EQ Magazine May 2017 Edition by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

OWNER :

FirstSource Energy INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

PLACE OF PUBLICATION :

95-C, Sampat Farms, Bicholi Mardana Distt-Indore 452016, Madhya Pradesh, INDIA Tel. + 91 96441 22268 Tel. + 91 96441 33319

www.EQMagPro.com

EDITOR & CEO :

ANAND GUPTA anand.gupta@EQmag.net

PUBLISHER :

ANAND GUPTA

PRINTER :

ANAND GUPTA

TRENDS & ANALYSIS

SAUMYA BANSAL GUPTA saumya.gupta@EQmag.net

PUBLISHING COMPANY DIRECTORS: ANIL GUPTA

ANITA GUPTA

CONSULTING EDITOR : SURENDRA BAJPAI

HEAD-SALES & MARKETING : GOURAV GARG gourav.garg@EQmag.net

SUBSCRIPTIONS :

ASHISH HARDIA ashish.eq@gmail.com

DESIGN & GRAPHIC DIRECTOR : ANKIT PANDEY (Sahil)

DESIGNER :

ANAND VADIYA

PRINTING PRESS :

PARTH PRINTING, INDORE

Disclaimer,Limitations of Liability

C ONTEN T

VOLUME 9 Issue # 5

30 POLICY & REGULATION UNCERTAINTY IN COMPETITIVE BIDDING AND REGULATORY POWER OF THE COMMISSION

ENERGY STORAGE

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) – Is India Ready ?

50 SOLAR INVERTER Huawei Collaborates in Building an Allsmart PV Ecosystemy

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 thirdparty content or error,omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material ,nor is it responsible for the availability of external web sites or their contents

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

INDIA

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurates 78 MWp Solar PV project by Rays Power Infra in the state

IREDA plans to raise up to $300 mn via overseas borrowing

INTERVIEW Large investors are looking at the Renewable Energy space for investments : Mr. Rajeev Kapoor, Secretary, MNRE

INTERVIEW

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

New Experiments Needed In Renewables: Mr. Ashvini Kumar, MD, Solar Energy Corp.

EES & EV'S

EVS To Be Introduced On Mass Scale Within Three Years

42 RENEWABLE ENERGY India’s Power Struggle And The Emergence Of Renewable Energy

59 SNEC VISIT 2017 Huawei Visit Of Mr.Anand Gupta, Editor EQ Magazine

with Mr. James, Head of Sales for SEA & India, GoodWe Power Supply Techn. Co. Ltd

FEATURED NEWS CleanMax Solar to set up 300 Mw solar power capacity this fiscal

SOLAR ROOFTOP PV MANUFACTURING

PV MANUFACTURING

Heraeus Photo-voltaics releases new generations of high-efficient metallization pastes at SNEC 2017 in Shanghai

JA Solar’s Cumulative Module Shipments to India Reach 1GW

Tata Cleantech Capital funds the largest private solar rooftop system in Mumbai Plans to fund in projects that will generate around 10 GW of energy in next 2-3 years

with Mr.William Zhou, Vice President, Sungrow

EQ NEWS Pg. 09-29 PRODUCT Pg. 60-79

/GSL1000/GSL1250

Shenzhen KSTAR New Energy Co., Ltd.

Tel : +91 7838550852 E-mail : indiaofﬁce@kstar.com.cn Website: www.kstarpower.com 10

May 2017

Stock code

002518

www.EQMagPro.com

PV MANUFACTURING

GCL-Poly plans USD823m polysilicon capacity expansion GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd (HKG:3800) announced today it plans to build a polysilicon production complex in the Xinjiang provincial-level autonomous region of China with a total capacity of 60,000 tonnes.

he company expects to invest a total of CNY 5.68 billion (USD 823m/EUR 789m) in the project, which involves the construction of new plants with a combined annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes and the relocation of existing facilities from Xuzhou.

GCL-Poly Energy will finance CNY 2 billion of the total investment, corresponding to the registered capital of the project company, with internal resources. The balance will be financed by debt. The company is currently holding talks with parties interested in investing in this project, it said.

GCL-Poly Energy expects to complete the first 20,000-tonne facility by the second quarter of 2018 and to finalise the other plant of the same capacity by the end of that year. The relocation of the remaining 20,000-tonne facility from Xuzhou should be carried out as part of the third phase of the project. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.

The firm believes that upon the completion of the entire project, its annual polysilicon production capacity will reach 115,000 tonnes. (CNY 1.0 = USD 0.145/EUR 0.136) Source:PTI

PV MANUFACTURING

Jolywood and Heraeus Photovoltaics form new R&D cooperation on future high efficiency n-type metallization solutions Heraeus Photovoltaics, a leading provider of technology and service solutions for the renewable energy industry, and Jolywood, a leading manufacturer of advanced solar cell technologies, signed a strategic R&D cooperation agreement to develop next generation metallization solutions for n-type mono bifacial solar cells to significantly improve performance and costs efficiencies.

olywood pioneers the PV-industry in high efficient n-type mono solar cells for bifacial glass/glass-module applications. It awarded Heraeus Photovoltaics last year as its preferred paste supplier as the company focuses on high efficiency mono solar cell architectures. The innovative n-type paste solutions for frontside and backside metallization provided by Heraeus enables

Mr.Lin Jianwei, Chairman of Jolywood, highlighted, “Jolywood is a pioneer in the photovoltaic industry and engaged in such fields as backboards, cells, and power plant investment. Especially in Type-N high-performance mono doublesided cells, we offer huge advantages. To further develop our leading technologies, we are developing strong cooperations with high-quality partners like Heraeus Photovoltaics.” Mr. Liu Yong, General Manager of Jolywood said, “Since the establishment of Jolywood, we have been dedicated to exploring the cutting-edge technologies of the industry. The silver paste for the front and back side provided by Heraeus Photovoltaic supported the mass production of Jolywood Type N double-sided cells last year. By our development cooperation we hope to continuously increase the conversion efficiency of bifacial cells.”

May 2017

21% frontside and 19% backside cell efficiencies in mass production. Under the agreement, both companies share a close cooperation regarding the development of silver pastes and a strong supply relationship to further enhance the efficiencies of bi-facial n-type mono cells, which have started becoming an industry trend

Mr.Andreas Liebheit, President Heraeus Photovoltaics, comments, “We are very happy to see Heraeus Photovoltaics and Jolywood jointly driving innovations in the PV industry. Our cooperation is another good example how our technology leadership helps our customers to overcome the performance and cost challenges of cutting-edge solar cell technologies.” Mr. Weiming Zhang, Chief Technology Officer, Heraeus Photovoltaics Global Business Units, adds, “The n-type mono double-sided cell currently produced by Jolywood adopts the whole set of our SOL9360A new generation n-type metallizing platform. Our cooperation marks a solid foundation to further drive joint innovation of next generation metallization solutions for high-efficiency solar cell technologies.”

www.EQMagPro.com

INDIA

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurates 78 MWp Solar PV project by Rays Power Infra in the state Following the successful commissioning of its 78 MWp Solar PV project recently, Rays Power Infra has now inaugurated the plant in the state of Uttarakhand.

Vikram Solar commissions 20MW Solar Power Project for Jindal Aluminum in Karnataka Vikram Solar, the globally recognized leading PV module and EPC solutions provider on Wednesday announced the commissioning of a 20 MW Solar Power Project in the state of Karnataka for Jindal Aluminum Ltd. Bangalore.

eing nestled in Bavihalu, in the Davangere district (about 240Kms from Bangalore), the project is part of the State Government’s plans to develop 1200 MW (AC) of Solar Power Projects for the state which will be implemented in 60 Taluks. Sprawling in a land coverage area of 96.99 Acre, the power generation capacity of this plant is 23000 KWP. For the project, Vikram Solar has used 73040 modules with 315wp capacity each, offering grid connectivity of 66KV to the Mayakonda Sub Station. Vikram Solar will further provide O&M services for the project for a period of five years. The project is expected to reduce carbon footprint to the tune of 32.3 metric tons annually. Source:ANI

May 2017

ollowing the successful commissioning of its 78 MWp Solar PV project recently, Rays Power Infra has now inaugurated the plant in the state of Uttarakhand. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat honored the inauguration of Rays Power Infra’s plant in his state. Expressing his gratitude,

Mr. Sanjay Garudapally, Co-founder & Director, Rays Power Infra, said, “This is yet another moment of great pride and honor for all of us here at Rays Power Infra. We started the project in the last week of November 2016 and accomplished the same in record period of 90 days. That’s not all; we not only inaugurated the plant, but also ready to appease major power necessities in the industrial areas of Bhagwanpur and Roorkee. Furthermore, what adds to our excitement is the fact that the vision and the mission of our organization coincides so well with the bottom line of the MNRE.” “I would also like thank Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat for showing his support towards the cause of renewable energy and honoring us with his presence and inaugurating our plant in his state.” He added. The project is one of the superior projects by Rays Power Infra, where local farmers have been made stakeholders by giving them a source of livelihood. Instead of forcing farmers to sell their land, Rays Power Infra has devised a unique model, where farmers can also become a part of the project. More than 1000 farmers will acquire direct and indirect benefits from this project by receiving a constant monthly source of income for more than 25 years. Furthermore, through this model, the company has created a land bank of more than 2000 acres, where it can implement more than 500 MW. This has enabled them to single handedly accomplish 100% RPO of the state for the next five years.

www.EQMagPro.com

INDIA

ReNew Power commissions 143 MW solar farm in Telangana ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd, a renewable energy independent power producer, announced the commissioning of its 143 MW solar farm in Dichpally in Nizamabad district of Telangana.

arm was inaugurated by G. Jagadish Reddy, Telangana Minister for Energy, a release said. Reddy said the state government is committed to providing good quality clean power to the industry and people. Sumant Sinha, Chairman and CEO of ReNew Power said, over the next few months, the company will have an installed capacity of 510 MW solar power projects in Telangana and the to-

tal investment will cross Rs 3,700 crore. The Dichpally solar farm is the largest solar plant in Telangana and the first one to use tracker technology at such a large scale, which increases the power generation by 15-20 percent, a company official claimed. It was commissioned in a record time of 15 months; 3 months ahead of the schedule, he further claimed. Source:PTI

INDIA

Hartek Power bags over 1-GW solar grid EPC projects in 2016-17, records 733 pc increase in order size

RaysExperts commissions 5.5 MW Solar project for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Having exceeded its target of connecting 500-MW solar projects to the grid, Hartek Power, one of India’s fastest growing Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies based in Chandigarh, has bagged 1,025-MW solar grid EPC orders in 2016-17, thus registering a phenomenal increase of 733% as compared to the company’s order size in the previous year when it had secured just 123-MW orders.

T 16

May 2017

he 1,025-MW solar grid EPC projects won by the company, which mark an eightfold increase as compared to the company’s order size in 2015-16, include 30 substation projects of up to 220 KV spread across 10 states, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. Specialising in executing high-voltage turnkey substations and power infrastructure projects, Hartek Power will provide complete turnkey solutions for these projects and execute post-inverter works covering the design, engineering, supply, installation, automation and commissioning of the power plant electrification. A 100-MW order of 220-KV class in Telangana is the most prestigious project bagged by Hartek Power this year. As a backward integration strategy, the Hartek Group also has its own manufacturing division, which makes power distribution products catering to its own projects and to the requirements of industries, utilities and independent power producers, like mediumvoltage switchboard panels,

RaysExperts, India’s leading innovative solar solutions provider and one of the largest solar power EPC & Development companies, announced that it has commissioned a 5.5 MV solar project for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). This will be one of the largest distributed rooftop solar plants setup across India. Commenting on the project, Rahul Gupta, Founder, RaysExperts said, “Delhi Metro is the 12th largest public metro system in the world, serving a total of 160 stations spanning across 213 kilometers, and helping 3 million commuters daily. However, this kind of infrastructure also consumes huge amount of electricity and a major share from the city’s electrical grid consumption. As a consequence, it accounts for a large amount of CO2 gas emissions, and also becomes costlier with each passing year. Thus, to alleviate such concerns, we were compelled to find an alternative source that can optimize DMRC’s power consumption, and in the process, reduce its carbon footprint. The power generated from our solar installation system has the potential to offset 7200 Tonnes CO2 every year.”

he entire power plant is spread across 42 different roofs. The largest installed system has a capacity of 725 KWp, while the average capacity is 131 KWp. Association with DMRC makes.

www.EQMagPro.com

INDIA

Tata Cleantech Capital eyes Rs 5,500 cr asset book by FY19 Tata Cleantech Capital (TCCL) is looking at growing its asset book to around Rs 5,500 crore by fiscal 2019, with nearly USD 120 billion debt funds expected to flow into the renewable energy space in the next five years.

CCL, a joint venture between Tata Capital and International Finance Corporation, currently has an asset/loan book size of Rs 2,400 crore. It has funded over 80 renewable energy projects, including wind, solar and small hydro and biomass, with a total capacity of 3,500 MW. “We are largely focused on funding clean energy projects and the government’s vision of 175 GW of renewable power capacity by 2022 gives us an immense opportunity.” “It is estimated that USD 120 billion of debt fund will be required for these projects and this gives us the hope that we will be able to increase our exposure to nearly Rs 5,500 crore by FY19,” the company’s Chief Executive Manish Chourasia told PTI here. He said for the current fiscal, the company is expecting to nearly double its loan book to Rs 4,000 crore.

“Our primary focus is to fund similar quality renewable assets and we expect to participate in the funding of around 10,000 MW generation capacity over next 2-3 years,” He said though in the current portfolio of renewable energy projects wind-based generation has a larger share, going forward solar (both ground mounted and rooftop) will grow considering the number of projects being undertaken under various schemes of state and Central governments.

Recently, TCCL funded a 450 kW solar rooftop project set up by Avesta Solar at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in the megapolis. TCCL disbursed a total of Rs 2.36 crore for this project. The company is also exploring funding options for energy efficiency as well as water sector projects. “There are two segments in this energy efficiency space — green buildings and LED lighting. We are also looking at certain infrastructure projects like roads, power transmission sectors and as and when there is good opportunity, we will fund them,” he said. Chourasia said the company is also looking at providing financial and technocommercial advisory services to international firms looking to set up projects in India. “We are scaling up our expertise to provide financial and techno-commercial advisory services to international firms on how to set up the projects and how to bid for it. So our expansion will happen through the growth of our loan book and also through the advisory business,” he added.

May 2017

IREDA plans to raise up to $300 mn via overseas borrowing

State-run Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) today said it will raise up to USD 300 million in the next 18 months from overseas. “We have already filed our application. We will be filing for medium-term note programme in London (stock exchange) as well as in Singapore (stock exchange). We will be raising USD 150300 million on both the exchanges,”

IREDA Chairman K S Popli

The company will raise a part of the amount, around USD 100 million, in 2-3 months, he said, adding that the entire money raised will be utilised for lending. “100 million (dollar) we would raise soon and total amount we will raise within a year and half,” he said. On IPO, “I am still waiting for getting approval. I would not like to comment on it right now.”Thanks to its unmatched expertise in global energy market and policy analysis, the IEA can support India’s efforts and collaborate in its energy transition. With India, the IEA’s growing family now accounts for about 70% of the world’s total energy consumption. The other IEA Association countries are China, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Morocco.

he company had last month said it will sanction Rs 13,000 crore for clean energy projects in this fiscal in the country, vying for around 20 per cent of the loan market share. IREDA has sanctioned around Rs 37,000 crore of credit for clean energy projects in the country so far and has released around Rs 28,000 crore to developers, which aids generation capacity of around 7,000 MW. IREDA is a public Limited government company established as a non-banking financial institution in 1987. It promotes and extends financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy.

Source:PTI

www.EQMagPro.com

INDIA

SB Energy commissions 350 MW solar project in Andhra Pradesh

SB Energy Holdings announced the commencement of commercial operation of its 350 MW solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh. t is the first operational solar power plant delivered under the Solar Parks scheme of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission,” SB Energy Holdings Ltd said in a statement. The plant commenced operations on March 29, 2017 and was completed 51 days ahead of the scheduled date agreed in the PPA (power purchase agreement), the statement added. SB Energy is a three-way joint venture between Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp, Bharti Enterprises and Taiwan-based design, and manufacturing services provider Foxconn Technology Group. The power plant has been designed and developed by SB Energy using the latest technology and will supply power at an agreed tariff of Rs 4.63/kWh. It has the capacity to produce electricity for over 7 lakh Indian households and is connected to the grid at 400K/V.

Mr. Manoj Kohli, Executive Chairman at SB Energy said in the statement, “This project will contribute substantially to the Prime Minister’s vision of meeting the country’s energy demands through clean renewable power.

” Raman Nanda, CEO, SB Energy said, “This is our first step towards powering India’s growth with clean energy, and we hope to contribute much more in the future.” In support of the solar and renewable energy mission of the Government of India, SB Energy is committed to build 20GW of capacity, it said.

INDIA

Amaranto sets up Indian solar investment arm, acquires 110MW project

Italy-based renewable energy firm Amaranto Group has launched an investment vehicle dedicated to acquiring PV projects in India and has secured exclusive rights to purchase a 110MW solar project in the West of the country for around US$80 million.

taly-based renewable energy firm Amaranto Group has launched an investment vehicle dedicated to acquiring PV projects in India and has secured exclusive rights to purchase a 110MW solar project in the West of the country for around US$80 million. The new arm named Amaranto Solar Power India aims to raise US$100 million in the first half of 2017, with a further US$200m by year end. It is targeting the acquisition of 500MW by around 2018. For the 110MW plant, which was tendered by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), Amaranto will act as general contractor via its own EPC company Energia Prima. It will also act as co-investor and industrial operator of the plant providing O&M and asset management activities.

The new Indian vehicle is sponsored by London-based Amaranto Global Asset Management (GAM) and will be headed by Rodolfo Bigolin, the firm’s man-

aging partner and chief executive. Bigolin told PV Tech that the firm has

another 200MW of projects under due diligence. Its aim is to participate in tenders, go into private power purchase agreements (PPAs), and acquire thirdparty developments.

Antonello Amoroso, Amaranto Group CEO and founder, said: “This is another

big step forward in our global expansion; many others will follow in the near future. In an always challenging market, boldness and the perseverance always rewards the best projects.” Amaranto has been active in India since 2016 through a joint venture with CPEC Energy with offices in New Delhi, aiming to develop and build 500MW of solar PV projects in various Indian states over the next three to four years.

