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

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VOLUME 12 Issue #08

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

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India is ignoring two basic costs while estimating solar and wind electricity tariffs

10 featured

Tesla Begins Construction Of World’s Largest Energy Storage Facility

23 featured Ladakh’s remote Nubra, Zanskar valleys to get connected to national power grid

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

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featured ‘All round success’ for Texas’ biggest battery storage system so far

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PM Modi to inaugurate First World Solar Technology Summit to be held on Sept 8

featured Solar’s Top Manufacturer Raises Cell Prices 11%

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India’s solar power story disrupted as renewable energy finds no buyers

Waaree completes 50MW Solar Module Supply to a Developer & Fortune 500 Company in USA

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Mukesh Ambani preps up for a multi-billion dollar play in renewables

electric vehicle

Detel launches world’s cheapest electric bike for Rs 19,999

Article

The Rising Need for Smarter PV Solution in APAC

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FinMin, PMO to discuss fresh overhaul of basic customs duties; 300 items likely on the table

EQ NEWS Pg. 08-45 ARTICLE Pg. 50-61 electric vehicle Electric vehicles: The now, the near future and the never again

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Founded in 2005, JA Solar is a manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products. With 12 manufacturing bases and more than 20 branches around the world, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business covers silicon wafers, cells, modules and photovoltaic power stations. JA Solar products are available in over 120 countries and regions.

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AUGUST- 2020

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India is ignoring two basic costs while estimating solar and wind electricity tariffs For any meaningful planning exercise, the costs should be correctly assessed, and ideally, it should be the life-cycle cost. By ignoring certain costs, a planner may get away in the short-term or even the medium-term, but never in the long-term.

his premise holds true for our renewable energy programme also. While estimating our solar and wind electricity tariffs, we are ignoring two basic costs. The first is the balancing cost, and the second is the cost of recycling the solar waste at the end of life after 25 odd years. Generation from renewables is intermittent in nature since unexpected cloud cover, or sudden fall in wind velocity will lead to an immediate dip in generation. In order to maintain the stability of the grid, we need to rely on other resources to counterbalance the drop, which can be done best by hydro-based generation, and in the absence of hydro, through gasbased generation. The problem, as far as India is concerned, is that we have not been able to make substantial additions to our hydro capacity during the last decade or so due to a variety of problems; for gas, there is practically no spare domestic availability. One can, of course, import gas, but the price of gas is volatile. In this situation, we are forced to balance the grid through our coalbased plants. Consequently, with our target of 175 GW of renewables by 2022 (and also 450 GW by probably 2030), the coal-based plants at certain times of the day will operate at below the technical minimum. The present regulations of CERC compensate a coal-based generator for the extra operational cost that he has to bear, but it should not be below 55% of the capacity.

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Incidentally, there are some studies which show that thermal plants can very well operate at even lower than 50% capacity after investing in some retrofitting. This, however, leads to inefficient operation and also promotes wear and tear, which is not accounted for in a transparent manner. The important point to note is that we do not have any credible estimate of the ‘balancing cost’ for the country as a whole. However, in a study done in CEA in December 2017, it was estimated that in the case of Tamil Nadu, this cost would be Rs 1.57 per unit spread over the renewable generation. The corresponding figure for Gujarat was estimated at Rs 1.45 per unit. This cost would include, amongst others, the impact of deviation settlement, the impact of having to back down and extra transmission charge. This cost, if added to the cost of generation from renewables, will give a completely different story vis-à-vis cost of generation from coal-based plants. The second aspect that we ignore is the cost of recycling the solar waste once its life is over. The life of a solar plant is about 25 years and given the pace of installation in India, this will become a major issue by about 2040. There are some estimates that the annual volume of PV waste in India is likely to reach two lakh tonnes by 2030 and 1.8 million tonnes by 2050. Today, the bidding documents only make a mention that the developer shall ensure that the entire waste is properly recycled, but there is no monitoring. Cost of recycling, however, will come down in the future when the waste can be commercially extracted. As of now, even internationally, only glass, aluminium and copper can be extracted from the waste commercially. It is estimated that the cost of recycling can vary from $250 to $600 per tonne, which is far more than the value of the recycled material. In addition, there will be transportation cost which can range from 60% to 100% of the recycling cost. To conclude, while addition to generating capacity through renewables should be fully supported, the associated costs should be estimated and paid for. While the cost of recycling is easy to calculate and can be easily added in the tariff up front, accounting for ‘balancing cost’ can be complicated. So let’s get our arithmetic right when it comes to comparing the generation cost of renewables vis-à-vis coal.

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AISIA urges govt to impose 50% basic custom duty on solar equipment All India Solar Industries Association (AISIA) urged the government to impose at least 50 per cent BCD (basic custom duty) on solar equipment for sustenance of domestic manufacturers. AISIA in a statement said that following the coronavirus-related disruption, the Indian solar manufacturing sector has witnessed a major downfall with exports witnessing a decline. “AISIA urges the government of India for immediate implementation of BCD for sustenance,” AISIA said. It further added that, this is also the time when the government can further give impetus to the Prime Minister’s Vocal for Local movement and help the local manufacturers strengthen their position in the domestic market.

hile Safeguard Duty and the recent decision by the government to provide land near ports to set up manufacturing units has been a step in the right direction, solar manufacturers are imploring for an immediate respite, it said.

The survival of manufacturers requires the government to look into restructuring of existing policies like implementation of at least 50 per cent BCD, ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers); without which the future of the domestic solar module manufacturers seem bleak and dwindling, AISIA Chairman Hitesh Doshi said.

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The country’s dependency on China for solar imports in FY20, was recorded at imports worth USD 1.3 billion. This shows the potential the sector holds for the domestic manufacturers to contribute to the GDP, should the focus be shifted towards enabling the domestic players, Doshi said adding that the weaning off dependency on China and other international markets will also save foreign exchange. Also, provision for pass though or grandfathering for imports of modules does not give options to buy solar modules from local manufacturers, the body said. ‘Grandfathering’ is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. “So far more than 32,000 MW PPA (power purchase agreement) are allotted for which approx 45,000 MM modules will be imported in next three years if the same benefits are given to local manufacturers, we will not save thousands of jobs but huge foreign exchange also,” it said. Developers will have the option to buy from India and Indian manufacturers will survive, it added.

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Tesla Begins Construction Of World’s Largest Energy Storage Facility Tesla TSLA +4.3% and PG&E recently broke ground on a record-setting energy storage system in Moss Landing (Monterey) California that, once complete, will be the largest such installation in the world.

he battery park will be able to dispatch up to 730 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy to the electrical grid at a maximum rate of 182.5 MW for up to four hours using 256 of Tesla’s lithium-ion (Li-ion) Megapacks. Tesla and PG&E will have the option to upgrade Moss Landing’s capacity to bring the system up to 1.2-gigawatt-hours which could, according to Tesla, power every home in San Francisco for six hours. The facility is expected to come online in 2021 and will be designed, constructed, and maintained by both companies, with PG&E retaining ownership. The construction of the Moss Landing site and other such mega-storage projects around the world portends a massive shift away from hydrocarbon-based power systems towards renewable generation backed up by utility-scale storage. According to Fong Wan, a senior vice president at PG&E:

“Battery energy storage plays an integral role in enhancing overall electric grid efficiency and reliability, integrating renewable resources while reducing reliance on fossil fuel generation. It can serve as an alternative to more expensive, traditional wires solutions, resulting in lower overall costs for our customers…the scale, purpose and flexibility of the Moss Landing Megapack system make it a landmark in the development and deployment of utilityscale batteries” If the Moss Landing site is upgraded to the 1.2 GW capacity as anticipated, its storage capacity will be approximately ten times larger than Australia’s Hornsdale Power station, the previous record holder and another Tesla project. The next largest Li-ion storage system in the world is the United Kingdom’s Stocking Pelham station at 50 MW.

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The construction of the battery farm in Moss Landing promises improved flexibility for grid demand spikes and load smoothing for variable generation from renewables. PG&E predicts that the Tesla Megapack system will save consumers more than $100 million over the project’s 20-year life span when compared to the forecasted local capacity requirements and procurement costs necessary in absence of the facility.At the core of the new PG&E system is Tesla’s utility size battery Megapack. Each unit comes with a 3MWh capacity and boasts the modular ability to ‘stack’ up to a 1GWh site. The battery requires 40% less space and 10x fewer parts than current systems on the market. According to Tesla, this high-density, modular battery can be installed 10x faster than current systems. Tesla hopes for its Megapacks to one day replace inefficient ‘peaker plants’ in the grid, which snap on during periods of high demand at high costs to utilities and consumers. Increasing utility investment in renewable power generation and battery storage technologies foreshadows a rough road ahead for gas and coal companies, and it remains an open question how nuclear power would compete. Just this week, oil and gas giant BP reported a $16.8 billion quarterly loss, cutting its dividend in half. In response, the company announced a new ‘Green Shift’ which would see its oil and gas production shrink by 40% over the next decade and its renewable investments increase 10-fold over the same period. The likes of BP and PG&E are responding to the growing societal and market pressures of climate change — including dropping costs for storage and renewable generation. A massive evolution in the power industry is underway before our eyes.

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PM Modi to inaugurate First World Solar Technology Summit to be held on Sept 8

The First World Solar Technology Summit will be organized by International Solar Alliance, ISA on a virtual platform on 8th of September. haring details of the summit, President of the ISA Assembly and New and Renewable Energy Minister R. K. Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address of the First World Solar Technology Summit and it will be graced by Ministers from member countries from across all ISA regions. He said, High-level dignitaries from the world of Scientific Research and Development and a CEOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conclave will set the tone of the deliberations on low cost, innovative and affordable solar technologies. Senior Government Functionaries, Heads of Global Corporations, Financial and Multilateral Institutions, Civil society, Foundations and Think-Tanks will be present during the inaugural session. Mr Singh said Nobel Laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham will present the Key-note Address during the inaugural ceremony. He said, the objective of the event is to bring the spotlight on state-of-the-art technologies as well as next-generation technologies which will provide impetus to the efforts towards harnessing solar energy more efficiently. The Minister said, ISA would also be launching the ISA Journal on Solar Energy that would help authors from across the globe to publish their articles on solar energy, during the event.

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Tata Power to Explore M&A Opportunities in Renewable Energy Space

Tata Power, which plans to launch its renewable energy InvIT this fiscal, said it will also explore merger and acquisition opportunities to strengthen its position in this space. According to an analyst presentation by the company, Tata Power, which is sitting on a debt of over Rs 43,000 crore, is eyeing Rs 9,000 crore revenues from its renewable energy operations by FY2025.

he company plans to launch the infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) this fiscal, post which it will explore merger and acquisition opportunities, considering the fragmented nature of the sector and the potential assets available, the presentation said. According to the presentation, the company’s total renewable energy portfolio stands at 4,152 MW, including 1,145 MW of solar assets under construction and another 370 MW won but awaiting letter of award. Operational wind energy capacity is 932 MW. The company is also hoping to increase its total renewable energy portfolio to 15,000 MW by FY2025. The private sector power producer hopes to achieve the target through organic and inorganic expansion. For organic growth, the company is eyeing the demand pipeline and expected capacity addition through bids from central agencies like SECI and NTPC and select state bids which have good payment track record, it said. For Tata Power, the restructuring of the renewable business into an InvIT is part of the divestment process to bring its debt to Rs 25,000 crore by end of this fiscal from Rs 43,578 crore as of March 31, 2020, the document said.

The company has already embarked on the plans to clean its balance sheet by undertaking various debt reduction measures, including selling noncore assets. The firm has already sold its stake in Cennergi Wind as well as ships owned by its Singapore subsidiary to raise around Rs 2,400 crore. Tata Power reported a 10 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 268 crore for quarter ended June on the back of reduced expenses. During April-June, the company reported a total income of Rs 6,540 crore as compared to Rs 7,874 crore in the year-ago quarter.

A New Blow to the Solar-Energy Supply Chain Tongwei Co. halted output at a polysilicon factory in southwestern Sichuan province because of flooding, the latest blow to the solar supply chain that has seen rare cost increases this summer due to disruptions.

ongwei, the world’s No. 3 polysilicon producer last year, said it isn’t clear when production will resume, and didn’t say whether its plant sustained damage. The facility can produce 20,000 tons of polysilicon a year, which would be about 4% of global production last year, according to data compiled by BloombergNEF. The move could further pinch the solar supply chain, which is in the midst of a rare period of rising costs after a July 19 explosion at a polysilicon plant in Xinjiang cut global supply of the material used as the building block for solar power globally.

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“A short-term price rise driven by this event is possible,” said Yali Jiang, an analyst with BloombergNEF. “But further price rise may lead to project delays considering the already high upstream prices.” Prices for the material have surged by 56% since July 15, according to PVInsights. Wafer and cell makers have since boosted prices to pass along some of the increased cost. Any further impact on prices may depend on the duration of the outage. China has been battered by severe floods since June, affecting more than 63 million people, according to a posting on the Ministry of Emergency Management’s website. National Business Daily reported the suspension of Tongwei’s unit.

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Government to levy customs duty on solar modules, cells and inverters

In a bid to ensure that the domestic manufacturers get an additional push to expand capacities, the Narendra Modi government is soon likely to levy basic customs duty on solar modules, cells and inverters. Sources privy to the developments told CNBC-TV18 that based on a detailed discussion on August 20 with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), revenue department, commerce and the ministry of new & renewable energy, soon the levies will come in to action. “The proposal which has been cleared post discussions with PMO, is to levy 10 percent basic customs duty on solar modules and 20 percent on solar inverters from October 2020, which will then be hiked to 40 percent on solar modules and 25 percent on solar cells from July 30, 2021,” according to multiple people familiar with the development said.

lso, sources in the know told CNBCTV18 that the government proposes to exempt bid out solar projects from the customs duty hike. Recently, government had extended 15 percent safeguard duty on solar cells, modules and inverters till July 29, 2021. “The measures come with a backdrop to reduce India’s import dependence on Chinese products as close to 80 percent of the imports of solar cells, modules and inverters are from China,” sources added. To kick in the decision, the government will have to come up with a formal notification. These discussions, are primarily to consider the on-going exercise to hike customs duties in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat program, to support and encourage domestic manufacturing, sources said. Atmanirbhar Bharat is a vision announced recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a self-reliant country. Solar has been one big area where the government has been proposing a hike for quite some time. In July, union power minister RK Singh had said India needed to bring tariff barriers for imported power equipment, as it posed security threats to the power system in the country. Singh had highlighted that the government is pushing for measures to make India self-reliant in both power and solar power sectors.

We have decided not to buy any power equipment from China. We are going to release a list of prior reference countries which will include China and Pakistan. The government will not give any permission for imports from prior reference countries. Import from any other country will be inspected under stringent norms because the power system is a sensitive system,Singh had said. “The power systems are vulnerable to cyber attacks because of trojan and malware. This can also lead to power shutdown, and then communication lines will be impacted and lead to a database crash in manufacturing, defence industries, etc. Most of the equipment imported are made in India. I urge even states to not use power equipment which is made in China,” he added.

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India imported power equipment worth Rs 71,000 crore in FY19, and about Rs 21,000 crore worth equipment alone was imported from China. The country has a target of 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW target is for solar capacity. Some of the players in solar power equipment manufacturing sector are Vikram solar, Adani group, Tata Power, Moser Baer and BHEL. Experts say such moves will help in fostering domestic manufacturing.

Abhishek Jain, tax partner, EY said, “Tariff spikes on imports should help foster the government’s leitmotif of a self-reliant India. Nonetheless, these hikes would need to be well evaluated especially in the currently financially pressed times, for products which are currently not available in India/ are deficient in supply.”

Prashanth Agarwal, partner PwC said, “The proposed increase in customs duty on import of solar modules/ cells, inverters, re-emphasis govt’s continuous efforts towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. The intent is clearly to promote Make in India and push industry to increase manufacturing capacity of key components of solar power plants in India.” “With safeguard duty already applicable on solar modules, increase in BCD on imports, in the shortterm, would significantly increase the cost of setting up on-going solar projects. The industry could seek reimbursement of incremental costs from govt wherever the tariffs have already been fixed, thus increasing the cost of electricity generation,” Agarwal added.

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Premier Energies -25 years of Energising change Premier Energies, is a 25 year old clean energy company with a robust network across thirty countries. It is the first Indian solar module manufacturing company to be BIS certified and the world’s 1st CB certified company for Solar PV modules issued by UL.

ormerly Premier Solar, Premier Energies has diversified from solar energy to a fully integrated clean energy company offering end to end solutions. One of the largest companies in the renewable energy space , Premier is now geared to be a Gigawatt ( GW ) scale solar cell and module manufacturing company, ready to commission 1 GW in first phase by September 2020 and conclude the second phase in March 2021 with an investment outlay of INR 500 crores for the first phase. This ambition has been ably supported by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

To fuel this growth, the company has signed up a technical partnership with Jupiter Solar. Talking about this association, Mr. Surender Pal Singh the Chairman, Premier Energies, said “Solar manufacturing in India faces the twin challenge of accelerated adoption of new technologies and a very aggressive build-up of manufacturing capacities to global levels. This needs transformational thinking. Collaboration and leveraging combined competencies is the way forward for the existing manufacturers and in-line with this we have entered into a strategic alliance with Jupiter Solar for setting up GW scale cell, wafer and module manufacturing facilities. Combined, we have a vast talent of human resources, technical competencies and access to competitive capital. This partnership will drive our accelerated growth and establish our leadership in solar manufacturing outside of China. The government of India has created a stable demand under the CPSU scheme which endorses use of ‘Make in India’ products. This policy was instrumental in Premier Energies’ ambitious expansion plan.

Mrs. Revathi Rohini, Director Premier Energies said ‘our expansion plans wouldn’t have fructified without the swift action and support of Government of Telangana through its Department of Industries in providing necessary approvals to facilitate the setting up of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility’. Change and energy are constant. At Premier Energies, this year also marks 25 years of vision, passion, leadership and is set to evolve further to power self-reliance and lead growth in India.

Sanjay Grewal will head the newly formed renewable energy vertical of KKR in India

Sanjay Grewal, former chief executive officer (CEO) of troubled real estate financier Altico Capital, has joined global private equity fund KKR & Co. Grewal will head the newly formed renewable energy vertical of KKR in India, said two people aware of the development.

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ollowing the default on payments and tussle with lenders, Grewal had quit Altico in September. Sanjay Grewal has 30 years of infrastructure and real estate sector experience across Asia. Prior to Altico, Sanjay Grewal was the Corporate & Investment Banking Head of Infrastructure Development Finance Company NSE 1.20 %, and he co-led IDFC’s core $11 billion infrastructure business and structured finance transactions. He held senior positions with Citi, Lehman Brothers and International Finance Corp, the investment arm of the World Bank. A KKR spokesperson declined to comment while Grewal did not respond to calls and messages. In 2018, KKR had hired Hardik Shah, formerly with Brookfield Asset management, as director to head its infrastructure investments in India.

