EQ Magazine Sept 2017 Part 4/4 by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

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

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FirstSource Energy India Private Limited

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TRENDS & ANALYSIS

SAUMYA BANSAL GUPTA saumya.gupta@EQmag.net

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C ONTEN T

VOLUME 9 Issue # 9

35 ELECTRIC VEHICLES Electric Vehicles Likely To Get Big Boost From Narendra Modi Government

36 STOCK RESEARCH Buy Swelect Energy Systems: Mr. SP Tulsian

66 BOS

Araymond Figure 1: PowARDefines Cinch® clip performing two New Standard Ingrounding the modu functions, fastening and PV Module fastening Technology

INTERVIEW

With Vijay Khandwekar, Head Of Module Mounting structure Business, Solar, Tata Intl. Ltd.

With Mr. Vikas Jain, Director, Insolation Energy Pvt. Limited

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

SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING LED Sun Simulator and EL Tester

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SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING Improve Your Profit Margin With Our Technology

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76 POLICY & REGULATIONS Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission Order

68 BUSINESS & FINANCE CleanMax Solar Announces Equity Financing of USD 100 Mn from Warburg Pincus

INTERVIEW

With Mr.Sven Kramer, Vice President Sales Solar Technology at teamtechnik Group

With Mr. Mukesh Gupta, Co-founder & Managing Director, Micromax Energy

INTERVIEW

With Mr.Krishnendu Mukherjee, Chief Operating Officer, Sova Solar Ltd.

With Mr. Geoffrey S. Kinsey, Ph.D., Director of Business Development, Hareon Solar India

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW With Mr. Vasan Ramasubramaniyam, MD & CEO, PRETTL India

With Mr. Himanshu Pandit, COO, Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, India

51 SOLAR ROOFTOP

PV MANUFACTURING Price Rise Of Chinese Modules: Foreign Dependency Is About To Make Indian Solar Dream Costlier

Asbestos Roof - Suitable Or Notsuitable For Solar PV Installation?

EQ NEWS Pg. 09-33 PRODUCT Pg. 78

SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING Sunlab Measuring Instruments: Optimizing Solar Cell Performance

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Vikram Solar is a leading solar energy solutions provider, specializing in PV module manufacturing and comprehensive EPC solutions. With international presence in 5 continents, the company is an active contributor in shaping the solar revolution across continents. Vikram Solarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual PV Module production capacity stands at 1 GW. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products are designed to the standards of quality, reliability and performance. Vikram Solar deploys world-class technology to design, install and commission solar projects worldwide.

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TRADE WARS

Don’t launch trade remedy enquiries against Chinese products, China tells India China has warned India against using “trade remedy” measures against Chinese products after New Delhi launched a series of investigations into certain items exported from here.

he ministry of commerce said that trade disputes between India and China should be resolved through consultations rather than investigations. The ministry statement came after “India announced on July 21 it will launch an anti-dumping investigation over photovoltaic cells and units imported from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, and Malaysia.”

“China is paying close attention to the investigation and hopes India will conduct it in a prudent manner and according to relevant regulations,” Wang Hejun, head of the commerce ministry’s trade remedy and investigation bureau told official news agency, Xinhua.

HIGHLIGHTS Wang warned that adopting trade remedy measures against photovoltaic products would impact the development of the sector in India and “dampen the sector’s long-term development worldwide as well as economic and trade cooperation between China and India.” “All countries should cooperate for the sustainable and healthy development of the photovoltaic sector, which is significant in fighting climate change, rather than resorting to trade remedy measures and disrupting trade orders,” Wang said. According to the report, India’s photovoltaic market has witnessed fast expansion, with its photovoltaic power generating capacity growing 3.7 times over the past three years, benefitting from China’s photovoltaic products with reasonable prices and high quality.

The July 21 investigations were the latest to be launched by India against Chinese products this year. India launched 12 investigations against Chinese products this year, second only to the US, amid a rise in amid a rise in bilateral trade. “Bilateral trade between China and India amounted to 229 billion yuan ($33.7 billion) between January and May, up by 30.1% year-onyear,” the General Administration of Customs said earlier this month. But the rise in bilateral trade has come in the backdrop ofwhat Chinese officials say is India’s increasing protectiveness of its manufacturing sector.

“We have also discovered that India’s trend of launching trade remedy investigations has already shifted from lower-end products such as garments, glass and mining products, to higher-end goods such as new materials and machinery,” Xue Rongjiu, deputy director of the Beijing-based China Society for WTO Studies, told the statecontrolled China Daily newspaper earlier this month. “Because India’s manufacturing structure is similar to China’s, especially in the lighting and photovoltaic industries, both are facing the same problem to boost exports to developed markets,” Li Gang, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said. Source: hindustantimes

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SOLAR INVERTERS

Total order quantity reaches all-time high. – KACO new energy GmbH sells 1.4 gigawatts of inverter power in the first half-year

ACO new energy GmbH is recording continued high demand for its inverter technology. Between January and June 2017, the company sold inverters with a power output of 1.4 gigawatts; this is the highest total order quantity at mid-year since the company entered the photovoltaic business in 1999. Following a good first quarter, which saw sales amounting to 600 megawatts, the German manufacturer is continuing its success story as the year progresses.

“In many parts of the world, the costs of using photovoltaics are competitive with conventional sources of energy. As a consequence, the global demand for PV arrays is rising and that state-of-the-art technology as delivered by KACO new energy is benefitting largely from that,” said CEO Ralf Hofmann.

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When it comes to choosing the right concept, KACO new energy is recognizing a clear trend towards decentralised system layouts. Especially in emerging markets, where energy demand is climbing sharply, large-scale PV power plants are being built with string inverters and corresponding system components. A service case can be handled much easier, downtime and loss of yield are being minimised, and the security of energy supplies is enhanced, explains Ralf.

“We are recording keen interest in German solar technology. Customers and potential customers undertaking project development, are looking especially closely to see which providers offer them reliable components for the long term, in order to guarantee yield targets. We are in a good position, thanks in particular to the introduction of the blueplanet 50.0 TL3 INT last year,” said David Mabille, Chief Sales Officer. The current year has seen the company come up with a new system solution, called CPSS (Central Power String Solution). The idea behind the CPSS is to combine the advantages of centralised and decentralised plant configurations: This is achieved by placing string inverters such as the blueplanet 50.0 TL3 INT at a single location in the solar park. David Mabille is also optimistic for the future: Next year we will be opening up a new market segment with the blueplanet 125 TL3 for 1500-volt arrays. And we are planning to launch a new storage product for commerce and industry, the battery inverter blueplanet gridsave 50.0 TL3, before the end of this year.

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ROOFTOP & OFGRID

Schneider Electric India commissions 720 kWp solar plant at its manufacturing facility in Vadodara

ISA to float global tender for 5 lakh solar pump sets

S International Solar Alliance (ISA) said it plans to come out with a global tender this year for price discovery of five lakh solar pump sets. The ISA is an initiative by India where an alliance of 121 solar resource-rich countries have come together.

Mr. Upendra Tripathy Director General ISA interim

“International Solar Alliance is going to make a small global tender for five hundred thousand pump sets. Five Hundred thousand solar pump sets for the farmers in 121 countries means 500 thousand families lives can be changed. The income can go up, employment will come."

he ISA plans to come out with the tender before December 9, 2017, he said. Tripathy asserted that the tender will not be for purchase but for price discovery. “We will come out with global tender for price discovery of (solar) pumps….So we are interacting with the manufactures of various countries. We have been in touch with the coutures who want solar pumps. Uganda wants some 30,000 solar pumps. Mauritius wants pumps. So right now we are talking to various countries saying that how many pumps they can actually take during next two years,” Tripathy said. He was speaking during international conference on solar India organised by Assocham. “And once you get this aggregated figures of five hundred thousand from our members which are prospecting to be 121 we will go with the global tender,” he added. Simultaneously, the ISA is now working on the format of the tender with EESL and KPMG, he said. “So they are the expert people who guide the ISA how to float in…we plan to come out (with tender) and we also presume that the prices will come down by 20 per cent,” he added.

chneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, today announced the commissioning of a 720 kWp capacity solar power project at its manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. The solar project, built on a rooftop area of 6,000 square meters, covers almost 45% of the total factory load and will produce over 1.05 million units of electricity per year which would help cut power costs by as much as 20-25% annually. Further, Schneider Electric will be able to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 1,018 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to planting 50,000 trees. The project demonstrates Schneider Electric’s commitment towards green manufacturing in India.This is the second solar project commissioned by Schneider Electric at its manufacturing facility in India. In 2015, the company had installed a 120 kWp solar power plant at its Bangalore unit. “India has set a target to increase the share of manufacturing to its GDP to 25% by 2025 from the current level of 16%. While this is a welcomed move, there is also a need to mitigate the environmental concerns that the country faces. It is imperative that the manufacturing sector uses energy and resources efficiently and minimizes its carbon footprint. This solar power project is our endeavour to provide a cleaner and greener environment to the community in Vadodara.”

Mr. Anurag Garg, VP Solar & Energy Storage, Solar Business, Schneider Electric India

Schneider Electric’s modernized solar harvesting technology will help the company to maximize the energy output from the available rooftop space at the Vadodara plant and ensure minimum load on the roof by using light-weight material for construction. “With renewable energy taking centre stage in all discussions pertaining to reduction of carbon footprint, Schneider Electric is totally committed towards supporting the government mission with its expertise in the solar segment. The successful commissioning of this project is a testament to our efforts in making our own buildings efficient and is a step towards creating a New World of Energy that is more sustainable.” Speaking about the successful implementation Mr. Vivek Sarwate, VP, Global Supply Chain, Schneider Electric India

The Design, Engineering, Procurement and Construction for the plant was done by Fourth Partner Energy, a leading rooftop solar solutions provider with over 500+ installations on Commercial & Industrial rooftops across 21 states in India. Source: adfactorspr

Source: PTI

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INDIA

NGT notice to Centre on plea to ban antimony solar panels A plea seeking a ban on the manufacture, use and import of solar panels containing antimony, a heavy metal, has prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek the reply from the Centre and the pollution control board. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Ministry of Commerce and the Central Pollution Control Board and sought their response before August 24.

olar panels (also known as PV panels) are used to convert sunlight into eletricity. The plea, filed by advocate Niharika, said with increasing use of solar modules and panels under the National Solar Mission, the scientific disposal of antimony posed several problems for the environment. The petition claimed that antimony was at present being dumped in landfill sites along the solar panels which were crushed after use. It sought a direction to the CPCB to amend the E-Waste Rules, 2016 and bring antimony within scope of Rules 16 pertaining to hazardous substances.

Source:PTI

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Solar modules that could produce six gigawatts power were imported from China last year, and each GW had four million modules that weighed 52,000 tonnes,â&#x20AC;? it said. The plea said that the CPCB should pass a direction to permit import of only those solar modules that do not contain antimony. It also sought random sampling of the solar modules in the collaboration of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to verify the existence of hazardous substances, including antimony. The petition asked for a direction to the respondents and the environment monitoring agencies to immediately undertake remedial measures to limit the damage caused to the environment by submitting an action plan showing how to deal with future disposal of solar and solar panels. PTI PKS SC.

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ROOFTOP & OFFGRID

Microsoft keen on supplying solar powered devices to Punjab Microsoft has evinced interest in providing solar powered portable cylinder-head-service gadgets that offer light, mobile charging and internet, with special focus on use in remote areas of Punjab.

joint delegation of Microsoft and Veriown Global Holdings met Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh discussed a proposal to launch a pilot project in the state for the promotion of the gadget, to be linked through a tablet, to be provided by the companies for offering services across various sectors, including education and agriculture. The chief minister directed Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) to constitute a group with the two companies to explore the feasibility and utility of such gadgets in the state, according to an official spokesperson. During the meeting, Director Energy Access Initiative Microsoft, Kevin Connolly, shared his experiences for providing affordable internet connectivity. Veriown CEO Tim Condon, in a detailed presentation, demonstrated the Veriown Cylinder-Head-Sector (CHS) Service Offer for light and mobile phone charging, with NFC-enabled cards used to operate the CHS units.

Veriown CEO Tim Condon said the meeting that his company had proven track record and know-how to provide internet services, besides installing rooftop solar panels on government buildings with system capacities ranging from 1KW to 100KW. Condon added his company had achieved the enviable position of being the number one installer of solar home systems, with over one lakh such systems and 80,000 solar street lights already installed across India. The Group is poised to install over 20 lakh solar home systems by the end of 2020.

The company, said Condon, was actively engaged in catering to the needs of Off-Grid populations by supplying them solar power in 12 states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Amarinder Singh asked the CEO, PEDA to coordinate with Veriown and Microsoft for launching a pilot project, especially in the poor habitations in which majority of households possess single bulb connection.

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The chief minister also asked his principal secretary to explore the possibility of taking Veriown’s technical support and cooperation in further developing Punjab’s core sectors of health, education and agriculture on scientific lines. It was also proposed in the meeting that Mandi Board could also purchase the solar lights for their vendors in Apni Mandis across the state.

Qatar plant starts polysilicon production, says Punj Lloyd

unj Lloyd said a plant commissioned by it in Qatar has produced the first polysilicon, a raw material for solar modules. The company had bagged a contract from Qatar Solar Technologies to set up the plant for high-purity solar grade polysilicon, a company release said. Polysilicon is the key raw material used in 90 per cent of the worlds solar modules.

“We are happy that as the EPC (Engineering, procurement and construction) contractor of this world-class facility, we have been able to establish our client's commitment to sustainability, environmental protection and greenhouse gas reduction,” Punj Lloyd Director Atul Jain said. PTI SID MR. Source:PTI

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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

India’s fossil fuel subsidies linked with 8 times the health costs: report In India, fossil fuel subsidies directly or indirectly lead to health care costs that are at least 8 times the subsidy itself. India granted $16.9 bn a year in 2013 and 2014 for subsidising oil, gas and coal, and the associated health care costs are a whopping $140.7 bn, a new report released.

“Next to improving air quality in India, which is an urgent matter from a public health perspective, fossil fuel subsidy reform could provide funds that could be used to advance India’s plans for Universal Health Coverage, as this would also be immensely helpful in reducing poverty." - Mr. Pradeep Guin, a research fellow at the Centre for Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India

he report was released by Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), a European NGO. Thermal power plants which are India’s main source of power are a major contributor to outdoor pollution, that is related to the premature deaths of 1.4 million Indians every year. The country has 13 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world. Poor air quality is linked to lower respiratory and other common infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases. However, a significant por-

tion of mortality is also linked to indoor pollution, that comes from the use of polluting fuels for cooking, lighting and heating purposes. Abhishek Jain, an expert on energy access at the Council on Energy, Environment & Water, a Delhi-based policy think tank, explained that it wasn’t simple question of taking away all fossil fuel subsidies and saving health care costs. Fuel subsidies are granted to make energy affordable to economically weaker sections in an energy-poor country where 300 million people still do not have access to grid power.

