EQ Magazine October 2020 Edition by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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ANAND GUPTA

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ANAND GUPTA

TRENDS & ANALYSIS

SAUMYA BANSAL GUPTA saumya.gupta@EQmag.net

PUBLISHING COMPANY DIRECTORS: ANIL GUPTA

ANITA GUPTA

CONSULTING EDITOR : SURENDRA BAJPAI

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CONT EN T

VOLUME 12 Issue #10

Disclaimer,Limitations of Liability While every efforts has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of EQ international and all our authors research articles with the greatest of care and attention ,we make no warranty concerning its content,and the magazine is provided on an>> as is <<basis.EQ international contains advertising and third –party contents.EQ International is not liable for any third- party content or error,omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material ,nor is it responsible for the availability of external web sites or their contents

featured

India to be world’s largest market for battery storage by 2040: IEA

37 featured

Storage gives boost to solar energy

40 featured

Mitsubishi Eyes Great Lakes for Offshore Wind Development

The data and information presented in this magazine is provided for informational purpose only.neither EQ INTERNATINAL ,Its affiliates,Information providers nor content providers shall have any liability for investment decisions based up on or the results obtained from the information provided. Nothing contained in this magazine should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sale any securities. The facts and opinions stated in this magazine do not constitute an offer on the part of EQ International for the sale or purchase of any securities, nor any such offer intended or implied Restriction on use The material in this magazine is protected by international copyright and trademark laws. You may not modify,copy,reproduce,republish,post,transmit,or distribute any part of the magazine in any way.you may only use material for your personall,NonCommercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

OCTOBER- 2020

featured

Sungrow Bags 800 MWp PV Inverter Solution Contract in Qatar

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featured Tata Power venture’s 200 microgrids expected to be ready by 2021: Rockefeller Foundation

featured Kochi Metro Rail to achieve 60% energy neutrality

featured Sterling and Wilson to Build Solar Storage Hybrid Power Plant in Niger

featured Mondragon Assembly continues sharing its Intellectual Property

interview

Honey raza Head Sales- Solis

42 featured

New solar panel design increases efficiency by 125%

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8000MW renewable park to light up India-Pak border areas in Rajasthan

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Huawei Smart PV Solution Contributes to Successful Grid Connection of World’s Largest PV Plant

EQ NEWS Pg. 08-45 ARTICLE Pg. 50-61 featured Wind, Solar Are Cheapest Power Source In Most Places, BNEF Says

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OCTOBER- 2020

Sineng Electric is a leading global high-tech enterprise specialized in power electronics products covering its business in power generation, power supply, distribution and power utilization. With advanced R&D, manufacturing, marketing, maintenance and service departments., it provides customers a full range of solar inverter, energy storage systems and power quality control solutions. Acquiring the inverter business of Fortune 500 company in 2014, Sineng Electric has obtained the world-class power electronics technology platform. R&D division is considered as the backbone of its leadership in market, which indicates a huge amount of its turnover is invested annually in product development. Sineng Electric has inhouse testing and two R&D centers located in Shenzhen, China and Wuxi, China. It has successively established an Enterprise Technology Center, an Enterprise Academician Workstation, a Post-Doctoral Innovation Practice Base and an advanced PV Inverter Engineering Technology Research Center.

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OCTOBER- 2020

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Grapevine: Hero Future Energies in talks with KKR and others to sell PPAs Munjal family-promoted green energy company Hero Future Energies is in separate talks with global investors including KKR, Actis, Temasek-backed O2 Power and the UK’s CDC-owned Ayana Renewable Power to sell 900 megawatt (MW) of its power purchase agreements (PPAs), two people aware of the development told The Economic Times.

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ne PPA that Hero Future plans to sell was signed in 2018 for energy generated from a 250 MW solar project in Jodhpur, which was expected to be commissioned by this month. The 25year PPA was signed quoting a tariff of Rs 2.53 a unit. A fifth of Hero Future was acquired by UAE’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company’s wholly owned Masdar Clean Energy last year for $150 million. Previously, the company received $125 million in funding from World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2017. A number of cash-strapped power producers have started terminating or selling PPAs that they won in auctions held by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) citing force majeure events such as Covid-19.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Fitch Affirms Adani Green Energy Restricted Group 2’S Notes At BBB-Minus Fitch Ratings has affirmed Adani Green Energy Ltd restricted group 2 (AGEL RG2) 362.5 million dollars senior secured partially amortising notes due in 2039 at BBB-minus.

GEL RG2 includes three subsidiaries of AGEL. The US dollar notes are issued in part by each of the three special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in the restricted group. The notes are stapled together to mimic the structure of a restricted pool, said Fitch. The issuers directly own operating assets and are not merely lenders to the operating entities, unlike other rated issuance from most of the Indian restricted groups. All covenants or triggers are on an aggregate basis. Each SPV guarantees the note obligations of the other two SPVs although the notes constitute each issuer’s obligations only on a several basis. The rating reflects the credit profile of the restricted group of the three entities that operate solar generation assets across two states in India. The combined capacity is 570 megawatts. The underlying credit rating on the notes is ‘bbb.’ This underlying credit rating is underpinned by long-term fixed-price power purchase agreements (PPAs), commercially proven technology and experienced operations and maintenance contractors, and is weighed down by the entities’ limited operating track record.

Noteholders benefit from a standard security package and robust covenants restricting distributions. The debt instrument is partially amortising with limited refinancing risk at maturity. “We assume the notes will be refinanced at maturity with the refinancing debt to be amortised across the remaining PPA terms,” said Fitch. It considers revenue from sovereign-backed Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to which AGEL R2 contracts 61 per cent of its total capacity as fully contracted revenue and apply the fully contracted project threshold. SECI’s credit quality does not constrain the rating as revenue exposure to SECI presents a systematic sector risk.

Setting up solar manufacturing capacity is a low-hanging fruit: Azure Power CEO With the Indian government trying to provide a level-playing field to domestic solar power equipment manufacturers, the business is set to become profitable, helping more capacity to be set up locally over the next two-four years, Ranjit Gupta, chief executive officer of New York stock exchangelisted renewable energy firm Azure Power has said.

Winning this coveted award, Mr. Amitansu Satpathy, Managing Director – BPE said, “While the recent global pandemic has impacted the entire global economies but we have shown the courage to move forward and bagged few coveted deals during this time. This shows customer’s confidence in our brand.” He further added that our contribution as home grown Indian brand has been widely recognized. Moreover with PM focusing on Atmanirbhar in 2020, we took steps very early on product localization and customization understanding the need of the customers.” 10

OCTOBER- 2020

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Best Power Equipments (BPE) Won SME ICON Awards by Times Group Best Power Equipment’s India Pvt. Ltd (BPE) that provides end-to-end strategic power solutions for most critical applications and having more than 2 decades of manufacturing experience announced that the company has recently won the 2nd edition of the prestigious ‘SME ICON Awards’.

his 2nd edition of SME ICON Awards highlighted on ATMANIRBHAR and applauded the work of Indian home grown manufacturing industry. SME ICON Awards recognized the contribution that BPE has added significantly in the growth of SME sector and bagged this in the category of ‘UPS Power Solutions and Smart Rack’. The award was presented to Amitanshu Satpathy, MD – BPE from Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India. Amitansu Satpathy has been one of the few industry leaders who has built BPE from scratch to one of the leading Indian UPS Manufacturing brand. He has made immense contribution in the UPS industry to make India, Atmanirbhar. The second edition of Times SME Icons was organized by the Times of India Group and SSMS Businesstosme Pvt Ltd that applauded the contribution of myriad industries in the growth of the Indian SME Sector. . More than 25 SMEs were felicitated for their work towards making the country ‘Atmanirbhar’.

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OCTOBER- 2020

interview

MR. HONEY RAZA Head of Sales – India Solis (India)

EQ : How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is EQ : Technology road map in terms of 1500V , micro inverters, the target/expectation in 2020-2021? upcoming game changes technologies. HR: Till date we have sold 800MW+ of string inverters. The target for this FY is 400MWs but due to present situation of COVID19 there could be slight deviation of 5% to 10%.

EQ : Please share your Road Maps – Pricing, Technology etc.

HR: Pricing in the market is already in the consolidation phase so it is difficult to talk about any further reduction. Yes as the technology is evolving at the fast pace so there could be slight correction on the per watt rates. The proportion of the string inverter continues to increase. With the continuous progress of technology, the cost of string inverter drops rapidly, gradually approaching the cost of central inverter, while the application of beneficiary string inverter in the central and eastern regions is gradually expanding, the distributed application field is increasing, which will maintain rapid growth and the market share will be further improved.In 2019, the proportion of string series inverter continues to increase to 52%.

EQ : What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future? HR: Brand is the company's core competitiveness, Solis has been sticking to independent brand strategy is executed in the domestic and foreign markets, with the expanding of the company in recent years, Solis have been sold to the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, Mexico, India and other countries and regions in the world, in the industry have high visibility and reputation.

OCTOBER- 2020

HR: Our new 255kW – String inverter is second product in 1500V after 125k which was launched last year. The performance and reliability of both the products in this segment is tremendous. These product are advanced in technology. Developers are now interested more towards future ready solutions with advance monitoring control.

EQ : Kindly comment of Energy Storage as a game changer, its technology, cost trends…etc. HR: We are keen and have strategic view regarding storage. Recently we have introduced two products. First is in the Residential and commercial segment where we have launched lead acid compatible hybrid inverters from 3kW to 5kW Low Voltage and from 5kW to 10kW High Voltage for certain countries. The increasing in the demand shall put some corrections in the rates of Hybrid inverters.

EQ : What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc…

HR: Ginlong has always spearheaded the innovation. Very shortly we will be ready with our new monitoring platform which will be more advanced from our present portal. On the product front the retrofit storage solution for the utility scale plant prove to be the need of time.

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interview EQ : What are your views on BIS and other tariff barriers? HR: BIS is a good step by MNRE towards Indian standards of inverter segment. At the same time there should have been more infrastructure availability along with better ITES which shall automate the backend work of documents processing. The system in place is also good but there is lot of scope of improvement in terms of the facilitation side. Any Tariff barrier is not favorable at this point of time due high targets and also present situation of developers. Having said that we also have to see that present solar inverter manufacturing is in infant stage notably in India hencein the short term this would have an impact on the deployment of solar projects as well as the PPAs. Of course in the long term vision this would attract considerable international as well as domestic players to start the manufacturing setup.

EQ : What are your views on Inverters – Make in India? HR: For the healthy and sustainable development of any industry, trade barriers should be broken, advanced technologies should be introduced from overseas, and technological progress should be driven by market competition, so that world-class products and technologies can be used at the application end, so as to achieve orderly, healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

EQ : World Market Scenerio including China and its impact on pricing and availability of inverters in20202021Expected Pricing & Availability in 2021 ? HR: SOLIS inverter still has space for technological innovation. In the next 2-3 years, our price will be further reduced along with technological innovation, so as to improve the cost performance of the product, so that customers can enjoy the most favorable price while using first-class products. We are pioneers in introducing the multiple MPPT inverters in Sept 2015,we are proud and obliged to serve local projects like DMRC, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IGI Airport, TATA Motors, Andaman & Nicobar and many more which are powered using Solis inverters.

EQ : What according to you is the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian Solar Market? HR: Industry is having tremendous opportunities as the world is more concerned about the future and climate change which was earlier only talked at International arenas. People are more aware about the disasters and benefits for the green energy. I am sure similarly like us the enquiries during the lockdown had increased. Certainly this will have a positive impact on the overall industry towards the motivation and sentiments. Challenges are minor like the clarity on the policy and tariff front. This transparency shall boost the industry.

EQ : Expectations from Indian Government Budget next year ? HR: GOI has done a good job by their continued support for the industry even during these hard times. Certainly some points as I have mentioned earlier regarding the transparency and clarity can boost the sector to new horizons.

EQ : Aggressive Bidding despite of many challenges enlisted above, what is your view/opinion HR: Projects are having the life time of 25 years developers are well aware about the long term goals. Pandemic would have certain constraints in short term but would overcome by the time.

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EQ : Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback,. HR: We are pioneers in introducing the multiple MPPT inverters in Sept2015. Through the trust of EPCs and developers now these inverters are giving better returns as compared to normal string inverters.Customers feedback are very important for our own internal assessment and improvements in the product. As on date all the customers are satisfied and through this satisfaction level we earn the repeat orders from them.

EQ : Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters. HR: We are proud and obliged to serve local projects like DMRC, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IGI Airport, TATA Motors, Andaman & Nicobar and many more which are powered using Solis inverters.

EQ : Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission. HR: Established in 2005, Ginlong Technologies (Stock Code: 300763.SZ) is one of most experienced and largest manufacturers of solar inverters. Ginlong's cost-effective solutions for residential, commercial, andutility-scale users deliver value at every level of the solar supply chain, engaging both homeowners and businesses, as well as power producers and renewable energy investors across the globe. Presented under the Solis brand, the company's solar inverter product line uses innovative string technology to deliver first-class reliability, validated under the most stringent international certifications. Combining a global supply chain with world-class R&D and manufacturing capabilities, Ginlong optimizes its Solis inverters for each regional market, servicing and supporting its customers with its team of local experts.Proven bankability has attracted support from world leading financial institutions, ensuring solid long-term returns on investment. Working with stakeholders to accelerate the worlds journey towards a more sustainable future.

EQ : What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, HR: Fully automated manufacturing plant with 20+ GW capacity opens in Ningbo in 2021 Q1 which is currently 5GW. Solis is the first inverter manufacturer passed DNV•GL PVEL reliability testing in the United States and its proven bankability has attracted support from world leading financial institutions, ensuring solid long-term returns on investment. Working with stakeholders to accelerate the world’s journey towards a more sustainable future.Ginlong Solis H1 reported operating income was US$106.6 million, an increase of 76.73% year-on-year. The net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was US$17.3 million, an increase of 281.87% year-on-year. We are proud of we ranked top 2 Global single-phase string market share by shipments in 2019 (MWac)-Wood Mackenzie

EQ : What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 ? HR: Facing a rise in the global string inverter market, Ginlong will double its production capacity of Solis products to 20GW per year. This expansion will enable Solis to boost its supply to grid-connected and solar-plus-storage projects for customers world-wide.

EQ : How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits ? HR: 2020H1 R&D spending increased by 89.2% over the same period last year

OCTOBER- 2020

featured

Tata Power sizzles on plan to create InvIT for renewables biz

As part of its growth strategy, Tata Power has taken several steps to deleverage the balance sheet and improve the capital structure including creation of an InvIT for its renewables business. As an update on this process, the company has already made an application to Sebi for an in-principle approval for creation of the InvIT. “Anchor investor(s) in the InvIT have started their due diligence of the assets proposed to be transferred to InvIT and we expect to sign the binding documents in next few months. Necessary board and shareholder approvals will be sought on finalization of the binding agreements,” the company said during market hours.

reation of the InvIT will provide a suitable structure for the company to expand its renewable business as laid out in its FY 25 strategy. The company is progressing on setting up of the InvIT as per the initial laid timelines and is confident of completing this transaction in this financial year. Tata Power’s consolidated net profit jumped 10.3% to Rs 268.10 crore on 16.9% fall in net sales to Rs 6,452.99 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

OCTOBER- 2020

Tata Power is India’s largest integrated power company and, together with its subsidiaries & jointly controlled entities, has an installed/managed capacity of 12,742 MW. The scrip has galloped 101.66% from its 52-week low of Rs 27 hit on 12 May 2020. On the technical front, the stock’s RSI (relative strength index) stood at 48.476. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally, the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30. The stock was trading between its 50-day moving average (DMA) placed at 55.86 and its 200-day moving average (DMA) placed at 47.57.

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Sterling and Wilson to Build Solar Storage Hybrid Power Plant in Niger Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd (SWPL), India’s leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, announced that it’s Hybrid & Energy Storage division (HES), in consortium partnership with French EPC company Vergnet and SNS Niger, has signed an EPC contract to construct a Solar PV Battery Storage and Diesel Genset based hybrid power plant in Agadez, Niger, in West Africa.

endered by The Nigerian Electricity Company (NIGELEC), the project consists of 18.9MWp solar + 11.55MWh/3.0 MVA battery energy storage system (BESS) + 6.54 MVA (2.18 x 3 MVA) diesel generator and 20 kV substation, and evacuation line up to the Nigelec Substation in Agadez. The consortium will also be responsible for a two-year operation and maintenance (O&M) service of the power plant. Battery-based energy storage enables generated electricity to be stored and delivered at any given time, providing stability to the grid, and enabling energy delivered on demand. It will also aid flexibility and agility to better integrate solar and diesel energy into the electricity grid of the city and ensure quality power. The project also includes the rehabilitation of the electrical network of the city of Agadez, which does not allow the evacuation of electricity to and within the city, and the electrification of the neighbouring hamlet of Tibinitene.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Deepak Thakur, CEO – Hybrid & Energy Storage, Sterling and Wilson said, “We are extremely delighted to have secured another prestigious opportunity in Africa after successfully commissioning Nigeria’s first solar storage hybrid power plant, which is also Africa’s largest battery energy storage system. Hybrid energy solutions is a huge opportunity as many power generation and distribution companies in places like Africa are moving into renewables.” “As one of the leading turnkey EPC solution providers globally, with project management, engineering and delivery expertise of over 11 GW of diversified energy offerings across geographies, along with our consortium partners, we are committed to deliver this project well on-time, fully complying with the stringent quality and safety standards,” added Mr. Deepak Thakur.

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O&M services will comprise complete system and rehabilitation of the electrical network of the city of Agadez, and the electrification of the neighbouring hamlet of Tibinitene. The consortium will provide project management assistance and institutional support to train engineers and technicians of Nigelec in photovoltaic technologies to enable them to operate large-scale solar power plants in the short term and to ensure smooth functioning of the plant even after two years. Niger, a landlocked country located in West Africa, has only recently resorted to Solar PV and Diesel with Battery Storage Hybrid project as an energy source for such remote locations. The project would be Niger’s first ground-mounted Solar PV, Diesel and Battery Storage based power plant and is crucial for Agadez, a city which is located at the gateway to the Sahara Desert and isolated from the rest of the country. With its worldwide energy expertise, SWPL has an extensive focus on where and how hybrid and energy storage solutions can be applied across the energy sector, from centralized large fossil and renewable power plants to data centres, C&I segments and remote settings such as Islands. The company’s HES business unit is offering a range of clientele – from utility-scale and C&I project developers, independent power producers to public utilities and IOUs – a host of turnkey services such as project development, design and engineering including sizing of storage solutions and hybrids, supply chain management, construction, commissioning, and operations & maintenance.

OCTOBER- 2020

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RIL now eyes smart electricity meter business Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is eyeing the smart electricity meter market and plans to leverage its Jio business to offer meter data collection, communication cards, telecom and cloud hosting services to electricity distribution companies (discoms), said two people aware of the development.

his comes in the backdrop of world’s largest electricity smart metering programme underway in India, with the aim of cutting distribution losses. India’ smart meter programme aims to replace 250 million conventional meters to help raise annual revenues of debt-laden discoms to ₹1.38 trillion. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani led-firm is looking at this Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) business and is exploring to offer these services through Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Smart meters require a two-way communication network, control centre equipment, and software applications for near real-time gathering and transfer of energy usage information. NB-IoT is a lowpower wide-area network radio technology standard developed by 3GPP, a standards organization, to enable a wide range of cellular devices and services. Queries emailed to a RIL spokesperson on 8 October had remained unanswered. Smart meters minimise human intervention in metering, billing and collection, and help reduce theft by identifying loss pockets.

“Some of the services on offer by RIL include meter data collection, communication cards, telecom and cloud hosting services,” said a person aware of the development cited above requesting anonymity. Jio Platforms Ltd, RIL’s digital solutions subsidiary, has built significant capabilities in areas such as cloud and edge computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain, and internet of things (IoT). Smart meters are key to the success of India’s proposed Rs3.5 trillion distribution reform scheme— “Reforms Linked Result Based Scheme for Distribution”—that calls for completing compulsory smart metering ecosystem across the distribution sector, starting from electricity feeders to the consumer levels. Electricity discoms are the weakest link in the electricity value chain, plagued by low collection, increase in power purchase cost, inadequate tariff hikes and subsidy disbursement, and mounting dues from government departments. India’s aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to be around 22% and as on 31 March, discoms owed Rs2.25 trillion to power generation and transmission companies.