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KKR, an active investor in infrastruture space globally, has made two investments in India from its Asia infrastructure fund. Recently, the fund had acquired five solar energy assets from India’s Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital in a deal worth about Rs1554 crore ($204 mn). The portfolio comprises 169 MW assets in Maharashtra and assets with a capacity of 148 MW in Tamil Nadu. It had invested $400 mn last year to take control of India Grid Trust, an infrastructure investment trust, along with Singapore’s GIC. KKR is in the process of raising its debut Asia infrastructure fund, with a $3 billion target. www.EQMagPro.com

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This Chennai Startup’s Ready-To-Use Solar-Powered Homes Produce Water From Air! “A 1000 sq ft home built by us can save upto 5 lakh litres of water every year just by saving the rain water and recycling the waste water from the house,” says co-founder Dilipan.

ike many of us, Arun KS, a Chennaibased financial consultant, was tired of the city life and longed for some peace and quiet, away from the maddening chaos of urban concrete jungles. “I was born in Chennai, and after living most of my life here, I couldn’t take the traffic, noise and air pollution anymore. My daughters had grown up and on their way to pursue an education, so I decided to finally make a move,” says the 50-year-old.

To this end, he bought a 1800 sq ft plot of land at Ayappakkam, about an hour’s distance from Chennai, in 2017. He wanted a simple, functional home, but the builders he contacted were unable to understand his vision. To make matters worse, the prices they were quoting were prohibitive. “The ideas and inputs I received from these builders did not include any sustainable building processes nor were they functional keeping the sustainability factor in mind,” he explains.

Where sustainability meets functionality

When Arun began to research alternatives that would meet his requirements, he read about glass fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRG) panels that are used in the construction process, and was impressed by their properties. GFRG panels are made from recycled industrial waste gypsum or natural gypsum, and their use substantially reduces the amount of cement, sand, water and steel during construction of buildings. “Armed with this information, I started looking for sustainable builders in and around Chennai who could employ materials like GFRG panels and help me build my dream house. This was when I came across Cityrene,” he says. Cityrene is a Chennai-based sustainable construction startup founded in 2016, by Dilipan Bose and A Nivethitha. “Now that my house has been constructed, I know that 75% of cement and plaster that would’ve been used otherwise, has been saved. Also, since the house has been made from materials like GFRG, it is almost 4 degrees cooler than a house built using bricks,” says Arun. Resource-saving aspects were also kept in mind while designing the house in addition to using sustainable materials in the construction process. In Arun’s case, his home has a bio-digester which disposes of waste and recycles water.

JA Solar launches 800 W solar panel

The new product, currently the most powerful panel on the market, was showcased at the SNEC PV Power Expo in Shanghai. Also presented at the fair was a 780 W product from Tongwei and a 660 W module from Trina. The 14th SNEC photovoltaic exhibition and conference held in Shanghai this week set the stage for the presentation of the most powerful solar panels on the global PV market. The Chinese pv magazine team was there and has reviewed all of them.

JA Solar Chinese manufacturer JA Solar unveiled what is thus far the world’s biggest and most powerful panel with an 810 W model. Called Jumbo, the panel has quadruple layouts of 47 cells and dimensions of 2,220 by 1,757mm. This panel utilizes a triple-cut cell design with 11 busbars on 210mm wafers. JA puts the maximum power output at 800 W. The module is not yet in mass production. JA Solar launched a new 525 W+ panel in May.

Tongwei China’s largest cell manufacturer, Tongwei, unveiled its G12 module series with a power output ranging from 760 to 780 W. The series is also based on a 210mm wafer and multi-busbar (MBB) technology. Measuring 2,357mm by 1,612mm, it weighs 39kg. With MBB technology, Tongwei said the panel would reduce BOS and LCOE for investors and operators. The G12 series is likewise not yet in mass production.

Trina Trina Solar presented a 660 W version of the Devex module. Trina said the new product had the same features and specifications as the Vertex 600 W panels it launched in mid-July, but with systematic optimization.

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The panel is based on 210mm wafers, MBB technology and high-density interconnection. Trina last month formed the 600 W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance with the aim of producing the next level of ultra-powerful modules.

More panels Overall, 20 module manufacturers launched new module products with a power output of over 500 W at SNEC. The list includes: Jolywood, 615 W Risen Solar, 615 W JinkoSolar, 610 W Suntech, 605 W Haitai, 600 W Talesun, 590 W CSI, 590 W Eging PV, 545 W Longi, 540 W Seraphim, 530 W

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A New Blow to the Solar-Energy Supply Chain A New Blow to the Solar-Energy Supply Chain. Tongwei Co. halted output at a polysilicon factory in southwestern Sichuan province because of flooding, the latest blow to the solar supply chain that has seen rare cost increases this summer due to disruptions.

Prices for the material have surged by 56% since July 15, according to PVInsights. Wafer and cell makers have since boosted prices to pass along some of the increased cost. Any further impact on prices may depend on the duration of the outage. China has been battered by severe floods since June, affecting more than 63 million people, according to a posting on the Ministry of Emergency Management’s website. National Business Daily reported the suspension of Tongwei’s unit

Solar’s Top Manufacturer Raises Cell Prices 11% Polysilicon prices have risen nearly 50% since July 15. Tight supply of material used in solar panels seen through 3Q.

ongwei Solar, a unit of Tongwei Co., raised multicrystalline solar cell prices by 11% to 0.6 yuan per watt, according to an Aug. 10 notice on its website. The company, the world’s leading cell producer, also increased prices for three types of monocrystalline cells by 0.08 yuan per watt each, about a 9% increase. The hike is the second in less than three weeks after it increased prices on July 24.

Manufacturers all along the solar supply chain have boosted prices in the past month after a July 19 explosion forced the shutdown of a major polysilicon factory in Xinjiang, China. Other manufacturers in the process are required to take safety measures that could reduce utilization, according to Dennis Ip, an analyst with Daiwa Capital Securities. “The extreme tight supply is likely to continue and support the rise in polysilicon prices in the third quarter,” Ip said in an Aug. 6 note.

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Prices for the conductive material that’s key to making solar panels have risen nearly 50% since July 15 to about $10 a kilogram, according to data compiled by BloombergNEF. That’s the highest level since October 2018. More expensive polysilicon has forced manufacturers further downstream to follow suit. LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., the world’s biggest solar wafer maker, boosted its prices twice in July after the explosion. Cell and wafer increases, though, have been relatively smaller than polysilicon, leading to potential margin erosion for the companies, Ip said.

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FinMin, PMO to discuss fresh overhaul of basic customs duties; 300 items likely on the table The Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will soon discuss a fresh overhaul for basic customs duties across categories this week, sources told CNBC-TV18. These discussions, are primarily to consider the on-going exercise to hike customs duties in line with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ program, to support and encourage domestic manufacturing, sources said, who did not want to be named. ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is a vision announced recently by Prime Minister Modi to make India a self-reliant country. These discussions are likely to be on more than 300 items and an immediate hike is likely to be approved for “textiles, electronic goods such as cameras and laptops, solar modules, solar panels, and solar inverters.”

esides, some import restrictions could also be put in place for some steel and aluminium products, sources added. Solar has been one big area where the government has been proposing a hike for quite some time. In July, power minister RK Singh had said that India needed to bring tariff barriers for imported power equipment, as it posed security threats to the power system in the country. Singh had highlighted that the government is pushing for measures to make India self-reliant in both power and solar power sectors. The minister reiterated that India intended to bring 25 percent basic customs duty immediately on import of solar modules and cells and gradually increase it to 40 percent. “This particular, proposal to immediate hike basic customs duty of 25% on solar modules, panels, cells and inverters is under active consideration,” sources quoted earlier added.”

“We have decided not to buy any power equipment from china, we are going to release a list of prior reference countries which will include China and Pakistan. The government will not give any permission for imports from prior reference countries. Import from any other country will be inspected under stringent norms because the power system is a sensitive system,” Singh had said. “The power system is vulnerable to cyberattacks because of trojan and malware, this can lead to power shutdown, and then communication lines will be impacted and lead to a database crash, manufacturing, defence industries, etc. Most of the equipment imported are made in India. I urge even states to not use power equipment which is made in China.” India imported power equipment worth Rs 71,000 crore in FY19, and about Rs 21,000 crore worth equipment alone was imported from China. India has a target of 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW target is for solar capacity. Some of the players in solar power equipment manufacturing sector are Vikram solar, Adani group, Tata Power, Moser baer and BHEL. Say in the case of Tata Power, for 29 years, through its solar arm, TPSSL, has been manufacturing cells and modules by focusing on cutting-edge technology and worldclass innovation. With over 1.9 GW of modules shipped globally, Tata’s solar cells and modules are recognised for their quality and reliability across the world. TPSSL claims to be the first solar manufacturer in India to achieve the milestone of shipping 1 GW modules worldwide, cementing its position as a leading player

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in the global PV module manufacturing industry with in-house production capacity of 300 MW cell line and 400 MW module line. Similarly, for aluminum sector, recently, Ministry of Mines had constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to analyse import curbs in aluminium and also propping up the domestic smelters of the metal to substitute overseas supply. Idea being to see how measures to restrict “cheap” and “low quality” Chinese imports can be put in place.

More than 60 percent of India’s aluminium demand is met through imports and China contributes 16 percent to the import basket of the metal. Other countries that supply the metal to India include the US, Malaysia, the UK & the UAE. In FY19, aluminium imports from China grew 58 percent at 380 (Kilo Tonne) kT vs 238 kT in FY18. The trade deficit between India and China on the metal widened by a whopping 369 percent from $248 million in FY11 to $1.16 billion in FY19. China also has almost 80 percent share of India’s secondary aluminium products, which includes foil, tubes, doors, windows, nails, staples, screws, etc. Aluminium Association of India has suggested the government impose 12.5 percent import duty on secondary aluminium products. The industry has also suggested an increase in basic customs duty on primary aluminium import to 10 percent from 7.5 percent. Similarly, a hiked customs duty at 10 percent has been sought for aluminium scrap and waste, which has seen an unprecedented surge in imports due to the low custom duty of 2.5 percent. Scrap import has increased from countries like the US, the UK, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. The US is the biggest exporter of aluminum scrap, China imposed 25 percent duty on US scrap that is now being diverted to India. In FY20, India’s aluminium capacity stood at 4.1 Million tonnes (MT) as against 2.2 MT of consumption. Experts say such moves will help in fostering domestic manufacturing.

AUGUST- 2020

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Tata Power to Explore M&A Opportunities in Renewable Energy Space

For Tata Power, the restructuring of the renewable business into an InvIT is part of the divestment process to bring its debt to Rs 25,000 crore by end of this fiscal from Rs 43,578 crore as of March 31, 2020, the document said. The company has already embarked on the plans to clean its balance sheet by undertaking various debt reduction measures, including selling non-core assets. The firm has already sold its stake in Cennergi Wind as well as ships owned by its Singapore subsidiary to raise around Rs 2,400 crore. Tata Power reported a 10 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 268 crore for quarter ended June on the back of reduced expenses. During April-June, the company reported a total income of Rs 6,540 crore as compared to Rs 7,874 crore in the year-ago quarter.

Andhra Pradesh commissions 8,203 MW renewable energy capacity

Andhra Pradesh, a major renewable energy producer, has an installed renewable energy generation capacity of around 8,203 megawatt (MW). Of this capacity, commissioned till 31 July 2020, wind energy projects took the largest share with 4,080 MW capacity, followed by solar energy with a capacity of 3,530 MW commissioned, according to information shared by New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) on its website.

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t said that the total solar capacity commissioned up to 2019-20 was about 3,522 MW. The renewable energy status update also showed that out of all the segments, only solar projects of 8.75 MW capacity were commissioned during 2020-21. According to Mercom India, Andhra Pradesh has installed solar capacity of about 3.6 gigawatt (GW) and a project pipeline of 1.3 GW. In small hydro projects, the state has commissioned a total of 103 MW capacity till 31 July of this year, while biomass, biomass energy cogeneration, and bagasse projects contributed a total of 445 MW to the state’s renewable energy capacity. The share of municipal solid waste and industrial waste capacity stood at 47 MW, according to the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh.

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It added that the total renewable energy capacity commissioned up to 2019-20 in the state was 8,194 MW. The Andhra Pradesh government in July had announced its renewable energy export policy, 2020 which would apply to solar, wind, and wind-solar hybrid projects. Under this policy, the land in the state would be used for renewable energy projects for the purpose of export to other states.

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Mukesh Ambani preps up for a multi-billion dollar play in renewables Mukesh Ambani is prepping up for a multi-billion dollar play in the renewable energy space encompassing hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery as he looks to transform the energy business of Reliance Industries Ltd into one of the world’s top new energy companies by 2035.

eliance is expected to unveil the broad contours of the renewable energy strategy including investments in October when it reports the second quarter financial results, a company official said. The foray into the renewable energy segment could be driven by both organic and inorganic opportunities. In July, Chairman Mukesh Ambani gave a peek into Reliance’s long-term vision of steering the company “beyond oil to chemicals” and how he is “re-imagining” the entire energy platform. “The catastrophic impact of climate change calls for the legacy energy industry to reinvent itself on a war footing. Furthermore, the world needs access to clean and affordable energy and this must be met, as it is a pre-requisite to ensuring quality of life for all people. To meet these twin challenges, the energy industry must understand that fossil fuels and renewables are not mutually exclusive or contradictory,” he told shareholders at the annual general meeting on July 15.

fuel mix

India’s fuel mix is dominated by thermal power (64 per cent), followed by renewable energy sources (22 per cent), hydro (13 per cent) and nuclear (1 per cent ). The government’s policy managers reckon that the future energy mix should be designed keeping in view India’s Nationally Determined Contributions or NDC under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) obligations, referred to as the Paris Agreement. NDCs are greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. India has pledged to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels. It has also pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity to 40 per cent. India’s renewable energy capacity was 86 GW in December 2019, against a target of 175 GW installed capacity by December 2022 and 450 GW by 2030. The government is looking to raise the share of renewable energy in consumption to 20 per cent by 2025 from 10 per cent by increasing its share in the fuel mix to 39 per cent from 22 per cent. Building 178 GW of solar and wind power by 2025 will require an investment of over Rs891,300 crore, according to the government.

Reliance, Ambani said, will build an optimal mix of reliable, clean and affordable energy with hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery. It will combine the strengths in digital, power electronics, advanced materials and electrochemistry to develop full stack electrolyser and fuel cell solutions.“Transforming our energy business to tackle one of the biggest challenges before India and the world is our new growth opportunity. On successful implementation of this strategy, we target to become net carbon-zero by 2035,” he said on July 15.

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15-year vision

The 15-year vision of building Reliance as a new energy company will be implemented through a platform company “in a worldwide collaborative model”, Ambani stated. “This model envisages a large coalition of global financial investors, reputed technology partners and start-ups working on futuristic solutions,” he said. The new energy business based on the principle of carbon recycle and circular economy is a multi-trillion opportunity for India and the world. It is also an opportunity to make clean and green energy abundantly available at an affordable price to every Indian, every Indian enterprise and every Indian utility,” he added.

AUGUST- 2020

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Stringing up a success story – Navalakha Translines India-based Navalakha Translines chose Growatt’s string inverters for its 6 MW ground mounted plant in the Osmanabad district of Maharashtra in 2019, at a time when prices of string inverters were prohibitive for ground mounted solar PV plants. But the decision paid off, as the inverters with smart cooling are a great fit for the uneven terrain witnessing temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

high irradiation level makes the Osmanabad district of Maharashtra, India the preferred choice for setting up a solar PV plant. However, the region poses challenges of uneven terrain and high ambient temperatures, which could impact the modules’ power output and inverter performance. Keeping these challenges in mind, Navalakha Translines decided to install Growatt’s string inverters with auto cooling for its 6 MW ground mounted solar PV system.

The plant is providing significant power generation with 30,000 kWh of daily output, across 300 sunny days each year. Navalakha Translines feeds all power generated into the grid, and sells energy to different organizations under open access. “Dependability, quality, easy installation, after-sales service and presence in the market—all these points work in favor of Growatt,” said Navalakha Translines founder Mr. Satendra Navalahka. Another advantage of Growatt inverters is their integrated cloudbased communication platform system. This allows the plant owner to see instantaneous output of each inverter on his mobile, and in the case of error, call site engineers to check a particularly weak inverter’s performance in comparison to others.

Why string? Based on his experience with Growatt inverters, Mr. Satendra Navalahka recommends the use string inverters, when cost comparable with central inverters. “One advantage with string inverters is that civil work is reduced. You can complete installation and start generation within three months, as compared to central inverters which require significant work, such as setting up a room, etc.” says Navalahka. “Further, the failure and maintenance loss is much higher for centralized inverters than string inverters. Even if a string inverter fails, you don’t lose much generation.” The company founder says that after-sales service and repair of string inverters is also easier than central inverters, which supported Navalakha Translines’ decision to choose string inverters for the plant.

How self-cooling works To manage the temperature of internal components, the cooling system needs to be efficient. As ambient temperatures in Osmanabad reach up to 45 degrees Celsius during summers, the inverter temperature would be higher than that as all the insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), or internal components which convert DC into AC, are working continuously for 10-12 hours per day. The Navalakha project specified 84 Growatt MAX 60 kW PV inverters. The inverters come with a self-cooling mechanism, equipped with IP67 fans to avoid overheating. Further, if you place these inverters in an outdoor environment, they are inherently protected from the elements, such as dust and rain.

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All these fans work at a preset tem[1]perature. This means the first fan will start only when the temperature of the inverter crosses a particular level, also the fan speed will increase with the temperature rise. The second fan will start if the temperature increases beyond a threshold level, explains Shantanu Sirsath, Growatt’s technical head for India. “We have set two threshold levels for the fans to minimize the consumption from the DC-source panels.” He added that the lifespan of Growatt inverters covers around 25 years under favorable conditions, which is equivalent to the lifetime of the solar plant. These values were then factored into their design decisions for the project.

Cloud-based communications

For large-scale projects such as the Maharashtra 6 MW plant, Growatt provides a special monitoring device called Shinemaster. With this single device, one can monitor 32 inverters through RS485 connection. In the case of Navalakha Translines’ system, the device is being used to monitor 18 inverters. Shinemaster collects all the data of individual inverters and sends it to a server. A special login account allows for Mr. Satendra Navalakha to monitor the performance of his whole plant as well as that of individual inverters from his office or any remote location around the world. If there is an error alarm, it will be displayed on the portal. Directly from the monitoring page, it is possible for system owners to determine which particular inverter is giving what sort of error. “It’s easy for our service engineer to ascertain whether the problem is due to voltage issues, hardware failure, or something else,” says Growatt’s Sirsath, adding “The next preventive action will be that our engineer visits the site and repairs the inverter or provides a replacement, if required.”

Remote service possible The Growatt portal also provides remote online service, for example, remote updates to inverter and datalogger firmware, preset inverter parameters etc. According to Growatt service engineer experience, more than 60% of service issues could be solved online, which obviously reduced on-site service time and cost, and is much more convenient for customers.

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U.N. chief urges India to quickly move to clean solar power

India should commit to carbon neutrality by ending fossil fuel subsidies and investing in clean solar power as it mobilizes trillion of dollars to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the U.N. chief said

ecretary-General Antonio Guterres said India is at a crossroads and should speed up its shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy by committing to no new coal projects after 2020. India’s subsidies for fossil fuels are some seven times bigger than its subsidies for clean energy. Coal subsidies in the 2019-20 financial year amounted to $2.06 billion, with overall subsides to fossil fuels at $11 billion. Guterres made the remarks in a lecture delivered online. It was organized by The Energy and Resources Institute, a New Delhi-based private research group, to commemorate its founder Darbari Seth. The U.N. chief lauded India for raising the proportion of renewable energy in its total consumption to 24% from 17% despite the pandemic. Coal-fired power use as a share of the total declined to 66% from 76%. Investments in renewable energy generate triple the number of jobs created by investments in more polluting fossil fuels, he said.