Jain noted that kerosene subsidies are the real problem because they incentivise people to continue using a highly polluting fuel for lighting their homes and firing their cookstoves. These traditional cookstoves use even more polluting sources of fuel like biomass and firewood. Subsidising LPG ensures that poor people who cannot afford LPG at the market prices to do not resort to more polluting fuels like kerosene. “If you talk about LPG, it actually reduces the health burden,” he said. - Abhishek Jain, an expert on energy access at the Council on Energy, Environment & Water

Kerosene, however, has been inarguably linked with adverse health impacts. The Indian government is already cutting down on subsidised kerosene given to states albeit because of the leakages in the system. The oil ministry expected kerosene subsidies to fall by 25% in FY 2016-17. “India can move away from kerosene if there is political will,” Jain said. “There is no reason to continue kerosene subsidies.” Solar power can be used for lighting purposes and LPG for cooking. These are subsidies that are offered to consumers directly, there are also subsidies granted to power producers and fuel suppliers. The Indian government introduced the coal cess in FY 2010-11 that fed a clean energy fund that was to be used to promote clean energy technologies.The cess has increased four times since it was first introduced to R. 400/ tonne, but producer subsidies are still given to coal plants. Fossil fuels, according to the report received more than 11 times as much financial support as clean energy in India, though that is changing. However, the push for clean energy suffered a setback with reports of a fund initially christened the National Clean Energy Fund was being diverted for other purposes. Not only will getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies save $16.9 billion every year, the IMF estimates that “reforming fossil fuel subsidies and pricing oil, gas and coal according to their true costs to society could help India avoid 65 percent of premature deaths.” These funds could also be channelled towards promoting renewables. Source: hindustantimes

Source: pib.nic.in

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Solar PHOTOVOLTAICS

Heraeus Photovoltaics and Tongwei Solar Join Forces to Develop New Generations of Solar Cell Technologies

Heraeus Photovoltaics, the worldwide leading supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry, announced that it has established a cooperation agreement with Tongwei Solar on the R&D and applications of new-generation solar cell technologies, including black silicon, PERC technology and other high-efficiency technologies.

ased in Chengdu, China, Tongwei Solar is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, wafers, and modules. At the centrepiece of the collaboration agreement, the two companies will conduct joint research and development of new-generation efficient front side silver paste, with the goal of leading the industry standard.

Mr. Xie Yi President Tongwei Solar

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“As one of our key partners, Heraeus Photovoltaics, accounts for major share of our metallization paste supply and helps us achieve efficient performance in terms of multi-crystalline silicon cells. As the market requirements on production processes are becoming higher and higher and the technology roadmap has been constantly updated, we are very happy to partner with Heraeus Photovoltaics to embrace the future and new technologies, and to build longer, closer and more diverse partnership.”

“Heraeus and Tongwei Solar have cooperated for years. By working even closer and in a more focused manner, we believe we can set a new benchmark for the PV industry. We share the same vision: to make PV the most economical and widely implemented form of energy in the future. Working together to discover and develop innovative next-generation PV technology will bring us to that future sooner.”

- Mr. Andreas Liebheit, president, Heraeus Photovoltaics As the sole PV company in China to have vertically integrated the upstream production of multi-crystalline silicon, the production of solar cells and the construction of terminal PV power stations, Tongwei has become a key player and major contributor of the PV new energy industry in China, and in the world. According to its 2020 Plan, Tongwei’s solar cell capacity will reach 10 GW by 2020 and will launch a plan to expand its capacity by another 10 GW. To this end, Andreas Liebheit said that Heraeus Photovoltaics will provide strong support to Tongwei as always by strengthening all-round cooperation in R&D, production and application, and help Tongwei achieve its ambitious goal.

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PV MANUFACTURING

EMMVEE Photovoltaic Power Pvt. Ltd celebrates 25 years Excellence and Trust in Solar Industry and reaches 0.5GW solar module production capacity milestone Solar energy has gone from an extreme interest of the environmentally responsive to a flexible and dynamic option in business, home construction, and renovation. Emmvee Photovoltaic Power Private Limited has completed its 25 years of excellent service in solar thermal products and solar PV module manufacturing. mmvee has managed its unique preferred choice for their projects. Emmvee also â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emmvee is committed position in the industry by deliververy active in EPC space of large solar phototo meet our existing and ing seamless product quality and voltaic based power projects. The company has prospective customers innovation in the field of solar product a great deal of experience in developing and emerging needs manufacturing. Over 25 years of commission many power projects in Europe. The in the field of excellent service, Emmvee has acquired imcompany owns and operates 4 power plants in Solar Technolmense expertise in high quality and large volume Germany. In India too, the company has sucogy. Emmvee has a cessfully completed power projects aggregating production of products related to solar photovolstate-of-the-art taics and solar thermal technologies. Emmvee to a total capacity of 100MW as on date, which fully automated has always been in the forefront of technology also includes roof top projects. Many reputed demanufacturing facility is situated in Bengaluru city. velopers like BHEL, Tata Power, NTPC, Amplus, adaptation in the manufacturing of its products. Emmvee has at present 0.5GW per IC India and many more have used the modules Emmvee is the first company in India to install year solar module manufacturing produced by Emmvee in their projects and are high speed stringer and multi-stack laminators capacity and has plans to expand of European origin. The company at the moment extremely satisfied with the products. The comas per the market development and pany is also in the forefront in using Green power produces solar photovoltaic modules for on grid needs in future. to meet the electricity needs of its manufacturing and off grid applications. The modules produced facility. It has its own 1MW power plant installed by the company have been very well accepted - Mr. D.V. Manjunatha, Founder and MD, Emmvee Group on the roof of its manufacturing facility. by many companies in India and aboard as a

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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Seeing the Light: Researchers Seek to Improve Solar Cell Technology Using New Materials and Nanowires Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are expanding solar cell technology using nanowires to capture more of the sun’s energy and transform it into usable electricity. Comparable to ultra-thin blades of grass, nanowires added to today’s conventional materials are capable of capturing more light and can be cost-effective solutions for adopting solar energy into the broader consumer market.

ne of the larger global challenges today is meeting energy demands, and alternative energy solutions such as solar power are being sought. Using nanowires for solar cells has been an active field for nearly 10 years. Until now, few researchers have conclusively demonstrated how different materials beyond silicon and nanowire arrays can be used to achieve increased solar energy. An RIT research team is exploring an unconventional process to improve solar power conversion efficiencies to convert sunlight into useful electrical energy. Their work focuses on maximizing how much of the solar spectrum can be taken in using tandem junction solar cells based on III-V compounds—metallic and non-metallic elements on the Periodic Table to sup-

strategies in RIT’s Future Photon Initiative. Tandem junction solar cells are groupings of multiple sub-cells each of which can absorb a particular range of a wider solar spectrum band. Mohseni’s team has been able to grow a variety of different III-V compounds for solar cells using the selective area epitaxy technique using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system, also referred to as MOVCD, located in the Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabrication Lab, a high-tech clean room and teaching facility in RIT’s engineering college. Installed at RIT in 2015, the MOVCD is operated by the NanoPower Research Lab (NPRL), led by Mohseni’s co-principal investigator on the project, Seth Hubbard, NPRL director. The MOVCD is an important piece of equipment that produces crystalline III-V semiconductors. These

“III-V tandem devices are the best in the world, but because of the manufacturing and initial materials costs, they are very expensive to produce. Therefore, they are not used in consumer markets. They are used in niche applications such as space technologies. You are not going to see today’s III-V devices on large solar panels on people’s rooftops, because they are so expensive,” said Mohseni, who has experience developing solar cells using III-V materials and researching these materials’ capacity to absorb a wider range of the total solar spectrum. - Mr. Parsian Mohseni, assistant professor of microsystems engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering plement silicon, said Parsian Mohseni, assistant professor of microsystems engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Mr. Parsian was recently awarded nearly $300,000 for an Early Concepts Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) from the National Science Foundation for “Two Dissimilar Materials (TDM) solar cells: bifacial III-V nanowire array on silicon tandem junction solar cells.” EAGER grants support high-risk but potentially high-reward transformative technologies. Mohseni’s research into combining III-V compounds with silicon—expanding the means to collect energy from the sun for optical and electronic devices—could also open new paths toward next-generation integrated photonics and high speed transistors. These technologies are only two of the key research and development 24

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III-V compounds refer to a set of elements from the Periodic Table that are being introduced into the development of higher capacity semiconductors. Crystals produced have conductive properties similar to or higher than silicon, which is currently the primary component of microelectronics, and RIT’s research to solve structural, manufacturing and cost challenges is expected to advance the technology. “There is a lot of science and engineering that goes behind making tandem junction solar cells and there are some real challenges in doing that,” he explained. “How we can grow this in a single monolithic structure is very tricky from a technical stand point. The analogy I use in my class is trying to stack Lego blocks together.”Individual Legos have different separations between the protruding cylindrical knobs

on top and the openings on the bottom of the block where the two parts come together. Legos interlock accurately because all the blocks have the same diameter and equal separations between the cylinders and the openings. “The problem is, nature does not cut us that break,” Mohseni said, referring to the new III-V materials being developed and the challenges to find ways to combine them as precisely as the Lego blocks. His team is developing the engineering processes on the crystal growth side to make these dissimilar materials fit together to decrease defects and gaps. By changing the architecture entirely, and using nanowires instead of thin films, this process could alleviate defects that form along conventional hetero-epitaxial bulk materials and thin films, and allow for saving nearly 90 percent of the material used to make the devices. Mohseni and his research team will utilize vertical nanowire structures having a diameter of approximately 100 nanometers, and lengths up to several microns, a replacement for the thin films that are currently being used for semiconductor development. “If you are trying to absorb material in a film, you want that film to be thick enough to capture more light. If light is not absorbed, it can bounce or reflect off the film surface,” Mohseni explained. “With nanowires, if light comes in, it can still be absorbed, but if it bounces off one wire in the array, instead of going off into infinity, it can be captured by the nearby wire and be re-absorbed. This effect of multiple scattering interactions increases the light-trapping capabilities of the nanowire array. Even though we are using 90 percent less material, we can absorb light better than a thin film structure.” The project, which will be conducted over two years, aims to expand the scope of III-V solar cells beyond niche markets, eventually incorporating the technology into homes, electrical grids or transportation systems, for example. “It is sort of giving power back to the people – taking real energy and power-conversion technologies and putting that in the hands of the people. That’s the big picture, the long-term goal. This is one potential step toward Source: prweb that,” Mohseni said.

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INDIA

144 municipal schools to get solar power Asserting that top priority will be given to education and health, MP K Haribabu has said 144 municipal schools will get solar power at a cost of ₹ 3 crore, allocated from his MP Local Area Development funds.

articipating in the CSR contribution of 100 dual desks at the Gopalapatnam ZP School for Boys by ONGC on Saturday, he announced another 50 required from his MPLAD funds. The 100 desks cost 4 lakh. He said various companies came forward to contribute 7000 benches that would cost 3 crore.

Visakhapatnam West MLA PGVR Naidu said earlier toilets were provided at the Girls School with DCI CSR funds.

ONGC executive director Aloke Nandan said 400 dual desks were being given to four schools spending 12 lakh. The others schools are at Denderu and S Kota in Vizianagaram district and the GVMC School at Madhurawada. Source : thehindu

Stock RESEARCH

Ujaas Energy tumbles after uninspiring Q1 results Ujaas Energy lost 5.93% to Rs 23 at 12:47 IST on BSE after net profit rose 1.9% to Rs 7.40 crore on 8.1% growth in net sales to Rs 106.87 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

he result was announced after market hours on Monday, 14 August 2017. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 137.59 points or 0.44% at 31,586.62. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 138.07 points or 0.9% at 15,547.27. On the BSE, 1.53 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 1.63 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 25.40 and a low of Rs 23 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 52.25 on 16 December 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 19.40 on 29 September 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 14 August 2017, sliding 8.26% compared with the Sensex’s 1.79% fall. The stock had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter, declining 33.38% as against the Sensex’s 4.18% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year, advancing 3.38% as against the Sensex’s 11.71% rise. The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 20 crore. Face value per share is Rs 1. Ujaas Energy is engaged in solar power plant operation business, and manufacturing and sale of solar power system. Source: business-standard

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September Part D 2017

INDIA

Ramp up capacity to achieve 100GW solar target by 2022: Study India will need to add over 15,000 MW solar capacity every year to achieve the target of 1,00,000 MW by 2022, a study has said. The country’s installed solar capacity fell short of target of 17,000 MW by the end of the financial year 2016-17, according to the joint study undertaken by NEC Technologies and industry body Assocham.

“The country will need to significantly ramp up the pace of solar capacity additions by 10,000 MW this fiscal and over 15,000 MW per year to meet the 2022 target of 1,00,000 MW (100GW), which the government set up in 2014,” it said. The biggest technological issue in terms of solar is the efficiency of solar cells, the study said. “Currently, the efficiency ranges from 12-20 per cent, though this continues to improve. The rest of the energy striking the panel is either reflected or is wasted as heat. The main issue with efficiency is that higher efficiency solar panels cannot be commercially mass produced,” it said.

o achieve the 1,00,000 GW target by 2022, the focus has slightly shifted from indigenous manufacturing as policies to curb the imports from other countries are not benefiting the domestic manufacturing. Furthermore, the increase in taxes in the GST structure in solar from zero per cent to 5 per cent, coupled with reduced taxes in coal from 11.69 per cent to 5 per cent, may lead to slow adoption of solar in the Indian energy sector, the study said. Lack of uniform policies across sectors and implementation issues is also an area of concern, it said.

“In India subsidy structure is complex and there are involvement of multiple agencies. Land allotment is a long procedure in India, which requires approvals at different levels from authorities.” Currently, the foreign investment in Indian solar industry is less than 20 per cent, the report said. Even 100 per cent FDI under automatic route and 74 per cent through foreign equity participation in a joint venture (without approval) have not paved the way for significant foreign investments in this Source: PTI sector, it added.

TANGEDCO 1500 MW Tender :

Atha Group wins 200 MW of Solar power bid Atha Group (NVR) is pleased to announce that they have won the bid to supply 200MW of solar power to TANGEDCO. Group Companies Narbheram Vishram and NVR Energy Pvt. Ltd under Atha Group will setup 100MW plant each. Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) had recently invited tenders to supply solar power of 1500 MW. Among several other companies, the winning bid was awarded to Narbheram Vishram and NVR Energy Pvt. Ltd, two Group companies under Kolkata-based Atha Group by quoting Rs. 3.47 per unit.

September Part D 2017

Cabinet apprised of MOU between India and Spain on India-Spain cooperation in renewable energy

he Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Spain on IndiaSpain Cooperation in renewable energy. The MoU was signed on 30th May, 2017 at Spain. The MoU will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries with the exchange of expertise and networking of information. Both sides aim to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity. The MoU envisages to establish a Joint Working Committee to review, monitor and discuss matters relation to areas of cooperation

he quoted rate of Rs 3.47 per unit is one of the lowest for supplying solar power in the state of Tamil Nadu. As per the officials of TANGEDCO,many established players and NLC participated in this tender and the quoted rates are unprecedented for the entire power sector. The rates which were quoted varied from Rs 4 per unit to Rs 3.47 per unit. Solar Energy is on its way to become one of the main source of power in India. Both NarbheramVishram and NVR Energy Pvt. Ltd are committed to supplying solar power and renewable energy at the most economical rates, and are working towards the goal of a clean and green India.

These two divisions have had proven track record of setting up and developing 200 MW of Solar and Wind power. The group has plans to reach 1 GW capacity and contribute to the Prime Minister’s Green Energy Mission. The Group has solar plants in the state of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.

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INDIA

Enerparc Energy to also execute the 2nd Solar Power Project of 5 MWp for Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

nerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Global Solar Solution provider, Enerparc AG, Germany recently announced receipt of 5MWp Ground Mounted Solar PV order from GMRs Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHAIL), Hyderabad. This captive phase II project will be located close to the Hyderabad International Airport Terminal and in close proximity to the existing 5MWp Phase I ground mounted Solar Plant which was also designed, engineered, constructed and maintained by Enerparc Energy. “This receipt of further 5MWp Solar Power Plant order from GHAIL shows their trust and believe in Enerparc as a partner. Enerparc which has already commissioned 270 MW of solar installations on airports globally will be able to realize this project with high quality standards and on time execution”. - Mr. Santosh, Managing Director Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd.

