EQ Magazine April 2017 Edition

Capacity Volume # 9 | Issue # 4 | April 2017 |

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Capacity

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TRENDS & ANALYSIS

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C ONTEN T

VOLUME 9 Issue # 4

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS India joins IEA family, a major milestone for global energy governance

68 ENERGY STORAGE Solar PV & Energy Storage Synergy

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,Non-Commercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices.If you want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

Ireda to sanction Rs 13,000 cr loans for renewables in FY18

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India, UK to set up 500 mn pound fund to finance green energy

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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 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

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30 PV MANUFACTURING Cabinet okays pact on large-scale grid linking of clean energy

ENERGY STORAGE Google’s Former Schmidt Flags Promise in New Goodenough Battery

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW With Michael Escher, Chief Commercial Officer of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd & Hemal Ghelani, VP & GM of Meyer Burger India Pvt. Ltd.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

with Subrata Mukherjee, Managing Director, SOVA Solar Limited

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INDIA Shri Piyush Goyal chairs meeting with UP Government to chalk out Roadmap for revamping State Power Sector in the next 24 months

20 Azure Power Wins Indian Railwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Largest Rooftop Auction; Rooftop Portfolio Surpasses 100 MWs

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Railways join hands with BHEL for setting up of a roof top Solar Power Plant in DLW/ Patiala

Huawei European distributor books 500 MW of inverters

with Wolfgang Heinecke, DirectorSales & Service, ASYS Group

41 RESEARCH NEXTracker and Array Technologies Reign Supreme in Global PV Tracker Market, IHS Markit Says

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

PV MANUFACTURING

We plan to disburse Rs 75,000 crore worth of loan next fiscal MR. P V Ramesh, CMD, REC

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES Reports Successful Final Acceptance Test (FAT) of Processing Systems for Heterojunction Solar Cells

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World Bank Board Approves US$100 million for LargeScale Solar Parks in India

with Mr. HE Shuangquan, Executive President of Wuxi Suntech Power Co., Ltd.

with Chetan Shah, Director, Goldi Green Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

EQ NEWS Pg. 07-63

Cover JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a global leader in the solar industry. The Company distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, US, Japan, Germany, UK, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, UAE, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, etc.

JinkoSolar has built a vertical-integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 2.5 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 2.0 GW for solar cells, and 3.2 GW for solar modules, by December 31, 2014. JinkoSolar has also connected around 500MW of solar projects to the grid, by December 31, 2014. .JinkoSolar has over 13,000 employees and over 200 dedicated R&D professionals covering 11 global branches in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Japan, India, South Africa and Chile; 12 sales offices in China, Spain, UK, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico; and five production facilities in China, Portugal, South Africa, and Malaysia.

PRODUCT Pg. 80-81

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MNRE: Shri Upendra Tripathy Appointed as Full Time Interim Director General of ISA

Paris climate deal could make the world $19 trillion richer

Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Government of India and Ms. Ségolène Royal, Minister for Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs Government of France jointly decided to appoint Mr. Upendra Tripathy, as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis.

Stopping global warming won’t just keep the planet habitable. It would also boost the global economy by $19 trillion.

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r. Upendra Tripathy was the Former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from 1st April, 2014 until 31st October 2016. Mr. Tripathy is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Karnataka Cadre. He has worked with local, provincial and union governments in India for the last 36 years.

BACKGROUND ON INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE (ISA)

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he International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on 30th November, 2015 as a coalition of the solar resource rich countries jointly by Shri. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Mr.François Hollande, Hon’ble President of France in the presence of Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations on the first day of the Paris Climate Conference or CoP21.

ISA’s mission and vision is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and stakeholders can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing use of the solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. On 25 January 2016, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi, and the Hon’ble French President François Hollande jointly laid the foundation stone of the ISA headquarters and inaugurated the Interim Secretariat of the ISA at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gwalpahari, Gurugram. The Government of the Republic of India shall contribute US$ 27 million to the ISA for creating corpus, building infrastructure and recurring expenditure over 5 year duration.

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nvesting heavily in renewable power and energy efficiency to keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), in accordance with the landmark Paris Agreement, will increase the global economy around 0.8% by 2050, the International Renewable Energy Agency said Monday in a report produced for the German government.

The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel commissioned the report in preparation for energy and climate talks for the Group of 20 economies over the coming months. Those discussions begin this week as Germany presents a plan for supporting the Paris accord to officials at the G-20 Sustainability Working Group.

IRENA, which produced the study along with the International Energy Agency, forecasts that 65% of electricity will be generated from clean power by 2050, up from around 15% in 2015. The organization found energy intensity improvements will double. The catch is that the effort would require $145 trillion of investment in low-carbon technologies by the middle of the century.

That sweeping transformation of the energy sector could also force fossil fuel companies to leave $10 trillion of coal, oil and gas stranded underground, according to Abu Dhabi-based Irena. That’s higher than the $320 billion forecast under the IEA’s scenario.

The investment in renewable energy, however, would more than offset these losses and create about 6 million jobs, Irena found.

Source: livemint

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President of India Inaugurates the 44 Kms Deoghar – Basukinath Solar Street Light Project The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 44 Kms Deoghar – Basukinath Solar Street Light Project and laid the foundation stone of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Centre; Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital and Driver’s Training Centres at Deoghar, Jharkhand today (April 2, 2017).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Jharkhand played a key role in India’s freedom struggle. The pain and sacrifices of Sidho Murmu, Kanho Murmu, Tilka Manjhi and Birsa Munda are always remembered. The state has made progress on many fronts since attaining statehood in 2000. Its rich deposits of mineral resources, forests and industrial infrastructure etc. have laid down the foundation for all-round development.

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he President said that he comes from Bengal.

Indeed, Jharkhand, Bihar, undivided Bengal, Orissa and Assam were part of the same Bengal Presidency for a long period in the earlier part of the last century. The area has a shared past and heritage and its shaping in the post Independence era has also been similar.

The President said that the problem of job creation cannot be solved unless people are imparted skills to increase their employability. India has a huge workforce and skill development can help in economic development of this vast country.

The President said that he believes that initiatives launched today such as Deoghar – Basukinath Solar Street Light Project; Software Technology Parks of India Centre; Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital and Driver’s Training Centres will transform the employment landscape of this region.

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HIGH EFFICIENCY SOLAR PANELS MANUFACTURER

SunFuel is a fully integrated solar power engineering company with manufacturing capacity of 50 MW. Call 1800-3131-299 or Visit

www.sun-fuel.com for a quick quote

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Vikram Solar ties up with Israel’s Water-Gen to introduce unique clean, drinkable water solutions in India Vikram Solar Pvt. Ltd., the country’s leading Solar EPC player and module manufacturer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel’s Water-Gen, a pioneer in air-to-water technology, to develop and introduce their path-breaking clean, hygienic drinking water solutions in the country.

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he technology developed by Water-Gen to create and store drinking water by harvesting condensation from the air, provides a potential solution to the clean and safe drinkable water crisis faced

by India. The larger objective of this collaboration is to make available drinking water to the remote locations of the country using its rich natural resources – air and humidity. The cost-effectiveness of the technology is an added bonus that will help make the solution available to the masses.

Combined with Vikram Solar’s technological prowess and expertise in the solar power domain, the attempt is to conceptualize a product most suitable for the Indian market requirements.

Incorporating use of solar power into the Water-Gen technology is expected to further enhance the energy efficiency and availability of power for the technology in remote locations, through use of solar panels.

Mr. Gyanesh Chaudhary, MD & CEO, Vikram Solar Pvt. Ltd., shared on the occasion, “Vikram Solar has always been at the forefront of using technological innovation to address issues of critical importance to the health and well-being of both human life and eco-diversity. We are happy to collaborate with Water-Gen to see how we can merge the 2 products – solar and water, into a single offering and make it Renew, Restore, Revive, Refresh, and therefore Re-focus on building lives sustainably!”

Under the MoU, Water-Gen will share their technology and know-how with Vikram Solar to manufacture the products in India. Vikram Solar will be responsible for developing and managing the manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution of the products. Initially, Vikram Solar will develop three categories of the product catering to industrial, commercial utilities, and residential segments. There would be further plans to establish a Research & Development centre in India for the same. Vikram Solar plans a minimum investment of USD 100 million for the endeavour 12

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Mr. Mikhael Mirilashvili, President, Water-Gen Ltd., commented, “The Indian market is one with a critical need for our product, and hence presents a strong market potential. We were on the lookout for a partner with strong technological background and dominating business presence across the country for our venture. We are delighted to have found these qualities and more in Vikram Solar, and look forward to a successful and long association ahead.”

Water-Gen has been recognised globally for its innovations. Fast Company magazine has ranked it among the world’s Most Innovative Companies for 2014, along with Google, Apple, Twitter, etc. Frost and Sullivan acknowledged its contributions with the European Technology Innovation Leadership Award for 2014. Water-Gen’s unique Atmospheric Water-Generation Unit uses its “GENius” heat exchanger to chill air and condense water vapour, quickly generating clean drinking water from the air and from polluted water, efficiently and cheaply in almost any climate and with a minimal use of energy and electricity. The clean air is passed through the heat exchanger system where it gets dehumidified. The water is then removed from the air and collected in a tank inside the unit. From there the water is passed through an extensive water filtration system, which cleans it from possible chemical and microbiological contaminations. The water generator is more energy efficient than that of other such companies as it uses the cooled air created by the unit to chill incoming air.

Water-Gen has systems that can produce up to 7000 litres of clean drinking water a day depending on temperature and humidity conditions.

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INDIA’S LARGEST FLOATING SOLAR ENERGY PLANT

SWELECT Energy Systems Ltd (a leading Manufacturer of Solar PV Modules & Integrator of High Quality Solar PV Power Systems) has successfully built and commissioned India’s largest Floating Solar Energy plant in Kayankulam, Kerala for NTPC.

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he plant was commissioned in a short span of 22 days. Floating Solar PV Power plants harness the sun power with better efficiency without consuming the land area compared to a regular ground mounted SPV System. To reduce the cost of the system, a collaborative indigenous floater development project has been taken up by NETRA with Central Institute for Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Chennai.

NETRA, NTPC and SWELECT Energy Systems Ltd worked jointly in this program.

FEATURES

BENEFITS

• Indigenously developed floaters • Cost effective (compared to commercially available floating PV system) • India’s Largest installation of its kind at NTPC • A good display of Make in India initiative

• No land required (no land cost/ availability/acquisition issues/no uprooting of trees) • Reduction of evaporation of water and algae growth in water bodies • Expected increased generation because of cooling effect on PV panels(water is at cool temperature when the atmospheric air is hot – per day generating around 5.7 kWh / kWp) • Reduced installation time when compared to land • PV modules stay free from dust to large extent – resulting in low maintenance on cleaning.

Details of Floating Solar PV system The Floating PV system consists of a Floater Platform & components of PV System.

PV MODULES • Make : SWELECT – HHV Solar, 72 cells poly C-Si, each of 315 Wp • Quantity : Total 324 No’s, 102.6 kWp DC Capacity • Efficiency : >16.3%

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EmTech India 2017: SoftBank sees electric vehicles turning affordable in 3-4 years Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. sees energy storage costs in India becoming affordable in about three-four years, leading to a surge in the use of green technologies including electric vehicles (EVs). The Indian customer is the most value-for-money driven customer and by 2020-21 storage costs are going to become affordable, Manoj Kohli, executive chairman of SB Energy Corp., said at the EmTech India event. SB Energy is a joint venture of SoftBank Group, Bharti Enterprises Ltd and Foxconn Technology Group.

“By affordable, (I mean) there is a threshold of Re1 per kilowatt hour.

After 2020, solar and wind will have technology and infrastructure to become 24×7, which I believe will be changing the future course of the energy sector. Another point is the inflection of EVs over diesel and petrol cars. I think in the next three years, EVs will become far more transformational, it will not only be at the top end of the market, it will be in the mid end of the market and the lower end of the market.” said Mr. Manoj Kohli.

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t present EV sales in India are lower as compared to some other parts of the world. EV sales in the country rose 37.5% to 22,000 units in the year ended 31 March 2016, from 16,000 in 201415. Of these only 2,000 were cars and other four-wheelers. The government wants to see six million electric and hybrid vehicles on Indian roads by 2020 under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles (FAME). It has been offering subsidies on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs29,000 for bikes and Rs1.38 lakh for cars under FAME, but the plan is to make the scheme economically viable on its own.

“Storage is an important part of EVs. I believe about 50% of the cost of an EV is storage battery. With the coming together of technology and scale, prices of renewable and prices of EVs will come down,” added Kohli.

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o be sure, India is in the process of formulating a comprehensive policy towards building an all-electric fleet by 2030. Mint on Tuesday reported that road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, heavy industries minister Anant Geete, environment minister Anil Dave, and minister for power, coal, new and renewable energy, and mines Piyush Goyal are expected to attend a meeting to be chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitley to discuss the policy. The effort is being driven by the Prime Minister’s Office.

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ny shift to EVs will help reduce pollutants and fuel imports. This assumes significance given India’s energy import bill of around $150 billion, which is expected to reach $300 billion by 2030. India imports around 80% of its oil and 18% of its natural gas requirements. The country imported 202 million tonnes of oil in 2015-16.

Citing the example of the telecom industry, Kohli said that if the price of a handset can be brought below Rs1,000, there is no reason a similar thing will not happen in the EV space.

“That (drop in price of handsets) happened with technology and scale,” he said. Another area of importance for SoftBank is the Internet of Things (IoT). “It is very clear, in the next 10-15 years every person will have 1,000 devices connected to him and her. And that will be a huge change. Together, all these three things starting from renewable energy, EV and IoT… SoftBank is on the intersection of all these three major transformations across the world,” he added.

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ENERGY STORAGE

US flow battery specialist ViZn Energy awarded 1 MWh storage contract in India

India goes with the flow: ViZn battery system to be installed in Puducherry.

The Texas-headquartered firm will provide grid stability for Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in Puducherry with its flow battery systems.

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ndia’s rapidly burgeoning renewable energy capacity is a recent and ongoing success story in the electricity sector, but with such vast amounts of new and intermittent power generation coming online so rapidly, the nation needs to start thinking longer term about how to handle these new sources of power. Enter storage, and notably this week, ViZn Energy – a U.S. battery systems provider that specializes in redox flow technology. The Texasbased firm has signed a contract with Indian utility Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) to install a 1 MWh system at its facilities in Puducherry.

The systems will be integrated by Raychem RPG, a JV between TE Connectivity and RPG Enterprises of India that specializes in strengthening power grids and energy infrastructure.

PGCIL has been mandated by central Indian government to plan, coordinate and supervise India’s vast inter-state transmission systems and the national and regional power grids. Storage will play a key role in ensuring the stability of an increasingly renewablespowered grid, with systems like ViZn Energy’s zinc iron flow battery providing much-needed balancing mechanisms.

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“India is an exciting yet virtually untapped market for energy storage due to the rapid growth of renewable energy and utility infrastructure challenges,” said ViZn Energy Systems president and CEO Ron Van Dell. “For example, there are wind and solar farms that are curtailed over 30% annually. The Indian grid is adding significant amounts of renewable generation – which are inherently variable and intermittent by nature – so to ensure stability of the grid, balancing mechanisms in the form of battery energy storage systems will play a crucial role.”

Raychem RPG’s solar & EMS head, Nitin Sharma, said that the ViZn zinc-iron flow batteries are a good fit for large Indian projects. “We selected ViZn because their system will provide maximum power and cycles for 20 years with no degradation,” Sharma explained. “Grid stabilization is a high stress application and ViZn is quite unique in their ability to execute without HVAC equipment in a harsh tropical climate that often exceeds 120F in the summer.”

Van Dell added that storage is an effective way to integrate clean energy and offer businesses reliable and resilient power.

Raychem RPG’s solar & EMS head, Nitin Sharma, said that the ViZn zinc-iron flow batteries are a good fit for large Indian projects.

“We selected ViZn because their system will provide maximum power and cycles for 20 years with no degradation,” Sharma explained. “Grid stabilization is a high stress application and ViZn is quite unique in their ability to execute without HVAC equipment in a harsh tropical climate that often exceeds 120F in the summer.”

According to ViZn, its flow batteries can access 100% of their state of charge and have zero capacity fade over 20 years. For a 1 MWh project, the system is also well suited due to its ability to perform both rapid, high-power discharges and slower, long-duration release of lower power. For C&I customers, the systems are stackable too, enabling them to right-size their storage application, ViZn said.

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Sungrow Presented New Energy Storage Solutions at Energy Storage Europe Sungrow, the global leading PV inverter system solution supplier, showcased its energy storage system solutions for residential, commercial, and utilityscale applications at Energy Storage Europe in Germany, one of the world’s largest tradeshows for the energy storage industry.

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he new residential product features a lightweight turnkey design, making installation much faster. Also, it can be easily maintained through the remote monitoring technology and is compatible with mainstream types of batteries.

Sungrow’s commercial and utility-scale energy storage turnkey solutions are widely applied in micro-grid systems for peak shaving and demand response.

The energy storage inverter integrated the turnkey solution is best characterized by its multiple working options, wide voltage range and excellent charge and discharge strategy of battery.

Also on show were batteries supplied by Sungrow-Samsung SDI joint venture launched in 2015.

“Sungrow will continue to develop energy storage system solutions, so that we can help power the world on green and effective electricity.” said Professor Renxian Cao, President of Sungrow.

Source:prnewswire

ENERGY STORAGE

Google’s Former Schmidt Flags Promise in New Goodenough Battery The 94-year-old creator of the lithium-ion battery has invented another breakthrough storage device that’s capturing the attention of industry heavyweights. #VIA TWITTER “John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium battery, has developed the first all-solid-state battery cells. Goodenough’s claim that his new battery cells have three times as much energy density as today’s lithium-ion batteries is “promising.”

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According to Google’s Former Chief executive officer & Alphabet Inc.’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt via Twitter. new and more powerful generation of batteries may be made entirely from glass, according to the conclusions of Goodenough and his team of researchers published by the U.K. Royal Society of Chemistry. They store and transmit energy at temperatures lower than traditional lithium-ion packs and can be made using globally abundant supplies of sodium. The research could result in “a safe, low-cost all-solidstate cell with a huge capacity giving a large energy density and a long cycle life suitable for powering an all-electric road vehicle or for storing electric power from wind or solar energy,” the researchers wrote in the peer-reviewed journal Energy & Environmental Science.Energy storage is seen as the missing link in the world’s transition to a zero-carbon economy. Batteries can fill power gaps from intermittent solar and wind energy. Companies including Tesla Inc. and Volkswagen AG have set their sights on lithium-ion to usher in a new generation of plug-in vehicles.The research conducted by Goodenough and his team, who worked from the University of Texas at Austin as well as at the University of Porto in Portugal, was driven by the “urgent” need to reduce fossil fuel consumption and combat climate change.

PATENT RESEARCH The researchers are working on several patents and are seeking to collaborate with battery makers “to develop and test their new materials in electric vehicles and energy storage devices,” according to a statement by the University of Texas.

“The road from the lab to the factory is a long one,” said Julia Attwood, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Some technologies encounter significant difficulties when they attempt to scale up. It could be a while before we’re seeing these materials in electric vehicles or stationary storage.”

It took Goodenough about 11 years to see his lithium-ion breakthroughs commercialized by Sony Corp. in 1991, according to a 2015 profile published by Quartz magazine. The scientist began focusing on storage technologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1970s as a potential way of resolving the persistent oil crisis of the era, according to the article. “We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said in a statement. “Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for batterydriven cars to be more widely adopted.”

Source:Bloomberg

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ENERGY STORAGE

TrinaBESS Introduces Large-scale Energy Storage Solution for German Market in Energy Storage Europe 2017 TrinaBESS announced recently that the company will introduce its large-scale Energy Storage Solution ‘TrinaMega’ for German Market atEnergy Storage Europe 2017, held in Dusseldorf on March 14th – 16th. The event, which has always been influential to German large-scale Energy Storage market, affords TrinaBESSa great opportunity to introduce its new Energy Storage Solution.

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rinaMega is a modular design of thousands of lithium-ion battery cells, integrated and controlled by advanced software giving a future-proof alternative to traditional methods by assisting transmission, generation and distribution networks.

“With advanced battery technology and intelligent Battery Management System, TrinaMega has a big success in UK and Africa market. Now we are working on a Triad and Frequency Regulation project in UK and a micro-grid energy storage project in Mauritania. TrinaBESS provides turnkey solution to the project owners including the consultancy session, solution design, component survey, procurement, system integration, construction, on-site training, commissioning and the demonstration of performance.

TrinaMega for the electric grid can provide important benefits to customers, utilities companies and grid network operators. Itcan also operate as flexible resourcesthat fulfil multiple grid assisting applicationson the generation, transmission and distribution side.

“We have conducted an in-depth analysis of German market and found our solution to meet the needs of this market.With more and more penetration of renewable energy in Germany, large-scale energy storage will be the next big potential market.TrinaBESS has an experienced integrated storage solution team to work on the sophisticated nature of largescale projects with TrinaMega.Our highly professional engineering team ensures the high efficiency and excellentreliability of our products” said Frank Qi, General Manager of TrinaBESS.

TrinaMega is an energy storage solution with high power density specially designed to ensure grid stabilisation and offer an optimal response for high power and short duration energy events.

Li-ion Retains Cost Edge for Stationary Energy Storage Providing stationary energy storage is vital to the stability of the power grid as renewables grow and demand rises, but cost has been a challenge. A new analysis from Lux Research shows that Li-ion batteries will dominate the stationary energy storage market, though current generation flow battery technology has an economic case for certain very large and long-duration applications.