The Indian government has committed to spending trillions of dollars on welfare and development programs to help the country weather the pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to push many people back into poverty, such job creation is an opportunity that can’t be missed,” Guterres said. Apart from issues of job creation and concerns about pollution and climate change, coal power plants are likely to become “stranded assets,” he noted. In India, 50% of coal will be uncompetitive in 2022, reaching 85 per cent by 2025,” Guterres said.

India’s share of global oil and gas reserves is less than 1% each and it imports nearly 80% of its oil needs. But the country does have coal reserves and is the second-largest producer of coal behind China, with record output at 729 million metric tonnes in 2019-20. Because of the poor quality of its coal with a high ash and moisture content, India also imported 251 metric tonnes of coal in 2019-20. Meanwhile, many Indian cities are shrouded in heavy smog. Guterres acknowledged progress, noting that the number of people working in renewable energy in India had increased five-fold since 2015. Last year, its spending on solar energy surpassed spending on coal-fired power generation for the first time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the International Solar Alliance in the form of One Sun, One World, One Grid” in 2015 with 120 nations affirming their participation for promotion of solar energy. The country also is promoting a World Solar Bank that will mobilize $1 trillion of investments in solar projects over the coming decade. India has pledged to raise its renewable energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030 from an initial goal set in 2015 of 175 gigawatts. It now has 37 gigawatts of installed solar electric capacity. Some 64 million Indians still get along without access to electricity.

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) in pact with Greenko Energies NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. (NVVN), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited has signed an MOU with Greenko Energies Pvt Ltd on 25.08.2020 for exploring the possibility of entering into an arrangement for trading, collaboration and partnership in Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Projects set up by GREENKO to offer Round the Clock (RTC) renewable energy power to potential customers in India.

he pact with Greenko Energies Pvt Ltd will help NVVN to establish itself strongly in various segments of RTC bundled renewable power. With a total installed capacity of 62.9 GW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle Gas/Liquid Fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 Renewables along with 25 Subsidiary & JV Power Stations. The group has over 20 GW of capacity under construction, of which 5GW comprises of renewable energy.

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AUGUST- 2020

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TERI proposes Rs 40-lakh cr Green Stimulus to revive growth, jobs

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has proposed to revive the Indian economy by exploiting potential of around Rs 40 lakh crore in clean energy projects over the next 10 year through government policy interventions but with minimum public spending. TERI has released a discussion paper on ‘A Fiscally Responsible Green Stimulus’ to revive the Indian economy by creating demand and jobs with policy and regulatory interventions using minimal government spending, a TERI statement said.

he Green Stimulus proposed by the TERI is about Rs 40 lakh crore (or USD 540 billion), spread over this decade by 2030. TERI suggested to incentivise cleaner transport, which has the investment potential of Rs 1.6 lakh crore per annum. It suggested to subsidise fleet modernisation of existing vehicles to BS-VI, use of electric vehicles and provision of buses for public transport. The Institute has also pitched for producing renewable energy from agricultural residues which have an investment potential of Rs 22,470 crore per annum. The Energy and Resources Institute suggested that the government should announce a commercially viable procurement price for the next five years for briquettes made from crop waste. It has also asked for creating RE from animal husbandry waste, which has investment potential of Rs 88,000 crore per annum.

The study suggested to introduce a commercially viable feed-in tariff for purchase of electricity generated from animal husbandry waste (excreta from cattle, poultry, pigs, etc.) by power distribution companies. It says promoting solar generation in rural India has an investment potential of Rs 27 lakh crore. It made a case for a commercially viable feed-in tariff for purchase of electricity generated from rural areas in the kilowatt range by power distribution companies. Supporting MSMEs to become more green and competitive has savings potential of Rs 15,000 crore every year. The stimulus package envisaged by the government can be used to finance investments in the MSME sector for enhancing competitiveness through energy efficiency, it added. This would involve replacement of energy-inefficient boilers, pumps and motors. Creating domestic manufacturing capacity for solar power and energy storage has an investment potential of Rs 2,94,000 crore by 2030, as per the study. It has suggested that government should invite bids for solar power with storage along with the condition that manufacturing with full value addition would be done in India.

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Renewable Energy Secretary Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi said in the statement, “The paper adopts a holistic approach on issues related to clean energy and environment. It focuses on interventions in areas that are rather neglected such as generating waste to energy or animal waste to energy or agriculture waste to energy.” He further said some of the recommendations are already being acted upon by MNRE, such as the PM-KUSUM scheme. “We hope to have a framework where domestic solar manufacturing gets impetus. We also have plans for generating energy from surplus biomass.” On renewable energy, the secretary added, “India’s installed renewable energy capacity has grown by 2.5 times in the past six years. However, our share in RE electricity generation remains at 12 per cent or 1/10th of overall production. Rapid technological changes in coming years will help us reduce renewable energy costs and costs associated with integrating RE into grid.”

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Ladakh’s remote Nubra, Zanskar valleys to get connected to national power grid As part of efforts to boost infrastructure in the Ladakh region, the government has started work on a Rs 1,200 crore project to connect the northern most tip of the country – the Nubra valley and highly remote central area – the Zanskar valley, with the national power grid.

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fficials in Power Ministry said that the grid connectivity project would be taken up on war footing so that entire work is completed quickly bringing power to these remote areas that have to do with diesel gensets now. The tentative plan is to complete the projects within 2-3 years. Nubra valley is popular on the tourist map but is it also strategically important region as it is sandwiched between Karakoram range and Siachen glacier in the north and Baltistan region of (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) PoK in the West. The eastern side is also flanked by high mountain ranges of Ladakh. Zanskar valley, on the other hand is among the remotest area in Ladakh with its headquarters Padum located right in the middle of the union territory. This highly inaccessible area has seen little development so far and government is inclined to bring even this region to the national mainstream through a series of infrastructure projects.

As part of grid development plan, state-owner Power Grid Corporation is expected to set up 220 KV transmission lines passing through some of the worlds’ highest mountain passes and inhospitable terrains. The first line will link connections available in Dras, the words second coldest place with temperature falling to – 45 degree C in winters, to Padum covering a distance of about 200 circuit km. The second transmission line will extend network in Leh to Nubra valley passing through Khardung La pass, the worlds highest motorable pass c lose to Leh. The linking of the two regions of power grid is expected to reduce the use of polluting diesel in these regions, that had become the mainstay of energy fuel there. It may be noted that though Ladakh, mainly in Leh and Kargil areas, was getting power from NHPC run hydro power projects in the area since 2013, the capital got connected to national power grid only in 2013 when power grid opened the Srinagar-Leh transmission link. Further expansion of transmission network is expected to boost the energy scenario in the union territory and also open ground for export of power from the region to other parts of the country. Already there is plan to develop a green corridor involving solar projects Ladakh. Power from these projects could be pulled by the national grid for use in any part of the country.

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India’s solar power story disrupted as renewable energy finds no buyers

India’s solar power story has been largely creditable, with a rapid pace of capacity addition and competitive tariffs being discovered, but several adversities including reluctance of discoms to sign power supply agreements (PSAs) are threatening to disrupt it.

early a third of the 23,600 megawatt (MW) renewable power projects, won by various players after quoting the lowest rates in reverse auctions conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for inter-state transmission system (ISTS), are staring at an uncertain future as the agency has not yet found buyers for electricity from these solar/ wind power generation units. Most of these are underconstruction units; only 2,200 MW of the awarded capacity has been commissioned till date. Project developers also grapple with other issues such as unavailability of land and inadequate power transmission infrastructure, leading to inordinate delays. The investments involved in the stuck projects with combined capacity of 8,000 mw is roughly Rs 36,000 crore at Rs 4.5 crore per MW. Projects facing uncertainty due to lack of buyers include those backed by global players like the UK’s CDC-(Ayana Renewable), Netherland’s Avaada Energy, French utility Engie (Betam Wind), New York-based Eden Renewables, SoftBank Group, Hong Kong based UPC Renewables (Masaya Solar), Italy’s Enel (Avikiran Surya), Germany’s Ib Vogt, Spain’s Solarpack Corporacion and the Canada-based Amp Energy Green. SECI has also not found buyers for power from some units of local players like ReNew Power, Azure Power and Adani Green Energy.

According to data compiled by the Central Electricity Authority, SECI has not been able to sign PSAs with any state discom for 5,840 MW of solar and 920 MW of ISTS wind power projects. SECI being the national aggregator of renewable energy, signs power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the winning developers in competitive auctions, and subsequently inks PSAs with states to supply electricity from these plants. In fact, as much as 1,665 MW of renewable power projects (Acme: 600 MW, Torrent: 500 MW, Mytrah: 300 MW and ReNew: 265 MW) have sought to terminate their PPAs, frustrated by delays caused by other parties, in spite of SECI finding buyers of electricity from these projects. The impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the supply chain has also been cited as a cause of the demand for PPA cancellations. Industry trackers have pointed that the ultra-low tariff quoted by some of the firms might not be viable anymore amid time overruns, leading to termination of contracts.

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SECI’s competitive bidding rounds for ISTS projects have been instrumental in bringing down renewable energy power costs in the country as the Central government-backed agency utilised the economies of scale by conducting reverse auctions for large capacities. It also allowed solar and wind power plants to be installed in conducive locations anywhere in the country and supply power to states with lower potential for renewable energy generation. While a section of the industry has blamed discoms for not signing PSAs in the hope of better deals in the future, experts have also pointed that SECI has conducted many auctions without assessing the states’ appetite for such unreliable and intermittent sources of power. The country has set a target to raise the capacity of installed renewable energy generation plants to 175 giga watt (GW) by the end of 2022. As on July 31, the installed renewable energy capacity was 88 GW. Around 34 GW is under various stages of implementation and 34.5 GW under various stages of bidding. If the 45.7 GW of hydro and 6.8 GW of nuclear capacities are included, the target under the Paris climate change accord of having 40% of installed power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources will be achieved by 2022 itself.

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BHEL bags maiden order for battery energy storage systems State-run engineering firm BHEL said it has bagged its maiden order for battery energy storage systems from TERI. However, the company did not divulge details about the value of the order.

“Amidst stiff competitive bidding, BHEL has won its first commercial order for state-of-the-art Battery Energy Storage Systems from The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI),” BHEL said in a statement.

he company has signed a contract agreement with TERI for setting up of a cumulative 410 kWh Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, it added. The tender was issued by TERI on turnkey basis under UI-ASSIST (US-India Collaborative for Smart Distribution System with Storage) initiative with BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL). BHEL’s scope of work in the contract includes design, supply, testing, installation and commissioning along with a comprehensive five-year annual maintenance contract (AMC) of the systems at three different locations, it said. The project will be executed by BHEL’s Electronics Division, Bengaluru. BHEL has a focused approach in the emerging field of BESS and has already commissioned a 1 MWh BESS at its corporate R&D centre located in Hyderabad. The state-of-the-art system is commissioned with three different battery technologies viz. lithium-ion, advance lead-carbon and flow batteries, the statement said.

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Solar companies protest against the new land tax Solar and wind power developers are receiving notices from state finance department for payment of land tax of Rs 2 per sq mtr imposed on them for the first time effective from April this year. The industry, which has been resisting the tax, has asked for time, even as it is raising the issue with Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd (RRECL) citing that the projects set up were through competitive biddings and the tax liability was not factored into cost analysis.

RRECL managing director Anil Gupta said they have received representations from the industry and are examining the tax provisions and also benefits available under Rajasthan Industrial Promotion Scheme, 2019 (RIPS-19). “We are looking into aspects like if the solar power developers could be liable for the tax, given the fact that certain exemptions are provided in the RIPS, 2019. After examining all the aspects, we will present the industry’s case before the finance department through energy department,” Gupta told TOI. A back of the envelop calculation shows that the solar and wind projects would have to shell out about Rs 55 crore annually due to the land tax. The calculation takes into account a conservative size of 5 acre per megawatt for both solar and wind, whose cumulative installed capacity in the state is over 12000 MW. The industry representatives said that solar and wind requires are parcels of land unlike other industries. The larger capacity, the bigger spread out of the area, because it is all about capturing the solar rays, they said. “Solar industry is different from other industries in the sense it needs huge tracts of land. That’s why levying land tax on solar or wind power projects defies all logic,” said Rajasthan Solar association in a statement. The industry body said, “Our members have received notices from the finance department (Tax Division) to deposit land tax and its subsequent annual return, which was not part of the earlier input cost working. Further the state’s solar policy having not clarified any aspect on this land tax, our members are unaware of this. And hence the exciting solar projects have not been set up under this new tax liability.”

In another letter to RRECL, National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), said, “Furthermore, owing to the current scenario due to Covid-19 and the various restrictions on movement and transportation currently in place, our member Companies will be unable to mobilize personnel or agent or advocate for the said hearing, on such short notice. Since, the companies have received the notice very recently, we on their behalf, seek adequate timeline to enable them collate all the supporting documents and information for the purpose of the hearing.”

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CCI approves proposed acquisition of C&S Electric by Siemens The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition of C&S Electric Limited by Siemens Limited. The proposed combination envisages the acquisition of 100 per cent of the share capital of C&S Electric Limited (C&S) by Siemens Limited (Siemens India). “At the time of closing of the proposed combination, the scope of business of C&S shall include low-voltage (LV) switchgear components and panels, LV and medium voltage (MV) power busbars as well as protection and metering devices of C&S. Certain other businesses of C&S, such as MV switchgear and package sub-station, lighting, diesel generating sets, engineering, procurement and construction business and the “Etacom” busbars business will be retained by the existing promoters of C&S,” the Ministry of Corporate Affairs said in a release.

iemens India focuses on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. It also supplies smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport and infrastructure solutions for Smart Cities. C&S manufactures a range of electrical switchgear, power protection and electrical distribution products. C&S also has an electrical contracting business that performs turnkey solutions for industrial and commercial electrification, substations and power plants. In addition, C&S is also engaged in the design and execution of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plants.

Lakhs of power sector workers protest against Electricity Amendment Bill : AIPEF The AIPEF said lakhs of power sector engineers and employees held peaceful protests across the country against privatization of discoms and the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020. The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) had given a call for holding a protest day on August 18.

Lakhs of power sector employees and engineers across the country held peaceful protest meetings seeking withdrawal of Electricity Bill 2020 and to oppose the privatization process of electricity distribution in Union Territories and other states, AIPEF spokesperson V K Gupta said in a statement.

he protest meetings were held under the banner of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) in all states and UTs, the statement said. Gupta asserted that after strong protest of 11 states and two Union Territories in power ministers’ conference on July 3, the Union Power Minister had committed to bring a modified draft of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020. However, even after more than 45 days, the government has not placed any new draft in the public domain for comments and Union Territories have been asked to privatize discoms without getting into the details of the ground realities. The Uttar Pradesh government has started the process of privatizing Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and the Odisha government has started the privatization process of three discoms, it added. Odisha’s Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) was given to Tata Power and employees are already protesting, it stated.

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The provisions in the draft Amendment Bill to allow private franchisee or sub-licensee will only lead to cherry-picking of remunerative areas affecting the financial viability of discoms, AIPEF opined. It may be mentioned that privatization and the urban distribution franchisee model have miserably failed in all the places, it noted. “Now imposing the same failed model on states in the name of financial help is nothing but blackmail which is not acceptable and has been vehemently opposed by power employees and engineers,” it said. It seems that the government is more concerned about the profitability of the private sector power companies, it lamented. Gupta said demonstration is a peaceful symbolic protest and if central and state governments do not stop the privatization process, then power sector employees will be forced to resort to democratic agitational steps.

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Greenko enters into partnership with NTPC for energy storage and flexible &despatchable RE power supply solutions Greenko Energies Pvt Ltd (Greenko) and NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam Ltd. (NVVN), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited – India’s largest power generation with generation fleet in excess of 60 GW and transitioning into Renewables, have entered into an MOU with an intent to explore possibility of development of Renewable Energy (RE) based RTC, flexible and despatchable power supply offering based on integration of RE sources and Pumped Storage projects. The value proposition of the potential offering will be to meet the evolving bespoke requirements of Discoms and other power consumers in India in real-time.

ffordable energy storage is critical to the sustained growth of renewables, grid balancing and address limited generation flexibility in the Indian energy market. Greenko is one of the largest RE developers in India with total asset base of 6.4 GW (operational and near-term portfolio). The company is backed by two sovereign funds, GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Greenko is developing and building over 40 GWh of pumped hydro storage projects across 6 states in India. The pumped hydro storage projects being built by Greenko, following the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat made by our Honorable PM, shall be one of the lowest cost storage solutions at around 85 USD/ MWh compared to battery storage systems, currently being imported primarily from China, at around 200 USD/ MWh (forecasted to reached 100 USD/ MWh by 2030) with limited life cycles.

NVVN, holding the highest category Trading License ‘I’ issued by CERC, is a leading Power Trading Company with strong foot prints in Domestic and Cross Border market. NVVN is currently expanding its portfolio into RE (Solar and Non- Solar) and E-Mobility segments.

ReNew Power, UNEP ink pact for better clean energy access, higher efficiency The partnership will also implement solar off-grid projects, studies, and assessments. UNEP’s District Energy in Cities Initiative aims to support market transformation efforts in order to shift the heating and cooling sector to energy efficient solutions.

lean energy firm ReNew Power and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have signed a partnership agreement to promote increased access to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency. ReNew Power will partner with UNEP’s District Energy in Cities Initiative as an implementation partner for renewable energy installations across India with the aim of shifting the heating and cooling sector to an energy efficient one, a company statement said. The partnership will also implement solar off-grid projects, studies, and assessments. Joint efforts will be promoted through annual events to showcase contributions to India’s strategic vision on renewable energy.

Through our association with UNEP, we are looking to work on issues which have the potential to accelerate growth and bring about socio-economic change in the area of environment and clean energy, said Vaishali Nigam Sinha, ReNew Power’s Chief Sustainability Officer. www.EQMagPro.com

The strengthened partnership between the two parties, who had signed the Memorandum of Understanding on July 10, focuses on enhancing access to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency as part of the strategies that India has adopted to realize its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, the company said. “ReNew Power is a market leader in renewable energy and has demonstrated that clean energy makes ample business sense,” said Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s India Office. Bagai further said “we are proud to associate with them to push the envelope when it comes to clean and viable energy solutions for multiple applications in support of the climate goals and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.” ReNew Power is a renewable energy IPP (Independent Power Producer). It generates 5.4 GW of energy through solar and wind assets and has another 4.6 GW under various stages of development throughout the country. UNEP’s District Energy in Cities Initiative aims to support market transformation efforts in order to shift the heating and cooling sector to energy efficient and renewable energy solutions. The initiative supports local and national governments to build local know-how and implement enabling policies to accelerate investment in modern – low-carbon and climate resilient – district energy systems. In parallel, the Initiative is working with cities and industry to identify, assess and tender bankable district energy projects based on international best practice accumulated from 45 champion cities for district energy and 45 partners with decades of expertise in the sector.