May 2017

Heraeus Photovoltaics wins EGing Photovoltaic Technology for new Knotless™ screen metallization paste

leading provider of technology and service solutions for the renewable energy industry, won EGing Photovoltaic Technology as the first major customer for its SOL9641BX Knotless™ screen metallization paste, providing efficiency gains and performance stability whilst at the same time reducing the usage of metallization paste. EGing became the first integrated photovoltaic manufacturer worldwide using Knotless™ screen printing in mass production of c-Si solar cells. In 2016 the company started investing in knotless printing when building additional production capacities for mono-PERC cells. In early 2017 Heraeus successfully adopted its latest product platform SOL9641B, which provides superior metallization contact on ultra-lightly-doped-emitters, to meet EGing‘s specific requirements for Knotless™ screen printing. The resulting SOL9641BX Knotless™ screen metallization paste provides efficiency gains and performance stability at a lower cost. Apart from the product performance, EGing chooses Heraeus because of its strong R&D and process optimization capabilities as well as of the comprehensive training program provided to EGing engineers and operators.

Dr. Kaisheng Zhang, Technical Director, EGing, comments: “In mass production SOL9641BX shows a metallization contact resistance superior to competing products. The 0.1% cell efficiency gain we achieved boosts the performance of our modules up to 310W. By combining SOL9641BX and further optimized production processes, we expect an even higher power output of our mono-PERC modules.” Dr. Weiming Zhang, Chief Technology Officer, Heraeus Photovoltaics. “With the partnership between EGing and Heraeus, our SOL9641BX Knotless™ paste realizes the full advantages of Knotless™ screens”, adds ”As technology leader in metallization paste we were able to drive the innovation of this product in a very short timeframe.”

www.EQMagPro.com

PV Manufacturing

Heraeus Photovoltaics releases new generations of high-efficient metallization pastes at SNEC 2017 in Shanghai Five new silver pastes guarantee substantial efficiency boosts for established and emerging solar cell technologies

eraeus Photovoltaics, the worldwide leading supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry releases five new metallization pastes at the 11th SNEC International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference & Exhibition 2017 in Shanghai and continues to provide solar cell manufacturers with high-efficient solutions for different solar cell technologies.

Unrivalled efficiency boost for PERC cells with SOL9641B

N-type 9360A – higher efficiency, less paste usage

n mono- and multi-crystalline ULDE and PERC cells Heraeus’ brand new SOL9641B series with improved finger geometry helps boosting efficiencies significantly by up to 0.2%. Better metallization contact and less shading enable this efficiency boost. The metallization paste demonstrates superior contact behavior on demanding emitters such as ultra-lightly doped emitters (ULDE). In addition, the organic vehicle system for ultra-fine line printing has been improved. A unique glass frit developed and produced by exclusively Heraeus Photovoltaics enables a wider firing window toward lower temperature side. It is tailored to the low temperature processing needs of PERC solar cells and can be paired with the award winning SOL326 PERC backside paste to realize higher efficiencies and mass production yield.

he SOLA9360A breakthrough p+ emitter metallization paste for ntype cells offers excellent contact formation as well as improved fine line screen printing capabilities, especially on high mesh, thinner wire screens and 28 µm screen openings. Due to reduced finger width, an efficiency gain of 0.1% can be achieved. Customers have also confirmed higher efficiencies with significantly less past usage, which translates into a significant reduction in a cell’s cost per watt. In addition, the n-type SOL9360A provides reduced contact and line resistivity as well as minimized metallization damage and a higher fill factor (0.42) due to high aspect ratio. The metallization paste is available as double print package in combination with 9622B.

All the advantages with the double-print packages 9642A and 9642B

volutionally upgraded double print packages 9642A and 9642B carry all the advantages of the SOL9641A and 9641B platforms. Outstanding efficiency gain of up to 0.1% enabled through improved double-print Ultrafine-line (UFL) printability with higher aspect ratio. The double-print package also boasts a “zero” EL defect in mass production and is also an A+A’ and A+Bsolution for higher Fill-Factor and Voc. The SOL9642A package with excellent adhesion is tailored for mono and multi black silicon wafers as well as PERC. The 9642B package features a perfectly balanced metallization contact and passivation damage as well as low firing temperatures, making it compatible with mono PERC.

9641A for challenging black silicon solar cells

he nano-structured black-silicon texturing surface is challenging for metallization pastes. Heraeus Photovoltaics offers with 9641A for black silicon a specially re-designed formula, which features a unique glass chemistry and fine-tuned organic media matching to fit to the particular surface morphology of black silicon. It provides an optimal amount of silver crystallites on the silicon surfaces for a well-balanced metallization contact and Voc. Furthermore it features superior adhesion and reliability and a wide firing window, which makes 9641A black silicon specifically suitable for PERC colar cells.

May 2017

SOL9641AX/BX – made for knotless screen printing technologies

he new SOL9641AX/BX series is designed to realize the full advantages of knotless printing screens, also known as zero degree mesh screens. Different from the conventional wire mesh this emerging technology gives the paste more room to pass through. The printability of SOL9641AX/BX has been perfectly tailored to this specific requirements of knotless screens. It features a unique paste rheology, enabling a significant higher aspect ratio on ultra-fine-line fingers compared to conventional paste used for knotless screens. An outstanding 0.1% efficiency gain can be achieved and the pastes are perfectly suited also for black silicon texturing.

“Metallization pastes are the core competency at Heraeus Photovoltaics. Since years we partner with our customer to achieve significant leaps in efficiency and we continue to do so with a new generation of metallization pastes for different solar cell technologies. With our high-efficient solutions and services, we play an important role in making renewable energies the cheapest energy source in the near future,” says Andreas Liebheit, President of Heraeus Photovoltaics.

“As the technology leader in metallization solutions we present an impressive line-up of innovative products at this year’s SNEC, making it the biggest launch program in the history of our company. All of our new products have the common goal to significantly enhance the overall efficiencies of our customers whilst at the same time lowering the costs per Watt,” comments Dr. Weiming Zhang, Chief Technology Officer, Heraeus Photovoltaics.

www.EQMagPro.com

BUSINESS & FINANCE

NTPC Masala Bond, 2017 NTPC Limited (NTPC), the largest power generating company in India, priced its second INR denominated 5 year Masala Bonds offering for Rs. 2000 crores, in the international markets on 25th April 2017, becoming the only State Owned Enterprise to tap Masala Bonds market twice.

ffering under the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s US$ 4 billion Medium Term Note (MTN) programme since it was set up in 2006, taking the cumulative amount raised under the programme to US $ 3.46 billion (approx.). Given the strong credentials of NTPC in the International Bond Market, the issue was oversubscribed with participation of more than 40 accounts and based on the strong order book the Notes have been successfully priced at a coupon of 7.25% payable annually. The 5 year Senior Unsecured RegS Masala Bonds of NTPC have been issued at the lowest yield for any Masala bond by an Indian issuer till date and have been priced within AAA Corporate Bonds of equivalent tenor in domestic market.

In terms of geographical distribution, Asia took the bulk of the transaction at 83% EU area at 14% and US Offshore 3%. In terms of investor types â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Central Bank / Sovereign Wealth Funds comprised 50%, Asset Managers/ Fund Managers 30%, Banks 14% and Private Banks 6%. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the issue to finance its ongoing and new power projects within India. Axis Bank, Barclays Bank, ICICI, MUFG, and Standard Chartered Bank were the bookrunners for the offering. These bonds shall be listed at Singapore Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange.

FEATURED NEWS

Sebi finalises norms for listing of green bonds Regulator Sebi has finalised norms for issuance and listing of green bonds, which will help in raising funds from capital markets for investment in the renewable energy space.

he rules have been finalised by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) after taking into account inputs from the finance and environment ministries, as also from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), a top official said. The final guidelines would be made public soon, he added. While Sebi had proposed a new framework for issuance and listing of green bonds more than a year ago, the final rules were hanging in balance as the regulator was awaiting response from various ministries and departments on proposed norms. The regulator has now received comments from the MNRE, while the inputs from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change were received earlier, the official added. A green bond is like any other debt instrument issued by an entity for raising funds from investors. However, what differentiates it from other bonds is that the proceeds are ear-marked for use towards financing green projects. As of now, there are no standard norms for green bonds. SEBI's board had considered and approval a proposal for issuance and listing of green bonds way back in January 2016 to help meet the huge financing requirements worth USD 2.5 trillion for climate change actions in India by 2030. Subsequently, the regulator had sent a copy of draft circular in this regard to the Ministry of Finance for inputs from the concerned government departments. Green bonds can be key to help meet an ambitious target India has of building 175 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which will require a massive estimated funding of USD 200 billion.

May 2017

The new norms would also help the investors take informed investment decisions and bring in uniformity in the disclosure requirements, SEBI had said after its board approved the proposal last year. Financing needs of renewable energy space in the country require new channels to be explored, which can also help in reducing the cost of the capital. Sebi had decided on the new norms after taking into account public comments to a draft paper issued by the regulator in this regard in December 2015. Issuance and listing of green bonds will be governed by the SEBI regulations for debt securities but the issuer of green bonds will have to make incremental disclosures. These norms would also provide for requirement of independent third party reviewer, certifier or validator for reviewing, certifying and validating the pre-issuance and post-issuance process, including project evaluation and selection criteria. However, this has been kept optional. The issuer will have to provide the details of systems and procedures to be employed for tracking the proceeds, the investments made and earmarked for eligible projects. The same would need to be verified by external auditors. According to Sebi, green bonds can help enhance an issuers reputation and attract a wider investor base, while benefiting the issuers in terms of better pricing of their bonds compared to a regular bond. Source:PTI

ReNew Power invests INR 6700 crore to double its capacity in one year to cross 2 GW

eNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd., India’s leading renewable energy Independent Power Producer, recently announced that the company has doubled its power generation capacity in a single year’s time to cross 2000 MW (2 GW). In the financial year 2016-17, the company has made investments of INR 6700 crore (approximately USD 1 billion) to add 430 MW of solar and 626 MW of wind capacity. ReNew Power has successfully grown to become one of the largest, fastest-growing and well-funded renewable energy companies in India. Over the last six years, the company has increased its capacity multifold – starting from 200 MW in FY 2011-2012 to 2GW as on March 31, 2017. “In April 2016, we were the first company in India to achieve 1 GW of commissioned renewable energy capacity. The doubling of capacity to 2 GW in one year is a testament of great teamwork coupled with our commitment to contributing roughly 10% to Government of India’s clean energy growth target. This milestone acquires special significance due to several reasons – our growth is organic, the capacity has doubled on a significant base of 1 GW, and we are committed to focus on high quality projects to create positive returns for our stakeholders,” said Sumant Sinha, Chairman and CEO, ReNew Power. With the vision to address the growing energy needs in an efficient, sustainable and socially responsible manner, ReNew Power has touched the lives of more than 1.38 lakh people through its corporate social responsibility efforts. The company’s currently commissioned projects will mitigate 110 million tons of Carbon Dioxide in their lifetime. ReNew Power was founded in 2011 by Sumant Sinha and has been a trusted and profitable investment proposition for marquee financiers across the globe like Goldman Sachs and Global Environment Fund in the US; Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in the Middle East; and Asian Development Bank and JERA from Asia. In February 2017, the company successfully completed a round of path breaking and innovative fund raising where it raised, in aggregate, INR 31 Billion through issuance of Rupee denominated bonds (“Masala Bonds”) to an overseas Special Purpose Vehicle.

www.EQMagPro.com

FEATURED NEWS

JA Solar’s Cumulative Module Shipments to India Reach 1GW JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (“JA Solar”), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-performance solar power products, recently announced that the company’s cumulative module shipments to India reached the milestone of 1GW of capacity.

he 1GW of modules shipped to India represents electricity generation capacity of approximately 1.7billion kWh, which can reduce carbon emissions by 1.47 million tons annually. The company’s shipments to India in 2016 represent significant market share in the region. JA Solar also believes that it held its leading market share position in the first quarter of 2017. Over the past two years JA Solar has expanded quickly in the Indian market by establishing strategic partnerships with local developers, EPC companies, independent power producers, and other important partners. JA Solar believes that the excellent quality and high reliability of its modules is driving market acceptance by its partners and customers. JA Solar achieves this quality by leveraging its advanced production lines and extensive R&D laborato-

ries. For instance, JA Solar is the first company in the world to apply double-printing technology to all cell manufacturing lines. JA Solar also achieved 100% mass-production of PID-resistant cells and double-85 anti-PID for all modules. In addition, its best-in-class components enable its modules to pass long-term reliability and environmental endurance tests. JA Solar modules deliver outstanding performance in the various harsh environments that characterize the India market.

“India is emerging as one of the largest PV markets in the world, and JA Solar is wellpositioned to continue to capture market share in the region. We remain focused on driving the R&D innovation that improves our products, which results in reliable modules and professional service to clients,” said Mr. Baofang Jin, Chairman and CEO of JA Solar.

JA Solar is a world-leading manufacturer of silicon wafers, cells and modules used in solar PV systems. By the end of 2017, its production capacity for each of these categories is expected to reach 3 GW, 7 GW and 6 GW respectively. Since its founding, JA Solar has cumulative shipments of over 20 GW. The company does business in more than 92 countries around the world. Source:PRN

FEATURED NEWS

SunLink Closes Record First Quarter; Year Over Year MW Growth Exceeds 80 Percent SunLink Corporation, a leading commercial and utility-scale solar solutions provider, announced recently a record close of the first quarter for fiscal 2017 with year over year MW growth exceeding 80 percent.

ueled by the company’s dominance in designing and manufacturing the industry’s leading ground-mount solutions and the successful addition of its TechTrack Distributed to the proven product line, SunLink now leads the industry in terms of providing the most comprehensive offering of highly-customized rooftop, fixed-tilt and tracker solutions and services. During the quarter, SunLink installed multiple, industrial-scale TechTrack Distributed projects. The PowerCare solar project services division installed 12 fixed tilt and tracker projects and provided O&M and geotechnical services. Vertex, SunLink’s data monitoring and control software, is being used to support O&M teams on installed TechTrack Distributed projects as a valuable tool to help reduce overall maintenance costs.

“We’re sitting in one of the best positions in the industry,” says SunLink CEO Michael Maulick. “With this kind of success achieved so early in the year, we’re demonstrating that our evolution from a respected solar engineering powerhouse to one of the fastest-growing leaders in end-to-end energy solutions is being embraced by our customers. Add to that our recent expanded line of credit and investments, we’re excited about our ability to continue to innovate in areas such as dynamic design, grid security and energy optimization platforms that have the potential to transform the economics of the entire energy industry.” Source:Buisnesswire

Solar panel installer Ganges Internationale to set up Rs. 40 crore facility Solar panel mounting structure manufacturer Ganges Internationale will expand its facility to cater to project developers in northern India. The company is looking to expand its existing 1-GW capacity by another 400 MW through the proposed facility.

“We are looking at an investment of Rs. 40 crore to be funded from internal accruals, plus term loans. The facility is likely to be set up in Pune and will be online by the end of this year.” - Mr. Vinay Goyal, CEO, Ganges Internationale, told BusinessLine

The company’s existing manufacturing facility is in Puducherry. The west coast facility will service the requirements of clients in north India.

he company is awaiting clarification on the status of solar manufacturing under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Goyal said: “We hope that solar manufacturing is zero rated under the GST regime. The current excise incidence is nil, any increase will be detrimental for the industry and investment decisions will have to be reworked accordingly.” Goyal said: “In 2011, we had a turnover of Rs.10 crore. We closed at Rs.210-212 crore for 2016-2017. Next year, we are targeting Rs.400-450 crore through our solar business alone.”

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

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

FEATURED NEWS

When consultants become entrepreneurs in solar power sector

ike Agarwal, several professionals with a background in consulting have moved to solar power producers. Some have turned entrepreneurs. Sachin Jain was with consulting firm KPMG in 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an increase in the target for installed solar capacity to 100GW by 2022 from 20GW.

“I wanted to contribute to the solar mission and be a part of the on-ground action, which I was not able to do in my consulting role.” - said Jain, currently the co-founder & CEO Oriano Solar. Former consultants who have made the move say those from a consulting background have wide exposure and can be more valuable than experienced business leaders from other industries, saving training time on learning nuances of the sector. “Consulting roles, irrespective of the vertical gives one crucial skill to be a leader… it teaches you that everything has the scope of improvement.” -said Vivek Subramanian, co-founder of Rooftop solar power solutions provider Fourth Partner Energy. Subramanian was consulting with Accenture for six years, following that with a stint as an investor at Avigo Capital. Rajat Sud, founder and executive director at Lumeni Consulting, has been with firms such as PwC and Korn Ferry.

The opportunity to build sustainable energy solutions and the ambitious plans of the centre lured Rupesh Agarwal into the solar energy sector, after he had spent more than 17 years in management consulting. Agarwal, India head of UK-based Lightsource Renewable Energy, one of the world’s largest solar photovoltaic energy generators, was earlier instrumental in setting up and leading renewable energy practice at consulting firms EY and BDO.