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Energy cost contributes to almost 20% of operational cost of any larger operational airport. Hence any measure that achieves reduction in consumption of conventional energy is always welcome. The existing 5MWp solar plant which was commissioned in 2015, generates around 25,000 units of green energy for GHAIL, meeting 30% of the airport’s demand. The realization of savings achieved with 5MWp Phase I installation along with green energy commitment of GHAIL laid the foundation for further expansion in Phase II which will have potential to power 4800 homes and to reduce 7300 Metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Looking towards experience of Enerparc in installing solar projects on airports worldwide and our experience with them on Phase I construction and O&M, we decided to give responsibility of execution of Phase II to Enerparc India, and I am sure this project also would get executed with world class workmanship said Mr. Jagadeeswara Rao S, Vice President & Head – Infra, Planning & Development at GHAIL. Execution of Phase II would enable GHAIL to meet their 80% of day time load using solar power.

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INDIA

The green corridor project - a dedicated transmission network for renewable energy was envisaged by state-owned Power Grid Corporation (PGCIL) at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore in 2011. With the new government revising the targets five times, a secondary plan for solar parks was also drafted along with revised transmission plan.

ccording to industry estimates, the cost of connecting 27 solar parks is close to Rs 55,000 crore. Last year, seven more parks were added, taking the cumulative capacity to 19,900 megawatt, according to government documents. In a recent inter-departmental meeting held to discuss the green corridor project, it was mentioned the evacuation system for future solar parks “to be normally constructed through TBCB”. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Ministry of Power, PowerGrid and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) participated in the meeting.

“CEA and PGCIL would be drafting the plan for the overall evacuation system for solar parks and provide back-end support,” said an official in the know.

PGCIL is already constructing the inter-state transmission network for connecting renewable energy-rich states (Green Corridor-I). As for Green Corridors-II for solar parks, work is underway for six solar parks in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat. To expedite the transmission development for the upcoming solar parks, the projects would now be awarded to private players as well through transparent bidding process. The move is in line with the government’s plan to open up the power transmission sector for private investment. Industry executives said Sterlite Grid, Adani Power, Essel Infra, and Tata Power etc might participate in the bidding. These companies had won several power transmission projects last year through TBCB.

“Solar projects ideally take six months to get commissioned, while transmission lines take three to six years. So, it is a welcome move to involve private players when PGCIL already has a long pipeline of projects,” said an executive. The Association of Power Producers (APP) had earlier batted for opening mega projects such as green corridors for private investment to bring down power rates. “The tariffs discovered through competitive bidding are almost 30-45 per cent lower than regulated tariffs,” said a letter by APP to the power ministry last year. Increased competition would also reduce the risk of generation projects remaining stranded due to untimely completion of transmission lines, it said.

The 33 solar projects would come up in 21 states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, among others. Last year, eight lines totaling Rs 20,000 crore were awarded to private companies through the TBCB route. PGCIL was nominated Source:Power Grid Corporation Of India Limited for two major lines totalling Rs 30,000 crore.

September Part D 2017

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INDIA

Rooftop solar target of 40 GW by 2022 ‘unrealistic’ Par panel A Parliamentary panel said the rooftop solar target of 40 GW by 2022 is “unrealistic” and it needs to be “reconsidered”. “The Committee feels that the rooftop solar target of 40 GW by 2022 is unrealistic and it is highly unlikely that this target will be achieved,” the Standing Committee on Energy (2016-17) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in its latest report tabled in Parliament.

he panel further said the Centre should give the scheme a “serious relook”, else, it will derail the target achievement of the National Solar Mission. “The Committee, therefore, recommends that the target of 40 GW through rooftop solar projects should be reconsidered,” the report said. The panel was of the view that rooftop systems were not remunerative for the consumers on account of cost of maintenance being high, the report said. “The Committee noted that out of the 100 GW solar power, 40 GW is to be achieved from grid connected solar rooftops in residential, social, institutional and government sectors in the Source:PTI country,” it said.

The government had earlier announced raising the solar power generation capacity addition target by five times to 1,00,000 MW by 2022, which will entail an investment of around Rs 6 lakh crore.

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September Part D 2017

BUSINESS & FINANCE

ALFANAR GROUP OF SAUDI ARABIA COLLABORATES WITH SUZLON FOR ITS RENEWABLE ENERGY FORAY INTO INDIA KEY HIGHLIGHTSSuzlon secures 50.40 MW maiden order from Alfanar Energy Installation of 24 units of 2.1 MW, S111-90m wind turbine generator(WTG)

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Suzlon Group, one of the leading global renewable energy solutions provider in the world, has won an order of 50.40 MW wind power project from Riyadh based Alfanar Group. This is a maiden order from Alfanar, for 24 units of S111-90m wind turbine generator, each with a rated capacity of 2.1 MW. The project will be completed by March 2018.

lfanar Energy is a fully owned subsidiary of the Alfanar Group and has set ambitious targets for the Indian market as an independent power producer (IPP) and developer. The group has allocated resources for setting up 2.2 GWs of renewable energy projects in the next five years and will focus on wind, solar (PV and CSP) and biomass primarily in MENA, India and Southern Africa. Suzlon will execute the entire project on a turnkey basis and will also provide operation and maintenance services. The project has the potential to provide power to over 27,000 households and reduce 0.10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum. “This is our maiden project in the Indian renewable sector and we are happy to work with Suzlon, who are the pioneers of wind technology in the country, besides their project execution capabilities made Alfanar select them for this project. It is our endeavour to provide clean and green energy and have set an ambitious plan to set up 2.2 GW of renewable projects in India, MENA and Africa in the next five years.” - Mr. Wasim Mallouhi, GM - Development, Alfanar Energy

“We welcome Alfanar Energy to India and into our customer family. Renewable energy market is growing at a robust pace in India. With our two decades of experience, proven technologies, comprehensive product portfolio, and endto-end solutions along with integrated maintenance and services, Suzlon is best positioned to serve Alfanar’s ambition to capitalize on the growing market opportunities in India.” - Mr. J.P. Chalasani, Group CEO, Suzlon Group The S11X 2.1 MW platform features the time tested Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) technology which is designed to optimally harness available wind resources. It not only delivers higher energy yield, but also offers higher return on investment for customers.

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CESC investing Rs 1,000 cr in power sector in current fiscal RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group flagship company CESC Ltd on Friday said it will invest Rs 1,000 crore as capital expenditure in the current fiscal of which Rs 600 crore will be allotted for West Bengal.

“We are investing Rs 1,000 crore in the power sector this year. Rs 600 crore would be invested for distribution network in the Kolkata unit and the rest would be for the other units,” the power utility’s chairman Sanjiv Goenka told reporters here on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting.

oenka said the company is hopeful of investing in Uttar Pradesh in the new regime under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. “Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath becomes something that we would look at. We had presence in UP earlier but stopped the expansion looking at the political situation there. We are hoping for transparency and hope under the new Chief Minister there,” he said. About their venture in the power sector, Goekna said they would aggressively pursue distribution which is either license-based or franchisee-based instead of looking at power generation. On the company’s operation in three Rajasthan centres including Bikaner and the new distribution franchises of Kota and Bharatpur, he said that “four lakh consumers are expected to be served next year in a combined area of 381 square km with 371 MW peak load requirement”. He also said the combined business revenue in the region would be around Rs 1,300 crore that forms 16 percent of the company’s total distribution revenue. Stating that a cautious approach was the right approach, he admitted that he would not venture in the hydro power projects as evaluating such projects need a lot of time and the power utility would show more interest in renewable energy projects like solar and wind. “CESC produces 187 MW of renewable energy through solar and wind projects,” he added. Source: IANS

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September Part D 2017

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

All India Statistics of Indian Power Sector released by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) All India Statistics of Indian Power Sector are released by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) . The main highlights are as follows :

eneration Capacity Addition target during the period 2012-17 from conventional sources was 99,209.47 MW against a target of 88,537 MW, over achieving the same by 112%. Conventional generation capacity addition achieved in the past 3 years (2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17) has been 60,752.6 MW, which is about 61 % of the total capacity addition achieved during this period. In 2015-16, conventional generation capacity addition achieved was 23,976.6 MW which is the largest ever capacity addition in a single year. The Renewable Energy Sources installed capacity as on 31.03.2014 was 31,692.14 MW. As on 31.03.2017, India has achieved an Installed Capacity of 57,260.2 MW of RES showing an increase of 80% during 2014-2017. The Peak Demand met increased from 130 GW in 2013-14 to 157 GW in 2016-17, which works out to a CAGR of 6.5 %. Along with this growth in demand, the quantum of “power not supplied during peak” has reduced substantially from 6.1 GW in 2013-14 to only 2.6 GW in 2016-17, a reduction of 57%. The quantum of energy supplied by the State Distribution Utilities increased from 960 BU in 2013-14 to 1135 BU in 2016-17, showing a CAGR of 5.8

September Part D 2017

%. This increase is, in-spite of energy conservation and efficiency improvement measures. Without the energy efficiency measures, the growth rate would have been much more. Along with this growth in supply of electricity, the quantum of “energy not supplied” has reduced substantially from 42.4 BU in 2013-14 to 7.6 BU in 2016-17, a reduction of 82%. The energy actually used by all the consumers including industries, grew at an even higher rate. The gross generation in the country, which reflects the consumption by consumers (other than about 0.2% growth rate of export to Bangladesh and Nepal), increased from 1020 BUs in 2013-14 to 1242 BUs in 2016-17, showing a CAGR of 6.8 percent. The reason that there is a higher growth in gross generation, vis-à-vis energy supplied by State Distribution Utilities, is that many industries are now purchasing

power through open access from IPPs without contracts with the States. Therefore, the consumption of these industries has reduced from the State Utilities and increased through open access, which is reflected as generation increase from IPPs without contracts. This growth rate is, in-spite of energy conservation and efficiency improvement measures. Without the energy efficiency measures, the growth rate would have been much more. Adequate power is available in the country to meet the demand of power of the consumers who are having access to electricity. In 2013-14, the demand-supply gap in terms of Energy and Peak stood at 4.2% and 4.5% respectively. This has now come down to an all-time low of 0.7% and 1.6% respectively in 2016-17. Further, this gap is on account of factors other than inadequacy of power in the country.

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INDIA

T Gujarat govt to scale up solar power generation Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said his government wants to scale up solar power generation in the state. and government is encouraging people to install solar power panels on their rooftops for which subsidy will be provided. after launching the `Solar Rooftop’ project, initiated by the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), in the city.

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The aim of the project is to scale up solar power generation in the state,” he said. Under the scheme, residential property owners are encouraged to install solar panels on their rooftops to harness the sun’s energy. Rupani said till date the GEDA has received 20,000 applications from all over the state for installation of solar units on rooftops. The government has allocated Rs 35 crore for installing these units, he said. The state has also chalked out a subsidy plan to encourage people to harness solar power, which is a renewable source of energy, Rupani said.

“Normally, the cost of setting up a solar unit having 1 kilowatt (kw) load capacity comes around Rs 70,000. We have decided to give Rs 10,000 subsidy for commissioning a unit of 1 kw,” the chief minister said.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Hindustan Power acquires 15 solar projects in Japan and set to increase its international footprint to 2 GW by 2022 Hindustan Power, India’s largest Multinational Company in Renewable Energy, operating in the international markets is set to increase its footprint in international markets to 2GW by 2022.

he company during its decade long operations has executed over 800 MWp of solar power generation projects including international landmark projects like the 25MW solar power plant in Lauta, Germany, Asia’s first 30 MW solar in Gujarat, India; World’s largest greenhouse rooftop in Sardinia, Italy among many other projects in countries like Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and the US. Hindustan Power was also recognized as the largest solar developer in the United Kingdom in the years 2012 and 2013. The company has recently acquired fifteen solar power generation projects in Japan and is poised to enter the emerging market of Bangladesh with 4 X 25 MWs solar projects at Trishal in Bangladesh.

Ratul Puri, Chairman, Hindustan Power said, “We are one of the early Indian player to focus on developing solar projects in the overseas markets. We have invested close to Rs 3000 crores and the target of 2 GW would entail an investment of Rs. 10,000 crores. We believe that our successful foray will encourage more players from India to expand its operations in the international markets thereby allowing India to emerge as a solar power house.”

Lalit Jain, CEO, International Solar, Hindustan Power said, “Hindustan Power has the distinction of developing solar plants in difficult markets and terrains within a short period of time. The 25 MW solar farm developed in Lauta, Germany was on a World War II impacted site that required special treatment and concreting before the commencement of the project. The greenhouse PV project in Sardinia covers more than 38 ha of land and produces finest quality of roses which are being exported to Europe and allowing the organization to become the member of prestigious Roya Flora Holland. This project has increased the potential of land by constructing the greenhouse solar plant as the temperature inside GH can be controlled leading to a higher productivity while the solar panels generate clean & green energy. The proposal to develop 4X25 MW solar project has been submitted to Government of Bangladesh and required land agreement has already been signed. We will take these projects in to construction in the next couple of quarters. While many of the players were formalizing its plans, we recorded the distinction of being the largest renewable energy player in UK way back 2012 & 2013.” Source: HP

Piramal Finance Limited Introduces a Unique 'Flexi Line of Credit' for the Renewable Energy Sector Piramal Enterprises LTD., through its subsidiary Piramal Finance Limited, sanctioned an additional INR700Cr to ACME Solar Holdings LTD. The deal was made through Corporate Finance Group of Piramal Finance Ltd. by introducing a new product - a Flexi Line of Credit - for the renewable energy sector. This aims to make a line of funding available to the borrower based on operational projects, with the flexibility to draw/repay during the tenure.

September Part D 2017

CME is one of the largest Independent Power Producers (IPP) in solar energy space in the country with a portfolio of over 1.8GW. The current operational capacity by July end is over 1 GW, reaching 1.4 GW by September end and company is present across the 14 states. PFL had first invested Rs. 499 Cr with ACME in July 2016, together with its partner APG.

Khushru Jijina MD Piramal Finance Ltd.

"We are pleased to offer the second round of funding to ACME group with our unique ‘Flexi Line of Credit’. ACME has a strong track record of execution, with projects spread across the country, which reduces the off-take risk, and has signed PPAs for the complete portfolio. In addition, our first round of funding has already seen pre-payments taking place in a short span of time. They are among the best managed renewable energy companies in the country, in terms of quality of portfolio and growth."

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Shell Plans to Spend $1 Billion a Year on Clean Energy by 2020 Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to spend as much as $1 billion a year on its New Energies division as the transition toward renewable power and electric cars accelerates.

“In some parts of the world we are beginning to see battery electric cars starting to gain consumer acceptance” while wind and solar costs are falling fast, Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said in a speech in Istanbul."

ll of this is good news for the world and must accelerate,” while still offering opportunities for producers of fossil fuels. Shell sees opportunities in hydrogen fuel-cells, liquefied natural gas and next-generation biofuels for air travel, shipping and heavy freight — areas of transport for which batteries aren’t adequate. The intermittent nature of wind and solar energy means power plants fired by natural gas will have a long-term role, Van Beurden said. Van Beurden was addressing the World Petroleum Congress — a gathering of ministers and CEOs from some of the largest oil producers — at a time when the accelerating shift to clean energy is raising questions about their long-term business models. While Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. boss Amin Nasser said oil and gas will be dominant for decades to come, Van Beurden highlighted the potential for some of the fastest-growing nations to leapfrog straight to a cleaner energy mix.

Mr. Khushru added, Renewable Energy has been one of the key focus area for our group and Piramal has benefited by being one of the early movers in the sector. Given the government’s focus on clean energy, we believe, renewables will be one of the key contributors to the energy requirement of the country and Piramal is committed to continued investments in sustainable energy in the near future.

“We are happy topartner with Piramal for the second time over the last one year. The current funding provides us with the required flexibility to invest in solar and electric transportation business and ensure timely completion of Manoj Kumar projects. Given the growth dyUpadhyay namics of the renewable space Chairman & in India we believe renewables MD, would constitute major portion ACME Group of India’s installed capacity.”