“Li-ion has a lower levelized cost of storage (LCOS) at most durations and system sizes, but the amount of space required starts to drive up costs at larger scales,” said Tim Grejtak, Lux Research Analyst and lead author of the report titled, “Future Costs of Stationary Energy Storage: Evaluating Li-ion and Flow Battery Cost Reductions and Application Fit. As a result, there’s an opportunity for emerging flow battery technology, which can change this landscape by driving down costs.”

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ux Research analysts developed new battery cost models based on size, duration, architecture and chemistry, and compared Li-ion and flow battery costs across a large parameter space to determine thresholds where given energy storage technologies are less expensive. Among their findings: Li-ion retains cost edge. Li-ion beats the most popular vanadium-based flow battery technology on LCOS due to higher roundtrip efficiency (83% vs. 65%). Li-ion also dominates the application space from 75 kW to 100 MW, and from 15 minutes of storage to eight hours, with costs above $0.37/kWh. New technology will change economics. New chemistries like Lockheed Martin’s metal complex chemistry, planned to debut in 2018, could make flow batteries competitive versus Li-ion batteries in the highly competitive 4-hour duration market, driving down costs of energy storage and opening up new markets. Current technology won’t get lower than $0.35/kWh. Diversification is key as price falls. Application stacking and multiple value streams will gain importance as energy storage costs fall to about $0.30/kWh by 2036. The lower cost will mean no single application market can bring enough revenue to make energy storage economically compelling.

Source: lux research inc

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DISTRIBUTED SOLAR

DISTRIBUTED SOLAR

Indian Railways plans to save Rs 41,000 crore by switching to solar energy

Azure Power Wins Indian Railway’s Largest Rooftop Auction; Rooftop Portfolio Surpasses 100 MWs Azure Power, a leading solar power producer in India, announced that it has won 46 MWs of solar rooftop projects across eleven states pan India for Indian Railways.

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ndian Railways is the largest rail network in Asia and is owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways. The power purchase agreement (PPA) will be signed with Indian Railways for their respective zones and coach factory for 25 years.

The average tariff for the project is INR 4.63 (~USD 7 cents) per kWh with an additional capital incentive of INR 933.5 million (~US$ 14 million) upon commissioning. Out of the 46 MWs total allocation, 20 MWs has been allocated by Northern Railways division, 10 MWs by the Western Railways division, 10 MWs by the North-Central Railways division, 3 MWs by the North- Western Railways division, and 3 MWs by the Rail Coach Factory division.

Inderpreet Wadhwa, Founder and CEO, Azure Power said, “Azure has superior rooftop solar power solutions for infrastructure, commercial and industrial customers in cities across India to lower their energy costs and meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. We are pleased to partner with Indian Railways in reducing their GHG emissions through deployment of solar energy at their facilities across locations pan- India.”

With this win, Azure Power rooftop solar portfolio surpassed 100 MWs across 14 states in India. Azure Power recently announced the successful installation and operation of the first phase of its rooftop solar power plant for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The 14 MW project is one of the largest allocations by DMRC to a solar power company. The project covers DMRC metro stations, workshops and parking lots. Azure Power’s rooftop customers also include large commercial real estate companies, a leading global chain of premium hotels, distribution companies in smart cities, warehouses, DMRC and Delhi Water Supply Company.

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ndian Railways aims to save Rs 41,000 crore (over $6 billion) on electricity expenses by switching over to solar energy over the next 10 years, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced on Saturday. He said the Ministry of Railways had prepared ‘Mission 41K’ to save electricity consumption charges by betting big on solar energy.

He was speaking after formally inaugurating various railway infrastructure projects at the Hi-Tech City railway station here. The minister said efforts were also on to mop-up Rs 17,000 crore through non-fare revenue modes. “We will not only cut the costs but will generate additional revenue,” he said. He recalled that after taking over as railway minister, he had laid out a plan that energy should come down by 15 percent.

Claiming that about Rs 4,000 crore was saved on electricity consumption charges so far, he said the target of saving Rs 41,000 crore would be met by generating 1,000 Megawatt of solar power in the next five years.

“In addition, we have already started production of 26 MW in wind energy. We are also working on converting waste to energy and commissioned two such projects.

The minister said 500 MW will be produced by installing solar panels on rooftops of railway buildings and another 500 MW through land based. “Traction power and nontraction power both will benefit from solar power and as well as reducing cost of energy,” Prabhu said.

The Ministry is drawing up plans for investment to the tune of Rs 8.5 lakh crore.

He claimed there was no financial problem for railways and that it had completely bankable projects. He said the Ministry was focussing on completion of existing projects. He called up on state government to have joint ventures with Railways to implement more projects.

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DISTRIBUTED SOLAR

Hyderabad’s Nampally railway station gets rooftop solar power plant

Solar micro grid project launched in Odisha

The historic Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, built in 1907 by Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, has got a rooftop solar power plant, which will help meet some of its electricity requirements.

Industrial Energy Limited (IEL), a joint venture of Tata Power and Tata Steel, recently inaugurated a solar micro grid project at Baliapal village in Kalinganagar in Odisha.

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he project will benefit 255 people at Baliapal village with uninterrupted power. The village was facing frequent power cuts that hampered studies of students and daily household works of women, a company release said.

The project is the first of its kind in Odisha with the community contributing 10 per cent of the total project cost and the rest 90 per cent by IEL, it said. A micro grid is particularly a portion of the power distribution system that comprises of distributed generation, energy storage and loads. Micro grids are robust in controlling the local voltage and frequency and protecting the network and equipment connected to the micro grid, it said. The project will be managed by the Village Development Committee (VDC) consisting of 20 persons, including women. The process of setting up rural micro grid project involves various stages including identification of village, consent from villagers for 10 per cent contribution, VDC formation and installing the project, it said.

Commenting on the initiative, Vijayant Ranjan, CEO-IEL and chief of Kalinganagar station, said the project will ensure reliable power for the villagers and contribute towards the government’s objective of rural electrification. Renewable energy sources and technologies have the potential to provide solutions to longstanding energy problems being faced by villages in India, he added.

Source: PTI

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opularly known as the Nampally station, it is among the first few Railway stations to go solar. The Indian Railways had in 2015 unveiled plans to tap solar energy in a big way, especially set up rooftop plants, both to promote clean energy and utilise the spaces to meet its own power needs.

IT major Persistent Technologies pitched in to donate solar power plants to the Railways. As part of this flagship initiative, it established a pilot project of 160 kW rooftop solar power plant at Pune railway station. The Hyderabad plant is of 222.5 kWp and is installed on platforms 5&6 using galvanium sheets. The plant will generate minimum of 3.15 lakh units of electricity per year. On a bright sunnyday, the plant will generate 1,000 units of electricity. The project has been funded by Persistent Foundation, the CSR arm of Persistent Systems Ltd. The entire system design, engineering, procurement and construction of solar plants at Pune and Hyderabad have been done by Sunshot Technologies.

According to the implementers, the plant will contribute about -

16.4%

to the electricity consumption of the station, which derives its name Nampally from Nam or moist in Urdu and Pally meaning place. Persistent and Sunshot have used the best in class modules, inverters and other items such as cables,structures, etc for maximum efficiency and power generation.

The Rs.1.3-crore project is expected to save upto Rs.25.6 lakh per annum without any upfront investment. It will also make the station greener by reducing 260 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. This equals smoke emitted from about 190 small cars in a year and planting about 43 thousand mango trees in 100 years.

The solar power plant is also synchronised with the diesel generators along with discom supply. The entire system will be monitored online through Sunshot’s proprietary online monitoring system.

Promoted by alumni of IIM Ahmedabad, the company works in Maharastra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana and has so far helped in installation of 14,000 kWp capacity.

Source:thehindu

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DISTRIBUTED SOLAR

T Solar panel installer Ganges Internationale to set up Rs. 40 crore facility Solar panel mounting structure manufacturer Ganges Internationale will expand its facility to cater to project developers in northern India. The company is looking to expand its existing 1-GW capacity by another 400 MW through the proposed facility. Vinay Goyal, CEO, Ganges Internationale, told BusinessLine: “We are looking at an investment of Rs. 40 crore to be funded from internal accruals, plus term loans. The facility is likely to be set up in Pune and will be online by the end of this year.” The company’s existing manufacturing facility is in Puducherry. The west coast facility will service the requirements of clients in north India.”

he company is awaiting clarification on the status of solar manufacturing under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Goyal said: “We hope that solar manufacturing is zero rated under the GST regime. The current excise incidence is nil, any increase will be detrimental for the industry and investment decisions will have to be reworked accordingly.” Goyal said: “In 2011, we had a turnover of Rs. 10 crore. We closed at Rs. 210212 crore for 2016-2017. Next year, we are targeting Rs. 400450 crore through our solar business alone.”

GROWING EXPORTS

The company is growing the share of exports in the overall mix. Goyal said: “Today, exports are 8-10 per cent of our entire volumes. This will jump to around 15-18 per cent this year. Next year, we will take it up to 25-30 per cent with the increased volumes.” The company plans close to 1.2 GW of installations in the current year.

Railways join hands with BHEL for setting up of a roof top Solar Power Plant in DLW/Patiala

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Railways have joined hands with power equipment maker BHEL for setting up of a roof top solar power plant in Patiala to meet the energy demands of the Diesel-Loco Modernisation Works in that city. he public transporter has also completed installing solar panels on about 21 roof tops of coaches, guard vans, rail workshops and production units across the country to promote clean energy and reducing electricity consumption substantially. Indian Railways Organization for Alternate Fuel(IROAF) signed an agreement with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for constructing the 2MW roof top solar power plant under the government’s incentive scheme. The plant to be set up at the Diesel-Loco Modernisation Works at Patiala will be commissioned within next 10 months, said Ravindra Gupta, Chief Administrative Officer of IROAF. IROAF is the single window for railways for dealing with work related to use of alternative fuels such as bio fuel, CNG and solar energy. This is the first project to be covered under the Achievement Linked Incentive Scheme of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for government buildings.

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Mr. Gupta said preparations are in full swing to cover all roof tops of rail factories, workshops, station buildings with solar system. Currently, six guard vans of freight trains have been equipped with solar power and 200 more such vans will be fitted with system as per the plan to facilitate use of fan and light for guards.As far as coaches are concerned, while six coaches in the Delhi Division are being equipped with solar system, 250 more coaches will be having the solar energy for operation of light and fan in coaches.

Railways have set a target of generating 1000 MW of solar power by 2020. Gupta said 44 roof tops of rail workshops across the country will soon be powered with solar energy.All roof tops of the station buildings will also be covered with solar system to provide clean energy for the use of lights and fans in the buildings.

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INDIA

Prime Minister Modi has put in place policies to press ahead with the country’s modernization, including a major transformation of energy provision. An ambitious programme is underway to expand and upgrade the electricity sector, including a commitment to reliable and affordable power under the “24x7 Power for All” initiative, as well as a major push to deploy solar and wind power. Other energy-sector reforms focus on improving incentives to produce oil and natural gas, promote energy efficiency and increase access to modern fuels.

Dr Fatih Birol (centre) after joint press conference with Minister Goyal (left) and Minister Pradhan announcing activation of IEA Association (Photograph: IEA)

India joins IEA family, a major milestone for global energy governance NEW DELHI – The International Energy Agency welcomed India as an Association country on Thursday, expanding its partnership for a more secure and sustainable energy future with the world’s third-largest energy consumer.

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he announcement was made in New Delhi during a joint press conference with Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA’s Executive Director; Mr Piyush Goyal, Minister of State, with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines; and Mr Dhamendra Pradhan, Minister of State, with Independent Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas. As India moves to the centre of global energy affairs, the new institutional ties with the IEA mark a critical addition to the IEA’s global outreach. India is one of the bright spots of the global economy and is emerging as a major driving force in global energy trends, with all modern fuels and technologies playing a part.

“We can’t talk about the future of the global energy markets without talking with India,” said Dr Birol. “This is a major milestone in the development of global energy governance, and another major step toward the IEA becoming a truly global energy organization, strengthening ties with the key energy players that make up the IEA family.”

Thanks to rising income, population growth and urbanization, there is a huge potential for energy demand growth in India, which is home to about a fifth of the world’s population but uses only about 6% of the world’s energy. India’s energy demand is expected to more than double over the next 25 years, according to the IEA’s India Energy Outlook. These findings were presented by Dr Birol to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they met last year.

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“This is a landmark day in terms of India’s engagement in global energy markets,” said Minister Goyal.

“IEA Association will help India plan better and serve the needs of Indians better, ensuring energy security for days and years to come.”

Minister Pradhan added, “IEA has helped in promoting understanding of India’s interests and concerns as the third-largest consumer of energy. I am confident that Association status for India will bring mutual benefit for both IEA and India.”

Dr Birol also thanked Dr Arvind Panagariya, Vice-Chairman of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI-Aayog), for their continuous support. The IEA and NITI-Aayog are committed to deepening their cooperation.

Thanks to its unmatched expertise in global energy market and policy analysis, the IEA can support India’s efforts and collaborate in its energy transition.

With India, the IEA’s growing family now accounts for about 70% of the world’s total energy consumption. The other IEA Association countries are China, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Morocco.

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INDIA

1st Time India becomes Net Exporter of Electricity India had also been exporting around 190 MW power to Nepal over 12 cross border interconnections at 11kV, 33kV and 132 kV level. The export of power to Nepal further increased by around 145 MW with commissioning of Muzaffarpur (India)– Dhalkhebar(Nepal) 400kV line (being operated at 132 kV) in 2016.

As per Central Electricity Authority, the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, 1st time India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity.

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uring the current year 2016-17 (April to February 2017), India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan. Export to Nepal and Bangladesh increased 2.5 and 2.8 times respectively in last three years. Ever since the cross border trade of electricity started in mid-Eighties, India has been importing power from Bhutan and marginally exporting to Nepal in radial mode at 33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. On an average Bhutan has been supplying around 5,000- 5500 Million units to India.

Export of power to Bangladesh from India got further boost with commissioning of 1st cross border Interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh at 400kV in September 2013. It was further augmented by commissioning of 2nd cross border Interconnection between Surjyamaninagar (Tripura) in India and South Comilla in Bangladesh. At present around 600 MW power is being exported to Bangladesh.

Export of power to Nepal is expected to increase by around 145 MW shortly over 132 kV Katiya (Bihar)– Kusaha (Nepal) and 132 kV Raxaul (Bihar)– Parwanipur (Nepal).

A few more cross border links with neighbouring countries are in pipe line which would further increase export of Power.

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INDIA

Renewables to be over 60% of India’s generation capacity: Shri Piyush Goyal Enthused by drop in renewable energy tariff, Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said India’s 60-65 per cent of installed power generation capacity will be green energy.

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“Going by prices we have discovered, I am inspired to say that 60-65 per cent of India’s installed capacity base will be green energy. India’s renewable energy programme is a great example of how you can do big by thinking big.”

Goyal said at Take Pride event organised by CII.

oyal had predicted that India’s solar power generation capacity will cross 20,000 MW in the next 15 months, from the current 10,000 MW, and said drastic reduction in costs of solar power is proof of maturity of the sector.

Lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit have pulled down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction conducted for 750 MW capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh last month. The auction was conducted by a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh government and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The wind power tariff has too dropped to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an auction of 1,000 MW capacity conducted by the SECI. At present, out of 315 GW of total power generation installed capacity, around 50 GW is from renewable sources while large hydro projects (above 25 MW) constitute 44 GW. As much as 14,000 MW (or 14 gigawatt) of solar projects are currently under development and about 6 GW is to be auctioned soon. In 2016, about 4 GW of solar capacity was added, the fastest pace till date. According to power ministry estimate, another 8.8 GW capacity is likely to be added in 2017, including about 1.1 GW of rooftop solar installations.

The government is targeting 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind energy capacity by 2022. Total renewable energy generation capacity is envisaged at 175 GW by 2022.

Commending the government’s initiative on Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said: “Nearly seven constitutional laws have been passed in the last two and a half years by this government without a majority in the Rajya Sabha.

Our finance minister is the best finance minister.”

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MNRE receives Rs 10,239 cr from NCEF since FY’15 The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has received Rs 10,239 crore from the National Clean Energy Fund in the three fiscals to 2016-17.

“From FY 2014-15 up to the current financial year, i.e 2016-17, Rs 10,239.18 crore was allocated from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy,” Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

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n addition to NCEF support, Rs 787.53 crore was received as Gross Budgetary Support in 2014-15 and 2015-16, he said.

In 2014-15 and 201516, the allocation was fully utilised, Goyal said.

During 2016-17, Rs 4,272 crore was provided from NCEF to the ministry.

Of this an expenditure of Rs 3,282.30 crore has been incurred till March 15, 2017.

For the next fiscal, the minister said, a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,341.70 crore has been made for the MNRE which will be sourced from NCEF. Source:PTI

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INDIA

57 Inter Regional Power Transmission projects worth Rs.7,268 crores sanctioned : Mr. Piyush Goyal Power Transmission Projects Worth Rs.7,268 crores sanctioned under the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) scheme Total Inter Regional Transmission Capacity stands at 63,650 MW: Shri Piyush Goyal

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nion Minister of State (I/C) for MNRE, Shri Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in Lok Sabha today informed that Inter Regional Transmission Corridors (IRTC) are planned and implemented for transfer of power from surplus states/regions to deficitstates/regions on short term basis, subject to availability of margins in theselines.These lines,a part of the evacuation system from interstate generation stations,are mainly used for delivery of powerfrom these generating stations to their beneficiaries in various

states. Shri Goyal further informed that a number of inter-regional links have been planned whichinterconnect the five regional grids i.e. Northern, Western, Southern, Eastern andNorth Eastern regions. Presently, the total transmission capacity of such interregional links is 63650 MW (as on January, 2017), he said. The Minister also informed that as of now, 57 projects have been sanctioned under the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) scheme, atthe cost of Rs.7268 Crores.PSDF can beutilized, inter alia, for creating necessary transmission systems of strategicimportance based on operational feedback by Load Dispatch Centres forrelieving congestion

in Inter-State Transmission Systems (ISTS) and intra-statesystem which are incidental to the ISTS. This fund can also be utilized forRenovation & Modernization of transmission and distribution systems for relievingcongestion, Shri Goyal added.

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INDIA

Shri Piyush Goyal chairs meeting with UP Government to chalk out Roadmap for revamping State Power Sector in the next 24 months Zero Tolerance towards Corruption; Eliminating Power Theft through strict monitoring; 24×7 Affordable Quality Power for All should be the motto of the new UP Government: Shri Piyush Goyal

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nion Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal chaired a meeting with the Minister of Energy, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Shri Shrikant Sharma and other senior officers of the State Power Department, here today. The marathon meeting lasted over 3 hours, focused upon chalking out a roadmap for revamping the State Power sector in the next 24 months.

“We have to bring an Urja Kranti in UP and we will work together to achieve it”, Shri Goyal stated.

Taking a review of the ground level situation of the power sector in the State, Shri Goyal studied facts and figures presented by the State officials, asked pin pointed questions to understand the situation and identified the key challenges and corresponding steps that both the Governments would require to take in the near future to achieve the aim of 24×7 Affordable Quality Power for All in the State.

Shri Goyal made his priorities very clear from the very beginning when he stated that the policy of the new UP Government should be of zero tolerance towards corruption and of eliminating power theft through strict monitoring so as to make the power sector efficient. This in turn, would bring down the power generation costs and benefit the consumers by reducing their electricity bills ultimately. The Minister gave strict instructions to systemize speedy implementation of ground level electrification so that the people should witness actual work being taking place without the incidence of corruption anywhere. Major decisions that were taken during the meeting included giving free electricity connections to the urban and rural BPL households and to APL households at reasonable EMIs by giving 100% financing option. These electricity connections would be given without any discrimination on caste or religious lines and would be based on the latest SocioEconomic Census data. Further, an amnesty scheme would be given to all those household and commercial connections that want to take legal electricity connections. There would be a State-wide campaign against power theft, along with a drive to sensitize all the stakeholders to shun corruption and bring in honesty in the sector, the Minister added.

Other important decisions that were taken during the meeting were giving free electricity connections to urban BPL under IPDS scheme, making 100% feeder separation and smart metering expeditiously, waving off of interests on electricity dues and provision of option of EMIs to pay off the principal 30

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amounts, bringing in zero government official discretion and transparent monitoring to prevent harassment to the consumers at the hands of field officers , designating State Power official at each industrial feeder level who would be responsible for monitoring the consumption, billing, collection and ensuring 24×7 reliable quality power to the industry, reviewing and simplifying the tariff order to bring lower tariffs across the value chain, to remove bottlenecks in the intra State power transmission network so as to meet the power demand during this summer season. Further, the Minister directed the officials of the power ministry to conduct weekly ground level review of the progress of projects being implemented in the State, with the State power department officers in Lucknow from next month onwards. The Minister also directed the State Power officers to devise a strategy to replace all the old thermal power plants in the state with Super Critical Power Plants and to engage in 100% coal linkage swap so as to bring down the power costs for the common man.

In the area of achieving Energy Efficiency in State power sector, Shri Goyal directed the State power department to take steps like replacing all agricultural pump sets older than 10 years across the State with energy efficient pumps having a smart control panel; replacing street lights across all municipalities in the State with LED bulbs; making affordable energy efficient fans and tube lights freely available to the people.