“The idea is to get consultants to not just create strategy but own and execute it too,” said Sud who has also worked at industry giants such as NTPC Ltd, National Power (now Engie) and Siemens. During the initial years, solar power firms focus on raising capital and project financing. As the firms mature, the focus shifts towards creating efficiency, cost optimization and plant efficiency, which is the stage where the consultants are usually absorbed. “The demand for talent with consulting background is more common in the mature solar power firms, compared to the start-ups. The talent flow is mostly into strategic roles where consultants are expected to help companies scale up” -said Ashwin Saboo, partner at global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles’ Industrial Practice. Bidding for solar power plants requires sophisticated skills at financial modelling for revenues and efficiencies—and these are available at consulting firms, said Kumar Sasank, who leads industrial practice in India at Egon Zehnder, a global executive search firm. The C-suite level tracks the trend of the larger private sector power/utility sector, he added. “There is a temporary spike in salaries of heads of projects and development, but that should level out as the supply of talent levels out,” said Sasank. Source:Livemint.com

May 2017

MP govt, DMRC ink pact to supply power from Rewa project

MRC signed the agreement with the parties concerned at a function on April 17. Under the PPA, DMRC will get 24 per cent solar power of Rewa UMSP. The rest of the power will be supplied to the state, Madhya Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department (NRED) Principal Secretary Manu Shrivastava told PTI.Madhya Pradesh government signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on April 17 to supply 24 per cent of electricity generated from the Rewa ultra mega solar project to be set up in the state. “DMRC will sign the agreement with the parties concerned at a function on April 17. Under the PPA, DMRC will get 24 per cent solar power of Rewa UMSP. The rest of the power will be supplied to the state,” Madhya Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department (NRED) Principal Secretary Manu Shrivastava told PTI. Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMS) project is a joint venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India and MP Urja Vikas Nigam, where in both parties have 50 per cent stake. The 750 MW project will have three units each of 250 mw which are being commissioned by as many companies- Mahendra Renewables Private Limited, Mumbai, Acme Solar Holdings Private Limited, Gurgaon, Solanergi Power Private Limited, Port Louis, Mauritius, he said, adding they will be operational in 18 months. Shrivastava said if the private companies fail to complete the project in 18 months, they will be deemed to pay a fine on per day basis which will come to Rs one lakh per unit. Source:PTI

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

29Â

SOLAR ROOFTOP

Half of Mumbai’s electricity can be generated by solar power: Report

CleanMax Solar to set up 300 Mw solar power capacity this fiscal

Mumbai and its suburbs have potential to harness solar power to generate as much as half the electricity consumed through rooftop solar photovoltaic installations, a report based on a first of its kind of study in the country has suggested.

umbai’s need of electricity is typically around 3 GW and out of this roof-top solar installations can make around 1.72 GW of energy, the joint study- ‘Estimating the Rooftop Solar Potential of Greater Mumbai’ -carried out by five organisations National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Centre for Urban Science and Engineering (C-USE) at IIT Bombay, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Bombay Chapter, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Bridge to India has shown. “The National Solar Mission of the Government of India envisages an ambitious target of 100 GW of solar energy to be installed in the country by 2022. Of this 100 GW, it is planned that 40 GW would come up on rooftops across the country. The report published on Monday is a step in realising this target,” said Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Rajeev Kapoor, as he released the report. “Problem of rooftop power generation in India is not that of technology. It is about inertia of the companies operating in the field. Hence, this report would help not only the government, but the private sector as well and has a potential to be used as a ‘ready reckoner’ for solar capacity,” he added. While measuring solar power potential of Mumbai, a newer, easier method to measure the potential too was evolved, which can be used to measure solar power potential of other cities. The team employed a variety of inputs and techniques, include GIS mapping of all structures in Mumbai, ward-by-ward division, existing land use (ELU) maps of BMC and 3D mapping to discount areas covered by shadowing. The computerbased analysis was supported and verified by site visits to some locations and discounting of ‘weak’ structures which would not support solar panels. The study also revealed that Mumbai makes an ideal city for rooftop power generation as the city’s power demand peaks during the afternoon when the solar power potential is maximum. Source:TNIE

May 2017

Energy solutions provider CleanMax Solar plans to set up nearly 300 MW of solar capacity, including 100 MW of rooftop installation, this fiscal and will invest around Rs 1,500 crore for the same.

“There is a huge opportunity in the sector, not just in the ground mounted solar space but also rooftop projects. We are hoping to install nearly 300 MW of solar capacity in the country in FY 2017-18, which will include 100 MW of rooftop installations.” Company’s Co-founder Andrew Hines told PTI here.

urrently, CleanMax has an operational capacity of 80 MW and another 25 MW is under construction. Out of the total operational capacity, two projects of 30 MW each are solar farms in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “These 25 MW of projects will be commissioned in this fiscal itself. With the additional 300 MW, our total portfolio will reach to up to 400 MW in FY 2017-18,” he said, adding the company will have to invest around Rs 1,500 crore to achieve the target. Hines said, many corporates and large institutions are keen on rooftop solar installations. “The rooftop segment is witnessing a good growth. Its cumulative capacity is currently 1,000 MW. Our primary focus on the rooftop installations has been corporates and large institutional clients as it provides a compelling value proposition for them to become sustainable. We own and operate the assets for nearly 20-25 years and supply power to the clients,” he said.CleanMax’s rooftop business is pan India with projects in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, among others. It has only two solar farms one each in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “We will be setting up the targeted 200 MW solar farm projects in Karnataka, as the state’s policies have made it a favourable scenario for us,” Hines added. When asked about the solar tariffs coming down to as low as Rs 3 per unit and whether that is a concern for developers, he said, “the Rewa project in Madhya Pradesh was where the tariff fell drastically is one of a kind. The developers were offered various benefits as well as compensations, so they could manage to keep the prices low.” However, he said, though the solar panel costs have come down, the industry is not likely to see such drop in tariffs unless there are incentives and compensations offered to developers. Source:PTI

www.EQMagPro.com

SOLAR ROOFTOP

Tata Cleantech Capital funds the largest private solar rooftop system in Mumbai Plans to fund in projects that will generate around 10 GW of energy in next 2-3 years Tata Cleantech Capital Limited (TCCL) – a joint venture between Tata Capital Limited and International Finance Corporation (IFC), has funded the solar rooftop project at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), established and installed by Avesta Solar Private Limited (ASPL), in Mumbai. TCCL, the sole lender, disbursed a total of Rs. 2.36 crore to this project; the largest solar rooftop project in Mumbai.

Speaking on this project, Mr. Manish Chourasia, CEO, Tata Cleantech Capital Limited said, “The Government of India has ambitious plans to create 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. Tata Cleantech Capital Limited (TCCL) is deeply invested towards helping achieve this goal and is pleased to have funded the city’s largest private Solar rooftop project at the iconic National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai. The Solar Power system installation at the NCPA will add to TCCL’s existing suite of projects funded, with a cumulative renewable energy power output of over 3.44 GW and a saving of approximately 150 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over its life span of 25 years. Our primary focus is to fund similar quality renewable assets and we expect to participate in the funding of around 10 GW generation capacity over next 2-3 years. We are exploring innovative funding options for energy efficiency and rooftop solar sectors with support from IFC and other Multi-lateral and Bilateral funding agencies.”

ue to the close proximity to the sea, the team had to anticipate and work around challenges like heavy wind loads and corrosion damage to the solar panels while executing this project. The NCPA plays host to over 600 performances annually and will stand to benefit greatly from this – given that the project has a capacity of over 450 KW, with an effective reduction in Greenhouse gases to the tune of 15,000 Metric tonnes over its life span of 25 years. The installation, which has a life span of over 2025 years, is capable of generating around 6.5 lakh units and is estimated to save NCPA’s exchequer around Rs. 50 lakhs per year. The Project was monitored from its conception to completion by Mr. Freddy Talati, CEO of The Associated Building Company.

Mr. Burjis Bulsara, Founder, Avesta Solar said, “Avesta Solar is working in line with the Government of India’s plans to install 40 GW of Solar roof top Projects by 2022 & is looking forward to partnering with TCCL and other establishments in providing Solar roof-top Solutions.”

CCL offers end-to-end business solutions in the clean technology space. The company identifies, evaluates and funds projects in renewable energy (wind, solar, small hydro and biomass), energy efficiency (infrastructure, buildings, and industry) and water treatment sectors with the objective to support a sustainable living.

www.EQMagPro.com

vesta Solar provides affordable & sustainable Solar Power Solutions & has worked with the Tata Group in successfully implementing solar roof-top projects at various buildings in Maharashtra including the Army Navy Building, Elphinstone building, Ratan Tata Institute and the Tata Central Archives, Pune.

May 2017

Policy & Regulation

UNCERTAINTY IN COMPETITIVE BIDDING AND REGULATORY POWER OF THE COMMISSION Author : Aditya Kumar Singh

It has become trend for every state commission to not adopt tariff discovered through competitive bidding process and either reject it or direct distribution companies to renegotiate it on the pretext of consumer interest. It is widely known fact that there are no bidding guidelines for procurement of energy from solar energy sources.

H 32

May 2017

aryana, UP and Delhi State Commissions are few examples wherein either Section 63 bidding process have been scrapped or Hon’ble Commissions have directed DISCOM to enter into further negotiation with selected bidders. Recently Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter titled “Energy Watchdog &Ors. Vs. CERC& Ors.” (“Energy Watchdog”) vide its order dated 11.04.2017 made certain relevant observations concerning Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (“Act”). Ratio in this case is related to applicability of force majeure of change in law concerning change in any policies of any foreign jurisdiction. However, we will limit analysis of Energy Watchdog Judgment to observations of Supreme Court concerning Section 63 of the Act. We will try to study whether this judgment has any impact on the existing conditions or will this judgment bring any certainty for completion of the bid process.

www.EQMagPro.com

Policy & Regulation

STATUTORY PROVISIONS

here are two provisions in the Act which govern the determination of tariff by the Commission, i.e. Section 62 and Section 63. Before we dwell further upon the impact of Energy Watchdong judgment on Section 63 of the Act, we would like to analyze the statutory provisions.

Section 62 of the Act reads as below: “62. Determination of Tariff –

(1) The Appropriate Commission shall determine the tariff in accordance with the provisions of this Act for – (a) supply of electricity by a generating company to a distribution licensee: Provided that the Appropriate Commission may, in case of shortage of supply of electricity, fix the minimum and maximum ceiling of tariff for sale or purchase of electricity in pursuance of an agreement, entered into between a generating company and a licensee or between licensees, for a period not exceeding one year to ensure reasonable prices of electricity. (b) transmission of electricity; (d) retail sale of electricity: Provided that in case of distribution of electricity in the same area by two or more distribution licensees, the Appropriate Commission may, for promoting competition among distribution licensees, fix only maximum ceiling of tariff for retail sale of electricity.

And section 63 of the Act reads as below:–

“63. Determination of tariff by bidding process.-Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 62, the Appropriate Commission shall adopt the tariff if such tariff has been determined through transparent process of bidding in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Government.” Therefore, it can be stated that the above provision make it clear that the Commission shall adopt a tariff accepted by the procurer if such a tariff has been determined through the (i) transparent process of bidding and (ii) in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Government of India.

www.EQMagPro.com

JUDICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS

he case of “MP Power Trading Company Limited Vs MPERC and Ors.” (Appeal No. 44 of 2010) was in relation to adoption of tariff by State Commission discovered under Section 63 Competitive bidding process. Hon’ble Tribunal has held that as per Section 63 of the Act, the duty is enjoined upon the State Commission to adopt and approve the Tariff finalised by the procurer through the competitive bidding process once it is established that the said bid process was carried out in a transparent manner and in accordance with the guidelines framed by the Central Government. In the instant case the Tribunal was of the view that the procurer has a right to negotiate the price for power with the bidder, and it also opined that there is no explicit embargo/restrictionimposed onthe procurer from having rounds of negotiations with the bidders for reduction of the prices so as to make an attempt to convince them to agree to the reduced price, which is in alignment with the market prices in the interest of the consumers at large. In this judgment Tribunal has quoted a relevant para from Supreme Court judgment in “Food Corporation of India v. Kamdhenu Cattle Feed “ (1993) 1 SCC 71 which is reproduced herein for ease of reference: “10. From the above, it is clear that even though the highest tender can claim no right to have his tender accepted, there being a power while inviting tenders to reject all the tenders, yet the power to reject all the tenders cannot be exercised arbitrarily and must depend for its validity on the existence of cogent reasons for such action. The object of inviting tenders for disposal of a commodity is to procure the highest price while giving equal opportunity to all the intending bidders to compete. Procuring the highest price for the commodity is undoubtedly in public interest since the amount so collected goes to the public fund. Accordingly, inadequacy of the price offered in the highest tender would be a cogent ground for negotiating with the tenderers giving them equal opportunity to revise their bids with a view to obtain the highest available price. The inadequacy may be for several reasons known in the commercial field. Inadequacy of the price quoted in the highest tender would be a question of fact in each case. Retaining the option to accept the highest tender, in case the negotiations do not yield a significantly higher offer would be fair to the tenderers besides protecting the public interest. A procedure wherein resort is had to negotiations with the tenderers for obtaining a significantly higher bid during the period when the offers in the tenders remain open for acceptance and rejection of the tenders only in the event of a significant higher bid being obtained during negotiations would ordinarily satisfy this requirement. This procedure involves giving due weight to the legitimate expectation of the highest bidder to have his tender accepted unless outbid by a higher offer, in which case acceptance of the highest offer within the time the offers remain open would be a reasonable exercise of power for public good.”

May 2017

Policy & Regulation

his goes on to establish that the bidding process as mentioned in Section 63, is to be construed in consonance with the benefit of public at large, and not otherwise. The case of “Essar Power Limited Vs UPERC and Anr.” (Appeal No. 82 of 2011) was in relation to direction passed in favour of the Noida Power Company, by the UPERC which was not in consonance with the principles laid down under the Act. Essar Power Limited therefore, appealed against the order in the form of the present appeal. In this case while directing UPERC to adopt tariff discovered under Section 63, APTEL made important observations concerning Section 63. Hon’ble Tribunal in this Judgment held that while invoking Section 63, the State Commission has the two recourses: “(a) The State Commission is only to verify, under Section 63 of the Act, as to whether the bidding process has been held in a transparent manner and in accordance with the Government of India guidelines or not. If this is not foundto be complied with, then State Commission shall reject the petition for the approval of the tariff. (b) Once the process of the bidding is completed strictly in accordance with the biding guidelines issued by the Central Government in a transparent manner, then the State Commission shall adopt the said tariff since it is binding on the Commission.

OBSERVATIONS FROM CASE LAWS TILL ESSAR

ases up till Essar reflect that the powers of the Commission are limited under Section 63 of the Act. The State Commission while dealing with the petition under Section 63 for adoption of tariff could either reject the petition if it finds that the bidding was not as per the statutory framework or adopt the tariff if it is discovered by a transparent process conducted as per Government of India guidelines. In MP Power trading case (cited above) Hon’ble Tribunal in very strong words held that the State Commission should act within the ambit laid down under Section 63 of the Act and should not go beyond that as it is neither an Enquiry Commission nor a Vigilance Commission. However, interestingly, the MP Power trading case has allowed negotiation with bidder by the Procurer post completion of the bidding process.

ENERGY WATCHDOG

he Adani group in July 2012 filed a petition before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission under Section 79 seeking relief, because of the changes in the Indonesian Regulations that affected the price of exported coal from Indonesia that had otherwise remained the same during the last 40 years. The relief sought was in the form of either discharge from the performance of the PPA or alternatively, evolve a mechanism to restore the Adani Group to the same economic condition prior to occurrence of the change in law. In the instant case, Supreme Court held that change in Indonesian law would not qualify as a change in law under the guidelines read with the PPA, however, a change in Indian law certainly would. In this Case, Supreme Court gave important findings about the role of Commission in Section 63. This can be considered as one of the first case wherein any judicial forum has discussed applicability of Section 63 in cases wherein there are no bidding guidelines. It is relevant to note here that the Central Government has not till date notified bidding guide34

May 2017

lines for the solar sector, all guidelines presently are in draft stages. In this instant case Supreme Court held that Commission can use its general regulatory power as outlined in (Section 86 (1) (b) or Section 79 (1) (b), as the case may be) while exercising its jurisdiction under Section 63 of the Commission. Relevant para of this case are reproduced herein below: “18. The construction of Section 63, when read with the other provisions of this Act, is what comes up for decision in the present appeals. It may be noticed that Section 63 begins with a non-obstante clause, but it is a non-obstante clause covering only Section 62. Secondly, unlike Section 62 read with Sections 61 and 64, the appropriate Commission does not “determine” tariff but only “adopts” tariff already determined under Section 63. Thirdly, such “adoption” is only if such tariff has been determined through a transparent process of bidding, and, fourthly, this transparent process of bidding must be in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Government. What has been argued before us is that Section 63 is a stand alone provision and has to be construed on its own terms, and that, therefore, in the case of transparent bidding nothing can be looked at except the bid itself which must accord with guidelines issued by the Central Government. One thing is immediately clear, that the appropriate Commission does not act as a mere post office under Section 63. It must adopt the tariff which has been determined through a transparent process of bidding, but this can only be done in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Government. Guidelines have been issued under this Section on 19th January, 2005, which guidelines have been amended from time to time. Clause 4, in particular, deals with tariff and the appropriate Commission certainly has the jurisdiction to look into whether the tariff determined through the process of bidding accords with clause 4. 19. It is important to note that the regulatory powers of the Central Commission, so far as tariff is concerned, are specifically mentioned in Section 79(1). This regulatory power is a general one, and it is very difficult to state that when the Commission adopts tariff under Section 63, it functions de hors its general regulatory power under Section 79(1)(b). For one thing, such regulation takes place under the Central Government’s guidelines. For another, in a situation where there are no guidelines or in a situation which is not covered by the guidelines, can it be said that the Commission’s power to “regulate” tariff is completely done away with? According to us, this is not a correct way of reading the a foresaid statutory provisions. The first rule of statutory interpretation is that the statute must be read as a whole. As a concomitant of that rule, it is also clear that all the discordant notes struck by the various Sections must be harmonized. Considering the fact that the non-obstante clause advisedly restricts itself to Section 62, we see no good reason to put Section 79 out of the way altogether. The reason why Section 62 alone has been put out of the way is that determination of tariff can take place in one of two ways – either under Section 62, where the Commission itself determines the tariff in accordance with the provisions of the Act, (after laying down the terms and conditions for determination of tariff mentioned in Section 61) or under Section 63 where the Commission adopts tariff that is already determined by a transparent process of bidding. In either case, the general regulatory power of the Commission under Section 79(1)(b) is the source of the power to regulate, which includes the power to determine or adopt tariff. In fact, Sections 62 and 63 deal with “determination” of tariff, which is part of “regulating” tariff. Whereas “determining” tariff for inter-State transmission of electricity is dealt with by Section 79(1)(d), Section 79(1)(b) is a wider source of power to “regulate” tariff.

www.EQMagPro.com

Policy & Regulation

It is clear that in a situation where the guidelines issued by the Central Government under Section 63 cover the situation, the Central Commission is bound by those guidelines and must exercise its regulatory functions, albeit under Section 79(1)(b), only in accordance with those guidelines. As has been stated above, it is only in a situation where there are no guidelines framed at all or where the guidelines do not deal with a given situation that the Commission’s general regulatory powers under Section 79(1) (b) can then be used.

