutions that are used worldwide to manage risk and performance for wind turbines, electric grids, pipelines, processing plants, offshore structures, ships, and more.

Our customers have relied on our ability to solve technical challenges related to industrial assets. Research, development, implementations and partnerships with our customers have earned us the position as a trusted thirdparty vendor of software and services.

We are accelerating the transition toward the digitalization of systems and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to give customers the efficiency and flexibility of the cloud, including the power and insights from advanced analytics.

An example - DNV is further developing our KFX CO2 simulation software to increase safety in carbon capture and storage. KFX CO2 software simulates accidental releases of CO2 from storage facilities or leaks from pipelines, trucks or ships, telling us what happens when accidents occur. As such, we can ensure the highest safety standards when it comes to decision making with cost effectiveness in mind.

Another example - The acquisition of GreenPowerMonitor 2016 combined our wind expertise with GPM's solar asset management and monitoring solutions. One of our solutions, GPM Horizon, enables customized operation and management workflows. This allows renewable energy developers and owners to mo nitor and manage their fleet in real-time, covering multi-technology renewable energy portfolios for current and future systems.

Q. What are DNV’s purpose, vision, and values?

Since 1 86 4, our Purpose has been to safeguard life, property and the environment. Our Vision is to be a trusted voice to tackle global transformations. Our Values are beliefs that shape our performance; these ideals are the behaviours expected of all employees in DNV: We care for each other, our customers, our planet, and we take care of ourselves.

We dare to explore, to experiment, to be different, and to be courageous, curious and creative.

We share our experience and knowledge. We collaborate with each other and our customers, and we continue to grow and develop as a re sult.

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Q. How many R&D centres does DNV have and how does it work?

DNV has 10 research centres around the world. DNV allocates 5% of our annual revenue to strategic research, technology development, and innovation to provide a trusted voice and value to our customers and society at large. We focus our research on the impacts of decarbonization and digitalization for a wide range of industries, including the maritime, energy, healthcare, and food industry. In addition, we conduct research on digital assurance, the energy transition, supply chains, and the ocean space. We publish our research in scientific journals and in position papers.

Q. Elaborate about DNV’s global presence?

DNV has offices in all corners of the world and operates in more than 100 countries. Some of the world's leading companies are our customers. Our local resources work closely with our global resources for niche and complex projects in India and this was very successful in several ways for customers to realise maximum values.

Q. DNV recently signed an MOU with Korean floating solar component manufacturers. Could you shed some light on the same?

DNV has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korean floating solar PV (FPV) suppliers which will explore business cooperation opportunities to increase the number of FPV plants in Korea and globally as the energy transition accelerates.

We will exchange technical and proprietary information and know-how to develop and design systems following the requirements and practices of the global FPV market. We will also test and verify that these FPV solutions can perform reliably in saline environments. Both parties will identify the projects and needs of mutual interest and cooperate on joint marketing initiatives.

Q. How is DNV going to participate in REI-2022 and what are your expectations from this big event?

DNV is one of the Conference Session Partners and we will share our insights on one of the conference panels. We also have an exhibition booth in the exhibition area to engage the REI visitors. Please visit our booth at 14.115 to get in touch with us.

Naturally, we are excited to be at REI, one of India's most significant energy events. After a hiatus of 2+ years because of COVID, we want to meet our customers and prospects in person and have in-depth and meaningful conversations on their energy transition.

Q.What are the key factors that inspired you to expand the business ventures in India?

India has set an ambitious target to achieve a capacity of 175 GW worth of renewable energy by the end of 2022, which expands to 500 GW by 2030.

According to DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2021, demand for hydrogen in the Indian subcontinent will reach nearly 25 million tonnes per annum by 2050, primarily for ammonia production, transportation, and refining. As a basis for green hydrogen production, the report also shows strong predicted growth in renewable generation in India, particularly solar photovoltaics, wind, and hydro power which will make up 65% of the country’s electricity generation mix by 2050.

We also see investment in the renewable energy sector in India surged more than 125 per cent year-on-year, reaching $14.5 billion in the financial year 2021-22. All these indicate to us that the renewable energy industry in India will still be on the rise in the years to come.

We want to leverage our technical expertise and methodology to help the Indian companies meet their emission reduction goals as India progress to achieve its renewables targets. RM

En-icon's vision is to become the greatest contributor towards making India a Green Energy Powered Country as well as to find a pollution free globe to save the next and next generations. To achieve it, we are continuously providing end to end solar solutions- manufacturing highly efficient products at the most competitive prices. n T er VI ew n T er VI ew

Q. What is your purpose participating in REI and what are your expectations from this mega event?

REI is Asia’s Leading b2b expo offers an all-inclusive platform to domestic and international manufacturers, traders, buyers and professionals from across the renewable energy domain. This is a great opportunity for En-icon to showcase our highly efficient products made with cutting edge technology and research for domestic ,commercial and industrial applications.

Q. Going forward, what role do you see your organisation playing in the future development of solar modules?

En-icon's vision is to become the greatest contributor towards making India a Green Energy Powered Country as well as to find a pollution free globe to save the next and next generations. To achieve it, we are continuously providing end to end solar solutions- manufacturing highly efficient products at the most competitive prices.

Q. The company is focusing on renewable energy, can you shed some light on the current renewable energy market both in Indian as well as in the global context?

Over the past decade, the cost of solar has fallen dramatically. New technologies promise to increase efficiency and lower costs further. Solar energy will soon be unbeatable compared to fossil fuels. Also, the country will meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030 which is huge.

Q. The recent cost rise has put pressure on module markers, what is your company’s response?

Supply demand mismatch is the most crucial factor which is directly or indirectly leading to an increase in module prices. Hope soon there will be a balance between the supply and demand as it is essential for stabilisation of solar module prices.

Q. Please highlight some interesting facts about your uniquely named products RIG, SAAM, YAJUR, ATHARVA.

The Vedas consider the sun as the soul of the world, it has been considered as a life nurturer. The names of our products - RIG, SAAM, YAJUR, ATHARVA have been taken from the vedas to honour its role in combating climate change and being the guiding light to increase solar power.

Q. Tell us about your commitment towards the solar sector in India & your strengths to achieve your targets?

We believe to empower by offering sustainable, affordable & innovative energy solutions with 100% quality assurance to our customers. We’ve adopted a fully automated robotic factory system with 130 MW solar module manufacturing capacity.

Q. What are Icon Solar’s highlights in 2021 & 2022 ? What are the company’s hopes in 2023 ?

Like other industries, post-pandemic was a bit difficult and the growth was slow but still we achieved 31% growth in 2021 and again 20% in 2022. For us, 2023 is full of hopes and we are expecting at least 35% growth as we are also going with the expansion and coming up with new products in MONO Perc Solar Modules RM

Q. Brief us about milestones of SHRIPAT TECHINNOVATION?

Shripat Tech-Innovation Corporation (STiC) started its operations very recently in 2018. It is a very small period to establish major milestones. Still, we are proud to have proved ourselves in the space of ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS and expanding our reach across India and outside as well. Customer invites us to provide solutions on connectors wherever they come across an issue – I think this is one of the major milestones for STiC at this point of time. During this short period of 4 years, we have come up with 10+ innovative connectors and filed 2 patents and few more in line.

Q. How SHRIPAT TECH-INNOVATION uses its knowledge to advance safety and performance.?

Shripat Tech-Innovation Corporation (STiC) are engaged in conceptualization, design, development, manufacture, sales and service of ENERGY EFFICIENT connectors/connection solutions which are customized to address the existing pain points of the customers. The pain points as we have seen/ experienced so far are – lack of reliability, poor performance thereby leading to safety issues which sometime can lead to equipment explosion also.

By addressing these issues through innovative solutions, STiC are engaged themselves in providing the reliable, better performing, and safer connectors/connection solutions

Q. SHRIPAT TECH-INNOVATION is into Design, Develop, Manufacture and Supply of various types of Engineering Components & Products. Could you tell us about your noteworthy projects?

We encourage our customers to work on Co-Development projects. We have successfully completed many projects based on application requirements with major customers such as ADANI

Electricity, TORRENT Power, DMRC, PSTCL etc…. Major projects which fetched us faith & orders of customers are

• TUSKER - Innovative Range of Distribution Transformer Terminals (Patents Filed)

• POWERKON - New Generation of Substation Connectors

• EASYCON - Terminals for Vertical Switch Fuse Units (Co-development with Mr. Ashweni Jain, AVP - ADANI Electricity)

• EASYCON - Terminals for MCCB (Co-development Pilot Project with TORRENT Power)

• EASYCON - Terminals for Solar Inverter Duty Transformers and manymore other projects…

Q. What are SHRIPAT’s purpose, vision, and values?

STiC’s purpose is to be the contributor (in its own capacity) in AT&C loss reduction programme of DISCOMs across India,

by developing more and more innovative connector solutions. Our Vision statement reads like this – “Enabling customers to achieve their Business & Social objectives within defined Timelines & Cost”. Accordingly, we focus on Time-to-Market and Affordability, while addressing the needs of customers. To achieve and move towards our long term plan, we have defined the below set of VALUEs and we strongly believe that these values guide us towards our VISION.

• Trust with Transparency

• Customer Centricity

• Invent and Simplify

• Learn and be curious Q. How many R&D centres does SHRIPAT have and how does it work?

We have one right now at Mumbai and plan to develop & expand the same. Our R&D Centre has in-house 3D Design, Prototype Development and Testing Qualification facilities under one roof. In priority projects, we have targeted & achieved sample’s development within 3 days which is far better than current Industry standard.

Q. Elaborate about SHRIPAT’s global presence?

As mentioned earlier, we have started recently and have supplied our products outside India. We have a bigger plan moving forward to increase our reach across the globe. Shortly to take this Global Big Leap through direct exports, we have plan to do testing as per International Standards.

Q. What are the key factors that inspired you to expand the business ventures in India?

India’s electrical network is huge and it offers many opportunities. We, being passionate about connectors, have selected the space of ELECTRICAL connectors. The connectors used in the network are large in numbers; they vary in design, size, technology, application etc., Hence, they offer a huge opportunity to work on them and improve it for better.

Q. If we look ten years ahead, what do you hope to have achieved??

At the inception stage in 2018, we have had a plan to be among TOP 10 Connector Manufacturers in India in next 5 Years and we are in the right direction to achieve the same. Our Long-Term Plan for next 10 years, is to make our company to be known as provider of end-to-end solutions for Electrical, Electro-Mechanical, Mechanical segments and introduce & develop IoT/Electronics usage in Power/Renewable/ Industry Sector. In next 10 years span, we would be looking to solving more and more connection issues through continuous innovations and expand our Company Globally and be in TOP GLOBAL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MANUFACTURERS. RM

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MR. aseeM gupta co-Founder & ceo SAHY ELECTRIC

Weaim to provide asset owners with a sustainable income which is being received very warmly by approached parties. Reducing pollution and earning a easy buck is what sahy aims to reward the early adopters of its solution with.

During the first lockdown, the snow clad Himalayas were visible from Saharanpur U.P., which is what the magic of clean air is all about. I have friends who have miograted abroad because of the amount of pollution and contaminants bothering them, with Sahy it is aimed to make the future generations appreciate our efforts to handover a planet which is cared for and still boasts of the purity due to efforts from Multiple stakeholders including Sahy.

Q. Please tell us more about Sahy and its story of inception.

Sahy (pronounced Sahee) started over a whatsapp message sent by our Managing Director Mr. Chaitanya Sanghi to me late on a Sunday evening in December wherein he asked me if we wanted to do something with Smart Switches. Chaitanya and I have been friends for over a decade and have always been discussing business, life, social work, society and how we have seen Delhi change to one of the most polluted cities in the world during our existence with all the wrong things being patronized.

After seeing the message, I immediately texted back “This is a goldmine!”, I knew I had found our calling where we could club our passions for making the world a better place in an economically sustainable way.

During the journey we reached out to our other co-founder Mr. Saurabh Singh Chauhan who was introduced to me in the organization “Young Indians” (Youth Wing of the Confederation of Indian Industries) during an interaction in the Belarusian Embassy with their Ambassador. He had tremendous experience in brand, marketing, was hard working and did things in a very graceful way which is what Sahy required.

With an action-packed team wherein Saurabh handles marketing and branding, Chaitanya gets doors opened by leveraging his extensive network built with the inherent trust and honest he enables and myself, an educated, competent, optimistic workaholic passionate about saving the world, Sahy was ready to rollout operations in record time.

Q. Which are the new technological innovations and digital efforts that SAHY is successfully focused on?

Sahy is very excited about solar energy cells, hydel energy tech, battery swapping, innovations in fast DC and slow AC chargers/switches, advertisement algorithms and how we can marge these to offer our users a bespoke experience. Our main focus at this time though is on solar energy cells, battery swapping and chargers.

Q. What are the market’s challenges, particularly in terms of cost, technical advancement, and getting raw materials?

The biggest market challenge is lack of support by government banks to this new age sector. Financial institutions prefer “Vintage Accounts” when extending credit and we realise that equity is always more expensive than debt. It’s a crazy world where we see pre-revenue tech startups which create code which might or might not work have the ability to raise millions of dollars while businesses such as EV charging which requires capital intensive charging equipment, a hard asset, not getting the sort of investor or financial institutional interest.