The Minister directed EESL and the 4 DISCOMs in the State to make 10 crore LED bulbs freely available under UJALA scheme and increase awareness among the common people for the same.

Shri Shrikant Sharma assured the Union Minister that the State power department officers would work in cohesion with the Union Power Ministry to implement all the decisions taken today within the stipulated time. He informed that the State power department is preparing a road map to ensure 24×7 Affordable Quality Power for all Rural and Urban Households

by October 2018. It was also decided in the meeting that the State of UP would sign the “Power for All” document with the Centre by mid-April, 2017. The meeting was attended by Shri Sanjay Agrawal, Principal Secretary (Energy), Government of U.P. and senior officers of the Ministry of Power, EESL, REC, NTPC, POWERGRID and PFC. Source:pib

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Cabinet okays pact on large-scale grid linking of clean energy The Cabinet today approved signing of a pact between Forum of Regulators (FOR) and National Associations of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) for large-scale grid integration of renewable energy.

“The Union Cabinet chaired

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FOR and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) in the area of large-scale grid integration of renewable energy,” an official statement said.

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he MoU envisages to promote information exchanges in the areas of renewable energy integration regulations and balancing using gas, storage, and demand-side approaches, energy imbalance markets, it said.

It will enhance the efforts of India’s power system for better management of large-scale integration of renewable energy into the power grid, it added.

According to statement, the MoU provides areas for cooperation in the area of large scale integration of renewable energy including design of frameworks for renewable energy procurement-international experience and regulatory interventions for renewables development, such as state and national renewable purchase obligations (RPOs), renewable energy certificate (REC) framework.

Besides, it will also cover the load forecasting techniques and processes; contracting/power purchase agreements; renewables forecasting methods and how renewable energy forecasts are used by operators; renewable energy integration — regula-

tions and balancing using gas, storage, and demand-side approaches; energy imbalance markets.

The pact will cover regulatory framework for ensuring grid discipline by generators including deterrents in the form of penalty for breach of discipline; ancillary services including physical mechanisms, regulations and markets and data analysis and cost-benefit analysis for regulatory decision-making. The FOR was constituted by the Ministry of Power on February 16, 2005 with the primary objective of harmonization of regulations in the power sector framed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) and Joint Electricity Regulatory Commissions (JERCs).

In the past, in order to work on areas such as Demand Side Management and Energy Efficiency, the FOR had signed an MoU with The California

Energy Commission, The California Public Utilities Commission and the University of California (as Management and Operating Contractor for Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory) on Electricity Demand and Supply Efficiency Improvement to explore potential future collaboration in the field of energy sector planning. NARUC is the National Association in United States representing the State Public Service Commissioners who regulate essential utilities.

The proposed MoU is under the larger bilateral agreement on Energy Efficiency Commercialization and Innovation agreement signed between United States and India. It is being pursued as a component of ‘Greening the Grid’ project, launched under US-India ‘Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment’ (PACE-D).

Source:PTI

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INDIA

Par panel pulls up MNRE on slow progress over solar energy

India’s solar capacity to cross 20GW in next 15 months : Piyush Goyal

A Parliamentary panel has expressed concerns over slow progress over solar power capacity addition and asked the Renewable Energy Ministry to make sustained efforts and work in mission mode.

India’s solar power generation capacity would cross 20,000 MW in the next 15 months from the current level of 10,000 MW, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said.

“On 10th of March this year the installed solar power capacity in India has crossed 10,000 MW, four times the installed capacity three years back, which in next 15 months would cross 20,000 MW,” a Power Ministry statement quoted the minister as saying.

“India could not have completely focused on Making in India’ in the last three years as being in the nascent stage, its solar power sector needed technological and financial boost from abroad to rapidly expand its horizons,” Goyal said at a media event.

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he sector has reached certain maturity level which will lead the country becoming self-reliant in meeting its Green Energy needs. The proof is the drastic reduction in costs of solar power, becoming comparable with thermal power in India, he said.

India solar power generation capacity stood at 2,650 MW on May 26, 2014.

As much as 14,000 MW (or 14 gigawatt) of solar projects are currently under development and about 6 GW is to be auctioned soon. In 2016, about 4 GW of solar capacity was added, the fastest pace till date. According to power ministry estimates, another 8.8 GW capacity is likely to be added in 2017, including about 1.1 GW of rooftop solar installations. The government is targeting 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind energy capacity by 2022. Total renewable energy generation capacity is envisaged at 175 GW by 2022.

Earlier last month, lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit had pulled down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction conducted for 750 MW capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh. The auction was conducted by a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh government and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The country has shown it to the world that India is a big market place for manufacturing in solar power sector and international investors and manufacturers have started setting up manufacturing units in the country, Goyal noted. Goyal also encouraged the Industry stalwarts present at the event to ramp up the silicon wafer manufacturing industry and the manufacturing of solar cells in India. He also talked about devising strategies to combine solar power with electric vehicles, which have three times the energy efficiency on engines that run on fossil fuels. This would be a revolution in the transportation sector, he added.

Source:PTI

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“The ministry is far short of their target of 17,000 MW cumulative solar capacity by March 2017, as on December 31, 2016, the cumulative solar power capacity in the country is only 9,012.46 MW i.e. 47 per cent short of the stipulated target,” Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy said in its report tabled in Parliament

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arlier in the day, Power, Coal, Mines, New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted, “Bright Future: India has crossed 10,000 MW of solar power capacity today. More than 3 times increase in less than 3 years.”

India solar power generation capacity was 2,650 MW on May 26, 2014, when the new government took charge. The panel said that the ministry should make sustained efforts to find solutions for the constraints being faced in the commissioning of solar projects in consultation with other agencies/ministries concerned in a time bound manner. It suggested that the ministry should also make efforts to publicise the fiscal and financial incentives available for the promotion of this sector and work in mission mode. India has set an ambitious target of having 100 GW of solar power generation capacity by 2022 under its renewable energy programme.

The panel said that the ministry has managed to achieve only 2094 MW against the target of 4000 MW wind power capacity addition during the current fiscal with full utilisation of budgetary allocation of Rs 365 crore. of this target (4000 MW wind power) and feels that more funds should be made available for this sector in view of same capacity addition target for next fiscal. It said that the ministry should approach Finance Ministry for allocation of more funds for wind power sector. The panel said that the ministry should take up the matter with Finance Ministry on a urgent basis to ensure continued financial support for the ongoing and future renewable energy projects in the even of National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) being given to states to indemnify them for their losses owing to Good and Services Tax (GST). The NCEF was created out of cess on coal produced as well as imported at Rs 400 per tonne to provide financial support to clean energy initiatives. It also said that the ministry should sincerely pursue for a separate fund dedicated to renewable energy projects. The panel asked the ministry that it should also pursue with GST Council for either excluding renewables from GST regime so as to ensure continuance of exemptions provided to goods used in renewable energy sector or imposing zero per cent (tax) rate on reneweables, so that it does not result in increasing Source:PTI in cost of renewable energy.

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PV MANUFACTURING

QSTec starts up its 8,000 MT polysilicon facility in Qatar From left to right: Mohamed Al Hammadi, Chief Project Officer, QSTec, Dr Khalid K. Al Hajri, Chairman & CEO, QSTec, Volker Kinzig, CEO, Sitec, Abdulla Al Buainain, Deputy Chief Project Officer, QSTec

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atar Solar Technologies (QSTec) announced that it had successfully produced its first polysilicon at its 8,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) manufacturing facility in Qatar.

QSTec, the largest polysilicon producer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with a plan to expand to over 50,000 MTPA, successfully commenced operations at its Ras Laffan Industrial City site. The activation of QSTec’s plant represents a major step forward for the MENA region’s solar industry.

The new facility is state of the art including a wide range of environmentally friendly technologies, next generation reactors, energy efficient cooling systems and advanced waste treatment facilities that recycle excess gasses and water for reuse in a closed loop system that reduces costs. In addition to this, QSTec’s new facility has a 1.1 megawatt solar installation that includes a ground mounted solar farm as well as rooftop and solar car parking shades and is a showcase of sustainability.

“As a global solar company, QSTec, and its shareholders, have a strong commitment to sustainability, environmental protection and to reducing greenhouse gasses and we have incorporated this into our polysilicon plant” explained Dr. Al Hajri.

“We all need to play a role in protecting our environment and we want to lead by example.”

Today, polysilicon is the key raw material used in 90% of the world’s solar modules. To this end, QSTec has made several strategic investments spanning the entire solar value chain, including the largest integrated solar module manufacturer in Europe and the United States of America, SolarWorld, as well as the world’s leading solar and semi-conductor technology company, Centrotherm.

As a result, QSTec has emerged as a globally integrated solar company, and together, these companies have formed a solar consortium of excellence with an aim to achieve greater efficiencies right across the solar industry.

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“The first polysilicon produced from our facility in Qatar represents a major milestone for QSTec and has paved the way for a solar manufacturing base to be established within the region” said QSTec’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Khalid K. Al Hajri. “This important achievement in the history of QSTec has been made possible by the continued support of all our shareholders, stakeholders, and the dedication and commitment to the success of the project from our QSTec team. We are now moving from the construction phase towards full scale production and it’s an incredibly exciting time for QSTec and the region’s solar industry.”

“QSTec has strategic investments across the solar value chain and a network of global partners that we can leverage for further growth” said Dr Al Hajri. “We have brought together high quality technologies, advanced R&D and expertise from polysilicon to manufacturing technologies, right through to integrated module production and the construction and development of large scale turn-key solar installations. The MENA region’s solar industry is forecast for high growth and QSTec is well positioned to meet this demand.”

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PV MANUFACTURING

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES Reports Successful Final Acceptance Test (FAT) of Processing Systems for Heterojunction Solar Cells SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES) has successfully completed the FAT of the wet-chemical process system SILEX II, which was delivered to the customer’s facility towards the end of last year. In July 2016,

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INGULUS TECHNOLOGIES had received orders to supply p r o d u c t i o n sy s t e m s f o r heterojunction solar cells from Russia’s largest photovoltaic manufacturer, Hevel LLC, Novocheboksarsk, Russia (Hevel). Hevel is converting its existing production line for a-Si thin-film solar modules to the production of new heterojunction, high-performance solar cells and modules. The agreement concluded the supply of the SILEX II production system for the wet-chemical processing of heterojunction solar cells as well as an extensive range of chemical supply units and facility infrastructure for the production of heterojunction solar cells.

INGULUS TECHNOLOGIES had received orders to supply p r o d u c t i o n sy s t e m s f o r heterojunction solar cells from Russia’s largest photovoltaic manufacturer, Hevel LLC, Novocheboksarsk, Russia (Hevel). Hevel is converting its existing production line for a-Si thin-film solar modules to the production of new heterojunction, high-performance solar cells and modules.

The agreement concluded the supply of the SILEX II production system for the wet-chemical processing of heterojunction solar cells as well as an extensive range of chemical supply units and facility infrastructure for the production of heterojunction solar cells.

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Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, CEO of SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG, commented: “We are very happy that Hevel directly achieved 21.75% cell efficiency after upgrading its a-Si thin-film production line to HJT technology. SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES has invested a huge amount in the further development of the SILEX II, and thanks to its high efficiency and modern engineering, we have successfully convinced a large number of customers to invest in the new heterojunction technology”. He continues: “Particularly when converting existing manufacturing lines for a-Si thin-film solar production to heterojunction solar cells, we can offer effective solutions with our wet processing system SILEX II and our production systems for PVD coating technology”.

The SILEX II supplied is a production system that transports four carriers with solar cells in parallel, thus offering a capacity in excess of 5,000 wafers per hour. The SILEX II with various processing baths uses newly developed ozone-based cleaning steps, the merits of which are short process times, versatility and ease of handling, along with very attractive low usage of chemicals. This process step plays a vital part in improving solar cell efficiency and cutting production costs. Following CE certification for the EU and Semi certification for the USA, the SILEX II has now also been granted TR CU certification for Russia.

Igor Shakhray, CEO of Hevel, added: “We are focusing on heterojunction technology both for the Russian market and export.

That’s why we are using new equipment to convert our existing production facility in Russia to produce high-performance solar cells and modules with an annual production output of around 160 megawatts”. Igor Shakhray continued: “The results with the SILEX II are very positive and better than expected.

We are delighted to be working in partnership with such an experienced provider of solar machinery and technology as SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES, which has Source:singulus fully met our expectations”.

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PV MANUFACTURING

NEXTracker to Expand Manufacturing in India NEXTracker™, a Flex company, announced recently it will be manufacturing additional structural components of its solar tracking systems locally in India. By augmenting its supply partners to include APL Apollo Tubes Limited along with four other local steel fabricators (already supplying foundation piers to NEXTracker and its customers in India), NEXTracker will be increasing its local steel content percentage to over 80% by volume and weight of its final product.

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ocalizing steel pipe manufacturing will reduce shipment time as much as 50%, reduces logistics costs, aligns closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Solar Mission and supports the Make in India program; a national campaign aimed to fuel high value manufacturing jobs, increase investment, and foster innovation.

Steel tubes and piers form the backbone of any solar tracking system, accounting for a sizable portion of the system’s structural cost and weight. Accordingly, NEXTracker sought a local high quality steel supplier for its torque tubes to support a rapidly growing market that seeks to have 100 GW of grid-tied solar by 2022.

Most of these systems will be ground-mounted and heavily dependent on high quality steel structures. NEXTracker’s demand has expanded rapidly in India with over 20 projects delivered or under fulfillment with six of India’s largest developers and EPCs. “Our India expansion reflects our strategy to regionalize manufacturing wherever possible to better serve our customers, accelerate project velocity, reduce risk and save on logistics costs. We’re excited to be expanding and accelerating India’s national Make in India program by way of our association with a leading value-added steel vendor,” noted Dan Shugar, NEXTracker’s CEO. “APL Apollo is a world class steel fabricator and their dedication to delivering the highest quality products is exceptional. We are additionally supporting our India customers through the engineering and logistics capabilities of NEXTracker’s Hyderabad office, which has doubled in size over the last year, and incorporating local requirements and standards into our products.”

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“We are proud to be working with NEXTracker, the global leader in tracker technology, to supply our superior steel products for solar parks and power plants in India,” said Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman APL Apollo Tubes Limited. “Their product has transformed the single-axis tracker landscape not only in India but around the world. At APL Apollo, we constantly evaluate and select the best technologies available and are confident to meet the growing and much needed Green Energy requirement in India.”

Economic growth, increasing prosperity, a growing rate of urbanization and rising per capita energy consumption has led to increased demand for energy in the country.

According to the Make in India program, India’s annual solar installations will grow to 10.5 gigawatts of utilityscale solar in 2017, and a growing percentage of developers now prefer single axis trackers, given their added energy yield advantage compared to fixed tilt structures. NEXTracker has been able to satisfy this growing demand as evidenced by NEXTracker’s market share growth. The Company’s recently commissioned projects with CleanMax Solar and Adani are milestones that demonstrate the growing adoption of solar trackers.

In fact, the largest solar tracker solar plant in Punjab (100 MW) was installed by Adani, and is powered by NEXTracker.

Providing customers with strategic material solutions allows NEXTracker to further shorten project timelines, amplifying the value the company is known for: providing reliable, intelligent tracking systems that spur the mainstreaming of solar power. With a self-tracking independent row design, NEXTracker delivers trackers for projects across five continents. In thinking globally and acting locally, NEXTracker enables rapid, economic and efficient deployment of solar energy and is accelerating India’s clean energy shift.

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30.2 Percent Efficiency – New Record for Silicon- based Multi-junction Solar Cell Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE together with the Austrian company EV Group (EVG) have successfully manufactured a silicon-based multi-junction solar cell with two contacts and an efficiency exceeding the theoretical limit of silicon solar cells.

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chievement, the researchers used a “direct wafer bonding” process to transfer a few micrometers of III-V semiconductor material to silicon, a well-known process in the microelectronics industry. After plasma activation, the subcell surfaces are bonded together in vacuum by applying pressure. The atoms on the surface of the III-V subcell form bonds with the silicon atoms, creating a monolithic device. The efficiency achieved by the researchers presents a firsttime result for this type of fully integrated silicon-based multi-junction solar cell. The complexity of its inner structure is not evident from its outer appearance: the cell has a simple front and rear contact just as a conventional silicon solar cell and therefore can be integrated into photovoltaic modules in the same manner.

A conversion efficiency of 30.2 percent for the III-V / Si multi-junction solar cell of 4 cm² was measured at Fraunhofer ISE’s calibration laboratory.

In comparison, the highest efficiency measured to date for a pure silicon solar cell is 26.3 percent, and the theoretical efficiency limit is 29.4 percent.

The III-V / Si multi-junction solar cell consists of a sequence of subcells stacked on top of each other. So-called “tunnel diodes” internally connect the three subcells made of gallium-indium-phosphide (GaInP), gallium-arsenide (GaAs)and silicon (Si), which span the absorption range of the sun’s spectrum.

The GaInP top cell absorbs radiation between 300 and 670 nm. The middle GaAs subcell absorbs radiation between 500 and 890 nm and the bottom Si subcell between 650 and 1180 nm, respectively. The III-V layers are first epitaxially deposited on a GaAs substrate and then bonded to a silicon solar cell structure. Subsequently the GaAs substrate is removed, and a front and rear contact as well as an antireflection coating are applied.

“Key to the success was to find a manufacturing process for silicon solar cells that produces a smooth and highly doped surface which is suitable for wafer bonding as well as accounts for the different needs of silicon and the applied III-V semiconductors,” explains Dr. Jan Benick, team leader at Fraunhofer ISE. “In developing the process, we relied on our decades of research experience in the development of highest efficiency silicon solar cells.”

Institute Director Prof. Eicke Weber expresses his delight: “I am pleased that Fraunhofer ISE has so convincingly succeeded in breaking through the glass ceiling of 30 percent efficiency with its fully integrated silicon-based solar cell with two contacts. With this achievement, we have opened the door for further efficiency improvements for cells based on the long-proven silicon material.”

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“The III-V / Si multi-junction solar cell is an impressive demonstration of the possibilities of our ComBond® cluster for resistance-free bonding of different semiconductors without the use of adhesives,” says Markus Wimplinger, Corporate Technology Development and IP Director of EV Group.

“Since 2012, we have been working closely with Fraunhofer ISE on this development and today are proud of our team’s excellent achievements.”

The direct wafer-bonding process is already used in the microelectronics industry to manufacture computer chips. On the way to the industrial manufacturing of III-V / Si multijunction solar cells, the costs of the III-V epitaxy and the connecting technology with silicon must be reduced. There are still great challenges to overcome in this area, which the Fraunhofer ISE researchers intend to solve through future investigations. Fraunhofer ISE’s new Center for High Efficiency Solar Cells, presently being constructed in Freiburg, will provide them with the perfect setting for developing nextgeneration III-V and silicon solar cell technologies. The ultimate objective is to make high efficiency solar PV modules with efficiencies of over 30 percent possible in the future.

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PV MANUFACTURING

Multi-si PERC Cell Reaches 19.9% Efficiency with Direct Wafer Technology Is there any other option except from black silicon for multi-si cells to increase conversion efficiency as well as to reduce production costs? 1366 Technology and Hanwha Q CELLS said YES. By adopting 1366’s Direct Wafer® technology with Q CELLS’ Q.ANTUM multi-si PERC platform, they successfully achieved 19.9% efficiency record.

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ono-si products’ advantages in price and power generation efficiency have gradually taken over multi-si products’ market share, while such a competition accelerates developments of multi-si technologies such as diamond-wire cut wafers and black silicon process. 1366, by taking another approach, uses the “kerfless” technology to innovate its Direct Wafer® solution, which creates multi-si wafers directly from polysilicon, slipping cast crucibles and coatings used in directional-solidified ingots.

Therefore, Direct Wafer® saves silicon material, processing energy and time consumptions.

Moving to mass production 1366 and Q CELLS’ cooperation have achieved 19.1% efficiency on multi-si Q.ANTUM PERC cells in November, 2015, and the record was further updated to 19.6% in November, 2016 and 19.9% in March, 2017. All the progresses were achieved by multi-si wafers made in 1366’s MA factory and cells manufactured in Q CELLS’ lab in Germany.

The 19.9% result was realized by 156mm drop-in wafers and was independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

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Mono-si products’ advantages in price and power generation efficiency have gradually taken over multi-si products’ market share, while such a competition accelerates developments of multi-si technologies such as diamond-wire cut wafers and black silicon process. 1366, by taking another approach, uses the “kerfless” technology to innovate its Direct Wafer® solution, which creates multi-si wafers directly from polysilicon, slipping cast crucibles and coatings used in directional-solidified ingots. Therefore, Direct Wafer® saves silicon material, processing energy and time consumptions.

MOVING TO MASS PRODUCTION 1366 and Q CELLS’ cooperation have achieved 19.1% efficiency on multi-si Q.ANTUM PERC cells in November, 2015, and the record was further updated to 19.6% in November, 2016 and 19.9% in March, 2017. All the progresses were achieved by multi-si wafers made in 1366’s MA factory and cells manufactured in Q CELLS’ lab in Germany. The 19.9% result was realized by 156mm drop-in wafers and was independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab.

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Tata Power Solar Expands and Modernises its Manufacturing Facility Keeping up with Government of India’s progressive ‘Make in India’ plan of domestic production with enhanced efficiency of a solar cells and modules,

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ata Power Solar, India’s largest integrated solar company, announced a significant expansion and modernisation of its cell and module manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. The two-stage expansion doubled the company’s module capacity to 400 from 200 MW, and increased its cell manufacturing capacity by 65 per cent from 180 to 300 MW. Tata Power Solar, as part of this process, modernised and fully automated its entire manufacturing facility.