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Climate fund for poor nations vows to drive green COVID recovery

The Green Climate Fund has promised developing nations it will ramp up efforts to help them tackle climate challenges as they strive to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, approving $879 million in backing for 15 new projects around the world.

t a four-day virtual board meeting ending, the fund added Afghanistan and Sudan to a list of more than 100 countries receiving a total of $6.2 billion to reduce planet-heating emissions and enhance climate resilience. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was set up under U.N. climate talks in 2010 to help developing nations tackle global warming, and started allocating money in 2015. Executive Director Yannick Glemarec said the fund had “a key role to play to maintain climate ambition in the era of COVID-19” and would aim to improve the speed and efficiency of its response to developing country needs. Board co-chair Nauman Bashir Bhatti, from Pakistan, said climate finance would be crucial for recovery from the pandemic and the fund needed to increase support “even during these difficult times”. Those promises came as small island states criticised the pace and size of GCF assistance, saying they were now struggling with the economic blow from the pandemic on top of climate change impacts such as rising seas and stronger storms.

Fiji’s U.N. Ambassador Satyendra Prasad said COVID-19 risked worsening the already high debt burden of small island nations, as tourism dived. “The importance of the (GCF) … in accelerating transformative climate action in this present decade cannot be understated,” he added. He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation island nations were struggling to access other sources of finance and urged the GCF to boost aid to help them prepare project proposals and to release funding for approved projects faster. The Alliance of Small Island States said its members represented less than 10% of total funding requests.

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JOB CREATION The GCF this week approved three new projects for island nations, including strengthening buildings to withstand hurricanes in Antigua and Barbuda, and installing solar power systems on farmland on Fiji’s Ovalau island. It also gave the green light to payments rewarding reductions in deforestation in Colombia and Indonesia between 2014 and 2016. But more than 80 green groups issued an open letter ahead of the meeting opposing such funding. They said deforestation had since spiked and countries should not be rewarded for “paper reductions” in carbon emissions calculated from favourable baselines. Liane Schalatek, who leads climate finance work for the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America, said the fund should take a hard look at whether the forest emission reductions it is paying for would be permanent. It should also ensure the funding protects and benefits forest communities and indigenous people, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Other new projects included one for zero-deforestation cocoa production in Ivory Coast, providing rural villages in Senegal and Afghanistan with solar mini-grids, and conserving biodiversity on Indian Ocean islands. The fund said initiatives like these would create jobs and support a green recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The board also accepted Senegal’s La Banque Agricole and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization as partners that can implement projects with fund money. But Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) put its accreditation application on hold after campaigners argued the GCF should not work with a company that lends to developers of coal-power plants, though it has ruled out backing new ones.

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ReneSola completes 21.05 MWp community solar project in Minnesota ReneSola announced the commercial operation of a 21.05 MWp community solar projects in Minnesota. ReneSola Power developed and subsequently sold this community solar portfolio to Nautilus Solar Energy.

he community solar portfolio is qualified under Xcel Energy’s community solar program in Minnesota. The energy generated by the projects will benefit commercial off-takers situated within Xcel Energy’s service territory by providing energy cost savings while also advancing Minnesota’s 10 percent solar energy goal by 2030.

Yumin Liu, chief executive officer of ReneSola Power, said: “Community solar remains an attractive market for us in the U.S., and we continue to execute on our strategy.” “We have worked with Renesola’s development team on nearly 50 MW of solar projects in operation over the last several years,” said Jeffrey Cheng, president of Nautilus.

IIT-M’s solar-powered H2O splitter may help harness and store sun’s energy This research was expected to create a renewed interest in solar fuels domain, which could potentially bring the conversion and storage part in a single system, thereby reducing the cost per kWh of solar energy, a release from IIT-M said. A material to be employed in solar fuel generation should be good photovoltaic material and at the same time remain stable in a water medium. The material discovered by IIT-M researchers satisfies both the criteria.

part from an exciting application perspective, the researchers were seeking to understand the fundamental properties to unravel the material’s electrochemistry in finer details, which was essential for the design of solar fuel devices. IIT-M’s Solar Energy Research Group (SERG) led by Dr Aravind Kumar Chandiran, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, is specializing in the development of materials and devices architectures for solar cells, solar water splitting to hydrogen fuels, carbon dioxide recycling and metal-air batteries for electric vehicles.

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This research paper has been published in the reputed peerreviewed chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. It was co-authored by Dr Aravind Kumar Chandiran and SERG research scholar Mr Muhammed Hamdan. Dr Aravind Kumar Chandiran said storing solar energy in batteries was an expensive business for large scale implementation. A single photoelectrochemical (PEC) system that could harness and store solar energy in the form of chemical fuels could potentially reduce the cost per kWh of energy. Ideally, seawater splitting using PEC to generate clean hydrogen should be serious research, if India should remain committed to green energy and avoid potential consequences of continued carbon emission.

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Amplus Solar first to sell renewable power on IEX green market Amplus Solar claimed that it is the first solar power producer to sell renewable electricity in the green term ahead market (GTAM) on the Indian Electricity Exchange (IEX). The trading in the GTAM was launched recently at IEX. The GTAM on IEX provides avenues to renewable energy (RE) generators for sale of green energy through which buyers can meet their renewable purchase obligations (RPOs). “Days after the launch of India’s first ever Green Term-Ahead Market (GTAM) introduced by IEX, Amplus Solar sold solar electricity in the open market on August 20, 2020, becoming the first solar generator to trade on GTAM under the new Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) norm,” a company statement said.

ccording to statement the IEX launched the GTAM on its power trading platform after receiving approval from the CERC on August 17, 2020. This is a great source for entities that have RPOs – such as DISCOMs as well as large electricity customers in the commercial and industrial (C&I) category, the statement said. It helps consumers who are falling short of their renewable targets. Traditionally, there has been no segregation between thermal and renewable power sale in the exchange market, making it difficult for buyers interested only in renewable energy. With the introduction of this GTAM, such buyers can now fulfil their green energy needs through these open markets. Another upside of allowing this sourcebased differentiation is that it paves the way for transparent price discovery of electricity based on its source of generation.

RIL devising plan to become clean energy company in 15 years: BofA Securities Reliance Industries (RIL), India’s largest private sector enterprise, has laid out a 15-year vision to transform itself into a new energy company, with focus on recycling carbon dioxide, creating value from plastic, and building clean and affordable energy with hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery, said analysts.

key focus for RIL is renewable energy, and for that it intends to build an optimal mix of clean and affordable energy with hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery. RIL is also looking to make its operations cleaner and more customer-centric,” said BofA Securities in its report dated 7 August. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on 15 July said RIL aims to become net carbon zero by 2035. Ambani had said while Reliance will remain a user of crude oil and natural gas, it is committed to embracing new technologies to convert its carbon dioxide emissions into useful products and chemicals. RIL has begun converting its CO2 emissions at Jamnagar into high value proteins, nutraceuticals, advanced materials and fuels. The company has the largest single site refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat with crude processing capacity of 1.24 million barrels per day.

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It intends to develop next-generation carbon capture and storage technologies. The company is evaluating novel catalytic and electrochemical transformations to use CO2 as a valuable feedstock, BoFA Securities said, adding that RIL has proprietary technology to convert transportation fuels to valuable petrochemical and material building blocks. RIL also intends to replace transportation fuels with clean electricity and hydrogen. “RIL is open to work with global financial investors, reputed technology partners, and start-ups working on futuristic solutions,” it added. RIL is also proposing to develop the 2,000 acre adjacent to its world-scale facilities at Jamnagar to build the COTC complex. The plan is also to convert the Jamnagar site’s existing fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit to a high severity FCC (HSFCC) or Petro FCC unit, to maximise ethylene and propylene yields. “RIL’s strategy is to transform the Jamnagar refinery from a producer of transportation fuels to chemicals. The company ultimately wants to achieve a rate of more than 70% in the conversion of crude to olefins and aromatics,” it said.

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Why Is Mono Silicon Wafer Getting Bigger And Bigger? In recent years, PV technologies have been developing rapidly. With respect to cell, the high-efficiency PERC, bifacial cell and black silicon technologies have started mass production gradually, while N-type and heterojunction technologies have obtained footholds in the market; with respect to module, the double-glass, half-cell, multi-busbar and shingled-cell technologies have realized large-scale industrialization. With respect to monocrystalline silicon wafer, many technological breakthroughs have been made and more noteworthy, the wafer is getting bigger and bigger.

efore 2010, monocrystalline silicon wafers are small-size with 125mm width (f164mm silicon ingot diameter) and a few 156mm (f200mm) wafers. After 2010, 156mm wafers have occupied an increasingly bigger share and become the mainstream. 125mm P-type wafers were almost eliminated around 2014, only some IBC or HIT cells. At the end of 2013, LONGi, Zhonghuan, Jinglong, Solargiga and Comtec jointly issued the standards for M1 (156.75-f205mm) and M2 (156.75-f210mm) wafers. Without changing the size of the module, M2 could increase the module power by more than 5Wp, rapidly becoming the mainstream and maintaining the status for several years. During that period, there were also a few M4 (161.7-f211mm) wafers on the market, the area of which was 5.7% larger than M2, and such wafers were mainly applied to N-type bifacial modules.

In the second half of 2018, due to intensified market competition, many enterprises turned their attention to silicon wafers again, hoping to increase the power of modules by expanding the size of silicon wafers to secure product competitiveness. One methodology is to copy the release of M2, continue to increase the width across the wafer, to 157mm, 157.25mm or 157.4mm for instance, without increasing the size of the module, but the increase in power obtained is limited, the requirement on production accuracy is increased, and the certification compatibility may be affected (e.g. failing to meet the creepage distance requirement of UL). Another methodology is to follow the route of increasing the width across the wafer from 125mm to 156mm, and increase the size of the module, such as 158.75mm pseudosquare wafer or square wafer (f223mm), the latter increases the wafer area by about 3%, which increases the power of a 60-cell module by nearly 10Wp; meanwhile, some N-type module manufacturers choose 161.7mm M4 wafers; some enterprises plan to launch 166mm wafers.

Now let’s take a look at why the wafer size is getting bigger and bigger. 1. From the perspective of production, the production rates of cells and modules (wafers/hour, modules/hour) are basically fixed, and the increase in the size of wafer can enhance the power of cells or modules produced per unit time, which can reduce the equipment, manpower and even other costs per Wp of the company, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of cells and modules, especially when 125mm wafers are switched to 156mm wafers.

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2. From the perspective of the cost of power station system, taking terrestrial power station as an example, under the same efficiency, the module obtains higher power due to bigger wafer size, while the number of modules in a string remains unchanged, as a result, the module efficiency on a single bracket increases accordingly, and the costs of bracket and pile foundation per Wp is reduced; when large modules have little effect on the transportation and installation speed, the installation efficiency of modules and brackets per Wp will be enhanced; as the capacity per array is determined by the inverter and can be deemed fixed, highpower modules can reduce the use of combiner boxes or string inverters, and the reduction in the use of brackets can reduce the footprint of the array (considering the front and back spacing and the left and right spacing of the brackets), and the reduction in the number of brackets and their footprint can reduce the use of power cables. It’s estimated that a 425Wp module using 166mm wafers can save the BOS cost by at least RMB0.05/Wp compared to the 380Wp module using M2 wafers (both of 72-cell type). If a tracker is used or in an overseas area where the labor cost is high, more BOS costs will be saved. The above two points show that when the equipment production and transportation are not a problem, the wafer size should be as large as possible to save more cell and module costs and system BOS costs. For this reason, cadmium telluride thin film cell manufacturer First Solar directly increases the module size from the fourth-generation 1200*600mm to 2009*1232mm. The module area (near 2.5m2) and the weight (35kg) should be the limit values obtained after comprehensive analysis. For crystalline silicon modules, it’s necessary to take the opportunity of this industry change to adjust the size to a more stable and cost-effective one, just like the adjustment from 125mm to 156mm. According to a WeChat article titled “Monocrystalline is easier to realize large wafer size”, the main factor restraining wafers from becoming bigger is the diffusion furnace. To make the wafers bigger in a diffusion furnace with limited diameter, the pseudo-square monocrystalline silicon wafer should have certain advantages over the square monocrystalline silicon wafer.

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Retrofitting Coal Power Plants With Carbon Capture May Lead To Increased Water Stress

Addition of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to reduce emissions could stress water resources in a vast proportion of coal-fired power plants in India that are already exposed to water scarcity, a study has warned. A study by University of Berkeley researchers reveals that as much as 32% of the world’s coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) are exposed to water scarcity for at least five months per year and 43% face regional water scarcity for at least one month per year. Of these 32%, 56% are located in China, 15% in India and 11% in the US, said study author Lorenzo Rosa.

CS technologies are energy and water-intensive processes. Retrofitting CFPPs with CCS will lead to a substantial increase in freshwater consumption for India. Irrigated agriculture is still by far the largest water use in India, but CCS will further strain water resources,” said Rosa. “To reduce vulnerability it is necessary to develop water-efficient CCS technologies or locate CCS technologies in regions not affected by water scarcity,” he added. CCS is considered a crucial strategy for meeting carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. It consists of the separation of carbon dioxide from industrial and energy-related sources, transport to a storage location and long-term isolation from the atmosphere. Post-combustion CCS, where carbon dioxide is first captured from the flue/ fuel gases, is a preferred, economically viable technology to reduce carbon emissions because it can be retrofitted to existing power plants without decommissioning them.

Coal continues to be the mainstay of India’s power mix, contributing to more than 50% of it. With its policies, the national government also makes it clear that this will remain the scenario at least for several years even as the emphasis on renewable grows. India currently has no commercial CCS projects at large scale. Rosa and co-authors explain that energy-producing facilities such as coal-fired power plants consume large amounts of cooling water. The type of cooling method used in a power plant (wet cooling towers, oncethrough cooling, or air-cooled condensers) affects water consumption. Installing CCS at these facilities requires that they produce additional energy to compensate for the energy used by the CCS process. With that comes additional consumption of cooling water. In addition, the CCS process itself adds to the overall water consumption in a fashion that depends upon the CCS technology deployed, they said. Factoring in four types of CCS systems, Rosa analysed the potential impacts on water resources that would result from retrofitting large (greater than 100 MW gross capacity) CFPPs with the CCS systems. They are absorption, adsorption (with temperature and pressure swing processes), and membranes. The finding that 32% of CFPPs are exposed to water scarcity for at least five months per year suggests that these coal-fired units might not be well suited for retrofitting with CCS unless alternative water sources are available, said Rosa.

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China, with 48% of the world’s CFPP capacity, also consumes the greatest share of freshwater, followed by India and the United States. In China, more than 30% of the installed CFPP capacity faces water scarcity from March to October while more than 40% of India’s CFPP capacity faces water scarcity in the dry season (December–June). “We mapped 218 coal-fired power plants in India with a capacity greater than 100 MW,” said Rosa, adding that CFPPs located in other Asian countries are not particularly exposed to water scarcity, because of high water availability and being constructed along the coast to use seawater as a cooling medium.

Agreeing with the findings, coal chemistry scientist Binoy Saikia, who was not associated with the study, also underscored the water footprint in coal washeries for removing high ash content before transport of coal to the power plant. “Currently, India also faces big water pollution from coal mining activities like acid mine drainage, groundwater contamination. Indian coal washeries require water and also generate a large amount of contaminated water after beneficiation to produce clean coal,” he said. “The process (CCS) requires high energy consumption and drastic treatments. In India, CCS is not yet fitted commercially in large scale, as far as I know. In a few Indian power plants, fluidised bed combustion is used to reduce the sulphur dioxide emission in few Indian power plants,” Saikia of CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology told Mongabay-India. Ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, India had pledged to unconditionally reduce the emission intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP) by 30-35% from the 2005 level by 2030, and achieve 40% of its installed power capacity from renewables.

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featured Agreeing with the findings, coal chemistry scientist Binoy Saikia, who was not associated with the study, also underscored the water footprint in coal washeries for removing high ash content before transport of coal to the power plant. “Currently, India also faces big water pollution from coal mining activities like acid mine drainage, groundwater contamination. Indian coal washeries require water and also generate a large amount of contaminated water after beneficiation to produce clean coal,” he said. “The process (CCS) requires high energy consumption and drastic treatments. In India, CCS is not yet fitted commercially in large scale, as far as I know. In a few Indian power plants, fluidised bed combustion is used to reduce the sulphur dioxide emission in few Indian power plants,” Saikia of CSIR-North East Institute of Science & Technology told Mongabay-India. Ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, India had pledged to unconditionally reduce the emission intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP) by 30-35% from the 2005 level by 2030, and achieve 40% of its installed power capacity from renewables. In a 2018 notification, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change defined strong limits on the usage of water for inland thermal power plants (TPP). It mandates all old and new inland TPPs to be based on cooling tower technology from 2017 onwards and also proposes a limit of 3 cubic metres per megawatt hours (m3/MWh) for specific water consumption of all inland thermal power plants. Vaibhav Chaturvedi, an economist who leads the Council on Energy, Environment and Water’s (CEEW) work on lowcarbon pathways said the notification on water withdrawal limits for power plants has significant potential to reduce pressure on India’s water resources. “A failure to implement this policy will result in continuous increase in withdrawals and will put more pressure on India’s water resources. In the long run, however, withdrawals will increase across scenarios due to the growth in underlying electricity generation, but will still be comparable to current withdrawals,” Chaturvedi said. Disputes over water with India’s neighbouring countries are likely to compound the water stress issue, according to CEEW research. For example, their study states that TPPs dependent on the Brahmaputra for meeting their water needs can expect water stress in a regional rivalry scenario as China is upstream in the river basin.

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CIL is world’s single largest coal producer. Photo: Mayank Aggarwal/Mongabay

India does not have a CCS power plant and so there is no India-specific data on CCS. For India, at this moment what we know from our research is that nuclear power plants have a higher water footprint compared to coal power plants,” said Chaturvedi. “CCS is nowhere right now in India’s discussions. But we have been saying that we should never close ourselves to any technology. Technological innovation has an important role in making technologies less water and energy-intensive,” said Chaturvedi. Chaturvedi and co-authors highlight that India might need to think about the importance of dry cooling technology for addressing the trade-offs of the electricity generation – water nexus. The dry cooling technology eliminates almost all the need for water for thermal cooling in power plants, though this is a highly energy-intensive technology. The extra investment required for dry cooling might be worth it if the increasing pressure on water availability in arid regions for India can be exacerbated, they add. Innovations to remove emissions from power plants is the need of the hour. “We should design new advanced materials to absorb the emitting gases instead of minimising the use of water. Or, conversion of those gases into value-added products by means of a novel catalyst,” Saikia added.

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Waaree completes 50MW Solar Module Supply to a Developer & Fortune 500 Company in USA The project shall install WAAREE’s high efficiency 380, 385 Wp Mono PERC Solar PV modules. The renewable power generated by the project will be sold through a power purchase agreement in USA. The timely delivery of Solar Modules in this pandemic clearly shows the commitment of WAAREE towards it customers.

AAREE Energies has recently earned IECEE CB certifications for its Bifacial Solar Modules. This is first of its kind certificate gained by any other company across globe. This certification is granted by UL, IECEE, the IEC System for Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components, is a multilateral certification system based on IEC International Standards. WAAREE has already supplied near to 3 GW of solar panels till date globally, and commissioned over 600 MW of solar EPC projects in India & south east asia .

Speaking on this achievement, Mr. Sunil Rathi, Director Sales and Marketing, WAAREE Energies Ltd., said “We at WAAREE are committed to provide the best quality of products along with the latest technology. This order had to be delivered to USA, on time despite the pandemic outbreak. Our team at WAAREE had worked seamlessly to make deliveries on time, and gained confidence of large customers. We have Technology and capabilities to execute large scale orders internationally in timely manner. We are expanding our capacities and are equipped for much bigger association globally. “

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WAAREE solar modules have been shipped to 6 continents, across 68 countries. With more than 140 tests performed at various stages of manufacturing, WAAREE maintains its quality above global standards. WAAREE has maintained its position as the Bloomberg Tier 1 manufacturer for the last 21 quarters. . WAAREE modules are trusted and financed by over 50 leading banks and NBFCs globally. WAAREE’s supply chain is successful primarily because of the large scale marquee clients including developers, integrators, and EPC contractors globally. WAAREE is the only Indian solar company to be recognized as “India’s Greatest Brand” in solar Industry. WAAREE serves over 5000 customers globally which illustrates the trust gained by the company over a period of 30 years of its existence.