Other market challenges at this point is the high cost of solar evergy chips especially those which generate electricity from window panes, high cost of EV’s, lack of knowledge on the benefits of AC slow charging, availability of semi-conductors and also absenteeism of government subsidies to the EV charging sector in the MSE sector. Renewable energy driven EV charging stations have the potential to turn every land/ property owner into the equivalent of a petrol pump which draws its fuel from the Sun.

Q. What are the types of EV chargers and the future of EVs in India?

EV chargers are of two type like electric current. Direct current and Alternating current. It is well though of by Elon Musk to name his company after Nikola Tesla, the father of modern electricity, as it was Tesla who invented the alternating current. My vision for India entails a system wherein vehicle to grid systems will have to be pushed in national interest. Moreover in line with our very dynamic prime ministers vision that India shall have the bulk of electricity from renewable sources, I see it as a reality. If EV’s are to be run sustainably, we shall have have a 80:20 mix of AC:DC chargers wherein we use the DC only when we need a shot in the arm.

Most auto companies shall be producing EV’s in India with this offering forming the bulk of their revenue. I am very excited to see what Reliance Industries does with its sodium ion technology, equally excited to see if the most successful entrepreneur of my time Mr. Gautam Adani can secure Lithium Ion deposits for India.

Q. What are the target cities to focus on by year's end for charging stations?

Being a product of the NCR region, I wish to start at home. Our enterprise has setup its first facility in Gurugram because it is the 8th wealthiest city in the country with a diverse diaspora of educated, young, polis hed individuals who have made this city India’s second largest IT hub and third largest banking and financial center. We are also readily contracting with asset owners across the NCR with upcoming installations in Sonepat, Delhi, Noida etc.

We wish to eradicate pollution from the Hilly areas as the petrol pumps over there are scarce and cost of transportation of fuel is high. We shall be looking to clean up our mountains in first the North and thereafter the North-East. Sahy is an enterprise which shall maintain a robust bottom line with increasing smiles.

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Q. Which are the most significant projects in India that you are currently working on?

We are currently working wit h the Galaxy Group, Skyline Group, Whale Group & Paras Buildtech (A Paras Group company) to setup EV chargin g stations at their assets.

Q. What is your roadmap for EV charging station infrastructure?

There is a very long way to for us as we aim to provide free EV charging enablement to our customers. For this we are working on addi ng revenue streams apart from the traditional and conventional revenue stream. We are fully focused on working towards becoming one of the largest players in the NCR to start with and go international within our first 5 years.

As a profit generating enviro-ventu re we shall be working on developing our own tech for energy generation, transmission and distribution.

Q. Kindly elaborate on funding and the expansion plan of Sahy by 2025.

We are currently being bootstrapped by our co-founders, one of whom has also sold off an apartment to generate profits which could be ploughed into this business. Sahy realizes that finance is the lifeline of the company thereby making it a fulltime parallel activity. Sahy is currently seeking funds from various entities such as IIM Kashipur, JIIF, Amity incubation center through the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. Thereafter application shall also be made for scalability for which the government provides convertible debentures of upto Rs. 50 lacs.

Applications for loans under the Prime Ministers

Employment Guarantee Programme, MSME loans etc. are being made to ensure that we avail of all the benefits being provided by our visionary government. Also currently in talks with various interested parties for placement of private equity.

Q. How SAHY is it to Build a Sustainable Business and Be a Climate Change Partner?

Being right is always good, to oneself and to the world. With Sahy we aim to provide asset owners with a sustainable income which is being received very warmly by approached parties. Reducing pollution and earning a easy buck is what sahy aims to reward the early adopters of its solution with. During the first lockdown, the snow clad Himalayas were visible from Saharanpur U.P., which is what the magic of clean air is all about. I have friends who have miograted abroad because of the amount of pollution and contaminants bothering them, with Sahy it is aimed to make the future generations appreciate our efforts to handover a planet which is cared for and still boasts of the purity due to efforts from Multip le stakeholders including Sahy.

Q. What is your opinion on electric vehicles' future and what kind of progress and problems could EVs face in the present or future?

I believe that e lectric vehicles can be adopted for most transportation solutions however there are various challenges such as Chinese control on most of the global Lithium Ion, lobbying by Oil producers, inertia in adoption by the masses, perception of EVs being less durable than Internal combustion engines. RM

ASC-4 Battery Sustainable Controller

The ASC-4 Battery lets you quickly and easily add energy storage systems (ESS) such as batteries in existing brownfield and new greenfield hybrid applications, providing seamless energy storage in commercial and industrial applications.

The DEIF ASC-4 Battery is a highly configurable sustainable energy storage controller that allows seamless integration of a wide range of Power inverters and Battery management. Flexible and scalable controller, hybrid installations as single controller or with other DEIF controllers such as the AGC-4 Mk II advanced genset controller and other sustainable controllers in our ASC-4 range.

T er ew

India has a strong potential solar industry. The Growth of Solar market is correlated with demand of electricity. We anticipate all-India electricity demand during FY 2022-23 to likely increase as we are coming out of the pandemic zone.

Green Brilliance is a “Thought” emerged with the vision to help customers to become more environment friendly and aims to provide Sustainable, Reliable and Clean power. Under the corporate umbrella of Epoxy House group of companies, we have strong emphasis on quality and hence we have state of the art solar panel manufacturing facility.

MR. Jay patel Pa Rtne R

MR. dipen patel PaRtneR

Q. What GREEN BRILLIANCE RENEWABLE ENERGY LLP is all about?

DIPEN PATEL: Green Brilliance is a “Thought” emerged with the vision to help customers to become more environment friendly and aims to provide Sustainable, Reliable and Clean power. Under the corporate umbrella of Epoxy House group of companies, we have strong emphasis on quality and hence we have state of the art solar panel manufacturing facility. We serve across various solar industries including residential, commercial and utility scale projects.

Q. What is your market reach in India and as well as globally?

JAY PATEL: We serve customers pan-India and African countries.

Q. What are your products and services you provide to your customers?

DIPEN PATEL: We design, manufacture and supply PV solar Modules with latest technology. We are also a leading EPC solution provider for ensuring the completion of each solar plant from concept to commissioning including O&M for the complete life of solar plant. We manufacture modules using polycrystalline, monocrystalline and bi-facial cell technologies. We always believe in competitive edge by way of technological advancement, business expansion, and new product development. We consider innovation as a key of success and make considerable investment. Now we have introduced new products in Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) Segment.

Q. What is GBREs outlook for the Indian Solar market?

JAY PATEL: India has a strong potential solar industry. The Growth of Solar market is correlated with demand of electricity. We anticipate all-India electricity demand during FY 2022-23 to likely increase as we are coming out of the pandemic zone.

Q. What is your assessment of government policy on electrical sector?

DIPEN PATEL : Introduction of BCD has helped the manufacturing sector to some extent. Government should also extend the PLI Scheme to MSME’s in Solar industry. Also, they should fast forward the implementation of ALMM and help the local manufacturing sector. Q. What's the way ahead and next target for GREEN BRILLIANCE RENEWABLE ENERFY?

JAY PATEL: Our Targets

• We have increased our manufacturing capacity to 500 MW and subsequently we aim to scale it up to 2 GW in 2024.

• Target to achieve 30% sales revenue growth from last year.

• We are now in an aggressive pursuit of qualified business partners to take our experience and know-how into new geographical areas, primarily Middle East & Africa and capitalize on our technical & financial strength. RM

KehanSri has come a long way from being a B2B Technology Solution to a Solutioning Our a in and of now serve all over and to be of the Government’s of n T er ew n T er ew

Q. To begin with can you give our readers a brief overview of KehanSri Solar including your company’s offerings and presence in India?

Ans. Founded in 2016 KehanSri has come a long way from being a B2B Technology Solution provider to a Solar Solutioning Company. Our team brings a vast experience in Marketing and Solutioning of Consumer and Technology products of National and International repute across Indian market.

We now serve customers all over India and are thrilled to be a part of the Government’s mission of India’s Sustainable Energy Future. Our experience across the solar value chain reduces risk while delivering more reliable, dependable and cost-effective solutions for our customers.

Q. Tell us about your commitment towards Solar Sector in India & your strengths to achieve your targets.

Our mission is “A World without darkness” with sustainable development as the key virtue. We look forward to maintain our mother Earth in her pristine form with progressive, innovative development and tendering it over to our future generations.

Our passion, focused approach towards contributing something worth to the world topped up with sincerity in our actions and great teamwork leaves us with only optimism for the best.

Q. What are your thoughts on the future of Rooftop Solar, Solar Street Light, Solar Water Heater,and Solar Fencing?

The development of solar energy in all ways and technologies is making our world a cleaner, safer, and less dependent nation. When all of our natural fossil fuels are low or gone, solar energy will be one of the leading sources of energy that we will need in the future.

Q. KehanSri Solar offers a broad range of solar solutions; could you highlight your products for our readers.

KehanSri solar offers One stop solution for all your Solar needs. We’re dedicated in giving you the very best of Solar Power products, with a focus on best of Quality, Solutioning, Dependability, and long-lasting Customer Satisfaction. Some of our products are Solar rooftops, solar lights, solar water heating systems and solar fencing.

Q. Quality, Costs, and Performance are key concerns for Indian consumers and EPC companies. How would you like to address these issues for your offerings in India?

I feel best quality and High performance is the key and indeed it has an added cost attached to it. The KehanSri team is making the consumer aware of best quality products and also facilitating the appropriate products reaching to the end consumer.

Q. How do you envision the future for solar in India and what role KehanSri Solar do you expect to?

The solar industry in India has a great future. We are blessed to have the energy of Sun available to us in abundance and our country developing towards self-reliance!

We at KehanSri are looking forward to this great future with the same enthusiasm, fervour and zeal!

Q. What do you want the company to accomplish in the next couple of years and how would you define?

In next 2-3 Years we would like to see ourself as one of the most reliable Solar Solution Partner in South India. We want to offer a platform to all the leading Global players to set up their R&D centre for developing innovative products to meet Indian Solar needs and make this world free from darkness RM

Synopsis

At COP26 summit in Glasgow in Nov’2021, India has pledged 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based installed capacity by the year 2030 and agreed to meet 50% of its energy requirement by renewable sources. To meet this ambitious target, many Solar parks, Hybrid wind-solar power projects, Offshore wind plants are under development. Also, various new technologies are being introduced in grid like Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) & Green Hydrogen Energy to reduce the carbon footprint. Globally, the work is going on for developing the One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG). For the evacuation of this huge quantum of renewable power, matching transmission infrastructure shall be required. Moreover, gestation period of renewable power projects being less, building transmission infrastructure in shorter time is a big challenge being faced by planners. India is developing green energy corridors for evacuation of the renewable energy from generation point to the load centres by creating intra-state and inter-state transmission infrastructure through Regulatory Tariff Mechanism (RTM) as well as Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) routes. Land acquisition and getting right of way (ROW) are becoming the biggest hurdles in constructing the transmission infrastructure in time due to rapid urbanisation and litigations issues. This paper aims to give information about the ROW and how it is a significant challenge for transmission utilities/ companies in Construction and O & M phase and the mitigation measures.

Introduction

Power transmission and other infrastructure projects generally face various issues relating to environmental/ forest clearances/ approvals, land acquisitions, ROW as well as local resistance during their construction. The demand of electricity in India is increasing rapidly due to industrial development, increased rural electrification and urbanization. Accordingly, transmission & distribution networks are required to meet the increasing demand of electricity. With the strong emphasis on renewable

energy sources which are mostly located in remote areas, their integration to the grid requires massive transmission infrastructure and that too, in a shorter time frame. The construction of Transmission lines is becoming more challenging day by day because of getting Right of way, acquisition of land and various statutory and environmental clearances. Due to increasing awareness and rapid urbanisation, it is getting very difficult to get Right of way and routing through urban area, public park, near schools, playground, forest area, wildlife corridor and in urban slums, metropolitan areas, public parks etc. pose severe challenge.

Govt of India vide circular dated 15.10.2015 developed the guidelines for ROW compensation payment for resolving the ROW and early completion of transmission projects which include the tower base land and corridor land value compensation.

The various laws/acts relating to ROW compensation, litigation and land acquisition are The Telegraph Act, 1885, The Electricity Act, 2003, The Land Acquisition Act, 1894, The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014, The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, The Indian Electricity (IE) Rules (77, 80(1), 80(2) for clearance), The Indian Limitation Act, 1963, The Work of Licensees Rule, 2006¸Indian Standard IS-5613 etc.

Keywords- ROW (Right of way), Reconductoring, Uprating, Transmission line, High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) Conductor, Ground Clearance, One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG), MOP (Ministry of Power).

A) Right of Way Corridor - Statutory Provisions

The Right of Way in a transmission line is basically a strip of land required by a utility for constructing, maintaining and protecting its transmission line. Right of Way also named as

Transmission Corridor, is minimum safety corridor around power lines to meet the requisite safety clearances as well as the electromagnetic field exposure limits. It allows the utility to keep the power lines clear of tall trees, building and other obstacles that may interfere with line operation and to ensure safety of public and environment.

The Section 164 of the Electricity Act, 2003 empowers the Appropriate Government to confer upon any public officer, licensee or any other person engaged in the business of supplying electricity, any of the powers which the telegraph authority possesses under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 (13 of 1885) with respect to the placing of telegraph lines.