CONCLUSION

on’ble Supreme Court in very clear terms held that the Commission can exercise its regulatory power even under Section 63 bidding proceeding and it will not be a mere post office. However, Supreme Court has further opined that Commission should exercise its regulatory power within the framework of bidding guidelines, if bidding guidelines exist, however in those cases wherein there are no bidding guidelines, Commission should exercise its general regulatory power. Before dwelling upon implication of the regulatory power in competitive bidding process, let’s dwell upon few legal principles/precedents concerning use of the word “Regulate”: i. The word “regulate” has a wide ambit/scope of interpretation. If the word “Regulate” does not include the power to revise/amend/ alter or change the tariff then it could be argued that the appropriate Commission will not be able to effectively discharge its functions under the Electricity Act, 2003. The case of “Tata Power Co vs. Reliance Energy Ltd.” –(2009) 16 SCC 659 was in relation to the power of the appropriate Commission to adjudicate upon disputes between licensees and generating companies. It was held that the power of regulation also encompasses fixation of rates. ii. In “Jiyajeerao Cotton Mills Ltd. v. MP Electricity Board” 1989 SCC Supl.(2) 52 it was held: “The word ‘regulate’ has different shades of meaning and must take its colour from the context in which it is used having regard to the purpose and object of the relevant provisions, and the court while interpreting the expression must necessarily keep in view the object to be achieved and the mischief sought to be remedied.” iii. Also in “Shri D.K. Trivedi & Sons v. State of Gujarat “ 1986 SCC Suppl 20, the Hon’ble Supreme Court held: “The word ‘regulate’ means ‘to control, govern, or direct by rule or regulations; to subject to guidance or restrictions; to adapt to circumstances or surroundings.” iv. In “V.S. Rice and Oil Mills & Others v. State of A.P.” AIR 1964 SC 1781 it was held that: “The word ‘regulate’ is wide enough to confer power on the State to regulate either by increasing the rate, or decreasing the rate, the test being what is it that is necessary or expedient to be done to maintain, increase, or secure supply of essential activities in question and to arrange for its equitable distribution and its availability at fair prices.” v. Further in K. Ramanathan v. State of Tamil Nadu & Anr. “(1985) SCC(2) 116” the Hon’ble Supreme Court held: “The word ‘regulate is variously defined as meaning to adjust; to order or govern by rule, method or established mode. This is true in a general sense and in the sense that mere regulation is not the same as absolute prohibition. At the same time, the power to regulate carries with it full power over the thing

www.EQMagPro.com

subject to regulation and the power must be regarded as plenary. It implies the power to rule, direct and control, and involves the adoption of a rule or guiding principle to be followed”. upreme Court has given unfettered power to the Commission in cases of procurement of power by competitive bidding from renewable energy sources. Till date there are no bidding guidelines, Commission can arbitrarily reject the tariff petition on one pretext or another even if the bidding process has been conducted in a transparent manner. However, there are judicial precedents to restrict the Commission from acting on its own terms while exercising its jurisdiction under Section 63 of the Act. The Commission can further delay the process and there may always be threat on cancellation of the bid on the pretext of the consumer interest, which is not only contrary to the principles of natural justice but also unfair to the bidder. Supreme Court in conventional power procurement process has restricted the regulatory power of the Commission to enquire into matters of transparency or compliance of the bidding guidelines and in cases of non-conventional power procurement process allowed the Commission to use general regulatory power (which includes but is not limited to increase/decrease the tariff, cancellation of bid process, to control/govern/amend the bidding process etc.). Regulatory Power has been termed as an unruly horse, due to the lack of guidelines governing its use. However, the Commission while exercising its regulatory power is expected to keep in mind the object to be achieved and the mischief sought to be remedied. Consumer interest is not the sole reason behind enactment of the Act and promotion of renewable energy, generation by private players, and return of investment are other paramount considerations behind enactment of the Act and Commission is to always be guided by these principles while using its regulatory power. Therefore, it can be said the powers of the Commission have been at unrest. Due to a lack of substantiated legislation which outlines its powers, the commission has at times taken decisions mechanically. Maybe the pronouncement of this judgment would clear the grey areas hovering around this sector. However, bidding guidelines should be promulgated by the relevant government authorities at the earliest and till date there is no bidding guidelines, Bidder should always insist procurer to initiate competitive bidding post approval of RFP and PPA documents. Post approval of these documents, Commission is bound by terms of RFP and PPA and must exercise its regulatory functions only in accordance with those guidelines.

It is to be noted that these measure are only suggested for certainty and uniformity and to avoid litigation, otherwise even in absence of bidding guidelines, Commission is mandated to exercise its regulatory power in compliance of other provisions of the Act, Tariff Policy and Electricity Policy. There are various provisions in the Act and Policies which directs Commission to develop the market (Section 65 of the Act), encourage competition, efficiency, good performance and optimum investments (Section 61 (C) of the Act), promotion of generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy (Section 61 (i) and Section 86 (1) (e) of the Act). EQ

May 2017

INTERVIEW

Large investors are looking at the Renewable Energy space for investments : Mr.Kapoor India’s renewable energy sector is going through a major transformation with record capacity additions being achieved in the solar and wind power sectors and tariffs falling to record low levels. The government is working on policies to further firm up the incentive structure for projects, Rajeev Kapoor, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy told Debapriya Mondal and Anisha Dutta in an exclusive interview. Edited excerpts.. EQ: We have just seen two solar auctions - Rewa and Kadapa projects - with record low bids. Many experts attribute this to low module prices and low interest finance. What is your view? RK: There is a decline in module prices and that will sustain for some more time. The expectation is that module prices will fall further to below 30 cents from the current 32 cents. Modules constitute the largest cost of the project but there are many other enablers here which should not be ignored. This includes the structure of the deal itself — how risk has been allocated and can be shared with parties, a payment security mechanism and also the security built into solar parks because of availability of land and transmission infrastructure. All of this has gone into making very competitive bids. It is not simply a case of module or low interest finance.

EQ: Is the government going to ensure that these enabling conditions become part of all the projects going ahead?

Mr. Rajeev Kapoor Secretary, MNRE

RK: In Rewa’s case, the deal structure has come as a learning. We have recently finalised guidelines for solar bidding which has incorporated some of these aspects which bothered investors earlier. There is a concept of ‘green generation’ which we have brought in the new guidelines. For example, what happens when a developer is asked to back down by utilities? What happens if there is a non-fulfilment of contractual obligation by certain parties, particularly the off-taker. There is also a clause in terms of what kind of compensation should be there in deal structure. So, now we have a layered security mechanism. These provisions will go into making the tenders a bit more competitive and they should reflect in consistent economic bids. With Rewa bids at Rs 3.30 regulated tariff and Kadappa bid out at Rs 3.15, we are reaching a level where we should have more reasonable bids.

EQ: When would these new solar bidding guidelines be announced? Would the next round of bidding be conducted based on these guidelines? RK: We have submitted the guidelines to the ministry of power for notification. Hopefully, they will be incorporated in the next round of bidding.

INTERVIEW

EQ: How will the government compensate the companies who are asked to back down their generations in case of solar and wind? RK: A committee has been set up in the power ministry to look at what should be done in such cases. The ministry of power is examining what kind of incentives should be provided for compliance with RPOs.

EQ: In the solar rooftop segment, the industry argues the customer has to run from pillar-to-post to avail subsidy. How do you plan to address this? RK: The customer does not have to run around. We have so far sanctioned 2,000 MW of rooftop to the State Nodal Agencies (SNAs) and also to SECI. We have also empanelled channel partners who are supposed to implement these projects in either of two modes — EPC or Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO). The SNAs finalise the bids and appoint channel partners. In the RESCO model, the channel partner continues to own the property or the rooftop. He only borrows the roof to install and sells the electricity. The ownership is with the channel partner and there is no subsidy to be given to the rooftop owner and the channel partner will claim the subsidy after he has installed the rooftop module. In case of the developer mode, the subsidy application is moved by the owner of the roof and he only has to go to the state nodal agency. For subsidy, the single point contact is the state nodal agency which has been allotted a target and has authorised a channel partner to install the equipment. In RESCO mode, the customer does not have to run anywhere as it is the responsibility of the channel partner to get subsidy.

EQ: Talking of rooftop solar, we understand that net metering is an issue as some customers are not getting connections because the state discom does not provide meters through which a customer can feed excess power to the grid. So, if one wants to sell power to the grid, how will it work? RK: Net metering regulations have been issued by all the 36 states and union territories now. It was an issue around six months back, but not now. The discoms have to provide the meters as per regulations. The issue is how quickly dicoms DISCOMs respond to the customers’ request and we are expediting that. Through several programmes, including our World Bank assisted programme, we are setting up roof top solar cells in DISCOMs so there will be a single focal point to manage all this. So, we have the regulations in place, all the states have agreed and all the regulators have issued the notifications. We just need to improve the procedure and make it more simple.

EQ: Are we broadly on track to meet the target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022? What is the overall estimate of capex? RK: The cost of setting up a solar power plant currently is around Rs 4 crore a MW and the estimate for Wind power is also around the same. We are pushing hard to meet these targets and the plans for this fiscal would be in sync with the targets. We have a long way to go, particularly on rooftop. Out of the 100 GW target of solar, 40 GW is rooftop alone. Rooftop solar capacity at present is 600 MW. We have sanctioned 2,000 Mw and we are going to the cabinet for 3 GW more. Today, we have 1,200 channel partners. They have been empanelled, they have been on the ground for the past five-six months. The moment they set up their rooftop systems, the capacity will take off. We are now finalising the targets for 2017-18 with NITI Aayog.

EQ: Currently, UP is the only state with a mini-grid policy. Is there a policy being planned to get more states on board? RK: MNRE had announced a draft mini-grid policy recently which was in public domain. We recently had consultations with many stakeholders to debate the same policy and we would be finalising that. But Rural Electrification Corp (REC) already has a minigrid policy and they are setting up mini-grids across states under their electrification policy. The difference between UP’s policy and REC policy is that in UP, support is being provided even for areas which are connected to the grid. We are currently finalising the outcome of those discussions on our draft. But the biggest questions in relation to the policy in UP is, should we support mini-grids in areas which are already connected to the grids and what is the most efficient way to do it? The concept of minigrid or microgrid came up when it was thought that it would take years for the grid to reach faroff places but that is not the case now.

EQ: How is the ministry trying to ensure smooth availability of funds for renewable energy projects? RK: The ministry has an arm in IREDA which lends funds for RE projects. We are trying to facilitate investment in the sector through risk mitigation mechanisms so that foreign investors or bankers can come and lend. We have a solar park scheme. The World Bank has come up and has approved $100 million to be disbursed through IREDA for supporting solar parks. So, it has become possible for IREDA to lend to solar park developers at 8.5 per cent interest for a longer term. That has been done. We have tied up with WB and ADB for supporting rooftop solar projects also. The WB has sanctioned $600 million to give loan at reasonable rates for rooftop solar. At the same time, IREDA is also going for issuing Masala bonds. The government’s bigger role is also to facilitate private sector investments. And a private equity fund or an investor looks at how de-risked a project is. The new guidelines we are working on will remove the element of risk or at least make it fair and equitable. The payment security mechanism is one such way to make the project more bankable. We are in the process of notifying these guidelines. The large investors are looking at RE space for investments. Source:Economic Times

ENERGY STORAGE

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) – Is India Ready ? A PRIMER ON ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS AND WHAT INDIA NEEDS TO DO TO MAINSTREAM THEM By Sagun Tripathi and Gurpreet Chugh

Shareables  ESS provides an attractive solution to manage the variability introduced by vast amounts of RE capacity to be added to the Indian grid.  Storage technologies are numerous; but choice is governed by their performance characteristics and the desired application.  Lifecycle costs of batteries are reducing rapidly with expectations of reaching grid parity in the near future.  India needs to quickly develop an enabling regulatory environment to allow storage operators to offer multiple services to improve reliability of the grid.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

ENERGY STORAGE

f the Indian ecosystem indeed meets the stated targets of RE capacity addition, then during a typical day in 2022, solar power may meet up to 44% of the total demand. In addition, wind capacity of 60 GW will bring about a variation of up to 8 GW in as little as 5 hours. Such vast amounts of renewable energy will need to be backed up by a mix of fast response and high capacity energy storage to support sudden drops in output and the morning and evening ramping requirements. In addition, if there is a drop in demand, there would be a need to absorb the excess generation for later use and prevent curtailments.

FIGURE 1: NET DEMAND CURVE FOR INDIAN POWER SYSTEM IN 2022

undamentally, there are a number of Options to meet variability sources that can be used to support the  Spinning reserves variable generation. How Peaking plants ever, each source has a  Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) specific purpose and can  Demand Response support only a certain  Energy Storage Systems type of use case with the (ESS) right market structure.Of these sources, Energy Storage Systems (ESS) are the fastest emerging alternatives supported by very strong global R&D efforts and are likely to come of age much quicker than anticipated.

Energy Storage Will Become Essential To Balance Indian Grid

ndian electricity grid is in the midst of a paradigm shift as the country strives to achieve its target of 175 GW of installed renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2022. With such large RE capacity, a key challenge will be to manage the significant variability in net demand that will be introduced in the system. The net demand “duck curve” (Figure 1) for India means that significant balancing capacity will be required to balance the renewables.

www.EQMagPro.com

ESS technologies: Each has a different role to play

here are a myriad of energy storage systems ranging from flywheels and pumped hydro systems to batteries, double layer capacitors, and superconducting magnetic coils. These different technologies vary significantly in terms of their rated power as well as the timescale of their response. For example, batteries may be able to provide backup ranging from minutes to a few hours, whereas synthetic natural gas or hydrogen storage systems could provide backup up to a day. The choice of technology is governed by the desired use case and its performance characteristics, which make it optimally suited for certain grid services and less so for others.

May 2017

ENERGY STORAGE

Balancing costs of ESS with stacked value streams

What India needs to do to main stream ES ?

apital costs of ESS,particularly batteries have declined steadily in recent years largely due to significant R&D efforts. It is expected that costs will drop rapidly over the next few years especially as Electric Vehicles become mainstream and ‘Vehicle to Grid’ becomes a reality. Based on cost estimates published by Lazard in their second ‘Levelized cost of Storage Version 2.0’ analysis, ICF has computed the lifecycle cost of sample grid scale Lithium-Ion battery in an Indian context.Based on today’s technology, this comes in the range of Rs.15-18/Kwh (see Figure2).

istorically, the most prevalent storage technology in India has been pumped-hydro with about 6.8 GW of capacity in operation and under construction. It was not until last year that SECI invited bids for grid connected battery storage projects in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Storage now seems to be garnering the attention of policymakers with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) coming out with a staff paper on electricity storage in India in January, 2017. Although, these are great initiatives, a lotneeds to be done to bring ESS into the mainstream:

FIGURE 2: LIFECYCLE COSTS OF LI-ION BATTERY

1 2

Pilots: Pilots of different grid-scale ESS technologies in Indiato understand operating parameters in Indian conditions (temperature impact on battery operation is very significant) Services and benefits to stakeholder: The services that can be provided to different stakeholders (generation, transmission, DISCOMs, consumers, off-grid, etc.) in the Indian context need to be assessed and incentivized

hile the lifecycle cost of grid scale battery storage is expected to reduce over the next few years, to justify these costs, it is important to look beyond the primary service provided by an ESS and create the enabling policy/regulatory environment that allows storage operators to provide multiple services(Figure 3). For example, analysis of an ESS in San Francisco by the Rocky Mountain Institute suggests that its primary service of commercial demand-side management was insufficient to cover its cost. However, additional services such as frequency regulation, resource adequacy, and energy arbitrage, when coupled with the primary service allowed it to generate sufficient additional revenue to cover its cost.

3 4 5

Enabling regulatory framework: Assessing how existing regulations like DSM, Time of Day (TOD) tariffs, ancillary services, etc., will impact ESS development Cost curve of ESS solutions: It is important to understand the cost curves (supply side) of the different ESS technologies today in Indian conditions

Stacking of services: Creating the necessary regulatory/policy framework that enables ESS to provide multiple services (stacking) thereby reducing per unit usage cost of ESS

ICF's experience in storage

CF’s team of consultants and analysts have supported the analysis and integration of energy storage across various applications. We are providing due diligence support for development and financing of a large utilityscale storage project in California. We have conducted an evaluation of advanced battery technology and compared it against alternative products that were being developed. ICF was engaged to assess possible value streams in the capacity, energy, and ancillary services for a battery storage system within a vertically integrated utility in the southeastern, U.S. 40

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

INTERVIEW

New Experiments Needed In Renewables: Mr.kumar With India’s wind power tariffs following the solar route and falling to a record low, state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has been a catalyst for expanding the country’s green economy. Ashvini Kumar, managing director of SECI, believes that sub Rs3 per unit tariff for solar will become the new normal. In a conversation with reporters, Kumar talked about monitoring the quality of solar power modules supplied to India, initiating solar-wind hybrid projects’s auction aimed at round the clock electricity generation and auctioning 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind energy power-purchase contracts every year. Kumar also explained the public sector unit’s growth strategy in new areas such as battery storage and equipment manufacturing. Edited excerpts: EQ: What is the way ahead for wind power projects?

Mr. Ashvini Kumar MD, Solar Energy Corp

AK: If you look at wind, the main problem was how do you evacuate power because the states were saturated. Their STU (state transmission utilities) systems had technical limitations and they had problems otherwise as well. So while everyone was aware that only interstate evacuation of power can save the wind sector, no model was coming forward. In that scenario, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) took a decision to push (the idea) and discussed it with the industry. Still, some of the industry people were not I would say very receptive to the idea and they had a lot of resistance…I think once there is a tender, a good part of the industry participated. That also has been really trendsetting. Now the government thinks around 5,000-6,000 MW has to be added every year. This year the maximum of 5,400 MW of wind power generation was added. Through this route, the government I think wouldn’t mind going up to 4,000 MW of (wind) tenders (every year). Now, MNRE has written to all the states that we will bring more such wind tenders, you indicate your requirements. They are now trying to consolidate their demand so that the gap between the bids and issuing of LoAs (letter of awards) can be reduced. I think now they are proactive. What has been discussed that may be two bids of 2,000 MW each shall be called for after a period of five to six months. If everything goes well, I think that’s the kind of vision. During the power minister’s conference in Vizag during 27-28 April, there is a plan that the PSAs (power supply agreements) or PPAs (power purchase agreements) can be signed for this. If that happens, then the date for next bid can also be declared.

