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CONT EN T

VOLUME 12 Issue #07

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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Challenges and Opportunities of Solar Power Utility Sector In India

25 featured

Adani Green Total Capacity Rises To 2,595 MW In Q1

32 featured Azure Power Secures Letter of Award for 2 GW Greenshoe Option

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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electric vehicle

Electric vehicle market likely to be Rs 50,000 crore opportunity in India by 2025: Report

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Tata Power’s Mundra plant in final talks to ink supplemental PPA with Gujarat

featured zero Fossil Fuel import must for Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision: R K Singh

featured Promote solar energy in building projects: Vice President Naidu to architects

35 featured FOURTH PARTNER ENERGY RAISES US$ 15 MILLION IN ITS THIRD ROUND OF FUNDING FROM ZURICH HEADQUARTERED DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT ASSET MANAGER ‘RESPONSABILITY INVESTMENTS A.G.’

interview MR. VIVEK BHARDWAJ Head of Sales – India GoodWe (India)

42 featured India and US announce new areas of research on transformational power generation

EQ NEWS Pg. 08-45 ARTICLE Pg. 50-61 electric vehicle The Microgrid Solution: Transforming EV Charging Station Infrastructure for the Future

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Challenges and Opportunities of Solar Power Utility Sector In India

Renewable Energy in India has traversed a long way over the last decade and the growth trajectory of Solar in the Utility Sector has been phenomenal. It, certainly, has cemented its place from being a fledgling part to becoming a mainstay in the Renewable Energy sector and a key component in the Overall Power sector in India. For the next quantum jump, just as it has to overcome few challenges similarly there are opportunities which shall enable that.

he first set of challenges can be, typically, classified as contractual in nature. It is a logical premise that the signatories to an agreement shall fulfil their Condition Precedents and Subsequents in a time-bound fashion, thereby maintaining sanctity of the contract and creating a win-win situation for everybody. However, while the Solar Power Producers are expected to diligently adhere to their deliverables, challenges like inordinate payment delays and tariff re-negotiation in between the contractual duration severely hamper the investor confidence and diminish the economic attractiveness. Such contradictory messaging cascades negative ripples in the entire ecosystem of stakeholders too. Another similar challenge has been the imposition of backdown of generating plants although they supposedly function under ‘must-run’ status. While the sector has progressed immensely under the able guidance of Central and State Govts, there still are areas which, when structured up, will result in providing a huge impetus in driving the scale growth as well as further tariff reduction.

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It is a known fact that free market economics will always put a lower risk premium to projects where there is more information and clarity around the key parameters. Visibility of timebound bidding pipeline and seamless coordination amongst the bidding agencies and the transmission utilities would be the two initial steps to demarcate the broad contours of the overall road-map. The next couple of aspects which require immediate attention of the authorities are streamlining the land acquisition process and refining the payment security mechanism. Enabling solutions to these will allow the Power Producers to operate in a comparatively risk-free environment and that shall trigger a massive scale growth. Another key booster for enhancing access and reducing cost of funds would be to facilitate ‘priority-sector’ status to the clean energy domain specifically and uncouple it from the traditional power sector limits. Financing, being one of the most sensitive and impactful levers, ease will result in better tariff discovery. We also notice a bunch of opportunities which shall shape the focus of the industry for the times ahead. Graduating from the regular plain-vanilla tenders to Hybrid, Peak-Power and Round-The-Clock bids is absolutely the right directional approach. Success of the initial bids has ensured that such tenders shall be the next growth frontier. The holy grail of firm, schedulable and dispatchable power available at attractive tariffs shall, then, be achieved and Solar shall play a key role in it. Furthermore, merchant power sales could be another avenue which can unleash exponential growth in the Solar Power sector in India. Collaborative approach amongst all the stakeholders to smoothen the few pending rough edges and streamlining the opportunity areas shall ensure that the Sun continues to shine brighter on the Solar Power Utility Sector in India!

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Setback for Adani Power, Tata Power and Essar Power as Gujarat govt reverses this decision The Gujarat Cabinet has reversed its November 2018 decision on compensatory tariff for Adani Power, Tata Power and Essar Power on grounds of public interest, The Hindu has reported quoting sources.

ccording to the report, the state government cancelled its Government Resolution (GR), issued in November 2018 that had allowed higher tariffs to the power companies. According to the report, the three companies have Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for supply of 4600 MW power to the state utility for 25 years. The report states that the Adani Power has two PPAs for 1000 MW each, while Tata Power has 1800 MW and Essar has 800 MW. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

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“We have cancelled the GR in the cabinet meeting. Since coal prices have plummeted, we moved a note in the cabinet to cancel the earlier order on public interest,” a top bureaucrat told the newspaper. Reports back then had suggested that the move had come as a big relief for the three plants, which had been making heavy losses after an abrupt jump in the price of Indonesian coal and the refusal of various states to pay higher tariffs as they said the power producers were bound by the PPAs. According to the Hindu’s report, the state energy department and the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) have also informed power regulators like the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) regarding the move.

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MNRE: Office Memorandum modifying the Scheme for ‘Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects’ Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has issued an Office Memorandum modifying the Scheme for ‘Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects’. 3. The SPPD will be entitled to following compensations for So far there are 7 modes under which the Scheme is implemented. A new mode, Mode-8 namely Ultra Mega Renewable development and management of UMREPPs: Energy Power Parks (UMREPPs) has been introduced with the (a) Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of Rs. 20 lakh/MW or 30% of cost of development of UMREPPs, whichever is lower, following features: 1. Solar Power Park Developer (SPPD): The SPPD of the UMREPP may be CPSU/State PSU/ State Government Organisation or their subsidiaries. A JV between two or more of the above entities may also act as the SPPD. 2. Role of State Government: (a) State Government (through any State Government Organisation) is required to provide necessary assistance to the SPPDs in identification and acquisition of land for setting up of UMREPPs and also facilitate all required statutory clearances. However, the land will be allotted with a condition that development must be completed within 2 years (extendable by 1 year in extreme cases) failing which the State Government may take back the allotted land in consultation with MNRE. (b) A committee must be set up to facilitate setting up of the UMREPP, monitor the progress and also fix the onetime upfront charges and annual Operation & Maintenance charges, etc. to be charged from power developers. (c) The UMREPPs shall not be taken as profit making activities and maximum 16% return on equity may be allowed. (d) A facilitation charge of Rs. 0.05/unit of power generated may be paid to the State Government (or the organisation designated by the state government). It may be noted that such charge may be paid only on the quantum of power exported outside the state and only if no other similar charge is levied under the State Government Policy.

for development of internal infrastructure including cost of transmission to the CTU/STU point. Any augmentation/ strengthening and/or erection of external power evacuation infrastructure may be done by CTU. (b) If the SPPD or any of its individual promoters has a trading license, he may act as a trader of power being produced in the park, for which he will be entitled to claim a margin of Rs. 0.07/ unit. (c) This compensation may not be provided to RE projects to be developed under EPC mode where the cost of power would already have a factor of Return on Equity. (d) For calling of bids for UMREPPs, Standard Bidding Guidelines must be followed. 4. Power Projects inside UMREPPs: (a) The power projects inside UMREPPs may be developed either under developer mode through Tariff Based competitive Bidding (TBCB) process or under EPC mode or any combination thereof. However, the SPPD or any of its individual promoters cannot take part in tariff based competitive bidding process in an UMREPP developed by them. (b) Facilitation charge and trading margin may be made clear in the bid document. (c) The CPSUs are free to set up RE projects in EPC mode, under the Central Schemes like CPSU Scheme, in any of the UMREPPs. All other terms will be as per the Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects issued by the Ministry order no 30/26/2014-15/NSM dated March 21, 2017 and its subsequent modifications.

India’s solar industry may soon get incentives to boost manufacturing and cut Chinese imports

In an attempt to reduce dependence on the Chinese imports, the Central government plans to come out with a fresh solar tender that will provide viability gap funding (VGF) to projects setting up solar wafer and ingot manufacturing facilities.

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ilicon wafers and ingots are critical components that go into manufacturing solar cells and modules. However, India does not have manufacturing facilities for these complements that is largely imported from China, even by local solar cell and module makers. China is the biggest maker of these components globally.

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“Under the phased manufacturing plan in solar, government may provide the VGF support to developers of these critical solar components. This high technology manufacturing would change the face of domestic equipment market and eliminate dependence on imports,” said official sources.

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AATMANIRBHAR BHARAT & ENERGY INDEPENDENCE THROUGH GROUP-CAPTIVE, OPEN ACCESS SOLAR

The Prime Minister’s clarion call to go ‘vocal for local’ and work towards an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ seems to have definitely struck a chord with numerous businesses and consumers, during the ongoing global pandemic. Borders between nations are increasingly impenetrable, owing to political and pandemic related factors – and the timing of Modi’s campaign could not have been better.

HOW DOES OPEN ACCESS WORK?

s renewable energy professionals, this got us wondering if there was a way to integrate ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ with India’s SOLAR sector apart from the obvious scaling up of local manufacturing of cells, modules and panels. After all, should the country not aim towards ‘self-reliance’ in terms of electricity generation and not just manufacturing of electrical components. India’s demand for electricity is growing at an exponential pace – we are amongst the fastest growing economies globally and rank 2 in terms of population. We simply cannot continue importing coal and oil in the manner we do, to meet this demand. Renewable Energy is the most obvious way around this challenge – resources like wind and solar are abundant in India, they in turn are capable of generating cheaper and cleaner electricity. There is no way a developing country like ours can do away with coal, but we can take increased efforts to ensure that all new capacity added is mainly from clean, green sources. For a country that is home to 7 out of 10 of the MOST POLLUTED cities in the world, energy transition is an imperative.

The Amendment to the Electricity Act 2003 aims at increasing efficiency, reliability and affordability of power by increasing competition amidst gencos, discoms and ensuring the consumer has procurement options. It also pushes for an independent Renewable Energy policy and stringent enforcement of RPOs or Renewable Purchase Obligations by obligated entities. In the context of competition, Open Access is the cornerstone of the Act. Open Access has been conceived as an important tool for introducing competition into the electricity industry, thereby ensuring choice to both buyers and suppliers of electricity. A solar or wind park at a remote location can supply electricity to any consumer or group of consumers, in any corner of the country using the existing transmission and distribution network through the Open Access route. Section 9 of the Electricity Act 2003, defines Group Captive under the Open Access model as a unique structure where a developer sets up a power plant for collective use of many industrial and commercial consumers, who should jointly have 26% equity in the plant and consume at least 51% of the power produced. This Group Captive policy is a boon for India’s industrial community. Imagine many businesses in a single industrial belt like Chakan or Manesar or Cherlapally coming together to procure renewable energy via the group captive Open Access route – they get to save significantly on operational costs and their collective reduction in emissions can literally help the country breathe easier.

Glaring benefits of renewables have still not resulted in widespread adoption of Solar and Wind technologies by Indian industries – this could be attributed to lack of awareness. Another important factor that cannot be ignored are convoluted, dynamic State policies that end up favouring the transmission and distribution network, over RE generation. Discoms are wary of high-paying consumers migrating to renewable sources, thereby deepening their financial burden. An automobile manufacturer opting to set up a solar plant inside his facility’s premises or on the rooftop, will result in that user migrating away from utilising the existing grid infrastructure that supplies polluting thermal power at higher prices. Though it is an illogical rationalisation, there is a way around this argument of the Discoms, which will bring us one step closer to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, from an energy perspective – procuring solar and wind power through Open Access, using existing grid infrastructure.

The adoption of the Group Captive model is witnessing an increasing trend, gradually gaining popularity. To industries, the savings per-unit electricity alone is compelling enough to adopt this model – despite restrictive policies and the transmission charges or losses the consumer has to bear. The eligibility for Open Access in India currently is any large consumer with a contract demand of over 1 MW. The primary advantage of this model is that cross-subsidy is not levelled on the power procured. For manufacturing facilities across sectors like cement, paper, pharmaceuticals and data centres – fuel and electricity weigh heavily on operating costs; any reduction in this directly benefits the bottom-line. Moreover, it also helps these firms meets their Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) which are set to become more stringent in the amendment to the Electricity Act. Typically, the overall savings on per-unit cost to electricity, even after all the grid charges is between 25-40%.

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HOW CAN GROUP CAPTIVE OPEN ACCESS BOOST YOUR BUSINESS’ BOTTOM-LINE?

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featured SIMPLIFYING THE GROUP CAPTIVE MODEL In a Group Captive setup – the developer builds a project under the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company and offers 26% equity to the consumer. An agreement is entered into to buy back the shares on termination of the procurement contract. For Commercial & Industrial (C&I) consumers, this model is favourable as most projects and units have small roofs or restricted ground space within their premises – in such cases on-site solar solutions can only help them meet around 10-15% of their daytime energy demand; Group Captive provides and alternative wherein they can meet 70-80% of their electricity needs, without migrating completely away from the grid.

COVID-19, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR INDUSTRIES TO EMBRACE ENERGY TRANSITION India’s lockdown saw electricity demand drop by nearly 30% in the end of March, according to POSOCO; this has returned to near-normal levels in the days post un-lockdown. For businesses in India emerging from this unpredictable pandemic, the timing has not been more apt to evaluate affordable, alternate sources of power and bring down their operating costs. Expansion and diversification will take a back seat, as cost-optimisation becomes priority. Clean energy solutions that offer nearly 50% reduction in electricity tariffs, while curbing emissions will witness a lot of takers in the C&I segment – it will boil down to a choice between on-site OPEX contracts and Group Captive Open Access, depending on the size of operations, electricity consumption and capital investment. The case has been made but will India’s industry rise to this opportunity towards ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the electricity sector remains to be seen.

ENEL GREEN POWER AND NORFUND JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP RENEWABLE PROJECTS IN INDIA Enel Green Power and Norfund entered into a long-term, joint investment partnership to finance, build and operate new renewable projects in India. The agreement is aimed at boosting the development of renewables in India, in line with the sustainability, decarbonization and renewables targets of the companies and the country’s renewable energy goals. Enel Green Power will be responsible for the development and construction of each project that will be jointly financed and governed by both partners . Enel Green Power (“EGP”), through its Indian subsidiary for renewables Enel Green Power India (“EGP India”), and the Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries Norfund, have signed a long-term agreement to jointly finance, build and operate new renewable projects in India.

This agreement gives us the opportunity to expand and strengthen our presence in India, after recently scoring our first win in a solar tender in the country, said Antonio Cammisecra, CEO of Enel Green Power. "By joining forces with an important partner such as Norfund, which shares our commitment towards sustainability and decarbonization, we will leverage on our technical expertise to harness the significant renewable growth potential of India, while contributing to the achievement of the country's sustainable energy targets.”

For Norfund, the partnership represents an opportunity to play a role in providing much needed clean energy in an important market together with a world class industrial partner, said Tellef Thorleifsson, CEO of Norfund. “India has ambitious targets to increase the penetration of renewables, and there is a great need for more capital combined with technical expertise to realize them. By partnering with an experienced company like Enel Green Power, we believe we can contribute to both create jobs and promote the transition to renewables.”

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The agreement is a collaborative investment framework under which EGP India will be responsible for the development and construction of each project, while Norfund will have the right to invest in the projects once a specific milestone in their completion is reached, thus becoming equity partner with EGP India in the project. In addition, within the partnership, EGP India will support each project by providing technical services starting from the preliminary development activities. Through the agreement, the partners, in line with their sustainability, decarbonization and renewables targets, aim at boosting the development of a clean energy footprint in India, which is rich in renewable sources and has ambitious green energy goals. India’s government is committed to achieve 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind power generation capacity by 2022, up from around 35 GW of solar and about 38 GW of wind as of today. EGP India owns and operates 172 MW of wind capacity producing around 320 GWh per year in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The company was recently awarded the right to sign a 25-year energy supply contract for a 420 MW1 solar project in Rajasthan, which will be the company’s first solar plant in the country, under the 2 GW Ninth Tranche of the national solar tender issued by the government company Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited. Norfund has a mandate to establish viable, profitable enterprises in developing countries, and invests in clean energy generation to enable economic growth and job creation. In 2019, Norfund financed 1,010 MW of new electricity generation capacity, and Norfund’s portfolio has a total capacity of 5,866 MW.

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Tata Power’s Mundra plant in final talks to ink supplemental PPA with Gujarat

Earlier this month, the Gujarat government had decided to reverse its 2018 decision to amend the PPAs it signed with three producers – Tata Power, Adani Power and Essar Power – to raise the power tariffs in order to offset the rising cost of imported coal

ata Power arm CGPL, which runs Mundra plant, is in advance stage of discussion with Gujarat’s utility GUVNL to ink a supplemental power purchase agreement (PPA) to facilitate suitable increase in power tariff, an industry source said. Earlier this month, the Gujarat government had decided to reverse its 2018 decision to amend the PPAs it signed with three producers – Tata Power, Adani Power and Essar Power – to raise the power tariffs in order to offset the rising cost of imported coal. The Gujarat government revoked its Government Resolution (GR) in this regard in view of easing coal prices in the international market.

“While the Gujarat government has decided not to amend the main PPA, the state is negotiating with the CGPL (Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd) on a supplemental PPA. Even though there has been a drop in coal prices, there is still room for a hike in power tariff in line with the prevailing prices and the supplemental PPA will take that into consideration. We expect negotiations to conclude soon,” the industry source said. In its order dated June 12, 2020, the Energy and Petrochemicals Department of Gujarat government had said the matter of signing supplemental PPAs with EPGL and CGPL will be decided on case to case basis by the government. The order also noted that GUVNL will submit the draft supplemental PPA with CGPL separately for approval of the state government. Further, all modifications made in supplemental PPA with EPGL (Essar Power Gujarat Ltd) will be appropriately incorporated in the supplemental PPA with CGPL. The supplemental PPA will come into effect from the date of order of CERC approving supplemental PPA.

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According to industry sources, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India had informed the central power ministry in April this year that the CGPL may supply power to Gujarat and Maharashtra at “higher revised tariff” and continue to supply power as per tariff determined through competitive bidding process to Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. However, the “higher revised tariff” for Gujarat and Maharashtra has to be supported by a supplemental agreement and duly approved by power regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). “It was brought out in the April meeting, which was chaired by Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, that the PPA provides for two different sets of decisions for procurers, one where the procuring states are to take decisions jointly and second where the decisions can be taken separately. “It was further brought out that as per the opinion of ASG, the decision to sign the supplementary PPA can be taken by the procuring states separately,” the sources said. Accordingly, it was determined during the meeting that it was legally possible for Gujarat and Maharashtra to sign the supplemental PPAs and approach CERC for it to take effect, while Tata Power negotiates the same with the other procuring states – Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan,” the industry sources said. The three power producers have PPAs for supply of 4,600 MW power to the state utility Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) for 25 years. The Adani Power has two PPAs for 1,000 MW each, Tata Power has 1,800MW and Essar Power has 800 MW.