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When you consider the areas of the world where energy demand is still to expand, like Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, there is a huge opportunity,” Van Beurden said. “These are areas that are not, on the whole, locked in to a coal-driven system. There is the potential for them to shift more directly onto a less energy-intensive pathway to development. There is often too much focus on energy-transition policies in Europe and North America instead of the fast-growing developing world, Van Beurden said. “What happens in England is important, but what happens in Ethiopia is at least as important. From Denmark to the DRC, from the U.S. to Uganda, to India, to China, there is a lot of work to do.” These countries will still require fossil fuels to develop industries such as steel, cement and chemicals because they need a heat intensity that cannot come from electricity alone, he said. Source: bloombergquint

The Corporate Finance Group (CFG) has been one of the early movers within the Renewable Energy space. CFG has diversified over time both in terms of sector and in offerings. CFG is now sector agnostic and offers capital across the risk curve including senior debt, acquisition finance, promoter finance, private equity exits alongside its previous focus on mezzanine investments. Though infrastructure which includes roads and renewables has been the focus so far, recently the group has also funded corporates in cement, entertainment, security management, packaging and more recently, the auto components and logistics space.

September Part D 2017

BUSINESS & FINANCE

IFC subscribes to L&T Finance green bonds for solar projects The World Bank’s private financing arm IFC has invested Rs 667 crore ($103 million) in L&T Infrastructure Finance Co by subscribing to the first official Green Bonds in India, a joint statement by both parties said.

“This is in line with the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) strategy to support renewable energy infrastructure in the country and also develop the capital markets,” the statement said. The L&T Finance Holdings subsidiary L&T Infrastructure Finance “will use this money to give loans to solar power projects”.

he issue by L&T Infrastructure Finance to IFC qualifies as the first Green Bond approved by SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). Earlier this year, SEBI issued norms governing Green Bonds whose proceeds are used for projects or assets of renewable energy, clean transport, sustainable water or land management, climate change adaptation, energy efficiency such as green buildings or biodiversity conservation.

“L&T Infrastructure Finance is a leading financier to the renewable energy sector and this green bond subscription will serve as a catalyst for corporates to issue green bonds,” IFC Country Head in India Jun Zhang said in the statement.

“This partnership with IFC will further diversify our funding profile and demonstrates the strength of our project appraisal and risk assessment capabilities for renewable energy lending,” - said L&T Infrastructure Finance Chief Executive Virender Pankaj.

In collaboration with the Tata Group, IFC has created the first private sector “green” investment bank in India — Tata Cleantech Capital Limited — and given $170 million in wholesale investments to financial intermediaries that support the climate change programme in the country, the statement said. Besides, IFC has invested about $1.2 billion in climate-friendly projects through direct investments in India in the last five years, it added.

Greenko to raise $1 bN via Asia’s largest green bond Less than a year after its last offering, India’s leading clean energy company, Greenko, is raising around $1 billion via offshore dollar bonds - the largest green bond from a corporate entity in Asia till date. The objective of this fund raising exercise is to refinance the company’s first dollar bond that raised $500 million in 2014. Additionally, it will also help the company to refinance the debt that it inherited along with the acquisition of the 350 MW India portfolio of the bankrupt Sun Edison last year.

reenko’s 7 year bond issue was launched recently. It will be a minimum of $950 million to a little above $1 billion, said officials in the know. Barclays, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Investec have been mandated for the fund raising. The issuer of a green bond publicly states that the capital being raised to fund green projects related to renewable energy or emission reduction initiatives. Many Indian clean tech companies like ReNew or banks or financial institutions like Axis, Rural Electrification Corporation BSE 3.69 % (REC) have in recent months raised funds through this route, though of smaller amounts. The privately held company that was started by two Hyderabadbased entrepreneurs, Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli counts Singapore’s GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) as key shareholders. GIC owns a controlling 60% interest in the company and ADIA has close to 15%. The two founders own the rest. It was previously listed on London’s AIM exchange. Upon closure, Greenko would have raised $2 billion of equity and debt from marque institutional investors in the last 12 months.

Source: IANS

September Part D 2017

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

Renewable energy boost: 4 Indian solar, wind power firms plan to raise $2.5 bn in offshore bonds

F It already boasts of 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of operational portfolio of wind, solar and hydro power projects making it one of the largest player in the country. By the end of the year, it plans to raise it 3 GWs. The operating portfolio is expected to generate $450 million EBITDA in FY17, sources in the know said.For this latest round of fund raising, the company is creating a new pool of around 1 GW (1000 MW) of its diversified portfolio into an SPV. With Indian banks hesitant to lend for new projects or having already reached their sectoral limits, offshore bonds have diversified the investor pool for most of Indian new generation clean energy providers. From Adani Group to IL&FS Energy, to NYSE listed Azure Power and even Continuum Energy are in various stages of their debt fund raising efforts with an eye to cumulatively raise $2 billion in this fiscal alone, said industry watchers. Global capital is also getting attracted to the ambitious commitment of the Narendra Modi government - a signatory to the Paris climate accord - to expand renewable power capacity and is keen to invest close to $150 billion to meet its 2022 targets of 175 GW from a current capacity of 57 GW. Solar tariffs hit a new low in May when SBG Cleantech, a joint venture between Bharti. Foxconn and Softbank, bid Rs 2.44 per unit for building a solar park in Rajasthan. Despite the decline in tariffs, overseas investors scouting for higher yields are keen on such dollar bond issues, bankers said, adding many were drawn by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to boosting renewable power output. Source: ET

our Indian renewable power producers are planning to raise up to $2.5 billion via dollar bonds offshore because of caution among domestic lenders, banking sources said. In addition to the four solar and wind power firms, a fifth company that invests in renewable projects, Adani Group, has raised $250 million via a loan but has yet to publicly announce the borrowing, the sources told Reuters. A source working with one of the bond issues said foreign borrowing was attractive because state banks were reluctant to lend due to existing bad loans to the power sector, while domestic banks worried about falling tariffs for solar power. Foreign investors have been attracted to the sector by India’s commitment to expand renewable power capacity, with plans to invest close to $150 billion to meet its 2022 targets, analysts and bankers said. New Yorklisted Azure Power Global Ltd, which has projects in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab and elsewhere, planned to raise $500 million via a dollar issuance, two bankers said. Continuum Energy, a firm backed by U.S. bank Morgan Stanley that has projects in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and western state of Gujarat, planned to raise $400 million, the two bankers added. Wind and solar power firm Greenko Group, backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), planned a $1 billion issuance to refinance a dollar bond raised three years ago, three bankers said. IL&FS Energy, which has thermal and solar power projects, was considering a dollar bond issue worth $500 million, said a source with knowledge of the deal but not involved in the process. The fifth firm, Adani Group, which is controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani, has already raised $250 million via an offshore loan to invest in its solar power project in Karnataka, one of the bankers said. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Solar tariffs hit a new low in May when SBG Cleantech, which has SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son as one of its promoters, bid 2.44 per unit for building a solar park in the western state of Rajasthan. Solar power players bid for the right to build projects on parcels of land that are set aside by the government. The player agreeing to sell the power it generates at the lowest price per kilowatt hour, are leased the land at a nominal price.Despite the decline in tariffs, overseas investors scouting for higher yields are keen on such dollar bond issues, the bankers said, adding many were drawn by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to boosting renewable power output. India, a signatory to the Paris climate accord, has an ambitious plan to raise renewable energy capacity to 175 gigawatts (GW) by 2022 from a current capacity of 57 GW. Abhishek Tyagi, senior analyst at Moody’s, said India would have to invest “close to $150 billion to meet its 2022 renewable energy targets”, adding much of that was expected to come from foreign financing due to constraints among domestic lenders. Source: Reuters

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September Part D 2017

ENERGY STorage

India’s largest battery based Solar Project UP Sabzi Mandi project Consul Neowatt, the global Indian UPS company shared that it has received the approvals for execution of one of the largest battery based hybrid solar power projects in India totalling over 3MW.

he project will be powered by Consul Neowatt’s much acclaimed Sunbird range of hybrid solar inverters, which has strong performance credentials and is today the No 1 preferred choice of solar system integrators in India for any solar power plant with energy storage. The Sabzi Mandi project initiated by the Government of Uttar

- Mr. Sriram Ramakrishnan CEO & MD Consul Neowatt Power Solutions Pvt Ltd

onsul Neowatt, offers a comprehensive line up of solar inverters for customers namely Off-grid, Hybrid and On-grid inverter solutions. Consul Neowatt range of solar inverters and power conditioning units (PCUs) have been deployed in large projects that include homes under Remote

Pradesh is a full-fledged market facility for farmers well equipped with cold storage facilities,shops, drainage systems, and warehouses. The project will cover 16 locations in the state and locations will be fitted with multiple units of 150kw to 400kW Sunbird solar PCUs to be self-sufficient for uninterrupted power supply. The solar power in these sites will serve a mix load of pump motors, lighting, cool storage fans and other infrastructural needs of the Mandi’s.

Consul Neowatt Power Solutions Pvt Ltd said “Our Sunbird range of solar inverters has proven its ruggedness and ability to handle a variety of loads over the last couple of years and was the natural choice for a project that required solar power to not only power up the traditional lighting loads but also pump motors and cold storage fans. This project demonstrates the feasibility of high power solar power plants with energy storage as a viable option for DG Sets and is enabled by the industry leading technology in-built in our Sunbird hybrid solarPCUS.”

Village Electrification as part of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) Project, Petrol Retail outlets of major retailers like IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, Reliance & Essar, major Educational Institutions like the IITs, Sports complexes, and Government Establishments - Defence, Police and Railways.

Ashok Leyland, SUN Mobility to launch electric buses Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland and SUN Mobility have entered into a strategic alliance to develop electric buses, said officials of the two companies. “We have entered into a strategic alliance to develop electric buses with ‘swap and charge’ battery technology. We have to decide on firming up the agreement into a joint venture. The two companies may invest around Rs 100 crore in the project and the first prototype vehicle is expected to be rolled out by January 2018.” – Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and MD, Ashok Leyland, told reporters

he Bengaluru-based SUN Mobility is an equal joint venture between Virya Mobility 5.0 and SUN New Energy Systems. SUN Mobility is led by Chetan Maini who pioneered the battery operated Reva car. The company making Reva car was later sold to Mahindra and Mahindra group. Declining to comment on the investments SUN Mobility would have to make for the tie up with Ashok Leyland, Maini said his company would set up the infrastructure - battery charging and swapping stations and others. According to Maini, in the last 20 years the electric mobility faced challenges like higher acquisition cost, longer battery recharge time and others. He said SUN Mobility now has the smart batteries. The officials said the solution that is being developed is to replace a battery that got discharged with a fully charged one so that a vehicle is always on the move. Dasari said the initial focus will on city transport sector and talks are being held with State Transport Undertakings. Maini said the solution is suitable for all kinds of vehicles and the tie-up with Ashok Leyland is on exclusive basis. “Now the focus is on bigger vehicles.” He said the charging stations to be set up by his company would predominantly be powered by renewable energy and would refuel a vehicle at a cost that is lower than the conventional fuel. Source:IANS

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Electric Vehicles Likely To Get Big Boost From Narendra Modi Government The government’s new action plan to curb use of fossil fuels can replace close to half of the motor vehicles to run on electricity on Indian roads by 2030.

he Union Cabinet will soon consider the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric vehicles in India (FAME) scheme to provide both manufactures and consumers of electric vehicles (EVs) to get assorted incentives: tax and non-tax, according to The Financial Express. The discussion includes reducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) levied on electric cars to zero from 12% now. At present, the GST (inclusive of cesses) on petrol/diesel vehicles ranges around 28-43%. If states agree to the plan, EVs will be exempt form toll-tax and road-tax making it cheaper. EV’s cost around 2.5 times of petrol/diesel vehicles and the scheme could enhance cash incentives to buyers, sources aware of the plan told Financial Express. The move will also ease

domestic EV manufacturers as well as encourage global players such as Tesla, Toyota, Nissan and Renault to set up manufacturing units in India. Under the FAME scheme, a two-wheeler buyers get up to Rs 22,000 reduction in purchase price while the price discount is up to Rs 25,000 for three-wheelers and Rs 1.87 lakh for 4-wheelers. EVs manufactured in India can travel about 100 km in a single charge compared to 300-350 km by EVs manufactured by firms like Tesla. To solve this problem, the government will likely incentivise setting up of lithium ion battery plants in India. Earlier, Maruti Suzuki India had approached the government for incentives to establish an integrated manufacturing facility for the battery pack in India.

Mr. Roland asked the government to offer incentives on electric car imports until local output becomes viable – if New Delhi is keen on ending fossil-fuel transport by 2030, reported The Economic Times. - Mr. Roland Folger, Managing Director for India, Mercedes Benz

The German automaker, which is heavily investing in technology for electric mobility, said that if adequate support is extended these vehicles may make their way to India by 2020.

Earlier in June, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said on Twitter that he is in talks with the government of India regarding temporary relief on import restrictions until a local factory is built in the country.

With continued decline in battery costs, EVs are becoming cost effective. A set of fiscal incentives can create a self-sustaining EV market that will help India achieve its 2020 target of 6–7 million EVs and nearly half of the 66 crore (from 21 crore now) vehicles by 2030.

According to a Niti Aayog-Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) report, India can save 64% of anticipated passenger road-based mobility-related energy demand and 37% of carbon emissions in 2030 by pursuing a shared, electric, and connected mobility future.

This would result in a reduction of 156 Mtoe in diesel and petrol consumption for that year.

“At $52/bbl of crude, this would imply a net savings of roughly Rs 3.9 lakh crore (approximately $60 billion) in 2030. This would help India in achieving its commitment under Paris Climate Agreement to reduce the emissions intensity of its gross domestic product by 33-35% by 2030 from 2005 level. Simultaneously, it would also help Indian renewable energy manufacturers who could have 175 gigawatt capacity including 100 GW from solar by 2022. The EV batteries could be used to store solar energy.” – Said The Report Source: Moneycontrol

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September Part D 2017

STOCK RESEARCH

Buy Swelect Energy Systems: SP Tulsian

Mr. SP Tulsian sptulsian.com In an interview to CNBC-TV18’s Latha Venkatesh and Anuj Singhal, SP Tulsian, sptulsian.com shared his and outlook on Swelect Energy System. Anuj: This is a stock that you had recommended earlier as well, Swelect Energy Systems, in June, still good at these levels? Answer : I recommended this stock on June 5 at Rs 424 and post that, in couple of months the stock moved to Rs 658; that means giving a return of about 60 percent. However, maybe because of this weakness or maybe because of the profit booking, the stock has now corrected to Rs 507. When the recommendation was given earlier at Rs 424, the theme was excellent, FY17 numbers posted by the company and the same thing continues because the company has posted robust Q1 numbers again. If I just quickly take a call on the standalone income, income is at Rs 53 crore and PAT of Rs 7.3 crore. If I make a comparative valuation of yearon-year (YoY) basis, PAT has almost doubled. EPS has increased to Rs 7.20 from Rs 3.80. I think that this momentum is likely to continue. If you take a call on the consolidated numbers, probably the

company should be able to post an EPS of closer to about Rs 35-36 for whole of FY18. At that time also I said, now again I am repeating, that if you take a call on the net worth of the company, it is Rs 700 crore translating into a book value of Rs 700 core. Of the Rs 700 crore net worth, Rs 310 crore are lying in the cash and cash equivalent which translates into Rs 310 per share. That means you are getting the company at a core valuation of Rs 200 which translates into a P/E multiple of just 6 times net of cash, or if you take the entire, it is at 15 times. Again, the company has a very robust business model. They are providing solar power solutions and they are also making iron and aluminimum alloy foundry casting. So, taking overall perspective and overall view on the results and on the company looking to the cash rich status, very good expected EPS of about Rs 35-36 for FY18, I think the stock qualifies a good buy at Rs 507 with a target of Rs 610 in six months or so.