The important sections of the Telegraph Act are Section 10 & Section 16. The Section 10 of the Telegraph Act, 1885 empowers the transmission company to place towers in or upon any immovable property. However, while doing so the company shall not acquire any right other than that of user in the property. The company shall do as little damage as possible and after completion of work shall pay full compensation to all persons interested for any damage sustained by them by reason of the exercise of those powers.

The important laws governing the Right of Way are the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Electricity Act, 2003. The provision contained in Section 12 to 18 of the Electricity Act, 1910 remained in force until the rules under Section 67 to 69 of the Electricity Act, 2003 are made. Also, the procedure and provisions under Section 12 to 18 of Electricity Act, 1910 were not adequate for major Generation or Transmission Projects. Hence, the express provision for speedy execution is made under Section 164 of the Electricity Act, 2003. (Previously under Section 42 of Electricity Supply Act, 1948).

The Section 67 of the Electricity Act, 2003 provides for a licensee to lay down, interalia, electric supply lines, electric plant and other works and to do all other acts necessary for transmission or supply of electricity. It also stipulates that a licensee shall cause as little damage and shall make full compensation for any damage caused and in case of any difference or dispute, the matter shall be determined by the Appropriate Commission.

The Section 68 of the Electricity Act, 2003 has the provisions relating to overhead lines. It interalia stipulates that where any tree or any structure or other object interrupts or interferes with, or is likely to interrupt or interfere with, the transmission of electricity or the accessibility of any works, an Executive Magistrate or authority specified by the Appropriate Government may, on the application of the licensee, cause the tree, structure or object to be removed or award compensation considering its existence before or after the placing of the overhead line.

The Section 69 of the Electricity Act, 2003 has the provision related to giving notice to the Telegraph Authority.

The Section-16 of the Telegraph Act, 1885 assigns the District Magistrate power to clear the obstruction. If the obstruction continues even after making an order by the District Magistrate under sec.16(1), the obstructor shall be deemed to have committed an offence under Sec.188 (45 of 1860) of the Indian Panel Code.

It is the duty of the electricity company to decide and pay the compensation. While deciding the reasonable and realistic amount of compensation, the company may get it done from or with the help of following respective authorities: Revenue Authorities: - For Crops, non-schedule Trees

Forest Authorities: - For Schedule Trees like Teak. Horticulture Dept.:- Fruit Bearing Trees. Agriculture Dept :- Value of Crop damage.

Rubber Board:- Rubber trees. Dispute regarding sufficiency of compensation shall be decided by the District Judge after receiving application from any party concerned.

For felling of Trees, utility will have to take the permission from Tree officer under the Felling of Tree regulation act & Preservation of Tree Act. The forest approval is required for laying the transmission lines through Forest.

B) Transmission Lines Construction Phase ROW issues - MOP Guidelines

During Construction of the Transmission line projects, obstruction to pass over the private land, obstruction of cutting down trees/ crops, demand of heavy amount of compensation, demand of cost of land occupied by huge towers, legal complications/ litigations are encountered by Transmission Utility/Developers

Voltage in (KV) 400 S/C (Horiz Config), ±500 HVDC 400 D/C, S/C (Vertical/ Delta Config) S/C Horiz/ Delta Config/D/C

ROW Width in Meters 52 46 85 / 64 / 67

As per the provision in the Electricity Act, 2003 read with relevant provision of the Indian Telegraph Act,1885 all the surface damages without acquisition of the subject land accrued to person while placing the tower and line are to be compensated. The Transmission lines are constructed under the ambit of the Electricity Act, 2003 with provisions stipulated in Sec 67-68 read with section 10 to 16 of the Telegraph act. The initial survey to be carried out for the estimated cost of the Compensation as well as Compensation Plan for the Temporary Damages (CPTD) is to carried out. The notice is to be served to the land owners for the construction of the line. The NOC from the land owners & Village Head / Grampanchayat will have to be taken for placing the towers.

considering that acquisition of land is a State subject. In line with this, various states like Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Jharkhand, Tamilnadu and Chhattisgarh have adopted these MOP guidelines as same (85% for Tower base & 15% for the Line corridor). In case of urban areas, additional compensation in form of ‘Non-usability allowance’ up to 15% of the land value for the width of ROW corridor would also be applicable.

Name of State. Methodology

Maharashtra Tower Base @2 Times (200%) of Ready reckoner rate.

Line Corridor tip to tip @15%ready reckoner Circle market rate/Circle rate.

Andhra Pradesh Tower Base 100% & Line corridor 10%.

Meghalaya & Odisha Tower base @ 100 % Line Corridor – 15%

Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh Tower Base 85% & Line Corridor Nil.

The Transmission lines, constructed before 2015 in line with the Indian Electricity Act, 2003 read with Section 10 and 16 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, do not have the provision for the Land value (Tower base & Corridor) and diminution of the land value compensation but only for surface damage (Zirat Compensation/ Tree/ Crop/ Hut & House) as verified by the District administration (does not include cost of land).

So for enhanced compensation and tower base land value, the landowners used to approach the Courts and litigation process hampers the progress of transmission line construction.

The Ministry of Power, Govt. of India vide letter no 3/7/2015 Trans dated 15.10.2015 has issued Guidelines for determining the compensation towards, ‘damages’ as stipulated in section 67 & 68 of the Indian Electricity Act-2003 read with Section 10 and 16 of Indian Telegraph Act 1885 which will be in addition to the compensation towards normal crop and trees. These MOP Guidelines are the game changer for resolving the ROW.

As per these guidelines, the Damage compensation shall consist of compensation@ 85% of the land value for tower base area (between 4 legs) and maximum 15% towards diminution land value in width of ROW of the line corridor as determined by District Magistrate or any other authority based on Circle rate/ Guideline value / Stamp Act. It is pertinent to mention that Ministry of Power, Govt of India has left the rights to States / UTs for taking up decision regarding adoption of the guidelines

Tripura 100% tower base payment under land acquisition & No land payment for corridor.

Nagaland 100% tower base payment & No land payment for corridor.

The Compensation does not mean the acquisition of the land but only right of use the property. The Telegraph Act, 1885 gives legal tres-pass required for exercising the powers to lay transmission lines. Notices under the electricity act serve to land owners for the surface damage and land ownership confirmation & the consent for the ROW compensation is used to be taken from land owner. District collector and Implementing agency serves the Notice under the electricity act 2003 clause no 164 & Clause no 68(6) of part VIII of Indian Electricity Act, 2003 for the purpose of foundation & stringing purpose. The compensation towards land, Demolition of houses and rehabilitation of Hut/House is the responsibility of owner, compensation is duly. assessed by PWD or authorized valuation agency/ Certified Chartered Engineer. In some cases during the construction of the line, if some Schools/ Houses/ Play grounds /Huts /Colleges etc. are encountered the final transmission line route and disputed party approaches the court, the transmission company has to pay the required compensation or divert the route, based on the court decision. nes ga

C) Right of Way (ROW) hurdles in O & M stage of Transmission lines

Land compensation is applicable for the lines constructed after Oct 2015.

D)Factors Contributing to ROW

i) Span length.

ii )Sag of Conductor ( Depends on type of conductor used and maximum operating temperature of the conductor and span length ).

iii) Minimum Horizontal safety clearance.

iv) Length of Cross arm length/distance from Centre line of tower (Depends on swing angle, wind velocity ,metal clearance cage width or tower body

v) Configuration of insulators and length of insulators string.(I,V,Y)

vi) wind velocity and angle of swing.

vii) Configuration towers( SC/D/C/Horizontal/Delta).

During the Operation and Maintenance stage of transmission line also, the surface damage compensation or any pending ROW issue of construction stage has to be addressed by Transmission licensee. The hut and house compensation may also be required to be paid in O & M stage under the order of district collector/ Honorable Court. The landowners first getting the compensation from the line owner and within the span of 3 years approaches the district court/High court for enhancing the surface damage compensation amount and land value as well as diminution of land value. For regular tree cutting work, compensation is required to be paid to landowner by Line owner. Normally trees that grow higher will be cut. For example, trees higher than 3m will be cut to maintain proper ROW under the transmission line, and trees or plants can grow below 3m. The condition and clearance height may differ from country to country.

It is also observed that in some cases which are under litigation, some section of the Transmission line which is constructed and commissioned need to be shifted as per the order of Courts or any regulatory body. Even for carrying out the replacement of the earth wire by optical ground wire (OPGW ) , severe ROW are being faced by the Utilities.

In O & M stage, sometimes land owners demand enhance compensation on the base of prospective yield theory method, growth/girth of that tree during vegetation clearance work. They may also ask for diminution of Land value, Tower base land value even though it is not applicable as per the Telegraph Act , the Electricity Act, 2003 & IS 5613 to the transmission lines constructed before Oct 2015. These laws don’t have provision for the Land value & diminution of land value as well as prospective yield theory. Further, notification /Guidelines issued by MOP for the

viii) Electrostatic field below bottom most conductor(10kV/m) and at edge of ROW (5kV/m) at vegetation effect for transmission line corridor and social and environmental study is necessary while designing transmission lines.

E) Approaches for reducing ROW by adapting New Innovative Technologies

i) Compact tower design with Insulated cross arm.

ii) Use of Suspension towers with V-string or Tension towers in urban and forest area to reduce ROW.

iii) Use of XLPE Underground EHV Cables.

iv) Gas Insulated Transmission Lines (GITL).

v) CICA (Composite Insulated Cross arm) reducing cross arm.

vi) Raising of tower height to reduce the tree cutting.

vii) 400kv Hollow core composite post Insulator inner FRP tube.

viii) Use of covered Conductor up to 66kV level. Caging of Conductors.

ix) Possibility of use of VSC based HVDC.

x) Use of Multi Ckt/Multi-Voltage Monopole/Special towers.

Trans ss on l I nes & IT s M ITI ga TI on

xi) Upgrading of the existing line to higher voltage or multi voltage in same ROW.

x) Increasing Utilization of the Existing transmission lines through Uprate & Upgrade.

xi) Use with HTLS conductors and some special conductors.

xii) Use of micro pile foundation and special type tower design.

F) Mitigation of ROW

i) Transmission line projects have some location impact on the villagers whose lands are affected for construction of transmission towers and stringing of conductors and on the natural resources like crops and trees wherever the Transmissions line passes through the agricultural land and forest area. Thus the main strategy /focus would involve undertaking the activities that benefit the persons/ villagers, generally impacted by the activities that will help to reverse any adverse impact on the environment and ecology so transmission license implement the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) like distributing the medicines and conducting Health Checkup camps regularly as well as supporting the women empowerment and education system as well as various charity work in ROW affected area on voluntarily basis.

ii) Encouraging Land Owners to cultivate low growth trees below tree meters like Fruit and flowers instead of bamboo /Long tree in line. The farmers will get the extra income and fruitful relationship with Transmission licensee.

iii) The utilities deputing some local officer as a Tower Mitra to mitigate the ROW & educate the villagers regarding the Usefulness of the Transmission system

and its safety.

iv) ROW can be mitigated by adapting New Innovative Technologies.

v) The Construction work is to be planned in off season when their is no standing crop.

vi) The various ROW is to be resolved with the involvement of third party with specific conditions.

vii) The maximum cases shall be taken in fast track court or in Lok Adalat.

Conclusions

Demand growth is increasingly driven by residential and commercial sector, with fast growing cities & increasing urbanization. Building new transmission infrastructure to meet peak demand is extremely difficult due to high population density and Right of Way (RoW) challenges. With the strong emphasis on renewable energy sources which are mostly located in remote areas, their integration to the grid requires massive transmission infrastructure and that too, in a shorter time frame. Getting RoW for transmission lines is becoming increasing difficult & very serious concern for Transmission Companies. As land owners demand enhanced compensation payment because of their ulterior motive guided by greed and for unlawful pecuniary gain, all the matters are to be taken by District Courts & further to High Court/Supreme Court/ APTEL. The new Guidelines issued by MOP in 2015 plays a very crucial role to mitigate the ROW issues in Construction phase by paying the tower base land value and corridor land value after confirming their ownership and available circle rate. Transmission lines are constructed under the ambit of the Electricity Act,2003 with provision stipulated in Sec 67-68 read with section 10 to 16 of the Telegraph

act before Oct’2015 don’t have the provision for the land compensation so new guidelines will be the game changer to resolve the ROW and early completion of the Transmission line corridors. The various innovative technology and measures are being implemented by transmission companies for mitigation of ROW.

References

i) Laws of Electricity in India book by S.S.Sarkar & J.P.Bhatnagar.

ii) IS Code 5613.

iii) Electrical Power system Book by C.L.Wadhava.

iv) CBIP Transmission Line Manual.

v) Indian Electricity Act-2003 & Telegraph Act-1885.

vi) Guide lines issued by The Ministry of Power, Govt. of India vide letter no 3/7/2015 Trans dated 15.10.2015.

vii) Guidelines for payment of compensation in Regards to Right of Way (ROW) for transmission line in Urban area dated 16.07.2020 RM

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Author

Shri Rajesh Gupta

Sh Shri Rajesh Gupta is a Graduate Electrical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and also holds an MBA from FMS, Delhi University.

He has valuable experience of 34 years in different facets of Power Sector. He has worked in various capacities in NTPC and POWERGRID in the areas of design & optimisation, construction, operation & maintenance, project management and consultancy assignments of many EHV AC & HVDC transmission projects. He was one of the key members in various domestic as well as international consultancy assignments with Nepal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tajikistan under World Bank/ADB funded projects. He has co-authored technical papers in various National and International forums.