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import must for Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision: R K Singh Zero dependence on fossil fuel is required for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said. Singh also said that once renewable energy and balancing power become cost-effective, thermal electricity and fossil fuel will be a thing of past in India’s energy mix.

The vision for a truly Aatmanirbhar Bharat is zero-dependence on fossil fuel imports,” Singh said in his address at CII Digital Conference on Aatmanirbhar Bharat on Renewable Energy Manufacturing. The minister’s statement assumes significance in the wake of India’s huge dependence on import of fossil fuels. “India is constantly thinking innovation in bringing out bids. It came out with a bid on Renewable Energy & storage. “The Government is also exploring other bid options such as – round-the clock grid energy, balance by thermal, balance by hydro etc. The end objective is to increase demand for storage and bring down prices,” he said in a statement issued by industry body CII. In order to bring down renewable tariff, storage has to be viable, pumped hydro to take off, in-house manufacturing to jumpstart and battery to become cheap, Singh opined. “Hydrogen may be the next big thing for transportation, alongside batteries to understand which is more economically viable. A city-wise segregated approach for launch of hydrogen and batteries will be undertaken to measure the practical cost-effectiveness of these options,” Singh said. Another key announcement by the minister was the power ministry’s advocacy for the “Top-Runner program” in manufacturing of higher-efficiency next-generation solar products. This is what helped China in achieving mass-production of n-type cells.

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xpressing optimism for domestic manufacturing in the RE sector, he also took cognizance of the existing issues that the government was rallying to solve payment security of the entire value chain, sanctity of contracts, land acquisition and regulatory issues. “While it is important to transform the energy sector with haste, it has to be a rational haste…in ensuring stability of all stakeholders,” the minister said. While manufacturing in the wind sector is majorly indigenous, in solar segment 80-90 per cent of the components is being imported. This is partly because of India’s in-house capability limitation to manufacture, but also partly because some of the countries have been dumping, which prompted the government to impose anti-dumping and import duties, the statement said. In the coming days, the minister assured, that these duties are going to only be stronger so that imports do get painful and domestic manufacturing feels incentivised.

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Govt permits operation of Electricity Futures in India

In a major reform initiative, the government has permitted opening up of derivative market in the power sector like any other commodity, allowing both power generators and consumers to enter futures contracts and use it as a new hedging tool to mitigate price volatility and other associated risks.

ources said an order to this effect has been issued by the power ministry on July 10 after consultation with the Solicitor General. Legal advice was taken as Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) were involved in long drawn legal spat over jurisdictional issues governing electricity futures. With both regulators now reaching an understanding on regulations, doors have opened for futures trading to state in power. But final date for initiation would be given only after August 28, when Supreme Court is slated to hear the matter. The SEBI is expected to oversee the functioning of all financially traded electricity forwards while the latter would regulate physically settled forward where electricity is delivered on future date at the contracted price. This has settled the jurisdictional issues that delayed operation of futures in electricity. Introduction of pure play futures and options as products on power trading platforms would be a major reform initiative that would help in developing a robust and vibrant energy market.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Decks have been cleared for the start of the electricity futures market in India with regulators reaching broad understanding on how to go about it while allowing derivative instruments for market participants. The concurrence of the Supreme Court will still be needed. The order on ending the case based on applications given by the two regulators got delayed due to Covid-19 related disruptions. It is expected next month now,â&#x20AC;? said an official source. Even after clarity on regulations, there may be further delays on account of the lockdown and economic slowdown that has also impacted power demand. Futures and options work best in a rising market where players need to hedge their positions to minimize losses. While India presents a large power market with installed generation capacity of close to 370 GW and large number of participants from both private and public sector, it is yet to offer futures trading option that is the hallmark of all mature markers.

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Though electricity is available in surplus now, its trading is limited and only through spot contracts (up to 11 days) on exchanges. Forward trading in electricity started in 2009, but the matter soon ended in court over jurisdictional issues. Once future trading is started, power exchanges such as India Energy Exchange (IEX) would be in a position to offer derivative instruments to participants. This could be electricity futures with a clear delivery based schedule (delivery at a price on future date) and other derivative instruments such as call and put options. This will help both generators and consumers to mitigate risks by hedging their positions through derivative instruments. Start of derivative instruments would also be helpful for the sector at a time when spot power prices have fallen on exchanges due to slowdown and the demand for electricity has also come down. Futures market will provide such indications in advance. Power producers can sell their perceived surplus in futures and consumers, who foresee higher consumption and a price rise, can buy power on the same platform. Trading in electricity futures will also be helpful as power prices are volatile. Those who buy or sell power in the spot market will benefit directly from this. That apart, dealings via an exchange would be safe as its clearing house provides a system of guarantee that mitigates counter party credit risk. There is still, however, some fear that these products would concentrate the commodity with a handful of players, who could then control prices. But with low demand and a surplus situation now, this looks unlikely.

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Covid-19: A strategy for execution and O&M of solar power projects in post-pandemic times Renewable power has steadily grown in importance over the past decade or so in almost all countries around the world, including India. Solar power constitutes the biggest percentage of the envisioned energy mix for the future.

ccording to data shared by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, there is about 32.53 GW of installed solar power capacity in the country, while 25.05 GW capacity is under implementation and 25.78 GW has been tendered. India’s progress towards its solar energy targets recently faced a setback when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

There has undeniably been a short-term impact, but there have been some positives too The disruptions in global and domestic supply chains have posed a serious concern for solar developers and solar equipment manufacturers in the country, at least in the short-to-medium term. Moreover, the pandemic has impacted the execution of ongoing projects. According to CRISIL, projects worth Rs 160 billion, totalling 3 GW of solar power capacity, could be hampered by delays. Some news reports suggest that India could add only about half the expected solar power capacity in the first quarter of 2020. This short-term impact, however, is mild compared to the grim outlook for the next few years, which is likely to be characterized by reduced power demand, financially stressed discoms, and constrained financing. Nevertheless, there are some silver linings amidst the gloom. For one, the lockdown witnessed an increase in solar generation in the country – a phenomenon that can partly be attributed to the clear skies and low levels of pollution during this period. Secondly, the industry slowly seems to be breaking free of the pandemic-induced inertia. One of the country’s biggest conglomerates has announced plans to build 8 GW of photovoltaic solar power capacity over the next five years and establish 2 GW of solar cell and module manufacturing capacity. We need many more such initiatives to meet our renewable targets and rapidly ramp up domestic capacity for manufacturing solar equipment. Launching solar power projects, however, is only the beginning of a big, ongoing task – executing it flawlessly and optimizing its subsequent operation and maintenance (O&M).

Cost-efficiency and resource allocation is the key to successful execution In India, solar projects are generally executed using either the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) or the package model. The former is preferable if there aren’t as many skilled resources available as are needed to manage the project. The package model, on the other hand, allows companies to deploy large teams for the project in a cost-efficient manner. Any optimization of the plant design that needs be done must be in accordance with the capex indicated in the winning bid. Optimizing plant capacities and using private investments to minimize cost of capital can help in creating generation assets with low unit cost. If the project involves the construction of a transmission line or a sub-station, it is advisable to have a dedicated team in place from the outset to look into issues pertaining to right of way.

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Leveraging technology in O&M yields better efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness With competitive bidding becoming the norm for the solar power sector, there is more emphasis than before on achieving cost-effectiveness and portfolio consolidation. The O&M of a project is no longer an afterthought but one of the prime considerations for the project developer, as it has a direct bearing on the competitiveness and the efficiency of the project. As the size of the project increases, so do the O&M costs. It has thus become necessary to re-look at conventional O&M approaches, and leverage technology for better outcomes. For instance, remote solar photovoltaic monitoring systems that track power output real-time can be used to ascertain whether the solar panels are working properly or not. One can employ thermal imaging techniques with the help of drones to monitor the health of the installed solar modules. Drone surveys can also provide information on vegetation growth and boundary condition around the solar farm. Solar power companies can, and should, move from preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance by employing artificial-intelligence-based tools; this will make plant management more efficient, more productive, and more cost-effective. It is possible that business priorities might be revised in the post-Covid-19 era, but the need for improved execution and O&M will still hold good, irrespective. It is time to resume chasing business and national targets with a sharper eye out for new, domestic opportunities and with better use of technology.

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L&T Infrastructure Finance closes the $ 100 million ECB from AIIB for Renewable Energy Finance L&T Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd. (LTIF), the wholly owned subsidiary of L&T Finance Holdings Ltd., has received the first tranche of $ 50 million of the total $ 100 million ECB loan from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB),a multilateral development bank that invests in sustainable infrastructure. This development marks AIIB’s first loan to a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India.

he loan proceeds will be used to on-lend to large and mid-scale wind and solar power infrastructure projects in India. LTIF’s collaboration with AIIB will also help the company bolster its environmental and social capabilities, which will enable it to tap the international market for green finance, in the future. The proposed financing supports AIIB’s Sustainable Energy for Asia Strategy and Strategy on Mobilizing Private Capital for Infrastructure. L&T Infrastructure Finance is a leading arranger and financier of renewable energy in India.With the closure of this financing deal with AIIB, LTIF has further diversified its long-term funding sources.

Mr. Dinanath Dubhashi, Managing Director & CEO, L&T Finance Holdings said, “ Investments from an organization like AIIB, that follows a stringent due diligence process of the company’s capacity, viability, past performance and regulatory compliances, before any investments, reiterates our commitment to green project financing.Our lending to clean energy goes beyond the actual book and we have today built an ecosystem for all stakeholders to be a part of the green energy initiative. We firmly believe that renewable power holds great potential in fighting the dual challenge of climate change and the ever-growing demand for energy.” LTIF has initiated the establishment of an Environment & Social Monitoring System that will be expanded to include screening, categorizing, appraisal, contracting and monitoring of subprojects supported by AIIB in accordance with the AIIB Environmental and Social Standards (ESS).

Kusum scheme: RRECL awards 722mw solar power to farmers

Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd (RRECL) has allotted 722 megawatt to 623 farmers under the Centre’s PM Kusum scheme aimed at generating income for farmers from their unfertile or semi-barren land.

ajasthan is the first state in the country to conduct a successful bidding and allot more capacity than the target given by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Under the scheme, farmers can set up plants with capacity ranging from 0.5 to 2 megawatt and the power will be bought by discoms at Rs 3.14 per unit which is much higher than the rates discovered through auctions. As per the scheme, the farmers who do not have no money to invest, can also lease out the land to private developers and receive an annual income.

Ajitabh Sharma, chairman of RRECL and principal secretary energy department said, “Farmers having barren or semi-fertile land can get a steady income for 25 years from this scheme. Since the plants would be located within 5 km of a sub-station, the transmission losses would be minimal and cost of power will be cheaper. Rajasthan is the first state in the country to implement the scheme successfully.” 18

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Under the scheme, MNRE gives subsidy of 40 paise per unit to the government, effectively bringing down rates for discoms to Rs 2.74 per unit. Besides the benefit from rates, this also promotes decentralized generation which will generate employment at village level. Similarly, it allows the MSMEs in the sector to develop projects as they often fail to qualify for bigger tenders due to higher bidding standards. While the Centre had approved 325 MW under the scheme, the state government had requested for additional capacity. The government does not need to invest heavily on infrastructure for decentralised power plants as the existing sub-stations can be used for feeding and distribution in the same area. Sharma said keeping in view the benefits of decentralized power, RRECL has set a target of 2600 MW in the next three years. “The tenders for next 1878 MW would soon be issued and applications will be invited,” added Sharma.

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GIP looks to sell clean energy biz as road asset sale hits snag GIP, which raised the world’s biggest infrastructure fund at $22 billion in December, acquired the platform from IDFC Alternatives in 2018 as part of its India entry. The platform owns around 750 MW of renewable assets.

US-based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is planning to sell its Indian renewable energy platform Vector Green Energy, two people aware of the development said, after the coronavirus outbreak upset its plans to sell its local roads portfolio.

IP, which raised the world’s biggest infrastructure fund at $22 billion in December, acquired the platform from IDFC Alternatives in 2018 as part of its India entry. The platform owns around 750 MW of renewable assets. The portfolio could fetch a valuation of $500-600 million, said the first of the two people cited above, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. “GIP has initiated talks to appoint investment banks to sell off the entire portfolio of around 750 MW owned by the Vector Green platform. They are having talks with several banks and are expected to soon appoint a banker to start the sale process,” this person said. GIP’s plans to exit its renewable portfolio comes after a planned sale of its roads portfolio—Highway Concession One—stalled due to the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, which disrupted road traffic and the revenue earning potential of the toll road portfolio.

Mint reported on 13 May that Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) had put on hold its planned purchase of a portfolio of seven toll roads from GIP, the Canadian investor’s first acquisition of a roads portfolio in India. CDPQ had last year agreed to buy Highway Concessions One, a portfolio of seven toll road assets, from GIP for about ₹2,400 crore. The delay in sale of the roads portfolio has prompted GIP to seek a sale of its renewable assets, as the investor wants to show exits from its Indian investments ahead of efforts to raise an India-dedicated fund, said the second person cited above. “GIP wants to raise at least $1 billion for its India fund. They wanted to sell their roads to show investors an exit, which would help them significantly in raising their fund. Most deals in the roads sector are struggling to achieve closure due to the lockdown and expected fall in traffic due to the economic slowdown, while the renewables sector is seeing a lot of buyer interest. Hence, they have switched their focus on selling the renewable platform,” he said.

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“As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on market speculation,” GIP said in an email response. M&A activity in the Indian renewable energy sector has picked up recently, with many large portfolios on sale. Investors are looking for infrastructure assets that have fixed contracts such as renewables and transmission lines, rather than buying assets linked to the markets, such as toll roads. Mint reported that private equity investors KKR and Actis are in talks to acquire a solar portfolio of 435 MW from CDPQ-backed Azure Power Global Ltd. Finland’s state-controlled power utility Fortum Oyj is also looking for buyers for its 500MW Indian solar projects, Mint reported on 1 June. At least six firms—Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), Brookfield Asset Management Inc., PE firms Actis, KKR, Macquarie Group and Edelweiss Infrastructure Yield Plus Fund—have evinced interest in taking a majority stake. Saudi Arabia’s Alfanar Group is looking to sell half of its 600MW wind power projects in India, Mint reported in May.

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Tesla and the science behind the next-generation, lower-cost, ‘million-mile’ electric-car battery The future of the auto industry may boil down to the difference made by a single letter: R. As in, the difference between a lithium-ion battery, like those found in today’s electric vehicles made by Tesla and others, and the lithium-iron phosphate batteries coming soon to market.

s Elon Musk’s Tesla has been talking up new battery technology development as part of the lead-up to the company’s first-ever Battery Day for investors, Wall Street is buzzing about the difference the next generation of batteries may make. Vehicles with lithium-ion batteries, also used in cellphones, are expected to give way over the next few years to cars and trucks made with lithium-iron phosphate and other chemistries. This will cut costs, extend vehicle ranges to 400 miles or more between charges and enable batteries to last as long as 1 million miles. Reducing Tesla’s own costs and spurring mass adoption of EVs remain critical priorities for Tesla, as echoed in a message from Musk to employees saying it would be a challenge to break even right now. The new technology will change the experience of owning a car, whether a Tesla or one made by rivals like General Motors, which is also working on new battery technologies, analysts said. In particular, the extremely long life of batteries soon to hit the market are likely to mean the batteries hold their value well enough to be resold when owners trade in their cars, possibly for use storing solar electricity for homes. And the next-gen batteries’ long lives may let them be used in ridesharing businesses that demand cars that can take the pounding of near-continuous use.

If you’re talking about batteries that can last twice as long for the same price, it completely changes the math for the consumer, says Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. “Iron phosphate batteries are safer, and they can have second or third lives as electricity storage.″ Musk recently said its Battery Day is tentatively scheduled for September, the month and day to which Tesla recently pushed back its annual shareholder meeting. Originally, both events had been planned for June. “We want to leave the exciting news for that day, but there will be a lot of exciting news to tell,” Musk said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “I think it would be one of the most exciting days in Tesla’s history.”

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The company didn’t return requests for comment. An outside Tesla technical advisor, Jeff Dahn, a professor at Dalhousie University in Canada who is a battery and energy-storage expert with a Tesla research sponsorship, declined comment. If you’re talking about batteries that can last twice as long for the same price, it completely changes the math for the consumer.

Shirley Meng, a materials scientist and professor at the University of California San Diego who directs the school’s Sustainable Power and Energy Center, said efforts to reduce the use of cobalt have been ongoing for a few decades already, and Tesla has made significant strides with Dahn’s help. But Meng said one of the major advantages of building batteries with cobalt is how easily it allows complex chemical structures to be engineered. “If I have to train a high school student to make a battery, cobalt makes it easy; it always works. Without cobalt the synthesis process gets much more sophisticated,” she said. Lithium-iron phosphate, meanwhile, has never proved to be efficient in the space constraints of an electric car — it was originally designed for the grid storage market due to its energy density profile. But its chemistry is suited to fast-charging and cost efficiency because it does not rely on cobalt.

Meng, who has worked on battery chemistry and development with major auto companies, including Mercedes-Benz, GM and Nissan — as well as Maxwell Technologies, the battery start-up acquired by Tesla in 2019 — said battery experts are very curious to learn about the breakthrough Tesla has had, and she does believe the company could raise the profile of the lithium-iron phosphate approach in the EV market. The battery tech had once tried to make the successful jump from energy storage to cars in the Fisker Karma, an early, ultimately failed, EV contender produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. “I truly believe Tesla is planning to bring this back,” Meng said.