The company was also able to ramp-up to full capacity in record time, significantly better than global benchmarks, owing to its highly skilled and trained team and also improve efficiency of its modules.

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his also validates our capability to manufacture solar panels and cells, comparable to the best in the world, and confidence of guaranteeing these products for 25 years of high quality performance.

Our pragmatic approach of continuous investment in technology has helped us stay relevant and sustain our leadership position in India for over 27 years.”

Tata Power Solar is rated tier-1 module manufacturer

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Talking about the expansion, Anil Sardana, Chairman, Tata Power Solar, said, “We are happy to see our team responding to Government of India’s call of ‘Make in India’. A robust domestic, qualitative manufacturing base is the backbone of any nation and is a strong foundation for long-term viability of sector. The gradual turnaround of the company and its expansion in capacity has been a hall mark achievement of Team Tata Power, when other sector players are still facing challenges of sustained economics.” This expansion, the second in less than three years, is a testimony to Tata Power Solar’s commitment to manufacturing, in line with India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.

The company, which is a pioneer in the Indian solar manufacturing space, has been known for its quality modules for 27 years and has one of the lowest warranty returns in the industry.

Ashish Khanna, Executive Director & CEO, Tata Power Solar, said, “This expansion and modernization has come on the backdrop of our landmark achievement on being the 1st Indian company to have shipped 1 GW modules worldwide.

We have again demonstrated our long-term commitment to manufacturing the best quality panels for our international as well as Indian clients.

by BNEF (Bloomberg New Energy Fund). They have shipped 1 GW modules to over 30 countries, of which more than 60% was shipped in the last five years. The Government’s renewable energy mission of 100 GW by 2022 has given significant impetus to the industry. There is a strong intent from the Government to promote domestic solar manufacturing and facilitate the sector’s growth through ‘Make in India’ cells and modules.

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Chandigarh 5th MAY 2017

HYATT REGENCY

SURYACON

With special focus on Rooftop Solar, Solar Parks, Offgrid Solar & Solar Applications For Sponsorship Opportunity

For Delegate Registration

GOURAV GARG gourav.garg@EQmag.net 093033 43777

ASHISH HARDIA ashish.eq@gmail.com 0731 4222268

ANAND GUPTA anand.gupta@EQmag.net 098262 44496

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RESEARCH

Weaker PV Demand in 1Q17 Results in Wait-and-See Mode for April: Price Trend

Wacker Is New Global Polysilicon Market Leader RANK 1 2 3 4 5

The PV market continued to witness weak demand in March, leading to lower-than-expected demand in 1Q17. Polysilicon prices started to decline slightly in mid-March. This week, the polysilicon market saw more significant decline in prices.

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ost top-tier polysilicon makers performed longterm contract production, resulting in less active price quote. The trading volume remained low, with the market being in wait-and-see mode.

The average trading price of polysilicon has dropped below RMB 130/kg this week and may decline further in April.

The wafer sector saw continuous decline in prices this week. The average trading price of super high-efficiency multi-Si wafers dropped substantially to below US$ 0.60/pc this week, while that of high-efficiency multi-Si wafers declined RMB 0.02-0.03/pc to RMB 4.7-4.8/pc. Last week, the price gap between super high-efficiency and highefficiency wafers reached US$ 0.03/pc, but there’s barely any price gap between the two this week.

The sales of multi-Si wafers this week was similar to polysilicon, with the trading volume remaining low. In addition, the inventory level has slowly piled up for multi-Si wafers. Order visibility also remained unclear for April. For mono-Si wafers, prices stayed flat and will continue to remain stable in April.

The cell market witnessed stable prices but weak demand this week. The average trading price of cells reached US$ 0.20/W. Since multi-Si wafer prices may decline in April, cell maker’s price pressure will be alleviated. Taiwanese manufacturers may be able to raise their capacity utilization rates. For monoSi cells, due to the continuous short supply, some manufacturers have begun to produce multi-Si PERC cells in order to increase PERC capacity utilization rates. Module prices stayed flat. But due to weak end-user demand, the module market held conservative attitude. Module makers hope demand may increase in April owing to China’s installation boom before June 30th.

COMPANY Wacker Chemie Jiangsu Zhongneng (GCL-Poly) OCI Company Hemlock Semiconductor Xinte Energy (TBEA)

The German chemicals group Wacker Chemie AG has become the world’s largest manufacturer of polysilicon, the feedstock for semiconductors and solar cells. With a production volume of more than 70,000 metric tons (MT) in 2016, Wacker superseded Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon, a subsidiary of GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. in China, which produced 69,345 MT. Jiangsu Zhongneng was the number one from 2013 through 2015.

“Wacker has benefitted from the smooth ramp-up of its new polysilicon plant in Tennessee (USA) while GCL-Poly’s bet on low-cost fluidized bed reactor technology for producing polysilicon granules has not paid off,” comments Johannes Bernreuter, head of the polysilicon market research firm Bernreuter Research and author of the Polysilicon Market Outlook 2020.

Source:energytrend

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RESEARCH

NEXTracker and Array Technologies Reign Supreme in Global PV Tracker Market, IHS Markit Says

Camron Barati, North America solar IHS Market Analyst

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acker’s new plant has an annual capacity of 20,000 MT, thus bringing the company’s total polysilicon production capacity to 80,000 MT. It is almost completely based on the established Siemens process; only a small semicommercial facility in Burghausen (Germany) with an annual capacity of 650 MT has been using fluidized bed reactor (FBR) technology since 2009. In contrast, GCL-Poly has tried to expand its existing Siemens reactor capacity of approx. 76,000 MT by a large 25,000 MT FBR plant, but the project has encountered technical difficulties.

FORMER MARKET LEADER HEMLOCK SEMICONDUCTOR HAS LOST ACCESS TO CHINA

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or years, the number one position in the polysilicon industry was the domain of US-based manufacturer Hemlock Semiconductor, which was the world market leader from 1994 through 2011. “Hemlock lost its place in the sun in 2012 when new management changed course and began to insist on the high polysilicon prices fixed in long-term contracts with its customers,” explains Bernreuter. “Above all, however, the prohibitive duties that China introduced on polysilicon imports from the USA in 2013 have diminished the accessible market for the company considerably.” According to preliminary estimates of Bernreuter Research, Hemlock came in on the number four spot in the 2016 manufacturers’ ranking. REC Silicon, the other large US-based polysilicon producer, even dropped out of the top ten.

WACKER WILL REMAIN THE NUMBER ONE FOR AT LEAST A FEW YEARS

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acker already occupied the top position for one year in 2012, but fell back to number two in 2013 as GCL-Poly’s aggressive expansion strategy made an impact at the time. In view of GCL’s failed FBR ambitions, however, Bernreuter expects that Wacker’s second ascent to the top will be more than a one-year intermezzo: “Wacker will remain the number one for at least a few years until GCL-Poly has established new Siemens reactor capacity in Xinjiang.” Analysis and forecast of production volumes and market shares of the top ten polysilicon manufacturers through 2020 are provided in The Polysilicon Market Outlook 2020. The 70-page report contains bottom-up scenarios of supply and demand, detailed forecasts of polysilicon prices and manufacturing costs through 2020 as well as the latest development of FBR technology.

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Cormac Gilligan, solar supply chain IHS Market Analyst

EXTracker and Array Technologies remain far and away the leading suppliers of PV tracker systems globally, in addition to being leading suppliers of PV structural equipment in general. Vertically integrated suppliers First Solar and SunPower notably lost market share in 2016. This has coincided with First Solar’s announcement to downsize its EPC business and to exit the structures market in 2016. Convert Italia and Arctech have risen into the top five, finding success in emerging tracker markets outside of the United States in Latin America, the EMEA region, and India. In the United States - the largest market for PV tracker products globally - Soltec, GameChange Solar, and Sunlink were the winners in terms of growth in the market outside of the big two (NEXTracker and Array Technologies).

ANALYSIS

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f the top 10 suppliers, distributed systems accounted for two thirds of shipped products, while one third was accounted for by centralized solutions, with NEXTracker and Array Technologies leading each product category respectively. Leading tracker suppliers found success by continuing to dominate in the US market, but with the market slowing down in 2017, developing international markets for trackers will be key for maintaining growth, along with developing niche solutions for small-scale applications and sites with less than ideal land types (uneven terrain, obstructions, etc.)

For international growth, look to Latin American markets such as Brazil and Mexico, EMEA markets such as Turkey and Jordan, and Asian markets such as India and Australia.

Source:bernreuter

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

New Development Bank and European Investment Bank Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Structure Future Cooperation New Development Bank and European Investment Bank has signed on 1st April 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding to structure future cooperation between the two institutions. The MoU was signed by Mr. K.V. Kamath, the President of the NDB and Mr. Werner Hoyer, the President of EIB on the sidelines of the NDB Second Annual Meeting in New Delhi, India.

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8 EIB President Mr. Werner Hoyer With Mr. K.V. Kamath, President NDB

ccording to the MoU, the NDB and EIB intend to explore cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, environment, and sustainable development projects in accordance with their respective mandates and policies. The two banks will seek to co-finance projects of mutual interest in eligible countries, including projects that contribute to the enhancing of sustainable infrastructure as well as engage in other initiatives.

“I am pleased to sign this Memorandum of Understanding together with EIB President Mr. Werner Hoyer. We greatly appreciate the support offered by EIB during the formation stage of NDB and look forward to further advancing our cooperation,” said Mr. K.V. Kamath, President NDB. “The MoU structures our cooperation and lays the groundwork for working together for many years ahead. Collaboration between NDB and EIB will improve the ability of both banks to meet the expectations of their respective member states,” he added.

“Establishing partnerships with key national and global institutions is essential for NDB in order to provide the best possible products and services to our members. We will strive to make a positive difference by complementing the efforts of other multilateral development banks, including EIB,” said Mr. K.V.Kamath.

“Strengthened cooperation, enhanced knowledge sharing and stronger institutional and operational collaboration between leading international financial institutions is crucial to develop synergies and more effectively unlock new investment that improves people’s lives and transforms economic opportunities.

The European Investment Bank and New Development Bank have worked closely during the formation stage of

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the NDB and we look forward to building on this track record to jointly back transformational infrastructure around the world. As the EU Bank, we share the New Development Bank’s commitment to support sustainable development and climate related investment. We look forward to enhancing this partnership in the years ahead,” highlighted Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank.

Background information

The New Development Bank was created with an objective of financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries. The Bank will complement the efforts of other financial institutions and establish a network of global, regional and local partnerships with multilateral and national development banks as well as other institutions and market players.

The NDB Second Annual Meeting is held in New Delhi, India. At the meeting, the management of the Bank provided an update on its work. In 2016, the Board of Directors of the Bank approved loans involving financial assistance of over USD 1.5 bln for projects in the areas of green and renewable energy, and transportation. All projects are coherent with the Bank’s mandate of supporting infrastructure and sustainable development projects. The approved projects will support the creation of about 1500 MW of renewable energy capacity and are estimated to result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by over 4 million tons per year.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the longterm lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

India, UK to set up 500 mn pound First EIB South Asia office fund to finance green energy opened in India The European Investment Bank’s first permanent office in India was opened yesterday.

F India and the UK today decided to set up a 500 million pound fund, with both governments together investing 240 million pound, to finance clean energy projects here.

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inance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the new EIB Regional Representation for South Asia in New Delhi. The new office will be located with the European Union Delegation to India in Shanti Niketan in New Delhi, Bureaucracy Today has learnt. At the opening of the European Investment Bank Regional Representation new contracts totalling EUR 450 million were agreed that will support sustainable transport and renewable energy investment in India. This includes a new EUR 250 million for construction of the Lucknow Metro that represents second tranche of a total EUR 450 million backing for the project.

he fund will be set up as a sub-fund of the Rs 40,000 crore National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), which was formed in 2015 to finance greenfield as well as brownfield projects. While India and the UK will be the anchor investors to the ‘Green Growth Equity Fund’ and invest 120 million pound each, the remaining 260 million pound has to come in from private investors.

“Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to anchor invest up to 120 million pound each in the joint fund which aims to raise around 500 million pound and has the potential to unlock much more in future,” Joint statement issued after the 9th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue here.The fund will focus initial investments on India’s rapidly growing energy and renewable market and a fund manager is expected “to be selected by the autumn”, which is by the middle of 2017. “Our first major step in the fund (NIIF) has been taken and there is going to be a sub-fund,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said after a meeting with UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.

The joint statement further said the fund will also identify other sectors for future investments. “This is going to be the first major beginning as far as the fund is concerned,” Jaitley said.

In December 2015, the government set up the NIIF as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects. While government investment in the fund will be restricted to 49 per cent, private domestic and foreign investors can hold the remaining 51 per cent. These investors can invest in the umbrella fund or smaller sector or project-specific funds within it. Last year, the government had announced that it is in the process of setting up two sub-funds under NIIF — one, the clean energy fund which will primarily focus on renewable energy, and another with focus on highway projects.

A EUR 200 million loan to the State Bank of India to finance construction of new large scale solar power schemes across the country was also signed at the office opening.

The European Investment Bank has supported long-term investment across India for more than 20 years.Opening of the EIB New Delhi office will unlock new opportunities for the European Investment Bank to support transformational investment and broader activities across South Asia.The EIB’s decision to open an office in New Delhi is a confirmation of the European Union’s growing engagement with India. In recent years the EIB has supported sustainable transport, renewable energy, small business and industrial investment across India.

The European Investment Bank has provided more than EUR 1.7 billion for long-term investment in India since the first operation in 1993. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met a high level delegation of the European Investment Bank a year ago at the EU-India summit and promised support for establishment of the bank’s regional office in Delhi.

Source PTI

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

World Bank Board Approves US$100 million for Large-Scale Solar Parks in India The World Bank Board today approved US$100 million to help India increase its power generation capacity through cleaner, renewable energy sources. The Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project will establish large scale solar parks in the country and support the Government of India’s plans to install 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power out of a total renewable-energy target of 175 GW by 2022.

“India’s goal of scaling up the provision of clean energy will require a vibrant market for solar investments,” The challenge for this project is to go beyond investments; it is to deepen the solar market,” he added.

Mr.Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India.

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he project will finance the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), to provide sub-loans to select states to invest in various solar parks that are included in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) Solar Park Scheme.The first two solar parks to be supported under the project are in the Rewa and Mandsaur districts of Madhya Pradesh, with targeted installed capacities of 750 MW and 250 MW, respectively. In addition, other states where potential solar parks could be supported under this project are in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana.

IREDA will utilize the funding under this project to develop the common infrastructure such as power pooling substations, intra-park transmission infrastructure and provide access to roads, water supply and drainage, among others. While some states intend to provide a full range of infrastructure services to the selected private or public sector developers, others plan to provide only pooling stations to facilitate internal evacuation. This, in turn, is expected to facilitate solar power investment by the selected developers in support of the Government of India’s efforts to increase the share of electricity that comes from renewable

energy. With about 314 GW of installed capacity, India’s power system is among the largest in the world. Yet per capita electricity consumption is less than one-third of the global average. An estimated 300 million people are not connected to the national electrical grid. With a rapidly growing economy the need for reliable power is only going to grow. This project will facilitate increase in electricity generated in solar parks and add to India’s clean power generation capacity.

This project is one in a series of engagements requested by the Government of India from the World Bank in the solar power sector. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is actively supporting some of these selected solar parks in Madhya Pradesh and now in Odisha. By assisting the government in the REWA project, IFC has demonstrated that robust project design, innovative de-risking and contract structuring can help attract global investors to the project. With important outcomes of open access, large scale and grid parity, the REWA solar project paves the way for many more large-scale solar projects in the country,

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Oriano Solar to raise Rs 20 Cr from SIDBI Ventures’s Samridhi fund Mr.Jun Zhang, IFC India Country Head.“IFC

” pleased to participate in India’s ambitious solar power agenda to address the country’s energy needs. To achieve this, large scale solar projects have to be bankable.

To achieve India’s solar energy targets by 2022, another focus area would be in building the capacity of IREDA and the project implementing agencies of those states where the solar parks are to be located. Support under the project will be provided in human resource and business planning, project monitoring, procurement and contract management, environmental and social safeguards and financial management, among others.

Mr.Jun Zhang, IFC India Country Head.“IFC

“Through this engagement, it is expected that the investments will boost market confidence, enable demonstration of economies of scale in large-scale gridconnected solar generation, contribute towards pushing down equipment and transaction costs, increase efficiency while reducing unit costs of solar power, and catalyze further support from other investor groups to help India achieve its ambitious target of installing 100 GW of solar power capacity by 2022,” said Surbhi Goyal, Senior Energy Specialist and World Bank’s

The US$75 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years.

The US$23 million loan from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) has a 10-year grace period, and a maturity of 40 years. The US$2 million is an interest-free CTF grant.

Source:worldbank

Samridhi Fund, a Rs 450 crore fund owned by the private investment arm of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has agreed to make a Rs 20-crore investment in Mumbai-based solar installation startup Oriano Solar.

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he Series A investment comprises a mix of debt and debenture and, according to Oriano Solar chief executive Sachin Jain, SIDBI Ventures is keen to invest another $1.5 million (Rs 9.75 crore) depending on the growth of the company. Oriano Solar, incorporated in June 2015, specialises in turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contracts for utility-scale solar power plants, solar farms and rooftop projects.

The startup, chasing a revenue target of Rs 200 crore in FY18, will use the funds to finance working capital requirements and expand its 45-member team by adding at least 25 people in business development and technology. The company is set to cross Rs 50 crore in revenue in this fiscal year, up from around Rs 5 crore last year.

“Meeting working capital requirements is the biggest challenge for startups in this space, especially since margins are thin and clients mostly do not make upfront payments,“ Jain said. The projects the company undertakes typically range from 1 megawatt to 10-20 MW. These require 440 acres of land and cost Rs 4 crore to Rs 40 crore, he said. Oriano Solar chief executive Sachin Jain, SIDBI Oriano Solar was founded by Jain, Yeshwant Rao and Sameer V Shah. The company, which competes with Sterling & Wilson, Tata Power and Azure Power, lists Amway, Honda, Cipla, SunEdison and Hindustan Petroleum Corp among its clients.

Source:ET

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Ostro Energy plans $250 million bond issue

ADB approves $175 million loan to Power Grid Corp

Ostro Energy Pvt. Ltd, the renewable energy platform set up by private equity firm Actis, plans to raise $250 million by selling bonds overseas, two people aware of the development said. The Delhi-based firm is in the process of hiring bankers for the bond sale.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 175 million loan to Power Grid Corporation to expand its solar energy transmission network in the country.

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stro plans to build a 1,000 megawatt (MW) portfolio of renewable energy projects by 2019.

“The money will be used for greenfield projects and reducing debt,” said one of the two people, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity.

Currently, over 350 MW of Ostro’s wind and solar projects are contracted out and under active construction across Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It has a commissioned capacity of 234 MW of wind projects in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

In Actis committed $230 million to create a renewable energy platform in India—Ostro Energy—and hired Ranjit Gupta as chief executive officer. Gupta was the co-founder of renewable energy company Orange Powergen and founding CEO of Indiabulls Power in 2007.

Ostro Energy is the fifth such energy platform that Actis has created, following Globeleq Meso America in Central America, Zuma Energia in Mexico, Aela Energia in Chile and Atlantic Renovaveis in Brazil.

“The Ostro platform of Actis has a debt of around Rs1,700-1,800 crore.

Through a bond issuance they are looking at replacing part of the rupee debt with lower cost dollar debt. They have a significant capacity that will be coming online in the next quarter, which will improve their cash flows and make the platform more attractive to go for a bond issuance,” said the second of the people cited earlier.

Sanjiv Aggarwal, partner, energy, at Actis declined to comment,

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he project funding will improve the capacity and efficiency of interstate transmission networks, particularly in transmitting the electricity generated from new solar parks to the national grid, an ADB statement said. Apart from the evacuation of 2,500 megawatts of power from solar parks in Bhadla, Rajasthan, and 700 MW from Banaskantha, Gujarat, Power Grid is also including two additional sub projects, it said.

These two sub projects will increase solar power generation by 4.2 gigawatt and lessen carbon emissions by over 7 million tonnes every year, the statement said. ADB said as part of the assistance, it will also provide a USD 50 million cofinancing loan from Clean Technology Fund -a USD 5.8 billion component of the Climate Investment Funds. The Climate Investment Fund is aimed at providing developing countries resources to expand efforts in utilising low carbon technologies and transitioning to clean, renewable energy sources. ADB said the solar transmission sector project is also the first project to be implemented following usage of agency level country safeguards and procurement systems for Power Grid to speed up processes. It will also provide autonomy and ownership of the project.

“India, with its mandate of achieving a more sustainable future, is leading the lines in achieving energy security while increasing energy capacity and supply through renewable sources such as solar energy,” said Kaoru Ogino, an ADB Principal Energy Specialist.Manila-headquartered ADB provides loans at concessional rates to countries to Asia to reduce poverty and help inclusive growth.

Source:PTI

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Sembcorp Says India Payment Delays Raising Developer Costs Sembcorp Industries Ltd. said recurring payment delays by Indian electricity retailers are piling on costs to operators and are bad for the renewable power business it wants to build.

Payment delays risk “affecting development of the sector,” in an interview in New Delhi. The local unit of the Singaporean conglomerate, which last month won an auction to supply wind power in India, - Mr. Vipul Tuli, already has $4 billion of Chief Executive Officer, energy assets in the country.