He has been appointed as a NETCL Director on our Board with effect from 29th September 2021.

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Author

Mr.Harshal Malewar

Mr.Harshal Malewar is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from Govt.College of Engineering Chandrapur (GCOEC) in 2006 , Maharashtra, Nagpur in 2006 & has correspondence MBA in Power Management in 2010.He is Certified Chartered Engg from Institute of Engineers India. He has diversified experience of more than 15 years in the Power Transmission & Distribution with various power sector scompanies such as RECTPCL, MSETCL, Sunflag Steel & Power, Jyoti Structures Ltd and Currently working in NETCL(POWERGRID & OTPC JV) . He has good exposure in Project Monitoring, Contracts & Procurement , Project Management, O &M and Construction of EHV Substations & Lines. He has authored & co-authored technical papers in various National and International forums like CBIP,CIGRE & Published papers on national journals of power sector .

HOT DIPPED GALVANIZED VS PRE-GALVANIZED:

- DEVELOPER’S PERSPECTIVE Shankar Sengupta Head – Energy Engineering Group

1. Preface

Steel is the most common material used in almost all products i.e., from households to Industrial application. Significant part of the economy is steel sector based; however, steel have one large disadvantage – its high corrosion rate. Hence protection of steel structures and components is of great economic importance. In Indian subcontinents, the rate of corrosion is quite high considering hot and humid environmental conditions. Zinc is mostly used as an anti-corrosion agent and being used from very early ages i.e., from 200BC to obtain brass which is alloy of copper and zinc. It has inherent natural capacity to protect steel against corrosion. In 1742, a chemist known as Melouin found that a zinc coating could be applied to iron by dipping it into molten zinc which indeed laid the foundation for galvanizing. In 1780, an Italian physicist, Luigi Galvani, observed that the contact between two dissimilar metals resulted in the flow of an electrical current. He worked in field of galvanization and on the name of this physicist, the process is named as Galvanization. Subsequently in year 1836, a French civil engineer, inventor cum chemist, named as Stanislas Sorel patented a method of galvanization by cleaning steel and then coating it with zinc by dipping it into molten zinc. This was the beginning of modern hot-dip galvanizing.

3. Reasons for opting Hot Dipped Galvanization over Pre-Galvanization from Developers perspective

i. Galvanization is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent corrosion. There may be various other ways of corrosion protection; however galvanized coating is one of the most durable forms of corrosion protection. In an ideal condition i.e., without any operation loads on the steel structure i.e., if the galvanized steel is kept, with average coating thickness of 85 microns, it will protect the base material for almost 100 years. It means, the galvanization is very durable.

2. Benefits of Galvanization

Hot-dip galvanizing has been in use over 100 years to protect steel corrosion worldwide; however, over the decades, many new material and process has been evolved. Comparing all the use of hot-dipped galvanization remained most trusted based on their superb performance and till date experience as user.

In the HDG process, the base material is getting three level protection.

i. Zinc Layer Barrier Protection which protects steel by insulating direct contact with air and moisture.

ii. Cathodic Protection where in zinc acts as anode and sacrifices itself protecting the steel from corrosion

iii. Zinc Patine where in zinc oxidizes and builds a protective layer over steel

Hot dipped galvanization is proven and well-established method. HDG members comes with guarantee of service life; however, Pre galvanized steel supplier do not provide performance guarantee beyond 5 to 10 years. Scientific literature is present in case of HDG stating the year-on-year degradation of the coating in various corrosive environments, whereas no such data is available for Pre-Gal material and the life of the asset is at risk beyond 10 years.

ii. Hot Dipped Galvanization is almost maintenance free. Once it is done, there is no requirement of reapplication or recoating. Hot dipped Galvanization is very much sustainable.

In case of pre galvanized material, after some service life the pre-galvanized material needs replacement and / or maintenance.

iii. Indian solar developers are trying to increase the solar project life to

Cross-section of the galvanized steel coating, showing a typical microstructure comprised of three alloy layers and a layer of pure metallic zinc

Formation of Zinc patina – which itself acts as a protective layer for the active zinc metal

35-40 years instead of present standard of 25 years, and as most of the upcoming solar projects in India will be at C3-C4 corrosion zones, it is important to design the BOP systems for 40-50 years as well. Galvanization is techno – economically, cost effective solution when compared with grit blasted equivalent painting system. PU or alike painting systems must be applied in multiple layers over grit blasted steel surfaces. Usually painting scheme shall have 275 to 325micron thickness as per manufacturer prescription.

However, this cost effectiveness is achievable in HDG only. Corresponding thickness of galvanization compared to 325micron painting is 60 to 80 microns. These 60 to 80 microns of galvanization thickness provide minimum 25 to 30 years of life expectancy under worst condition like corrosion condition greater than C4.

Pre galvanized material does not provide the requisite thickness of galvanization and service life guarantee comparable with HDG and painting system.

iv. Hot Dipped Galvanizing ensures complete coverage over steel surface, irrespective of it’s shape, geometry. As a process point of view, in case of hot dipped galvanization, once the structural member is completely fabricated including welding, punching, drilling, cutting etc. all operation, it is immersed into molten zinc and kept for requisite time duration. This ensures complete zinc coverage all over steel members. However, in case of pre galvanized steel members, this is not possible. The steel members which are fabricated using pre galvanized are highly susceptible to corrosion. In manufacturing process of the pre-galvanized sheet (or similar products), a bare steel plate of thickness is passed galvanization process. As a result, zinc coating is applied (of 20/30micron) only on the exposed surfaces. While fabricating the structural member to requisite shape and size it is subjected welding, punching, drilling, cutting i.e., all activities involved in fabrication work exposes and damages the existing pre galvanized layer., so corrosion starts and life of the steel structure member comprises.

v. Hot Dipped Galvanizations provide superior abrasion resistance. In hot dip galvanization process, a zinc coating which is formed is firmly bonded metallurgically to the steel surface. Due to its unique metallurgical bond, a galvanized coating is incredibly tough, offering exceptional performance for all kind of abrasion and shocks.

Floa TI ng Pho T o V ol T a I cs

An initial outer layer of galvanization provides reliability by acting as a buffer zone, helping to absorb any type of initial shock, impacts, abrasions etc. to the galvanized coating and metal surface. Also, the

underlying zinc-iron alloys is harder than steel itself and will further reduce any potential penetration of the coating or the exposure of bare steel. This means that a galvanized coating is highly shock, wear, and tear resistant which particularly suited to areas of high frequency industrial application. A Hot Dipped Galvanization coating can also help prevent damage during construction, transport, erection, and the other mechanical activities.

This type of protection is not possible in pre-galvanized steel as the galvanized thickness is itself very thin compared to HDG.

vi. Hot Dipped Galvanized is fast activity. Once the steel members are fabricated, it simply required just few minutes of immersion time into molten zinc tank post cleaning of the members. The molten zinc reaches to all exposed surfaces and do provide complete protection. However, such all protection in such short time is not possible in case of pre galvanized material, as the punched, drilled, cut surfaces remains unprotected or it need special treatment in special case requirements.

vii. Typically, in Pre-Galvanized material, the claimed 80-micron thickness of galvanization represents 40micron on inner face + 40 micron on outer face of steel; however, in Hot Dipped Galvanization 80 microns it is a coating thickness on each side.

viii. In Renewable Power sector, all the structures which are comprising of thin structural members and cost is worked out on basis of weight of the structural members; in such cases owner or project developer leverage benefit of steel weight from Hot Dipped Galvanized members, this tonnage benefit is not available in pre-gal structures. In Hot Dipped Galvanized process, the bond between steel and protective zinc coating is metallurgical bond. This bond is very strong, in some cases, the strength of this interface layer i.e. zinc + steel is stronger than bare steel, hence it is possible to optimize the base material thickness. However, this advantage of weight reduction is not possible in pre galvanized or PosMAC like materials.

4. Points to Ponder

i. As India is accelerating towards its goal of 300 GW solar capacity by 2030 from 58 GW at present, do we need to change our engineering designs for making a long-term & sustainable solution or should we continue focusing on the designs developed by Western countries, for totally different environmental conditions.

ii. Which all components should be innovated to increase the plant life to 50 years & beyond RM

f loating Photovoltaics: c once P t and r evie W

Floa ng Pho T o V ol T a I cs

Introduction

As the world population continues to grow, the energy demand is also increasing, causing an increase in use of fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases. As climate change continues to worsen, the world is looking at ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The world is facing a climate crisis. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that in order for the world to reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 there will have to be an annual average solar energy generation growth of 24% . In 2020, solar generation increased 23%, resulting in the IEA categorising solar photovoltaics (PV) asmore effort needed’. Solar PV is expected to be a leading technology to power the world in the future. The price of PV has reduced drastically, reaching a price similar to that of conventional energy sources . The IEA stated that PV has become the lowest-cost electricity source in history. While installed PV is set to continue growing, the large scale ground-mounted photovoltaic (GPV) farms are running into issues of finding land to install on. A 1MW PV farm needs approximately 15,000 m2 of land. With large land requirements and rising land prices it is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase land for a PV farm. Other challenges faced by PV installations are cooling of the panels and keeping them free of dust in order to increase energy efficiency. A solution to this challenge is placing PV on bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, reservoirs, oceans, canals, lagoons, waste water treatment plants, or irrigation ponds. The placing of PV panels on top of bodies of water is called floating photovoltaics (FPV) or floatovoltaics. Countries that are facing challenges with land availability for PV farms are looking towards the potential of FPV. The aim of this review paper is to analyze the status of FPV, along with the benefits and drawbacks of the new technology, with a section looking at submerged photovoltaics (SPV). This report is unique as it observes the current status of FPV and the knowledge gaps that require investigation and a solution. There is a focus on the challenges that GPV faces and how FPV addresses some of these challenges. FPV is a relatively new technology with the first plant installed in 2007 in Japan. Table 1 shows an overview of the major milestones within the FPV industry. The graph in

Figure 1 shows the installed FPV capacity from 2007 to 2018, and it is clear that FPV is growing rapidly.

Table 1.FPV early development milestones. Adapted with permission from.2019, WorldBank

Milestone Year Location Size(kWp)

FirstFPVinstallation 2007 AichiProvince,Japan 20

FirstFPVinstallation(nonresearched) 2008 FarNienteWinery,USA 175

FirsttrackingFPVinstallation 2010 PetraWinery,Italy 200

FirstMW size FPVinstallation 2013 SaitamaPrefecture,Japan 1180

FirstFPVhybridsystemwithahydroelectricpowerplant(HPP) 2017 AltoRabagaoDam,Portugal 220

Figure 1. Global FPV installed capacity. Adapted with permission from 2019, World Bank.

Globally, installed FPV capacity is seen to be doubling each year and is predicted tocontinue doubling. Figure 2 shows a global breakdown of installed FPV as of 2020,the majority being located in China. The cost of FPV is higher than GPV currently with aproject break-even cost 4–8% higher. There is massive global growth in this sector butminimal knowledge about the possible negative impacts of FPV, making this an essential and timely review.

Figure 2. Globally installed FPV as of 2021. Adapted with permission from. 2021, Ma.

Why Floating PV is rising?

In some countries where deficiency of land usage, the prevalence of using solar panel systems to generate electricity has been hampered by a lack of space and space limitations on the roof. Local PV companies are constantly competing for land, including agriculture, industry, and population growth. These companies have recently discovered innovative alter- natives. The installation of floating panels on lakes, dams, reservoirs, and the sea. Floating solar technology is very advantageous for countries with weak land electrical networks.

Figure 3. Classification of solar Governments and investors are beginning to recognize these benefits and are drawing attention to a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In particular, Japan should supervise floating solar panels due to the low availability of land associated with limited natural resources. Japan has 73 of the 100 largest floating solar power plants in the world. The largest FPV Plant is at the Yamakura dam. This unique installation can supply more than 5,000 homes. The project also saves more than 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Nearly half of the floating solar power plants in Japan are located in a state called Hyogo Region. This is likely because there are more than 40,000 agricultural reservoirs in the state and there is enough space to install floating panels. Installed in lakes, reservoirs, and dams, floating solar panels save precious space on the ground. In addition, it is 16% more efficient than onshore solar power plants. This is because of the cooling effect of the system provided by the water under the panel.

The fact that this results in very significant savings is that these systems are easier to connect to the grid than remote wind farms. The system occupies most of the water area in which it is installed. In other words, the water evaporates very low due to less exposure to direct sunlight and wind. This saves significant freshwater in agricultural areas. It also slows the growth of algae, which is harmful to fish species.

Types of Solar photovoltaic setups

The solar photovoltaic system is classified according to its use and location, so, the categories of various solar photovoltaic setups are shown in Fig. 3.

Conventional land based and ground mounted solar setups

For the installation, ground-mounted photovoltaic systems are usually highly efficient solar systems. The solar modules are placed in frames or a rack position fixed setup to the auxiliary equipment on the ground and field assistants include: (Fig. 4):

• A pole holder fixed with concrete in the ground.

• Foundation substrates, such as cast stabilities or concrete slabs.