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The key difference in the lithium-iron phosphate batteries is that they do not need to use cobalt, a rare and expensive element that is a big part of the high cost of electric vehicle batteries, CFRA Research analyst Garrett Nelson said. Cobalt prices have tanked during the global economic downturn, declining from as much as $95,000 per ton in 2018 to $30,000 this year, but it remains key to bringing down battery costs. “Cobalt is by far the most expensive element in a lithium-ion battery,” Nelson said. Canning cobalt is one of the biggest elements of cutting the cost of batteries below the $100/kWh threshold that is a rough proxy for making electric vehicles as cheap as those powered by internal combustion engines, said James Frith, head of energy storage at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London. Today’s batteries cost about $147/kWh, down from about $1,000 in 2010 and $381 in 2015, he said. Tesla recently signed a new long-term deal with commodities giant Glencore to supply cobalt for its battery plants in Shanghai and Berlin. Cobalt — which also is the focus of a new race by miners to extract minerals from the ocean floor — has long been a commodity challenge for major technology companies, not just Tesla but Apple as well, which needs cobalt for its phone batteries. The element has become a politically sensitive issue, too, with some of the largest supplies of cobalt coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where allegations of deadly child labor in mining have ensnared Apple, Tesla, Google and other tech firms in a recent international lawsuit. Meng cautioned that there is a limit to the price improvements to come from reducing just cobalt, and that’s because the pricing differential between cobalt and nickel has narrowed in recent years. Tesla’s primary EV battery technology is NCA (based on nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide chemistry). Most of the auto industry uses an NMC (nickelmanganese-cobalt) battery chemistry. But with nickel an important part of both approaches, reductions in cobalt alone can’t drive continued step changes in pricing. “It is going to be hard to get below $100 per kilowatt,” Meng said of current nickel-cobalt chemistry. “Tesla realized they can’t just get rid of cobalt.” She said current battery technology, including NMC, remain a contender to reach the million-mile threshold, but won’t be able to do so on a cost-effective basis with today’s nickel concentrations. Nickel currently ranges in price from roughly one third to as much as one half the price of cobalt. With lithium-iron phosphate, which does not require nickel or cobalt, lab research shows there is a possible pathway to drive pricing down to as low as $80/kWh.

Tesla and the Chinese market The new chemistries could push prices of EV batteries as low as $60–$80/kWh, said Ives. Bloomberg NEF expects prices to cross $100 by 2023 or 2024 and $60 by 2030, Frith said. “At that point, you have choices, either as an automaker or a consumer,” Frith said. “You can go for a battery that’s bigger that will take you farther (between charges). Or you can get a battery that’s optimized for a longer lifetime cycle.″ A key emerging supplier for Tesla is Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, or CATL, which also is working with Volkswagen. CATL’s chairman said recently that it’s ready to make batteries that last up to 16 years, or 1.2 million miles, according to a Bloomberg report.

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In June a Chinese government ministry announced that Tesla had been granted approval to build a Tesla Model 3 with a lithium-iron phosphate battery. While no public announcement about the battery supplier has been made, CATL batteries are believed to be a reason why Tesla is able to make Model 3 sedans more cheaply for the China market than for U.S. sales, Ives said.

Banners line a road leading to an event at the site of the Tesla manufacturing facility in Shanghai on Jan. 7, 2019.

Other carmakers are also innovating on batteries, but they are not eliminating cobalt completely yet. At GM the batteries emerging now are cutting cobalt content to about 4.5% of the battery, down from 18%, with more manganese and nickel, plus some aluminum, making up the difference. While a further reduction in the cobalt used in batteries is not the revolutionary change that lithium-iron phosphate offers, these efforts require decades of work, and GM is thinking in terms of what’s possible for it to accomplish in the next few years, Meng noted. The reduction in cobalt will let GM cross the $100/kWh threshold while enabling flexible manufacturing that lets the company better tailor batteries to the different needs of cars, trucks and SUVs, Andy Oury, GM’s lead architect for EV batteries, told an investor conference in March. “We are nowhere near the bottom of the battery cost curve,” Oury said. The changes that breaching the $100/kWh barrier sets in motion could be dramatic. The most obvious is that the cost of electric vehicles — which recently has reached parity with gasoline-powered cars and SUVs in some luxury niche segments — could catch up to internal combustion engines by about 2023, Bloomberg’s Frith said. EVs may also become more useful as their ranges increase, and a better value proposition because the batteries should have resale value, possibly for storage of residential solar power, because they last longer than the cars they are sold with, Ives said.

A radical change in car ownership The most radical idea is that these batteries could even change the nature of car ownership by letting them serve as robo-taxis that pile up miles shuttling passengers far more rapidly than personal-use vehicles, an idea GM chief executive Mary Barra endorsed in March. But that idea, and some others, are probably too pie in the sky, said Brett Smith, director of technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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featured The robo-taxi industry — which Musk has, at times, floated as the core of Tesla’s long-term vision, and analysts such as Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas have seen as central to the bull case for Tesla shares — depends more on software advances than on battery life, Smith said. Robo-taxis will only make a dent in individual car ownership when systems to avoid obstacles — like pedestrians — are reliable enough to work at scale, he said. “There are a lot of challenges to get there,′ he said. “It would be phenomenal if it works, but it’s a long way away.″ The batteries could also make less difference in range for everyday drivers than bulls believe, Smith said. Like Frith, he notes that even emerging chemistries still suffer a degradation of their range during cold weather, when the car’s heater is used heavily. But Smith said the new batteries will likely make one big difference that drives consumer acceptance of EVs: improving perceptions of their reliability and making buying one seem less exotic to consumers, boosting EVs’ 2% share of the 2019 market for new vehicles. That move could be similar to the market share move Hyundai made in the mid-2000s when it began offering 100,000-mile warranties on new cars. U.S. consumers bought nearly 50% more Hyundais in 2005 than in 2002, and the brand doubled its market share by 2011. The million-mile battery could help EVs shake fears of their short range and high battery replacement cost just as the long warranties helped Hyundai shed a reputation for shaky quality control, he said. “It’s going to signal beyond any doubt that the technology has arrived,” Smith said. “That’s what Hyundai did.″

Meng cautioned that scientists, unlike business executives, prefer to underpromise and overdeliver. “What I see is lots of breakthroughs, and we are already a few steps ahead. We have a pathway,” Meng said. But she added of CEOs, “They believe they can do it at scale. I am not sure we are there yet.” In the laboratory it is becoming clear that it is possible to make a battery that is a long-lived asset, and the next-generation battery technology can achieve the million-mile potential in the next five years, Meng said. That would not only be a game changer for EVs, but for the energy grid storage market, which lithium iron phosphate technology was originally designed to supply. A major ramp in production would benefit the cost equation for both markets. “We don’t want to overpromise and disappoint, but it’s really quite realistic,” she said. “I hope we get there sooner than 2025. Lithium-iron phosphate and its upgraded versions will have a major role in the future of EVs and fundamentally change large-scale energy storage.”

Record low tariff bidding for new solar projects, due to chance coming together of many positives Rating agency Crisil said absence of any formal duty on imports at the time of projects tendering and lower returns globally in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak have resulted in competitive tariff rates in the solar energy sector. According to the agency, a chance coming together of several positives has led to a new record low tariff bid in the interstate transmission system (ISTS) tranche IX auctions of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

mproved interest from global firms in the Indian solar sector, especially given the environment of lower returns globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and absence of any formal duty on imports when the projects were tendered, resulted in the discovery of lowest tariff of Rs 2.36 per unit for the Seci bids, says Crisil.

“A big reason for lowering of tariff compared with even ISTS VIII was the timing of the auctions, which offered a window of opportunity before any additional taxation (in the form of a safeguard duty and/or basic customs duty) set in. Without the current duty of 15 per cent, keeping module prices stable, capital costs would be lower by 5-7 per cent,” the agency said. The lowest tariff was quoted by Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica SA, while Avikaran Surya India (Enel Green Power), Amp Energy Green, Eden Renewables, and ib vogt Singapore Private Limited quoted the second-lowest tariff of Rs 2.37 per unit. AMP Energy won 100 MW of projects, while the other companies won 300 MW of projects each.Meanwhile, ReNew Power quoted Rs 2.38 per unit for 1200 mW of projects but won only 400 MW under the bucket filling method.

“The positives include a surge in interest from foreign shores. Indeed, six out of seven winners are global energy firms. These bidders have a portfolio of 1-1.5 GW in India, and would be keen to expand, especially given the environment of lower returns globally after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Crisil said.

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At Rs 2.36 per unit, the new low is a tad more than three per cent below the previous lowest of Rs 2.44 per unit seen in 2018, and 19 per cent lower than the weighted average tariff of Rs 2.90 per unit in fiscal 2020. The weighted average tariff for the previously allocated SECI ISTS tranches (I to VIII) was Rs 2.76 per unit, though ISTS VIII, held in February this year, had drawn bids at the Rs 2.5 per unit mark. The agency further said that the interest comes at a time when the top seven developers have a pipeline of 26-27 GW. “Coupled with a large capacity under execution, existing developers are also grappling with delayed payments from the financially weak state distribution utilities,” it said. Crisil noted that SECI’s ISTS auctions have always been well-placed, given a perception of lower counterparty risk for central entities and the flexibility in these tranches to locate the projects anywhere in India. “Besides, ISTS projects also connect directly to the inter-regional transmission grid system, eliminating intrastate transmission charges and leveraging the waiver provided by the MNRE to all renewable projects commissioned by December 2022, thus raising cost competitiveness to end-users,” it said.

Crisil further noted that since the auctions have occurred prior to the formal notification of any such taxation, it provides the developers the option of pass-through of costs, under the change in law provision. “This would allow developers to claim additional compensation for any rise in costs due to tax changes post allocation of capacities,” its Director Hetal Gandhi said. www.EQMagPro.com

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Bids for Ladakh solar project may see 1st Indian action against Chinese firms The deadly border conflict between India and China in the Ladakh region is now setting the ground for a first set of restrictions that India proposes to impose on imports from the Asian giant.

ources said that efforts were on at the official level to explore ways of denying Chinese firms from participating in the bids for the upcoming 7,500 MW solar power project in Ladakh. Power Minister R.K. Singh, who has recently been vocal about use of domestically manufactured equipment in the power sector and restricting all imports where domestic capabilities exist, is believed to have sounded public sector enterprise conducting solar auctions to see imports were kept at minimum and a ward projects keeping in mind the strategic nature of terrain. The 7,500 MW solar development contract also involves setting up strategic power transmission link that will take power from the Union Territory and connect it to a grid for nationwide circulation.

The deadline for the bid submission tender is July 31. The strategic nature of the project has pushed the government into thinking of restricting overseas participation, particularly from companies in China. However, this would also be seen as Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic response to straining of relations between the two countries. India is upgrading its infrastructure in border areas and this project will go a long way in ensuring Enegy security to the region as well as rest of the country. The current bidding guidelines in the solar sector allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI), meaning an overseas company can either participate on standalone basis or as a member of consortium. Bids for the Ladakh projects were invited by the state-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and involves setting up 7.5GW of grid connected solar projects in Leh and Kargil districts. SECI will sign a 35-year long pow er purchase agreements (PPA) with the successful bidder.

Govt to rope in pvt players for mega solar power project The state government has decided to rope in private players to take up the mega solar power project, under which solar plants producing 10,000 MW power are targeted to be set up. The state government is keen to reduce the burden on the exchequer he government has decided to by shifting to solar energy for agriculture sector. At present, farmers are set up solar power parks across the state to provide free power being supplied nine hours of continuous power in two groups. The annual to agriculture sector. The govpower consumption in agriculture for 18.37 lakh pumps is about 12,221 ernment has floated AP Green million units per year. Over the years, subsidy for agriculture has almost Energy Corporation Limited (APtripled from Rs 3,186 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 8,354 crore by 2020-21 due to GECL) to handle solar energy reduction in cross subsidy from other categories and increase in cost of requirements for the agriculture supply.

sector. Although the government initially wanted to take up the entire project on its own, it has now decided to allow the private developers to complete the projects keeping in view of the high costs. The APGECL would, in turn, purchase power from private developers and supply to discoms. The government would pay the discoms for supply, transmission and distribution losses.

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Subsidy requirement for agriculture is expected to increase further due to increase in number of pump sets and increase in cost of supply in the coming years. We must act fast to cut down the burden, said AP Genco CMD G Sai Prasad. As per the latest estimations, the subsidy support for free power supply to agriculture is likely to touch Rs 17,819 crore by 2030-31.

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Mukesh Ambani’s RIL to build hydrogen based transportation fuel systems

The company plans to become ‘net carbon-zero’ by 2035 by developing carbon capture and storage technologies. Eyeing the transition anticipated in the kinds of fuel that will be used in automobiles and other forms of transportation, Reliance Industries (RIL) said it will build full stack electrolyser and fuel cell solutions in India which will be required to run hydrogen fuel celled vehicles.

We will replace transportation fuels with clean electricity and hydrogen, RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani said. The company plans to become ‘net carbon-zero’ by 2035 by developing carbon capture and storage technologies. “We will build an optimal mix of reliable, clean and affordable energy with hydrogen, wind, solar, fuel cells and battery,” Ambani said while addressing the company’s 43rd annual general meeting, adding that ‘the energy industry must understand that fossil fuels and renewables are not mutually exclusive or contradictory’.

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he Union government has been training its focus on increased use of hydrogen fuelled transportation for quite some time. Earlier this year, government officials had met an Italian delegation to discuss about new opportunities for collaboration and potential investment projects in hydrogen, fuel cells and electrolysers. A separate meeting on this issue was also carried out with the International Energy Agency. The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and state-run power generator NTPC has also agreed to jointly launch a project to promote emission-free hydrogen fuel celled buses in Leh. Ambani also said that it will approach NCLT to spin off its oil-to-chemical (O2C) business arm into a separate subsidiary to facilitate the equity investment by Saudi Aramco, which it expects to complete by early 2021. In August 2019, RIL said that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell a 20% stake in its O2C business to Saudi Aramco. The O2C business, which has an enterprise valuation of $75 billion, includes RIL’s refining and petrochemical divisions, and RIL’s 51% stake in its fuel marketing business. “Due to unforeseen circumstances in the energy market and the Covid-19 situation, the deal has not progressed as per the original timeline,” Ambani said.

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Adani Green Total Capacity Rises To 2,595 MW In Q1 Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has reported operational solar capacity of 2,198 megawatts in the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1 FY21) as compared to 2,148 MW in the previous quarter.

he company’s operational wind capacity was 247 MW at the end of June, the company said in an operational update. AGEL increased its total capacity by 50 MW to 2,595 MW for the first quarter of fiscal 2021. The plant availability continues to be high and net export of 1,173 million units, up 11 per cent year-on-year. Solar irradiation is lower by 2.13 per cent in Q1 FY21 as compared to Q1 FY20, resulting in lower capacity utilisation factor. AGEL said it has commissioned 50 MW Kilaj solar plant at Rawra in Rajasthan after the project was awarded from Solar Energy Corporation of India at a tariff of Rs 2.54 per unit.

Odisha requests Centre to help power sector & Discoms hit by COVID-19 crisis The Odisha government has sought concrete steps by the Centre to help the power sector and distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the state which have been severely hit by the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter to Union Power Minister R K Singh, Odisha’s Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra said the Covid- 19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented crisis causing hardships to communities, commerce and industries across the country.

Like other states, in Odisha, there is a reduction in power demand as many of the industrial and commercial units have been shut down or are partially operating. Though lifting of lockdown has led to some uptick in economic activity, the demand from the commercial and industrial consumers continues to be low, he said. Despite various steps taken by the state government to boost industry and commerce, the economic activity will remain subdued during the whole 2020-21 financial year, Mishra said. “Such prolonged reduction in power demand will continue to worsen the financial condition of the DISCOMs,” he said.

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In order to help the DISCOMS in the state, the minister put forward a number of suggestions such as liquidity infusion through easy loan to the distressed power utility sector, special rebate by the Centre in power purchase and reform measures. Loans from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for liquidity infusion in the sector must be extended to DISCOMs at a reduced rate of interest, Mishra said, adding that the applicable rate of interest of 9.5 per cent is high which will lead to a burden on consumers. In Odisha, the state-owned GRIDCO, which operates as the bulk procurer and supplier of power to DISCOMs, had availed loans in previous year with an average interest rate of 8.3 per cent, he said, adding that the interest rates are falling and presently, interest rate of a few banks are 7.8 per cent per annum. Suggesting that loans be extended at a rate compared to the rates charged by the banks, the minister said: “I shall go a step further to suggest REC/PFC extend loan to GRIDCO at a reduced rate of 6 per cent per annum.” Noting that the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has not increased the tariff for this year in view of the pandemic situation, he said the estimated cash deficit of GRIDCO for 2020-21 is about Rs 3,600 crore. Odisha has been at the forefront in reforming the power sector, Mishra said, adding that the state has allowed private participation in DISCOMs with transfer of 51 per cent equity and management control to them. Odisha, being a pioneer in power sector reforms, welcomes the Centre’s decision to launch a Reform Linked new Distribution Scheme, he said and requested the Centre to ensure that such scheme covers both private as well as state- owned DISCOMs so that a state like Odisha is able to avail of the benefits.

JULY- 2020

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Indian Railways gears up to become “Green Railway” by 2030 With a goal of transforming Indian Railways into Green Railways by 2030, Ministry of Railways, has taken a number of major initiatives towards mitigation of global warming and combating climate change.

ailway electrification, improving the energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, fitting bio-toilets in coaches and switching to renewable sources of energy are parts of its strategy of achieving net-zero carbon emission, according to a statement by Ministry of Railways. Indian Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route km (RKM) (63 per cent of broad-gauge routes) in which 18,605 km electrification work has been done during 2014-20. Previously, only 3,835 km electrification work was completed during the period 2009-14. Indian Railways has fixed a target of electrification of 7,000 RKM for the year 2020-21. All routes on the BG network have been planned to be electrified by December 2023. The Indian Railways is focusing on electrification of last-mile connectivity and missing links. With this in mind, 365 km of major connectivity work has been commissioned during the COVID-19 period. Major connectivity commissioned during the COVID-19 period like Katni-Satna section (99 RKM) of Mumbai-Howrah via the Allahabad route has been commissioned providing an alternate route to Howrah. Indian Railways has also taken a number of initiatives to promote solar energy. Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through rooftop solar panels (developer model).

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Till date, 100 Mega Watt (MW) of solar plants have been commissioned on roof-tops of various buildings including 900 stations. Solar plants with a combined capacity of 400 MW are under different stages of execution. Tenders are already awarded for 245 MW and the target for completion of these plants is December 2022. Besides this, Indian Railways is also trying to produce power from land-based solar installations for running trains. Indian Railways has 51,000 hectares of the land potential of installing 20GW land-based solar plants. One project of 1.7 MW at Bina (Madhya Pradesh) in collaboration with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has already been installed and is presently under extensive testing. In the wind energy sector, 103 MW wind-based power plants have already been commissioned. Among them 26 MW is in Rajasthan (Jaisalmer), 21 MW is in Tamil Nadu and 56.4 MW is in Maharashtra (Sangli). Indian Railways has also planned to set up 200 MW wind energy plants in next two years in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.

Realising its role in climate change Indian Railways has started other Green Initiatives like 100 per cent LED illumination of buildings and stations. In the field of Green Initiatives, a total of 69,000 coaches have been fitted with more than 244,000 bio-toilets in Indian Railways.