Sembcorp India Indian risks have made Semborp “conservative with investments in renewables,” Tuli said. Payment “delays of 6-12 months are common” which tacks on about 8 percent of additional costs, he said.

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ayment delays risk “affecting development of the sector,” Sembcorp India Chief Executive Officer Vipul Tuli said in an interview in New Delhi. The local unit of the Singaporean conglomerate, which last month won an auction to supply wind power in India, already has $4 billion of energy assets in the country. Indian risks have made Semborp “conservative with investments in renewables,” Tuli said. Payment “delays of 6-12 months are common” which tacks on about 8 percent of additional costs, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greenpower ambitions are at risk as state-run power retailers are not able to buy enough power and have run behind on payments to domestic and overseas clean-energy companies.

Their debts run to several hundred million dollars. Payment delays have prevented operators from passing on the declining cost of generating renewable power to consumers, according to Tuli. Sembcorp’s Indian unit, Green Infra Wind Energy Ltd., was one of five winners at a Feb. 24 auction that drove wind power prices to a record low 3.46 rupees (5 U.S. cents) a kilowatt-hour. With bigger projects coming up for bidding, Sembcorp could end up adding more capacities annually, Tuli said.

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Investments Needed If renewable energy operators get payments, the industry will be able to lower tariffs, Tuli said.

Otherwise, tariffs will remain higher because companies need to factor in higher receivables over longer periods of time, he said. India is the largest contributor to Sembcorp’s global power portfolio with 900 megawatts of renewables and 2.6 gigawatts of coal. The company wants to maintain its mix of thermal and clean power in India and aims for more than a quarter of generation to be renewable, Tuli said. Sembcorp also owns power projects in Singapore, China, Vietnam and the Middle East. Ten-year average returns across all energy sectors — coal, renewables, oil and gas — are below the cost of capital, which is making it difficult to add new capacity in a sector that needs massive new investments, according to Tuli. Returns on average for the industry are 2-3 percentage points below the cost of capital, he said.

“A year ago we would have looked at adding about 250 megawatts of renewables to our portfolio every year but now it would be about 150 megawatts,” he said.

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European Investment Bank confirms EUR 200 million long-term loan to State Bank of India to support Indian large scale solar projects The European Investment Bank recently confirmed new support for solar power generation in India in partnership with the State Bank of India. The EUR 200 million (INR1,400 Crores) long-term loan will support total investment of EUR 650 million in five different large-scale photo-voltaic solar power projects and contribute to India’s National Solar mission and reduce dependence on fossil fuel power generation.

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our schemes across the country, with a generation capacity of 530 MWac, have already been identified. The European Investment Bank is one of the world’s largest lenders for renewable energy investment and this new initiative represents the EIB’s largest ever support for solar power in Asia.

Owned by the 28 members states of the European Union the European Investment Bank is the world’s largest international public bank.

The loan agreement was formally announced in New Delhi ahead of the inauguration of the first permanent presence in India of the European Investment Bank by Finance Minister Jaitley, European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer and Vice President Andrew McDowell, responsible operations in India and South Asia.

Mr. B Sriram Managing Director, State Bank of India

“The new cooperation between the State Bank of India and the European Investment Bank will scale up investment in large scale solar power generation across India. Close cooperation between technical and financial teams from both institutions will ensure that world class projects are supported.” highlighted “Large scale investment in renewable power is essential to enhance affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.

“The European Investment Bank is pleased to strengthen our close partnership with the State Bank of India to support world class solar energy developments that will make a significant contribution to India’s ambitious renewable energy goals. Unlocking new investment in large scale solar generation is crucial to ensure that renewable energy plays a leading role in India’s energy mix in the years Mr. Andrew McDowel Vice President, European ahead. This new project reflects the shared commitment of India and the European Union Investment Bank to tackle climate change and implement the Paris Climate Agreement.” speaking at the start of a four day official visit to India.

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The EUR 200 million 20 year long-term European Investment Bank loan will support individual projects following technical and financial due diligence. It is expected that projects in Telangana and Tamil Nadu states, and elsewhere in the country, will be backed by the new initiative. The European Investment Bank will support investment in individual solar projects alongside financing from Indian banks and project promoters.

The entire process of arranging the loan was facilitated by SBI’s subsidiary, SBI Capital Markets.

“This new initiative demonstrates the European Investment Bank’s commitment to support climate related investment and sustainable development around the world and here in Asia. We are pleased to highlight the importance of this project and renewable energy investment in India at the opening of our new Representation to South Asia in New Delhi.” added Vice President McDowell.

Whilst in the country the high-level European Investment Bank delegation will meet the Managing Directors of the India Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and India Infrastructure Finance Limited (IIFL) to discuss future support for renewable energy investment in India. The European Investment Bank has financed projects totalling EUR 1.7 billion (approx.INR 11,900 crores) in India since 1993. Last year the European Investment Bank Group provided EUR 84 billion to finance new investment around the world, including EUR 19.6 billion for climate related investment.

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Ireda to sanction Rs 13,000 cr loans for renewables in FY18 State-run Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (Ireda) will sanction Rs 13,000 crore for clean energy projects next fiscal in the country, vying for around 20 per cent of the loan market share. With the government aiming at adding around 15 to 16 GW of clean energy projects, including solar and wind, there would be total credit market size of around Rs 65,000 crore.

“We have planned to sanction around Rs 13,000 crore credit to clean energy project developers in the country in next financial year, which would be around 20 per cent of the market share,” IREDA Chairman K S Popli said. He added IREDA would be able to release around Rs 8,000 crore for these clean energy projects in country.

Ireda has sanctioned around Rs 37,000 crore of credit for clean energy projects in the country so far and has released around Rs 28,000 crore to developers, which aids generation capacity of around 7,000 MW.Elaborating further, Popli said, “The same amount of credit would be able to aid larger green capacities as the cost of clean energy equipment was quite high in earlier days.”

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he lower cost of equipment and lower borrowing charges have already pulled down solar energy tariff to all time low of Rs 2.97 per unit last month.The wind power tariff has too dropped to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an auction of 1,000 MW capacity conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The loan sanctions by Ireda have grown from Rs 826 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 7,806 crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 32 per cent and expected to cross Rs 10,000 crore during this fiscal.

Similarly, the loan disbursements have grown from Rs 553 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 4,257 crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 29 per cent and is likely to cross Rs 6,000 crore in the financial year 2016-17.The net profit of the company has increased from Rs 47.96 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 298.04 crore in 2015-16. In order to give more wings to Ireda’s ambitious plans to finance clean energy projects, its board has approved initial public offer proposal of Rs 13.90 crore fresh equity share with face value of Rs 10 each during February 2017. The

initiative would help Ireda to increase its net worth facilitating lending to larger projects.

The fresh issue of share shall be at price to be determined through a book building process.The IPO process is expected to be completed within six months from the date of approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). As soon as the

necessary approvals are in place, Ireda shall approach the market and there is no question of wait by the agency for the market to stabilise before approaching the bourses, the official said.Though several commercial banks and financial institutions have forayed into clean energy financing, Ireda has been successfully maintaining its substantial share of the renewable market.

Now, the other big players in the green energy finance market next fiscal would be state-run Power Finance Corp and Rural Electrification Corp, which are likely to have substantial share in the segment.

Source:PTI

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We plan to disburse Rs 75,000 crore worth of loan next fiscal - MR. P V Ramesh, CMD, REC Where do you visualize most of the future investments from REC being directed?

What are the areas of work REC is currently focussing on?

REC’s mandate has been expanded from rural electrification to cover the entire value chain of the power sector. We are also the nodal agency for some of the government programmes including DDUGJY, Power for All and UDAY. Our strategy is to build on these trends and become a premiere financing entity which is working across the value chain having close relations which the state governments, state utilities, private sector and the renewable energy sector. For an organisation that disburses close to Rs 50,000 crores a year, it has less than 600 employees and 18 offices across the country.

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Our big investments in the days ahead would be in distribution organisations where a lot of investment is required.

This would catalyse what is happening in DDUGJY. One needs to strengthen the infrastructure of the distribution system and modernise it. One big investment would come when discoms become more efficient, profitable and self-reliant. They will be able to have greater fiscal space for increased borrowing capacity. The second big area is transmission. Interstate transmission is being modernised. This requires big investments because ultimately we need transmission infrastructure to take power from generation to states. The third area is renewables – both solar, wind and the associated evacuation system. The fourth area is old thermal power systems that have outlived their utility and need to be refurbished. So, that could be a good business opportunity.

Do you have any prior experience here or would this be a new area of business REC would foray into?

We would be financing this for the first time. These are replacements for antique power stations. We also intend to look at the opportunities of coal block development because we want to work in both downstream and upstream segments. Other new area of focus is energy efficnecy devices — financing the manufacturers and give a boost to Make in India. These are certain areas where we propose to look into in the

future and see how we can expand our business. We also want to upgrade the National Power Institute in Hyderabad and make it a world-class institute. We also have two subsidiaries RECTPCL and RECDPCL which are currently engaged in the core business of providing consultancy services, preparing DPRs, project monitoring etc. We are leveraging these subsidiaries to give services to state discoms. This includes consultancy services, handholding services, helping the state governments in processing, procurement, project management etc.

Is this diversification strategy stemming from the slowdown in the new thermal capacity creation?

The CEA recently said no new thermal projects will come up in the next five years.

That is an inevitable direction in which everybody is moving. We already have a capacity of 310,000 Megawatt. But the peak capacity operates at 165,000 Mw. There is a mismatch there. Also, there is a lot of hydro potential that remains untapped. And if we can tap that, a lot of hydro power, which is clean and green, can be generated and that would be a perfect complement to solar. So, all these things can be harmonised in a much more effective and efficient way. But in the state sector, thermal capacity which came up in the 80s to the tune of almost 15,000-20,000 MW that is waiting to be replaced. That will be a very big business opportunity. The government is not talking about totally dispensing the thermal asset but making them much more efficient. That is the direction in which technology is also moving. Also, given the fact that there are

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also big scientific breakthroughs in storage capacities and electrical vehicles. These are the areas where the future lies.

In the next 4-5 years, major breakthroughs are expected in storage capacities. It would disrupt everything we are talking about right now and then the role of fossil fuels would be much less. We want to position ourselves not for today’s India but for tomorrow.

Have you earmarked any new investments for the new ventures?

borrowing cheap at the right time at the right place and lend to the right client at the right price.

Have your margins been affected due to the fall in the demand and the apparent slowdown?

If you look at our loan book, our sanctions and disbursements have had a robust growth. If not exponential, at least fairly decent growth – about 10 per cent.

Are you happy with that?

We are working with our clients – state governments, power utilities, discoms — and looking at their capex and opex plans.

We are asking discoms to share their plans for investment requirement and financing in order to deliver quality, reliable, affordable power services for all by 2022.

That would be not just financing but also value added services such as preparing a DPR. I have already visited nine states in the last 82 days and I have already signed four MoUs in four states and some more are in the pipeline. If the states need finances to provide quality power services, they will borrow from REC. This will also lead to a predictable cash flow management for us. I can be more efficient in terms of my resource mobilisation, clients and disbursement plans. And we are doing similar things with renewable energy players. I have had a roundtable discussion with them on how to tailor the financing so their needs can be met.

No, I am not. I would like to see my sanctions grow 20% in the next few year. I want to double the business in the next five years. So, 20% is a reasonable rate of growth. We are looking at disbursements of close to Rs 55,000 crore this year. We want to disburse about Rs 75,000 crore next year.

That depends not only on project sanctions but also on project implementation. But this is doable.

What is your view on the recent trends in the movement of interest rates?

How do you visualize the lending mix for renewables and thermal power portfolio going ahead?

Interest rates have come down because The Reserve Bank has cut rates because of inflation stability, benchmarking etc. I do not foresee the interest rates to go down in the near future.

The reason is both domestic and international. The FED has increased its rates and it has also said it will further raise its rates by double if not triple. One cannot stay insulated from what happens at the Federal Reserve. However, our interest rates alone do not determine profitability. REC’s profitability is determined by how efficiently we manage our finances -

Generation is currently around 45 per cent of the overall portfolio and Renewable is about 2-3 per cent. Similarly, the private sector accounts for 16-17 per cent and 80-83 per cent comes from is the state sector. We expect renewables to double certainly to about 4-5 per cent of my entire portfolio — entire asset of about Rs 2 lakh crore. In the medium term, it should be about 20 per cent of lending. So, next year if our disbursement is around Rs 70,000 crores, renewable should be around Rs 10-12 crore.

Source:ET

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What is the borrowing plan for the next financial year?

Our borrowing will be higher than the current year. This year, we got prepayments because of UDAY, we got about Rs 34,000 crores which otherwise would not have come. So, next year we will have to borrow about Rs 55,000-60,000 crores. Normally, our norm is to borrow around $1 billion from overseas and $9-10 billion domestically. That is what I expect.

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Atria Power in talks to raise $100 mN in structured debt from Piramal

“ Atria Power Corp. Ltd, a Bengaluru-based renewable power producer, is in talks with Piramal Group to raise structured debt worth $100 million, two people aware of the development said.Atria, which is backed by marquee investor GE Energy Financial Services, an affiliate of General Electric Co., is seeking to expand capacity and repay investors with the proceeds, one of the two said on condition of anonymity.

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he finance will be extended by Piramal Enterprises Ltd’s structured finance group (SFG).Atria Power runs wind, hydro and solar power projects.Its wind power projects include a 50 megawatt (MW) plant at Kukru, Madhya Pradesh; a 25.5MW unit in Andhra Pradesh; and a 50MW plant at Kayathar, Tamil Nadu.

It generates 46.6MW from mini hydro power plants in Shimsha, Shivanasamudram, and Krishna Raja Sagara in Karnataka.

Upcoming solar energy projects are a 20MW plant in Ryapte, and a 10MW plant near Pavagada.Both of these solar energy projects are in the southern state of Karnataka.

In October, Atria awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 130MW solar projects in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to Spain-based renewable energy developer Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica, SA. Piramal Enterprises Ltd has provided $120 million worth structured financing to solar power producer ACME Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd and $132 million to Essel Infrastructure Ltd’s solar platform through its various funds. Its structured finance group, the nonreal estate lending business, has assets under management worth Rs35,000 crore, which includes gross outstanding loans and third-party funds under management.

As M&A activity rises in solar sector, Macqu arie plans to buy assets from HPPPL

As investments in the solar sector see an upsurge, this renewable space is looking at more merger and acquisition (M&A) activities

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recent addition to this is the plan of Macquarie Infrastructure buying a 320 megawatt (MW) portfolio of solar assets from Hindustan Power Projects (HPPPL), reports Mint.

The sale will benefit both HPPPL and Macquarie as the former will be valued at USD 300 million after the purchase and the latter will get an opportunity to launch an energy platform in India. HPPPL will also leverage this acquisition by using the funds raised to cut down its debt and for the development of the company’s pipeline of renewable energy projects.

Sources say that Macquarie Infrastructure is also looking at the option of buying more 50MW of assets from HPPPL.The company, which has developed solar farms across the country, has a target to reach 2 gigawatts (GW) in total solar capacity by 2017.

Source:moneycontrol

Source:livemint

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Russian firms invest $80m in solar power project

Greenko Energy raises $155 million from GIC, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Renewable energy firm Greenko Energy Holdings has on Monday announced raising $155m (nearly Rs 1,010 crore) from global investment firm GIC and an arm of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

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iyota Power India, a joint venture of two Russian firms, has tied up with Chennaibased Al Ameen Green Energy for setting up 100 MW solar power plant near Virudhunagar. Miyota Power would be investing $80 million in the project.

Miyota Power India is formed of two Russian firms, State-owned JSC Minneftegasstroi, which is into construction of oil pipelines and gas processing plants, and Akis Tech, which specialises in project development, financing and operations and maintenance of power projects.

The Virudhunagar project would be executed fully by the end of 2017, in four phases. During the first three phases, the installation of 25 MW, 15 MW, and 9 MW capacities will be completed respectively. The remaining 51 MW capacity will be added during the fourth stage. The connection to the grid will happen in phases.

The agreement between Miyota Power India and Al Ameen Green Energy was signed at the recent trade show in Chennai.

n a statement, Greenko said it has signed a definitive agreement with investors wherein GIC is investing $123.9 million, while the balance $31.1 million is being invested by the ADIA’s subsidiary.

Following this fresh investment, GIC continues to be the majority shareholder. Greenko said it would deploy the equity funds towards continued growth of platform through the development of new renewable energy projects, including recently acquired solar projects and low-risk expansions of existing wind farms.

The company “The transaction further demonstrates Greenko’s continued ability to attract long-term infrastructure capital and commitment from the existing shareholders on business.”

Hyderabad headquartered Greenko, a leading owner and operator of renewable energy assets in India, is currently operating a diversified renewable energy portfolio of over 2,000 MW of wind, solar and small hydro assets.

“With our attractive diversified and de-risked renewable power portfolio operating utilising latest efficient technologies, we will continue to demonstrate our execution capabilities to reach our vision to be the most admired independent power producer that will deliver gigawatts of clean energy at grid parity.”

Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty, CEO Greenko Group

The company has created a strong and sustainable platform to take advantage of evolving energy market dynamics and strong sector fundamentals accelerated by new government initiatives in India.

Mr. Chalamalasetty

Source:ET

Source:thehindu

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Temasek-backed Sembcorp set to pump in $600 mn in India power arm State-run Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (Ireda) will sanction Rs 13,000 crore for clean energy projects next fiscal in the country, vying for around 20 per cent of the loan market share. With the government aiming at adding around 15 to 16 GW of clean energy projects, including solar and wind, there would be total credit market size of around Rs 65,000 crore. “Sembcorp has a substantial commitment in India, which is one of the key markets. There is a strong belief in India’s long term growth story. The project will be supported as long as it is necessary,” said the person quoted above.

According to Sudip Sural, senior director, Crisil Ratings, one major milestone that will indicate the revival of the power sector is distribution firms eliminating the gap between their average revenue realized and the cost of power supply by the deadline set in Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna, the turnaround scheme, of 201819. Sembcorp Utilities Ltd, an arm of Sembcorp Industries, has solar and wind power assets in India.

It has major expansion plans in the country including in onsite logistics of large petrochemical complexes, waste management and urban planning.

“Sembcorp has close to US$4 billion investment in India in equity and debt representing 30% of the company’s global balance sheet. That will be maintained going forward if sustainable returns are on offer,” added the first person quoted above.

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he capital infusion, in the nature of fully guaranteed debt from the parent group, will lower the existing domestic debt in the project from about $1,050 million to about $450 million, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on condition of anonymity. SGPL built the power capacity at an investment of about $1.5 billion.

An email sent to Sembcorp on Monday morning remained unanswered.

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resh capital infusion from the parent indicates the group’s confidence in the long-term prospects of conventional thermal power business in India, which at present is banking on a host of policy reforms in the electricity value chain starting from transparent coal supplies to debt restructuring in the distribution business for a growth stimulus. The cash crunch of state-owned power distribution companies, which are going through a debt recast, limits their ability to buy power leading to an artificial suppression of electricity demand and puts thermal power producers like SGPL under pressure. Muted demand for long-term power purchase deals forces thermal power producers to sell electricity through short-term deals and exchanges, which affects their rate of return. As of 23 February, SGPL, which commissioned its second 660 MW unit, has a total capacity of 1320 MW. Sembcorp group, which owns 88% in SGPL, had said quoting SGPL managing director Atul Nargund that the successful completion of the supercritical thermal power plant reinforced the group’s “long-term commitment to supporting India’s continued development and its energy security”. The supercritical thermal plant located in Nellore district is currently selling power without a long-term power purchase agreement.

Source: livemint

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US-based Evergreen Power in talks to raise $100 mn for India US-based Evergreen Power is in talks with investors, including private equity, infrastructure funds and strategic investors, to raise up to $100 million in equity to ramp up its wind energy projects in India, its top executive told ET. The company wants to bring 280 megawatts (MW) of wind energy online in the next 12 months in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Eventually, it aims to scale up wind energy production capacity to 1 gigawatts by 2020 by adding 250-350 MW every year.

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Mr. Surjeet Kumar co-founder at Everereen Power

ompany wants to close fundraising in 60-90 days.

Kumar said it would also acquire $200 million in debt to build the capacity. Ambit Capital Pvt Ltd, the leading investment bank, is the exclusive financial adviser to Evergreen Power. Evergreen Power was founded in 2012 and has several large wind projects under development.

India has set a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity and 60 GW of wind capacity by 2022. The renewable energy sector is expanding at a rapid pace as the country looks to meet its commitment made at Paris Climate Change summit.

India has to achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030. The sector is undergoing consolidation with tariffs falling to record low levels.

In January, renewable energy firm Orient Green PowerBSE -0.60 % Co said it is evaluating a merger of its wind power business with IL&FS Wind Energy.

“We are very positive about the renewable sector in India despite pricing pressure.

Players are consolidating to attain scale which is very important. Consolidation is a sign of a strong and mature industry. It points at greater investor appetite,” said Kumar.

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“We are seeing tremendous interest from serious investors, not just some people testing the waters. They want to put significant capital to work in India. India’s macro-factors, central government strength is instilling confidence in the investment community,”

India received $1.77 billion foreign direct investment in nonconventional energy sector from April 2014 to September 2016. It was among the top 10 in the world investing in renewable energy, according to UN Environment Program’s (UNEP) ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016’ report.

“One of India’s major advantages today and going forward is that its renewable energy potential is vast and largely untapped,” according to NITI Aayog, a Government of India policy think-tank.