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Power Min proposes RPO for round the clock renewable energy Power Minister R K Singh has proposed renewable purchase obligation (RPO) mechanism for round the clock (RTC) renewable energy, which will promote storage of electricity in the country. Under RPO, bulk purchasers like discoms, open access consumers and capacitive users are required to buy a certain proportion of renewable energy or RECs (renewable energy certificates) in lieu of clean energy.

nce the RPO is mandatory for RTC renewable energy, it would encourage investments in renewable electricity storage projects. Speaking at the 6th Foundation Day of Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (AREAS), Singh said, “Renewable energy is economically viable today. The only rider is storage. Prices of storage will come down over time.” “We should bring down storage prices by increasing demand and putting up more manufacturing facilities. Once that happens the transition to renewables will be faster. More and more future projects will have storage with them,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. “I propose to have RPO for round the clock renewable energy which will encourage storage,” Singh added. He also urged AREAS to launch a communication campaign for promoting renewable energy.

“We will have to make people aware that this will bring down their expenses on electricity and it is good for environment. For this, Ministry can provide additional corpus fund to AREAS. “AREAS should organize brainstorming sessions at least once in a quarter to discuss issues of renewable energy sector and come out with possible innovative solutions,” the minister added. AREAS has been set up following an MNRE initiative to provide a knowledge sharing platform for the renewable energy sector. The MNRE minister is the Patron of the association, while Secretary, MNRE is the ex-officio president. All State Nodal Agencies are members of the association.

HIDCO to set up solar powered Wi-Fi hotspot, public data office in New Town The low cost Wi-Fi facility is to be provided by New Town Telecom Infrastructure Development Company (NTTIDCO), which is a joint venture company of HIDCO where the latter has 51 per cent shares. As decided by the state government, a process is going on for amalgamating NTTIDCO with HIDCO.

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igh speed internet is likely to be economic for the residents of New Town, soon.The state Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (HIDCO) is working on schemes to set up solar powered Wi-Fi hotspot and a Public Data Office to provide Wi-Fi services at a nominal fee. The low cost Wi-Fi facility is to be provided by New Town Telecom Infrastructure Development Company (NTTIDCO), which is a joint venture company of HIDCO where the latter has 51 per cent shares. As decided by the state government, a process is going on for amalgamating NTTIDCO with HIDCO.

According to a sources in HIDCO, NTTIDCO presently provides Wi-Fi services in an area of around 10 km of Major Arterial Road of the satellite township. Taking the facility a step ahead, it is now mulling over plans to enhance internet access to all sections of the society and set up six Wi-Fi hotspots in New Town. “Of the six numbers of Wi-Fi hotspots, at least one can be developed as a solar powered Wi-Fi,” said an official of HIDCO.

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Power Sector Update August’20

The impact of the lockdown since end March’20 is discernible on the power sector. There has been a decline in electricity consumption, generation and addition to generation capacity in the current financial year. The financial stress of the state DISCOMs has been aggravated resulting in cash flow problems for the entire power sector. Following the overall sharp contraction in electricity consumption and generation earlier in the ongoing financial year, there are signs of an easing in the pace of decline in power demand and generation. Although still lower than year ago, electricity demand rose by 6.5% and generation by 5% in July’20 from that in June’20.

lso, the power generation mix changed in July’20 from previous month.Electricity generation from thermal power sources increased by 10% while that from renewable sources declined by 16%. There has also been an improvement in the capacity utilization rate or plant load factor of thermal power plants –to 53% in July’20, a 3% increase from June’20 The weakness in electricity generation capacity addition however prevails with a decline in addition to capacity of both conventional and renewable sources. Solar power however is leading the way in generation capacity addition. The outstanding dues of state power distributions companies to generators has risen by 22% during Feb- June’20 to Rs. 1.19 lakh crores with the disruptions in the billing and collections amidst lower demand impacting their cash-flows. DISCOMs are to receive some relief in their cash-flows with PFC and REC as of end July’20 sanctioning 67% of the loans as part of the Rs.90,000 crs liquidity injection under the special economic package announced by the central government in May’20.

the share of renewable energy sources, which has come to account for nearly 24% (or 88 GW) of the overall installed capacity, a 2% increase from a last year. 30 GW of renewable energy generation capacity has been added in the last 3 years while the capacity addition of conventional sources in this period has been 12 GW. The increase in generation capacity of renewable energy is being driven by solar power which has witnessed a year-onyear growth of 17% in July’20, taking the solar power generation capacity to 35 GW. Wind power, which accounts for the largest share in renewable energy generation capacity at 38 GW has added 1 GW to capacity in the last 1 year.

Slowing pace of electricity generation capacity addition The rate of addition to India’s electricity generation capacity has slowed down further in the current financial year with a decline in capacity build-up of both renewable energy and conventional energy sources. The country’s installed power generation capacity as of end July’20 at 372 GW saw cumulative addition of 11.5 GW versus the 15 GW addition in each of the previous 2 years. Although lower than year ago, renewable energy accounted for the major share of generation capacity addition during April-July’20 at 7 GW (v/s 10 GW in April-July’19), while conventional energy capacity addition was 4 GW. The addition to generation capacity in the current financial year has been led by solar power. During Apr-July’20, 5 GW of solar power generation capacity was added which amounted to 44% of the total electricity generation capacity addition. There has been a notable slowdown in domestic electricity generation capacity addition since the last 3 years. The annualized capacity addition as of end July’20 at 11.5 GW was 14 GW less than that of July’17. The lower capacity addition of thermal energy sources; which accounts for over 60% of the country’s electricity generation capacity, has led to the overall decline in expansion of generation capacity in recent years. Thermal power generation capacity addition has declined from an annual 9 GW in July’17 to 4 GW in July’20. Even as conventional energy dominates electricity generation capacity in the country with a share of 76% (totalling 284 GW), there has been a sustained increase in

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Easing rate of decline of conventional energy generation Electricity generation in the country during April-July’20 was at a 4 year low, attributable to the lockdown led lower demand from the industrial and commercial sector as well as the disruptions in the supply of inputs/raw materials. On a year-on-year basis, generation declined by 13% to 436 billion units during the first 4 months of 2020-21 when compared with the same period of 2019-20. The fall in electricity generation during Apr-July’20 is due to the decline in thermal power generation viz. coal based power to 5 year lows. Coal power, which has the dominant share of 64% in total domestic electricity generation, witnessed a 20% decline (year-on-year) in output during the first 4 months of 2020-21. Renewable energy sources too have seen a decline of 3.5% in generation in the first 4 months of 2020-21 from that in the same period last year. This is due to the 20% contraction in wind power generation in this period. Wind power accounts for 55% of renewable power generation. The higher solar power generation (37% share in renewable power generation) during the summer months of Apr-May has to an extent offset the lower generation from wind power. Solar power generation during Apr-July’20 was 27% more than that in the same months of year ago. Hydro power generation too has seen an increase of 7% during this period. The ‘must run status’ of renewable and hydro power plants that mandates uninterrupted power procurement by utilities has supported the higher generation by these power sources despite the fall in power consumption during the lockdown. The higher capacity addition in recent years has also been a factor that has aided higher output.

On a month-on-month basis, there has been an increase of 5% in power generation in July’20. There has been a notable change in power generation mix from the various sources in July’20 from month ago. While generation from thermal power sources increased by 10% that from renewable sources declined by 16%. There has been a broad-based decline in generation from the various renewable energy sources in July’20 from month ago. Wind power generation was 18% lower and is being attributed to lower wind speed, while the 8% decline in solar power generation has been on account of the imported input supply shortfalls and seasonal factors.

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With lower demand and generation, the capacity utilization rate or plant load factor of thermal power plants during Apr- July’20 dropped to multi-year lows of 48.3%, which was 13% lower than a year ago. With an increase in generation, the capacity utilization improved in July’20 from the lows of Apr’20 (42%).

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featured Improving demand scenario There has been a pickup in domestic electricity demand from the lows of April’20 (86 billion units) with the easing of lockdowns and the consequent gradual resumption of economic activity in various regions. Electricity demand in July’20 was 6.5% higher (at 112 billion units) than in June and was 8% higher than the pre-lockdown levels of February’20. Demand however, was 4% lower than year ago levels (July’19). The country’s energy demand during Apr – July’20 was 13% lower on an annualized basis. Similarly, the peak power demand during these 4 months at 171 GW was 7% lower year-on-year. The energy deficit however has been lower at 0.17% v/s 0.24% a year ago.

DISCOM dues to power generator mounting The fall in power demand and disruptions in the billing and collections consequent to the pandemic led lockdown since March’20 has led to cash flow problems for DISCOMS that has further aggravated their financial stress. The outstanding dues owed by DISCOMs to power generators rose to Rs. 1.19 lakh crores in June’20 (as per data from PRAAPTI), which is a 22% increase from Feb’20 and a 63% from June’19. As of June’20, the outstanding dues were the highest for the DISCOMS of Rajasthan (Rs.34,971 crs),Tamil Nadu (Rs.18,077 crs), Uttar Pradesh (Rs.13,694 crs), Maharashtra (Rs.11,399 crs), Telangana (Rs.7,180 crs),Karnataka (Rs.6,393 crs) and Jammu & Kashmir (Rs.5,865 crs). The DISCOMs of these 7 states accounted for 82% of the total outstanding dues owed to the power generators.The absence of cost reflective tariffs, rising operational expenditure, high AT &C losses and delays in receipt of subsidy from the government has been pressuring the finances of state distribution utilities over time. The AT&C losses (aggregate technical and commercial loss) of DISCOMS at the all India level at 20.22% is significantly higher than the UDAY (Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) target of limiting the losses to 15% by FY19.The ACS-ARR gap (average cost of supply and average revenue realised) at the national level is Rs.0.44/unit against the target of elimination of the gap by FY19.

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In terms of regional demand, consumption during July’20 was led by the northern region followed by the western and southern regions. All 3 regions saw demand increase by 13% during the course of the month. The lower consumption in the industrial regions of western and southern India is reflective of the lower levels of industrial and economic activity there.

DISCOMs Liquidity Relief As of end July’20, 67% of loans were sanctioned to various state DISCOMS by PFC (Power Finance Corporation) and REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) as a part of the Rs.90,000 crs liquidity injection to state DISCOMS in the form of state guaranteed loans (to be equally funded by PFC and REC) under the special economic package announced by the central government in May’20. These loans would provide some relief to the stressed state DISCOMs and enable them to clear their outstanding dues to power generators and transmission companies and help to an extent restart the cash-flow cycle of the power sector. PFC in its Q1 2020-21 results announcement has stated that it has sanctioned Rs.30,607.21 crs out of its share of Rs.45,000 crs till 31 Jul’20 as part of the liquidity package to DISCOMs. Similarly, REC has announced that it has sanctioned amounts of more than Rs 30,000 crore till July 31, 2020. Among the states that are availing state guaranteed loans under the liquidity infusion package, Uttar Pradesh’s DISCOMs have sought the highest quantum of loans from PFC and REC at around Rs.21,000 crs. The other major borrower is Telangana which has reportedly sought loans of Rs.12,000 crs. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir are some other state DISCOMs that have reportedly sought loans under the liquidity package The liquidity infusion to DISCOMs is a part of the Covid-19 relief and reforms measures announced by the government for the power sector. The other measures included flexibility in debt servicing and clearance of dues, time extension in completing projects (5 months extensions for renewable energy projects under implementation on date of lockdown) extended, opening up of commercial coal mining and privatization of DISCOMS of Union Territories. Some of measures announced by the central government (including enabling provision for commercial coal mining) would be positive for the thermal power sector in the long term; the effective implementation of the same however would be the key factor.

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We’re setting up 100 Special Economic Zones: B’desh PM Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that her government was setting up 100 Special Economic Zones (SEZ) “for further industrialization and generating more employments”.

he made the remarks while launching two power plants, 11 grid sub-stations and six new transmission lines vitually from her official Ganabhaban residence. “A huge amount of money is being spent for producing electricity. We’re now importing LNG and we are still giving a huge amount of subsidy to the power sector. But we have to keep in mind that itis not always possible to give subsidies,” she said. “We’ve already been able to provide electricity to 97.5 per cent people of the country and we hope we could give it to 100 per cent people by 2021.” Hasina said her government has planned to generate 24,000 MW electricity by 2021, 40,000 MW by 2030 and 60,000 MW by 2041 for the overall economic development of the country. “We’ve taken massive programmes to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this year and the golden jubilee of independence in 2021 and our goal is to light up every house of the country by 2021,” she added.

The premier said the government was not only producing electricity and constructing power plants, but also making arrangements of transmission lines. “We’re expanding rural electrification and reaching power to every house by adopting multifaceted plans. As a result, the rate of electricity users enhanced to 97.5 per cent from only 47 per cent and the number of clients increased to 3.74 crore from 1 crore. “We’re increasing and developing transmission and distribution lines to ensure electricity for all as well uninterrupted power supply,” she said. Noting that the government has multifaceted the electricity production, Hasina said power is now being generated through gas, coal and solar panel. “As many as 58 lakh solar panels have been set up in the country and grid line is being set up so that the electricity produced from solar energy can be added to the grid lines,” she said. The Prime Minister requested the people not to misuse electricity.

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“It’s my earnest request to you to maintain austerity in using electricity… you’ll be benefited if less electricity bill comes,” she said. During the launch, Power Division Secretary Sultan Ahmed made a presentation titled “Power Sector in Bangladesh: From Bangabandhu to Bangabandhu Daughter” on the sector’s development over the last 11 years. Besides, a documentary on the power sector development was also screened. While talking about the coronavirus pandemic, Hasina said not only Bangladesh, the entire world is now suffering for it. The premier urged all to comply with the health codes properly to protect themselves from the transmission of the disease.

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Opinion | MSMEs hold key to India’s Atmanirbhar solar manufacturing

Supporting MSMEs that produce the balance of material doesn’t just yield benefits for the energy sector but rather holds the key for building selfreliance in the solar sector.

he solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing market, unlike the PV deployment market, is much less distributed and democratic, with manufacturing concentrated in just a few countries. However, all is not lost yet. Globally for solar PV, the transition from a budding market to a mainstream market is on the horizon, as the industry expands from today’s annual production of 100 GWP to an expected 3,000 GWP/year by 2030. In a lot of ways, the 2020s will be the inflection point, such that nations and companies that make the right set of decisions now will be in the best position to ride the growth wave. They may also be able to create value beyond company level profit in the form of energy security and independence from rent-seeking behavior due to lack of diversified value chains. However, for India and Indian companies to realise these gains, a comprehensive and nimble long-term strategy, in spirit, action, and continued enforcement will be essential.

India is already the world’s third-largest solar market by deployment, and has further set an ambitious target of 300 GW of solar PV by 2030. The drivers of this ambition extend beyond climate action and include energy security, delivering reliable and affordable power. The large target setting and continued policy support to solar PV deployment provides the scale and certainty of demand required to build a domestic supply chain for solar PV. This will deliver sizable forex savings and will create thousands of high-quality jobs. While the domestic demand may be the comfort factor for domestic manufacturers, the aim should be to develop an industrial hub that caters to the growing global demand for solar PV, leveraging favorable trade relationships and providing globally competitive prices and quality. Manufacturing discussions currently revolve around wafers and cells which are made into modules, however, these only contribute 50% of the total bill of materials. The rest of the value is added by the components industry that largely hinges on MSMEs producing several allied components. Currently, Indian manufacturers don’t just import cells but rely heavily on imports for other non-cell components like glass, ribbon, EVA sheet, and others which constitute 30 to 35% of the total module costs. India already has MSME’s producing these, but there are concerns about quality, scale and price. This part of the value chain is much more job intensive than the highly automated wafer/cell assembly lines. In order to truly indigenise

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solar manufacturing, the MSMEs that provide these materials must also develop their capacity and ambition. This would create a virtuous cycle of developing millions of additional jobs and supporting a struggling sector in its post-covid-19 recovery, while advancing the domestic energy priorities of clean energy and energy security. Identifying this opportunity, an anti-dumping duty is already in place on solar glass and EVA sheets. Despite this there continues to be limited capacity in this space. Mobilising capital and creating a conducive ecosystem to support these MSMEs to competitiveness will be critical to the success of any indigenisation initiative. Supporting MSMEs that produce the balance of material doesn’t just yield benefits for the energy sector but rather holds the key for building self-reliance in the solar sector. Evidence suggests that large investors are cautious to invest in Giga-scale industry operations without a robust and competent local value chain with deep interlinkages. Coordinated, world-scale investments across the value-chain will be encouraged by the long-term policy vision and innovative and effective market design. The support mechanisms required for MSMEs to flourish are not dramatically different from the needs of any other industry. They too need demand certainty and access to affordable capital at scale to expand operations and invest in innovation. Just as large target setting and commitments of domestic procurement serve as incentives to the PV manufacturing companies, long term purchase commitments (or purchase intent agreements) between such companies and the MSME balance of materials manufacturers would go a long way in signaling future cash flows. This demand certainty will not only encourage small businesses to expand capacity but will also boost their ability to do so. Advance order commitments could be used to borrow capital from regional banks and dedicated NBFCs like IREDA and SIDBI at competitive prices, as the future cash flows would reduce the risk of default. However, the post covid paradigm will be punctuated by liquidity constraints and the Government of India may need to make additional capital infusions into banks and NBFCs. As part of these, a dedicated pool of capital for credit to MSMEs supporting the PV manufacturing industry may be set up. Innovative mechanisms like a first loss guarantee, warehousing of profitable production units to access lower cost debt, and access to low cost financing options for new plant and machinery, will also be a cost-effective module to make competent MSMEs bankable. India with a robust balance-of-materials ecosystem feeding into the solar PV Giga-factories will be an ideal alternative for the Chinese dominance in solar PV manufacturing and the obvious move to enhance India’s energy security, and lock-in benefits of the energy transition for local communities. However, the focus of the policy design to support this move must be on simple but not necessarily obvious interventions that capture the maximum value and are easy to implement.

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Lenders averse to financing tariff hurdles placed to check Chinese solar imports Lenders are averse to finance the cost of tariff barriers imposed by India to check cheap Chinese solar imports, said two people aware of the development. Despite the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) ensuring that the safeguard duty—imposed since 30 July 2018 on solar cells, modules and inverters imported from China and Malaysia—be a part of the project cost by allowing a pass-through in power tariffs, no bank or financial institution has financed a loan for it till date.

ith debt financing for green energy projects drying up, the quantum of these unfunded levies assumes significance, given that India is running what will become the world’s largest clean energy programme. This has also diverted equity flow meant for new projects as firms are using it to finance this duty. Given the uncertainty surrounding the refund mechanism, a similar fate awaits the funding requirement for basic customs duty (BCD) on solar equipment imports, which is to be shortly imposed as a retaliation against the country’s northern neighbour. “Safeguard duty is a change in law and already established by CERC and therefore a part of project cost. The problem is that none of the banks are willing to fund safeguard duty due to uncertainty of the refund mechanism—like who will refund, how, when and how much? It is over 18 months and none in the industry have managed to get their legitimate dues,” said Sunil Jain, CEO, Hero Future Energies Pvt. Ltd, one of the two people cited above.