OCTOBER- 2020

Analysts say the Indian power sector is witnessing a steady transformation towards digitisation and the smart meter’ efficacy was proven during the national lockdown resulting in an average monthly revenue per consumer increase as compared to the problems faced by conventional metering technology. ICICI Securities Limited in a 30 September report wrote, “As per EESL, smart meters are a part of the overall Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution that measures and records consumers’ electricity use at different times of the day and sends this information to the energy supplier through GPRS technology.” “This gives consumers better access to information and allows them to make more informed decisions on the use of electricity in their homes, leading to reduced power wastage, and longterm carbon and financial savings. It also improves the DISCOM’s operational performance by increasing billing efficiency, reducing O&M cost and enhancing the quality of service by providing consumers with Demand Side Management (DSM) options,” the ICICI Securities report added. The government has been trying to leverage smart meters to reduce losses. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech earlier this year said, “I urge all the states and Union territories to replace conventional energy meters by prepaid smart meters in the next three years. Also, this would give consumers the freedom to choose the supplier and rate as per their requirements.” “Of the total allIndia AT&C losses of 22% (FY19), it is estimated that 9-10% is related to T&D while 12-13% is billing and collection related inefficiencies. One of the ways the government is targeting to reduce AT&C losses is through installation of smart meters,” the ICICI Securities report said. Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator by market share, started operations in September 2016 and has brought in fast, cheap internet to over 388 million subscribers.

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Chemi Tech Group join hands with Sunpower Renewables, Australia for manufacturing Lithium Based Hybrid Solutions & Electric Vehicle Chargers in India

Chemi Tech Group, a leading trade house for solar equipment in the country, has now joined hands with Sunpower Renewables, Australia to bring in their Lithium-Ion Based Off-Grid solutions along with Electric Vehicle Charging based solutions in India. The company plans to start production at their manufacturing unit in Hyderabad from June 2021 onwards, till that time, the units will be imported from Melbourne.

unpower offers products from 100 W to 7.5 kW and battery sizes come from 130 Wh to 15 kWh. The battery bank comes with warranties and performance guarantees and can last for more than 4500 cycles. All the products have an option to export to the grid, which is switchable. The products are light-weight, plug & play and require zero maintenance. The products can be used for outdoors also, like trekking & camping trips, site offices, defense forces and mining operations and can be used in the place of Diesel generators too. On a demo basis, Sunpower has installed its units at around 30 places in India, including for some of the most renowned establishments of the country. The demo has been going on for over a year now and the feedback and the performance of the system has been exemplary. In Electric Vehicle space, the company will be coming out with both AC & DC charging units. A major USP will be a portable charger with inbuilt battery bank, which can be carried around in a car and will be able to provide emergency charging to EVs stranded on the roads. This will help the EV buyers to fight the range anxiety issues.

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Akarsh Gupta, Director, Chemi Tech Group, believes that due to many states discouraging the use of net metering, and the latest notification about scraping of net metering above 5 kW, the market will eventually move towards hybrid and off-grid systems. The cost difference between Lead-acid and Lithium ion batteries is reducing every day. Even now, the advantages of Li-ion outweigh the cost difference between the two batteries. Li-ion batteries are maintenance free and will run for around 15 years with ease, Lead-acid have to be replaced every 3 years, are bulky and require regular maintenance. We will be the 1st company to offer such solutions manufactured in the country itself. These solutions will also be useful in many places that ban diesel gensets during winter months due to increase in pollution levels, like Delhi. Overall, if you look at them being used as a backup instead of DGs, the cost advantages are immense. People living in societies can install them in their homes. They can charge the batteries when grid is available and use when the power goes out. Most societies charge around 18-25 Rs per unit for backup power and it will help residents save up a lot of cost.

Speaking on the occasion, Nick Wood, Managing Director, New Markets at Sunpower Renewables commented, “The partnership poses great opportunities as a result of working synergies that exist between Sunpower Renewables and Chemi Tech. The market is now ripe for cleantech options with several measures being imposed in India to curb diesel usage. We see this as fast evolving market with a strong focus on renewables and with year on year growth for Electric Vehicle cars”.

OCTOBER- 2020

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International Solar Alliance Announces ISA Solar Awards for the year 2020 International Solar Alliance (ISA) announces Solar Awards to honor efforts being made in the field of R&D, innovative floating solar projects and adoption of solar energy by organizations to enhance sustainability. Haryana and Karnataka, two of the solar energy champion provinces in India institute awards in collaboration with ISA; Diwakar award instituted by Union Minister, GoI, Mr. Piyush Goyal. Ms Rachel Kyte, Dean, Fletcher School, Tufts University, to chair the International Awards Committee of the ISA. The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has institutionalized ISA Solar Awards with its Award Partners to recognize distinguished entities, both individuals (scientists, engineers and technologists) and agencies from ISA member countries for their outstanding contribution in providing affordable, reliable and scalable solar energy solutions.

he ISA Solar Awards will promote ISA’s agenda of addressing the energy access needs and energy security issues in a green and clean manner by facilitating massive deployment of solar technology at an affordable cost. This activity will enhance the participation of individuals, institutions and agencies working in solar sector in ISA member countries. The objective of institutionalising these awards is to encourage, inspire and activate the global solar ecosystem. The details of ISA awards, like eligibility criteria, application process along with the important dates is available on ISA website: https://www.isolaralliance. org/awards/awards. The applications will be shortlisted by a screening committee constituted under the aegis of ISA and its award partners, followed by final evaluation and selection by International Awards Committee, comprising of high- level dignitaries and leaders from the renewable energy sector. Ms. Rachel Kyte, Dean, The Fletcher School, Tufts University will Chair the International Awards Committee.

The ISA Solar Awards for the year 2020 will showcase excellence in the field of solar energy under 3 award categories: Outstanding contribution by Scientists, Engineers & Technologists in the field of solar energy

The ISA Diwakar Solar Award has been established with the gracious support of Shri. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Railways, Government of India. Shri Piyush Goyal donated the monetary component of the Carnot prize, that had been conferred upon him by Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, for his work in sustainable energy solutions in 2019. This award will be presented to the organizations in the Host Country of the ISA who work for children with special needs, and that have adopted solar energy to encourage sustainability for an inclusive society. Maximum deployment of Solar Water Pumps in ISA member countries.

ISA Madhya Pradesh Acharya Vinoba Bhave International Solar Pump Award No of Awards to be given: 4 To be operationalised from 2021 The government of Madhya Pradesh has institutionalised ISA Madhya Pradesh Vinoba Bhave solar award to recognize the proactive role played by Governments of member countries in the area of promotion of solar pumps in each of the four regions of the ISA. This award will be operational from the year 2021.

ISA Kalpana Chawla Haryana Solar Award No of Awards to be given: 1 Award Money to be given: 66,099 USD

The Government of Haryana, India has institutionalised the ISA Kalpana Chawla Haryana Solar Award to encourage increased participation of scientists, engineers and technologist who are actively involved in innovation, R&D, development and deployment of path-breaking technologies in the field of solar energy. Only one award will be given under this category. Most Innovative floating solar projects in ISA member countries

ISA Karnataka Visvesvaraya Solar Award No of Awards to be given: 4 (1 in each region) Total Award Money to be given: 50, 279 USD

The Government of Karnataka, India has set up the ISA Karnataka Visvesvaraya Solar Award to recognize the proactive role played by Governments of member countries in ISA’s four regions in areas of promotion of floating solar technology projects in each of the four regions of the ISA. Maximizing Solar Energy Adoption by Organizations in the Host country, working with differently abled children

ISA Diwakar Solar Award No of Awards to be given:1 Award Money to be given: 94,315 INR

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The world is at a critical juncture now and is staring at an uncertain future in terms of energy production. All nations need to come together and formulate a mechanism to address energy needs through clean & sustainable methods like Solar. Combined efforts by the nations will form the pillar of a successful solar revolution. The ISA awards are an opportunity to recognize the brilliant minds who are not only doing exemplary work in the field of Solar Energy, but also set an example and inspire other individuals, institutions and nations to follow said Shri Upendra Tripathy, Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA).

The awards along with the cheque of reward money will be presented to the selected entries during the 3rd Assembly of the ISA slated to be hosted on a virtual platform on 14 October 2020.

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Power PPAs cannot be terminated during insolvency process In a breather for bankrupt power generation companies, an insolvency tribunal has ruled that going concern status of such companies have to be maintained during the entire resolution process.

he National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has ruled that power distribution companies or discoms cannot terminate their power purchase agreement (PPA) with insolvent gencos during the entire corporate insolvency resolution process(CIRP). Upholding an order passed by the Hyderabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), the NCLAT said that asset classification of a power project includes the generation plant and its PPA and it should be looked together and not in isolation. So, the moratorium rules under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), where all debt resolution action is suspended during CIRP, would apply to power project as well including the PPA contracts it signed with beneficiaries.

This asset (PPA) needs to be kept intact and preserved during the process of corporate resolution and liquidation so that the liabilities of creditors and other stakeholders can be taken care of, a two member bench of the NCLAT led by Justice Jarat Kumar Jain said in their judgment on October 20.

The ruling came in the CIRP process of Lanco Infratech that is facing liquidation having failed to clear clear dues to creditors including Rs 63 crore provided by Yes Bank. The insolvent entity had signed a PPA with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) in April, 2010 for selling power generated from its 5 mega-watt solar plant located in the state. But the company was taken insolvency due to default in payment to Yes Bank. While the CIRP process of as on, GUVNL moved to terminate the PPA which was objected by Yes Bank as it would have eroded the value of Lanco project even under liquidation. The NCLAT order will come to rescue of several power projects that are under different stages of insolvency. Close to 15 coal fired projects with about 12,000 MW capacity are facing insolvency. Several of these projects have PPA with beneficiaries while other have limited capacity PPAs.

Transaction in electricity & clean energy certificates are exempted from TCS & TDS

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued new guidelines for the applicability of Tax deducted at Source (TDS) and Tax collected at source (TCS).

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nder the new guidelines, e-commerce operations which include transactions in electricity and trading of clean energy certificates (REC and ESCerts) are not subjected to TCS or TDS. CBDT states that the updated guidelines are applicable from 1 october, 2020. It is important to note that under the previous guidelines, TCS of 1% (IGST 1%, or CGST 0.5% + SGST 0.5%) of the invoice value and TDS of @ 2% (IGST 2%, or CGST 1% + SGST 1%) of the invoice value, where the total value of supply per invoice is more than Rs.2.50 Lacs (as applicable) were levied from all sellers of REC & ESCerts. CBDT also clarified that the TCS is to be collected and paid to the government on all payments received on or after 1 October, 2020 including on the amount of GST and on sales made prior to 1st October.

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Grapevine: ReNew looks to list abroad; Mahindra Susten gets offers for solar assets ReNew Power is also gearing up to tap the offshore bond market for as much as $320 million (Rs 2,350 crore) as it looks to refinance domestic debt. This initial public offering (IPO) plan comes against the backdrop of Thailand’s PTT Group looking to acquire close to half of the stake held by Goldman Sachs Group in ReNew Power and after shelving of IPO plans in mid-2018.

eNew Power is also raising funds through asset sales and plans to set up a two gigawatt cell and module manufacturing facility in India. Meanwhile, Brookfield, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Edelweiss Yield Plus Infrastructure Fund, apart from a couple of more investors, are in discussions to acquire nearly 600 megawatt (MW) of solar assets from Mahindra Susten, two people aware of the development told Mint.

“They have received offers from six financial investors and will be shortlisting three bidders for the final round of negotiations,” said one of the persons. Earlier in the year, the company sold around 160 MW of solar projects to CLP India. In another development, strategic domestic buyers Adani Group, Piramal Enterprises and global financial investors US-based Oaktree and Hong Kong-based SC Lowy have placed bids for Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL), persons in the know told Mint. DHFL was the first finance company to be referred to the bankruptcy court by the central bank using special powers. According to the people, Oaktree has submitted a bid for the entire company whose value is Rs 20,000 crore as against the admitted liability of Rs 95,000 crore with Rs 10,000 crore cash in hand. Adani Group has bid for DHFL’s Rs 40,000 crore wholesale and Slum Rehabilitation Authority portfolio, valuing it at Rs 3,000 crore, the people said. Piramal Enterprises has bid for DHFL’s retail portfolio. It has quoted Rs 12,000 crore for the business and is asking for 18% yield on this portfolio. According to bankers, the bid of SC Lowy, the fourth bidder, comes with so many conditions that it is unlikely to be considered.

Separately, Tata Consumer Products is looking for strategic stakes or partnerships in Cafe Coffee Day’s retail outlets, three people in the know told The Economic Times. The Tata Group is looking at CCD’s entire portfolio including plantations, outlets and the vending business for synergies. “There are various possibilities in the portfolio, but how much of it actually works for Tata Consumer, given the legal complexities, has to be evaluated,” an official aware of the plan said. A possible partnership with CCD’s outlets would give Tata Starbucks access to both the premium and mass coffee and tea retailing platform.

Bhopal: City girl Arushi bags International Solar Alliance (ISA) Diwakar Solar Award 2020 City girl Arushi bagged International Solar Alliance (ISA) Diwakar Solar Award 2020 in a virtual award ceremony organised. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was also present in the ceremony.

s part of its efforts to recognise exemplary efforts by organisations in India, the ISA is instituting the Diwakar Solar Award (Divyang Akshay-urja Puraskar).The ISA- Diwakar Solar Award has been institutionalized with the gracious support of Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry Government of India. This award was established for organisations run for children with special needs, that have adopted solar energy applications or run on power derived from solar energy to encourage the value of an inclusive society. This award is presented to two organizations in the country out of which one is Arushi.

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The Awards Screening Committee found Arushi’s contribution to the Solar Energy Sector very impactful and creditworthy. Arushi has a solar energy plant of 15 Kilo Watt which helps in generating electricity for the whole building. This plant was installed with support of State Bank of India in 2016 and was inaugurated by lyricist Gulzar who is a senior volunteer of Arushi.

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InvITs to acquire over Rs 4 trillion of infra assets in five years: Icra

Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) are likely to acquire infrastructure assets worth over Rs 4 lakh crore in the next five years as the market matures, a domestic ratings agency said. At present, there are six InvITs which have raised over Rs 27,600 crore from investors, while a seventh entity is in advanced stage of raising Rs 25,200 crore, Icra said.

he total value of assets under these seven InvITs is estimated at Rs 1.3 lakh crore and InvITs are likely to gain significant traction in the next few years, it said. An InvIT is like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts of money from individual/institutional investors in infrastructure projects to earn a portion of the income as return.

“Over the next four to five years, InvITs have the potential to acquire infrastructure assets worth Rs 4 lakh crore, of which Rs. 1.5 lakh crore could come from the unit capital raised from investors,” the agency said. InvITs have the potential of channelising significant long-term capital (like pension and insurance funds) into the infrastructure sector. The state-run PowerGrid Corporation and National Highways Authority of India are planning to transfer some of their operational assets to InvIT platforms, the agency said, pointing out that roads, transmission, telecom, and renewable energy are the key sectors which carry huge potential for asset monetisation through the InvIT route.

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Icra’s Group Head for corporate sector ratings Shubham Jain said over the last decade, India has seen significant infrastructure asset creation, especially in the roads and the power sector. “Most of these assets have also built some track record of operations, thereby reducing the uncertainties on cash flows to a major extent and are prospective candidates for InvITs,” he said. In total, operational assets worth Rs 5-6 lakh crore exist in the roads and the power sectors itself, he said, pointing out that this makes Icra arrive at its estimate of Rs 4 lakh crore investments by the InvITs alone. The instrument has become an attractive investment vehicle as regulatory and taxation regime governing InvITs have significantly evolved over the years, the agency said. For long-term investors having investments in Indian infrastructure assets or plans of the same, the InvIT would form a preferred route, it said, adding stable regulations and a taxation regime, and a conducive macro environment will be required to support investors’ appetite. Besides monetising operational projects, InvITs also provide a platform for future asset monetisation for developers, thereby providing some certainty on the realisation of their investments in infrastructure assets, Jain said. Jain also said InvITs will help in releasing capital invested in operational projects regularly which can be used for deployment in future developmental projects, thereby keeping the infrastructure investment cycle running.

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India to be world’s largest market for battery storage by 2040: IEA India will become the largest market for utility-scale battery storage by 2040 as renewables show immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic to emerge as a cost-effective choice and will push coal into a corner, according to the International Energy Agency.

The IEA’s ‘World Energy Outlook 2020’ released says globally, power generation from renewables has been the only major source of energy that continued to grow this year. In contrast, growth in coal use in India and other South and Southeast Asian economies showed a marked decline and will not be enough to offset declines elsewhere. Solar PV (photovoltaic) projects become the leading solution for meeting global growth in electricity demand, with storage playing an increasingly vital role in ensuring the flexible operation of power systems, says the Outlook. In contrast, coal consumption may never regain pre-pandemic levels.

Solar energy is already contributing around 2.8% of global electricity and if trends were to continue, by 2030, solar will become most important source of energy for electricity production in large part of the world, power minster R K Singh told the third assembly of the International Solar Alliance India, which is working on adding 100 GW (giga watt) solar capacity by 2023, is also shifting focus towards storage-based projects to tackle the intermittency of power from solar PV. In May, Goldman Sachsbacked ReNew Power won the world’s first tender for round-the-clock supply of green power quoting a tariff of 4 US cents per unit. In February, Greenko and ReNew won 900 MW and 300 MW packages of a 1200 MW storage-based projects auctioned by SECI, the government agency implementing the National Solar Mission. No wonder the Outlook says in the ‘stated policy scenarios’ (STEPS),

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renewables meet about 80% of the growth in global electricity generation over the next decade, overtaking coal by 2025 as the primary means of producing electricity. In the ‘sustainable development strategy’ (SDS) scenario, the combined share of solar PV and wind in global generation rises from 8% in 2019 to almost 30% in 2030. By 2040, the share of coal in total primary energy supply dips below 20% for the first time in modern energy history. In the SDS, coal fares much worse, and its share falls below 10%. Setting new records for deployment each year through to 2030 in STEPS, the report sees solar capacity growing by an average of 12% per year to 2030. The advance of renewable sources of generation, and of solar in particular, is even more striking in the SDS, where annual capacity additions of solar PV take place at double the pace of the last four years through to 2025 and then keep rising to 2030.

“Over the next decade, global power plant construction shifts rapidly away from coal in the STEPS, and the share of coal in the global generation mix falls from 37% in 2019 to 28% in 2030. The rise of renewables, combined with cheap natural gas and coal phase-out policies means that coal demand in advanced economies drops by almost half to 2030,” says the report.

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Tata Power venture’s 200 microgrids expected to be ready by 2021: Rockefeller Foundation TP Renewable Microgrid (TPRMG), a venture by Tata Power, is expected to complete installation work of 200 microgrids and make them ready for use by next year, said the Rockefeller Foundation — a partner in the clean energy project.

n November 2019, Tata Power had announced creating an arm, TPRMG, to set up 10,000 microgrids to provide power to 5 million homes across India. USbased philanthropic organisation Rockefeller Foundation, which collaborated with Tata Power for this project, said it is using experience, knowledge and proven success to date in India, to help lead the development of large-scale, innovative partnerships.

It said such associations and tie-ups break down the silos between traditional utilities and disruptive new technologies, unleashing a new wave of last-mile electrification that blends grid and off-grid, fosters partnership between public and private sectors and champions clean, green and sustainable energy solutions. “Since the launch of TPRMG last November, the first microgrids are up and running with customers connected and additional construction is underway across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The TPRMG team is working hard…we expect to have the first 200 sites ready in 2021,” Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President, Power Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation, told PTI in an email response to a query.

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The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted the speed at which the project was being implemented in India, he said. India, Dayal said, is home to one of the largest “un-electrified and under-electrified” populations in the world where communities, especially in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, still use non-grid sources like diesel generators to power more than 40 per cent of rural enterprises. Off-grid solutions, he said, can help India meet the urgent power needs of communities in a quick manner and these are cheap as well. There is a good market for off-grid power solutions in India, he said. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in a study has noted there is an over USD 50 billion market opportunity in India for distributed renewables and clean energy innovations. Dayal informed that the Rockefeller Foundation has already been working in the area for quite some time in India. The Rockefeller Foundation launched Smart Power India (SPI) in 2015, which has supported establishment of 300 operating mini grids, run by a diverse set of private companies, benefiting more than 2.5 lakh customers. “The partnership with Tata Power last year, which established what will become the largest mini grid company in the world, reaching 10,000 villages and serving over 25 million people,” he added.

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Punjab CM moves resolution rejecting Central farm laws, Electricity Amendment Bill in Assembly Punjab Chief Minister Captain (retired) Amarinder Singh moved a resolution on the floor of the Assembly, over the concerns of the government against Central agriculture reform laws and amendments to the Electricity Act.

Three farm legislations along with proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are clearly against interests of farmers and landless workers and time-tested agriculture marketing system established not only in Punjab but also in Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister said. “The draft resolution states that farm laws are against the constitution (Entry 14 List-II), which mentions agriculture as a state subject and these legislations are a direct attack to encroach upon functions and powers of states, as enshrined in the constitution,” he added.

ccording to an official release, Singh presented in the Vidhan Sabha a draft resolution rejecting outrightly the Centre’s anti-farmer laws and the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, with an appeal to all parties in the state to rise above political interests in the spirit of saving Punjab. The draft resolution seeks annulment of the Farm Laws and the proposed Electricity Bill, as well as promulgation of “a fresh ordinance making the procurement of food grains on the Minimum Support Price a statutory right of the farmers and continue with procurement by Government of India through FCI and other such agencies.” Regretting that several

legislators indulged in frivolous activities to gain political mileage, with some coming in tractors and some spending the night in the Assembly precincts in protest against non-receipt of his government’s Bills, the Chief Minister said he had signed the same at 9.30 pm after extensive discussions and consultations with various experts. Such delays in sharing copies of Bills happen in an emergent session, he said, pointing to something similar happening when his government had brought in the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act during his last tenure in 2004.