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Promote solar energy in building projects: Vice President Naidu to architects Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu called upon the architects of the country to adopt green architecture and promote solar energy in upcoming building projects. “Renewable energy sources such as solar energy should be promoted in the upcoming building projects,” Naidu said while virtually addressing the inaugural ceremony of the national convention of the Indian Institute of Architects: IIA NATCON 2020. The Vice President emphasized the need to strike the right balance between aesthetics and sustainability in any structure.

ecalling the evolution of Indian Architecture right from Indus Valley Civilization to the Konark Sun Temple to modern times, Naidu said that our country is home to many monuments which were created by artisans using local materials and techniques. Calling for the creation of a selfreliant, resilient and inclusive architecture, the Vice President asked the professionals to draw inspiration from India’s diverse architecture and take the legacy forward by adopting the designs and concepts that are environment-friendly and best suited to the needs of the people. Lauding the Government’s flagship programs such as Smart Cities and ‘Housing for all’, Naidu highlighted the need to promote culture and heritage of the respective areas in these projects. He also called for the involvement of local artists and artisans in these projects. “This will not only keep the essence of the culture of the place alive but will also encourage and give employment to the immensely talented craftsmen, who are struggling to keep our culture alive through their work,” he said. The Vice President further advised the architects to seek the views and suggestions of the locals while designing a new project to ensure that such projects are in sync with the requirements of the local people. He also urged architects to give preference to comfort and blend comfort with style and fashion, while designing any structure.

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“The aim should be to build structures that not only provide shelter and security but also provide comfort and safety,” he emphasized. The Vice President said he had advised municipal authorities across the nation to make the use of solar roof panels and rainwater harvesting mandatory for new buildings. Referring to urban flooding and water logging during heavy rainfall, Naidu called for finding ways to ensure an effective drainage system. Drawing attention to the increasing population and consequent rise in housing needs, the Vice President said that we must ensure that habitats are not destroyed to make space for new infrastructure. Expressing concern over the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the health and livelihoods of people, Naidu said that the construction sector was severely affected due to massive decline in on-site works and called upon the architects and designers to answer the challenge posed by the pandemic. “Architects need to explore new ideas and create a dialogue across design boundaries to help find solutions that can address the pandemic and its aftermath,” he added.

JULY- 2020

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USAID, MNRE announce new partnership to expand clean energy development

In a step toward increasing US-India collaboration for clean energy development, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have announced the launch of a partnership between the USAID-supported South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE) and MNRE’s national technical institutions.

AGE is a US government consortium that will provide advanced technical knowledge on clean energy development embedded in the US Department of Energy’s National Laboratories to MNRE’s National Technical Institutions and other public institutes under this new partnership. MNRE Secretary Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi and USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Javier Piedra launched the partnership on the sidelines of the ongoing US-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) meetings

Through the SAGE initiative, our effort is to bring the best of US knowledge and expertise from three US Department of Energy labs to share with Indian national institutions, said Piedra. “The SAGE will provide a formal platform for collaboration on clean energy development and will focus on increasing our engagement with the MNRE national institutions so that they act as a powerhouse of science, engineering, and technology for India and the entire South Asia region.” Chaturvedi added: “This institutional arrangement will result in US and Indian institutions sharing important technical information, including on innovative technologies to their mutual benefit. It will also contribute toward strengthening the broader partnership and friendship between both countries.”

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SAGE will contribute significantly towards achieving the goals of US government’s Asia Enhancing Growth and Development through Energy (Asia EDGE) Initiative, a primary pillar of the US government’s Indo-Pacific vision in South Asia, and the US-India Strategic Energy Partnership. To maximise the impact of this partnership, the SAGE consortium in discussion with MNRE and its technical institutions, the National Institute of Wind Energy and the National Institute of Biomass Energy has identified several key topics. They are building world-class capabilities in cookstove testing in order to reduce the environmental and health impacts of traditional cookstove use; understanding the feasibility and impact of biomass and renewable energy hybrid systems; economic and environmental assessment of agriculture and bioenergy development; and advancing short- and long-term forecasting capabilities for wind and solar resources. The SAGE is a consortium consisting of USAID, the US Department of Energy and three of the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

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BP to invest USD 70 million in India’s Green Growth Equity Fund

The UK-based BP plc said it will invest USD 70 million in the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF) that supports the growing renewable energy sector in India. The fund, established in 2018, is focused on identifying, investing and supporting growth in zero-carbon and low-carbon energy solutions in the country. “With a commitment of USD 70 million, BP will, upon investment later this year, become a limited partner in GGEF and have representation on its advisory committee, as well as the rights to co-invest in projects alongside GGEF,” the company said in a statement.

GEF already includes investments from the Government of India, through the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), and the UK government, through the Department for International Development (DFID). It expects to reach about USD 700 million commitment at the final close and grow further through leveraged capital options.

Dev Sanyal, BP Group’s executive vice-president for gas and low-carbon energy, said: “India is committed to the energy transition and pursuing a range of low-carbon options for the future. BP is equally committed to re-imagining energy in India.” He said BP’s investment in GGEF was aligned with the group’s strategy of investing in integrated low-carbon energy using innovative partnerships and business models. “It provides a unique platform for BP to accelerate its ambition in India and to coinvest in a variety of zero- and low-carbon energy solutions in the country,” he said. Earlier this year, BP announced its ambition to become a net-zero company by 2050 or sooner. As part of this, one of its 10 aims is to increase the proportion of investments into non-oil and gas businesses.

Sashi Mukundan, president of BP India and and senior vice-president of BP Group, said, “Our investment in GGEF will aim to rapidly scale up commercially viable low-carbon solutions.” “The portfolio and scale of investments made by GGEF — be it in solar power, mobility solutions, or sustainable infrastructure management — is extraordinary. Each one of these will help India achieve its climate goals,” he said.

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GGEF is managed by EverSource Capital, a joint venture between Lightsource BP and Everstone Capital, and has invested in businesses like Ayana Renewable Power, Radiance Renewables, GreenCell Mobility, and EverEnviro.

Dhanpal Jhaveri, chief executive officer of EverSource Capital and vice-chairman of Everstone Group, said, “Eversource is committed to investing in India’s rapidly scaling green sector and providing renewable energy solutions in the country.” EverSource has a long-term objective of becoming a leader in green infrastructure and climate change investing in India. BP employs around 7,500 people in India. In addition to its gas value chain, announced retail, aviation fuels, and mobility solutions alliance with Reliance Industries Ltd, the company’s activities include Castrol lubricants; oil and gas trading; clean energy projects through Lightsource BP; IT back-office activities and a new global business services centre. India Gas Solutions Pvt Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture to source and market gas in India, is also part of BP’s gas value chain alliance with RIL.

JULY- 2020

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India’s exports of solar modules, cells nearly double to ₹1,506 crore in FY20

Even as the government is grappling with the issue of reducing India’s dependence on imported solar modules and cells and developing a domestic manufacturing industry, another sub-story is playing out on the export front. In 2019-20, India’s exports of solar modules and cells nearly doubled to $212.69 million (₹1,506 crore), compared with $121.08 million (₹847 crore) in the previous year.

n volume terms, exports rose 175 per cent to 6.9 million units in 2019-20, compared with 2.5 million in the year before. While the numbers may be small in comparison with imports ($1.67 billion in 2019-20), the trend is significant because Indian manufacturers, such as Adani Solar, Tata Power Solar and Waaree, have been saying that with some support, they can take on the Chinese in the overseas markets.

“Our quality is not an issue,” says Ramesh Nair, CEO of Adani Solar, pointing out that in 2019-20, the company exported modules worth 400 MW to the US. Waaree’s Chairman and Managing Director, Hitesh Doshi, told BusinessLine that the company exported “a lot” to the US, pointing out that Waaree had recently received certification for its bifacial modules from the certifying agency, UL. Indeed, India used to export a lot more a decade ago, at the time when the ‘solar’ movement was beginning to take root in Europe. In 2008-09, India exported modules and cells (cells are assembled to make modules) worth $533 million. That was when China started building meta-scale factories and brought down prices dramatically — from around $1.2 a Watt-peak a decade back, to $0.18 now. Whether India’s modules and cells are of good quality or not, is a contentious issue. Manufacturers, obviously, speak highly of their products, backing their point with the fact that their stuff is sold even in the developed world. Energy companies, however, are somewhat skeptical.

At a recent webinar on the impact of the impending imposition of basic customs duty on imported modules and cells, Parag Sharma, CEO of O2 Power, said while protecting the domestic industry was fine, the manufacturers should ensure that they delivere quality products. In a report in December 2017, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had said that Indian modules and cells were “obsolete”. Manufacturers respond to such criticism saying that they would invest in R&D if only there was some assurance of the market. At present, they are overwhelmed by competition from cheap imports.

TN signs eight investment MoUs for Rs 10,339 crore

Tamil Nadu government signed eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) involving an industrial investment of about Rs 10,339 crore.

n a statement issued here, the government said eight MoU has been signed involving an investment of about Rs 10,399 crore with an employment potential for 13,507 persons. The proposed projects include production of solar cells and modules, air compressors, ductile iron foundry, industrial parks, cashew nut processing, data centre and a foundry expansion project.

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Brief details of the proposed investments are: Vikram Solar will be investing Rs 5,423 crore in a facility to produce solar cells and modules in Orgadam in Kancheepuram district. Hiranandani group’s Yotta to set up a data centre in Chengalpattu district at an investment of Rs 4,000 crore. The Coimbatore based Elgi Equipments will investing Rs 250 crore in setting up an air compressor unit. Aquasub to invest Rs 200 crore to set up a ductile iron foundry in Coimbatore. GI Agro Tech to set up a cashew nut processing unit at Villupuram investing Rs 36 crore. JS Auto Cast to expand its foundry facility at Erode district at an outlay of Rs 40 crore. Industrial park projects by CGD Satharai Pvt Ltd (outlay Rs 250 crore) at Kancheepuram district and NDR Infrastructure (outlay Rs 200 crore) at Ranipet.

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Andhra Pradesh solar units face underrecovery of Rs 5,000 crore — Know who’s responsible

Solar and wind power plants in Andhra Pradesh, with aggregate capacity of 8,000 mega watt (MW), have claimed that their under-recovery owing to inadequate tariff payments by the state discoms have reached a staggering Rs 5,000 crore. What has caused the crisis is the state government’s decision to retrospectively amend the power purchase pacts, citing malpractices.

s per Andhra Pradesh High Court’s September 2019 order, the stateowned power distribution companies (discoms) are paying these plants at a provisional rate of Rs 2.43/ unit, against the Rs 4.84/unit tariff approved by the state power regulator earlier under the previous state government, leading to the financial stress of the renewable power producers. To add to their woes, the state government is amending its solar and wind power policies, effectively withdrawing the incentives which were offered to these plants earlier to promote renewable energy in the state. Suspending older provisions, the state government, led by chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, has asked the electricity regulator to levy transmission and distribution charges for wheeling power for wind and solar plants which sells electricity directly to industrial consumers through the open access mechanism. This can raise power costs by as much as Rs 5/unit (Rs 3/unit wheeling charges, Rs 1.5/unit cross subsidy charges and Rs 0.5/unit distribution charges), rendering these sources unviable for open access consumers resulting in these projects losing customers.

The state government, against the advice of the Union power ministry, had formed a committee to revise “abnormally priced wind and solar” power purchase agreements (PPAs), saying there might have been linked with “malafide intentions” and could have “resulted in unjustified burden on the consumers of the state”. Although the AP High Court had struck down the state government order on renegotiating PPAs, it had asked the state electricity regulator APERC to decide on the matter and directed the discoms to pay reduced prices in the interim period. Renewable energy producers believe that the state power regulator and the Amaravati High Court would ultimately mandate paying full tariff to the state’s discoms, and clearing such huge payment immediately will not be possible for the state causing further delay in clearing the outstanding bills. “We would therefore request that under the discom liquidity package, there should be a separate carve out of money to the tune of `5,000 crore for AP discoms, so that such amount can be immediately paid to renewable energy generators once the court orders are issued on these pending petitions,” the national solar energy federation of India said in a recent letter written to Union power minister RK Singh.

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Singh had earlier said that the move “has alarmed the sector and the investors” and “if this is not corrected, the FDI will stop coming, the banks will stop financing, and the growth in the renewable energy sector will come to a halt”. Since FY15, FDI in the renewable energy sector has been a whopping $4.8 billion. The state’s decision persuaded the Centre to take steps to ensure sanctity of contracts and regular payments to power producer. Andhra Pradesh discoms have reported a loss of Rs 16,736 crore in FY19, up from a Rs 546-crore loss in the previous fiscal, and the state government has blamed high cost renewable energy for its distress. However, audited data has shown that the state clearing only 21% of the subsidies claimed by discoms and deteriorating payment collection efficiency also played major roles in the spiraling of losses.

JULY- 2020

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Azure Power Secures Letter of Award for 2 GW Greenshoe Option

Azure Power received a letter of award (LOA) for 2 GWs of capacity under a greenshoe option that the company elected. The company has been awarded 4GWs in total as part of an auction won in December which is one of the largest solar projects ever awarded globally. The entire project will provide electricity to about 8.5 million residents annually, create about 15,000 direct and indirect jobs and avoid approximately 200 million tonnes of carbon emissions over the life of the project, which is equivalent to avoiding ~2 GW capacity of coal-fired capacity.

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zure Power, a leading solar power producer in India, announced that it has received the letter of award (LOA) for a 2 GW interstate transmission (ISTS) solar power project with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) pursuant to the exercise of a greenshoe option as part of an earlier 2 GW win with SECI. Under this greenshoe LOA, Azure will supply power for 25 years at a tariff of INR 2.92 (~US 3.9 cents) per kWh. The project also comes with a 500 MW cell and module manufacturing capacity requirement and Azure Power intends to partner with a domestic manufacturer for this requirement. The combined capacity for the project is 4 GWs which can be developed anywhere in India and is expected to be commissioned in staggered annual phases of 1 GW with the first commissioning expected by 2022 and full commissioning by 2025. The power purchase agreement (PPA) allows for the waiver of ISTS transmission charges and improved protections from curtailment.

Commenting on this award, Mr. Ranjit Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Azure Power said, “With this award, we will have a large pipeline of over 4 GW for an extended period of time which will help us drive efficiencies in our project execution and operations. This project is also a significant step towards India’s commitment to battle climate change and to reduce carbon emissions signed under the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Partnering with domestic manufacturers of solar PV modules in India as part of the project will help propel India’s solar cell and module manufacturing sector into becoming a global leader.”

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AC Energy expands to India with 100 MW (140 MWp) solar farm Ayala Corporation’s energy arm, AC Energy, is set to develop Sitara Solar, a 140 MWp solar plantin India through UPC-AC Energy Solar, the company’s joint venture with UPC Solar Asia Pacific. Marking its first major investment in India, AC Energy’s total renewables capacity will reach over 1,200 MW, in a move to further expand its renewables business in the region.

he estimated US$68 million facility located in Rajasthan, a desert state with the highest irradiation in India, is expected to start power generation in the first quarter of 2021, and will supply energy to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). UPC-AC Energy Solar won the power supply agreement for the project via a competitive bid at INR 2.48 per kWh, fixed over a 25-year period. India has emerged as a country with one of the largest clean energy expansion programs, with support from the government and investors driving the growth. It has set itself an ambitious target of 175 GW renewables capacity by 2022 in the form of 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from hydro power.

India is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets for renewable energy, said Eric Francia, AC Energy President and CEO. “We look forward to participating in this market as we continue to expand around the region, and work towards our goal of reaching 5000 MW of renewables by 2025.” Meanwhile, Patrice Clausse, Chief Operating Officer of AC Energy International, lauds the opportunity to strengthen the company’s presence in India with long-time partner, UPC Renewables. “As we join forces once again with UPC, which shares our commitment towards sustainability, we will continue to push for the deployment of new technologies and best practices to harness India’s growth potential for clean energy, while contributing to their renewable energy goals.”

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Brian Caffyn, chairman of UPC Renewables, said, “We are pleased to begin the construction of another renewable energy project with our partner, AC Energy. Our renewable energy project pipelines with AC Energy across the Asia-Pacific region will account for a significant part of AC Energy’s 2025 renewable energy capacity target.”

Pranab Kumar Sarmah, CEO of UPC-AC Energy Solar and co-founder of UPC Solar Asia Pacific, said, “The commencement of Sitara Solar’s construction is a head start for the joint-venture to achieve its more than 1 GW target of operating solar project portfolio across Asia in a few years. This project is expected to reduce 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 in its life-cycle. This is our humble contribution to help India reach its renewable energy goal." The partnership between AC Energy and UPC Renewables started in 2013 with North Luzon Renewables, an 81 MW wind farm project in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. In January 2017, the two groups invested in PT UPC Sidrap Bayu Energi, developer of a 75 MW wind farm in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Most recently, the companies expanded their partnership with the development of two wind projects, Lac Hoa and Hoa Dong, in the Soc Trang province of southern Vietnam. The project, with an aggregate capacity of 60 MW, features the tallest towers in Vietnam. AC Energy has committed to scale up its renewable energy expansion in the region and has identified the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, India and Myanmar as key target markets.

JULY- 2020

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Renewable energy export policy for Andhra Pradesh announced

A renewable energy export policy for Andhra Pradesh was announced by the state government to facilitate the setting up of 120 GW solar, wind and solar-wind hybrid energy projects.

he policy would also promote the establishment of renewable energy equipment-manufacturing facilities. Under the new policy which would be in force for five years, the government would lease out five lakh acres of land to private developers for setting up renewable energy projects for a period of 30 years. Power generated from the projects would be exported to other states, Energy Secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said in an order. There would not be any obligation on part of the power distribution companies in the state to procure electricity produced under the policy, he said. Also, banking of energy on hourly, intra-day, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis and drawal would not be allowed.

The policy has been brought out to tap the huge untapped potential and attract private investments to boost the local economy and generate additional revenue to the government. The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of AP Limited (NREDCAP) would be the nodal agency under the new policy to implement the projects.

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Allocation of renewable energy resource potential in any area to developers will be done on a first-come-first-serve by NREDCAP through online applications, Srikant said. ‘Priority will be given to developers intending to set up energy export projects along with manufacturing facilities in the state,’ he said. Additional incentives would be extended to developers seeking to establish new equipment manufacturing facilities and ancillaries related to renewable energy as they contribute to the states economic development besides creating employment. Priority allotment of land on a long-term lease, exemption from payment of electricity duty for a period of 10 years from date of commencement of manufacturing activities would be the additional incentives, the Energy Secretary said. Besides these, there would be regular incentives under the prevailing industrial promotion policies, he added.

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FOURTH PARTNER ENERGY RAISES US$ 15 MILLION IN ITS THIRD ROUND OF FUNDING FROM ZURICH HEADQUARTERED DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT ASSET MANAGER ‘RESPONSABILITY INVESTMENTS A.G.’