EQ: You have mentioned that a sub-Rs3.00 per unit price for solar is possible. What is your outlook on wind power prices? AK: Wind is a different game. The reason is, it depends on the sites also…PLF (plant load factor). Those kind of things. I think very large dependence is there on such parameters…What is the evacuation cost? What is the PLF? That will determine. I think a lot of capacity is there.

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

INTERVIEW

EQ: Given the race to the bottom for solar power tariffs, concerns have been expressed about the quality of solar modules being supplied to India? AK: Regular monitoring has been happening. In all our tenders, we are ensuring through documentation at least that the quality of modules and things are good. In fact we are monitoring data also in terms of performance (of projects) and we very soon plan, not with the names of the projects to make that data public also, so that people know that in Rajasthan, in Madhya Pradesh or Andhra Pradesh, what is the performance of the modules? I think that will all happen…Everyone has echoed that. There has to be quality standards.

EQ: Have there been any concerns of late? AK: In some of our EPC (engineering-procurement-construction) projects, we have seen that some of the modules were not good. We asked them to change. And that has happened.

EQ: Which are the new initiatives that you are working on? AK: From SECI what we are planning this year is 150 MW solarwind hybrid projects. We have identified a site in Andhra Pradesh and now we are doing the DPR (detailed project report) and things like that. This is with the World Bank support. This has been tried at small levels in India but not at this scale.

EQ: Going forward what is the scale on which such hybrid projects will be constructed? AK: That has to be in giga watts because there are sites which have got good wind potential also and the solar potential is always there. So, I think that’s going to open up.

EQ: What is the rationale for such projects? AK: There are two factors. One is the ‘time of day’ generation. Solar power generation during day time and wind during the night also. Second is the month. While during rainy months, there is more wind power generation, it is less in other months. One directly seen benefit is the maximum utilization of the (electricity) evacuation system. If you are setting up (an electricity transmission network), you are using it only for eight hours, but you will be using that more. And also continuous power. And in this the next element which has to come is storage. If you bit? some storage (capacity), it will further improve the quality of power.

May 2017

EQ: What is happening on the storage front? AK: Something will happen on the storage front but the government has to provide that scale. The solar (power generation) happened because the government provided that scale… Some off grid projects will happen in storage like in Leh-Ladakh.

EQ: It has been stated that India’s solar power sector has been helping China’s manufacturing sector. What is the game plan there? AK: I differ on that. One is the oil sector where you need to have regular supplies. In this case I have imported whatever today that generates for 25 years. So it is not regular. Tomorrow, if China stops also, whatever plants have been set up can’t be harmed. So the dependency is only to the extent is initial. That’s there. The second part is; we as a country have to see that there are different chains such as—manufacturing of polysilicon, manufacturing of wafers, manufacturing of cells, modules, etc. In the entire chain, we have to see what best suits for us for intervention. At what level we should enter? Whether at the polysilicon level, whether at the cell level, or whether at the module level is good enough?

EQ: Is that on your agenda? AK: Definitely and I would say as a country what we see is manufacturing and good advanced technology. That also needs to come to the country. As a country, we should have that focus to have better technologies. SECI should help in bringing better technologies through some of its projects…Some new experiments needs to be done and seen.

www.EQMagPro.com

EES & EV's

EVS To Be Introduced On Mass Scale Within Three Years Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said that the central government plans to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale within the next three years. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy, and Mines was speaking at the 2017 annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here. According to the minister, the move will support the central government’s efforts to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

oyal elaborated that for mass introduction of EVs, the central government will build charging infrastructure and start battery swapping programmes. On the central government’s UDAY scheme, the minister pointed out that it is “not only about financial re-engineering of discoms but also inculcating financial discipline”. The scheme he explained will work by capping lending to inefficient discoms. The minister asserted that the scheme has “zero financial implications” on the central government with “no subsidies or write-offs to discoms”.

Speaking at the session on ‘Changing Energy Economics and India’, Goyal stated that 100 GW (giga watts) of “stranded and stressed assets” have been revived through policy reforms and resource mobilisation.The minister disclosed that electric power demand in the country has increased by 6.5 per cent during the last fiscal, even as “India became power surplus for the first time”.

Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister, MNRE, India

Goyal revealed that India has seen a 370 per cent growth in renewablebased generation capacity in the past three years. The minister added that well-organised and transparent competitive bidding processes have driven tariffs for solar and wind below Rs 3 per unit and that the central government’s aim is to ensure electric power is supplied at Rs 3 per unit irrespective of source in the medium term.

Source:IANS

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

RENEWABLE ENERGY

India’s Power Struggle And The Emergence Of Renewable Energy

Author- Vinay Goyal CEO & Co-Founder Ganges Internationale

India consumes 309 GW of power and still 300 million people in the country live without access to electricity. By 2030, India’s energy consumption is expected to rise to 700 GW. The escalated demand will be not only to due to the growth in the manufacturing industry but also due to electoral promises of providing full access electricity to all citizens by 2022.

To Achieve This Unimaginable, India Is Placing Its Bets On Both Coal And Solar Energy.

COAL DEPENDENCY

High cost of financing

ndia, being a major importer of coal, has doubled its production targets from its local mines aiming to produce 1.5 billion tonnes of coal by 2020. The intensity is to reduce its import dependence and to help the under utilised thermal power plants in the country. India is also rapidly expanding its coal-fired electricity generation capacity, with around 113 GW of new capacity already under construction in addition to the 205 GW of existing capacity. Given the investments underway, and the abundance of the resource in the country, it seems that the coal will undoubtedly continue to play a dominant part in India’s energy mix. Renewable energy technology is considered unstoppable globally. No longer now solar power is dependent on government subsidies for its survival, solar tariff’s are reducing day by day it’s increasingly beating fossil fuels on pure raw economics. After India’s commitment at Conference of the Parties (CoP) 21 in Paris to fight against climate change. India is setting itself to transform its image completely with the support of global technological advancements by leveraging falling price of solar energy, which had been by 80% in the past five years. The government plans to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by installing 100 GW of solar (utility and rooftop), 60 GW of wind, 10 GW of biomass and 5 GW of small hydro electric projects by 2022. So far, in the last two-and-a-half years, the solar installed capacity is expanded by 200%, from 3,000 MW in March 2015 to 9,500 MW by end of December 2017. According to reports, solar is getting so cheap, so fast, that it will quickly represent a Lion’s share of new electric-power generation. Assuming battery technology continues to improve, very soon, solar will start to replace some fossil-fuel plants. According to the new government’s draft 10-year energy blueprint, 57% of India’s total electricity capacity will come from nonfossil fuel sources by 2027. (The Paris climate accord target was 40% by 2030).

oping to achieve a massive target of 175 GW of renewable energy, the government had pledged $30 million over five years to establish the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with 121 nations across the globe, to facilitate easier finance from multilateral banks for solar projects. In addition, it has also appealed to the wealthier nations to invest in renewable energy projects. With India’s exceptional GDP growth rate of more than 7%, global leaders have started thinking over to invest in India. Japan’s SoftBank has committed to invest $20 billion in conjunction with Taiwanese company Foxconn and Indian business group Bharti Enterprises. French state-owned energy company EDF is to invest $2 billion in Indian renewable energy projects, citing the country’s enormous projected demand and “fantastic” potential of its wind and solar radiation. Adani too has invested in the world’s largest solar plant in Tamil Nadu, including Tata Solar aiming to generate as much as 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. The World Bank sees this solar impetus as an investment opportunity and is providing $1 billion to support India’s ambitious solar initiatives.

May 2017

Power infrastructure concerns

he Green-Energy-Corridor (GEC) is part of the country’s plans to boost transmission capacity to enable a seamless flow of electricity from clean electricity producing states to consuming states that face power shortages. The GEC Project, spearheaded by the Power Grid Corp with support from the Asian Development Bank and Germany’s KfW Development Bank, is expected to enhance the electric grid’s transmission capacity. The network is designed to transmit 55 GW of solar and wind power being generated in eight renewable energy - rich states to load centres in the country’s northern region. Parallelly, as per Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) policy, intends to reduce AT&C losses, strengthen sub-transmission and distribution networks and fix admin losses through IT integration. Of Rs 12,700 crore to be invested on lines to transmit power from solar parks, the inter-state portion of the transmission investments will cost Rs 8,000 crore, while intra-state lines will require another Rs 4,745 crore. India will also receive a soft loan of about €1 billion for the corridor’s development from the KfW Development Bank.

www.EQMagPro.com

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Looking forward to 2017, with much of investments on ground, it is expected that new capacity addition of over 9 GW (up 90% over 2016) and up to 8 GW of new utility scale capacity allocation by NTPC, SECI and states including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to come up. As other international markets including China, Japan and Europe slow down, India will remain one of the fastest growing markets around the world moving fast to achieve the targets set. The government needs to align the incentives and bring in more friendly new domestic manufacturing policy to boost the industry and to ensure that the dream becomes a reality.

Will Renewables Win The Grid Parity Race ? The Indian Government â&#x20AC;&#x201C; under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, has set a target to achieve 175 gigawatts (GW) renewable energy capacity by 2022. This ambitious target was presented initially in the UN in 2015, to display Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proactive approach, contribution and willingness to reduce carbon emissions. Out of the 175 GW power capacity, 60 GW has been allocated to wind, 100 GW has been allocated to solar wherein 40GW is for solar rooftops. Lately, in order to achieve these targets and attract investments and developments in wind and solar sectors in the country, various forms of subsidies and tax incentives have been made available by the authorities.

Grid Parity: The moot point

he greatest surprise in the recent years has been the speed at which the price of solar panels has reduced. Soon India will witness cost parity. As technology will keep getting cheaper, this trend is likely to be continued. Moreover, with the involvement of new subsidies and incentives, the question is whether these low tariffs can help in achieving grid parity which remains a moot point. Grid Parity is a term used to describe the point in time when generating electricity from alternative sources of energy like solar and wind, costs more or less similar to the traditional sources. This means that India will reach grid parity when solar or wind can generate electricity at the same rate or equal to thermal power generation and is touted as the turning point of energy generation scenario in the country. According to few research papers, solar tariffs fell below INR 5 (USD 0.07)/ kWh, gaining parity with other sources of greenfield power. Falling cost has been instrumental in boosting solar demand from the power companies despite total power demand staying relatively weak throughout the year. New bigger capacities are expected in 2017 and would be attracting even more competitive tariff bids. Solar power is likely to become cheaper than or equivalent to conventional thermal energy prices soon and would reach Rs 4 per unit in early 2017. Factors such as decline in capital costs, technological advancements, increase in efficiency, shift towards large scale solar projects and lower return expectations by developers, are positive influences on the growth of the solar industry.

www.EQMagPro.com

Rooftop solar and large scale renewable showing impressive growth

he year 2016 has been extremely eventful for the renewable energy sector in India with most key indicators growing 2-3x over last year. The country added total solar capacity of 4.9 GW, an increase of 101% over 2015 and crossed the 10 GW cumulative installed capacity mark. New tenders were floated for about 9 GW of grid connected solar projects including 900 MW for rooftop solar systems. In a recent bid won by a leading organization which resulted in an unprecedented low tariff starting at Rs 3 per unit, has drastically stunned the pricing dynamics of the Indian solar industry. With an intend to install 14.5 megawatts (MW) of solar rooftop plants across 10 states, they are now offering power from these plants at tariffs starting at Rs 3 per unit, which is the lowest bid anyone has ever made in India. The offer of low tariffs is a significant development. With tariff underRs.5 per unit, debate would continue on the sustainability of low tariffs. However the foreign investors and big domestic corporate houses have started warming up for the huge investment potential in the renewable energy space sensing economic viability with lower capital cost and reduced counter party risk. The convergence of clean energy targets, strong government-backed policies and subsidies, desire for energy decentralization and continued technical advancements & innovation are the driving factors that will lead to solar global grid parity by 2020.

May 2017

45Â

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission HD: WAAREE Energies Ltd is the flagship company of Waaree Group, founded in 1989 with headquarters in Mumbai, India. It is India’s one of the largest solar PV module manufacturing capacity of 500 MW’S at its plant in near Surat, Gujrat. Waaree Energies is amongst the top players in India in providing EPC services, Project development, rooftop solutions, and solar water pumps and also as an Independent Power Producer. Waaree has its presence in over 20 locations nationally and 68 countries internationally. With a vision to provide high quality and cost-effective solutions across areas of operations in emerging as well as developed markets while leveraging on the goodwill and experience of the group and Management expertise, we are committed for continuous improvement in the quality of our products & services.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans. HD: We started out with a 30 MW module manufacturing line in 2007, which has grown to a module manufacturing capacity of 500 MW, which we are in the process of upgrading to 1.2 GW within FY 2017-18.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 HD: We, as part of the Indian Solar Industry, believe in and are fully committed to the Government of India target of 100 GW Solar Power by 2022. We plan to participate in this in our various roles – manufacture and supply modules, participate in EPC tenders as well as provide third party EPC services for utility scale projects, continue and strengthen our presence in the rooftop segment as well as on case-to-case basis participate as developers/investors in solar power projects. As part of our commitment towards the 100 GW target, we have introduced floating solar solution, to enable efficient use of the water-body surface for solar capacity deployment. Our manufacturing capacity roadmap has been planned to grow lock-step with the overall market with capacity upgradation to 1.2 GW within a year.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What’s your commitment towards the solar sector in India HD: We, as Waaree Group, have been involved in the solar sector from its inception having started in 2007 with a 30 MW module line, and at 500 MW operational lines as of now having upgraded as per the need of the time. We plan further expansion and looking at a module manufacturing capacity of 1.2 GW within this Finayear. In addition, we are a leading EPC service provider with more than 300 MW of executed projects, as well as leading provider of module mounting structures. As part of commitment and involvement in the solar sector in India, we have introduced innovative solutions such as floating solar as well as flexible module technology, in association with technology partners with proven expertise. The Waaree group takes its position as an industry leader as a solemn responsibility to work towards the overall benefit of the industry. Readiness of skilled manpower is one of the important enablers for the ambitious growth targets of solar industry. We have taken proactive steps taken through association and tie-ups with local institutes of learning as well as under Skill India initiative.

EQ: What is your target/ expectation of module supply in 2017-18 HD: Keeping in line with the growth potential in solar industry and Waaree’s continuing position as the leading Indian solar module manufacturer, we expect to supply modules upwards of 1 GW in FY 2017-18.

EQ: Kindly highlight your strengths and USP which gives your company a distinct advantage as compared to your competitors. HD: The strength of Waaree Group lies in its upstream and downstream

www.EQMagPro.com

integration – hence ability to offer solar solutions through a veritable one-stop shop. With industry accepted and awarded pole position in module manufacturing, we bring continual innovation, with robust flexible modules the latest addition to our offering. As one of the leading names in EPC, we bring our experience of over 300 MW of executed projects to deliver projects with the right quality at the right time at the right price. With varied solutions in BoS, be it inverters, module mounting structures, tracker solutions or floating solutions.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar modules HD: A few noteworthy projects built using our solar modules are NTPC 50 MW Project in Andhra Pradesh (Executed by Sterling & Wilson), AAI 15 MW (Executed by Sterling & Wilson), Azure 100 MW, GAIL 5 MW and many more.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future HD: The top markets for our company has been India, Europe, North America, South America and MENA region. We look towards the emerging African market with interest as well.

EQ: Please share information of some new orders in hand. HD: Keeping in line with our expectation of crossing 1 GW of module supply this financial year, we have entered FY 2017-18 with 200 MW of module order pipeline.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar pv modules HD: The technology shift expected would be towards higher efficiency with 21% efficiency the new norm. We foresee module technology to move towards Zero White Space (“ZWS”), Bifacial Modules, increasing share of mono-crystalline modules and PERC/

EQ: Solar Trade Wars : What is Your View ? HD: There has been predatory pricing and dumping of solar equipment (below the domestic market price). While many solar markets have countered this with anti-dumping duties, the Indian market remains open to it, with the lowest MSP of modules offered by certain overseas manufacturers in India, compared to any other territory, including their own domestic market. Indian Government had adopted Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) tendering to counter this. Unfortunately this was perceived and labeled by WTO as “preferential treatment”, thus limiting DCR tenders to Government projects alone With the domestic market of the overseas manufacturer’s resorting to dumping is itself closed to Indian manufacturer’s through high duties, and preferential market creation is curtailed by WTO, the avenues open to address these issues are two-fold: firstly, introduce government incentive scheme for domestic module manufacturer – thus enabling more competitive pricing by Indian companies, and secondly introduce restrictions on importing of solar modules from countries known to be engaging in predatory pricing. PERT technologies. Glass-to-glass modules with longer module life and stability is another technology that would increase in share. The trends towards modules with more number of busbars would continue with multi BusBar modules expected to be the new norm. Instead of commenting on cost trends, we would like to state that in the solar PV modules space, value rather than pure cost should be and will be what is considered in the Indian solar market’s continuing efforts towards lower LCOE, having moved beyond the grid parity paradigm.

May 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: As a module manufacturer provided 25 years warranties, is it backed up by warranties by cell manufacturer, materials manufacturers ? HD: As a module manufacturer we provide 25 year warranties. We do not get back-to-back warranties by cell/materials manufacturer. We ensure adherence to the quality expected from us, through rigorous quality control and in-house testing both for inwards material as well as for finished products. We follow the strictest production guidelines and the best International Industry Standards and Practices with all major national & international certifications.

EQ: Comment on the warranty claim rate, rejections, replacements etc… HD: We would like to give full credit to our factory team with their rigorous quality control and adherence to world-class standards, that we have a clean slate when it comes to warranty claims, rejections and/or replacements.