He said the Bills being presented would form the basis of the state’s legal battle ahead and, hence, needed to be thoroughly vetted before the presentation. The draft resolution expresses the deep regret of the State Legislative Assembly over the “callous and inconsiderate attitude of the Government of India in attending to the concerns of the farming community on recent alleged farm legislation enacted by them.” It reads that the Assembly is constrained to unanimously reject the three (Farm) legislations and the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal introduced the Bill seeking Amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, during the special Assembly session

Ambani plans to move towards renewable energy; to invest for next-gen Reliance plans to move away from fossil fuels to a more renewable source of energy in a few decades, Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries which operates the world’s biggest refining complex, said. Reliance operates two giant refineries with a combined capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day in Gujarat.

mbani noted that he plans to make his company net-zero carbon-free by 2035. India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, ships in about 80 per cent of its oil needs. At the event, Ambani said he will be working towards three things—the transformation of India into a digital society, transforming the education and skill base of the country and move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. Along with the first two goals, the head of one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world also spoke about moving towards clean energy as his third goal. “The third thing that we’re working towards is really the transformation of energy. And we think again that the world is right and India is in the right mindset to completely in the next few decades, move away from fossil fuels to completely renewable energy”.

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Our view was that at the end of the day, we’ve got to embrace the technologies of the future. And this was my father’s view; he always said that I don’t want to be only a textile company. If you want to move from textiles, you should move to businesses of the future and you should invest in nextgeneration talent. And that is what we’ve done, said Ambani. In his attempt to move towards new technologies, he said, beyond a textile led business house, Reliance Jio Info-Comm (Jio) took birth. “And even when we thought through telecom together, the roadmap was very clear. The roadmap was that, yes, it will be at the price of a postcard, and technology evolves…today it is free,” he added.

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Hydrogen gaining traction for storage Even as the country aims to reduce fossil fuel-based emissions by building renewable energy capacity and promoting the uptake of electric vehicles, the cost of such a transition remains unaffordable for many Indian consumers.

mong the avenues being explored by the government to circumvent the problem and reduce dependence on imported products is the use of hydrogen technology to store electricity that can run vehicles and balance power systems, with such batteries being cheaper and more efficient than the lithium-ion batteries in use at present. While the costs of lithium-ion battery packs have fallen by as much as 90% from the 2010 levels, to about $150/kWh in 2019, they are still prohibitively high for the Indian power sector. A cheaper battery storage system provided by hydrogen technology would make renewable energy-based power more reliable by reducing its dependence on the vagaries of nature. In the transport sector too, its use could result in a sea change. While a majority of light passenger vehicles can be electrified through lithiumion batteries, the technology is unviable for heavier goods carriers which take impractically long to charge. According to experts, as against the more than 90 minutes it takes a heavy battery electric vehicle to charge, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be charged in 5-15 minutes.

It is this comparative advantage that has made several state-owned and private companies chart long-term plans for the use of the technology. Also driving them is the exponential jump likely in the use of utility-scale battery storage in the coming years. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated India becoming the largest market for utility-scale battery storage by 2040. According to IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2020, battery storage will gain huge ground as a source of power system flexibility, with global investment increasing six-fold to $25 billion by 2030. Green hydrogen or hydrogen produced from renewable energy has been cited as the next ‘clean energy prize’ in a recent policy brief by The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri). According to a senior government official, the ultra-mega renewable energy parks being planned in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan could produce green hydrogen through electrolysis, a process wherein electricity generated at such units is put in water to create hydrogen and oxygen.

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Driven by the transport, industry and power sectors, demand for hydrogen could increase by 3-10 times by 2050, Teri has said. State-run power generator NTPC has already signed an MoU with Siemens for production of green hydrogen from the company’s renewable energy plants and its use in transportation. It has also planned pilot projects to run five hydrogen-cell electric buses and five cars in Delhi and Leh. In its laboratories, NTPC is designing a prototype for hard/sea water electrolysis and reactors for hydrogen production through the photo-electrochemical process. The Indian Oil Corporation too is targetting development of fuel cells for green mobility solutions and indigenous hydrogen storage solutions. The country’s largest refiner has also put into use hydrogen generation technologies from companies like Germany’s Linde, Denmark’s HaldorTopsoe and the Netherlands’ KTI across its refineries. Planning to become ‘net carbon-zero’ by 2035, Reliance Industries has said it would build full stack electrolyser and fuel cell solutions, helping run hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. “We will replace transportation fuels with clean electricity and hydrogen,” Mukesh Ambani, the company’s chairman, said in July, perhaps indicating where the future lies as far as green mobility is concerned.

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Solex marks the commencement of its 1.5GW PV module mfg. facility with ground breaking ceremony near Surat A few months ago, Solex Energy Limited had announced the expansion of its solar module manufacturing facility to 1.5GW. The pandemic and the resulting call for being ‘Atma Nirbhar’ has propelled the plans for setting up the facility at a rapid pace.

n the 19th October, 2020, Solex Energy earmarked the commencement of this ambitious project by performing the ground breaking ceremony at its factory site near Surat. With this expansive ultra-modern facility spread across 10 acres, the company plans to implement the latest manufacturing technology and introduce high quality modules delivering enhanced performance and best generation, undergoing all stringent quality checks. With the inclusion of automated processes like auto bussing, auto curing line and automatic module sorting; its assembly lines will also be fully equipped for half-cut cell, bifacial, BIPV, glass to glass as well as multi-busbar cell module manufacturing. The company will be introducing a range of modules using Mono and Multi – crystalline cells along with catering to client’s specific requirements. With its commitment to quality, Solex will also be eyeing exports to European & American markets, contributing its share in making India the solar hub of the world. The facility will also be equipped with state-of-the-art production lines with specially ordered and custom-made capabilities designed for specific needs. A dedicated R&D team and a high-profile inhouse quality lab will be setup to achieve this purpose. Apart from the Solex brand, the company will be doing OEM for a very limited but niche set of clients with long-term tie-ups.

Norwegian Diplomat Highlights India’s ‘global First’ As It Leads Way In ‘solar Revolution’ Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim has highlighted that India is the first and only country to have a fully solar powered airport & railway station in the country.

orwegian diplomat and former politician Erik Solheim has shared a post from his Twitter handle that said India is the first and only country to have a fully solar-powered airport and railway station in the country. This may be a small but significant achievement for India to lead the world to increasingly adopt solar power in the future. Solheim’s tweet was in the context of the Guwahati railway station of Assam and the Cochin International Airport which run on solar power and have led India to achieve a significant feat. The Guwahati railway station in the capital city of Assam is the first railway station in the country to be fully solar-powered. According to reports, the station handles nearly 20,000 passengers on an average every day. Commissioned in April 2017, the solar power plant at Guwahati railway station was solar-powered to not only reduce the carbon footprint significantly but also result in electricity cost savings.

The Cochin International Airport has more stunning achievements to showcase as it was the first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy, declared by airport officials in 2015 as per reports. What started as a curious effort to reduce the everincreasing electricity bills led the airport authorities to opt for solar energy and reduce carbon emissions while standing as a shining example in the world that solar is the way forward. In 2018, the airport won one of the United Nations’ top environmental honors: the Champions of the Earth award for Entrepreneurial Vision.

India re-elected as President in ISA

India has always encouraged the usage of solar energy in order to reduce the greenhouse effect and has actively led the fight against climate change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 initiated the International Solar Alliance at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris, France. During this year’s meeting of the International Solar Alliance, October 14, India was re-elected as the President of the organisation for a term of two years with France as the Co-President. Four new Vice-Presidents were also voted in to represent the four regions of the ISA at its third assembly that was attended by 34 members. The ISA has been constituted with an aim to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar-resource-rich countries, through which the global community, including governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and other stakeholders, can contribute to help achieve the common goal of increasing the use and quality of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner.

Courtesy: twitter.com

OCTOBER- 2020

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Reliance says India will fully shift to renewable energy in few decades Reliance, which operates two giant refineries with a combined capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day in western India, aims to become a net zero carbon company by 2035

ndia will fully move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the next few decades, the chairman of Reliance Industries, operator of the world’s biggest refining complex, said. Reliance, which operates two giant refineries with a combined capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day in western India, aims to become a net zero carbon company by 2035. “India is in the right mindset to completely, in the next few decades, move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Be Atmanirbhar (self dependent),” Mukesh Ambani said at a book launch event. India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer, ships in about 80% of its oil needs. Reliance Group, which works across the oil, telecom and retail sectors, aims to build up a mix of clean and affordable energy with hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery power, Ambani told shareholders earlier this year.

India to link power grid with Middle East, SEA to export excess electricity India is drawing up plans to link its electricity grid with Gulf countries to the west and South East Asian nations on the other side in order to export excess electricity, especially from a raft of renewable energy projects coming up in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The government, as part of the ‘One Sun, One World, One grid’ initiative, wants the Indian Grid to be connected with the Middle East, South Asia, and South East Asian grids to share solar and other renewable energy resources.

Some 40-50 GW solar power projects are in the pipeline in Rajasthan and Gujarat. these can be sold in large markets like Delhi or Maharashtra, or exported to Gulf countries which have different peak hours once a grid connecting them is established,” said Amit Jain, Senior Energy Specialist with the World Bank, which is partnering India in this initiative.

fficials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said they would be making an assessment of renewable energy potential of countries in the region and study how they can share power to meet even peak electricity demand. “Since the sun does not always shine, and the wind does not always blow, nor does factory demand for electricity remain the same, we have to look for ways of either storing electricity or exporting it when not required. At the same time, we will need power when solar energy production is low (and can) import it from other time zones as we move towards renewables,” an official said.

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Officials indicated that the thinking is that Gulf countries now want to move away from fossil fuel by focusing on renewable power. Solar and wind energy plants were being set up in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai among others.“It is our intention to work on a pre-feasibility study with India and the ISA ( International Solar Alliance) on the India-Middle East-Africa grid which would involve an undersea cable,” said Jain. India is already linked with Bangladesh and Nepal through similar grids. Officials believe that linking up with the Southern East Asian grid would not be too difficult. The SE Asian nations on the other hand, along with Australia, also have plans to build a 3,700 kilometer ASEAN-Australia power undersea cable link to transmit electricity generated by a 10,000 MW solar farm proposed to be set up in Australia.

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CCI clears acquisition of solar energy assets by Adani Green-Total Solar joint venture Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of various solar energy assets by a joint venture of Adani Energy and Total Solar. Adani Green Energy Twenty Three Ltd — a joint venture of Total Solar Singapore Pte Ltd and Adani Green Energy Ltd — will buy the assets from Adani Green Energy Ltd.

ccording to a combination notice filed with the watchdog, Adani Green Energy Twenty Three Ltd will acquire 100 per cent shareholding of ten target companies. Adani Green Energy Ten Ltd is the holding entity of the target companies. In a tweet, CCI said it has approved “acquisition of solar energy generation assets by Adani Green Energy Twenty Three Ltd – a joint venture of Total Solar Singapore Pte. Ltd. & Adani Green Energy Limited”. Pursuant to the proposed combination, AGE23L will acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Adani Green Energy Ten Ltd (AGE10L), which is the holding entity of the target companies.

Adani to complete 1,000 MW transmission line to Mumbai by December 2022 Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) affirmed that it will be able to execute a transmission line and sub-station project at suburban Vikhroli which will enhance the power supply by 1,000 MW to the financial capital, by the end of next year, as per the mandated deadline for it. In a review meeting taken power outage, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked all stakeholders to expedite the project by adhering to the timelines. Trains had been stuck on tracks, businesses affected and work from home employees impacted as the financial capital plunged into darkness, that lasted up to 14 hours in some pockets. “Adani is committed to completing the Kharghar-Vikhroli transmission line project within the timeline set by Thackeray,” a spokesperson for Adani Group said in a statement.

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n the statement, ATL said there will be growth in power load in the megapolis and the mismatch between generation and load growth, it is now committed to executing two critical transmission projects that would help channelise additional power to Mumbai. These capacity enhancement projects will create an additional transmission capacity of 1,000 MW each, thereby easing the existing transmission corridors, it added. It includes the Kharghar-Vikhroli 400/220 kV EHV transmission line project, which will add a 1,000 MW power supply corridor and will also be Mumbai’s first 400 KV Substation. A recent news report had said that there was a dispute between Tata Power and ATL which has now been resolved with the former agreeing to provide land for the project. The project was reportedly approved in 2009 and awarded to ATL in 2019. ATL said it has already placed orders for all critical equipment and service contracts, which are vital for project completion, including towers and insulators. It has also completed 80 per cent of engineering and is working with authorities to get possession of land parcels at Kharghar and Vikhroli.

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Apart from the Vikhroli-Kharghar line, a second project involves an 80-km link between Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company’s (MSETCL) 400 kV Kudus & Adani Electricity Mumbai’s (AEML) 220 kV Aarey EHV Substation which will be a first of its kind underground high voltage DC cabled system that can get an additional 1,000 MW of power. Adani has initiated land procurement, completed survey works, filed applications for Regulatory, right of way and other statutory clearances, awarded consultancy contracts for system studies and is in the process of raising capital and finalizing awards for project execution, the statement said.

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Centre surrenders 125 MW coal power allocated to AP The Union Ministry of Power (MoP) has approved the request of Andhra Pradesh government to surrender 125 MW coal power that was allocated to AP Discoms from NTPC. The Discoms will save Rs 191.6 crore per annum on fixed costs with the decision of Ministry of Power.

n a letter addressed to Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on October 13, the MoP mentioned that it was decided to revert the 125 MW coal power keeping in view the request from government of Andhra Pradesh. The power was allocated to AP Discoms on July 5, 2017 from coal-based stations of NTPC for bundling with solar power under National Solar Mission. On receiving the communication on CEA, the state energy department officials welcomed the decision of MoP and felt that it would help to the efforts of AP Government to minimize power procuring costs and reduce unwanted financial burden on Discoms. “The decision of MoP will benefit Discoms which could save Rs 191.6 crore per annum on fixed costs,” energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said in a press release

The energy secretary has thanked the Secretary, Ministry of Power, GoI, Sanjiv Nandan Sahai for his quick action to help the state of AP in this regard. The AP government is exploring ways to reduce power procuring costs and giving high priority for cost effective power. The measures being taken by power utilities for the last one year to revive and strengthen utilities, reduce unnecessary expenditure by procuring power at cheaper rates are yielding encouraging results.

India’s renewable energy investments can surge 35 per cent through FY23: CRISIL Sharpened global investor interest and enabling regulations could result in the addition of 35 gigawatt (GW) of renewable capacity — involving Rs 1.5 lakh crore of investments — in the three years through financial year 2022-23 (FY23), according to CRISIL Ratings.

his would be a 35 per cent growth over the Rs 1.1 lakh crore invested in the past three financial years, it added. “Global investments have risen from about 15 per cent of total capital investment in FY15-FY18 to about 50 per cent of total investments in FY18-FY20. Going forward, global investments and internal accruals can generate around half of the Rs 1.5 lakh crore investments required,” said Hetal Gandhi, director, CRISIL Research. The ratings agency added that a push towards clean energy was driving the global investor interest in India’s renewable sector, as reflected in project tenders getting oversubscribed amid strong participation by global investors. It said even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ‘must-run’ status of projects had ensured continuous power offtake despite weak demand. Further, enablers such as extensions to under-construction projects helped developers deal with mobility constraints, supply hurdles, and labour shortages.

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“A sagging economy and a weak financial sector may pose challenges to fund the credit requirement for this growth. However, with growing scale, the sector will churn out around 18 GW of fresh stabilised portfolio with top developers over the next three years that are amenable to refinancing. That means an aggregate debt capital of Rs 70,000 crore can be freed up to fund greenfield capacities,” said Ankit Hakhu, director, CRISIL Ratings. According to CRISIL, this refinancing was supported by a positive credit bias due to improving confidence on performance of solar, which constituted over three-fourths of the target pool. It added that continued investor thrust and an enabling regulation might double the capacity addition run-rate from the 6-8 GW projects set up annually in the past three financial years.

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Smart Power India suggests technical audit of solar hybrid mini grids Smart Power India, a subsidiary of Rockefeller Foundation, has recommended technical audit and routine monitoring of solar hybrid mini grids. In its recently launched ‘Technical Monitoring Guide’ for solar hybrid mini grids in India, the company has also recommended remote technical assessment of the mini grids.

n a statement, it said that technical audit provides a detailed snapshot of the plant at a given point in time, providing a baseline for future investigations. It also outlines corrective measures and projects future performance. “Local mini grid field personnel need to monitor the plant components. These activities maintain a proactive and continuous understanding of plant behaviour and give opportunity for swift intervention before incipient problems escalate,” it said. It noted that the tracking of specific technical indicators to reveal longer-term trends in the performance of mini-grids is critical. With remote data collection from in-plant sensors and automated analysis on cloud servers, these key indicators give continuous comparative insight into whether a plant is meeting expected performance, it said.

Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India, said, “Mini grid developers in India, Africa and around the world have led the way in establishing new business models, deploying innovative technologies, and securing government recognition and support. “Yet mini grids continue to operate in remote locations under challenging conditions which put immense strain on plant electronics, batteries, and other equipment. This leads to accelerated degradation which in practice often goes unnoticed and unmitigated,” he said.

Kochi Metro Rail to achieve 60% energy neutrality Kochi Metro Rail (KMRL) will be achieving 60% energy neutrality shortly by utilising solar energy. The Metro agency will be commissioning an additional 5.4 MWp capacity system on its buildings and tracks in 2020 to increase the output to 1.57 crore units per year and maintain 60 percent energy neutrality.

he installation of rooftop solar panels will be completed by mid-November 2020 and the rest of the work by December 2020. This initiative has brought down carbon emissions by 13,302 tpa, which is equal to planting 5,33,033 trees. KMRL has already completed installation of solar panels at Thykoodam Metro station. Work is progressing at Vyttila, Petta, South, Kadavanthra and Elamkulam. There are also plans to install solar panels at JLN Metro station’s corporate office, track and ramp area at Muttom Depot. The Metro agency commissioned three large-scale solar power generation systems in the past two years. Phase-I of the project, which is 2.670 MWp in capacity and capable of generating 36.5 lakh unit per year was implemented through Renewable Energy Service Company in 2018.This contributed to 60% of the total energy consumed at that point of time. However, the neutrality was reduced by half with the opening of stations in the Maharaja’s-Thykoodam stretch.

OCTOBER- 2020

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India has attained status of One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency: Power Secy India has already attained the status of ‘One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency’ and there are now no constraints in inter-regional transfer of power, said Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary, Ministry of Power He was speaking in a webinar organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on ‘Innovations in Renewable Energy’. A liquidity scheme for the power sector with an outlay of Rs 1,20,000 crore has been started under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme to prevent any crisis of confidence in this sector. For this, an amount of Rs 68,000 crore has been sanctioned and out of this, Rs 25,000 crore has already been disbursed, said Sahai. Sahai, while deliberating on the amendments to the Electricity Act, said that the consumer is at the heart of renewable energy power generation. Towards this end, amendments are being considered to the Electricity legislations which will recognise the right of the consumer to get good quality power at reasonable rates. For the renewable energy sector, the “prosumers” will be allowed to set up roof-top solar units up to their sanctioned loads. Sahai mentioned the long-term PPAs lie at the heart of all renewable energy contracts. Of late the DISCOMS, which are themselves financially stressed, look for escape routes when they see the renewable energy prices falling every day.

he Ministry of Power is in the process of making amendments to the electricity legislations so as to overcome the developing situation. With the extension of electrification to all households, the average cost of power to DISCOMS has gone up. This has created further financial stress for the DISCOMS especially when they see the renewable energy prices falling almost with every tender, said Sahai. However, the Ministry of Power is all for honouring the PPAs. For this, they are considering the amendments to the Electricity Act like setting up a Contracts Enforcing Authority, mandating a Letter of Credit to back every PPA, and introducing an “Arms-Length Distance” between the regulator and the government, among others, added Sahai.

The secretary highlighted that 11 Renewable Energy Management Centres have been set up all over the country to ensure seamless generation, transmission, and distribution of renewable power. The Time of Day (TOD) tariff systems have also taken off and are being made full use of. The government is in the process of privatising all the DISCOMS in the Union territories. The first such case will be finalised by December this year, added Sahai.