• Ballast accessory holders, such as bases with steel- reinforced concrete, use heavy objects to protect the solar photovoltaic modules in place and require no grounding. This cultivation system is suitable for places that cannot be excavated, such as closed soils and soils, and it is easy to dismantle or move the solar module system.

Roof top solar project

A photovoltaic system on the roof (Fig. 5) is a solar photo- voltaic system in which solar modules are mounted on the rooftop of a housing or profitable construction or structure37). The parts comprise of solar inverters, photovoltaic modules, mounting systems, cables, and other electrical components. Rooftop PV systems either on-grid or off-grid can be utilized in combination with additional energy sources (such as wind turbines, diesel generators, etc.). The setup can provide constant power. The roof system is smaller than the ground-mounted photovoltaic systems in the megawatt range. Photovoltaic systems on the roofs of housing constructions generally have a power of between 5 and 20 kW, while occupants of profitable constructions generally reach 100 kW or more.

Figure 4. Ground mounted solar PV

Figure 5. Roof top solar power PV plant

Figure 6 Canal top solar systems

Figure 7 Offshore solar systems

Canal top solar system

the ease of use of the photovoltaic modules depends on the temperature, if a solar photovoltaic system is installed on the surface of the water because of the cooling effect from the water33), the ambient temperature below this sign cannot be recognized. If an aluminum frame is used to support the external photovoltaic solar module, the cooling temperature of the water will also increase, thus reducing the allover heat of the PV module (Fig.7). The normal capacity of the solar module is 11% more than the average capacity of solar modules placed on the ground.

Floating PV system concept

Traditionally, solar power plants are planted on the ground, which requires a large area. To avoid obtaining huge tracts of land, the idea of installing photovoltaic plants on the canal is considered new. Not only was deforestation avoided by eliminating land use, but deforestation by beautifying the environment was also encouraged (Fig. 6).

Offshore solar PV system

More than 70% of the earth’s surface covers the ocean and other water bodies. They received a lot of solar energy. Using solar photovoltaic technology, existing solar energy resources can be used to compete with current electricity production. Due to the scarcity of land, the beach is a beach environment that can take maximum benefit of the sunlight throughout the day time and is an excellent choice for planting photovoltaic systems (Fig. 7). Cadmium Chloride is the main constituent of photo- voltaic solar cells that is very poisonous and costly, so it will influence the production progression and the cost of solar cells. Saltwater comprises magnesium chloride, that can substitute extremely poisonous and expensive cadmium chloride.

Reservoir/Lake based floating solar system

Floating photovoltaic power generation system is a novel idea, not commercially implemented, and only a limited number of demonstration projects have been implemented worldwide There are sufficient photovoltaic power generation devices in many parts of the world. world. There is not enough land, mainly in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines, and many other islands. Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, India, and other countries have started to request floating photovoltaics. This demand could expand and extend all around the world. Floating photovoltaic solar systems can be mounted on an aquatic surface such as oceans, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, irrigation ponds, wastewater treatment plants, dams, and canals. Depending on the type of solar cell and the weather conditions, electricity is used. The remaining solar radiation is transformed into heat, which increases the photo- voltaic temperature. The output power of solar cell changes with changes in temperature. Since

The use of aquatic technology to install photovoltaic solar systems on water bodies is a new idea. The miscellany of PV system technology and floating PV technology34) that can generate electricity combined. This technology has replaced photovoltaic plants in precious location. The floating photovoltaic system contains an independent float structure or oat, a morning structure, solar PV modules, and cables (Fig. 7). As studied, the use of floating bridges and photovoltaic panels to effectively cover the tank has reduced the water vapor in the tank. Studies in Australia have shown that 40% of the water in the open tank is lost during evaporation.

Figure 10 Pontoon Structure

The most important parameter for evaluating FPV performance is the ability of photovoltaics to convert effectively into operating conditions, which influences energy production and is, therefore, the highest valued device of this module. The power conversion of the photovoltaic module is given by the relationship between the intensity of the energy generation

and the total solar radiation. As per the next expression, Pho o V ol T a I cs

Figure 8 Floating solar power plants

Figure 9 Floating solar power plant layout

where η el is the efficiency of electricity produce (%), Pmax is the maximum power produce by PV system (W), S is the solar radiation strength fall on the PV module (W/m2) and Apv is the area of PV module on that solar radiance fall on the surface (m2).

Technology Overview

A general FPV system consists of PV panels and system installed atop a floating structure that is anchored to the ground as seen in Figure 11.

Cables

Underwater cables can be used to transport the generated electricity to an onshore substation. It is also common to keep the cables above the water.

Installation

The installation process for FPV is often easier than that for GPV, as long as the anchoring and mooring system is not complicated. The installation does not require heavy equipment and the system is usually assembled on land and then transferred onto the body of water where it can be towed to the site. Lightsource, a company in the United Kingdom, used a ramp to roll FPV into the water. The installation can be seen in Figure 11.

Location

Figure 11. FPV components Reprinted with permission from. 2020, Oliveira-Pinto

Floating Structure

A pontoon structure is used to keep the system floating in the water. The pontoons are formed by attaching floats together in order to hold the weight of the structure on top of the water. The majority of floats used in the industry are made out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) due to it being UV resistant, corrosion resistant, maintenance free, recyclable and having good tensile strength. Another material used for floats, though less common, is glass fibre reinforced plastic. These systems generally have a set panel inclination that is not easily adjusted once installed . A benefit of the floating structures is that they are easy to decommission compared to a GPV system. Other floating structure options include galvanized steel platforms and one or two axis tracking platforms .

PV Module

The commonly used module type for FPV installations is crystalline silicon. Crystalline modules work well in fresh water environments, but as the sector looks toward marine environments, modules will need to be designed to withstand the salty environment. Therefore, standard metal frames will need to be replaced with an alternative material. There is potential to also use second generation CdTe , a-Si, or CIGS , but there has been limited investigation with these technologies. Third-generation PV is not considered yet for FPV due to the lack of maturity.

Mooring

The mooring system of an FPV installation is required to hold the system in place, avoiding overturning or floating away. The system can be moored with anchors on the ground of the body of water, or alternatively, directly to shore. Nylon ropes are often used as the mooring lines and allow movement of the system for changes in water depth and blowing wind.

In order to choose a suitable FPV location, there is a list of criteria that must be taken into consideration. Table 2 breaks down the key criteria that must be analysed before selecting a location to install FPV.

Table 2. Site suitability. Adapted with permission from 2019, World Bank

Cooling Effect

PV modules are negatively affected by high temperatures as high temperatures de- crease the performance, energy output, efficiency, and life span of the modules. The most critical factor affecting a PV module’s efficiency is module temperature. An increased surface temperature of a module results in sunlight being converted into heat rather than output power. There has been extensive research into cooling methods for PV modules in order to increase the efficiency when exposed to hot temperatures. When PV modules are placed on bodies of water, they experience a cooling effect that increases their efficiency compared to a GPV system. A paper comparing the cooling effects on FPV in the Netherlands (temperate maritime climate) versus Singapore (tropical climate) found that Singapore had a 6% increase in annual energy yield while the Nether- lands had a 3% increase. Another paper investigating the performance of FPV in the tropics found an up to 10% increase in annual energy yield due to the cooling effect. A study in Visakhapatnam, India, found a 1.5–3% increase in energy production for FPV compared to GPV. Another study in India found a 2.5–3% increase between FPV and GPV. Brazillian reservoirs were analysed in a study and found to have a 12.5% increase in efficiency

for FPV because of the cooling effect. The World Bank also found increased efficiency varying between 5% and 10% for different climatic regions. The cooling effect due to the cool air flowing under the PV modules is a key advantage of installing an FPV system over a GPV system.

Humidity

Another effect of installation on water is an increase in humidity for the modules. FPV modules experience higher humidity compared to GPV modules. An increase in humidity around a module can affect the atmosphere and cause the module temperature to increase, thereby decreasing the performance of the module.

FPV on water quality found that FPV covering a small amount of a reservoir was not enough to reduce algae blooms. A main concern reported in research around FPV impact on water quality is that there has not been enough studies and modeling to conclude that there will not be negative effects. Table 2 shows a summary of the potential opportunities and threats of FPV on water quality.

Land Use

Water Evaporation

Studies have shown that FPV is capable of significantly decreasing water evaporation. This can be important for coupling FPV with HPP, which will be discussed in Section 4.7. It is also increasingly important for countries that are dealing with water shortages. Water-scarce regions in central and southern Asia were concluded to benefit greatly when FPV was installed. A study found that a 1MW FPV system in Visakhapatnam, India, would reduce water evaporation and save 42-million litres of water. A study looked at the water evaporation reduction, economic feasibility, energy generation, and environmental impact of installing FPV on five main reservoirs lakes in Iran. By covering 10% of the five main reservoir lakes with FPV, enough water would be saved from evaporation to meet the domestic water demands of a city with 1-million inhabitants. The study states that FPV would be beneficial for Iran as it is facing an energy and water crisis. The reduction of water evaporation is a benefit of FPV.

Countries with a high population density are facing the issue of finding land that can be used for solar PV farms . FPV addresses this issue as it can be placed on surfaces of bodies of water that would otherwise go unused. FPV systems can be installed on ponds, lakes, reservoirs, oceans, canals, lagoons, waste water treatment plants, or irrigation ponds. FPV can also be beneficial for small island communities that lack ample land space. The cost of installing FPV is often lower than GPV because land does not have to be purchased or approved. A techno-economic case study in Islamabad found that a GPV system would have a return of over 15 years compared to a floating system on NUST lake, an urban lake, which would have a return of 5.37 years. Not having to pay for land for the installation in Islamabad makes the FPV system more feasible than a GPV system. The pay back is also affected by the increase in electrical output and lower cleaning cost for FPV, which will be discussed later in the paper. Chowdhury et al. examined how the use of FPV in their home country, Bangladesh, can be very beneficial due to the high population density .

Table 3. Potential opportunities and threats of FPV on water quality. Reprinted with permission from . 2021, Exley.

Impact on Water Quality

FPV is a growing sector that only began to boom recently. As a result, there is minimal research on the impact of FPV on water quality. The impact on water quality is noted to be the greatest threat of FPV. A study conducted by Exley et al. reported that FPV operators stated there was no impact on water quality, but only 15% are monitoring and analysing the water quality while the majority are using only visual inspection. The paper goes on to explain that nine ecosystem services could be affected by the installation of FPV. A study using two adjacent agricultural ponds, one covered with FPV and one open as a control, found that there were no negative effects on water quality associated with the FPV. The study found improved concentrations of cholorophyll and nitrate, as well as a 60% decrease in water evaporation. Multiple papers concluded that a positive impact FPV has on water quality is the reduction of algae growth. The percentage of FPV cover on a body of water will determine the system’s impact on algae growth. A study investigating the impact of

Shading and Soiling

FPV does not often suffer in performance from shading of the surroundings as it is located on a flat area The lack of shading is a benefit of FPV.

Soiling losses are a result of deposited dust accumulating on PV systems and are a major issue that reduces the power generation of a PV system. Soiling losses that reduced power production by 3% to 4% in 2018 caused a revenue loss of EUR 3–5 billion due to the reduced power production. By 2023, it is assumed that soiling losses will result in a revenue loss of EUR 4–7 billion. With an expected global solar energy o V ol T a I cs

generation of 7200 TWh by 2040, it is becoming increasingly important to reduce soiling losses. The common solution to reduce soiling losses is to use anti-soiling coatings on the PV system . FPV is another solution that can reduce soiling losses. By employing FPV, the panels are less likely to undergo soiling as water bodies are often less dusty than the arid regions in which GPV are usually installed. If soiling does occur, it is easier to clean FPV than GPV systems as there is water on site that can be used to clean the modules.

FPV Hybrid with (HPP)

Hydropower is the leading renewable source of electricity generating more electricity than all other renewable sources combined. There are over 9000 HPP reservoirs globally , covering a surface of around 265,700 km2 . These reservoirs are being researched for the potential of installing FPV . The relatively new concept of coupling FPV with HPP is being explored and feasibility studies have been conducted in order to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the coupling. Figure 4 shows a schematic of what a general HPP FPV hybrid system would look like. The main benefits of coupling HPP and FPV are water savings, water quality, grid connection, cooling, power fluctuation reduction, no land occupancy, energy storage, and radiation balance .

hold water to be used when the FPV is not generating electricity. On an annual basis, depending on the location, solar potential is often high while HPP has reduced power due to less water flow. In 2020, a study was conducted by Yanlau Zhou that looked at how an FPV hybrid system with HPP affects the water, food, and energy nexus. A model was created to maximize the water storage and power output of the hybrid system and concluded that the system would improve the synergistic benefit between water, energy, and food.

Figure 12. FPV hybrid system with HPP schematic. Reprinted with permission from. 2020, Lee.