Latha: I wanted to ask you about the bunch of smaller stocks that came out with numbers. One was not expecting SML Isuzu, and then in another category Ship-

ping Corporation of India (SCI), all these to do so badly. Is there anything in the midcap stocks that came in the last 24 hours that looked good to you? Answer : I think SML Isuzu was expected to post bad numbers looking to the monthly sales numbers but, yes, you are right, the worst results which we have seen was worse than what was expected to be. However, taking a call on some of the good results which have come, in fact I have taken on the post market close because majority of the results have seen coming in the market hours, but if I take a call on some of the results which have come after market hours, one stock which looks very good is Stovec Industries.The company has posted really excellent numbers with EPS of Rs 40 for Q1 against FY17 EPS of Rs 107. That result looks good. Spicejet, also pleased with the results. If you take a call, maybe Rs 175 crore PAT against Rs 149 on the YoY basis. One result which has really come out very good, in fact two results from the sugar space, Dwarikesh Sugar, posted the results during market hour with EPS of Rs 31 in Q1.Triveni Engineering again has posted excellent numbers with PBT of Rs 84 crore against Rs 62 YoY. However, the best part is that Triveni Engineering has sold sub 19 lakh bags in this Q1 while still they are holding 33 lakh plus bags to be sold in Q2 and Q3. So what is the visibility on the Q2 and Q3 is very important and probably Q2 numbers is going to be seen better than Q1 which is always seen to be a dull quarter because of the non-operations seen at the sugar mills. So, these are the few results, Dwarikesh Sugar, Triveni Engineering, Stovec Industries, and Spicejet, they are looking good.

Anuj: What is the advice on Prakash Industries and J Kumar Infra now that they will start trading today? Answer : The fear amongst the retail investors are that probably again some relief from the Supreme Court will come, it may again go into freeze and all that. So there are weak hands or maybe weak hearted investors who will definitely be looking to exit. However, I don’t think that both the stocks, because both have a price band of 20 percent. So I don’t think that both should really hit at the lower level, but if someone is really holding them, I don’t think that there is any reason to worry.

I am not honestly expecting any kind of relief coming in from the Supreme Court because these are not the matter to be taken by the Supreme Court, definitely the restoration of the trading will continue in the stock. Difficult to predict for the day on both the stocks, but on a fundamental basis, it does not deserve a 20 percent lower circuit but definitely both will be seen in the weak territory for the day. Source: moneycontrol

September Part D 2017

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.Sven

Kramer Vice President Sales Solar Technology at teamtechnik Group EQ: What is Your Opinion on the AntiDumping Petition, its possible impact on the Indian solar market Kramer: The Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has initiated the anti-dumping petition. We have to wait and see what the investigation will find out. In my opinion a fair competition is required. In case an anti-dumping tariff will be introduced it will help the local Indian manufacturer on the one hand side. On the other hand it will also affect them since many cells are imported from China, Taiwan or Malaysia. At the end the prices for solar modules will increase which will make solar energy less attractive and it might result in not achieving the 100 GW target by 2022.

EQ: How and when is it likely to be resolved Kramer: Every investigation will take its time. And it is also important that the investigation is performed thoroughly and with correct data. If any anti-

dumping tariffs will be implemented it is also very important that the situation will be reviewed on a regular basis.

EQ: In your view....how much dumping is happening on cells/modules and what is the expectations from the Government Kramer: It is difficult to say how much dumping is happening. The Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has most probably some evidence. Otherwise they would have not started the petition. On the one hand the government has to make thorough investigation. On the other hand it should not take too long to leave too much doubt and too much room for speculation.

EQ: What is the Suggestion to the Government of India & China Kramer: An open and fair competition is required from every country. India and China should talk to overcome the topic soon.

EQ: What are the current prices of Cells and Modules and what is the foreseeable prices in next one year time frame Kramer: Based on my knowledge the current world market price for crystalline solar modules is around 0,30 - 0,35 US$ /W. It is very difficult to forecast a module price. From beginning of 2016 until beginning of 2017 there has been a price reduction of 35%. Looking at the published results of the stock listed solar companies, the companies have less profits or even losses. The price reduction cannot be compensated by reducing the costs which results in less profit or even losses. For a sustainable industry the price should stay at the same level. Otherwise we will see a similar scenario as in 2012 which resulted in shakeout of the worldwide solar industry.

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EQ: What are the biggest Challenges, Threats to the growth of Solar in India Kramer: Local manufacturing has to be increased to increase the share of locally manufactured solar modules in India. This will help the solar industry and it will build a strong basis for a wider acceptance of solar energy in India. If more jobs in the manufacturing sector will be created, each state will support the 100 GW target even more. At the same time local companies have to invest in highly automated equipment to be competitive with solar module producers worldwide.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission Kramer: Today, teamtechnik group is Germany’s largest owner-managed company in the field of assembly and test equipment. We are independent and therefore highly flexible. For the global photovoltaic industry the company has specialized on highthroughput stringer machines. These high-performance production tools are designed to combine reliable 24/7 production with excellent quality. teamtechnik is therefore a global market leader in this segment. The company employs 900 people around the world and has production and support sites in Germany, Poland, China and the USA. Teamtechnik-group concentratesits efforts on three sectors: Solar, Automotive and Medtech. All Stringer Systems TT2100 and TT4200GIGA are manufactured at our headquarters in Freiberg, Germany close to Stuttgart in the Southwest of Germany. Together with our worldwide partners we support our customers all around the globe.A key new business area is also assembly and test lines for e-mobility solutions and batteries.

EQ: Solar Trade Wars : What are the benefits to Indian manufacturers Kramer: Nobody will win with a trade war. Protection is required if unfair competition is in the market. Unfair is for example if the selling price of solar modules are below the costs of materials. But there is an economy of scale. It will be difficult for a small manufacturer to compete with a big GW manufacturer which might be even vertically integrated. So certain protection and support is required to establish a solar manufacturing base in India.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , Double Glass, BiFacial Cells, PERC/PERT Technologies, Hetero Junction, 5-6 Busbars upcoming game changes technologies etc… Kramer: All of the above can be processed with teamtechnik equipment. All of our Stringers can process Bi-facial cells (if they can be soldered which depends on the paste used during the solar cell manufacturing process). If you use a bi-facial cell, then of course you have a double-glass design. One important item so far not many people paid attention to is the ribbon position

September Part D 2017

on the back side of the cell. Since we use our patented hold-down devices in combination with our vacuum transport system on our Stringers we can achieve a very precise ribbon positioning, not only on the front side but also on the back side of the cell. With a doubleglass module you will see of course also the ribbon on the back side which is, with a conventional glass-backsheet module, normally covered up by the backsheet. The interesting question will be, how will solar module manufacturer measure the efficiency of the backside of the module with a bi-facial module. You can achieve approx. 10 % to 20% higher power output. But of course it depends on where the module will be installed and how much sun light will be reflected onto the backside. Our customers are using more and more PERC and PERT cells. Our Stringers are design to process them without any issues. Also 5 and 6 busbars can be processed. We do not think that the number of busbars will increase above 6. We have performed a research study together with the SERIS institute of the University in Singapore. Simulations showed that the power increase from 6 to 7 busbars is minimal and it does not account for the higher cost of the materials and for having one additional ribbon within the module. In regards to the HJT technology we have to see if and when more manufacture will invest in the technology. We have developed a stringer tool which can interconnect the cells using electrically conductive adhesive (ECA), our TT1400ECA, but so far there are not a high number of available HJT cells in the market. In my opinion this is due to the higher efficiency of the PERC and PERT cells and that existing lines can be retrofitted for the PERC technology.

EQ: What are the various technologies available for manufacturing and whats the advantage & disadvantage in the tech or equipment you offer ? Kramer: We offer our Stringer System TT4200 GIGA and TT2100. In addition we can provide our Layup System matching the capacity of the Stringer Systems. The TT4200 GIGA is designed for customers with a production capacity with more than 250 MW. It is a compact system with a high production capacity. The soldering process itself is the same with the TT4200 GIGA and the TT2100. At the end of the day our customers have to decide which solution they prefer, depending on available space, production capacity and required

EQ: What is your market share in the solar pv manufacturing market Kramer: teamtechnik has more than 750 stringer systems in the market and more than 25GWp of solar modules are produced every year on teamtechnik stringer systems. So far we have supplied more than 2 GW of stringer production capacity to India in the last 15 months. redundancy. For high efficient HeteroJunction Solar Cells (HJT) we also have our TT1400ECA in our product portfolio. With this technology we connect the solar cells with a light trapping ribbon (LCR) and an Electrically Conductive Adhesive (ECA). This allows us to process cells at a lower temperature of approx. 150 ºC or 160 ºC. With the soldering process a temperature around 190 ºC to 210 ºC is required. Since HJT cells are more sensitive for the temperature and some cells will reduce their power output at higher soldering temperatures we can provide a solution to customers who are interested in producing the next generation of solar modules.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the future of solar manufacturing technologies Kramer: We are currently seeing a trend towards 5 busbars. By increasing the number of busbars the resistance losses can be reduced. Based on our research and development work with the SERIS Institute at the University in Singapore we know that the maximum number of busbars will be 6. You can of course increase the number of busbars further, but based on the simulation performed by the SERIS Institute the power gain achieved after 6 busbars is only minimal. EQ: Technology Obsolesence : What solution you offer to your customers against possible future technology obsolescence when they buy your equipment Kramer: Our current systems are highly flexible and can easily be upgraded to new developments like 6 busbars and a wide range of new cell and ribbon types. Also stringer systems which have been supplied several years ago, such as the TT1200HS, TT1600 or TT1800 can be upgraded to 5 busbars. The stringer system was designed for the processing of 2, 3 or 4 busbar cells. Our engineers found a way to upgrade them to 5 busbars so that our customers can process these cells as well on our stringer systems. With the higher number of busbars the ribbons are getting narrower. Our latest stringer generations TT4200GIGA and TT2100 can handle ribbons with a width of only 0,6 mm. As another item I would like to add that our stringer systems can be upgraded for the processing of light trapping ribbons (LTR). These ribbons have a special structure embossed to increase the reflection of the sunlight

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hitting the ribbons in order to increase the power output of the solar module. This also enables our customers to increase the power output by 2.5 to 2.8%. Overall I have to say that customers using teamtechnik stringers are ready for the future and can rely on our technology and our support.

EQ: Please present some examples of your equipment & technologies in India and worldwide and their performance Kramer: One example, Vikram Solar, Indian manufacturer of photovoltaic systems, has decided to work with teamtechnik to expand its production to manufacture enough solar modules to generate 2 GW, up from 500 MW. teamtechnik has been given the job of developing and constructing production lines for producing these solar modules. For Vikram Solar, teamtechnik's worldwide service network was a decisive factor in choosing the company, alongside the technical benefits of teamtechnik's stringer and layup solutions. At Vikram, for example, it was important to integrate

the relatively novel, but highly effective PERC cells and bifacial cells in the production process. It was no problem for us. Another example is Renewsys. Renewsys has purchased from us last year 2 x TT2100 Stringer Systems. This year we have supplied our TT4200GIGA Stringer to Renewsys increasing the module production capacity from 130 MWp to 260 MWp.

EQ: India currently has around 1.2 GW Cell Manufacturing and 5GW of Module Manufacturingâ&#x20AC;Ś..what is the opportunities, challenges in manufacturing in India Kramer: India is expanding their manufacturing base. It is the correct decision of the government in India to support local manufacturing. Only with a local manufacturing base the solar energy can be more widespread in India because more and more people are supporting it. Our customers are facing several challenges. One is the availability of raw materials and local manufactured solar cells. In addition financing the equipment is a challenge.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What the expectations from the Government to boost manufacturing in India ? Kramer: It was a wise decision by the Indian government to set a target of installed PV capacity of 100 GW by 2022. You always need an ambitious target. At the same time you will provide a certain security to local companies that they can sell their local manufactured solar modules in India. Supporting the local companies with either a higher feed-in tariff for local manufactured solar modules, investment support such as financing support or support for setting up a new factory, will lead to a bigger solar module manufacturing base in India.

EQ: WTO Case : India recently lost to USA in the WTO for keeping DCR mandate in its solar projects…whats your views Kramer: A domestic content requirement (DCR) will help and support local solar module manufacturer. Due to economy of scale, smaller manufacturer will not have the same sourcing or manufacturing costs. In my opinion there should be a DCR to create jobs and help solar module manufacturer in India.

EQ: Enlighten with some new orders in hand, its timelines Kramer: At the SNEC in Shanghai we have announced that Renewsys has decided on our Stringer TT4200GIGA. The equipment is installed at Renewsys and in operation. At the upcoming REI show in Mumbai we will have another announcement coming.

EQ: What is the key competitive advantages for your customers who choose to buy your equipment and technology Kramer: Kramer: In one statement: Extremely high output of 130 MWp on just 15 m². The Stringer TT4200 Giga is the most compact, yet fastest, stringer system in the world. Customers are confirming availabilities of over 98% for all of our systems. teamtechnik stringers have a flexible machine architecture and therefore they are always upgradable for future cell or ribbon technologies. All of our stringers use contact-free infrared soldering technology which

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makes the hight system output possible while minimizing the breakage rate.

EQ: What are the various inspection, testing, verification, assurance technologies to ensure high quality manufacturing and various certification requirements Kramer: teamtechnik is certified according to ISO 9001:2008. At our factory our processes and our incoming materials will be inspected and we ensure that only good components are used within our machines and systems. Every stringer system is tested first internally and then together with our customers to ensure that exact the material which shall be produced at a later time is working with the correct machine settings. Together with our customers we perform peel-force tests, EL tests of the produced strings as well as measurements of throughput and dimensions to verify the correct and exact configuration and settings. During the manufacturing process at our customers each incoming cell is inspected by a camera system and the dimensions, busbar position, grid completeness and many more items are checked. During the soldering process we measure the temperature of each cell and we adjust the power output of our Infrared Light Soldering Module to ensure each cell is processed with the same temperature achieving the same good soldering result. After the installation of our machines we train our customer’s operators and maintenance personnel. This will enable our customers to run with a high uptime and a high yield.

EQ: India is currently ramping up manufacturing capacities…how much capacity addition do you forecast ? Sven: Forecasting is always difficult. But personally I see a big potential in India. Solar Energy can be installed within a short period of time. The costs for solar modules have been reduced over the last few years a lot and therefore solar energy is competitive with fossil fuels. India is one of the fastest growing economies and a lot of additional energy will be required in the next few years. Solar will be able to provide clean energy to the big cities in India as well as to rural areas. So I personally hope that more solar energy will be added in order to keep the air clean or cleaner in India. The existing companies in India will expand their manufacturing capacities and new players will enter the market. On the solar module manufacturing side I see a potential of 10 GW to 15 GW of production capacity within the next few years in India.

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Pv Manufacturing

Price Rise Of Chinese Modules:

Foreign Dependency Is About To Make Indian Solar Dream Costlier India has shown a remarkable performance in the growth of the solar sector and has received global acclamation in the same. Be it setting up of the International Solar Alliance with France or playing a pivotal role during the negotiations at COP 21 at Paris, the Indian government is leading the global fight against climate change. India had taken a very calculated decision to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity mix. Under the National Action Plan for Climate Change, a target of 20 GW of solar installations was announced in the year 2010 which was later revamped to 100 GW of solar and 75GW of other renewable energy sources by the year 2022. From less than 10 MW by the FY 2010, the country has seen an impressive growth to achieve a cumulative growth of 10 GW by the FY 2017.