Cochin Shipyard certified by CII for GreenCo Silver rating Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a PSE under the Union Ministry of Shipping, said it has earned the distinction of becoming the first company in the Shipping sector to be certified by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for the Green Co Silver rating. CSL has now joined the handful of big companies like IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, ONGC, GAIL, Indian Railway (units at ICF) which have already been certified, it said in a release.

his certification was considered very special, as it had been obtained in a pandemic COVID-19 situation, and the process completed in a short time, CSL said. Green Co rating is awarded to a company that meets set norms in the implementation of Green environment-friendly facets in their production activities, conserves, and is persistently endeavouring to move towards greener renewable energies like solar and wind. The Greenco rating certificate was awarded to CSL at the CII GreenCo Rating Award Ceremony (Virtual Event) during the 9th Edition of GreenCo Summit 2020 on October 7, on the CII HIVE Virtual Platform. The company said the rating will boost its effort at achieving world-class competitiveness and provides new opportunities for cost reduction, enhances the company’s corporate green image, credibility, and also creates transparency among stakeholders. The Green Co silver rating is also expected to pave the way for CSL to put up a strong long-term roadmap for ecologically sustainable business growth, it added.

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OCTOBER- 2020

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Railways taps solar energy to power stations in Karnataka The South Western Railway (SWR) has installed solar panels on the roof of its stations, terraces of its buildings and at level-crossing gates across Karnataka to harness renewable energy for its power needs, an official said “We have installed solar panels on top of stations, service buildings and level-crossing in the zone, which operates across Karnataka, Goa and parts of Andhra Pradesh to harness natural energy for meeting our power needs,” the official said in a statement here. Hubli, where the zonal railway is headquartered, is about 400 km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state. “Solar panels are installed on the roof top of 128 major stations across the zone, including Hubli, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hospet, Gadag and Ballari, on the terraces of 7 buildings at Hubli, Bengaluru and Mysuru,” said the official.

hoto voltaic cell lights have been installed at 221 level-crossing gates across the zone. Solar panels have also been set up on top of workshops and sheds in the zone, spanning the state. “We expect to generate 4.7-million units of power from the solar panels this year during sunny days,” said the official. The SWR has provided 4.37-megawatt peak (MWp) plants on developer mode and 165 kilowatt peak KWp) solar plant across the zone. “Tapping and using solar energy will enable us to save Rs 1.88 crore in electricity bills in this fiscal (2020-21) year,” said the official. The zonal railway also plans to set up land-based solar plants at track side and railway vacant lands to harness sun’s energy. Rail Energy Management Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, has floated a tender for land-based solar plants of 20MWp in vacant ands and 8.3MWp on track sides across the zone.

“Land has been identified for installing plants to generate 98MWp from solar energy,” noted the official. On all-India level, the railways plan to source 1,000MW of solar power and 200MW of wind power by 2021-22 across the country. “About 500MW will be generated from roof-top solar panels on buildings and 500MW from land-based solar plants to meet traction and non-traction requirements,” added the official.

India has opportunity to become global hub for solar PV manufacturing: Amitabh Kant Solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing is one of the strategic sectors announced by the government and India has the opportunity to be the global hub for this, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said. Addressing a virtual conference on ‘India PV Edge 2020: Re-Define What is Possible’, Kant said the government is confident of building competence, capabilities and capacities, especially in the sunrise areas of growth.

Solar PV manufacturing is one of the strategic sectors announced by the government as part of the post-COVID-19 Aatmanirbhar Bharat recovery initiative. Efforts are underway to make India a global hub for solar PV manufacturing, he said. The Niti Aayog CEO further said India with its huge market and relevant manufacturing advantages can be a giga-scale manufacturing destination for the cutting-edge PV technologies across the entire value chain. “We are at a critical juncture where India has the opportunity to be the global hub for solar PV manufacturing and are confident of building competence, capabilities and capacities, especially in the sunrise areas of growth,” he said.

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ant also expressed hope that PV technology improvements will exceed general market expectations and will be the key anchor towards reducing the solar deployment costs. Also speaking at the event, Niti Aayog ViceChairman Rajiv Kumar said India has a 31 gigawatts (GW) demand from government-sponsored schemes that require locally made solar panels and a large 300 GW target over the next 10 years. Kumar urged the PV manufacturing industry to utilise this large demand to invest in state-ofthe-art manufacturing lines and collaborate with startups and research institutions to continue to increase the performance of the solar panels and reduce the cost. Solar PV manufacturing is one of the strategic champion sectors announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat, an official statement said. India PV Edge 2020 has served as a small step towards that ambition and will go a long way in making India the giga-scale manufacturing destination for breakthrough PV technologies, it added. The government has been making steady strides towards introducing renewable energy to all villages in the country, especially in the agriculture sector.

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Time to reward consumers with decline in the renewable energy cost

Consumers should now reap the benefits of lower tariffs as the cost of power generated from newer, cleaner and greener renewable energy in India has achieved grid parity in 2018-19, experts said.

onsumers have played a critical role in the promotion of renewable energy (RE) generation by virtue of paying exorbitantly high retail prices for electricity for over a decade. This now needs to change as the cost of power generated from newer, cleaner and greener RE in India has achieved grid parity in 2018-19 resulting in a significant decline in the cost of renewable energy in the last decade, experts said. “In India, renewable energy power generation capacity enhancement was indirectly supported /funded by consumers who were paying a high retail price of electricity. With decline in the RE Power generation cost it is time now to reward consumers by passing on the decline in the RE Power cost to end consumers by way of reduced power tariff. “The objective of regulating price of renewable energy certificate through protection of floor price and forbearance price is to protect the interest of the investor and consumer. It must be aligned with new market realities to ensure unreasonable recovery by RE Power generators and check unnecessary financial burden on consumers,” said Manish Garg, regulatory expert and consultant. Currently, conventional power segment referred to as obligator (like DISCOMs, Captive Power Plants) is required to either buy electricity generated by specified ‘green’ sources, or buy, in lieu of that, ‘renewable energy certificates (RECs)’ from the market to meet their renewable power purchase obligation (RPO). A REC is a market-based instrument, introduced by the government and the regulator, to promote renewable energy and facilitate compliance of renewable purchase obligations (RPO) by Captive Power Plants, Discoms, etc. /conventional power generators who do not have RE generating resources or 270 days sunshine or face the challenge of being located in a coastal area thereby experiencing a great deal of cloudy weather. The delay in revising the current pricing of RECs has resulted in an accumulated and unnecessary financial burden on consumers /obligators / conventional power distributors who tried to pass additional cost onto the consumers through additional charges and taxes.

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This situation was further aggravated by delay in revising and publishing the revised ‘floor’ and ‘forbearance’ price for RECs by Central Electricity Commission (CERC). In a progressive move to align REC prices with the market, CERC, this year, reduced the floor price of solar and non-solar RECs to zero from Rs 1,000 earlier. Similarly, the forbearance (ceiling) price of solar and non-solar was reduced to Rs 1,000 for both from Rs 2,400 and Rs 3,000, respectively. This order of keeping floor price at zero instead of making obligatory to sell renewable energy certificate at discounted price and keeping forbearance price higher than zero, however, does not address the concerns of the consumers fully. Experts said also, it is violative of the principle of the Electricity Act, 2003 which calls for taking measures conducive to development of electricity industry, promoting competition therein, protecting interest of consumers and supply of electricity to all areas, rationalisation of electricity tariff, ensuring transparent policies regarding subsidies, promotion of efficient and environmentally benign policies.

It is high time to bring up the consumer issues to the priority through market mechanism. This can be done by embracing the concept of negative pricing for RECs which was accepted in case of bidding of coal mines in the year 2015. In this mechanism, reverse auction was considered to quote discount in positive value. If discount hits zero value, the bidders were asked to quote additional premium. Inflated REC price continues to burden the obligated entities who need to make provisions for solar RPO compliance at MTM (mark to market) price. These entities are required to pay high solar REC price that is not in line with the current market price for wind and solar energy. DISCOMs are already under severe financial stress. Experts say that in the present scenario of low RE prices, government must consider a negative price for the RE Certificates and pass on the benefits to the common consumer who has been funding the RE promotion by paying a higher tariff for a decade.

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Govt plans interest subvention for solar cell and wafer manufacturers

Union power minister RK Singh said, “We will also include additional incentives for firms who use advanced technologies under the interest subvention scheme.”

o reduce the country’s solar equipment import dependency, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is planning to launch an interest subvention scheme for loans of cell and wafer manufacturers, officials said. Wafers and cells are the basic building blocks of solar modules, and the minuscule manufacturing base of these products is the cause of continued reliance on imports. As on date, there are no wafer makers in India, while the cell manufacturing capacity is only 2.5 giga-watt (GW), implying that the 10GW of domestic solar module makers have to import most of their components from outside. In a virtual symposium titled ‘India PV EDGE 2020’ held, MNRE officials said under the proposed scheme, discounts on interest would be given to wafer and cell manufacturers on capital expenditure and working capital requirements. The percentage of interest subvention was not mentioned. Through this scheme, manufacturers would also receive interest subvention on loans taken for technological upgrade of their plants after three years of operation. Plans are underway to offset the cost of power for wafer manufacturing as well.

Niti Aayog, on its part, has also proposed a productionlinked incentive scheme for exports of solar modules from India, where solar module makers will be incentivised according to the efficiency of the panels. China continues to be the largest source of solar cells and panels for India, with imports worth $1.3 billion in FY20. The value of such imports from China in FY18 was a massive $3.4 billion. The share of prominent Chinese module suppliers such as Trina, Hanwha, JA Solar and Canadian Solar (which has a large production base in China) in the Indian market has significantly dropped in this period. To reduce Chinese imports, the Union government had imposed a 25% safeguard duty in July 2018 for two years (it has just been extended for another year to July 2021, at a rate of 15%). The government is also considering to impose a 20% basic customs duty on solar imports; a final call on this is yet to be taken. Solar project developers prefer Chinese equipment due to lower prices. Global module prices are consistently coming down and currently ranging at $0.17/watt power (wp) — almost half the early 2018-levels.

Mondragon Assembly continues sharing its Intellectual Property The Basque cooperative and the Chinese brand Autowell Technology Co. (ATW) have reached an agreement to share a patent owned by MONDRAGON Assembly. This innovative solution allows photovoltaic module manufacturers to increase their productivity.

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ondragon Assembly S.Coop, a leading Spanish company dedicated to delivering solutions and equipment for the PV Industry, and ATW, one of the top manufacturers of automation equipment for PV products in China, have entered into an agreement to share the Intellectual Property of a patented solution owned by Mondragon. The function of the equipment, known as “continuous stringing”, is specifically located at the tabbing and stringing process, which allows 15% more productivity in cells per hour. According to this agreement, ATW will be able to deliver this solution to all PV module manufacturers worldwide.

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The Breakthrough of Central Inverter- Kehua Tech SPI4167K-B-HUD In September, Kehua Tech first launched 4.167MW Outdoor Central Inverter globally. As the world-leading inverter supplier, Kehua Tech has 32 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; technical accumulation and industrial experience. The SPI4167K-B-HUD, with its unique power range and multiple technical innovations, has provoked a great reaction in the PV inverter market since its launch.

Why did Kehua choose 4.167MW for its central inverter? What are the deeper reasons? In 2021, the mono PV module will deliver 32% more power than the 500W module, and its power supply will reach more than 660W. Larger power supply brings higher subarray power density and lower LCOE, therefore, the application of larger sub-array capacity is an inevitable trend. Meanwhile, a larger sub-array needs larger capacity inverters, transformers, distribution units and other devices. The larger sub-array design matching with inverter with higher power density will effectively reduce the consumption and installation cost of inverters, cables, distribution cabinets and other devices, so as to realize the intensification of system cost. The latest 4.167MW central inverter solution provided by Kehua is fully compatible with modules with the power supply of over 660W and matches with the development trend of larger sub-array. This inverter can improve the system efficiency by more than 1% and reduce the LCOE cost by over 4%, which becomes the preferred choose for lowering the LCOE of power station in the future.

What are the key points of SPI4167K-B-HUD ahead of other central inverters in the market? The patented independent dual refrigeration circuits ensure higher security and reliability For MW-level inverters, the heat dissipation design plays a vitally important role in the whole system. The 4.167MW central inverter solution adopts patented independent dual refrigeration circuits and completely isolates the refrigeration circuit of power devices from that of magnetic devices, effectively reducing the temperature rise of key devices and improving system reliability and operation life.

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Flexible redundancy design for higher power generation. The 4.167MW central inverter solution realizes full modularization from devices to power units and adopts multi-channel MPPT design, which allows for flexible redundancy design based on different project environments, power station conditions, illuminations and system capability. DC parallel connection ensures the continuous operation of devices and increases the overall utilization rate by 1%.

An innovative PV generation system with ESS improves gridfriendliness. The 4.167MW central inverter solution realizes a grid-friendly PV generation system with energy storage devices and solves the problems such as solar curtailment and self-consumption, high DC/AC over ratio and power fluctuations.

Intelligent operation and maintenance reduce full life cycle cost The 4.167MW central inverter solution, through the patented power grid transient analysis, realizes the data support for refined scheduling of power station in the future. Its unique intelligent wave-recording function enables fast fault location and saves 80% of fault recovery time.

How can SPI4167K-B-HUD help customers to maximize value? The 1500V 4.167 MW central inverter is equipped with advanced algorithm technology, uses innovative and patented heat dissipation technology, and adopts new design. It provides advantages such as large power supply, high efficiency, high reliability and more flexibility.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Norway Solar Producer Buys Hydro Power Company for $1.2 Billion The Norwegian developer Scatec Solar AS is paying $1.2 billion to complement its solar installations around the world with the hydro-power assets of SN Power. For more than a decade, both Oslo-based companies have built renewable projects around the world in emerging markets from Africa to Asia and South America. One built solar plants and the other hydro stations. With the acquisition, Scatec Solar is bringing the two portfolios together.

Hydro power and solar PV are complementary technologies, resulting in new project opportunities, for instance floating solar on hydro reservoirs, Raymond Carlsen, chief executive officer of Scatec Solar, said in a statement. “We see great potential in broader project origination and geographical expansion into growth markets in South East Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa.”

fter the acquisition, the company will have power plants in 14 countries with a capacity of 3.3 gigawatts in operation or under construction. It hopes to be able to churn out as much as 4.1 terrawatthours by 2021. Since 2017, SN Power has been fully owned by the Norwegian state-operated investment fund Norfund after the utility Statkraft AS sold its remaining shares. The company was started in 2002 to develop hydro-power projects in emerging markets.

Tesla Customer Sues Over Solar-Panel Deal Being Reported as Loan A Tesla Inc. customer sued the car and clean energy company for reporting a solar-financing agreement on his credit report as a massive loan that damaged his credit rating.

livier Chaine of Los Angeles said he agreed in March 2017 to have SolarCity, which was acquired by Tesla, install rooftop solar panels on a second home in Palm Desert, California. Instead of buying the solar system outright, or taking out a loan, Chaine signed a Power Purchase Agreement known as PPA — which allows customers to pay for the energy the system produces at a pre-arranged rate. But in June 2019, Tesla began reporting the PPA against Chaine’s Equifax credit report as a 20-year loan for $74,226, a number he had never seen or signed for, according to the lawsuit. That made it hard for Chaine to refinance his mortgage and other investment properties, and at least one credit card company lowered his debt limit, he claims.

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It wasn’t immediately clear how widespread this issue is or how many other Tesla Solar customers may be in the same boat. In addition to Tesla, best known for its electric cars, Chaine also sued Equifax Inc. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Los Angeles federal court. Bob Brennan, Chaine’s attorney, said in a phone interview that Tesla engaged in “bait-andswitch” financing and that the company should have been aware of the impact of its “false credit reporting.” Chaine claims Tesla and Equifax violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act and he is seeking unspecified monetary damages. Tesla acquired SolarCity for roughly $2 billion in November 2016, and SolarCity no longer exists as a stand alone entity. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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Storage gives boost to solar energy Concentrated solar technology systems use mirrors or lenses with tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight onto a small area. These innovations, however, are far from new. In fact, legend has it, in 213 BC, Greek engineer Archimedes had set fire to Roman vessels attacking his home city with a giant mirror focusing the Sun’s rays on the invaders.

oday, they are used to provide industrial process heating or cooling, with excess thermal energy stored to generate electricity on demand. Quite the opposite to reducing ships to ashes, by far. Concentrated solar power (CSP) may not be a new technology, but its modern development has been held back somewhat by an initial high cost of capital, then the global slowdown after 2008 leading to lack of finance. CSP remained expensive compared to fossil fuels. This effectively meant that focus within the renewables sector was directed elsewhere in terms of both finance and government support and structures. Nevertheless, some countries have tried hard to create a sustainable CSP industry; notably Spain and the United States as well as Morocco and some Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia in particular. In all these countries, there have been subsidisation programmes supported by governments to make sure that CSP plant operators had what they needed to be viable. Over 70 concentrated solar-thermal power plant projects were built between 2005 and 2012. Further, the cumulative installed capacity of CSP in the world increased from 1,092MW in 2010 to 5,597MW in 2018 at a CAGR of 22.5 per cent, according to GlobalData Power Database.

Indeed, it is during those past few years that the cost of raising the capital to build and maintain plants has reduced massively and economies of scale have been created, further reducing costs. In addition, there have been ongoing research and development and technological advancements in the actual solar field. This means that the cost of equipment such as mirrors, reflectors and collectors fell; engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) has come down too. A third factor, that the energy generated by CSP could not be stored and saved for later, also hindered the initial development of this industry. But again with research and development, reliable and long-lived storage capability is now viable and CSP looks to be gaining prominence as a reliable, stable and cost-competitive energy source. The importance of being able to store the energy created is that it turns CSP from an instant source of power to one that is stable, scalable and reliable. The method is thermal storage and it effectively helps to retain the solar heat generated during daylight hours and then convert it to electricity when needed. Once converted to electricity the power can join the grid and be dispatched to wherever it is needed. It works essentially by the sun heating fluid, which is then stored in a huge metal tank. The energy can be stored in molten salts (at about 565°C) or in a heat transfer fluid (at about 400°C). Once the stored thermal energy is required, the liquid can be sent to a heat exchanger where the heat is extracted and then used to boil water. This in turn creates steam to run a steam turbine, much like earlier power plants that use up a fuel, such as natural gas, coal, or nuclear, to rotate a massive turbine to create energy. Once the molten salt has had the heat taken out it can be stored elsewhere then sent back to the tower to be heated again by the sunlight. And because molten salts are very effective when it comes to retaining heat, losing only 1 per cent of heat per day, then it is possible to store, and then top up, this thermal energy for months. In practical terms, it is much

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more workable to use the stored energy on a daily basis after sundown to create a stable and reliable daily flow of energy to meet daily peak demand. In simple terms, storage needs to allow for enough energy to be stored and then electricity generated after sundown and to be able to be scaled up for peak usage times; when people are cooking, for example. Molten salt thermal energy storage can be heated and cooled daily like this for at least 30 years. The importance of all of this is demonstrated by the figures; of the 5.6GW active CSP capacity by the end of 2018, around 2.6 GW is with energy storage and around 3GW is without storage. In contrast, of the total CSP projects under various stages of development, 95.8 per cent of the upcoming capacity has storage. Only 4.2 per cent of the under-development CSP capacity is without storage, according to GlobalData Power Database. A majority of the active CSP projects with storage have a thermal storage capacity in the range of 6-10 hours. In the case of the ‘underdevelopment’ capacity, 62.8 per cent is with storage of 10-13 hours and 14 per cent has over 13-hour storage, the GlobalData Power Database records. These figures are encouraging in that not only do CSP plans have the ability to provide stable and reliable power 24/7, but they can also use the longer storage capability of CSP to reduce generation costs overall. Morocco is a good example of a long-lasting and sustainable CSP industry. It initially launched two ground-breaking standalone CSP projects: Noor I and Noor II & III. The 150MW Noor III CSP tower exceeded its performance targets on output and storage integration in the first few months of operation. Now Morocco plans to develop two hybrid CSP/PV solar plants at Noor Midelt, with a gross CSP capacity (with storage) of 150-190MW for each plant.

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Pandemic casts shadow on off-grid solar sales in poorer nations By Megan Rowling BARCELONA: As the coronavirus pandemic hit trade and incomes hard in developing nations, sales of off-grid solar products fell sharply in the first half of the year, even as many poorer households relied on them during lockdowns. Data compiled by GOGLA, the association for the off-grid solar energy industry, found global sales of lighting products fell 26% from the same period in 2019, hitting the lowest volume since 2014 and curbing the sector’s record-breaking growth.

ata compiled by GOGLA, the association for the off-grid solar energy industry, found global sales of lighting products fell 26% from the same period in 2019, hitting the lowest volume since 2014 and curbing the sector’s recordbreaking growth. In a report, GOGLA noted that before the COVID-19 crisis, the off-grid solar industry had expected to see continued expansion, adding to its 370,000 clean energy jobs in Africa and South Asia, and powering millions more homes and businesses. But the pandemic now threatens the ability to reach and maintain the 13% annual growth rate needed to meet a global goal to provide sustainable, affordable energy for all by 2030, it said. Growth had been running at 10% over the past three years. The downturn comes even as the health emergency has made clear the importance of electrification for everything from powering clinics to helping children learn at home and keeping small businesses operating, said GOGLA’s research lead Susie Wheeldon. Expanding access to off-grid solar power also “will be really influential on the speed of recovery more generally for low-income countries”, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The situation so far has varied across regions, largely shaped by government regulations in response to the pandemic. In about 10 African countries, for example, solar home systems and products were designated an “essential service”, enabling companies to continue sales and support during pandemic lockdowns. As a result, sales of solar lighting products in East Africa dipped just 11% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, with cash sales suffering more than pay-as-you-go systems.