As stated in Section 4.3, FPV is found to reduce water evaporation, which therefore would increase hydropower efficiency. A 1MW installation of FPV can save between 700 m2 and 10,000 m2 of water annually. Section 4.4 reviewed papers and concluded that FPV reduced algal growth in the water, which improves the water quality. Improved water quality is another benefit of coupling HPP with FPV. Grid connection is an important benefit of coupling as it will save costs in the installation of FPV. It is beneficial to install FPV systems where grid connections already exist. A challenge with PV, and other renewable energy sources, is their intermittency. The variable power generation is holding solar back from growing in the energy market. Having FPV coupled with HPP helps with this issue as they can be used complementarily. During the day when solar irradiance is high, the reservoir can

A study performed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre conducted an assessment on installing FPV on HPP reservoirs in Africa. The study examined 146 of the largest HPP in Africa and concluded that installing FPV covering 1% of reservoirs would double the power capacity of HPP and increase electrical output by 58% Numerous African nations rely on HPP as their electricity source and increasing droughts in the continent affect the HPP power generation. FPV was concluded to save water evaporation in the HPP reservoirs they are placed on, which is seen as a major benefit in Africa. A study completed at Macquarie University conducted a feasibility analysis of installing FPV on HPP in Australia. The paper examined the four largest HPP in New South Wales, Australia, and found that the total power capacity of the HPP can be met using FPV. A technoeconomic analysis was completed for an FPV HPP hybrid system in Bangladesh and concluded that the integration would be beneficial for the country. The system would create clean energy, reduce water evaporation, have a return of nine years, and help reach sustainable development goals. A paper written from Air University in Islamabad examined coupling FPV with a newly proposed HPP project in Pakistan. The paper concluded that it would be prudent to combine the systems because it would generate significantly more electricity and benefit from sharing the transmission and distribution system . It also notes that the FPV system will generate 10% more electrical output compared to a GPV system in the same location. In recent years, Brazil has decreased its HPP generation and relied more on thermoelectric power plants, which has increased greenhouse gas emissions.

A paper by Naidion Motta Silverio looked at the use of FPV with existing HPP in the Sao Francisco River basin because this region has suffered from droughts, therefore, increasing its need for thermoelectric power plants. Installing FPV on the existing HPP would be beneficial and is seen to compliment the seasonal flow of the river.

The first HPP FPV hybrid system was installed on the Alto Rabagao reservoir in Portugal in 2017, shown in Figure 4. The benefits of coupling HPP with an FPV system are clear in the academic papers and the potential for coupling systems is seen in countries around the world.

T o V ol T a I cs

Irrigation Ponds

A possible location to install FPV is on irrigation ponds. Placement on agricultural irrigation ponds can be beneficial to providing farms with electricity. A 305 kW FPV that covers 45% of an agricultural irrigation pond was installed in Brazil. In Japan, the majority of installed FPV farms are on irrigation ponds The installed FPV can provide farms with electricity while also reducing water evaporation from the ponds.

Fresh Water vs. Marine Water

The majority of FPV research and installations have been in fresh water and this approach cannot simply be transferred to marine water installations. As noted in Section 3.2, commonly used PV modules are not designed to be located in salty environ- ments and the salty air will affect the metal frame. Further, FPV systems installed in a marine environment will be exposed to tides, currents, stronger winds, and waves. The more diverse ecology in marine environments must be taken into consideration as it can cause biofouling and affect coral systems. There is also the potential for artificial reefs to grow on an FPV installation and to combine FPV with other marine energy devices. The pontoon structures used for marine environments vary from those typically used for fresh water installations as seen in. Figure 4shows Swimsol’s floating SolarSea located in the Maldives on individual two meter high wired frames with floats attached. The wire frames allow the wave, wind, and current forces to pass through the structure, as oppose to solid pontoons which take on the full impact of the forces. displays connected rectangular pontoon modules for a deployment in the Dutch North Sea. displays an innovative design by Ocean Sun that can be used in near-shore, sheltered, marine environments. Overall, there is potential for FPV in marine environments. However, there are more challenges to overcome compared to fresh water installations and there exist large knowledge gaps in research.

for high-altitude FPV in Switzerland could meet the country’s energy demand while also reducing its carbon emissions.

Desalination

The option of using FPV for desalination plants has been researched. Desalination is the process of removing salts and minerals from seawater to obtain fresh water. Desalination takes a significant amount of energy and is often powered by fossil fuels. Using solar energy for desalination would require a large area to produce enough energy according to a study conducted in California. For this reason, the potential of using FPV for desalination is not yet feasible. It is an area of continuing research as desalination plants are located by water making FPV a great solution to render the process more sustainable.

Electric Vessels

The concept of using foldable floating solar arrays to charge electric vessels was explored in Mayank Tiwari’s paper. The foldable floating solar arrays use the concept of FPV but are able to be easily taken on and off of the water surface. The proposed system could be key in transitioning water vessels toward being electric powered.

Electrical Cabling

With increased installation of subsea electrical cables for marine renewables, there is growing concern that the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can affect marine life. The EMFs could affect animals that use magnetic fields to navigate and communicate. The EMFs could also affect migrating fish More research is warranted in order to understand the risks and the potential effects should be considered when installi ng FPV in the meantime.

Submerged Photovoltaic (SPV)

High Altitude

There has been research on the potential of SPV. If viable, SPV could be used for sensors, autonomous power systems, and vehicles for both commercial and defence ap- plications. Research conducted in 1990 concluded that solar energy decreases as the depth of water increases. The research showed that the decrease in solar energy with water depth is not an exponential trend. The amount of solar energy absorbed within the first centimetre of water is 27% and 70% at a water depth of 3 m. Using the derived mathematical equation at 100 m of water depth the remaining solar energy would only be 0.25% of the total transmitted solar energy. Studies have stated that there is potential for the use of SPV for underwater applications. The use of high-bandgap-InGaP cells are seen to perform better than silicon cells when submerged. Another ng Pho

Placing FPV in high mountain lakes has the benefit of the snow-covered mountains having high albedo and reflecting the solar rays. The potential of FPV on mountain lakes has been examined in Switzerland where a 448kWp FPV system was installed on Lac des Toules at an altitude of 1800m . the system on Lac des Toules that was installed in 2019. The snow-covered ground can increase the energy yield by 10%. A benefit of the increased production in winter months is in alignment with higher energy use in Switzerland due to the heating of buildings. A study found that the total potential

paper looked at comparing amorphous cells to monocrystalline cells and found that amorphous cells performed better overall. Further, another investigation found that dye-sensitised cells perform better than mono-crystalline and amorphous cells when placed underwater. A benefit of SPV is the cooling effect from the water, limited soiling losses or need for cleaning, and reduced land constraints. One study performed in Italy examined the potential of using SPV in swimming pools. The study discussed the potential of using the power from the SPV to heat the swimming pool. Rendered examples of SPV being used for swimming can be seen in Figures 13.

looking toward FPV as a way of acquiring a renewable energy source without using valuable land. It is expected that FPV installation will continue to double yearly and provide clean energy globally and research will continue to ensure there are no negative effects.

References

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Conclusions

An in-depth review of the status of FPV has been conducted. The review concludes that while there are many benefits of FPV, there are also disadvantages that are known, and some disadvantages that may have not yet been discovered. Advantages of FPV installation over a GPV system include cooling due to the proximity to water, no land use requirements, reduced water evaporation, reduced soiling, reduced algal blooms, and easy installation. Known disadvantages include humidity effects on the PV modules and unknown effects on water quality. Sites best suited for FPV are human-made bodies of water including reservoirs, irrigation ponds, and industrial ponds. There is great potential for FPV to be integrated in a hybrid system with reservoirs of HPPs. The already existing grid access and reduced water evaporation are the two main advantages of a hybrid system. Countries with high population densities are

6. Ghosh, A. Fenestration integrated BIPV (FIPV): A review. Solar Energy 2022, 237, 213–230.[CrossRef]

7. Crago,C.L.Economics of Solar Power. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2021. [CrossRef]

8. Chen, Y.k.; Kirkerud, J.G.; Bolkesjø, T.F. Balancing GHG mitigation and land-use conflicts : Alternative Northern European energy systems cenarios. Appl. Energy 2022,310,118557. [Cross Ref]

9. Cuce, E.; Cuce, P.M.; Saboor,S.; Ghosh, A.; Sheikhnejad, Y. Floating PV sin Terms of Power Generation, Environmental Aspects, Market Potential, and Challenges. Sustainability 2022,14,2626. [CrossRef]

10. Goswami, A.; Sadhu, P.; Goswami, U.; Sadhu, P.K.Floating solar power plant for sustainable development: A technoeconomicanalysis.Environ.Prog.Sustain.Energy2019,38. [CrossRef] RM

Figure 13. SPV integrated with pool skimmer edge. Reprinted with permission

TI ng Pho T o V ol T a I cs

Floa

Dr. L. Ashok Kumar was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from San Diego State University, California. He was selected among seven scientists in India for the BHAVAN Fellowship from the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum and also, he received SYST Fellowship from DST, Govt. of India. He has 3 years of industrial experience and 20 years of academic and research experience. He has published 173 technical papers in International and National journals and presented 167 papers in National and International Conferences. He has completed 26 Government of India funded projects worth about 15 Crores and currently 7 projects are in progress worth about 7 Crores. He has developed 27 products and out of that 14 products have been technology transferred to industries and for Government funding agencies. His PhD work on wearable electronics earned him a National Award from ISTE, and he has received 26 awards in the National and in International level. He has guided 92 graduate and postgraduate projects.

He has produced 6 PhD Scholars and 12 candidates are doing PhD under his supervision. He has visited many countries for institute industry collaboration and as a keynote speaker. He has been an invited speaker in 245 programs. Also, he has organized 102 events, including conferences, workshops, and seminars. He completed his graduate program in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of Madras and his post-graduate from PSG College of Technology, India, and Masters in Business Administration from IGNOU, New Delhi. After completion of his graduate degree, he joined as project engineer for Serval Paper Boards Ltd., Coimbatore (now ITC Unit, Kovai). Presently he is working as a Professor in the Department of EEE, PSG College of Technology. He is also a Certified Charted Engineer and BSI Certified ISO 500001 2008 Lead Auditor. He has authored 14 books in his areas of interest and has 11 patents to his credit and also contribute 18 chapters in various books. He is also the Chairman of Indian Association of Energy Management Professionals and Joint Secretary of Institution of Engineers, Coimbatore. He is holding prestigious positions in various national and international forums and he is a Fellow Member in IET (UK), Fellow Member in IETE, Fellow Member in IE and Senior Member in IEEE. L. Ashok Kumar

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Q. Kindly tell us about Sungrow’s milestones?

Sungrow India started journey in 2014, where we installed our first project for utility scale in Rajasthan. In 2017, we achieved 1 GW then in 2018 we crossed 3 GW shipment in India. In support of “Make in India” initiative of Govt India, Sungrow established 3 GW solar inverter manufacturing facility at Bengaluru in 2018, which is now expanded to 10 GW annually and inaugurated in early 2022. Gradually, we are growing every year, the market share of Sungrow is evident for same which is above 30% continuously in last three years. Every year we are adding approx. four and a half GW of annual supply/shipment in India. We have already shipped 14 GW of inverters to Indian market till now and Sungrow is the only company in inverter segment who has crossed 14 GW in India as yet. RM

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Thermal imaging camera systems play a pivotal role, with casinos, retailers and manufacturing facilities among the first to invest in and deploy this solution to help them to proactively detect an elevated temperature in visitors or employees prior to entry. Many more businesses are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks and months, as they look for additional measures to reduce the spread of the virus and to safely reopen.

Thermal surveillance has been part of the traditional physical security and outdoor perimeter detection portfolio for years. This surveillance systems work by picking up heat emitted by an object or a person and can detect vehicles or individuals in a predetermined area. It is especially useful in the dark, when a traditional surveillance system might be limited in its detection capabilities due to limited light sources.

With the spread, the security industry quickly began to look at how security solutions, and specifically thermal imaging cameras systems, could be leveraged as part of the reopening plan for businesses and schools.

Systems that incorporate a blackbody device typically employ a dual sensor camera, which has a visual sensor and a thermal sensor built into the camera, along with a separate blackbody device. The blackbody device is an integral part of thermal imaging as it relates to detecting elevated skin temperature scanning as it provides the ongoing calibration of the infrared temperature sensor for a higher degree of accuracy. It also helps maintain thermal equilibrium through its management T k ET TRENDS THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS IN I NDIA

Thermal imaging camera systems with a blackbody temperature calibration device offer a more accurate solution that also provides a higher throughput of people for scanning, as well as the ability to locally and remotely monitor and manage alerts. They also integrate with other technologies, such as a turnstiles, physical access control systems and intrusion devices. The combination makes this type of solution ideal for facilities that require a first line of defense in high traffic areas or when rapid people flow is essential - commercial office buildings during morning rush hour, transit stations or manufacturing plants during shift changes.

of radiation while providing a near-perfect temperature source, preventing the temperature readings from being influenced by a common issue of thermal sensors called drift.

Throughput is also an important consideration for businesses to take into account. Achieving effective throughput, through a turnstile or a busy main entry door with card reader, requires a single person at a time to be able to walk through without stopping. To ensure a high level of accuracy and to maintain proper resolutions with a thermal imaging camera system, an interval of two to four seconds between each person is required. Depending on how many people need to be processed, elevated skin detection cameras can be deployed at multiple lanes to accommodate anticipated traffic – between 15 and a maximum of 30 individuals per minute can be processed by a camera-black body pair while achieving medical grade accuracy in line with IEC 80601-2-59:2017 standards when using compliant devices and proper installation.

Systems that provide a variety of alerting capabilities can provide a high level of flexibility for organizations incorporating elevated skin temperature into their new health and safety operations. While a vast majority of users will deploy a thermal solution with local monitoring, alerting and response, some systems also feature integrations with video management systems for remote monitoring and management. VMS integration can also prove a valuable tool for automated contagion reporting for contact tracing, controlling access through the VMS and PACS integration and activating an organization’s event response protocols.