“The good news also is that costs of generating renewable energy have fallen steeply in the past decade, and once projects are set up, costs are not likely to increase over life of the asset – typically 25 years.”

Source:ET

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

ENGIE successfully issues Azure Power: Early-Stage Investor Resigns from Board its second Green Bond of €1,5 billion To support its ambitious development strategy in renewable energies and energy efficiency, ENGIE issued its second Green Bond of €1,5 billion. The Group reaffirms its commitment and determination to play a leading role in the development of green finance.

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zure Power , a leading solar power producer in India, announced that early-stage investor and Board member, William “Bill” Elmore of Foundation Capital, resigned from the company’s Board of Directors today, which is the company’s fiscal year end. Foundation Capital owns 14.5% of Azure Power’s outstanding shares and Foundation Capital’s initial investment in Azure Power was in 2008.

“Bill and his venture capital firm, Foundation Capital, have been great partners since their initial investment nearly a decade ago. We want to thank Bill for his efforts and contributions during his tenure at Azure to help this company become a leader in the Indian Solar industry.

We wish him well.” Mr. Inderpreet Wadhwa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Azure Power.

“Company that his decision to resign was not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices. William “Bill”

Elmore of Foundation Capital.

Source:businesswire

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ond tender offer for a total amount of 700 million euros was launched simultaneously on 7 outstanding bonds and will be closed on March 23, 2017. These two transactions will enable the group to reduce the average cost of its debt while at the same time extend its duration.

The bond has two tranches: a 7-year tranche of €700 million with a 0.875% annual coupon, and a 11-year tranche of €800 million with a 1,5 % annual coupon. The average coupon amounts to 1.20 % for a 9.1 years average duration. The proceeds of the bond will be used to finance renewable energy projects such as wind and solar farms, hydroelectric plants, energy efficiency projects and natural resources preservation projects.

To be eligible, projects financed must meet a number of environmental and social criteria in eight areas : fight against climate change and the conservation of the natural resources, environmental management, biodiversity, dialogue with stakeholders, business ethics, human rights, responsible procurement and health and safety. These criteria were developed by ENGIE, reviewed by Vigeo Eiris and are published on ENGIE website.

Bond issue proceeds will be allocated according to a specific traceability procedure that will be verified by an external audit firm.

In the spirit of continuous improvement and contribution to best practices, the Group took on the occasion of this Green Bond as an opportunity to further commit on the reporting and the transparency of the allocation process.

Source:engie

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Huawei European distributor books 500 MW of inverters German engineering and systems integrator Wattkraft agrees framework agreement with the Chinese inverter specialists for the supply of 500 MW of inverters to be shipped within Germany and beyond.

Wattkraft and Huawei representatives signing the framework agreement for 500 MW of inverters.

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attkraft, a Germany-headqu-artered PV distributor and systems integrator, has today signed a framework agreement for the supply of 500 MW of inverters from Huawei.

The deal builds upon an existing relationship between the two firms, and will see some 300 MW of Huawei inverters connected or distributed across Germany this year. The remaining 200 MW capacity will be installed at various project sites globally, including in India, Brazil and the U.S. Wattkraft exclusively handles Huawei FusionSolar string inverters, and has acted as the Chinese firm’s principal distributor in Europe for the past two years, handling 95 MW and 250 MW in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

This year’s figure is the largest yet in terms of volume, and Wattkraft will work closely with Huawei to bring the inverters to new global markets.

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“It is exciting to see how together we have developed a successful growth strategy within a global solar market that requires a high degree of flexibility and competitiveness,” said Wattkraft CEO Giovanni Migliore. “Through partnership, Wattkraft can generate new added value services and delivery quality on the distribution side and Huawei can deliver products and innovation, with strong brand presence.”

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Actis closes fourth energy fund at $2.75 billion hard cap Actis, a leading growth markets investor, recently announced that it has reached the final close on its fourth energy fund Actis Energy 4 (“AE4”) with commitments hitting a hard cap at US$2.75 billion.

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und, which was raised by Actis’ in-house team, was significantly oversubscribed, exceeding its original $2 billion target size in just over seven months. The fund will invest in select countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia targeting control investments in electricity generation businesses offering scale, diversification and growth and market leading high growth electricity distribution businesses. AE4 already has an extremely strong pipeline with $2 billion of deal equity either completed or in late stage including four large scale regional platforms.

Demand for electricity and quality infrastructure in growth markets is high and rising. Energy services are crucial to a country’s economic development. An estimated $10 trillion of investment is required by 2035 across non-OECD markets to meet future demand. Since inception, Actis has raised cumulative commitments of over $5.6 billion and is committed to 30+ transactions in the Fund’s target markets. This fund closing follows a series of successful investment exits from previous funds, including GME (Latin America), Umeme (Uganda), Energuate (Guatemala) and Globeleq (Africa). To date, Actis portfolio companies have provided 68 million people with access to electricity and built 15GW of generating capacity.

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ctis is a leading investor in growth markets, delivering consistent competitive returns, responsibly.

It has a growing portfolio of investments across Asia, Africa and Latin America and has raised over $12 billion since inception.

The firm invests through insights gained from trusted relationships and local knowledge, deep sector expertise and an unparalleled heritage, set within a culture 60

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“The Actis Energy Team combines a strong operational focus and deep industry experience with finance and energy investment skills in growth markets. Many of the senior Energy Team partners and directors have been executive managers of the same types of businesses that Actis invests in and have an in depth understanding of the full value chain and value creation. This has been the key to our success in previous funds and will be integral to realising the pipeline of opportunities for Actis Energy 4.”

Torbjorn Caesar, senior partner at Actis.

Actis’ Energy team is a proven group of more than 30 investment professionals with extensive investment expertise and industrial skills in growth markets. Actis has also bolstered the team in recent months, bringing on senior professionals with extensive growth markets experience, including Barry Lynch, Lisa Pinsley and Javier Areitio.

“As the leading growth market investor in the energy sector we have never seen a more compelling market opportunity. The demand for new investment within the electricity sector is $1.5 billion every day with renewable energy generating $0.5 billion of investments per day in non-OECD countries. We are delighted that our investors share our vision for this opportunity and we are grateful to them for placing their trust in our proposition.” Mikael Karlsson, partner and co-head of the energy business at Actis “This fundraise was achieved very swiftly. We went to market in July and the appetite from existing investors to back the compelling market opportunity, track record of the management team and pipeline we presented. The success and speed of this is a testament to the strength of the relationships we have built as a general partner with our investor base.” Neil Brown, partner and head of the Investor Development Group at Actis.

of active ownership. Applying developed market disciplines to growth markets, an established team of c. 100 investment professionals in ten countries identify investment opportunities in response to two trends: rising domestic consumption and the need for sustained investment in infrastructure across private equity, energy and real estate asset classes.

Actis is a signatory to the United

Nations backed Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), an investor initiative developed by the UNEP FI and the UN Global Compact. Actis targets consistent superior returns across asset classes over the long-term, bringing financial and social benefits to investors, consumers and communities. It calls this the positive power of capital.

Source:PRN

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Utility Scale Solar Plants

Vikram Solar commissions 130 MW solar project for NTPC in Bhadla, Rajasthan Vikram Solar Pvt. Ltd., the country’s leading Solar EPC player and module manufacturer, has commissioned a 130 MW (2×65 MW) Solar PV Power Plant for NTPC in Bhadla, Rajasthan.

Mr. Gyanesh Chaudhary MD & CEO Vikram Solar

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roject has been developed under the State Specific Bundling Scheme (for bundling with thermal power from NTPC Singrauli Thermal power station) with grid at Bhadla Solar Park Phase-II, in Bhadla Village, Bap Tehsil, in the Jodhpur District of Rajasthan. Vikram Solar will further provide Operations and Maintenance (O&M) service to the plant for a period of 5 years since the date of commissioning.

With the commissioning, Vikram Solar’s commissioned projects portfolio has risen to more than 275 MW.

“We are happy to commission yet another prestigious renewable power project for our country. The successful commissioning of this project reaffirms our expertise and superior quality standards in the execution of utility scale power projects. We remain committed to our vision of facilitating environment friendly clean energy to safeguard the future of our succeeding generations and that of our planet.”

Each 65 MW plant, will have a power generation capacity of 106.22 million units, and is spread across an area of 321 acres of land each. The power plants are connected to Bhadla 220KV Pooling Station-1 through 1.5 km of 132 kV double circuit transmission line. Vikram Solar has used Poly-crystalline modules of size 295Wp to 320Wp for the plants. Each plant is also expected to reduce CO2 emissions to the tune of 99.73 metric tonnes annually.

Mr. Gurdeep Singh CMD Vikram Solar

“ NTPC had shared with the media earlier that NTPC is fully committed to sustainable power generation. The commissioning of the 130 MW capacity by Vikram Solar at Bhadla would add to NTPC’s aim to set up 1000 MW of capacity from renewable sources by 2017.”

“Apart from the aspect of generating “clean and environment friendly power, the fact that such large scale projects enable us to provide considerable employment opportunities to the local Mr. Anupam Dhiman resources, gives us double Executive Director the sense of accomplishment Vikram Solar in the commissioning of the same.”

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uring the execution of this 2X65MW Solar PV Power Plant, resources and work force from local villages (Bhadla, Noore ki Bhurj, Nachna, etc.) were engaged in the construction phase for Civil, Structure and Electrical erection work. The plant has also generated employment opportunity for local workers for 25 years for its maintenance and other miscellaneous works.

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Utility Scale Solar Plants

Azure Power(s) Defence Establishments in Maharashtra:

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zure Power, a leading solar power producer in India, commissioned 7 MWs of solar plant capacity in the state of Maharashtra and is the first private solar power project to be set up at defence establishments under Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

The project was done in collaboration with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) which is the designated nodal agency for implementation for Ministry of Defence and Para Military Forces. Azure Power won this project under the National Solar Mission. The power generated is sold to Ministry of Defence establishments under a 25-year power purchase agreement at a blended tariff of INR 5.36 (~US 8 cents) per kWh. In addition, SECI will provide viability gap funding of INR 1.73 million for this project.

Speaking on this occasion, M r. I n d e r p r e e t W a d h w a , Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Azure Power said, “We are pleased to be the first private company to supply solar power to the Defence Ministry in the country. This project demonstrates the value of solar as an innovative and affordable resource at the point of consumption by eliminating transmission costs.”

Azure Power has led the Indian solar industry with many firsts and innovative applications of solar power. Azure set up India’s first private utility scale solar PV power plant in 2009, followed by India’s first MW scale distributed rooftop solar power project in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in 2013 and became the first solar power producer in the country to supply affordable solar power to border outposts in Rajasthan under the National Solar Mission.

Hindustan Zinc plans solar power projects worth Rs425 crore by next year

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industan Zinc on Sunday said its 15 MW solar projects in Rajasthan will get commissioned this month, and it is also planning to invest Rs425 crore for 85 MW power plants by next year.

“We are in the process of putting up 15 MW (rooftop solar power plants) which will get commissioned before 31 March. We would be using 15 MW for captive use,” Hindustan Zinc (HZL) CEO Sunil Duggal told PTI in an interview. The Vedanta Group firm has already invested 75 crore in 15 MW solar power projects, Duggal said, adding that the company is planning to pump in Rs425 crore for 85 MW power plants. “It is not possible for me to give you exact timeline at this point of time. We will put up (85 MW solar plants). We will put in next one year,” Duggal said.

The company is yet to zero-in on the locations where the 85 MW power plants would be set up, the CEO said, adding that he is of view that the projects should be either set up at its own location or in the vicinity, so that HZL can utilise the power generated from the plants for its own consumption.

“Our team is evaluating (the locations). The plants should be either at our location or at the vicinity of our location,” Duggal said. The company’s board had earlier approved setting up 100 MW solar power projects. HZL is not looking at expansion in the wind power space.

“Wind power we are not looking today because now the emerging trend is that we may go for solar,” he said. The company led by billionaire Anil Agarwal already produces 474 MW of thermal power and 274 MW of wind energy.

Source:PTI

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Utility Scale Solar Plants

TUV India Successfully Completes Drone-based Assessment – PV Power Project TUV India (TÜV NORD GROUP) recently conducted stage-wise assessment of 25MW solar PV power project located in about 160 km from Bengaluru spread across 90 acres using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as drone.

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overall process involved conducting site assessment, flight planning, undertaking drone flight, uploading data from drone to advanced software, data processing, analysis, documentation, interpretation and delivering final report. The scope of assessment/inspection conducted with the drone in the first phase included topographical survey, terrain survey, coordinate measurements of land, depth of trench, pile foundation, Module Mounting Structure (MMS) and measurements, distance between poles, tilt, length and allied processes. It further included cable laying, substation, transmission line survey and overview of the project.

The second phase would take place after installation of solar modules and operation of PV power projects for at least six months. Having executing this solar PV power project successfully with the drone, TUV India is now confident to replicate and make use of this technology for assessment, surveillance and inspection of infrastructure projects like rail, roads, sea port, airports, and areas like cross-country pipeline, wind projects, inspection of terminals, large tank farms etc. Manish Bhuptani, Managing Director of TUV India and V. Viswanathan, VP – Infra, Rail, Renewable, with the help of TUV India’s site engineers and the drone service provider executed this project successfully.

Source:PRN

Pennar Engineered gains 12%, bags orders worth Rs 152 crore Shares of Pennar Engineered Building Systems rose nearly 12 percent intraday Thursday on orders win worth Rs 152 crore.

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ennar Engineered Building Systems, a subsidiary of Pennar Industries, has announced receipt of orders from Hetero Drugs, Amplus Energy Solution, MELPL, S G Pharma, Shahi Exports and others of totalling Rs 152 crore. The orders includes, order from Hetero Drugs for its Laboratory Building at Medak, Telangana and order from Solar Developer for its solar MMS project at Banda, UP. It has also received order from Amplus Energy Solutions for its solar MMS project at Chitradurga, Karnataka and order from Tata Projects for its railway project in Bihar.

At 14:52 hrs Pennar Engineered Building Systems was quoting at Rs 127, up Rs 7.35, or 6.14 percent on the BSE. Source:moneycontrol

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Utility Scale Solar Plants

NTPC Plans to Achieve 32 GW Installed Capacity via Renewable Sources by 2032 Two Solar plants come up in Andamans, to replace 47 MW of diesel-run generation capacity Authorities plan to set up Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) power plants in two sites of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is currently underway

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TPC Ltd. has raised Rs. 2,000 crore through issuance of green masala bonds in overseas market under its USD 4 billion medium term note programme. The proceeds of these bonds will be used for financing renewable energy projects in accordance with applicable guidelines and regulations of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, Mines New & Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

The details of the green masala bonds are given under:

SIZE OF THE ISSUE INR 2,000 CRORE Date of Issue 10.08.2016 Coupon 7.375% per annum, payable annually Security Unsecured Listing At Singapore Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange Repayment Period Bullet repayment after 5 years Maturity date 10.08.2021 “National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited has drafted/prepared its long-term Corporate Plan and has planned to achieve 32 GW installed capacity through renewable energy resources by 2032”, the minister added.

Source:pib

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report by ‘The Indian Express’ has said.

As per the reports two power plants has battery storage of to 25 MW, which is just shortage half of the island’s present operational generation capacity. The project is aimed at replacing 47 MW of diesel-run generation capacity that provides electricity to the habitable parts of archipelago of over 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal, near the 10 MW of renewable generation that is at present operational there.

In the meantime, the Centre took country’s solar power generation capacity to next level few days back by installing India’s largest Solar PV Plant at Kayamkulam, Kerala. The setting up of the plant is a huge step in achieving the goal of affordable 24X7 power as it is expected to to generate about 100 KWP power. India, in last few years has made significance progress in renewable sector and hopes to provide round the clock power supply to all citizens of the country. He also shared a video on Twitter on the matter.

The minister also believes that country’s India’s solar power generation capacity would reach 20,000 MW in 15 months from the present level of 10,000 MW.

Ministry quoted him saying, “On 10th of March this year the installed solar power capacity in India has crossed 10,000 MW, four times the installed capacity three years back, which in next 15 months would cross 20,000 MW. India could not have completely focused on ‘Making in India’ in the last three years as being in the nascent stage, its solar power sector needed a technological and financial boost from abroad to rapidly expand its horizons.”

Source:financialexpress

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Utility Scale Solar Plants

Fortum has commissioned a Hindustan Power commissions 70-MW solar project in India 50 MW solar plant in Punjab

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ortum has commissioned a 70-MW solar plant at Bhadla solar park in Rajasthan, India. The solar plant is Fortum’s third and so far biggest commissioned solar energy project. Fortum won a reverse auction for the project and the building of the solar plant was conducted on schedule. The power plant will operate based on a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), with a fixed tariff for 25 years. The Power Purchase Agreement has been made with National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), India’s largest power utility.

Fortum currently has an 85-MW solar capacity in India, with three solar power plants in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradhesh. Fortum is currently building a 100-MW solar power plant in Karnataka, India. The 100-MW solar power plant also will get a fixed tariff for 25 years and is expected to be commissioned during the first half of 2017. Fortum is targeting a gigawatt-scale solar and wind portfolio as part of securing its longer-term competitiveness.

Fortum seeks to allocate its planned growth capital in the range of EUR 200–400 million in solar projects in India.

Fortum is a leading clean-energy company that provides its customers with electricity, heating and cooling as well as smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. We want to engage our customers and society to join the change for a cleaner world.

We employ some 8,000 professionals in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and India, and 62% of our electricity generation is CO2 free. our sales were EUR 3.6 billion. Fortum’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

SgurrEnergy India provides solar engineering services to Adani Power

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enewable energy consultancy company, SgurrEnergy India has provided comprehensive solar engineering services to Adani Power. The company was selected by Adani Power to render solar engineering services to the 648 MW (AC) solar project, the world’s largest solar project at Kamuthi village in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The solar project had a concept-to-commissioning time frame of one year. The company provided all the required services, project concept, technology evaluation, energy yield estimation, detailed engineering, and other associated design services within the time frame of three months.

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The Clean energy arm of Hindustan Power commissioned its second solar power plant in Punjab at an investment of INR 325 crores. The high degree of solar insolation in the state is enabling a generating of 2,20,000 units of clean energy per day.

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The commissioning of the 50 MW solar plant increases the cumulative solar capacity of the company in Punjab to 80 MWs. Situated in the cotton farming region of Punjab, the solar plant is part of the drive to promote clean energy and turn farmers into green energy entrepreneurs. The Project was awarded by the Punjab Energy Development Agency on Bidding Route and the PPA has been signed with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

Speaking on the occasion, Ratul Puri, Chairman Hindustan Power said, “By comparing high-resolution solar resource data at various locations, we were able to identify, and secure investments in the most promising sites for solar photovoltaic power plants in Punjab. Hence, we were able to invest ~ INR 525 crores and quickly ramp up the cumulative capacity of the company in Punjab to 80.0 MW over last 9 months. Our plan is to commission incrementally 200 MW in Punjab in the next 18 -24 months.

“The proactive approach of the people of Punjab allowed us to commission the projects quickly. I must mention the role of PEDA officials and PSPCL official were very decisive in completion of the project. Our design and engineering team have designed the farm to leverage the irradiance the area receives and generate maximum output.” Rajya Ghei, CEO – Domestic Solar, Hindustan Power,

With a current solar capacity of ~ 600MW, the company is one of the key players championing the adoption of solar on mass scale in India. The clean energy arm of the company is generating carbon savings of approx 720000 tonnes per year.

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INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview With Mr.Chetan Shah -Director, Goldi Green Technologies Pvt. Ltd. EQ: How many modules have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18 CS: We have supplied around 200MWof modules till now in India. Our target for 2017-18 is around 250MW in domestic market.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.3.3-4.34 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…What’s your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc…

CS: In our point of view, aggressive bidding is unsustainable in the long term. Viability and other factors rest on structuring of debt with longer tenures, low funding costs and the ability of the players to keep the capital cost, operating parameters and cost of modules within budgeted levels. Technological innovations will play a key role in bringing down costs.

Various regulatory challenges and weak compliance with RPO norms are also important factors that will challenge

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this industry. Government should frame policies to protect the interest of local manufacturers, and aggressive bidders who fail to deliver should be black listed to discourage unfair bidding practices, thus giving other players a fair chance.

Too much of dependency on import of materials, high skilled man power, poor grid connectivity and above all land possession are great challenges and critical factors in timely and successful commissioning of solar plants.

These points need utmost attention by government to achieve its ambitious target of 100GW by 2022.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback.

CS: Our modules are installed in all corners of India, under different kinds of climatic conditions, and are performing very well. The output of our modules is the best compared to all other brands of worldwide repute.

We have installations in northern India, western India, southern India and eastern India in places like Assam. We have not faced any complaint in terms of performance and efficiency of modules supplied by us and we have achieved similar results in the European continent as well.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar modules.

CS: We have undertaken EPC projects for DNH Power Distribution Company in Silvassa aggregating to a total of 1.4MWp using Goldi Green PV modules, out of which 900KW is in periphery of a lake with few modules elevated over the lake with a raised structure.

Other projects where we have delivered our PV modules:We have supplied 30MW of PV modules to BHEL for their Neyveli Lignite Corporation site recently. 7.5MW of panels delivered to KP Group for their solar power project ‘Solarism’.