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In South Asia, by contrast, where off-grid solar power was not accorded special status and Indian microfinance borrowers were not given a moratorium on repaying loans for solar products, sales plummeted by nearly 60%. Many solar companies have tried to ease the burden on low-income buyers in response to job losses and other lockdown-related economic problems, the report said. The majority have offered grace periods on repayments, rescheduled debt or made minimum payments smaller on products. Some also reported using their call centres and agents to provide health information to rural households, and to offer health and life insurance. Others provided solar power and other energy products to health centres without electricity. “They have been using the skills that they have developed in terms of being young and nimble enterprises to try and adapt to the new normal,” Wheeldon said. Sales of solar-powered, energy-efficient appliances also took a knock in the first half of the year, the report noted. Sales of fans saw the largest absolute decline, while solar water pumps and refrigeration units also saw a halt in growth. Solar-powered televisions, on the other hand, saw stable sales, likely the result of customer demand for entertainment and information during lockdowns. Overall, however, the pandemic is slowing already-lagging progress on providing universal access to electricity by 2030, the International Energy Agency said. It now projects 660 million people worldwide will still be living without electric power by 2030, or perhaps as many as 760 million if the pandemic recovery is delayed, GOGLA said. Wheeldon said efforts underway by investors, donors and development agencies to provide relief funding to solar companies could help limit the damage, however, and pave the way for getting off-grid solar expansion back on track by 2022.

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5 Would-Be European Giga-Scale Solar Manufacturers Solar’s global shift from fringe to mainstream is a story Made in China. The likes of Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and Longi have dominated. They scaled first and fast — with more than a little help from the authorities — to capitalize on PV technology’s development into a 100 gigawatt-plus annual market.

olar is establishing itself as the cheapest form of power across much of Europe, giving it a pivotal role in the continent’s drive toward net-zero. Now, there is growing momentum for the modules to be made in Europe. As plans for an economic recovery postCOVID-19 gather pace, the appeal of green jobs is expanding and the solar industry takes on strategic importance. A host of European solar manufacturers are looking to step up to the plate and deliver the next generation of PV technology. They, too, hope to benefit from policy frameworks created to prop up net-zero ambitions. The trade body SolarPower Europe has established a solar manufacturing accelerator with companies across the solar value chain. Here we focus on companies looking to deliver cells and modules only.

Meyer Burger — 5 GW, cells and modules Meyer Burger has an the inside track on China’s solar manufacturing push, providing much of the equipment going into China’s PV factories over the past decade of growth. Such manufacturing tools make many of the new cell and module innovations possible. Over time, however, the Swiss firm saw its pricing collapse even as its ideas proliferated. It decided to stop selling manufacturing equipment and use its own tech to make modules of its own. Having recently raised fresh funds and acquired former facilities used by Germany’s SolarWorld, Meyer Burger is now readying production lines for 400 MW of cells and modules in the first half of next year. It hopes to scale up to 5 GW by 2026. As well as banking on technological advantages, Meyer Burger CEO Gunter Erfurt, says a lower embedded carbon footprint will be another draw as the industry continues to mature. Erfurt is advocating for policies to back low-carbon, high-tech solar procurement in Europe.

Genuine Europe Solar — 2 GW, wafers, cells and modules A consortium led by Switzerland’s EcoSolifer opened a 100 MW heterojunction factory in Hungary this summer, using Meyer Burger technology. The plan is to quickly dial the factory up to 350 MW of capacity before scaling to 2 GW over the next few years. EcoSolifer plans to use a range of European innovations, including silicon wafers from NexWafe, once the company’s production is up and running. NexWafe, a German research spin-off, makes the super-thin pieces of silicon required for solar cells without the dominant method of sawing, which is wasteful and more expensive. It is likely to also provide wafers to Meyer Burger.

3Sun — 3.3 GW, cells and modules 3Sun is the only contender on the list owned by a major player in the energy sector, Italian utility giant Enel. In 2019, the firm switched on a 200 MW production line producing heterojunction and plans are afoot to grow the facility in Sicily to 3.3 GW by 2023-24. The utility invested €80 million ($94.4 million) into that first stage of manufacturing. Having funded 3Sun since it took sole ownership in 2014, Enel will doubtless be keen to start seeing the firm registering some revenue. Enel Green Power owns one of the world’s largest fleet of renewable energy assets, with more than 40 GW on its books. Enel is aiming to expand its solar capacity from 2.8 GW in 2019 to 8.8 GW in 2022.

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RCT Solutions — 5 GW, cells and modules The ‘5 GW + Green Fab’ project is a collaboration between PV technology specialist RCT Solutions and a host of research institutes and industry groups including Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE and VDMA. The consortium is in negotiations for €500 million ($590 million) of financing with investors, and hopes to be able to rapidly develop a manufacturing facility with 5 GW of capacity by 2023. RCT has some recent experience in ramping big solar factories. It was the key partner in the development of an integrated gigafactory in Turkey, operated by Kalyon Solar. After tendering for construction in March 2017, the first 500 MW of capacity was officially opened this summer.

Oxford PV — 10 GW, cells Oxford PV’s proposition is a bit different to the others but it could provide a real differentiator for its customers. The company has developed a transparent perovskite solar cell, which manufacturers can stack on top of a regular cell and reap the benefit of additional power generation. A commercial production line is being established in Germany with hopes of having the 125 MW set-up online by mid-2021. Strategic investors include Meyer Burger, Norwegian oil major Equinor and Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind. Frank P. Averdung, CEO, Oxford PV, told GTM that as Chinese firms see the potential of their technology peak at 25.5 percent, they’ll be left to compete on cost alone. The theory bears out: Jinko Solar has nearly doubled its manufacturing capacity in the space of a year as they look to maximize existing tech and prepare for that battle on cost. “That’s when we come to the rescue,” said Averdung. Oxford PV’s cells will lead to more megawatt-hours being generated but they won’t add to the number of MW of total solar capacity, given that they are paired with a regular solar cell.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Mitsubishi Eyes Great Lakes for Offshore Wind Development

Illinois and New York have both shown recent interest in Great Lakes offshore wind.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. continues to explore the possibility of building an offshore wind project in Lake Erie to deliver power for New York state, as development zones off the Atlantic Coast remain in limited supply. Diamond Offshore Wind, a unit of Mitsubishi Corp., stirred up local opposition last year after submitting an interconnection request with New York’s grid operator for potential capacity in eastern Lake Erie. The developer still believes offshore wind turbines are a good solution for the Great Lakes region as states seek more renewable power and clean energy jobs, CEO Chris Wissemann told GTM. Diamond Offshore Wind was encouraged by a white paper from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released this summer, looking at the state’s options for meeting its 70 percent renewable energy target for 2030. In the white paper (PDF), NYSERDA called for a feasibility study to “explore and confirm” the potential benefits of offshore wind in the Great Lakes. At this stage, Diamond still does not have a specific project under development in Lake Erie. “We’re watching earnestly to see if New York, through this feasibility study, concludes that projects are worthwhile in the Great Lakes,” Wissemann said. “If so, and if that ultimately turns into a solicitation in the next year or two, we’d be keenly interested in participating.”

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Great Lakes offshore: Long on potential, short on action Offshore wind development has moved at a snail’s pace in the Great Lakes, despite longstanding interest and big potential. Much of the focus to date has been on the Icebreaker project offshore Cleveland, backed by the nonprofit Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. Icebreaker has been under development for 11 years, and although it recently made progress in removing a “poison pill” attached to its approval by the Ohio Power Siting Board, the 20.7-megawatt demonstration project still lacks a clear path to commercial operation. Wissemann said future Great Lakes projects will look more like those shaping up along the Atlantic Coast: larger and more competitive on cost. Winter ice endemic to the Great Lakes is not an engineering challenge for turbines affixed to the seabed, and there’s no need to demonstrate any particular technology for freshwater projects to advance, he said. “I think you can go bigger, faster in the Great Lakes.” The Great Lakes are rimmed by a number of major cities, including Chicago (Lake Michigan) and, on the Canadian side, Toronto (Lake Ontario). New York’s second-largest city, Buffalo, sits along eastern Lake Erie. Mitsubishi is a major player in the global offshore wind market, with investments in Europe, Japan, and as of this summer, the U.S. through its partial acquisition of the University of Maine’s floating demonstration project. Diamond Offshore Wind is a subsidiary of Diamond Generating Corporation, a unit of Mitsubishi Corp. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, coowner of offshore wind turbine supplier MHI Vestas, is a separate and independent company.*

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featured Limited Atlantic sites may boost Great Lakes

An offshore wind port in the Midwest?

Diamond’s interest in the Great Lakes stems from both opportunity and necessity. The last competitive auction for an offshore wind lease in federal waters was held nearly two years ago. While the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is considering future lease sales off New York, California and the Carolinas, it has not said exactly when the next auction will come. That leaves a growing list of frustrated developers looking to invest in the market but without a clear way of securing a project. The map of existing leases is dominated by a handful of companies, including Ørsted, Iberdrola’s Avangrid and Royal Dutch Shell. The lack of new zones in federal waters is also squeezing states, particularly New York, which has a 9-gigawatt offshore wind target for 2035. “If you add up the megawatts of capacity that states in the Northeast are seeking, those goals exceed the available BOEM leases,” Wissemann said. BOEM does not oversee the Great Lakes, opening up the possibility that a state like New York could accelerate development even without BOEM’s participation. Just the same, the permitting route is challenging in the Great Lakes, as evidenced by Icebreaker’s tortuous history.

The current scramble to secure offshore wind supply-chain investments along the Atlantic Coast may soon find its way to the Great Lakes, Wissemann said. In addition to New York, Illinois has shown a revived interest in offshore wind under Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. “I would liken it to the Northeast before Block Island was built,” Wissemann said. “People [in Great Lakes states] are just starting to think about it. If you fast-forward three years, you might find there gets to be a similar race for offshore wind.” Offshore wind faces challenges in the Great Lakes compared to the Northeast, including water depths that drop off more rapidly, lower wind speeds and greater competition from cheaper onshore renewables than in land-constrained New England. But the region has unique advantages. Many coal-fired plants have retired or will soon in the Midwest, opening up opportunities to plug offshore wind farms into existing grid infrastructure. There are no hurricanes or huge waves to worry about. And the region has plenty of available port infrastructure — much of it built for the steel industry — that could be converted for offshore wind.

“The Great Lakes has [potential offshore wind] ports that people could only envy on the East Coast,” Wissemann said. “On the East Coast, most of the big ports got developed into something else. Those on the Great Lakes are pretty much sitting fallow.”

IEA nudges up 2020 gas demand forecast, but still sees record fall

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has nudged up its global gas demand forecast for this year, but still sees the biggest fall on record due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Paris-based agency said it now expected gas demand to drop by 3 per cent year-on-year, or 120 billion cubic metres (bcm), to 3,886 bcm. In June, it forecast a 4 per cent, or 150 bcm, fall. “Global gas demand has been progressively recovering since June, driven mainly by hallenges also lie ahead for the emerging markets,” IEA director Fatih Birol said in a statement, LNG sector, with one-third of active after the agency published its “Global Gas Security Review 2020”. contracts, or 190 bcm, due to expire However, he warned against assuming a return to “business as over the next five years, the agency usual, as the current crisis could have long-lasting repercussions.” said. Over the same period, global The resurgence of COVID-19 cases and the prospect of a prolonged liquefaction capacity is expected to increase by 20 per cent from projects pandemic clouded the outlook for 2021, the IEA said. It currently currently under development, it expects demand to rebound by 3 per cent year-on-year, or around added. “These two factors will strong130 bcm, to 4,014 bcm next year. The IEA said the liquefied natural ly impact the structure of LNG supply, gas (LNG) market had played a key role in adjusting to the drop in and create new opportunities for buydemand, with global LNG exports plunging 17 per cent between ers and challenges for marketers in a January and July. “In this extraordinary context, LNG contracting context of demand uncertainty.” activity has collapsed from its high of 95 bcm in 2018 to about 35 bcm in the first nine months of 2020,” it said.

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OCTOBER- 2020

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Huawei Smart PV Solution Contributes to Successful Grid Connection of World’s Largest PV Plant Chinese state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development (hereafter “Huanghe Hydropower”) successfully connected the 2.2 GW PV plant to the power grid in Hainan Prefecture, northwestern China’s Qinghai Province. This is the world’s first ultra-high voltage power line that delivers 100% renewable energy over long distances and also the world’s largest single-site renewable energy project with the shortest construction time.

his milestone project has reached the highest level in the industry in terms of device selection, construction standards, and technologies, setting the record for the largest single-site PV project in the world. The grid-connected 2.2 GW PV plant is located in Qinghai Province at an average altitude of over 3000 m. Built in five phases, it consists of 672 PV arrays with over 7 million PV modules. Three 330 kV booster stations were constructed and string inverters were installed.

Huawei — the supplier with the largest project share — provides 1.6 GW inverters for this project. As the world’s first ultra-high voltage power line that delivers 100% renewable energy over long distances, the project requires inverters with high voltage ride-through (HVRT) capability to ensure the safety and stability of the power grid. Being the first to pass the GB/T 37408-2019 Technical requirements for photovoltaic grid-connected inverter, Huawei’s smart string inverter supports short circuit ratio (SCR) as low as 1.5, without power derating during HVRT. It can also connect to weak grids and offers fault ride-through capability, guaranteeing stable operation in various grid environments. Besides cutting-edge inverters, this project also draws on the benefits of several intelligent technologies, such as MBUS power carriers, Smart I-V Curve Diagnosis 4.0, smart electro-luminescence (EL) detection, integrated application of trackers, bifacial PV modules, and smart inverters, and smart PV plant management. These significantly optimize O&M efficiency, facilitate accurate fault prediction, and minimize the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Through joint innovation, Huanghe Hydropower and Huawei developed the industry-leading smart I-V diagnosis technology for global PV O&M, which has been widely adopted worldwide. Together, Huanghe Hydropower and Huawei are leading the introduction of intelligent technologies to PV systems. This, and several other joint projects, have had a significant impact on the stable development and technological progress of the global PV industry.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Global energy demand to continue growth with shift to renewable energy: BP The global energy demand would continue to grow for at least part of the period to 2050 and over this time, the structure of energy demand would shift to a declining role for fossil fuels by an increasing share for renewable energy and electricity, according to a BP’s latest report. The report titled ‘BP Energy Outlook 2020’ is based on three scenarios, which are alternative assumptions about policies and societal preferences and are designed to help explore the range of outcomes possible over the next 30 years. The ‘Rapid’ scenario assumes policies resulting in a sharp increase in carbon prices while the ‘Net Zero’ reinforces ‘Rapid’ with major shifts in societal behaviour. The third scenario is ‘Business-as-Usual’. “In all three scenarios, global energy demand grows, driven by increasing prosperity and living standards in the emerging world. Primary energy demand plateaus in the second half of the Outlook in ‘Rapid’ and ‘Net Zero’ as improvements in energy efficiency accelerate. In ‘Business-as-Usual’, demand continues to grow throughout the Outlook, reaching about 25 per cent higher by 2050,” said the report.

ccording to the report, the transition to a lower carbon energy system would result in a more diverse energy mix, as all three scenarios saw a decline in the share of the global energy system for hydrocarbons and a corresponding increase in renewable energy as the world increasingly electrifies. “Even as the pandemic has dramatically reduced global carbon emissions, the world remains on an unsustainable path. However, the analysis in the Outlook shows that, with decisive policy measures and more low carbon choices from both companies and consumers, the energy transition still can be delivered,” said Bernard Looney, chief executive officer at BP. The report said that the scale of the shift varies significantly across the scenarios, with the share of hydrocarbons in primary energy declining from 85 per cent in 2018 to between 65 per cent to 20 per cent by 2050 and that of renewable energy rising to 20 per cent to 60 per cent. It added that the wind and solar would lead fast growth in renewable energy, as renewables are the fastest growing source of energy over the next 30 years in all the scenarios.

The growth would require a significant acceleration in the build out of renewable capacity. It said that in ‘Rapid’ and ‘Net Zero’, the average annual increase in wind and solar capacity over the first half of the Outlook was about 350 gigawatt (GW) and 550 (GW), respectively, compared to the annual average of about 60 GW since 2000.

Novus Green Awarded EPC contract for 15 MW (19.5 MW DC) Floating Solar Power Plant from Singareni Collieries Company Limited Novus Green, a pioneer in the Solar PV Industry with an experience of more than a decade, has announced that it has been awarded a 15 MW (19.5 MW DC) Floating Solar Power Plant from Singareni Collieries Company Limited. The tender was issued & bidding conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI).

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ovus Green will do complete EPC of the project located in the State of Telangana. With the construction of the solar project scheduled to begin in early 2021, the plant is expected to be commissioned before September 2021. The Floating Solar Power Plants will be installed at STPP Storage Reservoir (10 MW) & Dorli OC-2 Void (5 MW) with comprehensive operation & maintenance for 10 years.

Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is a Government Coal mining company jointly owned by the Government of Telangana and Government of India. I am happy that our team has been successful in bidding for one of the largest solar floating plants in India. We are fully geared and very excited to execute this project by using our innovative designs and execution capabilities to meet SCCL’s expectation. I am sure than our endeavor to make this a state of art installation will help in being recognized as a model large size floating solar power plant in the country” said Praveen Penchala, Vice President-Projects, Novus Green, in the statement.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Sungrow Bags 800 MWp PV Inverter Solution Contract in Qatar

Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, announced that it will power the 800 MWp Al Kharsaa project in Qatar with featured 1500V string inverter SG250HX. The project is noteworthy as the third-largest solar plant in the world and the first utility-scale solar project in Qatar. It’s planned to be fully operational before the 2022 World Cup, supporting Qatar National Vision 2030 by facilitating local economic decarbonization and sustainable development.

he 800 MWp plant is located 80 km west of Doha, Qatar, covering 1000 hectares in a tropical desert and featuring ample sunlight whereas high temperatures and strong wind. The project was awarded to a consortium of Marubeni and Total as the result of the country’s first solar tender, benefiting from a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply electricity to the offtaker Kahramaa. It will represent around 10% of electricity peak demand of the country and reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of Qatar by 26 million tonnes during its lifetime. Sungrow will supply the world’s most powerful 1500V string inverter SG250HX, which is resilient in harsh conditions given the IP66 and C5 protection capability and smart forced air-cooling technology. Compatible with bifacial modules and tracking systems, the solution allows considerable yields by leveraging the sunlight resources onsite. It enables flexible block design allowing up to 6.75 MW, significantly saving the initial investment and streamlining O&M. As one of the best-selling PV inverter solutions, SG250HX is expected to be deployed over 3 GW by the end of 2020.

As the independent power producers (IPP) of the landmark project, Marubeni from Japan and Total from France show great confidence towards the rosy prospect of the project due to prominent product solutions and 100% bankability of Sungrow.

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The Al Kharsaa project is a breakthrough in our track record and will lay the solid foundation for our robust partnership with Sungrow. High-performing products, reliable service, timely deliveries and speed of commissioning have made them a preferred partner for our growing list of assets, commented Mr. Yu Hao, Vice General Manager from Power China, the EPC of the project.

We are proud to pioneer the first utility-scale solar project in Qatar with the best of our expertise and prop up the national commitment towards a more sustainable society. We’d like to explore more competitive projects to unlock values for stakeholders in the Middle East, said James Wu, Vice President of Sungrow. Wu also mentioned that the Company supplied a 500 MW project in Oman and a 900 MW project in Dubai.

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Singareni Collieries approved 300 MW Solar Project under its phase three expansion Singareni Collieries Company Limited board meeting gave a nod to provide uniform to all workers at a cost of Rs 3.65 crore, four new mining plans and three phase solar plants constructions. The Board meeting was held in Hyderabad headed by CMD N Sridhar

oard approved another opencast mine at Kothagudem area based on the excess production target achievement. Similarly, as part of the expansion plans, the Board approved mining plans of Kasipet, RK-1 A, Srirampur-1, 3 and 3A underground mines. Board also approved the proposal for the purchase of two sets of uniforms for the workers at a cost of Rs 3.65 crore from Telangana State Weavers Co-operative Society under a nomination basis. As part of Singareni’s expansion plans, the three phase of the 300-megawatt solar power plant erection contract proposal was approved by the Board. Board gave its approval for awarding the erection contract for the 3 and last 80.5 megawatts capacity solar power plants.

Third phase proposals include awarding the contracts for the erection of floating solar plants of 10 megawatt on the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP- Jaipur) water reservoir, 5 megawatt capacity on the closed Bellampally Dorli OC mine quarry water along with the solar plants to be erected on land at Kothagudem and Chennur, RJ OC-1, Dorli OC-1 overburden solar plants. Board also approved the purchase of explosive material to be used in OC mines in the next two years. Secretary, Energy Department Sandeep Kumar Sulthania, Singareni Directors S Chandrashekar (Director Operations and PAW), N Balaram (Director Finance and P and P), D Satyanarayana Rao and Director participated in the meeting.