For local monitoring and response, some thermal imaging cameras may include a built-in speaker for configurable audible alerts. These alerts can be customized in response to detecting a temperature variation beyond the norm. The audible alert can announce or alert that a temperature alert has been detected and instruct an individual to proceed to a second scanning area or to stay in place while the appropriate person responds.

Installing thermal imaging cameras for scanning elevated skin temperatures will soon become the new normal as more and more companies migrate back to the workplace. Businesses should follow best practices with the installation, deployment and usage following standards of these devices, to achieve the optimal success and the best possible accuracy in elevated skin temperature scanning.

Thermal imaging cameras are devices that translate thermal energy (heat) into visible light in order to analyze a particular object or scene. The image produced is known as a thermogram

and is analyzed through a process called thermography. Thermal imaging cameras are sophisticated devices that process the captured image and display it on a screen. These images can be used for immediate diagnosis or processed through specialized software for further evaluation, accuracy and report output. Thermal imaging cameras take measuring temperature to the next level; instead of getting a number for the temperature you get a picture showing the temperature differences of a surface.

What Do Thermal Imaging Cameras See?

Visible light is what we see around us every day. It is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see. Visible light only takes up a small area in the electromagnetic spectrum and infrared radiation (IR) represents a larger percentage. If we want to see what’s going on in other parts of the spectrum we need specialized equipment.

All objects absorb, reflect and sometimes transmit energy at different levels. Different materials will give off heat or cold energy at different rates. It’s this energy that can be detected by infrared equipment and displayed as images.

Thermal Imaging Camera Applications and Uses

Originally developed for military use during the Korean War, thermal imaging cameras have migrated into other fields and have found many uses. Firefighters use them to see through smoke, find people and localize hotspots of fires. Law enforcement uses the technology to manage surveillance activities, locate and apprehend suspects, investigate crime scenes and conduct search and rescue operations. Power line maintenance technicians locate overheating joints and parts to eliminate potential failures. Where thermal insulation becomes faulty, building construction technicians can see heat leaks to improve the efficiencies of cooling or heating.

Physiological activities, such as fever, in human beings and other warm-blooded animals can also be monitored with thermo graphic imaging. They are also common tools used by home inspectors.

Thermal Imaging Camera Features

Thermal imaging cameras can be purchased with the bare minimum of features that only read the temperature of the fixed center crosshairs on the display or with multiple features that allow the user to select multiple moveable crosshairs and draw comparisons between them to show the high, low and average temperatures on the display. Thermal imaging cameras have user-selectable multiple color palettes, such as black/white, iron or rainbow. The

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iron palette is most commonly used by home inspectors. The black/white palette helps identify details on an image, and the rainbow palette has the best thermal sensitivity for displaying the differences in temperature. See sample images below of some color palettes.

What to Look for in a Thermal Imaging Camera

There are a number of components that contribute to both the quality and the cost of a thermal imaging camera. The two most important factors are the detector resolution and the thermal sensitivity.

The detector resolution describes the number of pixels. The most common resolutions are 160 x 120, 320 x 240 and 640 x 480 pixels. A 320 x 240 detector produces an image composed of 76,800 pixels. Since each pixel has a temperature associated with it that is 76,800 temperature data points. Higher resolutions also produce visibly clearer images.

Thermal sensitivity is the smallest temperature difference the camera can detect. A sensitivity of 0.05° means the camera can distinguish between two surfaces with only a five-hundredths of a degree temperature difference.

Another important factor to consider is the thermal imaging camera’s temperature range. The range tells what the minimum and maximum temperatures are that the camera can measure (-4°F to 2200°F is typical).

To obtain the best thermal image to analyze, there are four adjustments that can be made to most cameras: focus, emissivity setting changes, reflective temperature setting changes and thermal tuning. Each of these adjustments must be considered when selecting a thermal imaging camera.

Just like a standard camera, the lens of the thermal imaging camera needs to be focused to enhance the clarity of the image. Most cameras can be focused by twisting the lens. More sophisticated cameras have a push-button focus.

Emissivity is the amount of radiation emitted from an object compared to that of a perfect emitter of radiation when both are at the same temperature. Adjusting the emissivity is important when taking temperature measurements or when comparing the temperatures of two different objects. Not all cameras allow the user to input reflective temperature.

The reflective temperature setting allows the user to compensate for surrounding objects’ temperature reflecting on an object. Just like emissivity, reflective temperature is important when taking temperature measurements or comparing two objects’ temperatures. Not all cameras allow the user to input reflective temperature.

Thermal tuning the camera involves adjusting the span or temperature range that the camera sees while in manual viewing mode. Manual mode allows the user to adjust the span to a desired range, and the camera will always display this temperature range. Using the manual mode is best when used to bring out temperature differences of the object being viewed.

Thermal Imaging Camera Limitations

Because thermal energy can be reflected off shiny surfaces, thermal imaging cameras cannot see through glass. Thermal imaging cameras can be used to gather information about the inside of a wall, but they cannot see through walls. It is also important to know that thermal imaging cameras should not be used as the only deciding factor that a problem exists. Using other instruments should always be used to confirm the problem.

The History of Thermal Imaging Cameras

Thermal imaging goes all the manner back to 1800 once infrared was discovered as a type of radiation on the far side red lightweight. Whereas infrared technology has several uses its most notable for thermal imaging cameras. A typical camera captures the sunshine we will see with our eyes, however a thermal camera captures “invisible” infrared emission, creating technology like vision spectacles attainable.

The first thermal camera is nearly a hundred years previous, and it spent a lot of its youth utilized in the wars of the 20th century. But today, they’re home items. Anyone can purchase a camera with a thermal imaging sensing element for simply some hundred greenbacks and use it as a hobby or recreation.

Thermal Cameras

Thermal imaging may be a methodology of raising the visibility of objects during a dark atmosphere by detection the objects' infrared and making a picture supported that data.

Thermal imaging, near-infrared illumination, low-light imaging and are the 3 most ordinarily used visual sense technologies. In contrast to the opposite 2 strategies, thermal imaging works in environments with none close light-weight. Like near-infrared illumination, thermal imaging will penetrate obscurants like smoke, fog and haze.

Here's a quick rationalization of however thermal imaging works: All objects emit infrared energy (heat) as an operator of their temperature. The infrared energy emitted by Associate in nursing object is understood as its heat signature. In general, the warmer Associate the nursing object is the additional radiation it emits. A thermal imager (also referred to as a thermal camera) is actually a heat sensing element that's capable of detection little variations in temperature. The device collects the infrared from objects within the scene Associate in Nursing creates a picture supported data regarding the temperature variations. As a result of objects are seldom exactly constant temperature as alternative objects around them, a thermal camera will notice them and that they can seem as distinct during a thermal image.

11 options to seem for in thermal imaging software package

Robust desktop and itinerant software package is a vital side of infrared scrutiny workflows. The software package will facilitate enhance and clarify pictures, add analysis and share professionallooking reports in applications spanning mechanical, electrical, equipment and building medicine and additional.

It’s necessary to notice that analyzing thermo graphic mental imagery accurately needs special coaching to require under consideration emissivity of objects and alternative factors which will influence temperature measurements by infrared cameras.

Just as skilled photographers use a software package to show pictures into beautiful works appropriate for a business enterprise or widespread sharing, thermographers use software package as a tool to investigate so enhance and fine-tune thermal pictures that the data will be shared with manager’s and others. Smart software package absolutely utilizes the radiometric knowledge provided by the camera’s detector to urge the foremost out of the image or video.

In addition, the user will import pictures directly from associate degree infrared camera’s memory or a removable storage device like associate degree SD or small SD. once evaluating software package to use with associate degree infrared camera, specialists advocate you make sure the software package includes these

necessary features:

Multiple images or video formats – method and export pictures in multiple file formats such a .jpg, .tiff, .bmp, .gif or .avi similarly as proprietary formats which will faucet additional knowledge for advanced analyses. Fluke infrared cameras will save in is 2 formats, for example, for additional image process and analysis in good view software package and pictures, will be exported from this software package to several unremarkably used file formats.

You’ll conjointly like better to export the temperature knowledge from the image to CSV or XLS format for additional analysis.

Edit and manipulate pictures – Modify level and span, amendment emissivity, add markers, highlight boxes, reference pictures and colour alarms.

Combine visible radiation and infrared pictures – Modify and mix visible and infrared pictures so as to higher find potential drawback areas. This is often the IR Fusion feature in Fluke software package. Live viewing and sharing of infrared pictures or video – Read streaming knowledge from your camera on your smart phone or pc. This is often accessible via the Fluke Connect mobile app on some models, as an example. Share pictures in a period of time across the net for viewing by remote team members.

Remotely management your infrared camera - Some software package helps you to activate motor vehicle focus or capture pictures and alternative functions while not touching the camera, which may be valuable in doubtless venturous areas or tough applications. Create example or custom reports – Best-in-class software package adds choices for building and customizing reports to export in .pdf or .docx formats for sharing.

3-dimensional analysis – A capability of higher software package programs for thermal image analysis, viewing infrared pictures from totally different views helps eliminate false positives and supports the identification of extra drawback areas. Fluke’s 3D analysis capability is named 3D-IR.

Side-by-side comparison – Necessary to prognostic maintenance, side-by-side comparisons of pictures taken at totally different Times Are enclosed within the Fluke Connect software package platforms plus Health dashboard.

Change colour palette – Management colours within the image so as to form heat or cold simply apparent or hold grey scale.

Annotations – Add text, audio, and extra visible radiation pictures to assist add all necessary data regarding associate degree application.

Categorize and catalogue pictures – Tools to reason, tag or catalogue thermal pictures and go together with instrumentality. This feature is made into Fluke Connect Assets software package.

Advantages

Thermal cameras let individuals see what their eyes can’t: invisible heat radiation emitted or mirrored by all objects, no matter lighting conditions. A number of the best advantages of thermal imaging are available in the domain of security. Security cameras became a staple of protection for several (if not all) major businesses across the country, and in such a landscape, the necessity to supply quality pictures is vital to supply constant protection against potential intruders. Thermal cameras provide superior protection in difficult conditions.

1. Low-Light Situations

2. resistant to Visual Limitations

3. Camouflaging Foliage

An aim of this report is to capture the mindshare of our target market. Likewise, the market report contains key esteems and realities of the sales advertise concerning volume, deals and its development rate, profit and its development rate. The report additionally holds regions and country wise development standing which has market size, market share, volume and price. For every geographical regional market, product evaluation and profit analysis are performed and provide and demand statistics additionally as region-wise growth veteran by the market is obtainable within the report.

This elaborated study can document four important components of the Infrared Thermal Camera market i.e., the key market players, soul usage, the merchandise divisions, and also the geographical divisions.

4. Fewer False Alarms

Survey

Thermal cameras are passive sensors that capture the actinic radiation emitted by all objects with a temperature on top of temperature. This sort of camera was originally developed as a police investigation and visual sense tool for the military, however recently the value has born, considerably gap up a broader field of applications. Deploying this sort of detector in vision systems eliminates the illumination issues of traditional grayscale and RGB cameras. This survey provides an outline of the present applications of thermal cameras. Applications embrace animals, agriculture, buildings and gas detection, industrial and military applications, similarly as detection, tracking and recognition of humans. Moreover, this survey describes the character of thermal radiation and therefore the technology of thermal cameras.

Major Regions play important role in market are: North America, us, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, remainder of Europe, Central & South America, Brazil, remainder of South America, geographic area, GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, Republic of South Africa, remainder of geographic area Major Players in Infrared Thermal Camera market are: Agiltron, Raytheon, FLIR Systems opposition., Sofradir Europe, Inc., AIM, L-3 CE, N.E.P., Teledyne, NIT, DALIInfrared Thermal Camera

Using Thermal Cameras for Testing

Solar Panels

Global Infrared Thermal Camera Market 2018 New Trends –Agiltron, Raytheon, FLIR Systems opposition, Sofradir Europe

Fior Markets recently disclosed a brand new report titled international Infrared Thermal Camera Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 that speaks regarding a whole item review Associate in nursing its degree within the market to tell apart the key terms additionally as providing the shoppers with an all-comprising thought of the market and its tendencies. The report offers an entire geographical segmentation read of the Infrared Thermal Camera market alongside the assessment of the trade driving it. The report enlists all necessary market updates additionally as technological updates.

Quality assurance is of elementary importance for star panels. The failure-free operation of the panels may be a requirement for economic power generation, long life, and a high come back on the investment. To confirm this failure-free operation a quick, easy and reliable methodology to gauge a star panel's performance is needed, each throughout the assembly method and once the panel has been put in.

This technical note illustrates however thermo graphic scrutiny of electrical phenomenon systems, like star panels, permits the quick localization of potential defects at the cell and module level additionally because of the detection of doable electrical interconnection issues. Further, not like alternative strategies, thermal inspections are also meted out beneath traditional operative conditions over giant areas and doesn’t need a system pack up. her M al ca M eras

Thermal imaging cameras are already a longtime R&D tool for the analysis of star cells and panels. For these refined measurements, typically superior cameras with cooled detectors, used beneath controlled laboratory conditions.