REALITIES OF REVERSE BIDDING:

or most of the projects auctioned in India, the government relied on reverse bidding which brought the prices of solar power to less thanINR 3/unit in 2017from nearly INR 15/ unit in the year 2010-11. While reverse bidding was helpful in reducing the price of solar power; it was seen that lot of developers historically won their bids based on price speculation of solar modules which constitute 50-60% of the module costs. Unfortunately nearly 85-90 % of the modules used in India now are manufactured in China leading to huge dependency on one country. Take for instance, the recently concluded Bhadala bid, which saw solar tariff reach record low of INR 2.44/unit.

• It was estimated that solar module prices would fall to USD 23 cents/watt to achieve the desired tariff. • The anticipated price drop did not take place due to extension of feed-in-tariff programme in China. • This meant that the prices of solar modules are still hovering around USD 32-34 cents/watt. In the previous financial year, many PSUs had extended the project deadlines in anticipation of further drop in module prices. Many utilities had even asked for renegotiation of PPA once the projects were commissioned. Such speculation in prices can lead to projects becoming unviable or unnecessarily being delayed.

FOREIGN DEPENDENCE: Huge dependency on imported modules has affected the domestic solar module and cell manufacturing industry.

AUTHOR : Gyanesh Chaudhary, CEO and MD, Vikram Solar

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• While the solar installations became 1,000 times of what it was in the year 2010 (10 GW from 10 MW), the module manufacturing industry only increased by 37 times of what it was in 2010 (7.5 GW from 200 MW). • According to a 2014 research report by CEEW on India’s solar policies, the Indian solar manufacturing industry was globally competitive till the year 2010 and was exporting solar modules to countries like Spain, US, Germany and Italy.

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Pv Manufacturing • RCA or Revealed Comparative Advantage, is a factor which highlights a comparative advantage of a country in a given good relative to other good in a given set of countries. • Incidentally,RCA of India for solar modules was more than 1 for India for most of the period till 2010, which meant that India was able to successfully compete with countries like China, US and Japan on the global scale. • However, recession coupled oversupply of Chinese and US modules (supported via low cost of finance) made a huge impact on the domestic industry. • While the government supported the Indian solar industry initially by mandating DCR procurement, the programme could not last for long as it was successfully challenged in WTO by USA.

The Indian solar industry with a cumulative manufacturing capacity of 5-7 GW of crystalline solar modules and nearly 2 GW of crystalline solar cells has to compete with the China, which has a total manufacturing capacity of more than100 GWand 80 GWof crystalline solar modules and solar cells respectively. The Indian government needs to support the domestic manufacturing industry so that it is able to compete with Chinese companies, which are receiving government support at various stages.

Photo Illustration : Ankit Pandey

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OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

here are few examples in India where the state utilities have set a non-conventional and unique condition for procurement ofsolar PV modules, that is- Tier 1 rating along with an insurance backed warranty of 25 years. While India does have,a few tier 1 manufacturers, an insurance product for the same is not available in India. This means that Indian players are out of contention. The only way to set up the plant with economically viable is to resort to Chinese modules, which meet the desired specifications. For lack of economical options on insurance product, Indian module manufacturing companies will not be able to supply modules for the power plant despite being fully capable of doing so. Hence, in addition to artificial price competition, some policy bottlenecks have also hurt the domestic solar industry therefore failing to provide Indian companies an equal opportunity and platform to compete. While these examples are outlier in the larger scheme of things, larger policy framework is required under which various organisations can procure solar power – like fixing the share of domestically produced modules in the project.

LASTLY The prices of solar modules have dropped drastically in the past couple of years and even mandating government organisations to procure panels produced domestically will not hurt the ex-chequer. revision because of wild • The difference in domestic speculations by the developand imported modules has ers which may in turn hurt reduced to USD 2-3 cents/ the industry. watt from a difference of USD 10-15 cents in the past • Given that the prices of 5 years. solar panels have reduced drastically and the anticipat• Hence, any support to ed reductions are artificial, domestic manufacturers will the government may again in fact have a lower impact rethink the possibility of than imposition of GST (5%) introducing FiTwhich can on the solar modules. lead to healthy growth of the • Encouraging domestic solar industry. module manufacturing • The government must companies will also lead to through various means also increase in jobs, reduce the support domestic manuforex outflow and increase facturing companies by India’s energy security. providing necessary CAPEX • Huge dependency on support, mandate usage of imported modules can also domestic modules, explore have possibilities of imposing huge impact on the 100 GW safeguard duties like Europe solar dream. and USA, promote projects • The methodology to based on domestically prodiscover prices by reverse duced high efficiency modbidding may also need a ules and incentivise R&D.

We should learn from our experience of ultra-mega power thermal power plants which were set up based on low prices of imported Indonesian coal. The rise of coal prices has made the projects commercially unviable. www.EQMagPro.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.Krishnendu

Mukherjee Chief Operating Officer, Sova Solar Ltd. EQ: Please share in brief about your company, promoters, its vision & mission? EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India? What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 ? Krishnendu: Sova Solar plans to be a 1 GW solar module manufacturer by 2019. As a part of our commitment to the "Make in India" initiative by the Government of India, we are augmenting our annual plant capacity to 300 MW within this calender year. The 100 GW JNNSM target has been a market booster for us. Given the pressure on price due to ultra low tariff and potential Chinese competitors selling in India at prices lower than their actual cost, remains a challenge. We are expecting our Government to allow us a level playing field in near future.

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Krishnendu: Let me tell about the vision of our company.The vision of Sova Solar is an ethical leader, driven by quality and innovation to provide customer satisfaction with sustainable growth.Our mission is to produce product commensurate to the international quality and standard, to promote and support clean, secure and economically viable renewable energy developments for a greener future . Moreover, definitely focus on long term , sustainable business models to ensure best values and mutual advantages for our stakeholders and employees. Shri Subrata Mukherjee, my father, is the promoter of this company. He has an wide experience in different field of different industries like Steel , Coal Cement and others. His passion for green industry had set our force towards this industry. He is having 40 years of business experience and which is the pivotal strength of our business. After completion of my B.Tech from NIT

Durgapur I have joined the business and simultaneously persuade the MBA. It is more than 5 yearsI have joined this business and enjoying it. Other directors are from different steps of different industry. They have wide business back ground. However,currently our manufacturing capacity is 200 Mw and and our aim is to reach 1GW.

EQ: Solar Trade Wars :What is Your View ? What are the Module Price Guideline on module prices for next Q3-Q42017 and 2018? Krishnendu: In the recent times, all forecast on cell, wafer and hence module prices are up exponentially, in contrary to the forecasts from globally acclaimed agencies. The mega projects bid & won at ultra low tariff are finding it difficult to sustain. While the interest cost is the only area of respite, the solar wafer, cell & module costs have defied prediction and gone up. The situation remains quite volatile at the moment, but likely to stabilise by Q3-Q4 2017. While there may be a downward trend, but very significant. In the coming year, the downward trend should follow, given the capacity addition in wafer plants globally.

EQ: What are the expectations from Government / NTPC / SECI / RUMS Team? Krishnendu: As I said earlier, we expect the Government of India to give the Indian module manufacturers a level playing field amidst uneven competition from China. Largest PSUs like NTPC are expected to enhance the quota of Make in India modules, to help us grow. The schemes like MSIPS requires to be more investors friendly. Some incentives and and safe guard duty may be brought into push our confidence.

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EQ: What is the basic intention to make a collaboration with IIT- Kharagpur? How do you feel that it will help both you and your customer? Krishnendu: IIT Kharagpur has significant expertise in the area of Solar PV and have major academic as well as research programs. Prof. J N Roy of IIT Kharagpur who is a leading expert in Solar PV will be directly associated with Sova Solar. He will provide guidance on the product/ manufacturing technology and Quality Management System (QMS). This will ensure Sova Solar to provide best quality modules to customers employing latest technology.

EQ: You have launched the SPV Modules with 1500V & Module with PERC Cell. What is the technology road map in terms of 1500V , PERC/PERT Technologies? Krishnendu: The string size of the SPV installation is continuously increasing resulting requirement of very high voltage. There are several technological challenges for such development. It is more challenging as Sova Solar making this product compatible to PERC/PERT cells. It has to be seen that the effectiveness of passivation achieved in PERC/PERT cells should not get nullified due to this extreme high voltage. Moreover, the PID related issues may have to looked into more carefully. As a road map Sova Solar’s present focus is to

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optimize this using conventional solar cells and then to extent this for PERC/ PERT cells. Detail analysis on the PID related effects are also being done.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback? Krishnendu: The market reports on our solar modules have been good. We have been quality conscious right from the beginning and our plant comprises of best in class technology & quality process. We have recently collaborated with IIT Kharagpur, to bring about further improvement in our process & quality assurance.

EQ: How has RUMS Bid and SECI Wind Tender Bid has changed the dynamics for Solar & Wind Projects in India. What are the challenges, threats and new opportunities you see emerging now? Krishnendu: The results of these bids have been very exciting, as they pave the way for further investment in solar pv sector. At the same time, it is important that the projects are executed within the targeted cost, quality & timeline to demonstrate economic viability of such ultra low tariffs. Given the present impasse due to increase in wafer, cell & hence module price, it is quite a challenge and opens up scope for further innovation across the value chain.

Mr. Krishnendu With his father & MD of Sova Solar Ltd. Mr. Subrata Mukherjee.

EQ: How enjoyable is this trade to you ? Do you feel the target set for solar for celebration of 75th year of our Independence is really achievable? Krishnendu: The complete vision and mission of the Indian Solar Industry and our company as well, has radically changed with enterprising efforts of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shree Narendra Modi and Shree Piyush Goel, Hon’ble Minister for Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The target set by them has changed the dimension of the Indian Solar Indutry. The target of 175GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2022 is definitely achievable . If your Government is encouraging for growth to that tune/ extent, you must feel energised. In my view if Indian Solar Industry would get some basic support and a primary stage protection from outside then India is now the most potential hub for the industry. To join in the mission of our P.M., our group has set a target of 1Gw of Module manufacturing capacity by 2018-19. In broader perspective Indian Solar PV industry should go well.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With

Mr.Himanshu Pandit COO, Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad, India

With 3 level IGBT technology and wider MPPT range, Hitachi Solar Inverters are delivering considerably high reliability and maximum power generation. In fact Hitachi Solar Inverters are among the most popular Grid Tied Solar Inverters currently in India for its various technical advantages and major saving in EBOP (Electrical Balance of Plant). It is also suitable for high ambient temperature. We have maintained more than 99% uptime for all our Solar Inverter Installations. We also offer highly reliable after-sales-service-support from our dedicated & decentralized service centers located at strategic locations across the country.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters Himanshu: Through our social innovation business, we have been actively participating in providing renewable energy solutions to NTPC, Adani, Tata Power and many other well known companies through our highly advanced and high performance Solar Inverters.

EQ: How many Solar Inverters have you supplied to India till now and what is the next target. Himanshu: Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics started solar inverter business in 2012 here in India and has supplied more than 2 GW Solar Inverters and targeting 8 GW by March 2020.

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EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India at various geographic locations. Himanshu: The Performance of our Solar Inverters is extremely good.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission Himanshu: With more than 3 decades of power electronics industry experience, we have garnered a significant level of trust in our market segment. As 100% owned subsidiary and with direct control of Hitachi management, we continue to offer world class power electronics products, value added services & customized solutions at Hitachi Quality. Our vision is to be recognized as the most trusted power electronics company by supplying superior products and services. Led by a visionary management at the helm, we have a team with deep technical and marketing strengths and knowledge of the industry. With expertise, experience and an efficient product line, we will always try to be the preferred power electronics partner. We target to lead all our current market segment be it grid tied solar inverters, UPS for industrial (non-IT) and IT applications or medium & low voltage variable frequency drives.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Briefly describe about your Hitachi Solar Inverter and the containerized solution. HITACHI SOLAR INVERTER

Hitachi Solar Inverters offer maximum ROI (return on investment) over the lifetime of the plant. With proper maintenance and parts replacement on schedule, it has an operating life up to 25 years. PRODUCTS HIGHLIGHTS

Hitachi’s HIVERTER NP 201i Model Solar Inverter is among the best available Grid Tied Solar Inverters that is suitable for multi-megawatt and utility-scale PV power plants. It is a critical balance of system (BOS) component in a solar photovoltaic system. With 3 level IGBT technology and wider MPPT range, Hitachi Solar Inverter delivers considerably maximum power generation. It is available from 250 KW to 2.5 MW capacities.

• World class quality product • High performance product • High reliability • High efficiency • Advanced product • Compact product design • Proven components • Simple, safe and fast installation • After-sales service and support through extensive service network • Prompt availability of spares and components locally in India • Easy to maintain • Long operating life

HITACHI PV POWER STATION

EQ: Enlighten our readers about your manufacturing set up, capacities, future expansion plans, etc. Himanshu: Our company is a key hub, for both “Manufacturing” as well as “Research & Development”, within the power electronics division of Hitachi Group and we will leverage it to drive Innovation and Growth. Sprawling across an area of 26,000 square meters and modelled on Hitachi’s Omika Works in Japan, our Sanand manufacturing facility is one of the most modern and state-of-the-art power electronics manufacturing facilities in India. All aspects of manufacturing, testing and quality assurance are overseen by highly experienced Japanese expats stationed at this facility. It employs Omika Works based software tools for engineering and manufacturing and has one of the most advanced in-house product testing facilities in the country. We manufacture grid tied solar inverters locally in India at this Sanand manufacturing facility, based on the contemporary technology of Hitachi Ltd, Japan. For Solar, presently, we are operating on our maximum manufacturing capacity - 200 MW per month. We have an expansion plan in place and our production capacity for Solar Inverters would be double in next year.

EQ: Tell us about your plan for research and development centre.

We also offer Hitachi PV Power Station which is an advanced containerized solution for large-scale and commercial PV (photovoltaic) power plants, which contains Solar Inverters and optional equipments for auxiliaries, serves to protect electric equipments from environmental influence. It has been developed to fulfill the objective of faster commissioning, helps developers/EPC to significantly reduce the planning and execution time of the PV project.

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To ensure long lifetime in the most challenging Indian environmental condition, Hitachi PV Power Station is designed & developed with highest structural stability which is water proof, weather resistant, termite proof and easy to install. It achieves an excellent performance with IP protection class mechanism design. Its design life is up to 25 years.

Himanshu: Innovation through research & development has been rooted in our DNA. We have an in-house R&D (Research & Development) facility; set up in 1984, which is recognized by DSIR (Department of Scientific & Industrial Research), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. It has enabled us to develop and market products that have become industry standards. Besides offering greater energy efficiency & lower carbon footprint, each of our product streams bears the hallmark of excellence with company accreditations. Product development is a continuous process at Hitachi Hi-Rel to assist customers in increasing their productivity & profitability.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Share the details on certifications or compliance report for Hitachi inverters. HITACHI SOLAR INVERTERS COMPLYING

STANDARD IEC 62109 IEC 62116 IEC 60529 IEC 61683 IEC 61000-6-2/604 60068 UL 1741 EN 50530 IEEE 929 CEA guidelines (Amendment 2013) IEEE 1547

DETAILS PV Inverter General & PV Inverter safety requirements Islanding system IP protection Efficiency calculations EMC Emission /Immunity requirements Environmental testing Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System-safety MPPT Efficiency Recommended practice for utility interface of PV systems Grid connectivity Harmonics and DC injection

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100 GW Solar Power by 2022 Himanshu: We are suitably equipped to co-partner our clients and the government for the nation to achieve targeted 100 GW from solar energy by 2022 to mitigate climate change impacts and promote energy security leading to healthier and happier societies. As informed earlier, we started solar inverter business in 2012 here in India and has supplied more than 2 GW Solar Inverters and targeting 8 GW by March 2020.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future Himanshu: We have manufacturing and R&D facilities

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at Gandhinagar and Sanand near Ahmedabad in Gujarat and so primarily we are targeting India. Our sales & service network expands out to the world with the ability to reach out to clients across South Africa, Australia and Middle East market.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , micro inverters, upcoming game changes technologies Himanshu: We are at the advance stage of launching 2.5 MW indoor type Solar Inverter and 2.5 MW containerized solution with plug and play feature.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters

EQ: What’s your commitment towards the solar sector in India Himanshu: India’s growing with tremendous speed and its energy demand is increasing accordingly. At Hitachi Hi-Rel, we envision a very sunny future. To address India’s surging demand for power, we are offering renewable energy solutions through our HIGH PERFORMANCE – HIGHLY RELIABLE - NEXT GENERATION grid tied Solar Inverters. Hitachi Solar Inverters are available with highly efficient conversion technology, manufactured at our Sanand Facility, near Ahmedabad, help to reduce dependency on traditional resources depleting and polluting electric power systems. Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics continues to help India meet the present and future energy requirements in a cleaner and greener way.