600 MW solar projects in Rajasthan to light up 4 lakh houses, generate employment In a major breakthrough for the Indian solar space, Rays Experts, one of the leading Solar EPC and park developer companies in India, has successfully commissioned 6 solar parks in Rajasthan with the combined power of 600 MW.

hey have invested Rs 3,000 crore on these parks which are spread across 2,500 acres of land, mainly in the districts of Bikaner and Jodhpur and provide more than 4 lakh houses with renewable energy. The deployed solar parks have benefited thousands of families by helping create business and employment opportunities. The projects have collectively provided employment to over 2,000 people so far. They are further employing close to 600 people each month for the park maintenance and additional capacity expansion. This is over and above other benefits for the state including enhanced business productivity, reduced carbon emissions, lower power tariffs, and increased GST collection. With its solar parks, Rays Experts has catered to more than 275 customers in various industries ranging from traditional namkeen (snacks), wool, media, hotels, hospitals, and marble industries, alongside others.

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Commenting on the development, Rahul Gupta, MD & CEO, said, “It gives us a feeling of satisfaction that we are giving back to our state. Rajasthan has over 15 GW solar plants in the planning stage for the next 3 years and we are proud to be a part of its solar journey.” The company plans on investing Rs 50 crore additionally in Rajasthan over the next 2 years. The Solar EPC and park developer has a current order of 250 MW in the state. It is developing around 4 solar parks in other states as well, 3 of which have been approved and in advanced stages of development. The company aims to reach the 1,000 MW installation milestone by the end of 2021.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Facebook pacts with Sunseap for 100 MW of rooftop solar arrays in Singapore Social media giant Facebook has signed a contract with Sunseap Group Pte Ltd to buy solar power from 100 MWp of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installations in Singapore.

he newly signed virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) should help Facebook achieve its objective to support its operations in the region, including Asia’s first custom-built data centre, with 100% renewable energy and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%. Under the terms of the contract, Facebook will get the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with the electricity generated by solar arrays on top of 1,200 public housing residential blocks and 49 government buildings across Singapore. The projects are expected to be completed in 2022. Presently, Facebook has over 5.4 GW of contracted renewable energy in support of its global operations, the announcement says.

Ingeteam’s new high power DFIG wind converters obtain certification

As the amount of installed renewable power steadily increases around the world, the critical issue of grid stability has become increasingly complex. Grid codes are in constant evolution and the validation and certification process is an area of risk on the critical path of every development project. Ingeteam’s new generation of high power DFIG wind converters have been specially developed to minimize this risk, making them the most grid friendly and cost competitive drive train topology for onshore applications.

At Ingeteam, our engineers and researchers work in direct contact with international regulatory bodies – IEC, UL, DNVGL… – and take part actively in the elaboration process of new standards. Thanks to our experience and in-depth knowledge of the standards, the latest regulatory developments are integrated in our innovative designs. Our manufacturing sites are certified to confirm the high quality of the manufacturing process and all required quality tests are integrated in our product verification, validation, and certification procedure”, commented Ion Etxarri, R&D Quality & Innovation Manager of Ingeteam Wind Energy.

Full scale test bench and validation under extreme climate conditions Ensuring the correct integration of the power converter with the electrical generator is key to maximize the performance of a wind turbine, especially in DFIG based topologies. Ingeteam’s new high power wind converters have been tested in full-scale bench tests in combination with rated power DFIG generators to validate the whole system performance for HW [hardware] and SW [software] integration, and have successfully passed all the combined tests. Moreover, data from these full-scale tests are then correlated with existing data to obtain detailed system models, enabling Ingeteam’s engineers to fine-tune performance. Using a converter cabinet-scale climatic chamber, Ingeteam carries out detailed validation campaigns to provide empirical assessment of all possible climate conditions including the most extreme high-low combinations of temperature and humidity.

OCTOBER- 2020

Condensation tests simulate the worst scenarios to provoke condensation and confirm that there is no risk to the converter even in such extreme cases. To reduce project risk and minimize the wind turbine cost of energy Ingeteam incorporates the latest international regulatory requirements at every stage of the process, from design through to production.

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Spain Sets a $10.5 Billion Goal for Green Hydrogen The government in Madrid has a roadmap to build 4 gigawatts of green hydrogen capacity by 2030 and is expected to announce Cabinet approval of the program, according to Sara Aagesen, the secretary of state of energy. The program would require an investment of 8.9 billion euros ($10.5 billion) within the next decade.

Things are getting very competitive, Aagesen said in an interview. “Spain has the capacity to become a relevant player in the renewable hydrogen sector by taking advantage of our high potential of generating renewable power at very competitive prices.”

he European Union has put hydrogen at the heart of its measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% in 2030 and to become climate neutral by 2050. Hydrogen, if it’s made with renewables, could replace oil, natural gas and coal and help eliminate about a third of emissions from industries like steel and cement by mid-century, according to BloombergNEF. The processes to make green hydrogen aren’t yet economically viable without government support. Spain’s plan includes 60 measures that will help establish a hydrogen supply chain, according to a government document seen by Bloomberg. The roadmap targets manufacturing plants with a capacity to make 300 to 600 megawatts of hydrogen from renewables by 2024 and 4 gigawatts by 2030. That would represent 10% of the EU’s target, which is for 40 gigawatts by 2030. Spain plans to start measuring hydrogen production by energy source and to review targets at least every three years.

The government has not yet established how much of the 8.9 billion euros needed will be publicly-funded, Aagesen said. It wants 25% of hydrogen used for industrial purposes to be made using renewable power by 2030, a green hydrogen-powered fleet of 150 buses, 5,000 light and heavy vehicles, two commercial train lines and the installation of at least 100 hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen-powered handling machinery in the country’s top five ports and airports. Key to scaling up green hydrogen are electrolyzers, machines powered by electricity that separate the hydrogen atoms in water from the oxygen. At the moment, electrolyzers in Spain have a capacity to make about 2.7 megawatts of hydrogen. The plan includes a target to build large-scale units that can each make as much as 100 megawatts. While the short and medium term focus is on the local industry and transport, the plan does mention Spain’s potential to become an exporter of the clean gas to the rest of Europe. Both Germany and the Netherlands have said they don’t expect to build enough renewable energy capacity to power all the clean hydrogen they’ll need, which will effectively make them importers over the long term.

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By 2050, there’s quite a positive outlook for a market like Spain to export to Germany, if all parts of the puzzle come together, said Emma Champion, an energy transition policy analyst at BloombergNEF. Spain has 61.2 gigawatts of renewable power capacity —including wind, solar, biomass and hydro— and targets additional 60 gigawatts by 2030. “By 2050, there’s quite a positive outlook for a market like Spain to export to Germany, if all parts of the puzzle come together,” said Emma Champion, an energy transition policy analyst at BloombergNEF. Spain has 61.2 gigawatts of renewable power capacity —including wind, solar, biomass and hydro— and targets additional 60 gigawatts by 2030. By comparison, France is seeking 6.5 gigawatts of green hydrogen by 2030 and Germany 5 gigawatts by the same year. France’s plan includes government spending of 7 billion euros within the next decade. Germany would invest 9 billion euros through 2040. “The level of ambition in Europe is very promising if it can get delivered,” Champion said. “Who makes up the rest is still the big question.” BNEF says the industry needs $150 billion in subsidies by 2030 to expand and $11 trillion of investment by 2050 to make hydrogen able to supply 24% of energy demand by 2050. Shifting economics of the energy business would help — especially if the cost of producing hydrogen falls and pollution allowances become more expensive. “There’s a long path ahead of us,” Aagesen said. “But the political will is there. The objective is on the table, and I don’t think the hydrogen strategy will slow down. We have seen that some sectors are really hard to decarbonize without renewable-powered hydrogen.”

OCTOBER- 2020

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ADB approves grant to scale up renewable energy development project in Maldives The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $7.74 million concessional loan and a $2.73 million project grant to scale up the ongoing project, Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED), which is transforming the existing diesel-based grids into renewable-energybased hybrid systems covering 160 outer islands in the Maldives.

he project will expand renewable-based hybrid systems, distribution grid upgrades, energy management systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems in additional 12 outer islands. It will also install solar-photovoltaicbased ice-making machines in four outer islands to support fisheries, develop and introduce a climate- and disaster-resilient electricity distribution system in one outer island, and pilot test a solar-photovoltaic-battery-operated ferry for transportation. The ongoing POISED project has replaced inefficient diesel-based power generation grids and installed more than 9.5 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic capacity, 5.6 megawatt-hours of battery storage, 11.6 MW of energy-efficient diesel generators, and its associated investments in 70 outer islands.

Maldives’ geography, with its scattered islands and atolls, make generation and distribution of electricity very challenging and expensive. It is also vulnerable to climate and disaster risks and has been heavily dependent on diesel, said ADB Senior Energy Specialist for South Asia Jaimes Kolantharaj. “This assistance reaffirms ADB’s ongoing commitment to develop and finance climate- and disaster-resilient as well as sustainable infrastructure in South Asia.” This project will continue to build the capacity of the Ministry of Environment and the electricity utilities, State Electricity Company Limited and FENAKA Corporation Limited, in implementing renewable energy grid projects.

Solar tariffs may reach a new record-low once again: Experts In a greatly encouraging response, over 5000 MW of bids were received for the 1070 MW solar tender issued by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, which analysts said may lead to record low tariffs. SECI is the nodal agency through which the ministry of new and renewable energy conducts wind and solar auctions.

In the bid submission that took place, almost all the major developers in the country expressed interest in taking part, sources said. “We expect aggressive bidding and possibly a new tariff low in this auction,” said Vinay Rustagi, managing director of renewable energy consultancy firm, Bridge To India. Queries sent to the Managing Director of SECI remained unanswered as of press time.

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Experts said that during the early solar auction years (between 2015 and 2017), tenders were heavily oversubscribed in a similar manner. “The past two years were a bit of an exception as many developers exited the market in the face of various execution and financing challenges,” Rustagi said. The oversubscription could be attributed to the demandsupply mismatch that has arisen in the market right now. “As the pace of transition towards renewables is accelerating globally, huge pools of capital have been earmarked for the sector by sovereign wealth funds, international utilities and oil & gas companies etc,” he said. But the pace of new auctions has slowed down at the same time. Developers prefer to participate in plain vanilla solar auctions over hybrid and storage based ones because of technical and execution simplicity, according to Rustagi. The renewable energy ministry has been moving away from conducting auctions for plain solar and wind projects of late. This tender may have received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response because Rajasthan distribution companies have agreed to purchase the power. “The usual offtake uncertainty is not there,” Rustagi said.

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Clenergy signs $2.93 mn deal with TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis

Clenergy said it entered into an equipment purchase agreement with TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis in a deal valued at $2.93 million. BEA Xinjiang SunOasis floated a 600MW tender aiming to attract horizontal single-axis solar trackers and technical services for seven solar projects across Shihezi, China. Clenergy secured three projects, with a combined capacity of 293MW, making it the largest solar tracker projects in China this year.

Clenergy will supply these three locations: Solar Project (Bingyang) #2 Plot Solar Project (Jinhao) #3 Plot Solar Project (Huiwen) 4# Plot

We are proud that with TBEA Xinjiang SunOasis, our two progressive brands will work together, for these solar power stations. Undertaking this massive tracker project is a large milestone in Clenergy’s global project division, William Cao, vice general manager of Clenergy, said. Clenergy EzTracker series operates on the tracking method using astronomical algorithm’s and a closed-loop control. They feature adaptability to versatile terrains, modular design for easy operation and maintenance, and great stability. EzTracker can increase the power generation by up to 20 percent – 30 percent, achieving an optimum levelized cost of energy (LCOE).

Dollar Industries sets up 4MW solar power plant at TN unit

Dollar Industries Ltd, one of the leading brands in the hosiery segment, has set up a 4MW solar power plant at its facility in Tamil Nadu, making it selfreliant and sustainable in power generation. Dollar Industries Ltd has invested Rs 18 crore in the solar plant, commissioned by Coimbatore-based Indway Power Energy Ltd. The objective for installing the solar plant was not only to reduce costs but also make the spinning unit at Tirupur ”sustainable” and ”self reliant”, the company said.

The solar plant was part of Dollar”s ”Green Mission” initiative and has capacity to generate 75 lakh power units annually. According to company executive-managing director and promoter, Binay Kumar Gupta the power generated from the solar power plant would primarily be used for the spinning unit. “.. excess power will be utilised to feed the dyeing unit, which is located at SIPCOT Industrial Park in Perundurai”, he said. Managing Director of Dollar Industries Ltd, Vinod Kumar Gupta said, “with the current pandemic situation, it is imperative to reduce costs and at the same time also create a clean and eco-friendly manufacturing facility protecting the environment”.

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“We at Dollar have been making constant efforts to operate in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner,” he said. The stock market listed Dollar Industries, besides serving the domestic market also ships its products to UAE, Iraq, Jordan, Nepal, Sudan, Bahrain among others.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Artha Energy Resources commences expansion work of rooftop solar plant in Aurangabad Artha Energy Resources (AER), a boutique investment bank and corporate advisory firm has announced that it has started expansion work on its 165KW rooftop solar power plant in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

he current capacity of the solar rooftop power plant stands at 100.4KW which has been active since February 2019 while 64.5KW will now be added under the expansion project. The expansion work for the solar rooftop project is for an Auto component manufacturer based in Aurangabad, Maharashtra and is expected to be completed by 1st December 2020.As part of the expansion work Longi 430 Wp Halfcut Mono PERC Modules with Sungrow 50KW invertor will be installed. Currently, at 100.4KW the plant generates around 1.5 lakh units annually, with the completion of expanded capacity of 64.5KW it is expected to generate around 2.5 lakh units annually. With this new installation the auto component manufacturer is expected to save around 17.5 lakh rupees per year considering a tariff of 7 rupees per unit.

Commenting on the expansion of the project Mr Animesh Damani, Managing Partner, Artha Energy Resources said, “We are delighted to start the expansion work; it is a good feeling when a client comes back to you and wants to expand their solar capacity. This gives us a major boast in the quality of work we do and the output we promise to deliver to our clients. The expansion work is a testimony of how industrial units can utilize its space and save on costs by adopting solar. The addition of new capacity will help our client meet its growing demand for energy at the same time cut down on energy costs.”

By 2023 Artha Energy Resources aims to add around 30MW of assets from solar. Artha Energy resources owns few windmills in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. By the next couple of years Artha Energy aims to achieve 80 percent of its capacity coming from solar power. Ninety percent of its industrial project clients are from pharma, automobiles and FMCG while on the commercial front — hotels, malls and corporate houses of large companies form its clientele. Apart from rooftop solar Artha Energy is active in operation of greenfield and brownfield projects as well.

Power Secretary and CMD, NHPC visit Salal Power Station of NHPC Shri SanjivNandanSahai, Secretary (Power), Government of India visited NHPC’s 690 MW Salal Power Station, Jammu & Kashmir on 28.10.2020. He was accompanied by Shri A.K. Singh, CMD, NHPC, Shri Tanmay Kumar, Joint Secretary (Hydro), Ministry of Power,Government of India, Shri RohitKansal, Principal Secretary, PDD, UT of J&K and Shri Rajan Kumar, Chief General Manager, Regional Office Jammu, NHPC during his visit to the Power Station.

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he visiting dignitaries were welcomed by Shri Nanhe Ram, General Manager (InCharge), Salal Power Station and other Senior Officers from NHPC, CISF and Civil Administration at Ramleela Ground, Jyotipuram. This was followed by Guard of Honour by CISF. Secretary (Power) and CMD, NHPC alongwith Joint Secretary (Hydro),Principal Secretary, PDD, J&K and other Senior Officials of Salal Power Station visited various components of the Power Station including the Power House. Shri Sahai inaugurated “Renovated Units of Salal Power House”. The visiting dignitaries were apprised with the Operation and Maintenance activities of the Power Station by General Manager (In-Charge), Salal Power Station through Power Point Presentation.

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Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (Power) appreciated the initiatives taken by Salal Power Station under the dynamic leadership of CMD, NHPC for improving the performance of the Power Station and expressed happiness to visit one of NHPC’s prestigious Power Stations. He emphasised for time bound delivery of the hydro projects and said that GOI has already taken initiatives for promoting hydro projects through new hydro policy in March 2019. He further called for undertaking development of pump Storage Schemes by NHPC for ensuring grid stability taking into consideration the high penetration of Renewable Energy in the Indian Grid. Shri A.K. Singh, CMD, NHPC expressed his gratitude to Secretary (Power) for taking time off his busy schedule and visiting the Salal Power Station which reflected the due importance being given to hydropower projects by Government of India .

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In a first, Bhadrachalam Ramalayam temple in Telangana to get solar power units The Bhadrachalam Ramalayam is going to be the first temple in the State to get solar-powered lighting. To reduce expenditure, the temple authorities have decided to sign an MoU with Sun Technology which has been providing solar power to all TSRTC depots.

un Technology would set up power panels at Ramalayam and its cottages. It has agreed to supply power for next 25 years at a cost of Rs 5.20 per unit, if power consumption is below 100 kilowatts, and would charge Rs 4.80 per unit, if it is above 100 kilowatts. The company would spend Rs 3 crore on setting up the equipment. The authorities of Bhadrachalam Ramalayam have been spending Rs 1 crore on power bills every year but with the new deal, the power bill will be reduced to Rs 40 lakh per year. The step was initiated as temple authorities have been facing financial issues since the lockdown was implemented. Temple EO B Sivaji and engineering officials explained the situation to Endowment Commissioner Anil Kumar, who visited the temple recently, and he granted permission to set up the solar power units. Speaking to Express, Sivaji said discussions have reached final stage with Sun Technology and they would save up to Rs 40 lakh per year by using solar power.

Prime Minister Modi underscores 7 key pillars of India’s energy strategy Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted seven key pillars of India’s energy strategy going forward and stressing upon India’s rise as a major consumer of energy globally.

ndia’s energy plan will have 7 key drivers including accelerating efforts to move towards a gas-based economy, cleaner use of fossil fuels, greater reliance on domestic fuels to drive biofuels, achieving the renewable energy target of 450 gigawatts (GW) by 230, increasing the contribution of electricity to decarbonise mobility, moving into emerging fuels like Hydrogen and digital innovation across all energy systems,” Modi said in his address at the fourth annual Indian Energy Forum.

He also mentioned that India has saved around Rs 24,000 crore annually through the installation of 11 million smart LED street lights which have reduced the greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 4.5 crore or 45 MT of CO2 annually. “Due to such interventions, reports have said that India is the most attractive emerging market for clean energy investment,” PM Modi said. He said that India is well on track to meet the commitments made to the global community on climate and that the nation has the lowest carbon emissions than the rest of the industrialised world but will continue to make efforts to fight climate change.

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The PM also said the current year has been challenging for the energy sectior as demand fell by one-third, price instability and nvestment decisions impacted. he said while global agencies project that there will be a contraction in global energy demand over the next few years, they project India as a leading energy consumer.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Mother-Son duo disrupts the Agritech Start-Up space by Empowering Farmers with Renewable Energy He was resolute to empower farmers, had dreams to start his Agritech Company, and ardour to confront challenges. The result of his hard work, perseverance and an everlasting thirst for success gave birth to ‘AgriVijay’ that empowers farmers and makes them future-ready by providing a plethora of Renewable Energy & Services along with new Technological Innovations in Agritech space. Vimal Panjwani (32), Founder & CEO, still holds passion and has fire in the belly to find ways to enhance thousands of farmers’ lives.

is zest was amplified by his mother Shobha Chanchlani (58), who supported him through thick and thin who also partnered with him as Director and Co-founder in this venture and built the brand identity by bootstrapping AgriVijay. AgriVijay ‘s core value is to make farmers independent for their energy needs by encouraging the use of Renewable Energy & Services like Biogas or Solar Energy Products, boost their savings, income and reduce fossil-fuel usage for a cleaner environment, and replace firewood used for cooking with clean biogas. Thereby, improving soil health and yield, effective waste-management, and generating energy from available waste as in the case of dairy farmers.

Vimal says, “I always had an urge to help the farming community while implementing environment-friendly measures. Chemical fertilizers impact the environment and soil health. Having studied several products in renewable energy, like Biogas and Solar energy, I realized there was a dearth of vendors providing both along with affordability. I resolved to club both the markets and bring them on a single platform. And AgriVijay idea was conceived.” Launched in June 2020, AgriVijay successfully collaborated with 20+ Solar and Biogas Companies bringing them under one umbrella and has 100+ Products. This initiative opened multiple avenues of Biogas, Solar, and Renewable Energy Technology products for farmers. Farmers benefit from its pocket-friendly prices and time-saving measures. Various Companies, Product Manufacturers, Startups in Renewable Energy Space are at an advantage to grow their business by having proximity to farmers across India. Partnering with the renewable energy firms and bringing everyone on a unified platform was a substantial challenge at inception. But Vimal’s prowess which comes from eight years of industry experience mainly on rural grounds paved the way for on-boarding these twenty companies. For further ease or procurement for farmers across India, the company designed a Franchise Model – AgriVijay Renewable Energy Stores for Rural entrepreneurs who will provide these products to the farmers thus ensuring rural growth and generating employment within the village.