As part of India’s economic response against China, this safeguard duty has now been extended to help boost India’s push for domestic manufacturing as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. A similar dispensation on the lines of safeguard duty is being considered for the developers in the case of imposing BCD on imported solar cells, modules and inverters, with the government’s plan to “grandfather” such projects. “The issue (of banks unwilling to fund safeguard duty and BCD) has been brought to the notice of MNRE (ministry of new and renewable energy) and it will be followed up with the banks and financial institutions by the government,” said a government official cited above who did not want to be named. Queries emailed to a MNRE spokesperson remained unanswered. While such duties may increase the electricity tariffs, it is being done to help facilitate manufacturers set up these projects and maintain the country’s clean energy trajectory as India tightens its economic squeeze on China. The government had earlier said that an Indian is willing to pay more for power, provided the equipment is made in India. While India is running the world’s largest solar energy programme, as much as 80% of the solar cells and modules used are bought from China, given their competitive pricing. India imported $2.16 billion worth of solar photovoltaic cells, panels, and modules in 2018-19.

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According to the latest government order, the safeguard duty is to be paid on these items at a rate of 14.9% for the first six months and at 14.5% for the remaining six months. Exporters will be given relief from the safeguard duty to the extent of any anti-dumping duty paid on the items. The duty also applies to imports from Thailand and Vietnam but excludes imports from any other developing nation. “All the safeguard duty or GST dues have been funded by companies through equity money. Ideally this equity should have gone to fund new projects. All banks need clarity on policies and regulations and therefore any uncertainty creates a vacuum in funding,” added Jain. Analysts say that all is not lost and there is still hope. Ratings agency Crisil in a 4 August statement said, “While Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was quick to recognise the SFD (safeguard duty) imposition as a Change in Law event, uncertainty prevailed over the timeliness and mechanism of its reimbursements.” “Commencement of GST reimbursement paves the way for similar disbursements towards SFD (75% of overall Change in Law payouts) where the payment mechanism is also established on similar lines and is awaiting submission and verification of cost documents by developers,” the statement added. These duty measures are part of an economic response by India to the recent violent face-off with China along the border in Ladakh. India is also looking to play a larger role in global supply chains in the backdrop of the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus disease that originated in Wuhan, China. It plans to offer land near its ports to companies for building solar equipment factories. India is running what will become the world’s largest clean energy programme with an aim of having 175 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy capacity by 2022 as part of its global climate change commitments. It plans to add 100GW of solar capacity by 2022, including 40GW from rooftop projects.

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INSPIRE faculty starts exploring fuels from renewable and sustainable sources While fossil fuels deplete, the fuel potential of algae residing in the vast marine environment surrounding India remains unexplored. Low-cost biodiesel from microalgae of marine origin may soon turn a reality, thanks to the efforts of a scientist who is working on biotechnological studies and tools for increasing the lipid accumulation in microalgae for biodiesel production.

ealizing the rapid depletion of petroleum-based fuels, Dr T. Mathimani from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, started exploring alternative fuels from renewable and sustainable sources. While different types of biofuels that have been explored recently, the use of microalgae has been strongly considered for the production of biofuels since they present a series of advantages over other biofuel feedstock, and this route to sustainable fuels inspired him. His submission on techniques for enhancing Triacylglycerol content in marine microalgae towards economic biodiesel production received the “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) faculty fellowship instituted by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. In his research supported by this award published in the journal ‘Chemosphere’, Dr T. Mathimani’s and his team have isolated predominant strains of marine microalgal species namely Picochlorum sp., Scenedesmus sp., Chlorella sp., from the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu for their potential in terms of total organic carbon content, and Triacylglycerides(TAG) content for biodiesel production. They are now focusing on other microalgal candidates for their multiple biotechnological potentials and switchable polarity solvent (SPS) system based lipid extraction. SPS is an energy-efficient switchable solvent that can be recovered devoid of any thermal processes and can be reused as a green solvent for algal lipid extraction with no effect on the environment. Metabolic engineering approaches can be used to escalate TAG accumulation for increasing biodiesel yield, and magnetic nanocomposite (MNC) can be used for several cycles of algal dewatering, and its treated culture suspension can be reused to scale down the biodiesel production cost significantly. These three approaches would be considered in their study for sustainable and low-cost production of biodiesel.

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The group will formulate a roadmap by which biodiesel can be produced commercially and can be put in an energy market sustainably.

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Govt frames norms for enforcement of ‘rules of origin’ for imports under FTAs

The claim of preferential rate of duty may be denied by the proper officer without verification if the certificate of origin is incomplete or has any alteration not authenticated by the issuing authority or the certificate is produced after its validity period has expired, it said.

The government has come out with norms for the enforcement of ‘rules of origin’ provisions for allowing preferential rate of customs duties on products imported under free trade agreements. The new norms have been framed with a view to checking inbound shipments of low quality products and dumping of goods by a third country routed through an FTA partner country. The Department of Revenue has notified the ‘Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020’ which would “come into force on September 21, 2020”. These rules “shall apply to import of goods into India where the importer makes a claim of preferential rate of duty in terms of a trade agreement,” it said. The ”rules of origin” provision prescribes for the minimal processing that should happen in the FTA country so that the final manufactured product may be called originating goods in that country. Under this provision, a country that has inked an FTA with India cannot dump goods from some third country in the Indian market by just putting a label on it. It has to undertake a prescribed value addition in that product to export to India. Rules of origin norms help contain dumping of goods.

India has inked FTAs with several countries, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and ASEAN members. Under such agreements, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate import/customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. According to the notification, to claim preferential rate of duty under a trade agreement, the importer or his agent, at the time of filing bill of entry, has to make a declaration in the bill that the imported products qualify as originating goods for preferential rate of duty under that agreement; and produce certificate of origin. The claim of preferential rate of duty may be denied by the proper officer without verification if the certificate of origin is incomplete or has any alteration not authenticated by the issuing authority or the certificate is produced after its validity period has expired, it said.

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The importer, it said, also has to possess all relevant information related to country of origin criteria, including the regional value content and submit the same to the proper officer on request. It also said that an officer may, during the course of customs clearance or thereafter, request for verification of certificate of origin from verification authority where there is a doubt regarding genuineness or authenticity of the certificate for reasons such as mismatch of signatures or seal when compared with specimens of seals and signatures received from the exporting country. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech had stated that the government would review ‘rules of origin’ requirements, particularly for certain sensitive items, “so as to ensure that FTAs are aligned to the conscious direction of our policy”. She had also said that it has been observed that imports under FTAs are on the rise and undue claims of FTA benefits have posed threat to the domestic industry and such imports require stringent checks.

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State-owned NTPC gets Niti Aayog, DIPAM nod to set up renewable energy business arm State-owned power giant NTPC said it has received the approval of Niti Aayog and Department of Investment and Public Asset Management to set up a wholly-owned company for its renewable energy business. Now, NTPC will move to form a subsidiary firm for renewable energy business, as it has requisite approvals for the purpose. “…concurrence had been obtained from NITI Aayog and Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance for formation of a whollyowned subsidiary for NTPC Renewable Energy Business,” the power giant said in a BSE filing. The wholly-owned subsidiary will be incorporated under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, it added. The development assumes significance because the NTPC targets to generate nearly 30 per cent or 39 GW of its overall power capacity from renewable energy sources by 2032. This is also consistent with India’s ambitious target of having 175GW clean energy by 2022. NTPC is planning to have 10GW of solar energy by 2022, which entails an investment of around Rs 50,000 crore. Since the decks are cleared for separate arm for RE business, it would be easier to achieve its goals to push clean energy in the country.

TPC has planned to be a 130 GW company by 2032 with diversified fuel mix and a 600 BU (billion units per annum) firm in terms of power generation. The company is aiming to have 30 GW of solar and two GW of other renewable energy sources based power generation capacity by 2032. Besides, it will have 5 GW of hydropower and 2 GW of nuclear energy by 2032, taking the total clean energy capacity to 39 GW. The non-fossil fuel based capacity would achieve a share of 30 per cent and thermal-based generating capacity share would be 70 per cent by 2032. Share of RE (including hydro) would be 28 per cent. The NTPC targets a market share of 25 per cent in ancillary services and storage by 2032. It is also eying to achieve 10 per cent of the estimated market share for supply of electricity in e-mobility business. With a total installed power generation capacity of 62.9 GW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle gas/liquid fuel, 1 hydro, 13 renewables along with 25 subsidiary & JV power stations. The group has over 20 GW of capacity under construction, including 5 GW of renewable energy projects.

S.Africa’s Eskom halts power cuts after recovering three coal units South Africa’s Eskom has suspended planned power cuts, after returning to service overnight three generating units at coal-fired power stations, the state utility said

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ore power cuts had been due, but supply constraints had eased following the recovery of units at the Lethabo, Medupi and Kusile plants, the ailing utility said in a statement. Unplanned breakdowns stand at 8,750 megawatts (MW), out of Eskom’s nominal capacity of 44,000 MW, compared to breakdowns of more than 11,900 MW at one stage. Eskom’s struggles to power Africa’s most industrialised nation are one of the main obstacles to economic growth. “Any significant deterioration in the generation performance may necessitate the implementation of loadshedding at short notice,” Eskom said, referring to the planned power cuts.

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BHEL, L&T, others may get incentives for manufacturing import substitutes

The government proposes to incentivise operations of domestic equipment manufacturers such as BHEL, L&T, and Bharat Forge that results in manufacture of equipment that is currently being imported, particularly from countries such as China.

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fficial sources said that a productivitylinked incentive (PLI) scheme involving phased manufacturing programme is being finalised for certain equipment used by the power sector. Once implemented, this would provide incentives to domestic companies on sales of equipment manufactured by them that is currently being imported. In the electronics sector, the government already has a PLI scheme that extends an incentive of 4 to 6 per cent on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments. Companies like BHEL have been identified for manufacture of equipment such silicon solar wafers required for making solar cells that is largely imported in the country from China. Also, the company would scale up production of cold rolled grain oriented silicon (CRGO) steel, which is also largely imported from countries such as China, Korea and Japan. CRGO steel is used to manufacture the core of generators and transformers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a key power component that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Similarly, new manufacturing lines of L&T based on import substitution would also be incentivised and so for other domestic equipment makers. On its part, ministry of power proposes EA to support import substitution plan by creating a dedicated wing that will solely look at areas where domestic manufacturing needs to be stepped up as part of localisation of items currently being imported. In the power sector, imports constitute 604 items, 392 of which are also made locally. Of the balance, local alternatives are available for 102 items, leaving 101 items that need to be made locally. It is for manufacture of these items, that the government would incentivise operations of Indian companies, companies registered in India and having majority beneficial ownership of an Indian or run by an Indian CEO. In 2018-19, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total imports in conventional power sector were to the tune of Rs 75,000 crore out of which imports from China stood at over Rs 21,000 crore. In renewable segment, imports stood at $2.9 billion in FY19 with close to 70 per cent from China. Along with import substitution for main power equipment, the PLI scheme for power sector is also expected to cover manufacture of solar cells and modules, 75 per cent of which are currently imported from China. The PLIs for several sectors would be ready before the end of the 2020. The existing PLI for mobile manufacturing offers incentives to the tune of 4-6 per cent for incremental investment and sales over a period of five years to companies. Similar schemes could be worked out for new sectors but the quantum of benefit would depend on capital intensity of an industry.

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NTPC first leader in setting up large scale floating solar projects NTPC is first mover/leader in setting up large scale Floating Solar projects.As on date cumulative 237 MW of floating solar projects of NTPC are under construction.

he projects are 100 MW Ramagundam,92 MW Kayamkulam,25 MW Simhadri, & ,20 MW Auraiya Ramagundam 100 MW Floating Solar is the largest under construction floating Solar project in the countryBenefits of Floating Solar projects:Saving on Land &Non-reliance on large tracts of land otherwise required for setting up Ground Mounted Solar projects Higher Efficiency of Panels; The cooling effect of water on the installed PV modules, helps reduce thermal losses which increases the efficiency of panels.Reduced evaporation:The evaporationfrom water reservoirs is reduced.

World Solar Technology Summit: PM Modi to deliver inaugural address; ISA likely to vet WSB DPR in October International Solar Alliance (ISA) is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) on the creation of World Solar Bank with authorised capital of USD 15 billion to fund projects, a senior official said. The DPR for the World Solar Bank is likely to be placed at annual ISA Assembly in October this year, Director General ISA Upendra Tripathy told PTI.

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his assumes significance in view of India’s ambitious target of having 100GW of solar energy by 2022. India’s installed solar power generation capacity stood at over 35 GW by July this year, according to the Central Electricity Authority data. Besides there is need for huge funding for solar projects across the world for increasing share of renewable sources in the overall energy mix. The ISA is an alliance of 121 countries to create a global market system to tap the benefits of solar power and promote clean energy applications. He also said that the authorised capital of bank would be of the size of USD 15 billion within next five years for funding various solar projects on large scale like the World Bank does. Earlier in the day during a curtain raiser virtual press conference of the First World Solar Technology Summit scheduled on September 8, 2020, Tripathy informed that the ISA is working on DPR of the World Solar Bank which would be placed in the ISA Assembly for its guidance. A special finance vehicle is needed for funding solar projects, he stated.

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The ISA has planned to showcase next generation technologies at the First World Solar Technology Summit next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address at the summit which would be attended by ministers of all ISA member countries and global institutions. Talking about the innovation in solar energy, Tripathy said, “Further, mutual cooperation among the member countries has been the pillar of the solar PV revolution. ISA must fulfil the dream of lighting every home no matter how far away by bringing the innovative and affordable technologies to forefront. World Solar Technology Summit is a stepping stone in that direction.” On this occasion, President of the ISA Assembly and Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh stated there are two objectives of the ISA—health of the planet and equity (improving access to energy across the planet. He was of the view that the submit would be for the sustainable future of world. Earlier responding to the question on any plan about banning Chinese firms from participating in the global auction for solar home systems for ISA member nations, Tripathy said that the ISA would follow the UN Charter on that. State-run firm EESL has been entrusted by the ISA to do this exercise for a potential order of 47 million home power systems worth about USD 28 billion. This is basically a price discovery tender.

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Efforts on to make Ladakh carbon neutral: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi aid efforts are on to make the Union Territory of Ladakh a carbon-neutral region.

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arbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing it from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. It is significant as greenhouse gas or carbon emissions adversely affect the climate. “Just like Sikkim has made its mark as an organic state, efforts are being made to make Ladakh a carbon-neutral region,” said Modi, addressing the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day. In 2003, Sikkim became the first state to announce adoption of organic farming, which also helped in reducing its carbon footprint. Sikkim stopped importing chemical fertilisers and since then the cultivable land there is practically organic and farmers of the state are traditional users of organic manure, an environment ministry official said.

In 2018, the northeastern state won the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s ‘Future Policy Award’ for best policies on promoting agroecological and sustainable food systems. In Ladakh, several wind and solar energy projects are underway. Among these is an upcoming 7,500 megawatt (MW) solar power plant which will significantly reduce the union territory’s carbon footprint and contribute towards carbon neutrality. “Ladakh has big potential for solar energy. Within five years from now, a 7,500 MW solar power plant will be installed there which will help in reducing the carbon footprint drastically,” said Jigmet Takpa, joint secretary of the environment ministry. Ladakh produces 0.1 per cent of India’s total carbon emissions, another senior officer of the environment ministry said. “Making Ladakh carbon neutral is a vision of development. It aims at carrying out developmental activities in the territory along with minimising carbon emissions. “Ladakh’s emissions are very low at 0.1 per cent of India’s emissions due to less development in the area. The government is planning to get investment for solar and wind energy and it will be announced soon,” the officer said.

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‘All round success’ for Texas’ biggest battery storage system so far The Upton County battery storage project, a 10MW / 42MWh system installed and commissioned by system integrator FlexGen is at the site of the 180MW Upton 2 solar farm owned by Vistra Energy’s developer subsidiary Luminant. Vistra contracted FlexGen – which counts GE and Caterpillar among its backers – to deliver the battery system, Energy-Storage.news reported back in 2018 as the project got underway.

lexGen contacted Energy-Storage. news with news that an independent performance review has been undertaken on the Upton project in West Texas, connected to the grid and to markets operated by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) around a year and a half ago. While the integrator did not yet reveal which third party has undertaken the audit process, the 18 months of data reviewed apparently validated FlexGen’s assessment of lifecycle costs – the cost of operating the battery and forecasted wear and tear from use – as well as overall performance. “As this segment of the renewables industry is still young and growing, tests like this give utilities the confidence to continue investing in a future with stateof-the-art lithium-ion battery storage,” Steve Panagiotou, FlexGen director of commercial operations said.

“Batteries are green, reliable and becoming more and more affordable – utilities are finding they are critical companions to solar and wind systems in order to provide stability and consistent power for their rate payers,” FlexGen CTO Pasi Taimela told Energy-Storage.news

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The project injects power to the grid to help the network at peak times or when weather or other conditions cause interruptions to service. It charges from excess solar and from wind in the local area during off-peak times. It also charges up during overnight periods when grid power prices drop and then be discharged to help lower costs of delivering electricity the following morning. All of these applications are controlled using FlexGen’s energy management software, HybridOS, which is proprietary. The company has recently touted the ability of the software to manage energy storage systems performing a wide range of applications on the grid and off it, including a diesel-replacing project in Indiana that helps make the startup and operation of gas plants more efficient. It will soon be overtaken for its status as the largest battery storage facility in the state by upcoming standalone battery storage projects from developers Able Grid Energy Solutions and Key Capture Energy, both of which have announced 100MW projects in recent weeks as Texas’ market booms alongside the rapid growth of renewable energy. Another developer, newcomer Broad Reach Power, is developing more than 10 sites of 10MW each in the state with a view to moving onto 100MW-sized individual projects in the next couple of years. “Places like Texas are promising for renewable energy, because there is plenty of solar and wind power [resource. Battery energy storage systems help stabilise the grid in order to unlock even more renewable power,” FlexGen CTO Pasi Taimela said

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Miner installs Brazil’s largest battery storage system at Rio de Janeiro port The BESS at Ilha Guaíba terminal (TIG), being developed in partnership with Siemens and MicroPower Comerc will reduce the electric energy cost of the port by about 20% by substituting the electrical grid supply during peak demand periods when the tariff is more expensive.