India’s leading Solar solutions firm, Fourth Partner Energy announced it has raised USD 15 million (~₹110 Cr) in debt funding from responsAbility.

his marks the third round of funding anchored by responsAbility into Fourth Partner Energy through its dedicated climate finance funds. ResponsAbility has earlier deployed two rounds of financing to Fourth Partner Energy in 2016 and 2017.

Pradhyum Reddy, who led this transaction from Fourth Partner Energy explained, “in our tenth year of operations, we are looking to add capacity of close to 350 MW across both distributed solar and open access portfolios. We are building solar parks in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Market sentiment for solar solutions is robust and at Fourth Partner Energy, we believe our value proposition of cost-savings on electricity and low-carbon emissions has been amplified during this global pandemic. This third line of credit from responsAbility reflects their confidence in our industry expertise. It is also a positive indicator of the faith the investment and lender communities have on the country’s solar growth potential. We will be using these funds towards constructing new assets for our marquee customers.“

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Founded in 2010, Fourth Partner Energy has grown to become one of India’s largest companies in the distributed solar sector. Today, the company manages over 400 MW of assets for over 150 clients in India. ResponsAbility’s ‘Access to Clean Power Fund’ is a private debt fund that seeks to address the lack of access to clean power globally, with a strong focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia. The Fund targets companies that provide solutions to households without access to electricity and to businesses looking for cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy. Beyond the financing of the dynamic off-grid energy sector, the Fund will also actively address the solar potential for the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector.

Talking about this transaction, Sameer Tirkar, Principal Climate Finance for responsAbility, added, “we believe strong partnerships can lower the barriers to green financing. We are bullish on the potential of India’s solar sector, especially adoption by Commercial & Industrial (C&I) off-takers in who will be looking to minimise operational costs, now more than ever before. Fourth Partner has carved a leadership position and a commendable client base, we are excited to enable their current phase of expansion.” Fourth Partner Energy commenced International operations in FY20, with South and South East Asia being focus markets. The company has also forayed into solar-powered EV Charging infrastructure through its 50:50 JV with leading commercial EV fleet operator, Lithium Urban Technologies.

JULY- 2020

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No headway on 7500 MW solar power projects for Ladakh sanctioned in 2018 There is no headway on 7500 Mega Watt solar power projects for Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh Union Territory which were sanctioned by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in the year 2018. Moreover, two plants of 7 Mega Watts capacity each are too facing inordinate delay as much-hyped plans to tap huge potential remain on papers only.

fficial sources told EXCELSIOR that plan to develop 7500 Mega Watts solar power projects in Leh and Kargil to tap huge potential available in Ladakh was mooted several years back but work on these projects could not be started in view of inordinate delay in identification of suitable land and lack of proper infrastructure for transmission of power to be generated from these projects. Finally, in the year 2018, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy gave formal sanction to the projects and accordingly the task was assigned to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which on December 31, 2018 even floated tender. The prospective bidders were also asked to visit identified sites for preliminary assessment as early as possible as the last date for bid submission was April 30, 2019. It was also mentioned in the tender that the total capacity is targeted to be generated in several phases and the selected solar power developers will set up the solar PV projects on Build Own Operate (BOO) basis and SECI will enter into the Power Purchase Agreement with the successful bidders for the purchase of solar power for a period of 35 years.

However, follow-up steps could not be initiated as planned because of one or the other reason and in the month of March this year it was officially stated by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy that site visits by prospective bidders would be taken up after melting of snow and gaining of accessibility to the sites identified in both the districts of Ladakh.

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Till date, no dates have been finalized by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for site visits by the prospective bidders as a result of which there is no headway on the projects sanctioned in the year 2018, sources said, adding “in the absence of site visits there is no further progress on the tendering activities although last date for submission of bids was April 30, 2020”. As reported by the Union Territory of Ladakh, there is solar power potential of 35000 MW in Leh and 25,000 MW in Kargil while as there is potential of 1,00,000 MW wind energy in Leh district. Similarly, there is 2000 MW potential of small hydro power projects in Leh and 72 MW in Kargil district. Similarly, there is no headway on two solar plants of 7 MW capacity each with 21 MWh battery energy storage systems, which were also to be set up in Leh and Kargil districts under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) sanctioned for the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, sources said. Earlier, the last date for submission of bids for these two projects was June 30, 2020 but the same has now been extended to July 30, 2020 by the Solar Energy Corporation of India. “The site visits for these two plants as well as 7500 MW solar projects would be conducted by the prospective bidders only after improvement in the situation caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic”, sources said, adding “if the Solar Energy Corporation of India could not arrange visits of prospective bidders within next few months the projects would face further delays as during winter months it would not be possible to inspect the sites”. “Had sites been identified soon after the proposal was first mooted for development of 7500 MW solar projects in Leh and Kargil districts substantial progress could have been made in tapping the potential till date”, sources said, adding “what to talk of solar power potential even there is no major progress in tapping the small hydropower potential as around 12 projects—-10 in Leh and two in Kargil are also facing inordinate delay in their completion”.

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Decentralized Renewable Energy Democratizes Energy for the Rural and Urban Poor India’s rural and underprivileged areas still struggle in terms of their energy needs. Reliable, affordable, and clean energy plays a unique role in accelerating the social, environmental, and economic development of these communities, which is why they look to the Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) sector.

o understand how this sector is impacting rural areas and in turn India’s Renewable Energy (RE) goals, The Tech Panda spoke to Adwait Joshi, CEO of CLEAN (Clean Energy Access Network) a non-profit organization that is considered the industry body of the DRE sector in India. They don’t have to depend on availability of energy from the grid or centralized sources if they have access to DRE solutions. Just like us urbanites, they can democratically choose when they want energy to charge their phones, to light a bulb, or to cook. Joshi believes, in the long term, there is scope for the DRE sector to expand itself and create new markets and opportunities.

“I think the opportunity is right, as long as we open up the topic of DRE beyond just energy access or energy creation. As long as we start integrating it or mainstreaming it under a productive use, the market or the opportunity is really big,” he says. Until now, most of the work in this space has always been thought of as an energy conversation. However, going ahead, Joshi thinks that while there already is a central ministry, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), to deal with the larger issues, there has to be an MNRE under each and every non-energy ministry as well. “There has to be an energy department or division under rural development. There has to be an energy or clean energy department under agriculture, under even small entities, which focus on the small scale industries as well,” he says.

India and Clean Energy The statistics on RE generation in India versus the rest of the world are being discussed regularly. India is ramping up its RE deployment to meet ambitious goals. The government is targeting 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity by the year 2022 and is aiming for 450 GW by 2030. However, looking through the clean energy-fordevelopment lens, India is not standing at the front in line with many in the world. India has a diverse landscape when one looks at states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, etc., and poor performing states such as Odisha, Rajasthan, and the North Eastern states. A study done by SELCO Foundation, a founding member of CLEAN, finds the human development index of Odisha comparable with indices of Mali, Ethiopia, or Philippines. Joshi says these states can pivot their SDG indicators by leveraging clean energy for development. CLEAN is striving for the same.

For Overall Social Transformation CLEAN is committed to unifying, supporting, and growing the DRE sector in India. It represents over 220 clean energy enterprises, which primarily work in rural communities to create better income generation opportunities, healthcare access, improved education delivery, and overall social transformation by leveraging access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy. CLEAN maps key indicators of the DRE sector through its member enterprises, such as social and environmental impact, business activity, innovations, market trends, finance opportunities, and challenges, to influence policy makers, financial institutions, research institutions, incubators/accelerators, and skill-training institutions. It also shares these insights from India with other countries with similar or worse energy challenges.

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Blockchain further strengthens the potential for DRE The organization was setup as a program in 2014 by its charter members, which include some of the most influential organizations in the sector, such as The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), GIZ India, SELCO Foundation, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, WWF India, UN Foundation, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Ashden India Renewable Energy Collective, The Climate Group (TCG), Indian Renewable Energy Federation (IREF) and The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation.

CLEAN’s Stance on Blockchain Emerging technologies like AI and blockchain in RE systems are making a strong presence gradually, striving to make the sector efficient and mainstream. Joshi feels that blockchain is still a year or two away from the DRE sector. At the same time, he highlights that there are quite a few opportunities on how blockchain can be used. One of CLEAN’s members is piloting a project in electrified villages to figure out how blockchain solutions can be used for inter-household energy trading.

“Blockchain further strengthens the potential for DRE. For example, they are typically used in peer-to-peer energy trading. Similarly, if I think about the decentralized space, there are thousands of micro-grids today in India, which are catering to different sets of villages,” he explains. There has to be an energy department or division under rural development. There has to be an energy or clean energy department under agriculture, under even small entities, which focus on the small scale industries as well “Many of these micro-grids are still not completely interacting with the grid today. A blockchain-enabled platform can actually help these micro-grids to trade energy within that micro-grid. The space itself can strengthen the net metering concept for those kinds of spaces or enable a grid interaction, once the grid becomes interactive with micro-grids as well,” he adds. India has just stepped into conversations about electric vehicle charging stations. Joshi thinks it makes sense to have blockchain in those conversations right from the start, so that all the DRE work that has been happening can start orienting itself to the future of having blockchain as part of their lives. On a financing front, he thinks, there are still a few more steps that India or the energy sector has to take to really see the potential of blockchain come to life. He also thinks too much hype about blockchain without any success might create a situation of questioning the blockchain and the DRE space together. “That’s a risk. So it’s important to do pilots,” he says.

JULY- 2020

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AMU inaugurates Solar Power Unit

A 15 KV Solar Power Unit at the new CALEM Building, UGC HRD Centre was inaugurated through a video conferencing platform in line with the Government of India Guidelines on social distancing. “It is a laudable to generate renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions,” said AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor. He emphasised that the solar and other clean energy sources should be adapted and promoted.

n the occasion, Prof Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Director UGC HRD Centre pointed out that the teaching community is the torch bearer of all noble values of which environment protection is an integral part. Recalling his visit as a Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) participant, when he was shown the solar farm at AMU, Prof D S Negi (Former PVC, HNB Garhwal University Uttarakhand) said that he was sure that AMU is setting a milestone for others to follow by investing in solar power.

Dr M Rihan, Member-in-Charge, Electricity Department informed that the new 15 KVA Solar Power plant at the CALEM Building will produce 75 Units of free-of-cost electricity every day. He added that AMU has already reached 6.5 MW of total green energy production in a span of a few years. Dr Faiza Abbasi, Assistant Director, UGC HRD Centre conducted the program and extended the vote of thanks.

S.Africa renewables firms look for debt savings to lower tariffs South African renewable energy companies are looking for ways to make savings on their debt so they can help the government lower power tariffs from older solar and wind projects, the country’s wind energy association SAWEA said

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he government opened talks with the renewable energy sector last year to try to secure cheaper electricity to support the flagging economy. SAWEA said it could take four to six months for companies to negotiate new terms with lenders. Refinancing options include increasing debt maturities or changing types of debt. The financial gain from cheaper debt is expected to be shared on a 50-50 basis between power producers and the government, although different splits could be negotiated. There had been concern that if the government tried to force through a unilateral tariff reduction, it could deter investment, but the government insists the talks are voluntary.

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SAWEA quoted an energy official as saying that roughly 70 per cent of the 64 power producers had responded positively to the idea of refinancing their debt to help lower electricity prices. The government would pass on its share of the gain to consumers through lower tariffs, a refinancing protocol prepared by the energy ministry showed. When the government approached renewables companies last year about ways to lower power prices, many companies said big savings were impossible to achieve. But they said sharing gains from a refinancing exercise was an option that was unlikely to harm investor sentiment and could contribute to lower tariffs.

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Exclusive: Brazil energy trading firm 2W hires banks for $282 million IPO Brazilian energy trading firm 2W Energia has hired banks to manage an initial public offering which may reach up to 1.5 billion reais ($281.48 million), three sources with knowledge of the matter said

nvestment banking units of Banco BTG Pactual SA, XP Inc, Bank of America and Credit Suisse will manage what would be the first Brazilian stock exchange IPO by an energy trading firm. Riza Capital is also advising the company. 2W plans to use proceeds from the offering to build solar and wind plants in

Brazil’s northeastern region, expanding its business beyond trading. It is currently building a 130 MW wind farm in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Companies that both trade and generate energy usually cater to large customers, but 2W plans to sell energy to small- and mid-sized businesses with short-maturity contracts. The company, which has former Renova Energia founder Ricardo Delneri among its partners, aims to debut on the B3 stock exchange by August or September.

TÜV Rheinland awards LONGi’s Product Centre Module Laboratory TMP accreditation TÜV Rheinland, the world leading third-party testing and certification organization, has awarded LONGi’s Product Centre Module Laboratory TMP accreditation, confirming its compliance with IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 international standards.

MP is a certification allowing a manufacturer’s own laboratory resources to test products produced by the company itself, in accordance with the requirements of the certification standard. Using this method of testing avoids the cumbersome process of sending samples, especially for products that are bulky, difficult to transport and which have strict testing time requirements.

Dr. Lv Jun, Vice President of LONGi Solar, said: “The acquisition of TÜV Rheinland’s TMP laboratory accreditation is recognition of the testing ability and management level of LONGi’s R&D laboratory. As an industry-leading manufacturer of photovoltaic products, LONGi insists on adhering to the route of technological innovation, continuing to increase investment in R&D and creating high-performance products to maximize customer value. We hope to further strengthen our cooperation with TÜV Rheinland and continue to meet customer needs with high-quality products and services.”

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LONGi has made remarkable achievements through innovation to promote industrial upgrade. As a third-party testing and certification organization, TÜV Rheinland has always maintained a cooperative relationship with LONGi on many levels. This time we conducted a comprehensive and rigorous review of the management system, environment, personnel and equipment qualification of LONGi’s Product Centre Module Laboratory to confirm that it meets our requirements for external laboratory management standards. The acquisition of the TÜV Rheinland TMP laboratory accreditation proves that LONGi has reached a very high level in quality control and has become one of the industry’s leading manufacturing enterprises. We look forward to further strengthening technical exchanges with LONGi and will, as always, help the company to ensure good product quality and jointly promote the healthy development of the photovoltaic industry, said Zou Chicheng, Vice President of TÜV Rheinland, Greater China.

JULY- 2020

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ReNew Power to manufacture solar cells and modules in India ReNew to enter manufacturing of solar modules & cells. Manufacturing unit to have capacity of 2GW. ReNew Power to invest ₹1500 – 2000 Cr initially. ReNew Power, India’s largest renewable energy company, announced that it intends to start manufacturing solar cells and modules in India. The announcement was made by ReNew’s Chairman and MD, Mr. Sumant Sinha at the Aatmanirbhar Bharat event . ReNew Power will invest ₹1500-2000 Cr in setting up this facility which will initially have a 2GW manufacturing capacity and is in discussion with various states to set up this unit.

eNew Power’s announcement to set up a manufacturing facility comes just weeks after Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call to Indian companies to become “Aatmanirbhar” and is expected to support the government’s mission to generate 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030. ReNew will manufacture both Solar cells and modules at the upcoming facility and endeavour to create a globally competitive manufacturing unit. The company’s foray into manufacturing will not only help it in backward integration but also provide it a better control over the supply chain for critical components.

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Speaking about the decision, Sumant Sinha, CMD, ReNew Power said, “India has grown into a big market for renewable energy and the time has come to reduce our dependence on imports and start domestic manufacturing of key components. ReNew Power is one of the biggest generators of renewable energy in India and the move to start manufacturing of solar modules and cells is a natural progression for us. I firmly believe that Atmanirbharta in manufacturing will be key to the next phase of growth in the renewable sector.” This manufacturing facility, apart from catering to ReNew Power’s generation business which has over 4.5 GW of projects under various stages of development, will also meet the requirements of other clean energy companies in India. The domestic demand for solar cells and modules is expected to grow to 15 GW next year. Domestic manufacturing of modules and cells within the country will help renewable energy players to reduce their dependence on imports from China, which currently accounts for almost 80% of the world’s module production. The plant will be equipped to meet export requirements as well. ReNew Power aims to be an integrated renewable energy company with manufacturing, generation and transmission business under one roof.

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$151bn for fossil fuels, $89bn for green energy in pandemic aid The G20 nations, which are reportedly responsible for around 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, have committed $151 billion in support of fossil fuels while dedicating only $89 billion towards clean energy since the beginning of the pandemic.

new research released by 14 worldwide organizations reveals that India has committed around $8.9 billion to fossil fuels and only $1 billion to clean energy. According to it, the biggest fossil policy that the country is investing in is commercial mining of coal. On the other hand, the country’s biggest green policy has been providing free solar power to farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Of the policies committing money to fossil fuels globally, only 20 per cent make this financial support conditional on green requirements, such as setting climate targets or implementing pollution reduction plans. At the same time, $89 billion has been committed to clean energy but 81 per cent of this support is unspecific about the appropriate environmental safeguards.

Mayors of 96 cities launch clean energy initiative

A coalition of mayors of 96 cities across the world, including New Delhi, representing 700 million people launched a new agenda focusing on health, clean air and new jobs for post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

hey include mayors of cities like Freetown, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Medellin, Milan, Montreal, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Seattle and Seoul. They are jointly leading the healthy recovery of cities. With COVID-19 infections hitting 12 million and 305 million jobs under threat, members of C40 released a set of examples and actions city leaders should take to safeguard citizens’ health, protect growth and ensure a cleaner recovery. The proposed actions include: giving streets back to people, training and upskilling workers, providing new jobs, and delivering a safe mass transit system. Potentially yielding USD 24 trillion in economic benefits by 2050, climate investments could support more than 80 million jobs by 2030.

Many cities are already moving faster than national governments. Examples of action include: Bogota has rolled out 35 kms of cycle lanes and system of streets closed to cars; London is expanding its cyclist infrastructure; Milan announced an ambitious scheme to increase walking and cycling; Freetown increased water provisions in the most vulnerable areas; Los Angeles has installed solar panels at no cost on the homes of almost 2,000 low-income families; and Seoul will kick off a building retrofitting scheme that is expected to create 20,000 jobs by 2022.