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AgriVijay’s Business Model: Farmers rely on fossil fuels such as diesel for running Gensets, Water Pumps, firewood for cooking, etc. They heavily rely on chemical fertilizers for their farms which impact the soil health in terms of nutrients and in the long run reduce yield or productivity. With the Biogas digestor product offered by AgriVijay, the farmer can get rid of firewood. The Biogas Organic Liquid Slurry with efficient use of water for irrigation will enrich the soil health. Furthermore, there are multiple Biogas Digester options from multiple companies offered by AgriVijay. A Solar water pump or a Biogas Genset can be a replacement for diesel and provides uninterrupted free power, unlike electricity which faces outages in rural areas. This assists farmers who grow perishables like flowers, vegetables, or fruits and even hydroponics. “With an investment as low as INR 35000/- or with farmland of two acres, any farmer can implement renewable energy,” says Vimal The ISO 9001 certified model is backed by Ecommerce Website, Call Centre, Field Sales Teams, and Branch Offices in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat. They began commercial ground operations in Rajasthan and Maharashtra and plan to enter Gujarat & Karnataka in 2021. The company is looking forward bring Green Energy Products such as E-tractors and start branch offices at Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

The Founders: Shobha Chanchlani is selected for the Rajasthan Women Entrepreneurship Program 2020 by the North India Office of the US Embassy, New Delhi among the several applicants. She feels proud of Vimal for taking up the task of empowering farmers’ life especially rural women who are still cooking on firewood. Vimal has done his MBA in Agribusiness Management from SIIB,Pune. “In our country, more than 60% of the population are farmers. So if we can convert them as Renewable Energy users not only will our farmers and country prosper but we can achieve the goal of a greener environment” states Vimal.

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New solar panel design increases efficiency by 125%

The breakthrough could lead to wider use of renewable energy Web Desk October 27, 2020 12:16 IST. Designing solar panels in checkerboard lines increases their ability to absorb light by 125 per cent, a new study says. Researchers say the breakthrough could lead to the production of thinner, lighter and more flexible solar panels that could be used to power more homes and be used in a wider range of products. The study investigated how different surface designs impacted the absorption of sunlight in solar cells, which when put together form solar panels.

cientists found that the checkerboard design improved diffraction, which enhanced the probability of light being absorbed that is then used to create electricity. The renewable energy sector is constantly looking for new ways to boost the light absorption of solar cells in lightweight materials that can be used in products ranging from roof tiles to boat sails to camping equipment. Renewable energy—including solar power—made up 47 per cent of the UK’s electricity generation in the first three months of 2020. Solar-grade silicon—used to create solar cells—is very energy intensive to produce, so creating slimmer cells and changing the surface design would make them cheaper and more environmentally friendly. The study was led by researchers from the University of York and conducted in partnership with NOVA University of Lisbon.

Dr Christian Schuster from the Department of Physics said, “We found a simple trick for boosting the absorption of slim solar cells. Our investigations show that our idea actually rivals the absorption enhancement of more sophisticated designs, while also absorbing more light deep in the plane and less light near the surface structure itself. Our design rule meets all relevant aspects of light trapping for solar cells, clearing the way for simple, practical, and yet outstanding diffractive structures, with a potential impact beyond photonic applications.” “This design offers potential to further integrate solar cells into thinner, flexible materials and therefore create more opportunity to use solar power in more products,” Schuster added.

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The study suggests the design principle could impact not only the solar cell or LED sector but also applications such as acoustic noise shields, wind break panels, anti-skid surfaces, biosensing applications and atomic cooling. Dr Schuster added, “In principle, we would deploy ten times more solar power with the same amount of absorber material: Ten times thinner solar cells could enable a rapid expansion of photovoltaics, increase solar electricity production and greatly reduce our carbon footprint. In fact, as refining the silicon raw material is such an energy-intensive process, ten times thinner silicon cells would not only reduce the need for refineries but also cost less, hence empowering our transition to a greener economy.”

OCTOBER- 2020

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Australian startup leading the way on next generation solar cells On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $3 million in funding to Australian startup SunDrive to advance the commercial development of their low cost, high efficiency solar manufacturing process in Australia.

he $9 million project will also see their technology scaled from an industrial sized cell to a commercial size module that could be used on household rooftops. A small scale automated production line prototype will also be developed, with the eventual aim to produce the technology in Australia. A key barrier to the broader adoption of next generation solar cell technologies is the use of silver. Globally, solar manufacturing is already estimated to represent 20 per cent of the world’s total annual industrial silver consumption. This presents an ongoing supply risk as solar demand grows and is further exacerbated if the industry moves to higher efficiency next generation solar cell structures which require two to three times more silver per cell. SunDrive’s technology replaces the use of silver with copper, which is significantly cheaper and more abundant. In addition to lowering production costs, SunDrive is aiming to further improve efficiencies with a simpler manufacturing process and a thinner solar cell that will require less silicon to produce.

The technology was originally developed by SunDrive’s CEO Vince Allen during his PhD at the University of New South Wales Sydney, before founding SunDrive in 2015 with his flatmate from his undergraduate studies David Hu. SunDrive is now moving to Kirrawee in South Sydney to scale its operations, and be closer to other startups, researchers and investors. With ARENA’s support, SunDrive intends to expand its team to include 10 additional staff. SunDrive initially aims to use its technology to focus on the rooftop solar sector, where space is at a premium and higher efficiency cells can produce greater amounts of energy for a given footprint. Over time the technology is expected to become more cost effective than current solar cell technologies and be adopted for large scale solar.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: “As we continue to transition our energy system, the solar industry needs to continually evolve and adopt new cell structures that increase efficiencies, reduce costs and employ more abundant materials.” “It’s fantastic to see an Australian solar startup at the forefront of producing the next generation of high efficiency solar cells. Through technological innovations from startups like SunDrive, Australia will remain at the forefront of solar innovation and research and development for years to come.”

SunDrive CEO Vince Allen said: “With ARENA’s support we feel incredibly proud to be in a position to contribute to Australia’s rich heritage of advancing solar cell technology. With this project we have an opportunity in Australia to lead the world in creating the best version of next generation solar cells. Our goal is to use the learnings from this project to bring to life a superior solar technology, creating new local industries which can compete on the global stage.”

“With only 3 per cent of world electricity coming from solar today, there is still so much innovation that must occur. Gaining the support from the Australian Government puts us in a stronger position to capitalise on the opportunity that lies ahead.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Will California’s Ban on Gas Cars Boost America’s Flat EV Market?

This week on The Interchange, we assess the state of EVs in the wake of California’s 2035 mandate. We know that there are dozens and dozens of more models of electric cars on the market. Ranges are increasing. Consumers like the driving experience. And total costs are creeping downward.

ut America’s electric vehicle market is anemic. Dealers aren’t pushing them. Consumers aren’t demanding them. And there are still very real infrastructure challenges. So in this episode of The Interchange, we’re unpacking those trends in the context of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order mandating a halt to new gas-powered cars in 15 years. This is a conversation between co-host Shayle Kann and his colleague at Energy Impact Partners, Andy Lubershane. It’s a detailed look at the underlying trends that could complicate California’s plans. In this interview, they touch on the state of the EV transition, the state of the technology and consumer habits, and the impact of lots of EVs on the grid.

8000MW renewable park to light up India-Pak border areas in Rajasthan India’s border areas with Pakistan in Rajasthan would soon be illuminated with renewable energy as the state government will soon ink an MoU with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to establish Ultra Mega Renewal Energy Power Park, government officials said.

he park to be set up near borders areas will be of 8,000 megawatts (MW) capacity, which will comprise 4,310 MW of wind energy; 3,760 MW of solar energy and 120 MW of power from biomass. Currently, Rajasthan’s solar generation capacity is 4,883 MW. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) would be singing a separate MoU with the NTPC and the SECI to materialise the GoI Mega Power Park project. A senior official of the department, on condition of anonymity, said the Park will ensure uninterrupted power supply to the border areas. An annual expenditure of Rs 40 crore is incurred for supplying power to the border which, with renewable energy, will reduce to one-third of the present cost.

Rajasthan energy minister BD Kalla said the work to connect borders with solar energy is in progress. The state would soon ink an MoU with the NTPC and the SECI. “Initial talks were held during a national seminar in Gujarat. Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) intends to take a service charge under the MoU, which is Rs 2 lakh per MW, which will be used for the development in the state, the talks are on over the issue,” he said. Rajasthan has over 1000 kilometre-long international border which is currently supplied power through traditional methods. Currently, discussions are on over the state’s demand of Rs two lakh per MW as service charge, which would be used for the state’s development. The Union energy ministry is not willing to pay the money saying that Rajasthan is already getting money from the renewable energy development fund. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government had also approved a proposal for setting up solar power parks to generate 10,000 MW green energy with an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.

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The state has given nod to the proposal of Adani Green Energy Limited to set up solar power parks at five locations and a solar panel manufacturing unit which will generate around 7,500 direct and indirect jobs, the officials said.

Principal secretary, energy, Ajitabh Sharma said, “The firm will also set up units to manufacture solar equipment which will happen for the first time in Rajasthan at such a mega scale. The proposal received is the largest investment committed to the state in renewable energy generation; Rs 50,000 crore will be invested over the next 5-6 years. Five solar power parks will be set up in Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jalore, and Barmer.” EQ

OCTOBER- 2020

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A software provider for Africa’s “pay-as-you-go” solar industry has raised $13.5 million As small-scale renewable energy solutions have become mainstream across African households over the past decade, one of the key drivers has been easing the financial access barrier for end users. In the past, the sheer cost of purchasing full range solar energy units typically put them out the reach of millions across the continent—including some of those who need them the most.

ut the falling prices of solar panels combined with scalable payments software and device metering technology now mean solarpowered devices can be made affordable both for initial purchase and follow-on micro payments linked to usage in pay-as-yougo offerings. With a significant amount of users in low-income households, solutions that make these devices more affordable has been pivotal, according to development analysts and come with a lot of upside. It’s a view that’s increasingly shared by renewable energy investors as well, as is evident from the latest investment in Angaza—a software provider that enables solar power device makers and distributors offer pay-as-you-go consumer services.

The eight-year old startup has raised $13.5 million in a Series B funding round led by KawiSafi Ventures, an East Africa-based energy impact fund, with participation from Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures, the investment arm of French energy giant, Total. Existing investors including Ajax Strategies, Emerson Collective, Rethink Impact, and Salesforce Ventures also participated in the round. It follows a $10.5 million Series A round in 2017 for the San Francisco-based Angaza, whose technology is deployed in 33 African countries so far. Angaza’s mobile app serves as a point of sales tool that allows sales agents of distributors of solar-powered devices collect and manage payments as well as customer data from users.

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The company also provides metering and monitoring technology that manufacturers of solar-powered products can embed in their devices and remotely power them based on customers’ payments status and, when necessary, collect usage and diagnostics data. While some manufacturers make devices and also build customized software and technology in-house to power them, it is a time and cost-intensive process which several others are unable to do. “This was a big gap in the market that we identified,” says Lesley Marincola, CEO of Angaza. “Distributors really need to digitize their operations and automate a lot of work-flows, be able to make mobile money payments and track those automatically—and there just wasn’t a complete software solution to do all of that,” she tells Quartz Africa. Solutions that boost access to electricity across Africa will prove particularly timely this year as latest data from the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook shows the number of people living without electricity in Africa is set to increase for the first time in eight years, largely due to Covid-19 related challenges. In addition to democratizing access to electricity, digitized pay-as-you-go solar energy solutions also offer the extra benefit of helping customers build credit history—a major boon given the well-documented barriers to accessing credit, particularly for low-income households, says Marincola. “We see distributors offering solar home systems on credit which the end user can pay off over six to 18 months and develop a credit history in the system. [Because] they know that customer will pay, they can start offering subsequent loans or products that have a higher value.”

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South Africa’s cities to switch to solar as Eskom monopoly ends Johannesburg and Cape Town, which have a combined population of about 10 million people, plan to diversify away from the electricity produced mainly from coal by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd to more sustainable sources such as solar and power generated from landfill gas.

he City is looking at 300 megawatts of renewable” energy, Kadri Nassiep, Cape Town’s executive director for energy and climate change, said by email. “If all clarity is obtained and plans forge ahead, we could start seeing greater diversification of our energy resources as a city in about three to five years time.” In addition to improving security of supply, the move will allow the cities to boost their fight against climate change by using power that doesn’t result in the emission of greenhouse gases. Still, it will slash revenue for Eskom, which is struggling to service a $30 billion debt bill. “Internationally many cities are at the forefront of dealing with climate-change disasters and so have adopted proactive climate-change responses,” Lauren Hermanus, director of Adapt, a South African company that provides consultancy services on sustainable energy, said in an interview. “We are also all aware of Eskom’s related operational, governance and fiscal challenges, most clear in our bouts of load shedding,” she said, using a local term for power outages.

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Landfill Gas

South Africa produces the same quantity of greenhouse gases as the UK, which has an economy eight times larger. Eskom, which runs a fleet of coal-fired power plants, is the country’s worst polluter, accounting for about 40% of the greenhouse-gas emissions. Cape Town plans to build a photovoltaic solar power plant by the end of the 2023 financial year, as well as sourcing additional sustainable energy, Nassiep said. The city took the energy ministry to court this year to win the right to source its own power. The judge ruled that further negotiations with the government should take place. “We intend putting out a tender for renewable-energy plants embedded in our grid in the next year and we would like to source renewable energy from large independent power producers as soon as is feasible,” he said. Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city and financial hub, is considering sourcing power from solar plants and landfills, where gas from rotting garbage can be used to produce electricity. The initiative is driven mainly by Eskom’s unreliability, the city’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and the need to protect customers from rising power prices, said Isaac Mangena, a spokesman for Johannesburg’s City Power utility. “City Power is still at early stages of the initiative and we expect the process to take at least 2 years,” he said.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Brahmamsagar to get 252 MW floating solar plant Nedcap, the Non-conventional Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh, is identifying vacant lands in Kadapa district to set up solar power generation units. It also wants to install floating solar panels on large reservoirs and has zeroed in on Brahmamsagar reservoir in the district for the purpose. The first floating solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh had been installed on the reservoir adjoining the Mudassarlova Park in Visakhapatnam. The plant in Brahmamsagar reservoir, spread over 1,206 acres, will be along the same lines.

here are 12 locations across the country where floating solar panels have been established. The work of Nedcap is on the lines of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s vision to promote solar energy. Solar power units are coming up in Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur and Prakasam districts. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Deputy Chief Minister Amzath Basha said, “The government is encouraging private organisations to generate solar power. In the past, the government sold the lands to interested organisations to set up the solar power plants at a nominal price. Now, the regulations were changed and the lands will be issued only on lease.” He said that solar power producers have to pay a lease of `25,000 per annum to whoever owns the lands. Since the cost of power through thermal plants is increasing, the government is intended to promote solar and wind power generation, Basha said.

“Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is very keen on this and promoting solar power particularly in Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur, and Prakasam districts. He is looking forward to generate 10,000 MW of solar power in the state. Nedcap is looking after the matter regarding the solar power generation,” Basha said.

OCTOBER- 2020

Nedcap has prepared a detailed project report to generate 252 MW of solar power from the plant over rrahmamsagar Reservoir and has sent it for approval. This will enable Brahmamsagar to grow as a tourism place as well. Kadapa is a district where sunlight is available for most of the day and, hence, is conducive for setting up solar plants. Apart from Brahmamsagar, Nedcap has identified about 35,977 acres of land for setting up of solar power plants, 20,000 acres in Kalasapadu mandal, 4,860 acres in Chakrayapeta, 4,500 acres in Mylavaram, 3,750 acres in Kasinayana, and 2,867 acres in Brahmamgarimatham mandal. Kadapa district is already generating 1,500 MW of solar power through its plants in Mylavaram and Galiveedu mandals. Of the electricity generated here, 1,000 MW is already connected to the grid. It is expected that another 3,000 MW too will be connected. Public sector Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation Mangampeta Barites area, Yogi Vemana University, and Idupulaya IIIT are operating solar power plants to meet their own needs.

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Gujarat was first State to adopt policy for solar power: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three projects in Gujarat including the Kisan Sarvodaya Scheme, under which the farmers will get electricity during the day for the irrigation purpose and said that Gujarat was first state to adopt policy for solar power generation. Besides Kisan Suryoday Scheme, Modi also inaugurated Paediatric Heart Highlighting the benefits of Kisan Suryodaya Hospital attached with U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Scheme, the Prime MInister said, “Farmers will Centre & Mobile App for telecardiology at the Ahmedabad Civil Hosget the power since morning till 9 p.m., and pital and the Ropeway at Girnar via video conferencing. Speaking on they will get three phase electricity.” He also the occasion, Modi said, “After Sujlam Suflam and Sauni scheme, this said that the Gujarat government will lay 3,500 Suryodaya scheme will benefit farmers. It will give maximum benefit to km new circuit lines in next few years in the farmers.” He said, the works in the power sector will work wonders for state. “And I have been informed that in 1,000 farmers of Gujarat in the coming years. He also highlighted that Gujarat villages, most of which are in tribal areas will be benefitted in the coming days,” Modi said. was the first state in the country which brought policies for solar power The recently completed ropeway on Mount usage. “When the Patan solar power plant was set up in Gujarat, no one Girnar near Junagadh city of Saurashtra region has imagined that India will show the world the mantra of one sun-one covers a distance of 2.13 kilometres from the world-one grid,” he said. “Today India is among of the top countries in the foot to the peak where the temple of Maa Amba production of Solar power generation. It has reached on 5th spot and is is situated. moving forward at a rapid pace,” Modi said.

HPL Electric & Power Ltd. establishes state-of-the-art ‘R&D center for smart meters’ In a big push to make India ‘Atmanirbhar’ in Smart Meter technology, HPL Electric & Power Ltd. has established a new state of the art R&D center. The new R&D center for smart meters aims to incorporate the recent advancements in smart technologies and materials for the development of new generations of smart metering products.

PL Electric & Power is one of India’s leading electrical equipment manufacturer, with sizable presence in meters and smart meters segment. The R&D center is located at the HPL’s manufacturing facility at Gurugram, Haryana. With this investment in developing next generation of smart meter technology, HPL aims to widen its smart meter portfolio, and further strengthen its market penetration domestically as well as internationally.

Mr. Gautam Seth, Joint Managing Director, HPL Electric & Power Ltd., said, “We are very much focused on enhancing our smart meter technological base and become the market leader in the segment. With an aim to make technology a key pillar for future growth, we are investing in R&D to develop next generation smart technology to meet the future requirements with best-inclass metering solutions.”

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Over 200 engineers will be working at the R&D center, conducting advanced research in developing solutions for smart meters technology, other metering solutions and communication technology. With a solution-based approach, HPL is aiming to bring in advanced IoT and AI-enabled smart solutions and products for the Indian and international markets. Adding further Mr. Seth said, “The Company is bullish about the opportunities in the smart metering segment. We are expecting large-scale requirement for smart metering solutions in the coming years and we are fully capable and ready to meet the requirements of the industry with our best-in-class metering solutions. Our manufacturing facilities are adequately equipped to undertake larger production to meet the targets of the Government to install 25 million smart meters in the country within the next three years.” In the Union Budget of 2020, The Government of India had urged all the states and UTs to replace the conventional electricity meters into prepaid smart meters and plans to install 25 million smart meters in the country within next three years. The Government has allocated Rs 22000 Cr in the Union Budget for the development of infrastructure, enhancing electric grid across the country, implementation of smart meters, enlargement of green mode of electric generation, etc.

OCTOBER- 2020

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ReNew Power eyes offshore bond market to raise $320 mn to refinance local debt

Renewable energy major ReNew Power Pvt. Ltd is planning to tap the offshore bond market to raise as much as $320 million to refinance local debt, the first such offshore bond issuance by an Indian renewable energy producer since covid-19 disrupted the markets in March.

nternational rating agency Moody’s Investors Service said that it has assigned a Ba3 rating to the proposed 3.5-year USD senior secured notes of up to $320 million to be issued by India Green Energy Holdings. India Green will use the proceeds from the dollar notes to subscribe to seven-year non-convertible debentures (NCDs) to be issued by 11 restricted subsidiaries (RG3), which are either wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries of ReNew Power, the rating agency said. These subsidiaries comprise of solar and wind projects of over 400 megawatts (MW) capacity.