Himanshu: This will be always cost competitive & challenging market.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With

Mr.Mukesh Gupta “We want to be a complete solar solution company banking on cost effective innovation”

icromax Energy Ltd, a part of the 15-year-old Micromax Group, forays its journey in the renewable energy space in India in August 2010 with a strong focus on innovation while customizing the cost effective product as per Indian need. Mukesh Gupta, Co-founder & Managing Director, Micromax Energy, who has an illustrious career, spanning over several decades in the technology and innovation, tells us how he brings his rich experience into the renewable energy sector.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Please share your journey so far from an innovator to a successful entrepreneur. Mukesh: I began my journey from a humble background. My education started from a simple school in Delhi and finally I completed my Graduation in electronics engineering & Masters in Instrument Technology from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. My professional career started with HCL in 1986 and then I joined Shyam Telecom, which is today’s MTS Group. There as the Head, R&D, I got great exposure to understand affordable telecom technologies through a visit in Taiwan. After that I decided to venture in the power segment. I cofounded Su-Kam Inverter in 1996 as Technical Director. This venture taught me various valuable lessons that I used in all my later endeavours. In 2001, I joined Microtek and developed an inverter. In just six months, I build up this new segment and within the next two years of time, Microtek stopped all previous operations and continued only with the inverter. It was a great confidence builder for me. After this success, I informed the company about my intention to go into solar space once my target in the inverter space is met. But, it was not accepted by Microtek due to some strategic reason. At that point of time my idea was totally futuristic as renewable energy sector was quite nascent in India, in Europe too, talks were more on the line of renewable power generation, but certainly not on storage. I would share my idea on storing the solar energy during the day and feeding it to the grid to be supplied during night to investors. While many were impressed, there were several hurdles. For example, technology was very expensive in those days. The generation cost was very high and importantly commercial viability wasn’t clear to businessmen. So, in 2007 along with four professors at IIT Delhi, I started, SUNURJA, a company to develop commercially

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EQ: Where does Micromax Energy stand in the Indian power segment? Mukesh: We started with products related to solar Power generation & Solar system design. We recently signed a contract for the development of Indigenous Solar Inverter technology to work in sync with varied Indian power grid conditions. Micromax energy main focus will be on energy sector weather it is an energy generation or energy saving or energy storage. As far as the team of Micromax Energy is concerned, the engineers are from the energy sector with a vast experience of more than 25 years. We have worked from the designing of the inverters to the end product. We understand the electronics and the power solutions for India. Present solutions available in India are with solar inverter, which are designed for stable grid conditions & are imported with the technology developed according to the need of developed countries where the grid conditions are very viable solar technologies. Rather than producing energy, we were keener on storing energy in a battery from the Sun. In 2010, I discussed with Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Chairman, Micromax Group about the idea of investing in the solar space and got his full support and encouragement. And, Micromax Energy was formed.

EQ: Why are the solutions offered by Micromax Energy unique with respect to the other solar solutions available in the Indian market? Mukesh: In the solar business, all solutions can be bucketed under two broad categories – firstly, energy generation and distribution and secondly, energy storage for backup. At present, we focus on the second category. Energy storage solutions have been

stable. India Grid power condition are very unstable & hence these inverters are more likely to enter into disconnect mode even when the solar power is available & cause loss of energy generation. We understood this gap and started developing an indigenous design that will not cause the loss of Energy Generation even in Indian unstable Grid conditions. We found that in the Indian solar power sector needs a serious focus on product side as 60% of the solar panels are imported and as far as inverters are concerned, there is no Indian manufacturing company & design available to work in 100% sync with Indian unstable grid conditions. Therefore, we decided to fill this gap and developed new ranges of solar and energy saving solutions which are cost effective as well as completely in sync with Indian grid condition. Our vision at Micromax Energy is to be a complete solar solutions company. evolved a lot in the past decade. I would like to categorize the storage solutions under different generations considering the evolution path. India being a country with the shortage of power, simple inverters are in use for the last 15 years. Here batteries get charged through grid power and stored power is used as backup during power cut situations to ensure continuous supply. This off grid solution or the first generation solution is mainly used at residential premises. The conversion efficiency of this kind of inverters is generally in the range of 60- 80%, Hence , the cost of power used during power cut through this back up increases almost two times of the normal electricity cost. There is also an extra energy load on the grid for power requirement to charge the battery further creating more shortage in electricity.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW The second generation solution or off grid solar inverter technology successfully addresses the power cost and grid overload related issues. In off grid solar inverters, batteries get charged through solar energy and acts as source of free power back up. This in turn, saves energy costs and ensures ensure no overload on the grid to charge the battery. This solution is quite effective for residential and office premises. However, the second generation solutions are not capable enough to suffice the 24X7 huge load requirements in commercial or industrial entities. Therefore, the third generation or on grid solar solution comes into play. On grid solar solution also use solar energy as the free source of backup power and ensures uninterrupted power supply due to grid connectivity. Here, the extra energy produced through the solar system is sold to the grid through “Net Metering’ system. These on grid solar solutions can be paralleled up to megawatt scale for production of electricity. This in turn, works as a source of income generation for consumers. This solution is applicable for residential, offices, commercial and industrial spaces. Presently, government is also promoting on grid solution due to its effectiveness. In India when people talk about solar, they mostly mention about this generation. However, this on grid solution works in sync with electricity fed into the system. It needs round the clock electricity and works only when electricity is available from the power distribution company. This does not support at the time of power failure. Therefore, needs the back up of a small generator. Moreover, the ‘Net Metering’ system is not always profitable for power distribution companies. It may lead to a situation where the user may sell solar power to grid without buying any power from grid but the entire system needs to be maintained by the power distribution company. Considering the limitations of the third generation solution, a new ‘hybrid solution’, i.e – online solar system with storage facility has been introduced in the global market. This is the fourth generation solution. In this system the user can store the additional solar energy generated at his end for his own use. But the provision of selling extra energy to the grid is dwindling as it is not

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always profitable for power distribution companies. This solution is already facing such problems in Ukrainian and European countries. Just like most of the leading power solution firms, Micromax energy offers solutions which fall under the first to fourth generations. Moreover, considering the typical power shortage and cost sensitive situations in the Indian market, we have introduced two new generations of solutions which are quite unique but cost effective. We work on next generation technology on storage along with solar to provide a complete solar power house without any grid connectivity. This fifth generation or ‘Hybrid plus’ solution is an improvised version of the second generation off grid solar inverters. This grid independent competitive solar solution is ideal for the Indian conditions and saves cost as it uses solar power as the source of free power backup. This highly scalable solution is applicable for residential spaces, offices, commercial spaces, industrial usage etc. However, cost of this solution is also much lower than the previous two generations as there is no need for maintaining an online system. We also think a step ahead to address energy and cost saving needs of entities which have no space for solar panel installation or no power failure condition. We have introduced the sixth generation solution or Smart Energy

Storage and Saving System (ESSS) for such cases. This revolutionary solution works both with and without solar as it can store energy both from solar and grid. In commercial spaces, power tariff is different in the different period of time. Smart ESSS stores power from grid during the hours of low tariff and utilise the same during the peak tariff hours. This in turn lowers the total power cost of the user. Secondly the fixed charge for the peak load is very high at any commercial space though the peak load is required only for a very short span of time. Therefore, it incurs an unnecessary cost on the user and also the power distribution company has to be prepared with that extra load which usually remains unutilised. Smart ESSS takes away worries of peak load demands as it is taken care by the internal storage. This, in turn, saves cost for both consumers and power distribution companies. This solution is ideal for offices, banks, commercial, industrial and residential applications. With this vast portfolio of solutions, Micromax is far ahead of the other power solution firms present both in the Indian as well as Global market. Along with the inverter, we are also working on the motor for agriculture purposes. My vision is to position ourselves as a complete solar solutions company. I am sure that we will be able to achieve it soon.

EQ: How do you envision the growth of Micromax Energy? Mukesh: Energy demand in India is increasing at a brisk pace, while the supply, though growing, is not able to keep up. Considering the ever increasing difference between the generation and consumption of energy, solar energy is going to play a major role in fulfilling the needs of the energy sector. Therefore, solar power, despite the initial challenges in the sector, offers huge opportunities. The Government has set a target of 100 Giga watts by 2022. At Micromax energy, our aim is that at least 10% of this installation should be done using our solar products or technology that we have developed or will be developing. If everything goes well, next year we wish to be among the Top 5 players in the solar industry. We are also developing a design & support team to help the EPC or channel partner to generate higher energy outputs with the same cost, improved ruggedness & reliability. We are in process of finalizing the contract with various institutes & reputed designed houses for joint development of solar product with innovation & will apply patents also. Customer invests in the solar power segment and expects to get maximum return on investment (ROI). Micromax energy will focus to provide, develop, design & give support to their customer to achieve maximum ROI.

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SOLAR ROOFTOP

Asbestos Roof -

Suitable Or Notsuitable For Solar PV Installation? Importance of ensuring the roof to be appropriate to install solar panels rises as factors such as installation cost and health issues depend on it. Understanding the major talk as to why passan invitation to adopt pollution free technologies which reduce global carbon footprints which is causing irreversible damage to the planet. This fact is simply far more evident in our national energy policy,so the popularity of solar panels is well admissible because not only they are going to help to save money but also add value by going environmental friendly.

Ms. Sonali Rana, Design Department, Navitas Green Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

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t is unfortunate though, that going for solar isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always as simple as it seems. There are reasons behind why Installer should refuse to install solar panels on asbestos roof even if is useful in addressing environmental concerns and sustainability. Installation on asbestos roof has potential to impose a health hazard if disturbed, drilled into or cracked during or after installation. Now the question may rise how could it be hazardous to human wellbeing? So here the situation focuses on the fact of Asbestos being microscopic in nature and can easily be inhaled. Once inhaled, the fibres cling to the respiratory system, including the lining of the lungs and inner cavity tissue leading to serious illnesses. Prolonged exposure to asbestos too can significantly increase the risk of developing a pulmonary illness. Furthermore, focusing on concern of sustainability, it is definitely not suitable for solar installation, as drilling is done on the asbestos sheet at the respective selected points to fix the trapping bolts to the rafter or purlins and may have chances of cracking due to the weight imparted by the structure and panels. Additionally, more number of drilling points leads to

more chances of cracking. In other words, it has low strength and High Brittle property. Once sheet cracks, the drilled hole has to be filled with tar and cement material to avoid leakages. Also in every two to three years refilling of tar and cement is mandatory to avoid leakage through the roof. In actual case studies, it has been found that the leakage problem remain over the roof even after filling the tar and cement. Operation & maintenance of the solar PV installation could be very risky as it has a probability to break apart due to its poor load carrying capacity, contributing to unfortunate life taking accidents. The verdict now is quite visible and clear to us that solar PV installation and asbestos roof doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go along because if we consider our path toward going green then solar falls as the positive aspect and asbestos roofingis the negative one. From the point of view of an, the most common difficulty which occurs during installation is asbestos sheds itself and risking the quality of installation and possibility of an accident could be a major setback to the industry creating a negative approach in the minds of off-takers towards solar industry as a whole.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With PRETTL India's Mr.Vasan EQ: How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/ expectation in 2017-18 Vasan: REFUsol, a flagship brands of PRETTL Group, a leading German family owned business house has been active in India through its subsidiary Prettl India Pvt. Ltd since last year July 2016. We have supplied around 15 MW of REFUsol Inverters since getting active in Indian market. Our goal is to double the sales in this FY 2017-18.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44-3.3 per kWh in various Solar Tenders… Whats your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Vasan: Such an aggressive bidding will not bring long term sustenance for the component suppliers . Infact it will make the small players either wind up or merge with bigger players.

I believe that this will also lead to compromise on technology driven components , as some players who are offering 10 year warranty , with less/no validation proof for such a long period . On the long term, we have to match market changes through make in India.

EQ: Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc… Vasan: While there will be challenges , in particular on land acquisition , large dependency on imports of parts with long lead time – resulting holding stocks by the component suppliers – which has a risk of wrong part inventory and with negative impact on cost. Camouflaging the such indirect cost will be of high risk for mid size players .

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback Vasan: Last year, July 2016,

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission Vasan: Prettl India Pvt. Ltd is a 100% Subsidiary of PRETTL Group. Led from the front by a visionary Chairman of the group. Mr. Rolf Prettl, the machine is to have a strong foot print of all the major business verticals of the diversified group in India. We have already a strong foot hold in Automotive electronics , with a manufacturing plant in Pune . Also we have around 12 strong R&D engineers on the energy business in India who supports Prettl Energy globally for new product development. We are enroute for a strong market positioning PV string solar Inverters in India with a target to go in local manufacturing ,in support of “ Make in India “ policy of GOI.

September Part D 2017

Mr. Vasan Ramasubramaniyam MD & CEO, PRETTL India REFUsol re- entered Indian market, after a lapse of around half year – We made presence of our reentry, with our participation in the REI 2016. This was well received by many clients .Of the supplies of REFUsol till date we have a positive feedback on acceptance from major EPCs and the end customers. We thank all our clients for patronizing REFUsol. The constant challenge of power degradation with higher ambient temperature at locations where there are high irradiations, also overcome with our new generation Inverters which will be launched in 4 th Qtr this year . In order to bring more flexibility for the System designers with our Inverters and bring a lower TCO , we have brought is some features in the existing inverters – resulting in a centralized concept from the current decentralized version.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters Vasan: In the state of Rajasthan we have delivered for industrial consumption 1.3 MW which has high energy yield up to 5.68 Units /Kwh / day – which really proves the high level of efficient Sting inverters . This is our USP. We have also supplied around 5 MW in the state of Ander Pradesh. Currently we are in the process of acquiring of 10 MW project in the state of Telangana. In the western India we have successfully installed about 4 MW projects. All were achieved with our reliable product and experienced on and off field engineers .

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, Vasan: In less than one year of its establishment , our Energy division in India targets about 20 MW in this FY 2017/18 in PV inverters business . Also we plan for local manufacturing , the economic working under progress. Considering very high level of competitive market , it is important that we also bring more value added service to our Customers.

EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 Vasan: Considering the market potentials and its competitiveness, we are in a process of analyzing for local manufacturing the string Inverters. Though the GOI target of 100 GW by 2020 is challenging, but it gives lot of opportunity for many EPC players to enhance their ability to try out many models of Inverters which can optimize a higher energy yield. Refusol will be one of the keen contender in this scenario.

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

Vasan: As mentioned above, we are analyzing a business case for local manufacturing. With post GST, we see better economics than pre GST era. As known we have robust European technology However, the concern will be on dumping of goods from those countries where the custom duties are nil or low in comparison with the parts/ sub-assemblies that are needed to assembly & testing locally. Therefore it is paramount important that antidumping duty is levied & governed effectively.

applications particularly in roof top & utility scale installations. Our product portfolio caters the 3 phase grid connected string Inverter requirements quite efficiently.