This is a very unique kind of project where the developer has achieved a PLF up to 23% with its unique design. Also, the developer has ensured utilization of the same land for farming as well, ensuring dual productivity of land.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India

CS: Goldi Green is one of the fastest growing Solar PV Module manufacturing company with a CAGR of 80%. We have an installed capacity of 130MW and we manufacture modules up to the range of 340Wp. Mr. Ishver Dholakiya is the MD of Goldi Green and he manages the general administration and liaising, Mr. Bharat Bhut as Director handles production, procurement and quality control whereas Mr. Chetan Shah also a Director, handles finance, sales & marketing and is responsible in the overall functioning of Goldi Green.

Our company is promoted by SRK Group, a leading diamond manufacturing company with an annual turnover of over $1Billion and having its presence in USA, Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong and China.

Focusing on quality has always been our motto. With rapid expansion plans, we aim to be major contributors in helping tackle climate change and have a substantial say in renewable energy. We aim to increase our installed capacity up to 1GW and expand our presence across the globe and aspire to be one of the major players in the development of solar parks.

CS: Looking at the tremendous opportunities that solar energy has to offer, we have set our sights for rapid expansion up to 1GW. The challenges we would be facing from financial point of view would be interest costs, appropriate support from the government by way of appropriate schemes and export incentives.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 CS: It is a very ambitious plan laid out by the GOI which is not impossible to achieve but the GOI will have to work hard in implementing favorable policies and take up radical measures to achieve this target. With only 10GW of installations accomplished till date and a balance of five years on hand, installations will have to be accomplished at the rate of 18GW per year. This requires for the GOI to create a favorable investment climate for aspiring manufacturers like Goldi Green who have set their sights on rapid expansion plans to scale up to 1GW.

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EQ: Solar Trade Wars: What is Your View?

CS: The present bidding wars which have pushed down the solar tariffs to record levels, is something to celebrate about and make the consumers of solar power happy but have raised concern amongst the investors with respect to sustainability and compromise in quality led by tremendous price pressure. In the existing scenario, it is important to get financing from banks at a price that rationalizes the viability of a project. Banks have now become more agile in understanding how the numbers play out and refuse to finance a project which is not sustainable. Thus funds are available, but for projects with the right price.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future

CS: India, Europe, USA, Japan and Africa.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , Double Glass, BiFacial Cells, PERC/PERT Technologies, HIT/HJT, IBC upcoming game changes technologies

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your modules CS: Goldi Green PV modules are certified from TUV SAAR & UL India and manufactured in our facility under strict quality norms. Our modules offer up to +3% positive power output. We offer a 25 year out put warranty and our modules are tested for PID resistance (IEC 62804), salt mist corrosion resistance (IEC 61701), ammonia corrosion resistance (IEC 62716), and hail resistance as well as certified to withstand extreme weather conditions. Goldi Green modules undergo 100% EL inspection (Pre & post lamination).

EQ: As a module manufacturer providing 25 years warrantyâ&#x20AC;Ś. is it backed up by warranties by cell manufacturer, materials manufacturers?

CS: Unfortunately solar module manufacturers do not get back to back warranty support from suppliers of raw materials.

CS: Considering the falling price, 1500V system is the most beneficial in terms of performance. India needs to focus on development and availability of BoS to be introduced at a large scale. Enhanced PERC technology is a future now for PV modules. Other technologies are also quite encouraging but need commercial approach.

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INTERVIEW

EQ: What is your commitment towards the solar sector in India CS: We think ourselves as a serious long term player in the Solar PVModule manufacturing business. And hence, we have always focused on quality and we have never compromised on it.Quality being at the core of our principle, we have created a strong goodwill amongst our customers as well as other well-known Solar Players in India and around the world.

We are committed to expand our base of manufacturing for PV modules and equipment and rapidly develop ourfast growing EPC arm; besides that we are also considering to get into the development of solar parks.

EQ: How has RUMS Bid and SECI Wind Tender Bid has changed the dynamics for Solar & Wind Projects in India. What are the challenges, threats and new opportunities you see emerging now CS: The Rums Bid and SECI Wind Tender Bid have set a record as the lowest bid till date in the renewable energy sector.

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business. This has also led to a slowdown in auction activity mainly for the reason that government agencies and states are delaying to renegotiate PPAs that are more expensive than the bids received at RUMS. But we should not make the mistake of comparing the RUMS Bid with previous bids as this auction had several special attributes, some of the key ones being;size and location (of the projects), payment guarantees, deemed generation benefit, longer construction timeline and an yearly tariff escalation for 15 years to name a few.

Making a hype of the low bid as a means to putting pressure on developers to match with the RUMS bid would seriously curtail the speed of progress which should be taken into consideration very seriously given our government’s ambitious target of reaching 100GW of Solar installations by 2022.

Looking at the huge amounts of investments done by companies for their expansions to meet the demand, a decline in tender and auction activity can be a dampener and a spoil sport.

Goldi Green being a quality focused company has never indulged in playing the price game. Our prices are competitive with respect to the unmatched quality we provide. For us, every change is a new opportunity and being quality players, we

have always stood out amongst the crowd.

EQ: What are the expectations from Government / NTPC / SECI / RUMS Team CS: We would expect the government and other related organizations to tender projects throughout the year on a monthly basis. In the present scenario, the initial months are subdued and then the tendering process takes place by the middle of the year, which results in a sudden surge of demand, which our manufacturing capacities cannot handle within such a short time window.

Companies make huge investments to increase capacity with the expectation that the demand remains constant throughout the year. What is the use of increasing capacity if their manufacturing processes work under capacity due to subdued demand and then cannot meet the sudden rush? The tendering process should be a recurring activity at uniform intervals. In that way the execution cycle would flow continuously.

EQ: Are the developers betting on Modules Prices or Interest Rates ?

CS: Mostly module prices.

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Annual maintenance contractors Installers / EPC companies Inverters Manufacturers of solar cells Materials and equipment Module connectors Monitor, Mounting Systems, Trackers Photovoltaic (PV) modules Project consultants Smart Grid Technologies

Solar cell manufacturers Solar consumer and commercial products Solar energy storage Solar LEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Solar park developers Solar street and billboard lighting systems Solar water heating, cooling systems and solar pumps Suppliers of raw materials System integrators and assemblers Turnkey solution providers, etc.

ENERGY STORAGE

Solar PV & Energy Storage Synergy The Indian federal commitment of 175GW by 2022 is a major shot in arm for the Indian Renewable sector. Solar energy PPAs are now well under INR 4/unit for large scale projects in India providing opportunity to induce more clean power with better economics.

Dharmesh Tanti Dir. Operations & COO Enrich Energy Pvt. Ltd. “Make hay while the sun shines” needs a contemporary uplift to “Store energy while the Sun shines”. Energy storage will bring reliability to Variable Renewable Energy (VRE), ensuring greater acceptance and adoption of VRE.

A

t over 43 GW, Solar & wind energy (primary source for both being sun) put together account for almost 14% of India’s installed capacity of about 315 GW.However, both sun & wind are variable renewable energysources that are non-dispatchable due to their fluctuating nature. Energy storage can effectively regulate a large part of this variabilityandbring higher reliability on supply side from these power plants. Higher reliability will usher in greater acceptance, penetration and growth of these VRE. For captive use, Solar power combined with Energy Storage system (ESS) can provide dual advantage of storing low cost solar energy during day for time-shift usage post sun hours, and a second cycle chargedfrom grid during off-peak hours, which can be utilized during morning peak hours. This will also reduce load on the grid during peak hours and provides peak shaving.

Globally, technological advances specifically in electro-chemical energy storage solutions is encouraging. While Lead acids are still the workhorse with limited life cycles, Lithium based battery is gaining economic advantage of scale and a lion’s share of new installations. Technologies more specifically Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) and Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) offer safety, higher number of cycles,better charging / discharge capabilities and longer calendar life. Lithium batterieshave a specific advantage in responding to instantaneous power requirement.

A typical load profile catered to with the Solar PV and battery storage is represented in Fig. A

Annual – Average day ( Fig. A )

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ENERGY STORAGE

( Fig. B )

The three key technical challenges for battery storage are: • Determining the purpose of energy storage for each application based on its historical load profile data and future load requirements. ESS can be designed as an active system, and with daily planned usage can provide a payback, rather than just a sunk cost as a battery backup during power outages.

• Formation of appropriate standards for energy storage systems in India.

• Conversion from a conventional AC bus architecture to a DC bus architecture to reduce system losses (refer fig. B Above)

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P

ilot projects that are being implemented in India, will provide vital performance statistics and integration learnings. India has about 75 GW of installed Diesel generator capacity, presenting a huge potential for ESS to substitute. Multiple procurement tenders for energy storage to balance the grid and reduce supply variations have been floated across India in the past year. Even though the requirement for an energy storage system in most procurements has been small and experimental, they are attracting serious investor interest and offers a renewed challenge to the EPC integrators.

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s renewable tariffs and energy storage costs decline, penetration of both renewables and storage is bound to increase. BNEF’s Goldie-Scot estimates 800 megawatts of storage could be commissioned by 2020 in India, that’s just the mid-term potential. The long-term potential is vast, and would usher in the next big applicationin renewable energy industry.

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INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview With Michael Escher & Hemal Ghelani

products and innovative technologies and by focusing on the entire value chain. In addition, we have a global service network in all our PV markets to ensure we can support our customers throughout the lifetime of the products.

EQ: What is your market share in the PV manufacturing market?

Michael Escher: We drive the technology roadmap along the entire PV value chain. In the field of wafering, we have a market share of 30% with our DW 288 diamond wire saw. Our MB PERC technology holds an impressive market share of over 90%. Also our wafer and module inspection systems (HE-WI-06 and HighLIGHT) reach a market share of approximately 80%.

EQ: What are the opportunities of manufacturing in India?

Chief Commercial Officer of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd

Vice President & GM of Meyer Burger India Private Ltd

EQ: Please describe in brief your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision & mission Michael Escher: We are a leading technology company for innovative and cost efficient photovoltaics solutions.Our vision is to decisively shape the future energy mix to the advantage to our customers by combining our technologies with the infinite power of the sun. We act as a customer focused solution provider, which means that we offer integrated systems and individual solutions. We ensure our technology leadership by evaluating and implementing new technologies and setting industry standards. We achieve fastest time-to-market and are therefore always ahead of the market.

EQ: 2. What does Meyer Burgerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PV product portfolio look like?

Michael Escher: We offer product equipment and services along the entire photovoltaic value chain.

We are at the forefront of the wafer, cell and module market and are an established international technology leader in all these areas. We clearly differentiate ourselves from our competitors by offering precision

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Hemal Ghelani: Coming out of a major downturn, lessons have been learned and both PV technologies and business models have evolved. Companies expecting to be globally recognized Tier 1 suppliers need to ensure a minimum size and scale of 1GW+ with control of manufacturing across the PV value chain. Most global Tier 1 companies are adopting a downstream independent power producer (IPP) approach to complete their business models which in turnis driving cell technology upgrades. Doing what the Chinese or Taiwanese companies are doing from a technology standpoint wil lnot be enough given the head start the companies there already have in terms of scale and cost leadership. Indian companies need to differentiate themselves. A focus on energy generation vs. installed capacity will increasingly drive technology adoption and play a major role in driving the discussion from $c/Wp to LCOE.High efficiency cell technologies like Heterojunction Technologywith an initial cell efficiency of 23% will play a key role in driving the Indian manufacturing industry towards a high efficiency regime and help Indian companies achieve a key differentiator against the competition from Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean companies.

Manufacturing definitely is possible in India on a globally competitive scale.

EQ: What is the biggest challenge of manufacturing in India?

Hemal Ghelani: A key challenge that still remains from a manufacturingstandpoint is project financing.

Unless financing is considered asan enabler to create local production of scale, India risks underachieving its manufacturing potential. Is the government ready tohave over $40 billion in foreign exchange outflows to import modules or does the government prefer spending that money to helpIndian manufacturing compete on a globally competitive scale?PV

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manufacturers need to be aggressive with their scale up plansand timelines in order to achieve technology differentiation.

Theinvestment environment in our sector will continue to be challenging if the investors don’t see a credible business plan in terms ofsize, scale and speed to achieve profitability. However, companies serious about manufacturing with a proven track record and willingto put in enough equity will see support from investors.

EQ: How does the Indian government’s solar policy look like?

Indian government in the following ways: l CAPITAL

AND PRODUCTION SUBSIDIES Capital subsidies should be available prior to investment rather than after post plant construction. Additionally, capital subsidies should be at 40% of the total capital cost. Most investors require more than one source of power to operate these huge plants. Hence, cost of captive power plant required to operate these plants, should also beincluded in the capital cost of the plant. Production subsidies of 10% should remain available to the manufacturers.

Hemal Ghelani: With a major national initiative called “Make in India” the Indian government has demonstrated a strong vision and commitment to renewable energy. The goal is to increase the installed solar power capacity from 8 GW (status as of 2016) to 100 GW by 2022.

This expansion of business opportunities has certainly helped raise the interest level of global investors to participate in the Indian renewable energy sector.

We see a positive expansion in the interest for manufacturing across the PV production value chain and are cautiously optimistic about the potential scalability of PV manufacturing in India on a globally competitive scale.

l ELECTRICITY

Meyer Burger is excited about India’s potential to become a force in global manufacturing for PV. We are ready with our portfolio of technology and production solutions to enable the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ mission.

The government should provide land or grants for lands in special economic zones at subsidized rates.

EQ: What needs to happen that PV manufacturing further develops in India?

Hemal Ghelani: To further develop India’s domestic solar value chain, there is an urgent need to invest in polysilicon, wafer, and cell manufacturing in India.

These manufacturing sectors require multibillion dollar investments to gain economical advantage over countries such as China. While there are many investors willing to put these plants, the scale of investment is beyond the reach of most of the investors. Investors are keen to have further support from the

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Electricity constitutes 45% of total operating cost of these plants. Hence, the government should offer electricity at Rs3/Kwh. l CAPTIVE

POWER PLANT

Alternatively, government should consider building a captive power plant at no cost to investor. Captive power plant would minimize distribution losses and make electricity available to investors at a lower cost. Even with a captivepower plant, the government should consider offering electricity to investors at a price no more than Rs3/kwh. l LAND

EQ: India is currently ramping up manufacturing capacities.

How much capacity addition do you forecast?

Hemal Ghelani: Over the next few years in PV manufacturing, we expect the wafer capacity to be 3-4 GW, cell capacity to be 6-8 GW and module capacity to be 12-15 GW.

EQ: What is Meyer Burger’s offering for the Indian market?

Hemal Ghelani: The core products across the wafer, cell and module manufacturing value chains have all found a market in India. With manufacturing capacity expected to expand, our core products will continue to see a strong

demand. As manufacturing capacity expands, technology adoption will play a very important role to ensure overall competitiveness with respect to global scale while at the same time allowing lowest LCOE to meet the aggressive cost down expectations on PPA’s in India.

Towards that end, I remain optimistic on our industry leading PERC, Heterojunction Technology andSmartWire Connection platforms being accepted sooner than later.

EQ: What are the key competitive advantages for customers who choose to buy Meyer Burger’s equipment and technology?

Hemal Ghelani: Meyer Burger is a leading technology group for innovative and cost-efficient manufacturing solutions based on semiconductor technologies and with a focus on photovoltaics. A team of almost 300 technical experts in our R&D centers worldwide strives to shape the industrial processes of the future. Meyer Burger invests over 10% of its net sales in R&D to enable continuous development and define industry standards. Over 380 registered patents and more than 440 patents pending underline our innovativeness and our goal to create sustainable addedvalue for our customers. Meyer Burger provides the customer with a holistic view of photovoltaics manufacturing with technology and product coverage along the entire value chain, in-depth knowhow for tailored individual and complete solutions, integrating solutions with comprehensive service and providing the customer everything from a single source. Meyer Burger works in close collaboration with each of its customers to develop customized PV manufacturing solutions which meet the customer’s longterm visionary production requirements.

Through our detailed product, technology and process knowledge along the entire PV value chain and with our high level of maturity in project planning services, we are able to provide our customer individual production concepts which offer them distinct long term manufacturing advantages.

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INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview With Mr.HE Shuangquan Executive President of Wuxi Suntech Power Co., Ltd. EQ: How much modules have you supplied to India till now,what is the target/ expectation in 2016-17 HS: So far, we have supplied about 500MW of modules to India.In view of the sustainable development of the Indian market, we expect to sell about 400-500 MW of modules to India this year.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developerskeeping Solar Tariffs in the price range ofRs.3.32 – Rs.4.34 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…What’s your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges(Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc…

HS: In the short term, due to price factors, cost pressure of each enterprise is relatively large; In the long run, enterprises need to maintain a long-term healthy and stable financial situation and reliable product quality.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback,.

HS: First of all, from the product side, modules which we sold to India have not appeared bulk customer complaints.From the customer feedback, they are satisfied with our modules inthe use of the project.

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modules first think of us, and new orders continue to form.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission

HS: Vision: Solar powering a green future Mission: Through continuous innovation and excellent management to become the most trusted PV company.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s,financial figures, HS: Our production capacity is 2.4GW. We have good profit and financial data, stable sales prices, and shipments increasedsteadily.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 HS: We have always attached great importance to the development of the Indian market, the Indian market accounted for 25% of the company’s share of sales throughout the year. In addition, we also through cooperation with developers and channels in the local, further enhance the market share of Suntech in India. By 2020, the Indian government wants to achieve the goal of 100GW, land planning and financing situation may be restricted its realization, but the capital market to see the benefits of the investment projectwill increase investment and ease the occurrence of the above situation later.

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits HS: 5 Percent.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future HS:China, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, Middle East

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , Double Glass, BiFacial Cells, PERC/PERT Technologies, upcoming game changes technologies HS: According to customer needs, mainstream common modules and bifacial modules meet the requirements of 1500Vsystem voltage.At the same time we also continue to develop new products and technology.For higher power requirements, we stack up the new technology to meet, including the white EVA, reflective film, reflective welding strip, TinPad technology, half cell technology, over lap technology, polycrystalline PERC technology, etc. In addition, we have introduced some special applications products for specific environmental and market demand. Such as Maxim’s DC optimization module and lightweight module.

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EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your modules

HS: We provide 25 years quality assurancefor products that we sold , including two aspects process quality guarantee and performance guarantee.At present, our global warranty include 25 years global version of standard modules, Japan, Australia, Europe, 30 years global version of bifacial module, A - 1 module and small module warranty.

We havea 25years PV module efficiency loss compensation insurance that issued by Munich Reinsurance and Ping An Property & Casualty.In addition, PICC also offers 12 years product warranty and 25 years power assurance service for our global sales modules. We and Chubb Insurance Company in the US signed the third party products liability insurance, but also from the property and personal safety it can protect the interests of customers. Our modules have passed VDE, CQC, JET certification, the PID resistance, salt fog resistance, resistance to ammonia, mechanical load, dynamic mechanical load, hail, damp heat, thermal cycle, UV, wet cold test.

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EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc…

HS: Our products include mainstream products, bifacial products, special application products, system products called Suntech • Yijiawhole roof system.

The mainstream products include 4BB 60, 72 mono and poly, high-performance PERC modules. They cover 1000V and 1500V system voltages. The products are highly resistant to PID, through the 3800 / 5400Pa wind / snow load test (industry generally 2400/5400), and provides 12 years product warranty (industry is generally 10 years), 25 years linear power warranty.

Double-sided bifacial products combined with N-type mono double-sided celland bifacial technology. It can have doublesided power generation and improve the top 30% of the power generation. 60 cells modules combined with white ground, the total power up to 390W, light degradation LID <1%.

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

HS: Black silicon + diamond cut, halfcell, P-type doublesided cell.

EQ: As a module manufacturer provided 25 years warranties….is it backed up by warranties by cell manufacturer, materials manufacturers ?

HS: Yes

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar PV modules HS: The cost of production continues to decline,top runner will continue to catalyze PERC, black silicon and other leading technology advances, cutting-edge technology base construction will promote the development of ultra-efficient battery technology, including N-type double-sided solar cell, HITsolar cell , P-type double-sided solar cell, halfcell, MBB and other module technology, self-cleaning and other new materials will be large-scale applications. Intelligent manufacturing will accelerate the production of automation, digital, networked development.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

EcoGrid ESS Brings Smiles to over 5000 families of villages in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka

Transforming Lives With Drinkable Water While Overcoming Obstacles To Local Sustainability And Crisis Situation Created By Water Borne Diseases.

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Located in Northern India, Uttar Pradesh is the country’s most populated state with over 200 million people. It is also home to some of India’s most famous destinations, including the TajMahal and Varanasi, yet over 20 million people are without access to safe and affordable water. uch of the groundwater here has excessive levels of fluoride and total dissolved solids, as well as high microbial contaminants. Consequently, water-related sickness is a way of life here. Villagers suffer severe joint pain and other physical disabilities that impair their ability to work. Children’s health is compromised and their growth, stunted, making it impossible to attend school. Drinking untreated water has often led to significant diseases, and sometimes even death. This was also the story of Charoli Village in UP which faced a lot of problem with drinking water. A bore well was installed and villagers would drink water through the bore well. It was found that the water had a lot of contamination which started affecting people through catching diseases. This started impacting people. Then an NGO named Safe Water Networks set up an R.O plant which started providing filtered and clean water. It started improving the lives of people who would drink non- contaminated water. Further the clean water supply was for 4 hours only because electricity was available only for limited period of time.

Hence beyond that period clean water availability became again a bit scarce.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

They tried various conventional battery (with lead acid technology) solutions to provide backup power to the plant. However, they faced certain challenges in terms of• Low operation hours/ Inconsistent performance • Frequent Maintenance/ Site visit • Higher Operating Costs • Slow Charging leading to low uptime of the RO Plants

the beneficiaries of the system.