EQ: As a manufacturer, kindly share your plans to foray as developer or equity investor in solar pv power projects. HD: Waaree Group has already made significant forays as developer/ equity investor in solar PV power projects, with projects developed in joint venture with a leading PSU, with projects won under competitive bidding and developed in Andhra Pradesh. We keep a close watch on and are fully engaged in the current and upcoming tenders and will participate - on case to case basis - directly or through consortium route. We believe our expertise, as solar module manufacturer as well as a leading EPC service provider, would stand us in good stead in this competitive environment.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.3.3-4.34 per kWh in various Solar Tender. What’s your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc… HD: The recent aggressive bidding in Solar Tenders have breached the grid parity target set by the Indian solar industry. The challenge in front of the solar industry as a whole is the successful execution of these projects and development of quality assets to service these PPA’s. The successful bidders would definitely have done the pre-bid due diligence and cost projections based on the industry trends, but a relook would be advisable at each stage till actual COD, to ensure the viability of the projects. An important piece of the

May 2017

development puzzle is readiness of land & evacuation in solar parks in line with the project timelines. This needs the coordination by and between the Solar Park Implementation Agencies and the Transmission Utilities, with support from the state Government. The next piece is the optimization of capital cost – modules, BoS and EPC – without any adverse effect on the quality of assets. We believe the Indian solar market has matured to such level that this can be achieved through collaborative discussions and use of combined purchasing power.

EQ: How has RUMS Bid changed the dynamics for Solar Projects in India. What are the challenges, threats and new opportunities you see emerging now HD: The RUMS bid and the subsequent solar park bids have changed the dynamics of solar projects, by moving beyond the grid parity paradigm, with solar tariffs in line or lower than the projected APPC tariffs expected at the time the PPA’s go-live. The storm cloud along with this silver lining is the perceived threat to signed/allocated solar PPA’s with higher tariffs. This is something that the regulators and the Discoms have to address to avoid any adverse effect on the investor confidence in solar India. There have been reports of winners of certain earlier bid processes being asked for further discount on the discovered tariff on the basis of the low tariffs reached in RUMS and other subsequent bids. On a positive sidenote, an interesting opportunity that has arisen from solving the grid parity problem, is the spotlight shifting to “socket parity” problem for the off-grid and rooftop market. We look towards this segment for the next big headline that propels interest in solar from an industry topic to common man discussion.

www.EQMagPro.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What has delayed the new upcoming tenders by NTPC/SECI and what are the learning’s and take aways from RUMS Bids HD: Many reasons have been assigned to the delay/reduction in speed of allocation of Solar India. Though GST applicability and the non pass-through of increase due to the same in PPA tariffs may be an important reason, we believe the reduced ready inventory of plug-nplay ready solar parks and Discom readiness to sign and adhere to PPA’s is a more pressing reason. Any analysis of the solar bidding/ auction results would make it clear that higher developer confidence hence higher aggression and consequently lower tariffs have been possible where the land and evacuation risks have been suitably mitigated through well designed solar park mechanisms. With the ready inventory of solar parks close to being completely allocated, the Government has taken steps in the right direction by doubling of solar park targets to 40 GW by 2020, as well as increased importance to involvement of private entrepreneurs for solar park development. Discom readiness to sign and adhere to PPA tariffs discovered through the bidding process is an important factor. With the inevitably decreasing tariffs in bid processes due to aggression fuelled by lack of near term visibility of bankable tenders, there have been instances where Discoms/offtakers are discussing further discounts on tariffs reached through competitive bidding especially in non solar park tenders. This is an alarming trend which may affect the market sentiments adversely.

EQ: What are the expectations from Government / NTPC / SECI / RUMS Team HD: We, as part of the Indian Solar Industry, in our roles as equipment manufacturer, EPC service provider and developer, expect continued support from Government Policy and the various Government agencies. From the Government on policy level

www.EQMagPro.com

we expect: - Demand Assurance – Clarity on DCR and Make-In-India Module based tenders to have assured domestic demand for manufacturing industry From the tender issuing and management bodies such as SECI and NTPC we expect - Visibility of Tenders – Tender Calendar for the next 3-5 years – tender dates and scheduled commissioning dates not clustered but spread across to ensure optimal use of production and execution capability From the solar park facilitation bodies such as RUMS team, we expect: - Visibility of timelines for readiness of land and evacuation arrangements for solar parks - With the target for solar parks doubled to 40 GW, we look forward to clear calendars of solar park readiness and tender release. High resolution and correct survey information on the land as well as availability of irradiation data through on-ground weather stations put in place as soon as possible will enable suitable planning hence costing by the developer and EPC communities.

EQ: Are the developers betting on Modules Prices or Interest Rates ? HD: In keeping with the aggression and competition in the solar tenders, the tariff bids are based on forward looking modules prices as well as interest rates. The developer community has been making increasingly aggressive projections on the capital costs, especially module costs. As these are based on reduction of cost projections without any direct reference to forward costs of silicon, wafers, cells or modules, there is considerable risks involved. We are sure that the developer bidding is done with complete due-diligence of industry trends as well as post-win action to achieve the projected costs, we look at the current allocated capacity pipeline with involvement and concern as industry participants and partners.

EQ: Pre-Bid Tie up : Would you suggest prebid tie up ? HD: Given the aggressive bidding

being seen and required in Indian solar market, we believe pre-bid tieup at both module supply as well as EPC level should not just be seen as prudent practice by the developer community but made a credential requirement by the tender management agencies. This would ensure there is minimum abandonment of prestigious projects, and the aggression is suitably tempered with ability and commitment by the various stake-holders.

EQ: Roof Top Solar : What is your plans for Roof Top Solar Market, Government Target of 40GW rooftop solar by 2022 (Please comment) , Various Models such as RESCO/BOOT/ PPA/EPC etc…Opportunities & Challenges, Policies & Regulations etc… HD: Rooftop solar has finally moved from kW scale to MW scale. We are highly committed to our efforts in this segment, where value based competition will flourish rather than purely financial engineering fueled aggression. With more than 40 MW of rooftop projects we are working in all the flavors of rooftop solar be it pureplay EPC, BOOT Model, RESCO model or the more innovative structures being discussed. We expect this segment to further heat up. Hitherto, this has been an Unorganized sector, with no central repository of opportunities unlike MW scale ground mounted segment, other than tenders coming from SECI, CEL and NVVNL. This creates an opportunity for coordinators and intermediaries: Local team provides leads and services & National level EPC teams bring expertise and financial strength. Most states have come out with conducive rooftop solar policies, but the industry still encounters roadblocks in terms of maximum capacity allowed for grid interactive systems and speed of regulatory approvals. Gross metering, thus monetization of large roofs for those consumers who have low or seasonal consumption patterns is the next big change the industry awaits.

May 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.James From GoodWe EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18 James: We mainly focused on EU, AU and other markets in the past. With the expansion of our monthly capacity to 200MW and completion of required IEC certificates, we have officially set India as our globally strategic market, where we have put in place local service team &warehouse, and in due time to build India’s branch and production line to help hit our target of establishing GoodWe as a very leading brand here in India within 2017-18, as the accomplishment we have made in above mentioned markets.

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

- Head of Sales for SEA & India, GoodWe Power Supply Techn. Co. Ltd

James: We well understand how price sensitive Indian solar market is and are ready to take that challenge. The market is huge, so we will continue to enhance the level of localization by recruiting more local service and sales people to respond faster and more effectively to customers’ needs. We are very seriously evaluating the feasibility and approach to set up local production line here. GoodWe has been a worldwide reputable name for string and hybrid inverters. Our production and shipment have been scaling up steadily to an industry leading level, so without any compromises on materials and quality, we are able to make our inverters cost effective enough to service our strategic partners here in India.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback. James: Every model of GoodWe inverters is designed after thorough study of market trend and customer’s preferences. Before entering into Indian market, we conducted variously rigid tests on our inverters under extremely hot and humid environment that Indian market features. Besides having traditionally popular models from single phase 1kW up to three phase 75kW, we also come to India with such unique models as1) 50kW and 60kW with 400Vac in 4MPPT, which proves greatly popular for Indian commercial and industrial rooftops 2) Smart Three Phase 4kW/5kW/6kW/8kW/9kW/10kW, eyeing on the fast growing residential net-metering installations.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future James: Presently our top 5 markets are Netherlands/ Australia/UK/South America, and of course China. No surprise that Indian market is catching up fast, making it safe to say that very soon India will be among the top 5 markets for GoodWe.

EQ: Kindly comment of Energy Storage as a game changer, its technology, cost trends…etc…

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters James: In last August, we won a 5.6MW project for TT Circuit Assen in Netherlands, after several rounds of strict testing procedures and comparisons among many brands from the world.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission James: GoodWe was founded in 2010, with major investors such as JXT group- an Apply and Samsung’s main supplier for mobile electronic connectors, and also some investments from the government.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, James: GoodWe is gaining increasing

www.EQMagPro.com

popularity across the world. Our manufacturing capacity has been more than tripled as it was two years ago, to a current level of 200 MW per month. As a well established name in those traditional markets such as Europe and Australia, we are enjoying quite stable growth. Now with the great contribution from emerging markets, India, South America, South East Asia to be mentioned, we are poised to having more growth in the coming years.

James: GoodWe is a pioneering inverter company for energy storage technology. We have been the leading bi-directional hybrid inverter supplier across the globe since 2014, especially to Europe and Australia. With the advantages in energy storage, we are now entering into smart home energy management sector, which we see would largely shape the future of the industry.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022. James: Previously, many people would think it’s a too high target to hit. But during the past years’ development, we all see what huge potential the market holds.When I travelled in different regions of India, many blackouts were encountered, so the country is in real needs of alternative energy. Solar is keeping becoming more affordable. We are sure that India will continue to be one of the most important engines for global solar market development.

May 2017

solar inverter

SNEC 2017

Huawei Collaborates in Building an All-smart PV Ecosystem Huawei collaborated in showcasing smart PV solutions at SNEC 2017 from April 19 to 21. Huawei chose “building an all-smart PV ecosystem” as the theme and shared the latest innovations and practical tactics across three exhibition areas: FusionHome Smart Energy Solution, FusionSolar Smart PV Solution 5.0, and Energy Internet.

FusionHome ushers in a new era of smart home energy.

On April 19, Huawei unveiled the FusionHome Smart Energy Solution which is oriented to user experience, makes energy management visible and simple, and classifies energy use scenarios. This demonstration attracted thousands of visitors from the PV and media industries.

he one-tap experience from the FusionHome Smart Energy Solution makes life much easier. Module-level, rapid shutdown technology protects people and property by preventing a direct, high voltage current from being produced on the rooftop. The Smart PV Controller uses more silicon and less copper along with Huawei patented topology technology. The more precise power conversion and control technology, such as the intelligent five-level technology, makes the AC output waves more smooth and improves efficiency by 0.5% to 1.6%, reaching up to 98.6%. The European weighted efficiency of the inverter is 98%, while the weighted efficiency of the smart PV optimizer reaches 99%, which is 0.4% higher than competitor products.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

solar inverter

usionHome converges the information and energy flows of smart homes. Smart devices communicate with each other over wireless communication modes, such as enhanced WiFi and 4G networks. Consequently, the production, storage, and consumption of power from home energy are managed in a visualized way. People can allocate energy ideally while enjoying the comfortable life, allowing for self-sufficient households that can achieve full digitization and close-to-zero consumption. FusionSolar Smart PV Solution 5.0 is simpler, more cost-effective, and more reliable than its predecessors. Smart trackers, PV controllers, 4G LTE wireless dedicated network transmission, smart PV plant management system, and FusionSolar smart O&M cloud center were all showcased at the FusionSolar Smart PV Solution 5.0 exhibition area. These components work together to build a complete smart PV ecosystem to suit largescale ground-mounted PV plants, distributed PV plants, and PV plants for poverty alleviation, agriculture, and fishery.

n the basis of FusionSolar 3.0, FusionSolar 5.0 focuses on an all-smart ecosystem, continuous innovation, simplifying the system, reducing the investment, and improving the system security and reliability. FusionSolar 5.0 inherits the outstanding fuse-free, natural cooling, and 2-input and 1-MPPT designs. By teaming up with industry partners, Huawei integrates multiple intelligent advanced technologies, including the smart tracker convergence, smart box-type transformer, smart I-V curve diagnosis, smart O&M, and smart component (optimizer) in FusionSolar 5.0. The line loss on the entire PV array decreases, the energy yields increase continuously, and the O&M cost and initial investment reduce.

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

53Â

solar inverter

uawei FusionSolar smart O&M cloud center management system centrally configures resources based on cloud computing, big data mining, and the mobile 4G cluster scheduling system. This makes PV plants manageable, visible, and controllable. As a result, PV plants can exist relatively unattended and faults can be intelligently identified and reported. In addition, mobile remote O&M and emergency command also help improve day-to-day operational benefits throughout the PV plant lifecycle. Huawei FusionSolar cloud center management system has been widely used in global key accounts, including SPIC, GCL, CMIG, JinkoSolar, Akcome, Tongwei, CMN, and Zhongli Talesun, and helps them improve O&M efficiency by more than 50%.

Huawei is committed to enabling and promoting the development of the energy internet.

s the environmental problems become increasingly serious, the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy is an irreversible trend. Huawei, a leading global ICT and network energy solutions provider, has always been involved in digital information as well as electrical and electronic technologies. Based on intelligent power production, power consumption, and interconnection, as well as cloud sharing, Huawei combines cloud computing, big data, IoT technology, and wireless communication with renewable energy and is committed to enabling and promoting the development of the energy internet. Huawei remains committed to cooperating with industry partners to build an open energy internet ecosystem.

SNEC is one of the biggest international PV tradeshows, attracting worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top PV enterprises. The products and technologies showcased at this event are the most cutting-edge and innovative in the industry. Huawei Smart PV Solution received many awards, including the two most prestigious: the Ten Bright Spots Award and Terawatt Diamond Award, owing to its advanced technologies, innovations, and reputation.

54Â

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

solar inverter

India’s top customers visited Huawei during SNEC 2017

uawei invited India’s top PV shareholders and EPC companies to participate in the SNEC exhibition and visit the inverter product line in Songshanhu base, Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen, the Smart PV Gala Dinner, and 100 MW PV plant for fishery in Huzhou. In Songshanhu base, customers visited the 18 MW rooftop-mounted PV plant showcase, inverter product line, FusionSolar Smart O&M system, and the automatic logistics system.

uring the SNEC exhibition in Shanghai, the VIP customers were involved in high-level talks with the leader of the Network Energy Product Line about the development trends in the PV sector. PV modules are 4 to 6 meters higher than the fish pond surface, which ensures sufficient irradiation and safe passage for staff. This is the largest PV plant worldwide and uses the full Huawei Smart PV Solution.

W Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen and the GCTC lab

A tour of Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen, including the F1 exhibition hall and GCTC lab, took place against a backdrop of beautiful blossoms and green scenery. The F1 exhibition hall demonstrates Huawei’s global leadership in the ICT field, referencing cutting-edge technologies, innovation, and R&D to inspire confidence and long-term partnerships. The GCTC lab demonstrates Huawei’s stringent requirements on products and technologies along with first-class quality control capabilities. “Verified by GCTC” has become a mark of Huawei quality.

www.EQMagPro.com

ith openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit in mind, Huawei will remain customer-centered. Looking to the future, Huawei will fully leverage partner advantages to build an open and harmonious all-smart PV ecosystem. Huawei will continue to share resources across the industry, helping to forge more innovative and competitive solutions. This will in turn accelerate the grid parity process and promote the sustainable development of the PV industry to build a better connected PV world.

May 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.William Zhou EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18 WZ: Over 1GW has supplied to India. Over 2GW will be supplied to India in 2017.

VICE PRESIDENT, SUNGROW

WZ: Low prices, high reliability and high efficiency is the requirement of today’s solar industry. Typically, we witnessed 3-4% increase in efficiency and 3-4% reduction cost. So, we could expect the solar tarrifs may continue to go down by 5-8% year-onyear. The cost of production may continue to come down. Bigger factories and lower cost of manufacturing will ultimately lead to reduction in tarrifs over the next few years, but also keeping sustainability, reliability and efficiency in mind.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback,. WZ: Sungrow’s high efficiency inverters known for its design engineering, quality & reliability have been widely accepted by Indian market. 2016 has been a great year for us, in terms of acceptance from most of the leading IPP & EPC companies which has enabled us to achieve an order booking of 1.3 GW,1000 V container solution and 70 MW ,1500 V indoor central inverters. These orders compliment the installed capacity of 200MW in India.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters WZ: Indian market have been very favorable and great support & cooperation have been received by Sungrow for its products. We signed 1.3 GW by September 2016 and will finishing 1GW on ground by June 2017, with big solar players like Renew Power, ACME, Mytrah Energy, Tata Power, Sterling & Wilson, Harsha Abakus, Hero Clean Solar, etc.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission WZ: Sungrow is aglobal leading PVinverter system solution supplier with over 31GW installed worldwide as of December 2016.Founded in 1997 by University Professor Renxian Cao, Sungrow is a global leader in research and development in solar inverters, with numerous patents and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter systems as well as energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications. With a 20-year track record of growth and success, Sungrow’s products are available in over 50 countries, maintaining a market share of around 25% in Germany and 10% globally.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures. WZ: Sungrow factory takes an area of 93,936 m2 and has an annually capacity of 18 GW PV inverters, A new PV inverter factory taking an area of 188,717 m2 is under construction which will lift the annual production capacity to 36 GW within one year. Sungrow is a global leading PV inverter system solution supplier with over 31GW installed worldwide as of December 2016.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 WZ: India is one of the key focus for the whole world and Sungrow as well. And being one of the top 3 brands in solar inverter industry with appreciable response from customerswe will be finishing 3GW orders by 2017. Also, the present solar industry is such that the prices are going down and customers are seeking more reliablility, Sungrow will be able to fulfill with the requirements and when we talk about GOi target of 100GW by 2022, Sungrow will be sharing 30-35%. With a 20-year track record of growth and success, Sungrow’s products are available in over 50 countries, maintaining a market share of around 25% in Germany and 10% globally.

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India WZ: India is a growing market and world is focusing over it for investments. Sungrow India also have some ideas to setup the manufacturing units. Even a Sungrow team from china has visited India in the same regards and explored some regions. Also, GST implementation will be playing a role for the same, so we are keeping an eye over GST implementation and manufacturing units setup plans will be taken care accordingly.