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JULY- 2020

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India and US announce new areas of research on transformational power generation India and the US have announced new areas of research on transformational power generation based on supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power cycles and advanced coal technologies, including carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), the Ministry of Science and Technology said

his emerged at a virtual ministerial meeting of the US-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) to review progress, highlight major accomplishments, and prioritise new areas for cooperation. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. Besides Pradhan and Brouillette, the virtual meeting was attended by US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster, Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Secretary of Department of Science and Technology (DST) Professor Ashutosh Sharma along with other concerned officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said the collaboration between India and the United States has grown over the years under the Programme for Accelerating Clean Energy – Research (PACE-R). The ongoing collaboration on smart grids and energy storage is being implemented by a consortium comprising 30 Indian and US entities with an investment of USD 7.5 million each by India’s DST and US Department of Energy (DoE), with matching amounts provided by the consortium, he said. Sharma said this project addresses essential issues related to the adoption and deployment of smart grid concepts along with Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), including storage in the distribution network for its efficient and reliable operation. It will also provide policy directions for societal acceptance, impact and value of the integrative solutions and emerging role of utilities as Distributed System Operators. The DST secretary said the dialogue between US’ DoE and India’s DST on clean coal technologies, sCO2 power cycles and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies has progressed well and common priorities for collaboration have been evolved. He said one of the notable outcomes of the dialogue is the participation of India in the multilateral platform for Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT) through which avenues have been generated for possible US-India collaboration.

Maharashtra: Minister proposes development of energy park at Koradi Guardian minister Nitin Raut has proposed to develop two tourism hubs in the district — Buddhist Theme Park costing around Rs1,000 crore at Futala lake and an energy park costing around Rs125 crore with 121 feet statue of Lord Hanuman at Koradi.

rchitect Ashok Mokha made presentations about two projects at a meeting held on. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, home minister Anil Deshmukh and others were present. Raut, also energy minister, plans to showcase all types of power projects in the energy park which will come up adjacent to the Koradi temple. The park will have interpretation centre, miniature model of Koradi power station, solar energy garden, wind energy garden, biomass energy garden, small hydro energy garden, vocational training centre and outdoor games. Koradi temple has already been developed into a major pilgrimage centre in the last three years and new projects will transform it into a tourism hub. Raut said that Buddhist Theme Park will be developed in such a manner that it will also attract international tourists. It will come up on the lake.

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A presentation of the central business district along with the new Yashwant stadium, which was earlier proposed by Gadkari, was also made in the meeting. Raut said he will seek funds from CM Uddhav Thackeray, The ministers also took review of proposed redevelopment of Deshpande Hall, Nag Bhavan, collector office and wholesale flower market planned on APMC land opposite ST bus stand at Ganeshpeth. Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane, legislators Vikas Thakre (Congress) and Prakash Gajbhiye (NCP) were also present. None of the eight BJP legislators and mayor Sandip Joshi were reportedly invited for the meeting.

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Clean energy can support economic recovery in downturn: Niti Aayog CEO Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said clean energy has potential to shore up the Indian economy from the current downturn, urging investors to exploit long-term opportunities in the sector.

Speaking at a webinar organized by the Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), Kant said India offers an exciting long-term market for both domestic and international investors in clean energy space. He said capital flow in the developing world is the need of the hour and paradigm shift will be critical for sustainable economies in the post COVID-19 era. Apart from the liquidity enhancement measures and the rather bold reforms in the energy sector announced by the government, the domestic bond market offers another opportunity that must be tapped to finance the energy transition, Kant said. He said, “We must encourage that class of capital market investors to invest in the clean energy.” Stating that green growth can drive the economic recovery for the country from the current downturn, he said India has already set up goals to ensure 24×7 adequate, reliable energy access as well as clean energy transition by reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuel based energy. “There is a need to deepen the market to further global energy transition. The motivation behind the transition varies across the developing world. Therefore, capital flow in the developing world is the need of the hour,” Kant added.

On the India Energy Modelling Forum, he said it will provide a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues, and facilitate exchange of ideas. The forum aims at providing a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues and inform decision-making process to the Indian government. It also aims to improve cooperation among modelling teams, government, knowledge partners and funders, besides facilitating exchange of ideas and ensuring production of high-quality studies.

India Energy Modelling Forum to facilitate exchange of ideas: Niti Aayog Niti Aayog said the India Energy Modelling Forum will accelerate this effort and aim to provide a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues and inform decision-making process to the Indian government

ustainable Growth Pillar is an important pillar of India-US Strategic Energy Partnership co-chaired by NITI Aayog and USAID, the Aayog said in a release. The SG pillar entails energy data management, energy modelling and collaboration on low carbon technologies as three key activities. There exist energy modelling forums in different parts of the World, but in India, there was no formalised and systematic process of having a modeling forum.

“Even then, various think-tanks/research organizations like TERI, IRADe, CSTEP, CEEW, NCAER, etc, have been consistently developing scenarios and contributing through modelling studies and analyses to provide required inputs to MoEF&CC and other relevant ministries, including NITI Aayog,” it said.

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Niti Aayog said the India Energy Modelling Forum will accelerate this effort and aim to provide a platform to examine important energy and environmental related issues and inform decisionmaking process to the Indian government. It also aims to improve cooperation between modelling teams, government, and knowledge partners, funders; and facilitate exchange of ideas, ensure production of high-quality studies. The Forum also aims to identify knowledge gaps at different levels and across different areas; and build capacity of Indian institutions. Niti Aayog will initially coordinate the activities of the forum and finalizing its governing structure, the release said. The forum would include knowledge partners, data agencies and concerned government ministries. The Energy Modelling Forum (EMF) in USA was established in 1976 at Stanford University to connect leading modelling experts and decision makers from government, industry, universities, and other research organizations. The forum provides an unbiased platform to discuss the contemporary issues revolving around energy and environment.

JULY- 2020

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Volvo chief stresses importance of state-backed charging infrastructure for electric vehicles

Bit by bit, changes are taking place when it comes to the development of charging infrastructure. The widespread availability of charging points is seen as key to combating concerns about “range anxiety.”

he chief executive of Volvo Cars described plug-in hybrids as a “very popular concept”, but emphasized the need for government support when it comes to charging infrastructure. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, are cars which have an internal combustion engine as well as a battery-powered electric motor. Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe,” CEO Håkan Samuelsson referred to the vehicles as a “bridge technology.”

As a company, Volvo Cars has said it wants “around 50%” of the cars it sells to be “pure electric” by the year 2025, with the other half sold as hybrids. On the topic of new energy vehicles needing government incentives to drive sales, Samuelsson said he thought that “long term, we need to have sustainable concepts that can be sold on (their) … own merits.” “But of course, in the first transition years governmental support for electric cars would be very helpful and even more helpful would be support to develop a charging network.” Indeed, “range anxiety” — an idea that electric vehicles are not able to undertake long journeys without losing power — has long been seen as a potential barrier to electric vehicle uptake. Better charging infrastructure is likely key to combating this perception. Bit by bit, changes are taking place when it comes to charging. Last month, McDonald’s U.K. said it was planning to install rapid charging points for electric vehicles at new drive-thru restaurants in the country.

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The fast food giant is partnering with a firm called InstaVolt, which specializes in the technology. Charging infrastructure will also be introduced to existing drive-thru restaurants where feasible, with the technology rolled out to new drive-thrus “as standard.” Around the world, governments are attempting to incentivize the uptake of electric vehicles. In Norway, which is often cited as a model for low emission cars, the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association says that electric vehicles do not have to pay annual road tax, have “access to bus lanes” and are exempt from 25% value added tax on purchases, among other things. According to the association, these incentives are in place “until the end of 2021”, when the government will make revisions to them. Governments are also making efforts to improve charging infrastructure. In January, the U.K. government said it would “double the funding” for “the installation of chargepoints on residential streets” to £10 million ($12.72 million). At the time, the government said the money – which will be for installations in 2021 – “could fund up to another 3,600 chargepoints across the country.” Also saw Volvo Cars report its financial results for the first half of the year. Global sales in the first six months of the year dropped by 20.8% as the firm acknowledged results had been “impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the global economy.”

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Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia Inaugurates East Delhi’s First Smart Electric Vehicle Charging Station

BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and EV Motors India Pvt. Ltd. (EVM) have partnered to set-up smart electric vehicle charging stations in East Delhi.

n line with the commitment towards building an electric mobility eco-system, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and EV Motors India Pvt. Ltd. (EVM) have partnered to set-up smart electric vehicle charging stations. As part of this endeavour, the first smart public charging station under this partnership was inaugurated at Patparganj, East Delhi by Delhi’s Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Manish Sisodia. Located in the heart of I P Extension, Patparganj, the smart EV charging station, branded ‘PlugNgo’, is enabled with Central Management System (CMS). This will help to oversee operations of the EV charger and provide on-site and on-demand customer support. It will also provide information on preventive maintenance as and when required. Depending on the make, an e-vehicle can be fully charged between 45 and 90 minutes. The charging stations under PlugNgo in Delhi are expected to cater to the charging requirements of 15 to 18 cars per day. The newly launched station will be equipped with two types of chargers – DC 50 kW with three guns (CCS2 + CHAdeMO + Type 2 AC) which can charge Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV & Tata Nexon, and DC 30 kW with 2 Guns (Both GB/T) which can charge Mahindra e-Verito & Tata Tigor. Two electric vehicles can be charged simultaneously from each charger. In this endeavour, EV Motors has partnered

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with ABB, a global leader in EV fast charging solutions. Through its expertise and legacy in this field, ABB has established itself to provide EV Charging Equipment for electric vehicles. The company is consistently pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future.

The EV charger at the outlet is integrated to the innovative PlugNgo mobile application that enables end consumers to locate and operate chargers. It is available on both Android & iOS platforms that entail the following features: Charge and Pay with your Phone: Quickly scan the QR code with your smart phone and easily pay for your charging session right from your mobile app. Locate Charger location, type of connector, and status of chargers in terms of availability and navigation. Remote Start/Stop Operation. Tracking of Charging history & Payment history. The tentative total cost of running an e vehicle is between Rs 1.25 to Rs 1.50 cost per km, depending on the make of the vehicle, which is extremely competitive compared to petrol, diesel and even CNG vehicles. Thus a user can save substantially per km on an electric vehicle. Apart from this, an EV will lead to a savings of over 30 tonnes of CO2 for a lifespan of 10 years.

JULY- 2020

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Electric vehicle market likely to be Rs 50,000 crore opportunity in India by 2025: Report The electric vehicle (EV) market is likely to be a Rs 50,000-crore opportunity in India by 2025, with two- and three-wheelers expected to drive higher electrification of the vehicles in the medium term in the wake of COVID-19, according to a report.

he report by Avendus Capital, which is an investment banking arm of financial services provider Avendus Group, also said the total cost of ownership (TCO) in case of low- and medium-speed electric two-wheelers is already lower than internal combustion engine vehicles.

“With the present and projected level of EV penetration in the country, EVs in India could represent a Rs 500-billion opportunity by 2025. Two- and three-wheelers will lead the electrification movement in India in the medium term,” it said. The report also said it expects 9 per cent penetration by 2024-25 in the two-wheeler segment and with the right macroeconomic environment, the number can further go up to 16 per cent and while the segment could grow to Rs 12,000 crore by 2024-25. E-rickshaw has also emerged as a large market in India in a short time frame even as a large part of this market is still unorganised and based on lead-acid batteries, the report stated. It added that this market is expected to rapidly shift to lithium-ion battery and by 2024-25, as much as 40 per cent of the e-rickshaw market is expected to be li-ion based.

Over the past decade, the economics of the technology used in this sector has improved significantly, and today, EVs make economic sense across multiple use cases, said Koushik Bhattacharyya, director and head (industrials) at Avendus Capital, at the launch of the report. He added that the inevitability of transition to EVs is accepted by the world, however, the timeline for mass adoption is still a topic for debate. “But, we believe that we are moving quickly towards a mobility regime where EVs become mainstream.” The current COVID-19 situation is expected to accelerate the rate of adoption of EVs in the medium term as customers look for environment-friendly and cost-effective personal mobility solutions, and also because online commerce is fast becoming the norm, the report said.

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“India represents the fourth-largest automobile market in the world and the second-largest two-wheeler market with around 20 million units. It is also a country with massive dependency on oil imports, with a USD 112 billion oil import bill in FY19,” added Bhattacharyya. He added that pollution in many Indian cities has reached alarming levels. “All these factors combined make a strong case for EV adoption in India.” On the ownership cost of high-speed electric two-wheelers and other use cases such as retail four-wheelers and commercial vehicles, it said the TCO will become favourable as the battery prices drop further.

E-auto makes economic sense on a TCO basis. We expect to see intensive action in this space going forward. We expect around 20 per cent EV penetration in e-auto category by FY25. We expect this segment to be Rs 40 billion (Rs 4,000 crore) by FY25,” said Ankit Singhal, vice-president (industrials) at Avendus Capital. In the medium term, we expect the EV adoption in the four-wheeler category to stay limited to commercial or fleet applications. The overall penetration in the electric four-wheeler segment is expected to be about 2 per cent, he said. With the right macroeconomic environment, it could go up to 5 per cent, he said adding, “We expect this segment to be Rs 100 billion (Rs 10,000 crore) by FY25.” Avendus Capital said it expects factors mainly policy, battery cost, charging infrastructure and supply chain localisation driving the adoption of EVs in various segments in the country over the next decade. On the commercial vehicle side, e-buses are expected to lead the category with regulatory push expected to drive this category, rather than TCO. “We expect EV adoption in the bus category to be about 13 per cent by 2024-25 and segment to be Rs 60 billion (Rs 6,000 crore) by that time. “Light commercial vehicles (less than 3.5 tonnes) in the EV category also make TCO sense and we forecast about 4 per cent EV adoption in this segment by FY25, translating into a Rs 15 billion (Rs 1,500 crore) market opportunity,” Singhal said.

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Busting the Myth: Electric Vehicle Technology

This is the second article in the “Busting the Myth” series aimed at breaking down the popular myths surrounding the electric vehicle ecosystem. The series is a joint editorial initiative of ETEnergyworld, The Climate Group and Climate Trends.

n about a decade, the EV industry has undergone dynamic evolution particularly with the technology that drives these new energy machines. EVs have evolved from unreliable charging and low-power vehicles in the intial days to convenient charging, high-performance transport solutions in the present. There have been significant strides of innovation and techno-commercial development in technologies such as the electric powertrain (technology used to power EVs) and battery in the recent years, which are sure to disqualify some of the age-old myths around EV technology.

Myth #1: EVs are slow Acceleration: Electric cars and high-speed electric twowheelers have advanced high-performance powertrains. These vehicle systems can offer better acceleration in comparison with IC-Engine powertrains and allow comfortable speeds for intra-city driving. Superior discharge rate capabilities of present-day lithium-ion batteries allow higher current transfer in shorter time which facilitates generation of large amount of torque in EV motors. In fact, with a few software tweaks, the Tesla Model S leaves most gas-guzzlers catching up. Capable of doing 0-100 kmph in 2.4 secs, it is among the world’s fastest accelerating cars – ICEs included. Speed: Currently, there are electric cars in the Indian market with top speeds ranging from 80-170 kmph

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(Figure 1) from players like Tata, Mahindra, Hyundai and MG. Drive Motors in EVs are delibrately speed-limited to balance between range and travel time. Moreover, the application of more efficient motors such as Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) in EVs is fostering the development of more advanced vehicles that utilizes energy economically from the battery, without compromising on its range.

Myth #2: EVs have limited range The advent of lithium-ion battery technology has been a major influence on the EV market. These batteries have much better lifespan and higher energy density than lead acid batteries. With significant research and development on li-ion battery in the recent years, the energy density has been enhanced to 250-300 Wh/kg of the battery from about 100 Wh/kg a decade ago. This increase in storage capacity of the batteries translates to pushing the limits of EV range to a great extent. Out of the total vehicle stock in India, around 70-80% of the vehicles is constituted by two-wheelers. This fact suggests Indian consumers’ innate preference for two-wheelers – which is also the vehicle segment that is rapidly being electrified. According to a study conducted by JMK Research on a sample of 85 electric two-wheeler models that were/are present in the Indian market, the average range of the electric two-wheelers was found out to be about 84 km per charge.

JULY- 2020

electric vehicle

For inner-city commute, this range is sufficient for daily travel, even when home-charging is the only option available. If there is availability of charging system within office premises as well, then, this range becomes more than sufficient. There are several new models launched recently or are in pipeline from

Myth #3: Lithium batteries have low life Lithium-ion battery life for use in EVs is around 4-5 years. With new advancements in technology some Indian players such as Tata motors, Revolt, etc. are also offering battery warranty of upto 8 years/1.6 lakh kms. Moreover, once the first-life battery application is consumed in EVs, they can still be used for second-life applications like UPS, inverter batteries and stationary storage applications as well. In certain segments, newage solutions like battery-swapping eliminate batterylife concerns for the user altogether. The responsibility of battery maintenance is transferred to the battery swap operator, who specializes in monitoring key battery-life indicators and maintaining healthy charging environments. This, in turn, prolongs battery life.

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players like Hero electric, NDS Eco motors, Okinawa, Pure EV, Revolt, etc. where product range is more than 100 kms. Similarly, the average range of the five electric cars existing in the Indian market is 300 km which is more than enough for day-to-day use.

Myth #4: Lithium batteries canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t operate at high temperatures Lithium is a highly combustible metal that delivers high energy, even within a small form factor. Therefore, it has a fire and explosion risk. Further, under operation in various EV applications, lithium ion batteries may encounter shifts in ambient temperature, which may affect their performance. This challenge is addressed by most EV players with their efficent and intelligent Battery Management Systems (BMS) which can perform task of cooling, heating, insulation and ventilation, etc. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) does rigorous testing on these battery cells including overcharge, short circuit, vibration as well as nail penetration. It is said that the latter isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even mandatory in most countries but in India, it is. ARAI tests vehicle batteries according to the AIS 048 standard, which takes care of safety, friction and abuse to make sure nothing compromises their safety.

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electric vehicle

Researchers Say Sodium Can Replace Lithium in Batteries It is hard to overestimate the role of lithium, or rather, Li-ion batteries in our lives. These batteries are used everywhere: in mobile phones, laptops, cameras, as well as in various types of vehicles and space ships. Li-ion batteries entered the market in 1991, and in 2019 their inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry – for their revolutionary contribution to the development of technology.

t the same time, lithium is an expensive alkaline metal, and its reserves are pretty limited. Currently, there is no close-to-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Due to the fact that lithium is one of the lightest chemical elements, it is very difficult to find a replacement for it to create capacious batteries. An alternative was suggested by a team of scientists from NUST MISIS, Russian Academy of Science, and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, led by Professor Arkadiy Krashennikov. It was found that if the atoms inside the sample are “stacked” in a certain way, then other alkali metals (not only lithium) will also show high energy intensity. The most promising replacement for lithium is sodium (Na), since even with a two-layer arrangement of sodium atoms in bigraphen sandwich, the capacity of such an anode becomes comparable to the capacity of a conventional graphite anode in Li-ion batteries: about 335 mA*h/g against 372 mA*h/g for lithium. However, sodium is much more commonly found in nature than lithium. For example, table salt is half-sodium.