The success of this installation proved that this model can be broadly replicated at almost all the locations with same or other unique set of challenges.

Here are the outstanding advantages of EcoGrid Energy Storage Device that make it a game-changing system:

THIS LED SAFE WATER NETWORK TO TRY – ACME’s Lithium Ion based EcoGrid A micro-grid was installed with new technology. This made electricity and stable electricity supply available for extended hours upto 18 hours. The clean water was then available not only to this entire village people but to the adjoining village as well. Hence this started containing diseases and villagers started living healthier lives. This improved through this new technology product called EcoGrid, a green technology which stores electricity and provides power to run the R.O plant for extended hours even during the night time. Hence it not only addressed the pain points such as low uptime, high O&M costs, inconsistent performance etc. of the company which would supply clean water to villagers, eventually resulted in prevention ofdiseases to the villagers.

This game-changing system is designed to support grid-tied, grid isolated in the event of grid failure, and off-grid configurations. Each configuration delivers years of dedicated peak shifting,

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back-up power, energy efficiency and industry-leading performance. It’s a breakthrough technology and a superior advantage surpass the current technology and provides several benefits to the customers by overcoming their core challenges of related process issues, safety, security and others.

Thanks to ACME’s partnership with Safe Water Network, residents of Charoli & many other nearby arid villages also have 24X7 access to the treated water at a meagre amount of Rs. 7 for a 20 litre can.

The plant has a capacity to produce 1,000 litres of potable water per hour.

The initiative is aimed at mitigating the drinking water woes of all the nearby villages and solving the problem of contaminated water supply in rural areas while leveraging solar with energy storage to bring the greatest advantages to

• No maintenance • Much larger life as compared to existing technologies,hence replacement hassles are not there • Fast charging • Reliable Power Source • No fumes, no health hazard • Wide temperature range • Optimize Economical Energy Source Utilization • Very High Efficiency – minimum waste • Compact- small footprint as compared to • Conventional systems • Much lesser weight • No logistical challenges • Automatic hence no discontinuity • All-In-One Unitized Solution • Green technology ACME Group is happy to work with Safe Water Networks in their other ambitious projects under same model in four different states to provide over 5000 families affordable access to reliable and affordable clean water. EcoGrid not only overcame business pain points of the Company which would supply clean water to Villages but importantly diseases to the villagers got contained. Due to its success, EcoGrid has got installed at many mores places and is continuing.

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INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview With Mr.Wolfgang Heinecke - Director-Sales & Service, ASYS Group EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission WH: The ASYS Group is a global technology company and leading supplier of equipment for the solar, electronic and life science industry. With more than 1.000 employees worldwide the ASYS brand delivers the same high standards of quality and workmanship all over the world. The Groups business activities in more than 40 countries are controlled from the company’s headquarters in Dornstadt in Germany. A broad global network with service centers in Asia and North and South America ensures short delivery times and customer-focused support.

The ASYS name stems from “automation systems”. Our aim is to optimize and automate manufacturing systems in all our industries. The breadth of our product portfolio leads to synergies that extend our expertise and refine our products. And we are constantly expanding our range.

Besides machines and lines, we now cover also smart material storage cabinets and consumables. With PULSE, we provide software solutions and “Industry 4.0 devices”. We link up complex production workflows and support machine operators with smart watches, tablets and robots.

Database systems monitor, safeguard and lock the set process steps right through to material logistics. We want ASYS to stand for the most advanced production on the market. This is why we provide

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comprehensive solutions that give our customers a decisive advantage.Innovation is an essential driver of our success. We are open to new ideas and act quickly and decisively. This is why we’re able to take a pioneering role in Industry 4.0 and make great strides towards our goal with ambitious solutions.

EQ: Solar Trade Wars : What are the benefits to Indian manufacturers WH: From the perspective of the Indian manufacturers, this question itself does not qualify since far from bringing any benefits, the Indian manufacturers continues to be beset by quagmire of multiple issues which are a direct / indirect consequence of the Solar trade wars. A continued span of low global demand, aggressive Chinese supply, standoff with WTO on naming of DCR as preferential treatment and poor financial past has taken the wind out of the Indian manufacturers. It is therefore, only their grit, determination and the active support of the Indian Government that they continue to sustain and grow. A large country and market like India needs investors and financial aid that will help domestic manufacturers to not only be efficient suppliers for local market but also claim a portion of the global solar market.

With a target to achieving100 GW of solar power by 2022, the Indian Government understands this unequivocally andnow is actively working to protect domestic manufacturing interest, whilst continuing to deliberate ways to empower.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , Double Glass, BiFacial Cells, PERC/PERT Technologies, Hetero Junction, 5-6 Busbars upcoming game changes technologies etc WH: HJT is a technology that has become really interesting in the last few years. It was developed a long time ago by Sanyo, but was blocked [for adoption across the industry] due to patents. But now it seems to be the right time.

HJT solar cells are particularly interesting on the module side, because HJT modules have a better temperature coefficient. This means the power output loss in real life is halved when module temperature is very high when compared to other modules.There are at least two different types. There are the existing amorphous silicon (a-Si) fabs, which unfortunately struggle to compete today.

HJT gives these fabs a chance; as they can add a print line, wet bench, automation, and additional module production. Then they can manufacture HJT technology. For a new fab starting on a green field, then HJT is not comparable to standard solar cell lines, because there is much more high vacuum PECVD and sputtering. At ASYS, we have metallization equipment for HJT technology that is designed for the longer curing times, and the fact that the paste behaves a little differently. But what we see in the market is, that HJT is one of the technologies that is really coming

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up. We think PERC will be the technology which is now in the market and will become more standard in the future. We will see how the market share of PERC technology develops in the case of multicrystalline material compared to monocrystalline.

The efficiency gain with PERC on mono is more than 1%, while on multi is 0.5% to 0.6%. I have the feeling that the effect of 60 light-induced degradation on PERC cells is better understood for mono than for multi – and the capital investment is about the same. So we expect more PERC on the mono than on the multi, and that manufacturers will upgrade their fabs in this way. For a standard crystalline fab, the PERC upgrade involves two additional steps. A lot of our lines are running with PERC technology already.

EQ: Whats is your market share in the solar pv manufacturing market ? What are the various technologies available for manufacturing and whats the advantage and disadvantage in the tech or equipment you offer ?

WH: ASYS metallization and automation systems have played key roles in the photovoltaic industry since its start, delivering advanced solutions to increase wafer throughput and accuracy while reducing breakage. A great advantage of all ASYS metallization lines is their expandability. The line consists of individual modules that can be flexibly configured. From handling systems such as loaders or buffers, screen printers, testing and sorting equipment up to different optical inspection systems. The metallization lines are available in different lane versions, from single lane, through industry-leading dual lane, to triple lane.

Therefore, throughputs of 2400- 7200 cells per hour can be achieved. The lanes are completely independent, which enables minimal downtimes.

A 50% market share of the world’s dual lane line manufacturing capacity

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is proof of the trust placed in ASYS. The dual lane benefits are particularly visible. Because ASYS lines can be operated from one side, the number of required operators is cut in half for dual lane lines. In addition, the lines can be placed back to back. This means that the floor space can be used much more effectively than at the competition.

EQ: What solution do you offer to your customers against possible future technology obsolescence when they buy your equipment WH: The new dual lane metallization line Alignus 1.5s underlines the philosophy of the ASYS group in terms of PV-automation.

Following the slogan “we count down”, ASYS is focusing on reducing cycle times of every process step in the line. The new Alignus 1.5s, according the name, comes up with a cycle time of 1.5 seconds and generates an output of 4,800 wafer per hour. The Autohead print head is now included in the screen printers as standard.

As the vertical movement is motorized, the down stop position can foe example be regulated more accurately and without any manual intervention of the operator.

The squeegee position is programmable and will adjust automatically to wafer height. Another benefit of the Autohead is the locked recipe set-up. As further programmed recipe data is saved, it can be recalled effortlessly. This enables higher repeatability rates and an improved screen lifetime. As usual for ASYS metallization lines, Alignus 1.5s supports single side operation which additionally simplifies the job of the operator, saves manpower and allows tight installation of metallization lines in the plant. Thus ASYS metallization lines claim less space at same productivity.

ASYS Group is working on a self-organized production to the greatest possible extent, which comes along with the Industry 4.0 approach. ASYS metallization lines are meanwhile “PULSE ready”, meaning line control and operation can be regulated via smart devices. The PULSE app

“Alerts&info” provides messages about machine status and warnings or machine stoppings on tablets and smart watches.

The app generates a list with prioritized tasks and supplies support information.

Hence, the operator now receives all kind of machine signals directly on the wrist and can react to warnings and machine stops efficiently. Handling modules can be directly controlled from the tablet which makes long distance paths obsolete and saves time. The award-winning PULSE software is already installed in PVproduction. Evaluations at customer side in the electronic industry confirm significant reduction of line stops (-70%) and essential growth in production (+27%) whilst the operator is evidently relieved.

EQ: Please present some examples of your equipment and technologies in India and worldwide and their performance

WH: ASYS Group’s philosophy of “Think Global, Act Local” has been instrumental in being present in Asia since as early as 2005and in India specifically from 2009.

Due to this excellent go local initiatives, ASYS Group footprints of equipment and technology are part of almost all cell manufacturing units operational today in India.

Technical processesandrelated evolution has been possible due to our R&D applications teams, who continuously test the latest technologies and optimize them for different processes while continually develop new solutions.

D u P/ D o P, P E R C a n d s o m e specialized processes etc. are some of the technologies which have seen successful implementation throughout Asia. These bring to our valued customer, the delivery of high efficiency technologies, implementedsuccessfullyin production initiatives. This and many such initiatives/ technical breakthroughs have yielded ASYS Group over 50% market share in the relevant tool segments.

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EQ: India currently has around 1.2 GW Cell Manufacturing and 5GW of Module Manufacturing….. what is the opportunities, challenges in manufacturing in India WH: We see challenges and opportunities as two sides of the same coin. If challenges are overcome, they transform into opportunities for growth. To our understanding, 3 main challenges exist: l Absence of a complete supply chain from local wafer fabrication facilities upwards. Linked to this is non availability of technical knowhow, local technology pool & most importantly no visible action plan on a national program being implemented at ground zero. A wafer facility not only will benefit the Solar industry, but support the large and booming electronics industry as well where the India’s domestic consumption of electronic devices is phenomenal.

Slow ground zero implementation of Govt. supported MSIPs programs, unavailable low cost finances, low tariffs for power, exemption of import duties and C.V.D exemptions on raw material and cell manufacturing equipment’s. The Policies may largely exist, but the delivery mechanisms have to be pushed harder to reach the manufacturer. This will help encourage a number of domestic manufacturers currently operating on module manufacturing to take a big leap towards backward cell integration. l

No world level R&D initiates in India are existing targeted towards High efficiency technologies on wafer, cell manufacturing and printing technologies. l

EQ: Why India doesn’t have any wafer or polysilicon or

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ingots manufacturing ?

WH: The complete eco system from polysilicon manufacturing to wafer processing requires a national vision and long term successive implementation of this vision in delivered action plans. Thus, this requires sustained governmental initiative, support & investments over consecutive years, which we feel are areas of focus.

EQ: What the expectations from the Government to boost manufacturing in India WH: As said earlier, for a holistic long term sustainable growth, a complete ecosystem of supply chain is mandatory. However, as an immediate next pit stop, exemptions in import dutiesand taxes on raw materials, exemption on duties and CVD tariff’s on equipment’sfor cell manufacturing and finally some ground zero implementations of financial initiatives to help the manufacturer should be immediately considered.

EQ: WTO Case : India recently lost to USA in the WTO for keeping DCR mandate in its solar projects…whats your views WH: It is indeed disheartening that the full scale of the DCR could not be effected to help the domestic India manufacturers because of the WTO provisions. Every country should have the right to support domestic manufacturing, which is moretrue for India owing to its large domestic market and the possibility of being another high quality manufacturing hub in Asia. However, we are confident that the Govt. of India, being fully aware of the complex situation will be working to protect the interest of domestic manufacturers.

EQ: What are the various inspection, testing, verification, assurance technologies to ensure high quality manufacturing and various certification requirements WH: The Alignus 1.5s features further benefits: As the cells are aligned without any edge contact, breakage rates could now be reduced substantially. Additionally, the cell testing platform has been re-designed to process all kind of cell technologies at reduced stress. Hence it as well contributes to higher productivity. The stress reduction is achieved by the usage of a motorized contacting unit, thus contact resistance is minimized.

Furthermore, the new tester is easily adjustable to 2 up to 6 busbars and therefore provides highest flexibility in the contacting process.

Also in the process step “testing” cycle time has been optimized: now the cell is aligned in parallel to the testing. Thus cycle time is reduced however the machine still operates with highest accuracy. The I-V test system of the Alignus 1.5s is provided by the ASYS subsidiary company BOTEST, who is market leader in testing of all kinds of different cell types. Service requests can be forwarded directly to ASYS, who will guarantee quick support for fastest re-implementing of the machine

EQ: India is currently ramping up manufacturing capacities…how much capacity addition do you forecast ?

WH: ASYS Group was one of the few multinational companies in Solar cell business to set up a three localized India support centers in New Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. Our mission was to support the solar capacity enhancement road map of India and continues to be so. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has stepped India’s solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to 100GW by 2022. The business for us has been satisfactory so far but it is a little too early for us to predict the growth figures.

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INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview With Mr.Subrata Mukherjee - Managing Director, SOVA Solar Limited EQ: What is your out look for Indian Solar Industry for 2017-18 and onwards?

SM: The outlook on the Solar PV market has completely changed. At one point of time when we ventured into this industry in the year 2010-11, we found that if we have to survive then our only target point should be the EUROPEAN Solar market.

Though the JNNSM scheme had come but the implementation was not up to the mark. The complete vision and mission of the company has radically changed with enterprising efforts of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shree Narendra Modi and Shree Piyush Goel, Hon’ble Minister for Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The target set by them has changed the dimension of the Indian Solar Indutry. The target of 175GW ( 100 GW from Solar Energy and 75 GW from Wind and others ) Renewable Energy Capacity by 2022, is encouraging for growth and motivates the industry to invest. In my view, if Indian Solar Industry would get some basic support and a primary stage protection from Chinese manufacturers, then India could be the most potential hub for the industry. To join in the mission of our P.M., our group has set a target of 1 GW of Module manufacturing capacity by 2018-19. In a broader perspective, Indian Solar PV industry should do well.

EQ: We know that you are a medium scale business tycoon in the Steel and Coal Sector, what had inspired you to start and switch to Solar Module manufacturing business?

SM: The word inspiration is very interesting word. You may or may not choose one or two incidents. It was back in 2007 when being one of the private company after the Nationalisation of Coal Mines, we had got the allocation of a coal block in West Bengal. Steel industry was in its boom, but one thought was always there in the back of my mind that I have to diversify into a next

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generation business. At the same time, I got an advise from one the then resourceful personality of West Bengal politics to go for this industry. Both clicked and we have planned to divert our business initiative to Green Energy. This is basically our closely held family business. All the directors and share holders are from our family, so getting their nod was not very difficult. I am feeling lucky that the idea thus clicked and has given me an opportunity to work in the solar industry and to serve the Mother Earth.

EQ: Any news that Sova Solar wants to share to the industry?

Aren’t you concentrating on Roof top Solar EPC?

SM: It is not very big news for the global industry, but we have made our production facility fully automatic with the TeamTechnik technology supported by Autowell. We are now have a plant capacity of 200 MW. As we already said, with the encouragement from Government of India, Sova Solar has set a target to set up 1GW Module manufacturing capacity by 2018-19. We believe in specialisation of work. Since 2010-11 we are into the manufacturing of Solar PV Modules and we are trying to be more efficient in it.

You may know Sova Solar (erstwhile Sova Power Ltd.) has installed the 1MW Solar Power Plant for WBGEDCL way back in 2012, in West Bengal. Recently we have executed successful 400 KW (2x200KW) in GRSE on their building roof at a height of 100 feet. We have installed another project of 25 Kw on the building roof of Orissa Electricity Regularity Commission.

EQ: Your view on GOI Target of 175GW by 2022?

SM: At the start of the interview I have already told that with the radical change in the initiative from Governement of India, the target seems achievable. We strongly believe that if everything goes in proper direction and the initiative from developers like NTPC , BEL, NLC, APGENCO, MAHAGENCO and the states will make it happen.

EQ: A definite question comes during any interview that is ,what is the price future for Solar Modules?

SM: Cost of Modules has fallen and will be continuing to fall. In a survey it is found that due to over supply in China the raw material cost is falling. In China the demand has been outpaced by the rush to add capacity. The global demand is expected to be nearly stagnant in 2017-18. We also got the information that basic raw material like wafer would go below US$ 0.50 mark. That would trigger a further fall in price of Solar Modules. Sova Solar feels that it is important for the industry to maintain quality & reliability in such situation, for sustainability. Price war alone may be detrimental to the industry. Prices in China have fallen 12-13%, whereas the fall in South East Asia and Taiwan is nearly 1820%. It is difficult to measure the magnitude of price fall, right now.

EQ: What is your view on Power Guard /Power Generation Insurance?

SM: It is a very good question. In our view insurance on Power Generation would help in buiding developer confidence. Sova Solar is already working on it. It is unfortunate that Insurance companies in India are not in a position to cover this type of product. However, we are planning to approach MNRE to take initiative to introduce the power generation insurance. Basically we as a manufacturer must think how to give best satisfaction and confidence to the customers.

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April 2017

81

REC launches the REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 Series, a full-black multicrystalline panel up to 285 Wp REC, the world’s most trusted brand for solar panels, today begins commercial production of the new REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 Series, a full-black variant of the REC TwinPeak 2 Series launched in January 2017.

T

hrough the implementation of its highly innovative proprietary cell technology, REC has succeeded in the production of uniformly black-colored multicrystalline cells. When assembled together with a black frame and black backsheet, the result is the first fullblack panel from REC. Available globally, the REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 is of real benefit in residential markets in the U.S.A. and European countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K. where panel aesthetics are highly valued.

“REC continues to accomplish new feats with multicrystalline technology,” says Cemil Seber, Vice President, Global Marketing and Product Management at REC. “In addition to reaching power levels that were once unimaginable on this platform, REC can now produce black multicrystalline cells for a truly full-black multicrystalline panel, resulting in a product with high power output, renowned REC quality and optimized aesthetics.”

With a nominal power rating of up to 285 Wp, the REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 is the second product in the REC TwinPeak 2 family and packs in several evolving REC TwinPeak technologies: • •

Cells made from larger wafers for increased current production Five busbars for reduced cell resistance

• •

Half-cut cell technology to further reduce internal resistance PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) technology for increased light capture

•

Split junction box spread across the middle of the panel, allowing an innovative panel design and improved performance in shaded conditions

This ’60-cell’ full-black panel from REC is certified according to IEC 61215 and IEC 61730, as well as UL 1703 and has a maximum system rating of 1000V and is 100% free from potential induced degradation (PID), avoiding power losses even in the harshest conditions. More information about the REC TwinPeak 2 BLK2 Series and other REC solutions can be found at www.recgroup.com/en/products-solutions

Source:recgroup

82

EQ

April 2017

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Panasonic Unveils Sleek Black Solar Panel Additions to Roster of Photovoltaic Module HIT® Products New N320K, N315K and N310K models are the latest additions to Panasonic’s line of high-efficiency solar panels designed for residential applications.

•

Aesthetically remodeled • to blend in seamlessly with most rooftops.

•

Backed by Panasonic’s 15 year product warranty.

P

Highest level conversion efficiency among black panels available in the market.

•

Designed to operate at high-efficiency even in high temperatures.

anasonic Eco Solutions North America today introduced three new photovoltaic module HIT®: the N320K, N315K and N310K. These new models are able to produce 320, 315, and 310 watts of power, respectively, and are a continuation of Panasonic’s line of high-efficiency residential solar panels.

Boasting module efficiency of 19.1% with a sleek all-black appearance, the panels are a perfect fit for most any residential setting.

The new black panels are backed by Panasonic’s track record as an industry leader in reliability within the renewable energy field. Designed to offer optimal efficiency and stylish aesthetics, the HIT® N320K, N315K and N310K photovoltaic modules will blend in seamlessly with most rooftops and begin cutting electricity bills for customers from the moment that they’re installed and start to operate.

“Panasonic has been innovating and reimagining the amorphous silicon cell since we pioneered the technology over forty years ago,” said Dan Silver, President, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. “This addition to our industry-leading line of solar panels is the latest improvement in our array of renewable energy products. The new black panels combine the engineering expertise and high efficiency Panasonic is known for with an attractive but inconspicuous design that will yield huge savings for consumers.”

The N320K produces 23% more power for consumers than traditional panels, and feature the highest level of efficiency among other black panels available in the market today. These new all-black solar panels are designed to maintain optimal performance even in high temperatures and vastly increase savings for the consumer.

Panasonic’s trademark amorphous silicon layers and pyramid cell structure allow for the panel to absorb light at multiple angles so that the panel is maximizing generation at all times of the day. The unique water drainage frame quickly removes water from the panel and prevents the buildup of any serious precipitation.

Panasonic’s robust manufacturing process also provides installers and consumers additional value through an extended product warranty of 15 years. Panasonic’s test criteria are among the highest in the in the industry, ensuring long-term safe operation over many years.

Source:prnewswire

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April 2017

83

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