The equipment has a storage capacity of 10 MWh. “As Vale continues to decarbonise its operations, the use of batteries will become an increasingly important part of the electrification of our fleet,” explained Vale energy director, “This project allows us to test new technology in the field and accelerate Vale’s energy transformation, which aims to achieve self-sufficiency by increasing electric power generation mainly through solar and wind sources in addition to our hydroelectric power generation,” he added.

attery storage is one of the technologies that will be applied to replace diesel energy with renewable electric power in transportation vehicles, such as locomotives and off-highway trucks. It is part of the company’s power shift programme. One of the projects of the power shift programme is the construction of a 100% electric (battery-powered) locomotive, which will undergo a pilot test this semester at its operations in Tubarão’s unit, Espírito Santo state. The company has recently announced an investment of at least $2-billion to reduce direct and indirect absolute emissions by 33% until 2030. This is in accordance with the Paris Agreement, in addition to the company’s intention to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

State of Michigan Seeks Proposals for Energy Storage to Complement Green Power Having approved hundreds of wind turbines and solar arrays, the state of Michigan is looking to bolster its renewable energy offerings by seeking proposals for the creation of an energy storage roadmap for the state.

he challenge is that turbines and solar cells don’t produce consistent power when the air is still or the sun doesn’t shine. Without a robust energy infrastructure consisting of green power complemented by natural gas, nuclear, and hydro-generating facilities, the state, a large energy user given a robust manufacturing sector, could be subject to rolling blackouts (like those now being experienced in California). To boost energy reserves, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued a request for proposals up to $200,000 in matching funding to support the effort. Energy storage allows for the capture of power generated by a source, most commonly from renewable energy sources. The successful applicant will identify opportunities, policy barriers, and potential. They also will make recommendations to inform investment and policies as well as identify optimal locations for energy storage. The roadmap will aid in achieving adaptable, affordable, reliable energy and environmental protective actions for Michigan’s future.

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Stored energy can be added to the electrical grid at times when customer demand is higher than the output of the generating facility. As energy production in the state includes more renewable energy resources, energy storage will play a key role in providing quality, reliable power to homes and businesses. Planning for an increase in energy storage capacity will be important to the future of grid performance and reliability with the addition of more intermittent energy production to the generation portfolio in the state. Click here for more information on the purpose, objectives, and program priorities. Funding for the project is from the U.S. Department of Energy and administered by EGLE’s Energy Services.

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Indian solar power cheap, but much higher than the Middle East, shows report

India’s solar taris may not be able to compete with those in the Middle East although they are among the lowest in the world, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

aris in the Gulf, which has strong solar radiation and lower costs are less than a rupee per unit, making them much lower than India. “The economic, tax and nancial makeup of each country play a direct role in determining taris,” said Vibhuti Garg, energy economist at IEEFA. “It would be extremely diicult for the Indian market to replicate the combination of factors leading to low solar taris in the Gulf region,” she added. The Gulf region has achieved taris in the range of $1.35-1.80 cents/kWh, or Rs. 0.99 per unit. In comparison, India’s lowest bid was achieved in July earlier this year at Rs. 2.36 a unit. Factors in UAE and Saudi Arabia such as long-dated loans at low-interest rates, lack of corporate taxes, negligible duties on equipment, low or negligible land costs for solar projects, and lower return on equity (ROE) expectations are responsible for the record low rates, a report by IEEFA and JMK research said. Garg, who was one of the authors of the report, said that if the government continues with its proposal of levying a permanent basic customs duty on solar imports from China, the tari dierential for Indian projects will widen further.

“Indian policy makers want developers to achieve taris on a par with those discovered in the Gulf bids, but such low taris are neither achievable nor sustainable in India under the current conditions,” she said. However, IEEFA predicts the rates in India to fall between 5 to 10% on average over the coming decade due to technological advances and economies of scale. Earlier this week, Portugal signed the cheapest tari anywhere in the world, with $1.32 cents per kWh for a 700 MW project.

Tesla to build world’s largest energy storage facility PG&E will own the facility at its substation in Moss Landing, California, but the design, construction and maintenance operations will combine efforts from them and battery and electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla.

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nce completed, Moss Landing will be the largest utilityowned, li-ion battery energy storage system in the world, according to reports.“Battery energy storage plays an integral role in enhancing overall electric grid efficiency and reliability, integrating renewable resources while reducing reliance on fossil fuel generation. It can serve as an alternative to more expensive, traditional wires solutions, resulting in lower overall costs for our customers,” Fong Wan, senior vice president, Energy Policy and Procurement, PG&E, was quoted as saying. “The scale, purpose and flexibility of the Moss Landing Megapack system make it a landmark in the development and deployment of utility-scale batteries.”

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Construction involves the installation of 256 Tesla Megapack battery units on 33 concrete slabs. The Megapack, which was launched by the company last year and is being made at the Tesla Gigafactory1 in Nevada, can store up to 3MWh of electricity per unit. Each unit houses batteries and power conversion equipment in a single cabinet. Transformers and switchgears will also be installed along with the Megapacks to connect energy stored in the batteries with the 115-kilovolt (kv) electric transmission system. “This is no longer about cars,” billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya tells InsideEVs about Tesla. “Now I underwrite this company as a bet towards decarbonisation, towards deregulated energy, and towards the ability for all of us to become our [own] little microutilities.” The construction industry is increasingly embracing ‘alternative’ power sources. Forbes reports Tesla and PG&E will have the option to upgrade Moss Landing’s capacity to bring the system up to 1.2-gigawatthours which could, according to Tesla, power every home in San Francisco for six hours. “Battery energy storage plays an integral role in enhancing overall electric grid efficiency and reliability, integrating renewable resources while reducing reliance on fossil fuel generation,” Wan is quoted. “The scale, purpose and flexibility of the Moss Landing Megapack system make it a landmark in the development and deployment of utility-scale batteries.” The facility is expected to come online in 2021.

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Inkjet printing produces ultrathin solar cells The new cells, which are claimed to efficiently capture energy from light, could offer an alternative way to power novel electronic devices, such as medical skin patches, where conventional energy sources are unsuitable. “The tremendous developments in electronic skin for robots, sensors for flying devices and biosensors to detect illness are all limited in terms of energy sources,” said Eloïse Bihar, a postdoc in the team of Derya Baran, who led the research at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia). “Rather than bulky batteries or a connection to an electrical grid, we thought of using lightweight, ultrathin organic solar cells to harvest energy from light, whether indoors or outdoors.”

ntil now, ultrathin organic solar cells were typically made by spin-coating or thermal evaporation, which lack scalability and limit device geometry. This technique involved using a transparent and conductive, but brittle and inflexible material (indium tin oxide (ITO)) as an electrode. To overcome these limitations, the team applied inkjet printing. “We formulated functional inks for each the layer of the solar cell architecture,” said Daniel Corzo, a Ph.D. student in Baran’s team. Instead of ITO, the team printed a transparent, flexible, conductive polymer called PEDOT:PSS, or poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate. The electrode layers sandwiched a light-capturing organic photovoltaic material. The whole device could be sealed within parylene, a flexible, waterproof, biocompatible protective coating. Although inkjet printing is very amenable to scale up and low-cost manufacturing, developing the functional inks was a challenge. “Inkjet printing is a science on its own,” Corzo said in a statement. “The intermolecular forces within the cartridge and the ink need to be overcome to eject very fine droplets from the very small nozzle. Solvents also play an important role once the ink is deposited because the drying behaviour affects the film quality.”

After optimising the ink composition for each layer of the device, the solar cells were printed onto glass to test their performance. They achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.73 per cent, beating the previous record of 4.1 per cent for a fully printed cell. For the first time, the team also showed that they could print a cell onto an ultrathin flexible substrate, reaching a PCE of 3.6 per cent. “Our findings mark a stepping-stone for a new generation of versatile, ultralightweight printed solar cells that can be used as a power source or be integrated into skin-based or implantable medical devices,” Bihar said.

NREA, BELECTRIC to sign solar plant deal in Egypt within weeks NREA Head Mohamed Al-Khayyat told Daily News Egypt that the project will be financed by the German Development Bank (KfD), as part of the cooperation between the authority and German banks that support green projects.

t is planned that the project, which will be implemented in the second half of 2021, will contribute to the production of about 90m KW/H, saving the equivalent of 18,000 tonnes of oil. At the same, the plant would also help reduce emissions by about 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. He said that this project is projected to be one of Egypt’s largest wind energy projects, which will be established on land allocated to the authority on the western coast of the Gulf of Suez. This area, located in the Red Sea Governorate, is characterised by high wind speed. He added that the investment cost associated with the project amounts to about €250m, which is financed through an agreement between Egypt and its European partners. These include the French Development Agency, the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the German Development Bank (KfD).

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Al-Khayyat added that the NREA is preparing to launch two tenders for the construction of two 50 MW solar power stations in the Kom Ombo area, with funding from the Arab Fund for Development (AFD). Alongside this, another 20 MW solar power plant in Hurghada will be constructed, funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The NREA is working to launch them as soon as possible, especially since their financing “has been provided and approved by Egypt’s banking authorities’, Al-Khayyat noted. These projects are part of Egypt’s renewable energy plan to bring the share of renewables’ in the country’s network to 20% by 2022, and to over 42% by 2035. Al-Khayyat noted that coordination is underway with Danish company, Vestas, to obtain the land needed to launch a wind farm with a capacity of 250 MW.

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OMERS, Actis Llp, Brookfield bid to buy SoftBank’ stake in SB Energy Canadian pension fund Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (OMERS), private equity fund Actis Llp and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. have submitted bids to buy Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp’s stake in SB Energy Holding, said two people aware of the development.

lso, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) that had earlier evinced interest in the 7.7 giga watt (GW) Indian solar portfolio is expected to submit its bid to land the deal, touted to be among the largest in India’s clean energy space. Bank of America (BofA) and Barclays are running the stake sale process. SBG Cleantech is a joint venture between SoftBank and Bharti Enterprises, wherein the Masayoshi Son-headed firm holds 80% stake. A SoftBank spokesperson in an emailed response said, “Since its inception in 2015, SB Energy has grown significantly in terms of footprint, with SoftBank Group investing over $800 million in the business in the past 5 years. Now, SB Energy is exploring potential co-investment partnerships to accelerate global growth of its leading renewable energy platform. Beyond this, we are unable to comment on any specific development.”

In response to a direct query about whether SoftBank is offering its entire stake for sale, the SB Energy spokesperson in an emailed response added, “We never comment on speculation.” Mint had reported on 6 July about SoftBank Group’s plan to sell its entire stake, in a change from its earlier approach for finding a “significant” minority investor, and being in separate talks with Brookfield, CPPIB and Abu Dhabi government’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company. Spokespersons for OMERS, Brookfield Asset Management, CPPIB, Barclays Bank India, Bank of America, and Bharti declined comment. Queries emailed to an Actis Llp spokesperson remained unanswered. These bids follow after SB Energy dropped its plan to raise $600 million through a dollar bond. Son, has written multi-billion dollar cheques in India. The Japanese conglomerate, which started investing in India in 2011, has picked up stakes in several consumer internet companies in India and in the process, made unicorns out of several of them.

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“Actis, Omers and Brookfield have put in their bid. CPPIB which was earlier interested may also submit its bid,” said a person aware of the development cited above who did not want to be named. This potential deal comes in the backdrop of fundstarved electricity distribution companies (discoms) going tariff shopping, with the Indian solar space facing issues related with land acquisition, regulatory and financial closures. Falling clean power tariffs have put an already awarded 16.8 GW solar and wind energy capacity in limbo, Mint reported earlier. State discoms are unwilling to sign contracts with intermediary procurers, for these previously awarded projects at a comparatively higher tariff. India’s solar power tariffs touched a record low of ₹2.36 per unit at an auction conducted by state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. Despite the problems, there has been continuing investor interest in India’s green economy. A case in point being Actis Llp in talks with India’s largest independent renewable energy producer ReNew Power to buy more than half a gigawatt of green energy projects, Mint reported

India has been rapidly adding clean energy capacities. Clean energy projects now account for more than a fifth of India’s installed power generation capacity. The country has 34.6 GW of solar power and 38GW of wind power and seeks to produce 100 GW from solar projects and 60GW from wind power plants by March 2022. India is also seeking additional clean energy investment of around $80 billion till 2022, growing more than threefold to $250 billion during 2023-30.

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Detel launches world’s cheapest electric bike for Rs 19,999 The two-wheeler is powered by a 6 pipe controller 250 Watt electric motor that has a top speed of 25 kmph. The low speed keeps it outside of stipulations like registration or driver’s license to use it

fter launching what it claims are world’s most affordable feature phone (Rs 299) and television (Rs 3,999), Delhi based consumer electronic brand Detel has launched world’s cheapest electric twowheeler Detel Easy at Rs 19,999 (GST excluded). The two-wheeler is powered by a 6 pipe controller 250 Watt electric motor that has a top speed of 25 kmph. The low speed keeps it outside of stipulations like registration or driver’s license to use it. It has a 48V 12AH LiFePO4 battery that can be charged entirely in 7-8 hours and offers 60 km at full charge.

We are extremely happy to announce the launch of our world’s most economical DetelEV Two-Wheeler. The EV industry in India is emerging on account of various factors such as the growing awareness toward the environment, increasing petrol prices, and stringent emission norms, etc. Also, with the recent announcement by Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal on the launch of new ‘Electric Vehicle Policy’ that is aimed at boosting the economy, reducing pollution levels and generating employment in the city, we feel that the consumption of the electric vehicle will go up now than ever, says Yogesh Bhatia, Founder & CEO, Detel. “This addition in our portfolio will be our first step in our endeavor of reducing vehicular pollution in the cities and increase the penetration of EV as intended by the people and various state governments”, he added.

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The new EV policy in Delhi that was announced last week provides a host of financial incentives for buying electric vehicles in the capital, over and above the subsidies already being provided under the central government’s FAME scheme. Electric two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and freight carriers are eligible for a subsidy of Rs 30,000 while fourwheelers can avail upto Rs 1.5 lakh under this policy. It also has provisions for incentives for those looking to trade off their existing petrol or diesel vehicles for a new electric vehicle. Electric vehicle sales have flip-flopped in India over the last few years due to uncertainty in policy and lack of incentives from the government. In 2019-20, industry volumes were at 1.56 lakh units as compared to 1.3 lakh units in 2018-19. Two-wheelers accounted for a vast majority of it at 1.52 lakh units. Sale of conventional vehicles that run on petrol and diesel were 21.5 million units.

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Gahlot holds meeting with RK Singh, says assurance given for subsidy to 1,000 electric buses Delhi Transport minister Kailash Gahlot discussed the issue of installation of charging stations as per AAP government’s new Electric Vehicle policy with Union Power minister R K Singh and said the Centre assured that subsidy will be provided for 1,000 electric buses in the city. “Gahlot and Singh discussed installation of charging infrastructure in Delhi-NCR in the presence of officials from the state and Union government, as part of the recently launched Electric Vehicle policy,” said a Delhi government statement.

he first leg of the policy targets installation of 200 charging stations in Delhi in the next one year, so that there is a charging station within every 3 km. “Had a fruitful meeting with Hon’ble Minister of Power @ RajKSinghIndia and other stake holders. Heartfelt thanks & gratitude for your appreciation of Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy & support for successful implementation,” Gahlot tweeted. The Delhi EV Policy is being discussed worldwide now. It is the result of more than two years of hard work by the Delhi government in consultation with experts, Gahlot said. “Singh has also assured to consider subsidies for 1,000 electric buses in the city. The Centre’s support will act as a huge catalyst to the policy and motivate more people and organisations to switch to EV,” the statement quoting Gahlot said. The EV policy of Delhi government launched on August 7 by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal aims at having 5 lakh (25 per cent of all new vehicle registrations) electric vehicles in Delhi by 2024. Along with providing category based incentives, it also aims to develop an effective network of charging stations and infrastructure throughout the city. There are also provisions in the policy to encourage more private players to become partners in the initiative through setting up private charging stations/battery charging points, while ensuring there is enough competition so that the technology is affordable to the common man, the statement added.

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AUGUST- 2020

PV INVERTER

Smart PV: Breathing Life into a Desert Landscape Huawei’s Smart PV (photovoltaic) solution harnesses digital technology to convert solar energy into electricity ultra-efficiently, promote the adoption of clean energy, and create a more sustainable world.

Embracing Clean Energy In October 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a special report on the impact of global warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The report pointed out that, in contrast to a 2°C increase, limiting global warming to 1.5°C wouldn’t just have clear benefits for people and natural ecosystems, but also culminate in a sustainable and fairer society. The report also emphasized that to limit global warming to 1.5°C, it will be necessary to achieve “rapid and far-reaching” transformations in land, energy, industry, and cities. By 2030, global net anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced by about 45 percent compared to 2010 levels, and “net-zero” emissions must be achieved by 2050. Increasing the use of clean energy, boosting the utilization efficiency of resources and energy, and developing a greener energy infrastructure are fundamental to responding to the energy crisis and climate change

Turning Crisis into Opportunity Huawei and Baofeng Group both take a proactive approach to tackling problems such as energy shortages, pollution, and environmental destruction. With a belief in the power of technology, the partners are responding to the global call for clean and efficient energy systems with practical action. Historically, Binhe New District on the eastern banks of the Yellow River in Ningxia forms a harsh ecosystem with sweeping deserts.

Goji farming and smart PV technology have integrated in perfect harmony, creating a rich layer of “edible rubies” topped by a pristine blue sea of solar cells. It represents a new model of mixed land use involving two complementary industries: agriculture and PV – a model that’s leading the transformation of goji farming and new energy in the Ningxia region.

Under the Sun, a Desert Becomes an Oasis

Employee transporting Goji berries in the solar field

View of the Yellow River, Ningxia

In 2014, Baofeng Group began managing 107 square kilometers of desertified land by planting alfalfa to improve the soil. The company then began planting goji berries, a business that stretches back 1,000 years in Ningxia. Reviving goji farming has also revived an otherwise dead expanse of desert. To make full use of the land resources bestowed by nature, Huawei Smart PV supported Baofeng Group in building a solar power system over the goji plantation, in effect draping a green blanket over the land.

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The planned 1 GWp solar power system will cover a total area of 20 square kilometers. The 640 MW PV power plants that have already been constructed are connected to the grid, creating the world’s largest PV power plant with smart tracking. Huawei’s smart PV solution adopts world-leading, horizontal single-axis automatic tracking technology, allowing the solar panels to track the sun like sunflowers, which in turn greatly improves power generation compared to traditional PV power plants.

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PV INVERTER

The Story So Far in Stats The solar power plant can effectively reduce land moisture evaporation by30%~40%. The vegetation coverage is increased by 85%, which significantly improves the regional climate. BaofengPV Park has generated 3.875 billion kWh of electricity (*since connected to the grid until July 31 2020), reducingCO2 emissions by 1.841 billion kg, the equivalent of planting 80 million trees.

Expected Reductions per Year

Once the project is completed, it will save 557,600 tons of coal, reducing emissions of CO2 by 1.695 million tons, sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 51,000 tons, nitrogen oxide (NOx) by 26,000 tons, and dust by 462,000 tons each year. This will increase the annual environmental capacity by about 2.23 million tons for the future growth of the energy sector in Ningxia. Although the sun still beats down on this land, the once barren, endless desert has slowly been transformed into an economic blue ocean, representing the future and hope – all thanks to time and advances in technology. Huawei and Baofeng are leading the transformation of goji farming and new energy in Ningxia, accelerating the development of new technologies, industries, businesses, and models. This new agriculture + PV, multiple land use model isn’t just bringing new life to Ningxia, it’s forging a new ecosystem where humans and nature coexist harmoniously, adding an extra shade of green to the world.

When I first arrived here, my original vision was to help change the environment. I didn’t expect that the goji-PV project would do that and also benefit farmers in the area. Baofeng Farm employee.

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AUGUST- 2020

PV INVERTER

The future of PV industry is empowered by AI – 2020 Huawei APAC Smart PV for Future Virtual Summit Huawei has successfully held its first virtual summit in Asia Pacific withmore than 300K viewers from 48 countries joining the event. With 4 keynote speeches and a panel discussion, this event gathered 7 industry experts and leaders to share their insights and experiences on the technological trends of solar power and how it will impact the industry’s recovery post-pandemic.