A special way of stacking atoms is actually placing them one above the other. This structure is created by transferring atoms from a piece of metal to space between two sheets of graphene under high voltage, which simulates the process of charging a battery. In the end, it looks like a sandwich: a layer of carbon, two layers of alkali metal, and again a layer of carbon.

For a long time, it was believed that lithium atoms in batteries can only be located in one layer, otherwise the system will be unstable. Despite this, recent experiments by our German colleagues have shown that with careful selection of methods, it is possible to create multilayer stable lithium structures between graphene layers. This opens up broad prospects for increasing the capacity of such structures. Therefore, we were interested in studying the possibility of forming multilayer structures with other alkali metals, including sodium, using computer simulation, comment Ilya Chepkasov, a researcher at NUST MISIS Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials.

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Our simulation shows that lithium atoms bind much more strongly to graphene, but increasing the number of layers of lithium leads to less stability. The opposite trend is observed in the case of sodium – as the number of layers of sodium increases, the stability of such structures increases, so we hope that such materials will be obtained in the experiment, adds Zakhar Popov, a senior researcher at NUST MISIS Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials and RAS. The next step of the research team is to create an experimental sample and study it in the laboratory. This will be handled at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany. If successful, one can talk about creating a new generation of Na batteries that will be significantly cheaper and equivalently or even more capacious than Li-ion ones.

JULY- 2020

electric vehicle

Chinese Electric Cars Will Take Over The World – If We Let Them A few years ago, the cars coming out of China were the object of derision. They were either obvious copies of popular Western models, or they were utterly ridiculous.

he Land Wind X7 was the spitting image of a Range Rover Evoque, the CH Auto Lithia Sports bore an uncanny resemblance to the Audi R8, and the rather lengthily named Dongfeng EQ2050 Brave Soldier could easily have been mistaken for an American military Humvee. On the other hand, the Li Shi Guang Ming The Book Of Songs didn’t just have a silly name; its looks were so bizarre even a cartoon character would have been embarrassed to drive one. But times have changed, and as with most other areas of technology, China has caught up with the West’s automotive design abilities and even overtaken, with one area of particular note: electric vehicles. By 2019, there were already 2.58 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in China, compared to just 0.97 million in Europe, and 0.88 million in the USA, according to the International Energy Agency. China also has more home and work chargers than any other part of the world, more public slow chargers than the rest of the world put together, and 82% of the global fast charger installations.

Security controversies aside, China is now producing some really cutting-edge electronic products that are local designs and compete well with those from other manufacturers on features and quality, such as the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone. So it’s no surprise that China is also starting to deliver EVs that show real promise. Take the Xpeng P7, for example. This looks like an affordable Tesla TSLA 0.0% Model 3 alternative. The P7 boasts 0-62mph acceleration in just 4.3 seconds and a NEDC driving range of up to 440 miles. It even looks quite nice, and some versions have NVIDIA NVDA +0.7%’s Drive AGX Xavier autonomous driving platform built in. Yet it’s expected to cost a mere $36,000. BYD Auto, which is 25% owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B -0.1%, produces lots of different electric vehicles but the one receiving the most interest currently is the Han, a luxury sedan. The long-range version has a Tesla Model S-rivalling 376-mile range while the high-performance option can hit 62mph in 3.9 seconds – not as fast as a Model S Performance but still highly commendable. Prices will range from $32,800-$40,000. BYD has an electric car partnership with Toyota, and conventional engine partnership with Mercedes. But it’s already selling EVs in the US, including the e6 MPV for fleets, an electric bus, and an electric garbage truck that is in service in California.

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There’s even a Chinese electric hypercar called the EP9 with 1,341hp that’s able to hit 62mph in 2.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 217mph. But that’s £2.5 million ($3.1 million) and only six exist. There are, of course, more modest options, with the Weltmeister EX5 from WM Motor Technology Company priced around $20,000, but still promising a range up to 325 miles. Its 160kW motor has the same power as the top-end Nissan Leaf e+, which costs around £36,000 in the UK and $39,000 in the USA, but only has about two thirds the range. There was some anticipation for the M-byte SUV from Byton, which looked great and had a unique panoramic LCD panel on the front dashboard. But it seems like the company has become a casualty of the Coronavirus. However, it’s the cheapest end of the market where China could make a real dent on American and European manufacturers. In the UK, the best value EV currently available is the MG ZS EV, which can be had for just £25,495 ($32,000). This is actually a car made in China by SAIC SAIC +0.5%, and the company plans to bring another of its EVs to the UK under the MG brand, this time the Ei5 from its Roewe division.

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electric vehicle

This will be one of the first electric estate cars (aka station wagons in the US) to arrive in Britain and is likely to be similarly as cheap as the MG ZS EV. There are even cheaper cars that could really disrupt the Western markets, though. Great Wall’s Ora R1 costs around $8,600, yet still comes with a 33kWh battery offering up to 194 miles of range. The Dacia Spring might look like a potential European competitor to the Ora R1, but that’s based on a Chinese-made car too. Even Tesla is considering building a small Chinesemade car. Chinese cars didn’t feel like competition for European and American brands when they couldn’t compete on quality, but many of these

examples have a specification and design that’s close enough, at a much lower price – much like when Japanese cars took the world by storm in the 1970s and 80s. China has some major advantages that have put it ahead in the EV supply game. China is the world’s largest producer of lithium, reaching over 60% of the world’s supply in April 2019, and still controlled 51% of global chemical lithium at beginning of 2020. In contrast, the US contributes just 2% of the world lithium supply. China also controls 62% of global chemical cobalt and 100% of spherical graphite. These are all the main component elements in the lithium-ion battery technology that dominates EVs as their power source. Even the new cobalt-free Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries that promise a dramatic reduction in pricing are coming from China.

However, there could be a reason why we won’t be seeing an immediate invasion of Chinese EVs on European and American roads despite the potential value they offer. It’s obvious that there is a feud going on between the Trump administration and China, which has now pulled the UK into its orbit. Even if Trump loses the US presidential election in November, it’s unlikely that the American stance against China will change substantively, as Biden is similarly skeptical towards the country, albeit through a less vehemently bullish tone.

In Europe, the car manufacturers, particularly in Germany and France, have huge political power, and they will want to protect their market, which is still heavily invested in fossil fuel technology. As a result, right now there is ambivalence towards EVs even within the same automotive groups, with VW putting many of its eggs in the electric basket with the ID.3, but sister company Audi’s CEO claiming his company will be developing internal combustion vehicles for “a very long time”.

If it was a pure free market based on value for money, Chinese electric cars would be giving European and American manufacturers sleepless nights already. But it’s likely that politics and economic protectionism will keep them at bay for a while. How long it will be before the dam breaks and Chinese EVs flood in is uncertain, but it probably won’t be possible to hold them back forever.

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JULY- 2020

interview

MR. VIVEK BHARDWAJ Head of Sales – India GoodWe (India) EQ : Let us start with GoodWe presence worldwide? VB: GoodWe is a Solar Inverter technology expert and a strategically thinking enterprise which focus on research and manufacturing of PV inverters and energy storage solutions. GoodWe is currently the world leader in storage inverters with 15% market share worldwide and has been ranked no. 1 Hybrid Inverter globally by Wood Mackenzie in their report titled Global PV Inverter Market Shares Full-Year 2019. GoodWe solar inverters have been largely used in residential rooftops, commercial systems and energy storage systems across the globe. GoodWe ranked among World Top 10 solar inverter manufacturer by Bloomberg, IHS & Wood Mackenzie and has recently won the TÜV All Qualities Matters award for the 5th consecutive year. GoodWe have major market shares in Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, India, South Korea, South Africa, etc cumulating to more than100 countries with global installation base of 12GW and have office presence in United States, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Mexico, India, China, Korea, Autralia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, etc.

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EQ : What is the new technology in the solar inverter market globally and in India? VB: Inverter technology have always been a crucial point of development. GoodWe invest a huge sum in development of highly efficient transition technologies, advanced cooling systems, large capacity string inverters and technology to handle frequency fluctuations efficiently.Technological innovation is GoodWe’s main core competence. With an in-house R&D team of approx. 200 employees in twoR&D centers, GoodWe can offer a comprehensive portfolio ofproducts and solutions for residential, commercial and utilityscale PV systems, ensuring that performance and quality gohand-in-hand across the entire range. Talking about the new technology trend, the global solar inverter market now cannot suffice solar projects with just capacity of inverter compatible to the block sizes. The new demand of market is feature loaded String Inverters, which offers higher safety, better ventilation, all time high efficiency and allowing full load running inverter to even higher temperature rating of 50 deg Celsius. GoodWe offers an opportunity to customers to experience such deeper technological advancements by offering critical features like AFCI (Arc Fault circuit interrupter), 50% DC Oversizing & 15%AC overloading, Full load running at 50 deg C, 99% Efficiency, AC connector temperature detection, internal humidity monitoring, and what not!

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interview EQ : Please let us know about your experience in the Indian market. How do you plan to accelerate your growth in India against competition? VB: GoodWe have been exploring India market for more than 5 years now, which signifies that first stage of product warranty is completed with successfully running inverters. GoodWe gained an opportunity to serve major clients like Tata Power, Sterling & Wilson, Bosch and worked along with finest distribution partners Krannich Solar Pvt. Ltd. and Evervolt Green Energy Pvt. Ltd. to reach deep down to every corner of India. Talking about the customer reviews about GoodWe as a company and its products have been extremely promising from Big giants to small rooftop players. Though the year 2020 was not as it was thought to be due to unavoidable pandemic situation, the time have been harsh to entire solar business. But GoodWe still hope to gain back the pace soon after the projects catch respective pace. Further, the competition is tough due to lowering bid prices of Rs 2.36/kWhr noticed recently. GoodWe believes that the price war can be tackled with technological advancements and knowledge exchange.

EQ : How different is the Indian market dynamics compared to the other international markets? VB: Depending up on the location between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, India has an average annual temperature that ranges from 25 degree Celsius to 27 degree Celsius. Owing to this, the country has a huge potential for solar power generation.Indian government is also encouraging the use of renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, etc. to decrease the dependency on non-renewable sources and reduce their carbon footprint. Also, the growth rate noticed in past years for solar energy have been promising and signifies the huge demand of renewable energy, high potential of energy generation and

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Indian solar market lying in biggest 4 solar markets globally. All mentioned factors cumulate to a promising future of solar energy business in India, keep its dynamics high.

EQ : What are the various products& services that your company provides with regards to EPC projects? VB: GoodWe has set up an integrated service system for pre-sales,in-sales and after-sales and has established service centersworldwide, aiming to offer global support to all customersincluding project consulting, technical training, on-site supportand after-sales service. Product basket includes a wide range of inverter solutions for all possible solar project with 1000V/1100V String Inverter solution for both small & big rooftops and utility scale projects along with Storage inverter solutions for household purpose. GoodWe have always focused on product quality and customer services being fruitfully awarded and gained about 7% of SolarInverters rooftop market share in India. R&D team being dedicated to innovate a better and finest ever inverter solution with maximum features to match the current market demand.GoodWe has been honored with the TĂ&#x153;V Rheinland's 2020 "All Quality Matters" award in recognition for the outstanding quality of its storage inverter and its C&I inverter. This is the fifth consecutive year that GoodWe has won this prestigious award, which shows just how consistent the company has been in delivering high-quality products.

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exclusive Q&A

Exclusive Q&A with ASUN Q.1: What are the India-specific concerns that tracker providers must address? ASUN: Let me start with a positive note that every developer whether in India or overseas always like to consider trackers because the LCoE from solar installations has become commercially competitive; the only way forward for solar developers is to maximize yield, apart from optimizing Balance of system costs, next generation solar panels or plant management. Solar market is extremely cost sensitive. In our experience during market research and exploratory discussions with developers about use of solar trackers, the primary concern is the increase in cost over a fixed tilt installation. Therefore, it is imperative for the tracker providers to convince the developers on this count first. Then of course the following concerns on the advantages and benefits of solar trackers. Dual axis trackers are ruled out because of its heavy structure and high capital cost, not commercially viable. We are left with single axis tracker if the following shortcomings are removed mechanically and its functionally. The need is for Next Generation solar tracker, which can give performance close to dual axis tracker at a cost equivalent to single axis tracker. 1. The yield from the tracker should be positive during all seasons of the year. 2. The tracker should not give negative or less yield during winter solstice period or during Vernal & Autumnal Equinox in any location on the globe. 3. The tracker should help the developer to improve their IRR. 4. Higher terrain adaptability. 5. Self lubricating bearings to minimize the maintenance cost. 6. Modular in design for easy installation. 7. The arrays should be decentralized. 8. Wind safety norms. Based on the live yield data collected from a location close to Roorkee in Northern Part of India shows the negative yield of Single axis tracker over fixed during Winter solstice and equinox periods. This is a dangerous situation for any developer when the yield is negative or at par in majority months of the year. It will affect their cash flow and spoil the IRR of the project. These are the reasons why developers are more worried about using single axis trackers. Therefore, there is a need for a Next Generation solar tracker, which can move on two axes round the year along with North-South with continuous movement from East to West. It means there is a continuous growth in yield during all seasons (summer, Autumn, winter & Spring) in a year. The developers want a performance like dual axis tracker at a cost equivalent to single axis tracker. Asun Trackers has innovated a technology/ Next Generation Tracker, which addresses all the shortcomings of a single axis tracker and gives a consistent performance. Live data of single axis tracker and Asun 2 Axis tracker is given below keeping seasonal tilt at delta. It is in percentage

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Q.2: How do you pitch your solution in the market? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the boost in generation one gets for the price premium over fixedtilt installations? ASUN: Our recommendation for 2-Axis solar PV trackeris that is a disrupted technology: a) 2 Axis Tracker against a dual axis design addresses the shortcomings of the single axis tracker design by providing continuous seasonal movement along the north-south axis, in addition to daily east-west movement, thus tracking the sun optimally at all times, increasing the yield exponentially as compared to single axis tracker. b) Does not give negative or at par yield during equinox and winter solstice period. See the graph below. c) The modular and de-centralized design also optimizes the structure weight leading to a direct reduction in capital cost while offering a higher availability as compared to prevalent single or dual axis designs d) Offers increase in yield over two times the single axis tracker,which compares well with that of a dual axis design, at a significantly lower capital cost. Strategically, we intend to pitch for prospects that are already considering either a single axis tracker or a fixed tilt installation with seasonal tilt. In both these scenarios we are prepared to present project economics from an IRR perspective backed with site-specific simulated yield analysis. Going further, we have real time data for all seasons from a single location for seasonal tilt, single axis tracker and our 2-Axis design.

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exclusive Q&A The above graph shows an incremental yield of single axis tracker of just 5% whereas 2 Axis tracker shows an exponential yield of 20% over the fixed tilt. By any stretch of imagination there will be an improved IRR.

Q.3: How are the terrain undulations handled, and up to what extent? What’s the load/size capacity possible? ASUN: High terrain adaptability and modularity of our design are significant advantages. With 20 + degrees adaptability, Asun 2 Axis Tracker in principle can be deployed in undulating terrain as well. This is significant because usually fallow land parcels are chosen for solar PV installations and with our design the choice of land becomes wider. It is also worthwhile to consider the modular design advantage for efficient use of irregular perimeter land parcels.

Q.4: Frequent maintenance and the associated costs are a big drain. How can this be minimized at the design stage itself ? ASUN: Since trackers are moving structures, we have anticipated and addressed these maintenance concerns arising out of moving parts by the following: A. Use of self-lubricating polymer bearings eliminating the need for lubrication while extending the life of moving parts B. Use of riveting instead of bolting thereby eliminating the need for frequent tightening of bolts, which occur during tracker movement or wind flow. C. In case of breakdown of any tracker the others will keep functioning due to its decentralized design of smaller arrays. D. Past 28 months there has not been any breakdown maintenance at our site near Roorkee.

Q.5: What role can smart monitoring/IOT play? Going further, what smart features you intend to integrate in your solar trackers? ASUN: Remote monitoring of plant performance, real time fault location and failure alerts, predictive maintenance etc, are some of the areas that will bring significant value to investors we are already working on an IOT ready solution that will offer these features to Asun Tracker customers from the day one.

Q.5: Association of ASUN with IIT Delhi? ASUN: The Asun 2 Axis Tracker has been developed with the help of IIT Delhi, under the aegis of FITT. Therefore it has a joint IP agreement with IIT, Delhi and the design registration has already been obtained in name of Asun Trackers Pvt Ltd and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, while the patent applications are under process. We are shortly getting into an incubation program with IIT Delhi with minor equity holding in the company.

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THREE DIFFERENT MMS Q.6: How the technology is beneficial technically and commercially when compared with fixed structures/single-axis trackers and standard dual-axis tracker? ASUN: The biggest technical benefit over a fixed tilt or a fixed tilt with seasonal tilt installation is a future ready technology and extended plant life owing to automation and safety features like a stow position during nights and high winds. Technical benefits over a conventional single or dual axis tracker are the high terrain adaptability, optimal land use, and most importantly th4e distributed design that offers higher plant availability at all times. The commercial benefits are apparent, namely significantly improved yield over fixed tilt or single axis design thereby better IRR for any project. To sun it up, a near dual axis performance at a near single axis cost.

Q.7: What are the USP of 2-Axis Tracker? ASUN: • It gives consistent yield over fixed tilt every day of the year. Addressing all seasons of the year. • It has two axes movement along the path of the sun and keeps the angle of incidence close to perpendicular position all time. • Using of self-lubricating bearings and rivets reduces O&M cost significantly. • High terrain adaptability due to significant advantageous Modular structure and smaller arrays. • Pan India performance is above 20% over fixed, unlike SAT varies from 5% to 15%. • Its performance is close to existing dual axis tracker at the cost of a single axis tracker. • Improved IRR over fixed, seasonal tilt, SAT & D.

JULY- 2020

research & analysis

New Voyage of SOFARSOLAR: Open the Window Period of Photovoltaic Storage Development with Ingenuity and Concentration "I have God’s will, just like the wheel man has compass, and the craftsman has ruler..." Craftsmen, represent a spirit of pursuing perfection and a state of mind of striving for excellence. This is true of people, so is the enterprise. In the development of China's photovoltaic industry, there are a number of craftsmen enterprises adhering to theway of perfection. They stick to the pursuit of quality, only to give customers 25 years or even the whole life cycle of stable and reliable revenue. They do constitute the backbone and cornerstone of upstream and downstream of the photovoltaic industry chain.