EQ: Briefly describe the various technologies and its suitable applications such as Central Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, 1500V, Outdoor, Container solutions etc.. WZ: Sungrow offers a wide range of products which include central inverter/ container solutions for 1000V & 1500 V and string inverters for the fast-growing Indian market. SG1000, SG 2000 & SG2500 (1 MW, 2 MW & 2.5 MW respectively) are our offerings for 1000 V outdoor central inverters solutions. The future demand for 1500 V range of central inverters are catered by SG1250HV, SG1500HV (1.25 & 1.5 MW indoor inverters) backed by SG2500HV & SG3000HV(2.5 MW & 3 MW) Containerised solutions. SG33KTL, SG50KTL & SG60KTL are being promoted in the string inverter arena. All the offered products in India boosts a maximum efficiency of 99% making it complementing to its engineering & reliability.

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits WZ: Over 3% of R&D/Revenue ratio.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future WZ: China, APAC (excl. China and India), EMEA, India and NA are top markets for Sungrow.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , micro inverters, upcoming game changes technologies. WZ: In 2016, Sungrow has unveiled the world’s highest output string inverter – rated at 125kW (1500Vdc) – and became the first PV inverter supplier that provides both central and string inverters rated at 1500Vdc. Featured 1500Vdc central inverters are SG1250HV, SG1500HV (1.25 & 1.5 MW indoor inverters) backed by SG2500HV & SG3000HV(2.5 MW & 3 MW) Containerized solutions.

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your inverters. WZ: Sungrow’s products are certified for applications worldwide. The company has invested its own in-house testing center approved by UL, CSA, TÜV Rheinland, and TÜV SÜD.

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc… WZ: Founded in 1997 by University Professor Renxian Cao, Sungrow is a global leader in research and development in solar inverters, with numerous patents and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications. With a 20-year track record of growth and success, Sungrow possesses a dynamic R&D team which accounts for over 30% of the company’s total workforce. The company has also invested its own in-house testing center approved by UL, CSA, TÜV Rheinland, and TÜV SÜD. In 2016, Sungrow has unveiled the world’s highest output string inverter – rated at 125kW (1500Vdc) – and became the first PV inverter supplier that provides both central and string inverters rated at 1500Vdc.

May 2017

EQ: What’s your commitment towards the solar sector in India WZ: India is one of the most focused markets for Sungrow in the world. Sungrow India currently has its sales team operating from Bangalore, Gurgaon& Mumbai, backed by a well experienced technical support team. A very strong, well structured & established service team with PAN India presence ensures the dependency and our sustainable growth in India.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters WZ: The cost will continue to decrease and there is a trend of transferring to 1500Vdc technology.

www.EQMagPro.com

SNEC VISIT 2017

Huawei Visit Of Mr.Anand Gupta, Editor, EQ Magazine All these years I have been curious about a big change in the Solar Inverters Market. Witnessing a big shift in the philosophy and reality of using String Inverters instead of Central in very large Utility Scale Grid Connected Solar PV Power Plants, a New Star which was unheard before 4 years and with their technology leadership, thoughts on O&M became the No.1 Inverter Company in the world.

www.EQMagPro.com

ou guessed it right…I am talking about Huawei which has not only changed the dynamics of choosing String Inverters instead of Central for huge PV Projects, but also about O&M and getting maximum power with least hassels during the plant lifetime. We all have heard it that Huawei in a short span of time became No.1 Inverter Company in the world….I would like to thank Huawei for enlightening me with the next level concepts and making me understand. WHY? Huawei FusionSolar Global Shipping volumes were 10.5 GW ranking 1st Place in the world in both 2016 and 2015. . In a 100 MW Plant, Huawei solution delivered 2.02% higher yield as compared to centralized solution for the same period. Huawei Inverter

availability reached 99.996%. The world’s highest altitude (4300m) plant is operating reliable without any power derating. In unsmooth and unevenly-oriented mountainous areas, multi-MPPT reduces mismatch impact while increases yields by 4.6% AND 50% less maintenance. I promise, it’s an amazing experience so see an elephant running so fast and why and how it is able to achieve this. Huawei offers Fusion Solar Smart PV Solution. With Global Automated O&M offers Centralized Management, Low Duty on Sites & Automated O&M. It offers a very simplified system structure, no inverter housing is required, no DC Combiner, no fuses, natural cooling design. PV String is attached by Huawei Smart PV Controller (IP65 Protection) and the data access is created by Huawei Smart Array Controller. Through the Sub-Station, Data is transmitted through Huawei Plant Management System using 4G LTE Wireless Network to the Cloud Management System and Center. All these deliver high reliability and minimal on-site inspection. String Inverters are small size and hence easy to transport.

May 2017

SNEC VISIT 2017

PLC Technology & 4G LTE Wireless transmission required no optical fibers and RS485 cables are required. It effectively reduces the PID Effects especially in Highhumid areas with Huawei Anti-PID patent technology. Short DC Path with less DC Nodes reduces the fire risk caused by DC Arcing. Huawei string inverters required no heavy machinery or concrete foundation or inverter room reduces construction costs and time and enables quick and easy installation. While the advanced Multi-MPPT algorithm increased the power yields and enables 0-touch maintenance and inspection free installation. Especially in mountain area the Multi-MPPT Design effectively reduces string mismatch due to shading or different panel orientations delivering a higher yield. Fusion Solar 3.0 comprises of the various key components by Huawei such as Smart PV Controller (commonly known as String Inverter), Smart Array Controller. Cloud Management Center, Plant Management System, 4G/LTE & Smart Security System. It’s a very interesting blend of Solar Inverters with ICT/IOT which creates a unique set of USP’s & Advantages. It was very enlightening to see huge Utility Scale Grid Connected PV Plants like 1GW Site, Floating Plants, Solar-agriculture PV Plants, Plants on Fisheries, World’s largest Solar rooftop PV plant of 300MW in China and around the world such as Japan, UK etc.. Huawei stands out in the bid of the 1 GW China’s Leading Project in Datong, Shanxi, winning more than 50% of the

share. , which only chooses the most remarkable cutting-edge technologies among all the Chinese solar companies. Huawei solution enables PV plants on farm land as it minimizes foundation construction to retain the land for farming, and keeps farmers safe from electric shocks resulting zero impact on daily agricultural activities. Huawei establishment in Shenzhen has a huge campus with many buildings comprising state of the art manufacturing facilities from USA, Germany, Japan and lifeso much sophisticated manufacturing facility using minimum labor/human intervention, automatic work flows, and Huawei factory building has a huge 17.5 MW Solar PV Rooftop Plant. Comparing Fusion Solar Smart PV Solution with a traditions solution offers various advantages such as more modules per string, less DC cables, eliminates use of DC combiner box. Power line carrier communication(Hi silicon chipset inside uses less copper and more silicon) instead of a communication cable, data logger and fiber ring making traditional solution difficult for locating fault. Huawei solution offers advanced data analysis, O&M with fusion cloud platform, support data storage, management & analysis and continually accommodates the increase size of the plant. It enables unattended plant by wireless dispatching system, Smart I-V Curve diagnosis and quick diagnosis for entire strings as opposed to traditional system offering only simple monitoring.

IP65 design offers high protection, fully sealed design which are adaptable to harsh environment such as heavy sand, salt-mist, high humid, High temperature & low temperature / snow areas. Numerous advantages and features such as protection against dripping water even when its tilted up to 15 degrees, spraying water, splashing water, water jets, heavy seas, effects of immersion, submersion. Dustproof Inverter with anti-fist, antifinger, anti-screwdriver, anti-insect, anti-sand& anti-dust. All this coupled with natural cooling, no fuses, no external fans and strong durability coating of the inverters provided 25 years reliability. Let’s understand the natural cooling based on fusion & innovation of heat dissipation development in wireless devises. Huawei inverter works well in desert with ambient temperature up to over 50 degrees, as well as rooftops. Smart PV Controller applies continuous innovation and optimized heat dissipation technologies from Huawei heat design platform of 120 exporters. There is proper component layout and even heat dissipation under the conditions of 50 degrees Celsius& rated power output, heat dissipates evenly on both I/O and power board with max temp of 80 degrees C.

The Inverter Product Line

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

SNEC VISIT 2017

ith optimized tooth pitch and tooth thickness with integrated heat sink and better heat dissipation with external inductor shell. Well Huawei has achieved natural cooling through years of experience in developing heat dissipation for Huawei ICT Devices. Let’s say when there are 8 strings of PV panels and there is shading on the 8th string. As the traditional system as 1-2 MPPT/MW, one string mismatch will affect all strings and causes power loss. Remaining 7 Strings will give 90% output and 8th string with shading will give 50% output. Now with Huawei system, the 8th string with shading will deliver 50% output and just the 7th string will deliver 90% output. Remaining 6 strings will all deliver 100% output. It is enabled by Multi-MPPT resulting in higher yields with about 100MPPT/MW and hence multiple MPPT minimize string mismatch and optimize power yields. Accurate MPPT algorithm instantly responds

www.EQMagPro.com

to rapid weather change. Fusion Solar enables data collection and PLCC Within the array with smart PV controller, smart array control unit (comprising of Power line communication, wireless PoE Charging of CPE, SmartLogger and AntiPID. At SNEC PV Expo, Huawei unveiled the technology roadmap with 5.0 Solution comprising of 70KTL1100V, 12 Inputs; 6 MPPT’s and Max Efficiency of 99.3%. Huawei also unveiled Residential Smart PV Solution with 3-5 KTL (Max Efficiency 98.64%), Residential Power Storage, 375W, External wall mounted & imbedded power optimizer with max efficiency of 99.5%. Winner of red dot award 2016 and iF Design Award 2017, HUAWEI SUN2000L Smart Energy Solution, has a very lightweight aluminum housing designed with passive cooling. Indoor and outdoor assemblies can be carried out in a time-efficient and user-friendly manner. It takes less than 15 minutes to finish the installation.

ABOUT HUAWEI With USD 75.1 Billion Revenue in 2016, Operations in 170+ Countries, more than 180,000 Employees, 129 ranking in Fortune Global 500, 80,000 R&D Employees, 36 Joint Innovation centers, 15 R&D Centers, accumulated 57,632 pcs chinese patent applications, 39,613 overseas patent applications and 90% of total are innovative patents, invests 14.6% of sales revenue in R&D and No1 in international patent applications. With 9 Global R&D Centers of Network, 10+ Years R&D in Power, 6 Smart PV R&D Centers. In India, Huawei inverter shipmentis more than 1GW.

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions Highlights Solar Innovations

Description Solar Panels From DuPont Field Testing Program Solar panels from DuPont’s extensive field testing program were on display at the booth to demonstrate how PV material selections can impact system performance and lifetime.

Description Module Accelerated sequential testing ( mast) Current testing standards used by the industry are insufficient to accurately determine reliability of solar panels and components over time, and this is why the industry should adopt DuPont’s rigorous Module Accelerated Sequential Testing (MAST) procedure, which better determines the long-term performance of systems by simulating real-world conditions and by combining and repeating multiple aging stresses.

Description Tedlar® PVF film laminated metal roofing panel provides long-lasting protection for rooftop PV distributed systems, reducing the cost of maintenance and module replacement.

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017 DuPont Customer Collaboration Showcased at SNEC

Description •

Solamet® Interconnect Paste, an innovative new product designed with unique chemistry for PV applications as a replacement for traditional solder materials and adhesives. It enables advanced cell and module assembly with more flexibility and convenience in use. A shingled cell module assembled by Jinchen Solar Equipment using Solamet® Interconnect Paste was on display at DuPont’s booth. Also featured were DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF film, the only backsheet material proven to protect solar panels in the field for more than 30 years even in extreme conditions

•

Taiwan Solar Energy Company (TSEC), which specializes in manufacturing high performance, top quality mono- and polycrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, demonstrated how it has observed 21.15 percent cell efficiency and module power output as high as 305 Watts (60 pcs) in its V-Series mono PERC modules using Solamet® PV20A.

www.EQMagPro.com

•

Another successful Solamet® PV20x adoption comes from REC, a leading vertically integrated solar energy company. The latest REC TwinPeak 2 Series, 60-cell multicrystalline solar panel, rated up to 295 Wp, delivers at least 20 Wp more per panel compared to standard 60-cell multicrystalline panel. The new achievement is result from the combination of REC TwinPeak technologies and DuPont™ Solamet® PV20x, which enables efficiency enhancement on multi PERC. DuPont™ Solamet® PV20A, the company’s latest front-side silver paste, is designed specifically for P-type solar cells. Solamet® PV20A is designed to be used in both Lightly Doped Emitter (LDE) and Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) solar cell construction and is ideally suited to maximize efficiency for the most demanding conventional and PERC architectures while also ensuring reliable production performance.

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Ginlongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new string inverters improve energy transfer smartly and safely. Product Outline :

inlong Corporation has launched new high performing, safe and smart PV inverters, both for single and three phase applications, the Solis 4G and Solis HV series.

Problem :

ith both domestic and large-scale development of distributed generation increasing, ensuring the efficient operation, smooth energy transfer, reliability and smart-control has been at the forefront of the latest model design.

Solution :

he Solis-4G single phase series with high switch frequency technology makes the inverter smaller and smarter. Single-board design reduces the risks caused by the connector between PCB boards and ultra wide input voltage range reduces temperature rise. The latest generation components from international suppliers increase performance and efficiency throughout. The Solis-HV high voltage three phase series adopt four MPPT algorithm to ensure the high energy-transfer efficiency. Anti-resonance technology enables the connection of 6M+ inverters in parallel. With advance commercial site monitoring solutions, improved design and intelligent internal air circulation the max efficiency is over 99% and the THD is lower than 3%. 64Â

May 2017

Applications : Full range from domestic 1kW installations through to 50MW++ utility connections Platform: Models comply with AS4777.2:2015, with multiple fault protections levels. Both the Solis-4G and Solis-HV series have RS485, WiFi/GPRS and Ethernet interface available.

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Growatt launches new generation off-grid inverters SPF3000/5000 Good news for those who are planning an off-grid solar PV system. Growatt has combined unique technology and design concept into Growatt SPF3000/5000 series as a new solution to provide power independently and cost-effectively where there is no grid, especially in rural villages and isolated islands.

rowatt SPF3000/5000 series is perfect for off-grid, backup power and self-consumption applications. Also stacking two charge controller units will double the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charging power to be compatible with larger capacity battery.

ith the help of off-grid system, many people make their dreams come true --- turning their abundant sunshine into electricity, and cater for their basic needs (mobile phones, TV, lights, radios, shavers etc).

o ensure off-grid PV system work in a higher efficient way, SPF3000/5000 is built-in two MPPT for more yields, and compatible with lead-acid and lithium-ion battery, also supports utility grid and generator voltage input.

www.EQMagPro.com

o get a good experience for the users, SPF3000/5000 appearance is stylish, not only local graphical LCD and four buttons, but also compact design (12.5KG@482*450*140 mm), even source priority to charge battery and power load are programmable. Thanks to its design, SPF3000/5000 is scalable. The maximum number of units in parallel is up to 6, and suitable for single phase and three phase system. Charging power is increasable by adding expansion charge controller unit.

May 2017

65Â

Highligh

SNEC 2017

SUNTECH LATEST PRODUCTS Module Brief Introduction 325W Poly Solar Module Excellent module ef ficiency 16.7% Maximum 1500 V DC system voltage 3800 Pa wind load and 5400 Pa snow load

275W 5BB Poly Solar Module By reducing electrodes resistance and shading area to improve the conversion efficiency Excellent module efficiency 16.8% Withstand harsh environment like coastline, desert etc

66Â

May 2017

325 WDouble Glass Poly Solar Module Glass-Glass structure extend life span, PID free No grounding requirement and reduce BOS cost 12-year product warranty 30-year linear performance warranty Apply to agriculture/fishingsolar complementary project

300W Double Sided Mono Solar Module By using high efficiency Ntype double sided mono cell, the power generation can increase 30% Integrated with white coating floor, the maximum total power can reach to 390W Ultra-low light degradation, LID<1%

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

270W HyPro Light Weight Mono Solar Module Only 9.2Kgs with 0.85 mm front glass Suitable for those loadbearing roof top Excellent module efficiency 18.21%

370W Mono Half Cell Solar Module Compared to the normal products, the power output can increase 10W Reduce the hot spots and minimize panel degradation Excellent weak light performance, maximize thepower output

2400 Pa wind load and 2400 Pa snow load

330W Multi Bus Bar Poly Solar Module By reducing electrodes resistance and shading area to Compared to the normal products, the power output can increase 5W Reduce the risk of broken gate and microcracks

www.EQMagPro.com

305W SMART DC MODULE Built-in intelligent cell optimizer IC to ensure power output Eliminate hot spots and minimize panel degradation With advanced PERC technology, module efficiency up to 18.7% Won the CQC “Top Runner” Program Grade One Conversion Efficiency Certification

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

SUNGROW... World’s most powerful string inverter

SG125HV The SG125HV, the world’s most powerful 1500Vdc string inverter, is designed to significantly reduce installation and balance of system costs for utility-scale PV systems. It features a 125kW capacity, up to 5MW block design, 98.9% max. efficiency, and 68kg weight. Thanks to its Virtual Central Inverter Concept of installing at one place near the MV transformer, SG125HV significantly reduces the cost for installation and maintenance. The inverter, equipped with IP68 fan, can work with no derating upto 50 C. It is compatible with local standards including UL and IEC and is capable of L/HVRT.

May 2017

SG2500HV The SG2500HV, a containerized 1500Vdc turnkey station, is best characterized by its 10-foot container design which helps save initial investment. The central inverter comes with a max. system efficiency of 99% and full power operation without derating at 50 C. O&M efforts are reduced through the integrated zone current monitoring function and modular design. It fully supports local grid by complying with major IEC standards and being capable of L/HVRT. The SG2500HV can also be upgraded to the more powerful SG3000HV station which has 3MW capacity. By the end of this March, over 100MW of SG2500HV inverters have already been successfully installed in India.

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

TRINA SOLAR The Duomax Bifacial Dual Glass 60-Cell Module 60 CELL

MONOCRYSTALLINE MODULE

285-300W

POWER OUTPUT RANGE

18.0%

MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY

0~+5W

POSITIVE POWER TOLERANCE

s a leading global manufacturer of next generation photovoltaic products, we believe close cooperation with our partners is critical to success. With local presence around the globe, Trina is able to provide exceptional service to each customer in each market and supplement our innovative, reliable products with the backing of Trina as a strong, bankable partner. We are committed to building strategic, mutually benecial collaboration with installers, developers, distributors and other partners as the backbone of our shared success in driving Smart Energy Together.