The proceeds from the NCDs will be used by the restricted subsidiaries to refinance existing debt, pay related transaction costs and fund a ₹750 crore loan (approximately $100 million) to ReNew Power. ReNew Power is a seasoned participant in the dollar bond market. Earlier this year in January, the company raised $450 million through a dollar bond issuance. After raising $20.7 billion in 2019, the most in six years, through offshore bond sales and another $10 billion in the first half of the calendar year 2020, the covid-19 pandemic slowed down Indian issuers plans to tap the offshore bond market. Only a handful of companies have tapped the market in the last few months such as REC Ltd, UPL Ltd, Adani Ports and Vedanta Resources.

OCTOBER- 2020

The majority of issuance in the primary market currently is from investment grade issuers and there is sufficient appetite for this category of paper as evidenced by the fact that the last few weeks, including the China holiday week, have been fairly busy. ” said Shantanu Sahai, managing director and head of debt at Nomura India. He added that non-investment grade paper has not seen much activity except for relatively higher rated (BB area) and/or repeat issuers coming to market. In those too, while appetite has been sufficient to get the deals printed, it has not seen the blockbuster reception that we saw in the past. Further, issuances from either new issuers or lower rated HY issuers have been rare and will probably see investors adopting a cautious approach.” “In general, it will be easier to do a BB or BB+ paper, anything lower than that will struggle at this point in time,” he added.

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Fledgling Solar Technology Promising Output Gains Raises $2.5M SunDensity, a solar startup promising 20 percent power output gains* due to specially coated glass, raised $2.5 million in initial financing to begin commercializing its product.

f commercially successful, the technology could measurably increase the output of solar panels, reducing the number of modules needed to produce the same amount of electricity and cutting installation costs. Rather than increasing the ability of a panel to absorb a wider spectrum of light through more mainstream heterojunction technology, SunDensity’s coating, when applied under panel glass, turns blue photons red, allowing greater absorption. The startup says it can be used with any type of panel, from cadmium telluride to perovskite. Having long witnessed the solar industry’s plodding process to increase efficiencies, Nish Sonwalkar, the company’s founder and a research professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, “started thinking about the problem upside-down.”

“Instead of exposing solar cells to this big spectrum, from 350 nanometers to 1,000 [nanometers], let’s narrow that to be as close [as possible] to the bandgap of a given solar cell,” he told Greentech Media. Clean Energy Ventures, an investment firm focused on early-stage clean technologies, led the funding round, with support from its partner Clean Energy Venture Group, earlystage investment group Rochester Angel Network and nonprofit venture development firm Launch NY. The round also saw funds invested by Luminate, an accelerator program based in Rochester and funded by the state of New York. SunDensity received $1 million from the accelerator in September. The startup plans to stay in that region, which, according to Luminate, holds the largest number of optics, photonics and imaging patents in the country, as well as being home to the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics. SunDensity will spend the $2.5 million over the next 18 months, scaling its technology beyond the lab, signing development and production agreements with glass companies, and ramping up overall production.

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Sonwalkar told Greentech Media that the company is currently in talks with four large panel manufacturers and eight glass companies that have signed letters of intent for up to 1.5 gigawatts’ worth of coated solar panels. SunDensity hopes to begin deliveries by the middle of 2022. SunDensity is Clean Energy Venture’s eleventh investment since the firm began work on its latest fund in 2019. The group rolled out of Clean Energy Venture Group, which has invested in clean energy companies such as EnergySage, Pika Energy — now part of Generac — and Energetic Insurance. CEV focuses on early-stage investments on the cusp of commercialization, with hopes they’ll hit the market within 12 to 24 months of the investment. “We can’t necessarily afford to always be betting on moonshots that may take 10 years,” said Temple Fennell, a co-founder and managing director at the group. SunDensity is not the only photonics-focused solar company in the market, but Fennell says that CEV expects the startup to reach scale more quickly than its peers can. And SunDensity’s technology is also unique, focused on more materials that are more commonplace than those in the semiconductor quantum dots used by competitors. Using more readily available materials helps lower SunDensity’s overall cost, which Sonwalkar said will only add cents per watt to the cost of the panels while simultaneously increasing power output. Economies of scale will likely mean that the technology, if adopted, will see the most near-term success in large-scale project applications. “SunDensity’s technology is built on an innovative and promising idea,” said Xiaojing Sun, a senior solar analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Nevertheless, like all solar technologies, the key to successful commercialization lies in finding the sweet spot between performance and cost.”

OCTOBER- 2020

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Brookfield may invest upto $700 million in Tata Power renewable InvIT Canadian fund Brookfield Renewable Partners is in talks to invest up to $700 million in the renewable power investment trust (InvIT) of Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL), India’s oldest power producer, said two people close to the development. The company has started the process of separating books of renewable energy business to complete stake sale by end of this financial year. “The deal negotiations are at the initial stage and there are about 3-4 foreign funds who have evinced interest in partnering in InvIT. Brookfield is likely to invest up to $600 million, besides one or two other partners,” said a Mumbai-based investment banker.

rookfield declined to comment, while TPCL didn’t respond to the query. Earlier media reported that Malaysia’s state-run oil and gas company, Petronas is looking to acquire around 10 per cent stake in Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL). The power major has also shortlisted Mubadala, KKR and Canadian pension fund CDPQ for negotiation. The company plans to sell 49 per cent stake in the InvIT to investors and retain the rest. It looks to transfer about Rs 11,000 crore of debt, which is part of the renewable portfolio, along with the assets to the InvIT. Morgan Stanley Research values the 2,630 megawatts (MW) renewables portfolio of TPCL between Rs 18,500 crore and Rs 20,400 crore. Tata Power targets to drastically cut its gross debt, launching infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) in the second half of this financial year. According to the estimates of experts, the company wants to reduce the debt by at least Rs 18,000-20,000 crore on its books through the process.

N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata group told the shareholders at the recent annual general meeting that the company would reduce its gross debt to Rs 25,000 crore from Rs 48,000 crore. He wants to achieve it through the sale of non-core assets, equity infusion from Tata Sons and formation InvIT and stake sale in it. TPCL plans to increase the share of renewables in EBITDA to 50-60 per cent by FY25 from 30 per cent. Chandrasekaran said, “The company aims to be one of the leading players in renewables. The company will scale both its manufacturing of solar cells and modules as well as the solar EPC business. The company intends to add additional capacity of 10 gigawatts in the next five years.” TPCL has sold its stakes in Cennergi and shipping business for Rs 2,300 crore. The company targets another Rs 2,100 crore from sales of other non-core assets by March 2021. Moreover, the promoters Tata Sons has approved to infuse equity of Rs 2,600 crore in the company.

Chandrasekaran said TPCL will end FY21 with a debt of around Rs 25,000 crore, bringing down the debt to equity ratio to 1 from 1.99 in March. “This will also move the Net Debt to EBITDA ratio closer to 3, strengthening the balance sheet and lowering financing costs,” he added. The consolidated revenue of TPCL decreased by 3.5 per cent to Rs 28,948 crore in 2019-20. The profit before exceptional items stood at Rs 1,231 crore as against Rs 1,274 crore in the previous year. The major liability on the books is its ultra mega power plant in Mundra. The 4,000 MW plant, which was built at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore, is making losses for years because of low electricity price realisation.

Australia To Host World’s Largest Solar Farm, 20k Football Fields In Size Australia is to serve as host to what will be, when completed, the world’s largest solar farm. The nation of 25 million, however, will receive a mere fraction of the electricity generated. A long guarded secret, the AUD$20 billion project will serve as the focal point of a huge Australia – ASEAN Power Link connecting a site in Australia’s remote Northern Territory region with Singapore at the end of the Malay Peninsula

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t will occupy a space roughly 20,000 football fields in size according to sources, in all capable of generating some 10 GW (gigawatts) of power. Yet the average Aussie on the country’s heavily populated east and west coasts will see none of the benefit with only a relatively miniscule amount being ‘siphoned’ off to boost the Darwin energy supply grid. All of the energy generated at what was once an outback cattle station will instead be shipped overseas by way of the world’s longest submarine power-carrying cable spanning the

OCTOBER- 2020

gap between northern Australia and Singapore – a distance of 4,500 km on the intended route through eastern Indonesia, and then up under the ocean between the islands of Java and Borneo. A Singaporean company, Sun Cable, will be responsible for the tech behind a series of giant batteries at strategic locations along the cable’s route designed to ‘push’ the energy onto the next battery, before it finally arrives in Singapore. Construction is expected to start on the solar farm and cable some time in 2023, with the first energy exported from Australia four years after that.

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PV Module Improvements to Drive Down Solar Prices in 2020s: WoodMac The global solar industry has seen tremendous growth over the past decade as the annual demand for solar increased year on year while the cost of solar decreased significantly. In the 2020s, the cost of solar panels will continue to fall, albeit at a much slower pace. Instead, improvements in module efficiency and performance class will drive declining investments and ultimately lower solar energy costs (LCOE), new research by Wood Mackenzie has shown.

n its latest report, WoodMac examined three technologies that have the potential to improve the performance class and performance of solar modules: large wafers, n-type cells, and cell and module-level techniques. The author of the report, Dr. Xiaojing Sun said, “We have found that PV modules made from large wafers such as the M6, M10 or G12 can reduce the investment costs of a utility-scale solar project by 3 to 9 percent. The cost savings would appeal to solar developers and installers, which will drive market adoption. She said a majority of the major silicon module manufacturers have announced large module products, and many of them are on track to produce large modules commercially between Q4 2020 and Q4 2021. Wood Mackenzie’s data shows that the total module manufacturing capacity of M6, M10 and G12 wafer-based modules will reach 28 GW, 63 GW and 59 GW respectively by the end of 2021. By 2025, the production capacity of the modules used will be forecast to exceed 90 GW of M10 and G12 wafers, making them the dominant technologies in terms of production capacity.

Dr. Sun added, “It is important to note that bringing large modules to market depends on the co-development of system balance components such as inverters and trackers to accommodate the higher current and larger size. “Several industry alliances have been formed since early 2020 to ensure that the entire solar ecosystem evolves to support large-scale module rollouts. If the industry’s efforts bear fruit, we predict that large module shipments will account for approximately 40% of total crystalline silicon module shipments in 2021. Modules with wafer sizes smaller than M6 will be withdrawn from the market by the end of 2025. “

The report also examined n-type modules such as HIT and TOPCon, which could generate more electricity per panel due to higher cell efficiencies and lower degradation rates. In contrast to large modules, n-type modules currently do not result in system investments and LCOE savings in utility-scale solar projects. The high product cost of N-type modules offsets the cost savings without systems at the system level. She said: “Our analysis shows that TOPCon and HIT modules require a performance class premium of at least 40 W and 90 W or a price reduction of 6 percent or 20 percent in order to be competitive with Mono PERC. Granted, these are big jobs. Even so, significant efficiency improvements and production cost reductions are a must for n-modules to achieve Mono PERC as the next generation solar module of choice. “Research suggests that the 2020s will be a decade of rapid innovation in solar module technology, resulting in a significant increase in module performance class, better performance, and more versatile applications. Dr. Sun added, “Innovations in module technology, along with reducing hardware costs, will be the fundamental driving force behind the continued reduction in solar LCOE in the new decade.”

Essar Group Plans to Enter Solar & Wind Power Generation Essar Group is exploring the state of Gujarat for several big-ticket projects. These include setting up a commercial port, new and emerging technologies, EV vehicles, lithium-ion manufacturing facility, renewable energy, petrochemicals and a steel project.

he company has drawn out plans to invest about $5 billion (roughly Rs 35,000 crore) for a steel manufacturing project in Gujarat. The company has also submitted a proposal to set up a steel plant with eight million tonne of annual capacity for which it has sought land from the state government. The company is looking for land near coastal areas that have good port connectivity. For the proposed steel plant the company requires land of about 1,000 ha. The USD five billion proposal does not include land and infrastructure cost of a captive port and captive power plant. Essar Group has also proposed to set up an LNG terminal at Hazira and also drawn out plans to enter into solar and wind energy generation and coal bed methane projects in Gujarat. For the port project, the group has chalked out plans to invest about Rs 10,000 crore.

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The Essar group promoters, who sold the refinery project near Jamnagar for USD 12.9 billion to Russia’s Rosneft-led consortium, is also planning to set up a petrochemical complex. For this the group is looking at options within India, including Gujarat and also overseas.

OCTOBER- 2020

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SunPower raises 2020 guidance as install backlog, gross margin soar

US distributed solar and storage firm SunPower has joined the ranks of US installers to bounce back from a COVID hit Q2, while raising its guidance for the full year. Reporting its Q3 performance yesterday – SunPower’s first since its solar manufacturing business unit SunPower Technologies was spun out as a separate entity dubbed Maxeon – SunPower reported total Q3 revenue from its development arms of US$274.8 million.

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he performance constituted a strong rebound from the business units’ performance in the second quarter, when revenue slipped to US$217.7 million, leading to a loss of US$4.3 million. SunPower recorded more than 10,500 new customers in the reporting period, while its backlog stands at more than 50,000 customers – a new record for the company. The company’s pivot to online and virtual sales platforms has also proved fruitful, with more than 85% of new customers having originated from that channel in the three months ended 30 September 2020. That has also contributed to a significant increase in the company’s gross margin per watt installed. In Q3 2019 SunPower’s gross margin stood at US$0.18/W, however this has nearly doubled to US$0.34/W.

OCTOBER- 2020

But SunPower has yet to recover fully from the pandemic, with results still down year-on-year. In Q3 2019, the company installed some 124MW of distributed solar, leading to adjusted earnings of US$25.1 million. In Q3 2020, around 108MW was installed, resulting in adjusted earnings coming in at US$8.6 million. Of that 108MW figure, around 88MW was listed within its ‘Residential & Light Commercial’ category, which only contains installations in North America, with roughly 66MW of that figure being strictly residential. By means of comparison, Tesla’s Q3 2020 residential solar installs stood at approximately 57MW, as it too recorded a comeback from Q2’s record-lowThe performance constituted a strong rebound from the business units’ performance in the second quarter, when revenue slipped to US$217.7 million, leading to a loss of US$4.3 million. SunPower recorded more than 10,500 new customers in the reporting period, while its backlog stands at more than 50,000 customers – a new record for the company.

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featured The company’s pivot to online and virtual sales platforms has also proved fruitful, with more than 85% of new customers having originated from that channel in the three months ended 30 September 2020. That has also contributed to a significant increase in the company’s gross margin per watt installed. In Q3 2019 SunPower’s gross margin stood at US$0.18/W, however this has nearly doubled to US$0.34/W. But SunPower has yet to recover fully from the pandemic, with results still down year-on-year. In Q3 2019, the company installed some 124MW of distributed solar,

leading to adjusted earnings of US$25.1 million. In Q3 2020, around 108MW was installed, resulting in adjusted earnings coming in at US$8.6 million. Of that 108MW figure, around 88MW was listed within its ‘Residential & Light Commercial’ category, which only contains installations in North America, with roughly 66MW of that figure being strictly residential. By means of comparison, Tesla’s Q3 2020 residential solar installs stood at approximately 57MW, as it too recorded a comeback from Q2’s record-low showing.

The performance was, however, enough to beat previous guidance for installs, withdrawn in March as the pandemic started to take hold. SunPower has now reinstated its Q4 and full-year guidance, raising it on the back of a resurgent US residential market, as evidenced elsewhere this week. The company is now forecasting to install between 465 and 515MW of solar this year, resulting in revenue in the region of US$1.12 to US$1.16 billion, having previously forecasted for a top-end performance of US$1.1 billion.

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Full year adjusted earnings guidance has also been raised, from US$20 – 30 million to US$30 – 40 million. Tom Werner, CEO and chairman of the board at SunPower, said the “solid” third quarter performance reflected the “strong demand” seen in both its residential and commercial markets.

OCTOBER- 2020

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Wind, Solar Are Cheapest Power Source In Most Places, BNEF Says That’s the analysis of BloombergNEF, which predicts a tipping point in five years when it will be more expensive to operate an existing coal or natural gas power plant than to build new solar or wind farms.

he findings add to research showing why renewables are spreading in most power markets. Last week, the International Energy Agency said solar is starting to take over from coal as the cheapest form of electricity. But there is an economic limit to the spread of those sources of clean energy, BNEF’s Chief Economist Seb Henbest said at the research group’s annual conference in London. There will come a point in every country that saturation point is reached because the technology no longer reduces generation costs compared with running the existing thermal generation fleet. Those constraints suggest renewables will gain no more than 70% and 80% of the market for electricity generation, depending on local conditions. Even in Europe, which has some of the toughest policies encouraging renewables and discouraging fossil fuels, wind and solar are unlikely to surpass 80% of supply.

That level of penetration “is far off in pretty much every market we look at,” Henbest said in a presentation outlining the first findings of BNEF’s New Energy Outlook, which is due to be published in full later this month. “We’re not going to reach these limits anytime soon and we can of course push past these limits.”

Shipping Industry Faces Risks From Green Revolution The shift toward renewables is likely to reshape a number of industries, especially the shipping business. A third of the cargo miles hauled by shippers comes from moving fossil fuels around the globe, and 70% of that portion is oil, BNEF estimates. As renewables take market share from oil, gas and coal, the shipping companies that deliver those fuels and keep it fed with machinery and pipelines will also suffer. “There’s quite possibly a rebasing of shipping demand and rail demand, that might mean less energy consumption and lower emissions,” Henbest said.

OCTOBER- 2020

More Power for Homes Using electricity to heat homes and power cars could save energy and emissions, the report showed. Driving an electric vehicle uses as much as three times less energy than a conventional combustion engine, BNEF said. Switching to heat pumps instead of traditional gas boilers would make warming buildings far more efficient by several multiples, according to the BNEF findings. It estimates that melting down old steel and reforming it is five times more energy efficient than making the material from scratch. In power generation, BNEF estimates that coal is also one of the most inefficient ways to make electricity since 65% of energy is lost in the process of burning the fuel. The energy lost in generating electricity from wind is almost zero. The result, BNEF says, is that if renewables take a bigger share of the energy mix, the world will need less energy to generate the same amount of electricity.

“Overall, what this means is that we can get better end use energy efficiency from using electrical processes and technology downstream,” he said. “If we use renewables to generate electricity, we get gains mid-stream as well. Overall this translates into maybe say two to three times less primary energy supply.”

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EQ INT’L MAGAZINE EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD 2019-2020

SUNIL JAIN

T.R. KISHOR NAIR

RAVINDER KHANNA

RANJIT GUPTA

CEO & ED

Chief Operating Of cer

Chief Executive Of cer Solar Power Business

Azure Power

Hero Future Energies Pvt Ltd

GAURAV SOOD Chief Executive Of cer

Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd

KAPIL MAHESHWARI Chief Executive Of cer

Sprng Energy Pvt Ltd

Hinduja Renewables Energy Pvt Ltd

JAMAL WADI

TANYA SINGHAL

Chief Executive Of cer

Founder and Director

Alfanar Global Development

SolarArise

SAIF DHORAJIWALA MANISH CHOURASIA Co Founder & ED

Fourth Partner Energy

Managing Director

Tata Cleantech Capital

CEO

SANDEEP ADANI

KETAN MEHTA

Vice President

Managing Director Rays Power Infra

Adani Green Energy

Aditya Birla Group.

SIDHARATH KAPUR

SHAJI JOHN

PRASHANT SINHA

CEO

Chief - Solar Initiatives

Chief Risk Of cer

ACME Solar

Larsen & Toubro Ltd

NARESH MANSUKHANI PINAKI BHATTACHARYYA CEO

Juniper Green Energy

GIRISH GELLI Director

Mytrah Energy Ltd

Chief Executive Of cer AMP Energy

MAYANK BANSAL President Strategy and Operations ReNew Power

SANJAY AGGARWAL Managing Director Fortum India

L&T Infra Finance

AMIT JAIN

KARAN MITROO

Managing Director

Partner

Engie Solar

Luthra & Luthra

RAJNESH TRIVEDI EX. Vice President Yes Bank

PRANAV R. MEHTA Chairman

Global Solar Council & NSEFI

India’s Oldest & Leading Solar Media Group www.EQMAGPRO.com BIMAL JINDAL Vice President - Procurement SB Energy (SoftBank Group)

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OCTOBER- 2020

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Mail this coup on to: First Source Energy India Pvt. Ltd. Subscription Department. 95 C, Sampat Farms, Bicholi Mardana Distt-Indore 452016 Tel. + 91 96441 22268

OCTOBER- 2020

www.EQMagPro.com

New 1500V Multi MPPT String Inverter Power rating 208kW Compatible with 500+ high power PV module DC/AC ratio can be up to 1.7+ Compatible with 3MW+ PV array Tracking bracket control technology DC arc detection high precision fast response I-V curve intelligent monitoring

NEW

TB-eCloud Intelligent operation and maintenance

TS208KTL-HV

, Add: No.70, Shanglinyuan 4th Road, High-tech Zone, Xi an, China ( 710119 ) Customer Service Line: 400-606-6029 Website: www.tbeaenergy.com

Tel: +86-29-68760666

@ TBEA Sunoasis

R.N.I. NO. MPBIL/2013/50966 | DT. OF PUBLICATION- 20 OCOTBER 2020 | DT. OF POSTING- 25 OCTOBER 2020 | POSTAL REGD. NO. MP/IDC/1435/2019-2021