This technical note demonstrates that the employment of thermal imaging cameras for electrical device analysis needn't be restricted to the sector of analysis. The authors show however the most recent generation of FLIR uncooled thermal imaging cameras are presently being employed for electrical device internal control before installation and regular prophetical maintenance check-ups once the panel has been put in.

The technical note concludes that scrutiny with a brand new generation uncooled hand-held thermal imaging camera, beginning with the standard management within the installation section, followed by regular check-ups facilitates complete and easy system condition observation.

This thermal imaging scrutiny protocol has been shown to assist to keep up the star panels' practicality and to increase their lifespan. Victimization thermal imaging cameras for electrical device inspections can thus drastically improve the operative company’s come back on investment.

Benefits of Thermal Imaging Systems

• The person who handles the thermal imaging system is not required to be physically close to the person being evaluated. In fact, the person who handles the thermal imaging system could be in a different area or room.

• The thermal imaging system may measure surface skin temperature faster than the typical forehead or oral (mouth) thermometer that requires a close distance or physical contact with the person being evaluated.

• Scientific studies show that, when used correctly, thermal imaging systems generally measure surface skin temperature accurately.

Limitations of Thermal Imaging Systems

• Although these systems may be in use for initial temperature assessment to triage individuals in high throughput areas (for example, airports, businesses and sporting events), the systems have not been shown to be effective when used to take the temperature of multiple people at the same time. They should not be used for "mass fever screening."

• These systems measure surface skin temperature, which is usually lower than a temperature measured orally. Thermal imaging systems must be adjusted properly to correct for this

difference in measurements.

• These systems work effectively only when all the following are true:

1. The systems are used in the right environment or location.

2. The systems are set up and operated correctly.

3. The person being assessed is prepared according to instructions.

4. The person handling the thermal imaging system is properly trained.

Proper Use of Thermal Imaging Systems

The person who handles the system should follow all manufacturer instructions to make sure the system is set up properly and located where it can measure surface skin temperature accurately. The person who handles the system should be trained to properly prepare both the location where the system will be used, and the person being evaluated, to increase accuracy. For details, see the standards and scientific papers listed under References below.

Preparing the Area where you will Use a Thermal Imaging System

• Room temperature should be 68-76 °F (20-24 °C) and relative humidity 10-50 percent.

• Try to control other items that could impact the temperature measurement:

1. Avoid reflective backgrounds (for example, glass, mirrors, metallic surfaces) to minimize reflected infrared radiation.

2. Use in a room with no draft (movement of air), out of direct sunlight and away from radiant heat (for example, portable heaters, electrical sources).

3. Avoid strong lighting (for example, incandescent, halogen and quartz tungsten halogen light bulbs).

Conclusion

Thermal imaging has been successfully used for medical diagnosis of vascular disorders. The temperature in the affected regions of patients with vascular disorders was low in the extremities due to obstructed arteries. However, in some areas it showed 0.7 to 1°C higher temperature than the normal areas due to inflammation and venous flow alteration. In general the thermal image findings were in good agreement with the clinical findings. However, the areas showing higher temperature contrast were noted not to be obvious in the clinical examination. This study demonstrates the usefulness of thermal imaging for medical diagnostics, with high reliability RM

Abstract

With major thrust on abatement of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) around the world, energy transitions towards generation and consumption of cleaner energy are becoming more and more significant across the economy. The inroads of renewables and sustainable energy system are fuelling the global energy transformation substituting the fossil fuels, which are the traditional pillars of the world economy. In the holistic approach of making the net zero carbon emission, combating climate change and global warming energy efficiency is an invisible fuel.

It has been realised that without the awareness and successful implementation of energy efficient system across sectors, the initiatives of global energy transition will remain incomplete and infeasible, although sustainable energy generation being the main focal point. In fact, energy efficiency and sustainable energy generation portfolios are complementary to each other for environment friendly and sustainable solution. The benefits of having energy efficient systems are numerous. Energy not consumed by virtue of energy efficiency generates carbon free derivatives by default. Energy efficient technologies and efficient use of energy facilitate the energy transition initiatives across the sectors. Smart and efficient electricity use, effective measurement and monitoring of energy consumption, deployment of affordable energy efficient technologies, smart integration of renewables and advent of new energy vectors such as green hydrogen and ammonia to the energy map facilitate faster decarbonisation of energy sectors. A shift of gear towards less energy intensive processes and optimised specific energy consumption (SEC) can accelerate the improvement of overall system efficiency. In addition, energy efficiency not only benefits the consumers in reducing energy bills, but also the entire countries from higher energy import bills. This has driven energy efficiency to be recognised as focal point to support clean energy transition as well giving cost competitive advantage in the global scenario.

Fuels and electricity are the two major input cost factors in today’s economy. Ever increasing fuel and electricity prices and stricter regulations have forced industrial houses to ensure optimum energy usage and switch over to cheaper and sustainable energy resources. It is well accepted industry practice to strive for minimizing energy consumption with adoption of latest commercially available and affordable energy efficient technologies (EET). This practice not only leads to efficient and competitive operation but also produces significant impacts and global benefits from reduced carbon emissions. Climate change is the effect of such emissions globally. This is closely monitored by several Governments including Govt of India initiatives and plans that have emphasised the need for improving energy efficiency in the manufacturing sectors including more utilisation of clean and green energy resources. Additionally with the rising input costs of fuels and sheer competition, the profit margins are under pressure and larger capex are not encouraged. Hence, the industries are more inclined to control the opex to boost the profit margin with no/low capex. The energy conservation approaches fit into the requirement of lowering energy consumption which enable reduction of carbon footprints as well. In modern economies industrial, power and transport sectors are the most critical sectors in terms of energy consumption and usage of fossil fuel-based energy. There are ample opportunities towards the initiatives of making sustainable, cleaner and greener ecosystem. Deployment of clean energy resources such as renewables, battery energy storage, pumped hydroelectric energy storage, green fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, carbon capture technology, energy efficient technologies and efficient usage of energy among few other emerging technologies have become more relevant across sectors in today’s and future perspective of sustainable environment. This article discusses about importance and role NERGY FFICIENCY RANSITION

Introduction

of energy efficiency, improvement methods and various process of optimisation of energy usage to support the transformation initiatives to a cleaner and more environment friendly energy system for reduction of GHG emissions and carbon footprints.

Role of Energy Efficiency

Energy is one of the key inputs to develop a nation, offering comfort to human beings, driving force for transportation sectors and productivity in all industrial and commercial operations. In short, it is one of the key factors to measure economic growth of any country. For a developing nation like India with fastest growing free market democracy and 5th largest economy in the world, there is a surge in demand of energy. In an effort to meet the national annual average GDP growth rate target of 7.5% - 8%, there has been a revolution in the Indian energy sectors with exploration and exploitation of sustainable energy resources and new capacity additions. Similarly Indian industrial sectors also witnessed a rapid growth leading to a huge surge in energy demand. Further to add population explosion, massive urbanisation and progressing economy demand more and more energy. Although Government of India have taken optimistic target of resource augmentation and growth of energy supply to meet the ever-increasing demand, but due to substantial gap between target and actual implementation there is a serious shortage of energy which continues to plague India resulting in heavily dependency on fuel imports. With usage of great deal of energy, often inefficiently, CO2 emissions are increasing alarmingly in the environment. Hence there is an urgent requirement of energy conservation and reducing energy consumption without negatively affecting the productivity, quality and service. Improved energy efficiency may be more beneficial than merely energy cost savings. Few examples include limited dependency on business uncertainties and protection against volatile energy costs. Optimised energy usage ensures better product quality and helps stakeholders free additional resources for utilisation to higher value added market opportunities. Energy efficiency yields higher reliability and enhanced productivity using less energy, ensures reduced capex and opex through deferment of capital investment of new infrastructures and encourages greater utilisation of existing assets and infrastructures, conservation of depleting natural resources and reduced carbon footprints.

It is a fact that industrialisation and productivity are major contributors to economic growth which boosts national GDP, but a major contributor to CO2 emissions as well with usage of fossil fuel-based energies. There is no inherent conflict between industrial energy efficiency and economic growth. In fact, industries which use energy most efficiently are more sustainable and therefore more competitive in the global market.

Opportunities and Challenges of Energy Efficiency

There are numerous opportunities across sectors to reduce energy consumption while obtaining same or enhanced production yields and quality of the products and services. Global need for energy is driven by demand side sectors such as buildings, industry and transport. Building sector includes residential, commercial and institutional buildings which account for 30% of final energy demand, while industry sector which is the driving force of economic growth accounts for 40% of final energy demand today. Transport sector which is largely fuelled by oil, account for about 30% of final energy demand today. Demand for energy services is expected to grow from all end use sectors with rising economy, population expansion and increasing living standards. Studies have demonstrated that there have been innumerable opportunities for efficient energy consumption and enhancing energy efficiencies. In the building sector, optimisation in energy demand for space heating and cooling requirement would be effective by use of efficient equipment, adjustments in use pattern (behavioural changes, temperature modifications etc) and good maintenance. It is possible to save energy by using energy efficient appliances, switching off when not used, good operating procedure, localised heating, utilisation of electric heat pumps replacing fossil fuels and by ensuring appropriate construction materials in new and retrofitted buildings (insulation, building orientation, double glazed windows etc). With advanced and energy efficient lighting, maximum use of natural lighting and automatic/ manual control of switching, energy can be saved upto 60%.

Several cross-cutting measures for using energy efficiently in industries include strategic energy management programs, monitoring and optimisation of energy consumption and process control systems, boiler energy efficiency measures and recovery of waste heat for use elsewhere in the plant, combined heat and power (CHP), energy efficiency measures related to steam distribution system, selection of efficient equipment with proper size, deployment of energy efficient motors, variable speed drives, power factor correction, process specific technological upgradation and efficient heating, cooling and lighting.

In the road transport sector enhanced efficiency can be ensured by friction reduction (tyre, enhanced aerodynamics), light weighting, downsizing, hybrid cars, deployment of electric vehicles, higher use of biofuels and natural gas. In aviation sector energy efficiency enhancement would require technological improvements of engines (open rotor, geared turbofan, counter rotating fan) along with efficient air traffic management while in shipping sector energy efficiency can be contributed by expanding average ship size and load factor, optimised vessel design and improvements in propulsion system.

Digitalisation can play important role in energy efficiency process by better control, optimisation and analytics. It is set to improve energy efficiency through digital technologies that gather and aggregate volumes of data and analyse the data using advanced analytics to effect changes to the process either automatically or through human intervention as per figure-1 flow diagram.

efficiency. Lack of accessibility to updated information on proven energy efficiency measures and programs prevents dissemination of knowledge and as a result users remain simply unaware of its benefits. In many sectors implementation of energy efficiency involves deployment of more efficient technologies at high upfront investment cost with long payback time which discourages such measures. In some cases, there are financial and investment barriers which prevent companies to undertake even modest investments although the measures are associated with short payback period.

Conclusion

Figure-1: Flow diagram of digital technologies (source: IEA data, June 2019)

Nowadays smart appliances and building energy management system are becoming part of modern residential and commercial buildings. Sensors and smart meters collect data on occupancy, energy and climate parameters. Data is analysed through advanced software incorporating artificial intelligence technique. Finally, the processed information are interfaced with devices and actuators to effect operational changes to optimise energy use such as switching in building’s heating and cooling system or robots in a manufacturing industry. Digital technologies allow integration of variable renewables to the electricity network and ensure smooth control and functionality to maintain energy balance, multi-energy local optimisation, dispatch and demand side flexibility resulting in reduction of energy losses pertaining to generation and distribution of energy, improving efficiency in individual equipment or system level and avoiding investment in grid infrastructures.

Energy efficiency is a key component of global transformation towards clean and sustainable energy system. The impact of energy efficiency improvement ranges from abatement of GHG emissions, reduced energy demand, lower energy expenditure, lower investment in energy supply assets, lower fuel import bills to energy savings, higher energy security, economic growth and social development, better buildings and health metrics. However, every energy efficiency improvement initiative will be different and study should be conducted case to case basis based on which the most favourable selection of energy efficiency opportunities should be implemented to address the specific energy efficiency related issues and design of that end use segment. Studies on various sectors have shown that projects with modest capex investments and savings with relatively shorter payback period is favourable for deployment of energy efficiency programs across sectors.

References

1. Perspectives for the energy transition: the role of energy efficiency – International Energy Agency report, 2018

2. The role and importance of energy efficiency for sustainable development of the countries – Serap Pelin Turkoglu and Pinar Sezin Ozturk Kardogan

3. Energy efficiency 2020 – International Energy Agency

6. Energy efficiency technologies and benefits - UNIDO RM c I ency

Although energy efficiency programs have proven to be beneficial in terms of cost savings and carbon emissions to the environment, there are certain barriers such as policy and regulatory barriers, lack of information and awareness with regard to potential of energy efficiency, high upfront investment cost with considerably higher payback time, financial and technology barrier, lack of technical capability to identify, address and implement energy efficiency projects etc which are playing unfavourably against energy efficiency programs. Policy regulations which encourage subsidised tariffs to some sectors can limit interest in energy

4. Pathway to net zero emissions: Energy transition outlook 2021 – DNV

5. Energy efficiency improvement and cost saving opportunities for the U.S. iron and steel industry – Ernst Worrell, Paul Blinde, Maarten Neelis, Eliane Blomen and Eric Masanet