High power output • Increase total power output through generation from front and back side • Backside power gain up to 25% depending on albedo • Unique J-box design and installation method to avoid shading on the back side Low LCOE • Maximize limited size, savings in BOS and labour cost • Compatible with major tracker systems Wide application • Deployable for ground mounted utility, greenhouse and agricultural projects • Special application like sound barriers on expressways Environmental conditions • Resistant to sand, acid, alkaline

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Jolywood N-type High Efficiency Monocrystal line Silicon Bifacial Transparent Module JW-T60N-320

Double-sided Power Generation

Additional Power Generation Gain

With the background reflection, the overall power generation can be increased by 30%

30-years linear performance warranty, 25% higher power output

ZERO LID (Light Induced Degradation)

Bifacial double glass design, no PID

No LID, more power generation Better Weak Illumination Response Higher power output, even under low-light settings Stronger Environmental Adaptability More potential applications, including eco-agriculture, ecofishery, etc.

70Â

Bifacial Double Glass Module JW-D60N-320

May 2017

ZERO PID (Potential Induced Degradation)

Higher Security Higher fire safety class to eliminate fire risks Wider Application No water-permeability and high wear-resistance, can be widely used in high-humid, windy and dusty area

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Bifacial Half cell Double Glass Module JW-HD120N-320

Half-cell Double Glass Design High-efficient and high-voltage tech for less current loss Higher Power Output Double-sided power generation, highest power output can be up to 400Wp ZERO LID (Light Induced Degradation) No LID, more power generation Better Weak Illumination Response Higher power output, even under low-light settings

Higher Power Conversion Rate Double-sided power generation, conversion efficiency can be up to 19.2% Seamless Stacking Ultra surface utilization thanks to the stacked-cell design ZERO Ribbon

Bifacial Stacked Cell Module JW-G60N-380

Leading no-ribbon technology, less power transmission loss Less Power Loss Innovative electrical design againsts hotspots issue

Higher Power Conversion Rate Jolywood N-type high efficiency cell, highest possible energy yield can reach 340Wp

IBC Module JW-IBC60N-340

Uncovered Design for Front Side Hidden contact pad design for cell soldering to maximize power output ZERO Busbar for Front Side State-in-art ZERO LID (Light Induced Degradation) No LID, more power generation

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

71Â

Highligh

SNEC 2017

LARGE CAPACITY HYBRID INVERTERS

Growatt SPF 3000-5000 inverters

3kW and 5kW in capacity, scalable up to 30kW with max 6 units paralleled, the new SPF series is perfect for off-grid, backup power and self-consumption applications. Optional li-ion battery with 2.7kWh and 5kWh capacity covers residential and small commercial applications.

72Â

May 2017

Growatt PS30, 50,120,150

Large capacity hybrid inverters are suitable for offices, factories, shops or rural villages. All in one design for connecting of PV, grid, battery and load together, makes it easy for installation and commissioning. Programmable working procedure is also available for flexible application scenarios.

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Growatt PCS 50, 100,250, 500 Bidirectional battery inverters from 50kW to 500kW are suitable for offices, factories, shops or rural villages, paralleled upto MW scale for utility grid management, along with PV inverters and bypass cabinet. A hybrid system is configurable for power supply both on-grid and off-grid.

Typical System iagram www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

73Â

Highligh

SNEC 2017

GoodWe Exhibits at SNEC 2017 with A Whole New Range of Intelligent Solar Products On April 19-21, 2017, GoodWe showcased some new, exciting inverter innovations at the SNEC 2017 PV Power Expo. The latest photovoltaic energy storage solutions and the new generation of 50kW-80kW ongrid inverter series are now available for the first time. Meanwhile, GoodWe re-launched its Smart Energy Management System with a comprehensive, more diversified content.

GoodWeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest photovoltaic energy storage solutions With the increasing depletion of traditional forms of energy such as fossil fuels, the development of renewable energy sources has become urgent. Due to the advantages of sustainable and nonpolluting features, photovoltaic power generation becomes one of the most promising technologies. However, with the increasing installed capacity and fewer state subsidies, energy storage has 74Â

May 2017

recently become a very important part of energy management. Since 2012, GoodWe has been investing heavily in research & development of the photovoltaic energy storage. So far, we have launched three series of energy storage products: the ES series bi-directional energy storage inverter, the BP series DCcoupled battery storage retrofit

device and the H-ES series hybrid energy storage system. Moreover, GoodWe has presented two brand new energy storage products at the SNEC 2017 PV Power Expo, the GoodWe SBP series AC-Coupled retrofit device and the GoodWe EM series bi-directional energy storage inverter. The two products are similar in appearance, but with diverse functions from each other.

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Inheriting all the excellent traits from the GoodWe ES series bi-directional energy storage inverter, the EM series is much more practical and compact in size, and is compatible with both on-grid and off-grid PV systems. Both Charging and discharging power is 2.5kw,and output power covers 3kw/3.6kw/5kw. Now, the range is compatible with most famous brands of batteries, such as GCL, Beyond, Pylontech, LG etc.

The GoodWe SBP series AC-Coupled retrofit deviceis compatible with most single-phase on-grid inverters and works on the AC side of a PV system.Maximum battery charging and discharging is up to 5kW, and output power covers 3.6kW and5kW. During daytime, the PV system generates electricity which will be firstly provided to the loads. Then, the excess energy will charge the battery via the SBP series AC-Coupled retrofit device. The electricity stored can be released when the loads require it (ie during the night) to enable the maximum rate of PV self-sufficiency. During grid failures, the battery will supply essential loads with its automatic back-up function.

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

75Â

Highligh

SNEC 2017 With UPS function, the battery can also be charged by the grid to ensure uninterrupted supply in the event of scheduled power cuts. New generation of MT series on-grid inverter (50kW-80kW)

This is the latest commercial product building on the success of the GoodWe MT series (Four-MPPT, Three-phase). The second generation is much more compact in size and weight and the Max power is enlarged to 80KW. The range boasts advanced topology and innovative control technology, aiming at maximizing long-term returns and profitability for the system owner.

GoodWe SEMS V2.0 System On 15th June 2016, GoodWe launched its Smart Energy Management System. SEMS is a comprehensive energy management system which integrates all different layers of communication, information and application. GoodWe optimizes the supporting products like Gateway, Smart Plug and other core components. Broadly speaking, SEMS V2.0 puts every system component in an information environment that is interconnected without requiring actual physical connections. 76Â

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

JA SOLAR- HARVEST THE SUNSHINE Premium cells, Permium Modules JAM6(K)-60-305/P/HP

JAM6(K)-60-305/P/HP

• •

• • •

PERCIUM Mono 315W Reduced series resistance leading to higher fill factor Lower current resulting in less CTM loss Increased number of spacing between cells boosting current density Less shading effect Lower temperature coefficient Higher output power

60 JAM6(K)(DG)-60-290/BP

JAM6(K)(DG)-72-350/BP

• • •

• •

•

PERCIUM Mono 290W PERC 3~10% Bifacial PERC technology on cell level, power generated on both side of module (bifaciality>65%), 3~10% more energy generation. Superior low irradiance and temperature dependent performance leading to improved energy yield Enhanced reliability and better warranty terms to maximize investment return and reduce financial risk PID resistant technology integrated with double glass structure, higher tolerance for harsh environment and extreme weather conditions High efficiency PERC technology integrated with design of 1500V system voltage to effectively reduce the system cost

www.EQMagPro.com

• • • • • • • • •

• •

• • •

PERCIUM Mono 350W PERC Bifacial PERC technology on cell level, power generated on both side of module (bifaciality>65%), 3~10% more energy generation. Superior low irradiance and temperature dependent performance leading to improved energy yield Enhanced reliability and better warranty terms to maximize investment return and reduce financial risk PID resistant technology integrated with double glass structure, higher tolerance for harsh environment and extreme weather conditions High efficiency PERC technology integrated with the design of 1500V system voltage to effectively reduce the system cost N type mono 60-cell FRC module Integrating back contact and half-cell technology without shading from front fingers and bus-bars which makes the module more appealing Impressive power rating of 350W, 17% higher than the industry average Superior temperature dependant performance with temperature coefficient (Pmpp) of -0.32%/ Providing better solutions to lower levelized cost of electricity and to realize the grid parity

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

GCL-SI’s Multi-Busbar Modules Granted TUV Rheinland Certification The world’s leading solar energy company, GCL System Integration Technology Co., Ltd. (GCLSI), recently announced that its GCL-P6/72 MultiBusbar (MBB) module has earned IEC certification from TUV Rheinland. The new solar product marks a breakthrough for GCLSI in the development of new photovoltaic (PV) technology and further strengthens the company’s ability to increase its share of the global PV market.

CL-SI’s new GCL-P6/72 MBB module is one of the first MBB module series to be certified by TUV Rheinland in Greater China. The certification adds a strong competitive edge to the product and further assures the performance and reliability of the MBB module developed by the company.

he solar cells of GCL-SI’s MBB module are with 12 busbars. This technology improves the current-generating ability of the busbar and decreases the internal loss. It also reduces the shading area on the cell to increase the light absorbing. This design creates an up to 5W increase in power output, resulting in a maximum power output of 340W, with the module efficiency up to 17.5%.

urthermore, compared to the conventional design on busbar and solder strip, MBB cell design can effectively lower residual stress, which can help reduce micro crack. Moreover, due to the small distance between busbars, even coming up with micro crack or fragment, the loss of the cell is lower and it can keep its good performance. Addition to the regular IEC tests, GCL-SI MBB module has also been tested in harsh environments, undergoing tests for blowing sand, salt spray and ammonia, and maintains a stable performance under all conditions. GCL-SI will formally introduce the new product at SNEC PV Power Expo 2017, which will be held from April 19-21 in Shanghai. 78

May 2017

Huang Qiang, head of GCL-SI R&D center said, “It is important and essential to constantly pursue the technological development of solar modules, as the demand for distributed photovoltaic generation and competition for suppliers is rapidly growing. The GCL-P6/72 MBB module is another huge breakthrough for GCL-SI in a series of new modules including 96 super high power components, double glazing panels and half piece panels.” Huang further commented, “The development of GCL MBB module is also a significant step for GCL-SI in becoming the world’s leading one-stop energy service and solution provider.”

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

Trina Solar Launches Bifacial PERC Module “DUOMAX Twin” Trina Solar Limited, a global leader in solar photovoltaic modules, solutions, and services, recently announced that it launched its high-efficiency bifacial module DUOMAX Twin at Clean Energy Expo China (CEEC Expo) 2017 in Beijing. The DUOMAX Twin, is an innovative solar module integrating the technology of Trina Solar’s high efficiency bifacial PERC cell and Duomax module.

rina Solar is an industry leader in the research and development of PERC cell technology and production, achieving several world records in mono-PERC cell conversion efficiency. Trina Solar’s extensive experience in mass producing DUOMAX module has been validated by its customers worldwide, with total shipments of over 1 Gigawatt over the past years. DUOMAX Twin generates power from both the front and back sides of the solar module and performs well even under weak light conditions. The front side receives direct sunlight while the back side receives reflected and scattered light. Compared with traditional single-sided modules, the DUOMAX Twin can de-

liver as much as 25% additional generating capacity. The DUOMAX Twin enables increased energy density and more electricity generation, as a result of which, the output of the projects will be increased with the same development costs as standard modules. By maximizing energy generation, the DUOMAX Twin significantly reduces levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Since bifacial modules absorb solar radiation from both sides, they allow a variety of tilt and installation options and are ideal for elevated ground, rooftop, desert and snowy area installations or on-water applications. The dual-glass design used in all DUOMAX panels provides extreme durability even in the harshest environments.

Rongfang Yin, Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing at Trina Solar. “In the past, we were focused on improving our overall product quality and reducing costs with continuous technology development and optimization of materials,” He said “Going forward, Trina Solar will put additional effort into product segmentation, which will allow our customers to choose products uniquely suited to their distinct project environments.”

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

Highligh

SNEC 2017

JinkoSolar Promotes Six New and Prototype Products at SNEC 2017 Jinko Solar is presented six new and prototype products at the SNEC Show in Shanghai. Making their world premieres are the ultra-power concept, which is showcased by PERC Mono 60 of 310 watt, MCT 60 Poly of 285 watt, MCT Dual-Glass 60 Poly of 285 watt, N-Type Bifacial 60 of 310 watt with backside plus 10%-30%, Half-Cut PERC Mono 60 of 320 watt, multi wire Mono 60 of 320 watt, which produce 5-10 watts more power than their counterparts.

he introduction of mono PERC is a major move by JinkoSolar, having previously been dedicated to high-efficiency multicrystalline modules. The new mono-PERC module, which uses its PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Contact) cell technology, is made in 60 cell form factors with up to 310 Watt. JinkoSolar also noted that prototype mono products new mono modules using half-cut cells and multi wire technologies will boost power output to up to 320 watts from a 60-cell solar module, which are the most powerful mono PERC products available in the market. The company noted that

offering mono PERC modules provided an all-round major product portfolio. MCT series is based on MCT texturing technology featuring superior low-light performance and light trapping capabilities as well as strengthened mechanical load to eliminate micro-crack. MCT dual glass module enables a prolonged life span over 30 years, thanks to its outstanding PID free protection by twin glass structure. Both reach up to 285 Watts power output. It is also the first time for JinkoSolar to launch P-type bifacial technology on mono crystalline, capable of generating 10-30% extra energy by the diffused light and reflected light contributed by

the module’s rear side – with up to 310 Watts power output. JinkoSolar is also presenting one of its high reliability concepts. These six new modules combine extremely high efficiency performance, enhanced durability and elegant design. These qualities ensure that JinkoSolar’s technology makes a strong impression in the fullsize category. These new models and prototype stand for maximum output and resolute environmentresistant technology in all areas. These extraordinary high efficiency characteristics makes them ideally suited for residential, utility scale and commercial installation.

Mr. Kangping Chen, CEO of JinkoSolar “Our new, enhanced and groundbreaking mono and poly technology and world’s first product portfolio is set to meet and exceed the expectations of PV customers across the world.”

May 2017

www.EQMagPro.com

Highligh

SNEC 2017

LONGi Solar releases new solar module Hi-MO2, starting a new era of high efficiency mono PERC bifacial technology On April 19, SNEC PV Power Expo 2017 kicked off in Shanghai. President Li Zhenguo of LONGi Group and President Li Wenxue of LONGi Solar unveiled a heavyweight new solar module – Hi-MO2 to the audience. The product boasts high power, high energy yield and low LCOE, and will start a new era of high efficiency monocrystalline PERC bifacial power generation technology.

i-MO2 is a bifacial power generation product developed based on monocrystalline bifacial PERC technology; the power of the 72-cell module reaches 360365W, while the power of the 60-cell module reaches 300-305W. The front side is equivalent to conventional PERC with cell efficiency exceeding 21%. Meanwhile, the back side adopts a glass package, achieving bifacial light reception and power generation. Backside efficiency is no less than 75% that of the front side. The backside can increase energy yield up to 25% (varying with the design and background condition of the PV system), and can bring higher returns to the investors.Last year, LONGi Solar launched Hi-MO1 based on advanced PERC cell technology and mono-Si low LID solution. The Hi-MO2 developed on the basis of Hi-MO1’s low LID technology and bifacial PERC technology can achieve firstyear degradation less than 2%, and average annual degradation less than 0.45%, both superior to conventional modules.

“Hi-MO2 extends the strengths of mono PERC to the backside of the module, and can achieve higher power and higher energy yield without increasing costs, which will help decrease the LCOE, and bring more value for PV power plant investors,” said Li Wenxue, President of LONGi Solar. “Improving efficiency and providing lowprice high-quality products has always been the technology innovation ideal upheld by LONGi. LONGi has the confidence to continuously provide high efficiency monocrystalline PV products with the best cost performance ratio for global customers, to use technology to speed up progress towards grid parity, and to make more contributions to improving environment condition.” LONGi Solar’s 365W Hi-MO2 module has reached mass production. In the future, Hi-MO2 will be widely used in large scale utility power plant, commercial rooftop, fishery-PV integrated floating power plant and other distributed PV projects. Source:PRN

www.EQMagPro.com

May 2017

SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE BACKPLANE SERIES SDJ-5A The Factory Direct Selling Price $1.5/SQ.M. Suzhou Top Giant New Material Technology Co., Ltd. Is a backbone of technological innovation-based enterprises, is one of the drafters of the industry standard for national solar energy components from the back. Company since its establishment 2012, has always focused on the new material of modified plastics, polyester modified, the application of new materials and other high-tech insulating materials R & D, production and sales. The company passed the ISO9001 quality system certification and ISO14001 environmental management system certification. The first product of high-performance environment-friendly solar cells backplane assembly SDJ-5A have been through the national CPVT, SGS, the European TUV and American UL certification. Now has an annual output of 10 million M2 high performance and environment-friendly solar energy components from the back of the produce can dimensions. SDJ-5A series in the quality of the back board, Has obvious advantages in performance and cost aspects, To solve the current global back-plate industry are the most outstanding difficulties: the high moisture of have the snail phenomenon, low resistance to aging, service life, EVA shift, the phenomenon of degumming and other defects. Products of water-resisting performance, size stability, the performance of the voltage-resistance and insulation resistance of wear resistant surface are better than the present industry product. Company uphold the aim is “to be the best quality of the products is endless”, Adhering to “walk hand in hand with customers, win-win future” business principles, Always adhere to the innovation and development of the foundation with high quality, high performance-price ratio for the vision of the product, creating a good focus on the sustainable development of green material enterprises.

SDJ-5A certified by UL

SDJ-5A Passed SGS environmental protection test

SDJ-5A certified by TUV

SDJ-5A certified by CPVT

Contact Us : Web : www.dingjiutech.com Mob/WhatsApp : +86 13814998299 Fax : +86 512 53666258 Email : export@dingjiutech.com Address : 22 Dongbang Road Chengxiang, District Taicang Jiangsu, China, 215000

R.N.I. NO. MPBIL/2013/50966 | DT OF PUBLICATION: May 20 | POSTAL REGD.NO. MP/IDC/1435/2016-2017