Chen Guoguang, President of Huawei Smart PV, ‘The future of energy lies in renewable and solar is definitely the key to drive this energy transformation. We are very fortunate to be part of this vibrant market in Asia Pacific and we hope to provide a platform through this virtual summit for all the stakeholders to work together and move forward to an AI-driven smart PV industry.’

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uring the summit, there are 4 keynote speakers shared their invaluable insights regards to solar development trends. The first speaker was Sam Wilkinson, Director of Clean Technology & Renewables, IHS Markit. He shared an overview of the solar energy industry’s outlook where he predicts by 2022 solar installations will be back in line with what IHSMarkit had previously forecasted. Meanwhile, COVID-19 did have short term disruption to the industry, however it also highlights some of the key benefits of solar.

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PV INVERTER

Following whichSteve Zheng, CTO of Smart PV APAC, Huawei shared how AI drives a fully connected smart solar plant. He introduced key technological development and unique features from Huawei which provides smart O&M, unleashing the full potential of PV strings with a stronger grid connection.

ChatchaiMawong, Director of Hydro and Renewable Energy of Power Plant Development Division, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) presented EGAT’s clean energy vision and how smart technology could drive hybrid plant firm with AI.

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The last keynote speaker was Evan Woolard, Head of Solar Section, DNV GL – Energy. He shared recommended practice for the industry to improve quality, reliability and reduce costs through digitalization. A virtual show of Huawei’s latest full suite of solutions was also presented. Followed by a panel discussion by 3 leading industry experts, Sanjay Aggarwal, Managing Director & Global Head of Solar, Fortum India, Jen Tan, Senior Vice President, Head of Solar (Singapore & SEA), Sembcorp Industries and Kanin Silpa-Archa, Head of Business Development SEA, Suntrace (Member of Dornier Group). They touched on key topics related to achieving better LCOE for solar projects, future technical trend and device selection, AI application in the solar industry and solar project financing.

AUGUST- 2020

energy storage

Innovative Application of Photovoltaic Side Energy Storage Energy storage technology can smooth the output of photovoltaic power and make new energy power stations merge them friendly. Therefore, the "photovoltaic+energy storage" mode will make it possible for us to truly enter the renewable energy era.

he function of the energy storage system is to store the photovoltaic energy into the battery timely, and then input the electric energy into the power grid timely. Compared with AC-side energy storage system, theDC-side energy storage system, for its higher efficiency, has more advantages in the application of photovoltaic power generation side. It is very important for DC-DC bidirectional converter, the most critical power conversion center for energy storage on DC-side, to adapt to the diversity of batteries and to own functional diversity.

Can DC-DC adapt to the diversity of batteries? Lithium battery

Flow battery The flow battery is now called the "best match" battery for energy storage in photovoltaic system. It is characterized by high reliability, long service life, high residual value and ease of maintenance, wellmatched with photovoltaic power stations that can generate electricity for 25 years. However, there is no obvious breakthrough in the problems of low density and low conversion efficiency of flow battery, so most of the flow battery projects are still pilot demonstration projects. However,DC-DC bidirectional energy storage converter is supposed to be compatible with flow battery. DC-DC has to run at low voltage and be able to limit current and precharge flow battery, since the voltage of flow battery is low and there is no voltage at its first use.

Currently, most electrochemical energy storage power stations are mainly dominated by lithium batteries, which have high power density and long cycle life. Due to the rapid development of electric vehicles, the cost of lithium batteries has been greatly reduced, and the cost per watt of ternary lithium-iron batteries is less than 0.15USD. Therefore, lithium batteries have been widely used in energy storage power stations. However, the safety problem of lithium batteries is also very serious, and this asks strict requirements of power devices. DC-DC shall, thus, have adjustable bidirectional voltage with gradual onset, and need to communicate with BMS of batteries, so as to protect batteries.

Echelon battery The echelon battery, also known as the secondary battery, belongs to the battery of secondary utilization. Nowadays, with such a large scale of electric vehicles, a large number of echelon batteries will appear continuously. The consistency of the echelon battery is poor, which asks very high requirements for DC-DC and BMS. Therefore, in order to match the echelon battery, DC-DC is supposed to have two-stage topology to solve the consistency problem well.

Can DC-DC meet the requirements of different functions under different circumstances? Application of constant power mode At present, the common application mode of DC-DC is mainly constant power mode, that is, DC-DC connects the battery with the DC bus, as shown in the following figure. In this application, DC-DC bidirectional converter is supposed to achieve remote control, accept the scheduling of EMS, and charge and discharge under certain circumstances.

60Â

AUGUST- 2020

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energy storage

Application of MPPT mode In some areas with high demand for frequency modulation, DC-DC has an innovative application whose topology is shown in the following figure. This application requires DC-DC to have MPPT function, which can track the maximum power point of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, so as to achieve the highest power generation. Besides, the application system can well assist the work of power grid.

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Based on a deep understanding of the development trend of energy storage, Kehua has developed the DC-DC bidirectional converter product that can meet the needs of multiple conditions, and has been applied in southern India for two years. After these two years of continuous verification and upgrading, Kehua's DC-DC bidirectional converter has been already equipped with various functions.

AUGUST- 2020

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PV INVERTER

The Rising Need for Smarter PV Solution in APAC

The Asia Pacific region has become an exciting renewable energy market in recent years. Many countries with a planned capacity exceeding 1GW have emerged in a short period of time from this part of the world, which injected strong momentum to the PV industry. The local governments have started to provide ample support to the renewable energy industry, which leads to vibrant investment activities domestically as well as internationally.

Grid-connectivity and Stability However, challenges always go hand in hand with opportunities. First, the national power grids in many APAC countries will get weaker when a large number of renewable energy plants are connected to the grid in a short period of time. This raises many concerns about grid stability. Thus it is critical for the power plant equipment to support the characteristics of the power grid. Recently, at SNEC in Shanghai, Huawei received the industry’s first certificate under the new China national standard (GB/T 37408 Technical Requirements for PV Plant Grid-supporting Inverters). It demonstrated the capabilities of our AI BOOST intelligent grid connection algorithm, which enables solar plants to be more stable even under an extremely weak power grid with SCR=1.5. Secondly, the energy storage solution is thought to be playing a pivotal role in the PV industry, and APAC is catching up on this trend to tap onto its abundant solar energy potential. In the past, energy storage has a bad reputation for its fire hazard, low efficiency, and high maintenance cost. Huawei’s unique solution is ready to meet all the challenges that the current market couldn’t completely solve. So, this year we have just launched Huawei energy storage solution for residential markets. The energy storage solution for C&I and utility projects will be launched next year as well. Based on our module highly stable Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) system, we provide a more efficient and reliable solution. More so, we are no stranger to the energy storage market, where our SmartLi Solution has been in the market since 2011 with more than 1GWh shipments.

Maintain High Quality Thirdly, we have seen many small scale solar projects are affected by frequent faults, which significantly impact the interests of investors. There are even some cases where the investors had to sustain considerable financial damage. PV is a newly emerged industry in the Asia Pacific. All parties play an essential role in up-keep its safety, reliability, and sustainability. 2020 is indeed an unforgettable year personally and professionally. During the past few months, due to COVID-19, with our local team in more than 20 countries in APAC, we could continue to support our clients and provide essential services fully respecting the local social-distancing measures, despite an abrupt halt of international air travel. However, the pandemic has also highlighted the critical importance of smart grids to promote the reliability and stability of electricity supply, enable smoother remote operations, and better digital experiences. Post-pandemic, we believe it is more important than ever to resort to digital and smart solutions to help the industry recover and create an even brighter future.

AUGUST- 2020

AUTHOR

Bruce Li

Director of Asia Pacific Digital Power Business Huawei

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PV INVERTER

Official Launch of SOFARSOLAR Global Service System Aiming at Providing Better Service for Global Customers Recently, Global service system of Sofarsolarhas been officially announced to launch. By then, users all over the world can easily and quickly access to online quality assurance service inquiry and application, after-sales problems online feedback and solutions through this system.Therefore, it will fundamentally solve the problemsthat cannot be fully covered regarding customers and services in different countries and regions. For Sofarsolar, the new journey of service globalization will also formally set sail from here, and at the same time it will set up a new benchmark for the healthy development of global inverter services.

ince established, Sofarsolarhas been always adhering to the escalating consumer experience, starting from the customers and creatively providing valuable service for the customers. Now it has formed service centers and networks radiating in more than 60 countries and regions all over the world like China, Poland, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, India, Vietnam, Brazil, South Korea and other countries. With its continuous cultivationin the global market, the depth and breadth of service network needs more comprehensive promotion. From the end of 2019, the offline service center of Sofarsolar has been promoted to the construction and at the same time the online service work is actively completed and distributed relying on the big data of the company to take the lead in launching global service systemin the industry, aiming at improving service efficiency andqualityglobally and improving service customer depth and breadth. At present, the service system of Sofarsolar has four functions: online authorization of global cooperation service providers, quality assurance inquiry, online after-sales service and online extended warranty service. I. Application Function of Online Authorization of Global CooperationService Providers. The online authorization function of global cooperation service providers mainly focuses on qualified and professional service teams and companies from all over the world who are interested in becoming local strategic cooperation service partners of Sofarsolar. After qualification examination and authorization, the cooperation service providers will form a strong service alliance with the global service center of Sofarsolar to provide customers with more timely and convenient services locally.

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II. Quality Assurance Inquiry Function. Users can independently inquire the starting time of the quality assurance by virtue of the serial number of machine of Sofarsolar, identify the authenticity of the machine, and generate the electronic quality assurance service form online, with which they can enjoy the corresponding product quality assurance and services from Sofarsolar. III. Online After-sales Service Function. Users can submit and consult online for after-sales problems through the online after-sales service function.Sofarsolar will give timely feedback and solutions as per users’ problems, which greatly improves service efficiency and service quality. IV. Online Extended Warranty Service Function. Users can independently apply for the extended warranty service through the online extended warranty function. The system will generate the extended warranty service form and issue the extended premium through big data identification, and users can make relevant payments and operations of the extended warranty service in accordance with the instructions.

In addition, the system also has the function of service promotion and other activities, which can better improve the use experience of consumers. With the launching of the global service system of Sofarsolar,it forms service force incollaboration with its offline service center and the local service providers and accordingly enhances the service efficiency and quality,which truly realizing the goal of “Worry About What Customers Worry About and Do What They Really Need Urgently”to convoy for the global customers and strive to become a proud partner of global customers.

AUGUST- 2020

electric vehicle

Electric vehicles: The now, the near future and the never again

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is speeding up, but it can only go so far without the necessary infrastructure and technology. As thinking shifts from fossil fuels to all-electric, visions of a brighter, more optimistic world come into view. The UK government’s pledge to ban the sale of all new non-electric cars, including gasoline, diesel and hybrid vehicles from 2035, highlights the drive to end the nation’s contribution to Climate Change by 2050.

f the 2035 target is to be met, we will all see evolutions in the transport and mobility routines that keep our lives moving. From using ultra-fast wireless charging to supporting the developing world by repurposing car batteries, WMG, at the University of Warwick, is delivering advances in electrification knowledge and technologies, which will enable the leap to an electric automotive future. So, for the now and the near future, what do we need to consider?

Making batteries better Demand for EVs is surging in the UK and registrations of plug-in cars increased by more than 160,000 between 2013 and 2018. With the electrification industry estimated to be worth over £6bn (US$7.8bn) by 2025, the next decade presents a massive opportunity. However, EVs will remain on the outskirts of mainstream until consumers are offered something that matches the model of usability, convenience and affordability that conventional vehicles offer today according to Professor David Greenwood. He is driving forward the £2m Innovate UK-funded Multi optimal Solutions for Energy Storage Systems (MoSESS) project in a consortium that is led by McLaren Automotive and includes project partner A123 Systems to reduce the size, weight and emissions of current EVs. The vision is to improve all aspects of performance and reliability and unlock the possibility of producing a battery solution that matches the performance of conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, meeting consumers’ expectations, helping drive the uptake of hybrid and electric transport and supporting the Government’s ‘Road to Zero’ strategy—aiming to make road transport emission-free by 2050. “The reason people don’t buy electric cars today is because they’re too expensive, there is widespread scepticism around the battery range and therefore pressing questions around the regularity and reliability of charge points. The current best-in-class technologies are able to meet the needs of a small percentage of users and the need to plan an efficient battery charging infrastructure is key,” explains Greenwood.

AUGUST- 2020

Current technology results in large EV batteries with long charging times. Even best-in-class energy densities mean that the battery needs to be comparatively large to achieve the desired electric range capability. Because they are large, they are also heavy, which means the vehicle consumes more energy in a journey. Then, for safety reasons, currently affordable traction batteries need to have a high level of complexity. So all in all you have a heavy, inefficient, cumbersome part. “We aim to develop and integrate within a vehicle, a battery system based on a mixture of highly energy dense solidstate cells and high power density cells,” says Greenwood. “These new battery types are more efficient with better energy storage, a smaller package and the ability to fast charge. We want to deliver a solution with a simpler cooling system, a reduced dedicated crash structure for the battery, reduced charging time for up to 500km electric range, and a weight saving of up to 10% compared to existing solutions.” Although efficiency, convenience and reassurance are vital factors for consumers, cost also remains front of mind in the decision making process for prospective EV adopters. WMG’s involvement in the Nextrode project, funded by The Faraday Institution, is tackling this. The project explores ways to make electrodes for Li-Ion batteries. Using WMG’s state-of-the-art battery scale up facility and the forthcoming UKBIC facility, the project allows WMG to model and optimise ways of driving down cost of manufacture for electrodes, increasing their energy storage capacity and reducing the time it takes to get to market. The relationship between the charging infrastructure and the manufacture of the batteries is key, especially when considered in relation to consumers’ typical mobility behaviours and patterns. 98% of journeys are less than 50 miles, so carrying the load of a battery sized to deliver 300 miles on such short journeys somewhat counteracts the efforts to improve efficiency and usability for consumers. Considerations such as this show the importance of a robust battery charging infrastructure, and highlight that the technology has to respond to consumer lifestyles and patterns if it is to be successful on a mass scale.

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electric vehicle Strengthening the UK electricity grid

Professor Greenwood added: “With a reliable, accessible and ubiquitous fast charging network in place, passenger car batteries could shrink in size and cost to something which would deliver around 150 miles of real world range, halving the cost of the most expensive component in the vehicle.”

Developing a network: the right power in the right place Although EVs have been on the market for some time now, the mass public uptake of the technology has not happened. Concerns about charging between journeys, as well as range anxiety are key barriers to buying an EV. Professor Richard McMahon from WMG explains: “Many buyers who have come early to EVs will probably be buying an electric car at the same time as having an internal combustion engine vehicle for longer distances. However, as electric cars become more widespread, drivers will want to travel greater distances hence the likely need for more public charging opportunities. Charging on motorways and along main roads is clearly an enabler of longer distance travel. The Tesla superchargers are one example; BP and National Grid amongst others are also looking at fast-charging centres. Solutions for on-street charging are also being developed.” Start-up company char.gy has developed the technology to allow drivers to just plug their car into a lamppost. The company created a new EV charging point product, which can be easily installed onto existing lampposts. The installation requires no further power supply or any groundworks. WMG helped char.gy rapidly design, build and test a prototype of the new electronics board required for the design to meet EU standards for public charge points. The charge points are now ready for public use in London following char.gy’s integration within Transport for London’s (TfL) Charging Infrastructure Procurement Framework in 2018, which supports the roll-out of EVs by aiming to install over 1,000 on-street charge points by the end of 2020. Helping individual vehicle owners charge their car is one thing, but the pressure is really on to come up with new solutions for the fleets of vehicles in our towns and cities which have no time to stop. Electric taxis are creeping into circulation but there is still an anxiety associated with charging. Are there enough charging points for enough drivers in a given city and does the EV battery last long enough to do enough jobs between charges? Drivers cannot afford to be stationary for long periods of time while they charge and the public in large cities expect there to be enough vehicles on the road to be able to hail a cab at any time. Similarly, emergency vehicles are still predominantly diesel, and if a fleet is electrified it will need to guarantee an equivalent service level. It would be inconceivable for an emergency services vehicle have to wait to charge the battery. This is where the wireless charging or ‘charge on the move’ idea comes in. McMahon comments: “The ‘charge on the move’ concept is really attractive in principle but there is more work to be done to ensure compatibility and to design installation procedures.” WMG and wider project partners are now working on a feasibility study to assess the potential for electric taxi wireless charging. The consortium can then apply for further Innovate UK funding for a large-scale commercial demonstrator project to test the technology and approach at locations within Nottingham and London.

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Once the technology is perfected, though, it should be used efficiently, and this requires a distribution network that can cope with high levels of EV charging across a variety of neighbourhoods and locations. A truly sustainable system would be one where surplus energy storage capacity could be repurposed. This idea is being explored by another WMG research team, looking at the possibility of accessing the energy stored in EVs when they are not in use. This vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept has the potential to address the imbalance, taking forward the idea of an energy connectivity landscape. For the most part the public are in favour of EVs, but until they meet the threshold requirements of range, rechargeability and affordability of individual users, they will remain beyond reach Project lead Professor James Marco thinks connecting EVs to the grid will provide a good solution to gaps in capacity, and modelling projects like this are helping to demonstrate the advantages of the system. He says: “We are using real-world data to demonstrate V2G. This not only helps to establish confidence in the technology, but also provides the invaluable learning that will be used to achieve the ultimate aim of making V2G an established component of the grid. Through proper management of the battery system, it is possible to mitigate battery degradation through V2G and possibly even extend battery life.” After an EV battery has reached its expected lifespan of around eight to 12 years, and although the manufacturer is responsible for recycling the pack and must pay the costs associated with the transportation and processing, it is the final owner (normally an authorised treatment facility or scrap yard) that gets to define what should be done with the pack. They can sell it on for reuse or have it recycled. However, batteries often retain up to 80% of their energy capacity and power after this automotive lifespan, meaning they could be suitable for ‘second-life’ applications, such as stationary energy storage for domestic and industrial use. The immediate priorities of driving cost down and streamlining manufacturing processes has led to battery designs which are increasingly difficult to reuse or recycle at the end of their life in a vehicle. Anwar Sattar, Lead Engineer in Battery Recycling at WMG, observes: “Many of the battery packs currently on the roads were not designed with end of life (EoL) in mind. The most important considerations for pack designers are cost, energy density, safety and ease of manufacture. This means that some battery packs will have a very low recyclability as they contain large amounts of material such as glue that makes them difficult to disassemble and recycle. Another major challenge is the lack of standardisation in design of the battery packs. This makes pack removal difficult as it varies from vehicle to vehicle.” Having said that, work is underway to tackle this. WMG has been working with two global automotive suppliers focusing on how they can reuse and more efficiently recycle their batteries. Firstly, developing accurate and cost effective battery grading processes and secondly to help drive battery technology innovation that supports developing countries and isolated communities. For the most part the public are in favour of EVs, but until they meet the threshold requirements of range, rechargeability and affordability of individual users, they will remain beyond reach. Great science and robust engineering can and will address these problems over time. WMG is working to make that a matter of years and not decades.

About the authors: David Greenwood is Professor of Advanced Propulsion Systems, James Marco is Professor of Systems Modelling and Simulation, Richard McMahon is Professor of Power Electronics and Dr Anwar Sattar is Lead Engineer in Battery Recycling at WMG, University of Warwick

AUGUST- 2020

EQ INT’L MAGAZINE EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD 2019-2020

SUNIL JAIN

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CEO & ED

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