OFARSOLAR, an inverter enterprise founded in 2013 and started in Shenzhen, has been determined to become a craftsman in the field of photovoltaic inverter with its focus on products and services since its birth. This persistence makes SOFARSOLAR set sail in the future voyage, full of expectations. At the beginning of 2020, the unexpected COVID-19 has disrupted the development pace of many photovoltaic enterprises. In the chaos, the performance of SOFARSOLAR is eye-catching. April’s export data shows thatSOFARSLOAR has leapt to the third place in the monthly list of inverter brand export amount in China, which has renewed the international market position of SOFARSOLAR. In the eyes of SOFARSOLAR, which is determined to focus on photovoltaic inverter with ingenuity and concentration, what is the impact of this epidemic on the industry and enterprises? Where is the future development direction of the industry? Where is the voyage of SOFARSOLAR in the second half of the fierce photovoltaic competition? In this regard, the reporter specially interviewed ZhongQizheng, Deputy General Manager of SOFARSOLAR. Fight against the epidemic, stabilize growth, and build a new inverter production line with an annual output of 500, 000 units. Craftsmen pay attention to "slow down, make the technology more proficient, and let the thought precipitate a little bit". Only by this way can we go more steadily and further.

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In the face of the "black swan" —COVID-19, SOFARSOLAR maintained its determination to be a "craftsman", moved forward steadily and stably, and worked hard to resolve the hammer caused by short-term fluctuations. "In this COVID-19 epidemic, SOFARSOLAR has done three things: to strengthen confidence against the epidemic, to get talents ready for battle, and to promote production with full fire." said ZhongQizheng, Deputy General Manager of SOFARSOLAR in interview. Since the beginning of the year, SOFARSOLAR has formulated a series of effective measures to realize the rapid improvement of production capacity after the resumption of work. At present, the storage centers at home and abroad have sufficient stocks to fully meet the demand of domestic and foreign markets. The financial data also reflects the steady progress of SOFARSOLAR. From January to May of 2020, the company realized a revenue of 370 million, an increase of 30% over the same period of last year. According to the latest statistics of China's inverter export data in April 2020, the export volume of SOFARSOLAR has leapt to the top three of Chinese enterprises!

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research & analysis This report card of increasing revenue against the trend stems from the pursuit of the ultimate craftsmanship quality in products and services of SOFARSOLAR. Spurring with long accumulation and keeping improvement have made SOFARSOLAR a different landscape. During the epidemic period, SOFARSOLAR was also actively exploring overseas markets. In addition to stabilizing major markets in Europe, it launched an "Ice Breaking Operation" in the Middle East and African markets. From February 25 to 27, it appeared at the Solar Photovoltaic Exhibition in Morocco, Africa; from March 3 to 5, itappeared in the Middle East International Power and Renewable Energy Exhibition. These series of actionsare so valuableduring the epidemicthat international customers can see how much hard SOFARSOLARworks. At the same time, SOFARSOLAR is still doing more to prepare for the future. In May, it has completed the construction of the full-automatic production line of high-power inverter above 100kW and the full-automatic packaging production line of energy storage battery. The new production lines can produce 500, 000 inverters and 20, 000 energy storage batteries annually, with an annual sales volume of 2 billion in the future. "In 2020, SOFARSOLAR should grasp the tail of photovoltaic subsidies at home and roll up its sleeves to work hard; in the international market, it should look at Europe and lay out the whole world." said Zhongqizheng, "the company gear up and are full of energy, striving to be the industry leader in the post epidemic era." As a high-tech enterprise specializing in the production, R & D and sales of photovoltaic grid connected inverter, energy storage inverter, battery and charging pile, SOFARSOLAR products have been exported to more than 60 countries and regions in the world now, ranking among the top 5 domestic series inverter brands. In addition, SOFARSOLAR industrial and commercial energy storage is widely used in communication base station, 5G, iron tower and other application scenarios, leading the world. With the continuous promotion of 5G base station construction and global application, SOFARSOLAR will usher in a broader market space. To meet the window period of photovoltaic storage development, SOFARSOLAR will be the first to lay out"New Blue Ocean". With the development of photovoltaic industry, Photovoltaic + supporting a variety of application modes has become one of the development directions. Among them, the combination of photovoltaic and energy storage has become the focus of the industry. More industry leaders said that "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage" will be the ultimate solution for future energy. According to the analysis of well-known foreign industry consulting agencies, it is expected that the global energy storage market will usher in an explosive period of growth in the next 5-10 years. "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage" is the most reliable and potential solution at present. While continuously improving the product matrix of photovoltaic grid connected inverter, SOFARSOLAR has continued to invest in the field of energy storage, and has become a photovoltaic manufacturing enterprise with the early successful layout of "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage". It has launched a series of energy storage products, such as AC coupling series energy storage inverter, grid-connectedand off-grid integrated machine, energy storage battery and other energy storage products, which are welcomed by the market. "In the post epidemic era, the window period of photovoltaic energy storage is gradually opening. As early as a few years ago, SOFARSOLAR began to lay out residential energy storage products, and it was also the first enterprise in China to develop AC coupling energy storage inverter products. We are very optimistic about the future of photovoltaic storage." saidZhongQizheng .

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Compared with the ordinary inverter, the AC coupling inverter of SOFARSOLAR can improve the existing photovoltaic system and build a new energy storage system. At the same time, it can also be compatible with other brands of inverters, other energy generation systems, and multiple types of batteries (lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries); its internal topology adopts LLC structure, which has the characteristics of safety isolation, high efficiency and reliability. The dual-core control (DoubleDSP) and intelligent monitoring (ARM) make the inverter realize intelligent management, and the machine operation statuscan be also monitored through APP. At present, this product of SOFARSOLAR has been applied in many foreign countries, with tens of thousands of units shipped. New energy storage products of SOFARSOLAR in 2020: The high voltage and low voltage series batteries of 4-20kW three-phase energy storage inverter will be released in the near future. The new product is mainly oriented to the global market. Both grid-connected and off-grid systems can be built into a multi complementary energy generation microgrid system with the help of this new product to realize photovoltaic self-use and residual power storage, andarbitrage by combining energy storage peak and valley to maximize economic benefits and effectively mitigate the load impact on the distribution grid. With the support of policy, "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage" has gradually been at the forefront in the stage of entering the subsidy-free affordable photovoltaic industry. At present, several provinces have successively issued wind power and photovoltaic power generation construction plans and application requirements in 2020. Among them, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Hunan and other provinces have proposed to give priority to supporting new energy power generation projects with energy storage. The development window period of "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage" has opened. In the post epidemic era, the competition in the completely market-oriented photovoltaic industry will be more intense. When the window of "Photovoltaic + Energy Storage"is opened, the "Blue Ocean" will become the "Red Sea". SOFARSOLAR, which has already been arranged ahead of schedule to compete in the front row of the "Photovoltaic Storage" track, is bound to be a body position ahead of its competitors after firing the gun.

In this competition of photovoltaicnew blue ocean, what kind of wonderful "new voyage" will be opened by SOFARSOLAR with ingenuity and steady development, and we will wait and see!

JULY- 2020

57Â

research & analysis

Gallium-dopedmonocrystalline silicon–Best solution for LeTID and LID in PERC cells The next big thing in the PV industry? Solar has become the lowest cost electricity source in more and more locations globally. According to the latest report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) generated by large scale solar plants is around $0.068 per kWh, compared to $0.378 per kWh ten years ago. Between 2018 and 2019 alone, the price droppedby 13.1 percent.

his has been made possibledue to the emergence of high efficiency, low cost technologies such as PERC, PERT and bifacial modules. Of these, PERC is a mature technology with a relatively simple process and therefore benefits from low cost of ownership. With PERC technology, a record cell efficiency of 24.06 percent was reached by LONGi (January 2019). While record efficiencies are good, what counts more are conversion efficiency averages in volume production and efficiency stability over time.Technology experts have often pointed out the challenge that PERC technology faces in early days with regard to the potential degradation effects. LONGi understood the challenge early on and started research and testing to address the issue of Light Induced Degradation (LID) in PERC cellsand modules quite early on in order to prevent degradation issues and offer the best quality modules to its customers. LID is generally considered as caused by boron-oxygen complex formed under light illumination, which reduces solar cell efficiency and power. To mitigate LID, we can either reduce oxygen concentration in wafer or replace Boron (B) with other dopants, such as Gallium (Ga). Research carried out jointly by ISFH and LONGi has demonstrated Ga-doping and low oxygen wafer are effective, as demonstrated in figure:

Throughthorough research and testing, LONGi’s technology experts concluded that LID and LeTID problems could be effectively solved by using gallium-doped monocrystalline silicon wafers in combination with cell process control, without the need for regeneration (light injection or electrical injection) treatment. Compared with boron-doped silicon wafer, gallium-doped silicon wafer can improve the efficiency of PERC cells to some extent.There is no boron-oxygen complex in gallium-doped PERC cells, so there is not the usual phenomenon of boron-oxygen LID. In a recent white papertitled “Gallium-doped monocrystalline silicon fully solves the problem of a PERC module’s LID”, released by LONGi, the PV technology providerhas summarizedits findingson the subject, supported by related studies. Research strongly indicates that application of gallium-doped silicon wafers can effectively mitigate the initial LID from which cells using boron-doped p-type silicon wafers have long suffered.

Key features of LONGi’s test LONGi team conducted a LID Test of Gallium-doped and Borondoped PERC cells. The test used LONGi’s bifacial PERC cells (which had the cell efficiency of about 22.7 per cent). Following is part of the test scheme including the test item, and type and quantity of cells: 1sun, 75°C – 7boron-doped cells; 10 gallium-doped cells ×10suns, >100°C – 5 gallium-doped cells

Test results 1sun, 75°C: In order to fully reflect the LeTID, LONGi’s mass produced cell adopted a test temperature of 75°C. Figure below shows the 264h test results at 1sun, 75°C. The boron-doped cell degrades to a maximum of 2.3 per cent at 8hours and then recovers to a stable value of 1.3 per cent at 96hours. The degradation value of galliumdoped cells is basically stable at 96hours, which is 1.2 per cent, and then slowly degraded to 1.3 per cent (216hours) and then recovered slightly.

Impact of Ga-doping and low oxygen on cell efficiency With process optimization at ingot pulling and cell manufacturing, solar cells made with Ga doped wafers demonstrated efficiency improvement of 0.06-0.12% (abs.) comparing to B doped wafers. In the last few years, another solar cell/module efficiency degradation phenomenon has caught everyone’s attention, light and elevated temperature induced degradation, aka LeTID. LeTID is believed to be caused by interaction between metal impurity and hydrogen in wafers. With Ga doped wafers, it is easier to control LeTID on solar cells, as there is no need to introduce excessive hydrogen in cell processing to mitigate LID as required for B doped wafers.

JULY- 2020

×10suns, >100°C: The LeTID process can be accelerated by adopting ×10suns, >100°C. The test results of gallium-doped PERC cells under this method are shown in Figure 3. Using this test method, the gallium-doped cell also experienced a process of first degrading and then returning to stability. The degradation reached the maximum value of 1.05 per cent at 5minute and began to stabilize at a fairly low level of 0.3 per cent at 90minutes.

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research & analysis

Accelerated LID Test Results of Gallium-doped Bifacial PERC Cells

Related studies also support LONGi’s test results Tine U. Naerland from Azizona State University (along with other researchers) studied the minority carrier lifetime degradation of indium-doped, gallium-doped and boron-doped silicon wafers without impurities at room temperature 25°C, as shown in Figure below:

Minority Carrier Lifetime Degradation of Indium-doped, Galliumdoped and Boron-doped Silicon Wafers at Low-Temperature (25°C) Light Conditions

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It can be seen that the minority carrier lifetime of gallium-doped silicon wafers basically maintains a constant value of about 300μs after 104s light exposure, while those of boron-doped and indiumdoped silicon wafers degrade continuously and greatly. Therefore, under low-temperature light conditions, the gallium-doped silicon wafer is relatively stable and basically has no degradation. However, in the case of actual outdoor exposure, the working temperature of the cell will exceed 60°C, and the gallium-doped cell will also have a certain degree of LeTID under the action of temperature. Her research clearly supplements LONGi’s test results of the LID of gallium-doped PERC cells and regenerated boron-doped PERC cells at different temperatures. Another related research has been made by Nicholas Grant and John Murphy from the University of Warwick who recently studied the viability of indium doping and found that its relatively deep acceptor level limits its potential. “Gallium doped silicon has demonstrated very stable and high lifetimes when subject to extended illumination. There have also not been any known detrimental recombination active defects,”said Grant in a recent interaction with a leading solar industry journal.The application of gallium-doped silicon wafers can effectively mitigate the initial LID from which cells using boron-doped p-type silicon wafers have long suffered. Hence, gallium-doped silicon does not require the additional stabilization steps used to mitigate degradation, unlike the boron-doped status quo. The average efficiency of gallium-doped cells is 0.09% higher than that of boron-doped cells. “My team performed stabilization testing and no significant degradation of the PERC solar cells utilizing gallium-doped silicon substrate was observed,” he said. “In contrast, we did observe significant degradation for an equivalent PERC solar cell with a boron-doped silicon substrate under the same experimental conditions.”

JULY- 2020

electric vehicle

The Microgrid Solution:

Transforming EV Charging Station Infrastructure for the Future Stress on the Grid with the Rise of EVs

International electric vehicle (EV) ownership is expected to reach approximately 125 million units by 2030. It is therefore critical that energy providers and cities in general prepare for a considerable increase in demand for EV charging infrastructure. With many countries having already laid out plans to phase out internal combustion engines by 2050, governments are now offering incentives such as price subsidies and tax reductions to stimulate the EV market. [1] These trends will have a major impact on public infrastructure and current business models related to private mobility, mobility services, car sharing, public transport, and urban logistics. As the number of EVs increases, several key problems will inevitably arise. Unmanaged peak load from EV charging will place stress on current electricity grid infrastructure, which will be detrimental to both charging point operators (CPSs) and consumers, because it will lower the quality of charging services across the entire grid. Demand penalties intended to work around this problem will also increase operating costs for CPOs, and this will undoubtedly be passed onto the consumer.

There are two solutions to these problems.

First is the implementation of dynamic loading to the grid. While this will ease pressure on energy infrastructure, it may require considerable modification to charging stations and the grid. It will also invariably reshape electricity consumption patterns. Second is the installation of on-site energy storage systems. With the load shifted from the grid, this will postpone the need to upgrade key infrastructure. Coupled with green energy, this also presents a means for CPOs to significantly reduce their operating costs.

An Immediate Solution for EV Charging Stations: On-Site Energy Storage Systems From an operational standpoint, the primary problems faced by CPOs include determining a suitable approach to installing charging facilities at existing sites and finding a balance between operational efficiency and service quality. Overcoming these problems largely involves managing power distribution in the face of power capacity constraints while reducing the impact of power supply spikes on the grid. On-site energy storage systems offer an immediate solution. For CPOs, this presents an opportunity to optimize on-site energy efficiency while easing the stress placed on current energy infrastructure as the market adapts over time. Batteries can be charged during off-peak times to save on electricity costs, and then used to power EV chargers during peak periods to ensure the grid remains stable. In addition to reducing operating costs, on-site energy storage systems will ultimately allow CPOs to provide EV owners with improved charging facilities and build a level of consumer confidence that is needed to further drive the EV market.

60Â

JULY- 2020

The Emergence of Microgrids To further assisting in coping with the increase in power demand during peak times, the utilization of green energy sourcesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly solar powerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;can further enhance the implementation of dynamic energy management and installation of on-site energy storage systems. Suitable energy management systems will allow green energy, such as from solar power, to be stored in on-site batteries and then leveraged so that EVs can still be charged when electricity prices are high during peak times. This means that CPOs need draw power from the grid only when it is more economical to do so. This will be critical not only in reducing the impact of EV charging on the grid, but also in striking a balance between operating costs and service quality.

While construction of this infrastructure will be crucial in urban areas, it also opens up new possibilities for building EV charging stations in more remote locations, such as on intercity roads or in smaller towns where the upgrade of key infrastructure is not as economically feasible. The benefits of this approach are clear. Utilizing green energy and dynamic energy management at EV charging stations will reduce energy costs for CPOs while having a positive impact on the environment. It will also ensure that grid stability will be maintained under increased power demand during peak periods, effectively transforming EV charging stations into microgrids.

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electric vehicle

Benefits of Modular Design A future-proof solution for

EV Charging Stations For electric vehicle (EV) charging station operators, future-proofing their investment rests largely in building up the right infrastructure. The key to this is adopting a charging infrastructure with a modular design.

espite there being over 170,000 EV charging stations in Europe and more than 20,000 in the United States, there is still a long way to go. Also, given that many technologies eventually become obsolete, there is considerable risk when investing in chargers because the capital costs are so high. As such, the problems faced by EV charging stations are not only complex, but they’re extremely expensive. This is complicated by the fact a truly viable business model is yet to be established for EV charging stations. In this regard, major considerations for operators are maintenance efficiency, charger uptime/availability, and the initial capital cost of setting up an EV station.

The small footprint of the Delta DC charger not only makes installation easier, but it also frees up space and allows charging stations to be more agile in responding to market conditions and also in future upgrades. The simple fact is that charging infrastructure need to become widely available for drivers to be more willing to adopt EVs, and these developments are critical to future growth for this emerging green industry. The key to future-proofing such investments, however, is to adopt a modular, multi-standard design.

Maintenance Efficiency Delta’s series of DC chargers is a sensible choice for EV charging stations because it requires minimal maintenance for continuous operation. Perhaps more importantly, in periodically maintenance or the rare event that servicing is required, maintenance can be performed by a single technician. With various network connectivity options, remote upgrades and maintenance are even possible over the air. There’s no need for special equipment for maintenance personnel to handle the charger’s power modules, as they are extremely lightweight and easy to handle in comparison to those found in other EV chargers.

Charger Uptime/Availability One of the key benefits of the modular design of Delta’s DC chargers is that it minimizes downtime and maximizes availability. Even if one power module fails, the charger can still be operated at a reduced power capacity. With easy maintenance, however, this shortfall can be fixed easily. The versatile interface design of Delta’s DC chargers allows for stations to be set up in a way that is most practical for the situation (e.g., island, star, or parking lot configurations). This assists in preventing queuing and ensures that EV drivers can charge their EV and be on their way with minimal fuss. Furthermore, support for CHAdeMO, CCS1, CCS2 connectors for DC power means that Delta’s DC chargers are available for any EV currently on the market.

Initial Capital Expenditure Perhaps the greatest benefit of being able to share power capacity across multiple EVs from a single charger is the reduction in startup costs. Not only is it more economical to have to purchase only one charger for servicing multiple EVs, but there are massive savings on installation costs (e.g., connecting to transformer substations, installing cabling, purchasing construction materials, and the cost of labor). It also leaves space for charging stations to scale up in the future without having to spend more on redesigning the layout of the station.

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JULY- 2020

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