EQ: Briefly describe the various technologies and its suitable applications such as Central Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, 1500V, Outdoor, Container solutions etc..

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

Vasan: We manufacture 3 phase solar string inverters which are highly efficient in terms of PR percentage & energy yield. This is because of our more than 3 decades of experience in power electronics & innovation. We have patented many of the technologies which give us the niche in the market. WE are developing a container solutions for string inverter which should be in the market in the months to come which will reduce opex cost in comparison with other inverter manufacturers system/ layouts.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future Vasan: REFUsol primarily focuses in commercial & industrial scale

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , micro inverters, upcoming game changes technologies Vasan: We are currently working on high density power string inverters with a target to compete with central inverters.

Vasan: Yes. For countries like India and its scattered demography in rural & urban areas, and the high power outage, it would be very necessary to bring out energy storage solutions like AC/ DC storage coupled storage solutions which we feel are the right products in the near future in the Indian market. Refu has already developed to meet the market requirements.

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your inverters Vasan: We have complied our Inverters as per the IEC standards that will meet all the requirements of safety and other parameters as demanded by our nodal agencies and also targeted ‘0 failure rate within warranty period.

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits ? Vasan: R&D value addition is done in our mother Plant. Currently, most of the revenues are being spent on new technology innovation & the stabilization will take couple of years more to make a meaningful percentage comparison on the expenses on R&D.

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September Part D 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc… Vasan: Our Inverters are patented with the unique product features such as ultra ETA 5 level topologies, Convectional cool without external fan, compact string inverter design along with Refu Log monitoring system. Our inverters have won awards on its performance from a well -known photon labs at global level.

EQ: Please share information of some new orders in hand. Vasan: Refusol has orders on hand to the extent of 30 MW expected before this financial year.

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

September Part D 2017

Vasan: Use of lithium ion batteries in India will be best known solution for long storage solution. However, with a prohibitory high investment the market is not prepare to take the leap towards these technology. Silicon diodes in the inverter design are also technology which can improve the efficiency of the inverters which however are still on the infancy stage on the Indian market.

Vasan: The reduction seen in the unit rate of power generation through solar is dramatically reducing and it’s giving rise to big challenge to meet the new target levels. Before any the targets are revised it’s a paramount important that complete chain of solar manufacturing parts/ components are looked with full picture and its impact, so that the sustenance of such of manufacturers/ importers are improving,.

EQ: Whats your commitment towards the solar sector in India

EQ: What are the expectations from Tech Suppliers like Modules, Inverters, BOS, Trackers etc….Whats the tech solution you thinking of deploying

Vasan: As REFUsol goal & aim is to provide high efficient DC/AC converters for a longer life- fit & forget/ plug & play. Our “Think Global Act Local” drive within the group is a direct license to travel close to the vision of our GOI.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters

Vasan: We as Refusol inverter manufacturers would like to propose that there is adequate government supports for introduction of new technology for example container solutions for string inverters which will optimize the BOS & maximize the energy production.

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Pv Manufacturing

Improve Your Profit Margin With Our Technology ECN – Your partner for CELL Technology

The world of solar energy is undergoing revolutionary change. Prices have eroded enormously and profit margins have disappeared. This calls for rapid action to reduce production costs and improve efficiency of the solar panels. To tackle this we need to jointly develop and implement improved processes and technologies.

he Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), home to numerous breakthrough technologies, is ready to support the industry in this challenge, both in crystalline silicon and in thin-film solar cells. ECN is a flexible partner for the industry, participating in joint development in various ways, in accordance with the client’s wishes. ECN has been a Research and Development institution since the early days in PV. ECN is renowned of its development work in photovoltaics with a high Technological Readiness Level. In the early days ECN was at the beginning of the success of the introduction of SiNx in the market. In the nineties SiNx was brought to the market by ECN’s licensee Roth and Rau. The SiNx technology has in the meantime become the standard anti-reflection coating in the market. For every R&D project ECN has been carrying out always a strong focus on feasibility in an industrial environment is present. The strength of ECN lies in a perfect balance of maintaining an innovative power and being sufficiently realistic towards market applications.

Joint Development in cSi Production Technologies

ur breakthrough technology offers include individual process upgrades, complete production line upgrades and full license to produce n-type bifacial silicon solar cells – all technologies ready to shape the PV industry. In recent years, ECN has successfully completed a number of remarkable projects with partners. Yingli, Tempress and ECN jointly implemented ECN-patented n-type technology. Likewise, ECN is ready to implement technology that made us the world leader in back-contact multi-crystalline silicon module efficiency. ECN’s success rate is demonstrated by the fact that technology jointly developed with ECN is employed in the manufacture of 60% of solar cells worldwide.

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ACCELERATING CHANGE IN THE MARKET

rom lab to fab in one year: we offer you an unparalleled opportunity to work with one of the most successful and knowledgeable PV research institutes in the world. AUTHORS : Wouter van Strien BDM ECN Solar Energy

Chetna Mohan Managing Director El Camino Technologies

September Part D 2017

PV MANUFACTURING

LED Sun Simulator and EL Tester

Picture: Inside view of the LED sun simulator

Dr. Michael Fuß , Chief Executive officer, M/s. MBJ Solutions

LED SUN SIMULATOR

oday LED based solar simulators are increasingly available in the market as an alternative to the standard Xenon flashers. LED based solar simulators offer crucial benefits compared to the conventional solution of the Xenon technology. A well-known disadvantage of the Xenon technology is the relatively short life time of the Xenon lamps.Theyare continuously aging and must be exchanged after only a few months. The resulting spare part costs, the personnel expenditure and higheroperating expenses caused by the down times lead to considerable maintenance costs of the systems. Another disadvantage of Xenon lamps is the relatively short flash duration. Due to the capacitive effects of today’s widely available high efficient solar modules significant measurement difficulties

September Part D 2017

occur. LED solar simulators are addressing the disadvantages of the Xenon technology. With an LED Flasher a long flash duration can easily be realized and the LEDs are designed for several million flashes.Under normal operational conditions an exchange of LEDs is not necessary anymore. In lab tests up to 10 million flashes with constant electrical current were carried out to prove it. At the end of the tests the degradation of the LEDs was less than 0.5% of the initial value. This yields to a stable luminosity and spectrum over the whole product lifetime. 10 million flashes correspond to a life span of 10 years with a cycle time of approx. 30s. The result is an immense costs saving compared to the costs occurring for a Xenon flashers product lifetime.

nother advantage of the LED technology is the smart form factor. LED flashers are usually built up as compact table flasher. The integration into the production line is much simpler than before:for the measurement the modules can remain intheirnormal orientation (sunny side down) without theneed to turn the module to a vertical or sunny side up orientation normally required for a tower or tunnel flasher. An additional advantage of the LED technology is that the single LED or the groups of LEDs can be controlled very precisely. This control allows a nearly steady luminosity over the entire flash duration. The stability of the light source is beneficial for the measurement repeatability. In tests an up to 5 times better repeatability was achieved compared to Xenon solar simulators.

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Pv Manufacturing

Picture spectral division IEC609049 edition 3 New demands from customers and new module designs provide new challenges to the manufacturers of LED flashers. With the still valid standard for sun simulators IEC 60904-9 edition 2 it was possible to achieve the classification AAA with only 5 different types of LEDs. The new standard IEC 60904-9 edition 3 has a revised partitioning of the spectral areas. To cover the revised spectrumat least 7 different types of LEDs are necessary. Besides the new standard many customers demand that the new solar simulators additionally emitslight in the spectral region below 400 nm (UV) and inthe region above 1000 nm (IR). LEDs with the mentioned wavelength are particularly expensive which leads to considerably higher manufacturing costs for these solar simulators. Nevertheless, with the long live time of LEDs and the resulting low maintenance costs this will easily counter balance the initial system costs.

or the new bifacial modules the LED technology offers new possibilities. A bifacial module canbe measured by simply putting one additional LED unit above the module. Following the requirements for bifacial modules, the module can be measured first with 1000 W/m² from the sunny side and in a second step with 100-300 W/m² from the back. Next to that, it is also possible to combine the measurement and measure the total power with one flash with predefined settings for each of the two light source (the one for the sunny side and the one for the back side). The second generation triple A+ LED solar simulator from MBJ is prepared for the new standard edition 3. It already includes the increased requirements for the spectral distribution and the option for an enlarged spectrum below 400 nm and above 1000 nm in the new design.

EL TESTER

he electrolumine scence inspection is accommodated in a separate unit following directly after the sun simulator. For the EL test MBJ relies on the proven technology of the EL-quick line series. These systems can be easily adapted to the customer needs. By variation of electrolumine scence camera type and number a pixel resolution of up to 180 µm and cycle times of less than 20 sec can be realized. Such a setup makes the system a useful component in fully automatic lines with short cycle times and automated evaluation. Even today a big challenge for electrolumine scence measurement systems is the reliable automated image processing for multicrystalline solar cells. Besides the reliable detection of micro cracks and active cracks the software also needs to detect soldering defects. To fulfill this, the image processing must be a designed in way that allows the customer to setup different criteria based on the requirement of the cell material under test. During the last years MBJ Solutions has invested a lot in the development of a user-friendly software, so that today the customers can adapt these settings themselves and therefore new customer requirements can be easily implemented to the production process. Picture: MBJ EL systems

The system can be complemented with the options diode test, dark current measurement, the automated measurement of the cell layout and the inspection of the cell edges forcracks and breakouts. For diode test the module is measured in reverse current and thus the voltage drop ofthe bypass diodes can be measured. Thus defective or missing diodes can be reliably detected. The dark current measurement is a smart method for the detection of shunted cells. The automated measurement of the cell layout makes sure that the required distances of the strings and the distance to the glass edge is within the required tolerances. The inspection of the cell edges completesthe evaluation of the solar cells. Another option is the inspection of the interconnection area on foreign materials and inclusions. This allows detecting remaining pieces of the ribbons which are dangerous because they can cause shortcircuits.

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September Part D 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Geoffrey

S. Kinsey

Ph.D., Director of Business Development, Hareon Solar India

EQ: How much modules have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18 GSK: More than 350 MW installed to date (over 1 million modules) Target for 2017/18 is about 200 MW.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44-3.3 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… GSK: The low-end tariff recentlyquoted, Rs. 2.44, is a “fringe” bid that was placed at one location, where commissioning costs were particularly favorable; it is also based on speculation that future project costs will be well below current costs. Such speculative prices can be expected in any auction process, but the fundamentals of power plant construction costs will not necessarily shift to meet these expectations. As such, low-end bids do not represent the cost of PV energy across the country. Understanding that such low numbers tend to attract (probably undue) attention, it would be better to track average tariffs as a way to understand the near future of the market. Some of the lowest tariffs seen in the recent auctions have been for solar parks, where land, interconnection and other shared infrastructure costs are quite low. We have also seen a large influx

September Part D 2017

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback. GSK: The multicrystalline modules that make up the bulk of Hareon Solar projects in India to date have predictable performance wherever the local solar resource and temperature are known. We track the performance of our modules against “predicted” generation (using PVsyst) and “expected” generation (using measured local conditions). Performance to date matches expectation and, in some cases, has exceeded predictions based on the module ratings. Sample data from our installations is available on our website (hareonsolar.in) of low cost capital for solar projects in India (Engie, Softbank, etc.) due to significant de-risking of the Indian solar sector over the last few years. Even so, we believe some developers have taken aggressive calls on equipment costfor the next 12 – 15 months. So far this year, we have not seen softening of the poly silicon and module price going into Q3 as we saw in 2015 and 2016. Poly price has increased in the last few weeks, and if the poly price holds in the $13 - $15 per kg range, we may not see the expected decline in the module price.

EQ: What are the Module Price Guideline on module prices for next Q3-Q4-2017 and 2018

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar modules GSK: At 172 MW, the Dichipally project recently commissioned with ReNew Power is the largest project Hareon has constructed outside of China, and most likely the largest solar project by a Chinese company in India. Our six utility-scale projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh add up to 320 MW. EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission GSK: Hareon Solar, founded in 2004, is one of the world's largest solar cell & module manufacturers. Hareon Solar also develops, constructs, and operates PV power plants around the world. Hareon Solar Technology Co., Ltd. has been listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange (ticker: 600401) since 2012. Current market capitalization is about US$1 billion.

GSK: Assuming stable polysilicon prices, we expect prices for Tier-1 modules to remain in the vicinity of US$0.32 in Q3 – Q4 2017.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW EQ: What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022 GSK: Hareon Solar is proud to have contributed about 2% of the PV installed in India to date. We hope to expand with local manufacturing in India, for both the utility and distributed generation sectors, so we can play an increasing role in helping India reach, and then exceed, its 100 GW target. With solar energy at or below grid-parity in most parts of the country, we believe the 100 GW target is reachable by 2022. We hope the GoI will continue its support for the solar industry by strengthening the DISCOMs (UDAY scheme), and investing in grid modernization to better integrate renewable sources.

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India GSK: Hareon is excited to manufacture in India soon. We have a plant under construction in Visakhapatnam (hareoninternational.com/factories/).

EQ: Solar Trade Wars: What is Your View ? GSK: Trade disputes can be a healthy part of any industry, shining light on any unfair practices and providing insight into what the market price should be. However, once trade disputes escalate into a “war” they tend to destroy, rather than create, value for customers (as well as suppliers). In the case of the current module price war, the relentless downward pressure on module prices cripples companies delivering quality products and rewards those companies that supply substandard hardware. Deploying this hardware will reduce energy generation, drive up O&M and legal costs, and undermine confidence in the PV sector, ultimately resulting in more expensive solar energy for all.

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EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures, GSK: Hareon Solar has over 6000 employees worldwide. Our wafer, cell, and module capacity is 2 GW. We have installed over 1.4 GW worldwide. We are a publicly-traded company (Shanghai Stock Exchange: 600401).

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits GSK: The R&D budget is typically about 4% of revenue; this includes reliability testing.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future GSK: With the growing awareness of the near- and long-term costs of climate change, the entire globe is becoming a promising market. We expect China, India and the rest of APAC, and the USA to remain the primary markets for the next several years. The Middle East, North Africa, and South America are emerging as promising markets in the medium term.

EQ: Technology road map in terms of 1500V , Double Glass, BiFacial Cells, PERC/ PERT Technologies, HIT/HJT, IBC upcoming game changes technologies GSK: Our 1500-V modules and dual-glass modules are available as commercial products. We have developed the capability to manufacture bifacial cells (and modules) and for PERC cells. These products will be commercialized as the technologies become more economically viable. We have ongoing R&D efforts in IBC and other high efficiency cell technologies.

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your modules GSK: Hareon provides a 25-year performance warranty and a 12-year product warranty. Hareon productsare qualified to IEC 61215, as verified in our certified in-house test lab in Taicang, China. Hareon products maintain a host of certifications worldwide, including for India, Japan, and Europe (details can

be found at hareoninternational.com/ products/). With costs and performance stabilizing across the sector, we consider module reliability to be the primary differentiator between PV products. Warranties are a necessary – but not sufficient – component of the diligence needed to assure return on PV investments. Ongoing batch testing (via accelerated stress tests) is also essential to confirm modules will go the distance and meet their performance guarantees.

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc… GSK: Hareon is a vertically-integrated supplier of cells and modules, as well as a project developer and owner. As such, we have a thorough understanding of, and a large financial stake in, how our products perform over their service life. We offer mono- and multicrystalline modules. We have found that mainstream multicrystalline modules provide the best value within the utility-scale market. As a publiclylisted multinational, Hareon can access capital and worldwide procurement channels that enable the highest returns on projects with our modules.

EQ: Do you also bring financing solutions for your customers ? GSK: We do. As a publicly-traded company (Shanghai Stock Exchange: 600401), Hareon can often finance projects at favorable rates for customers.

EQ: As a manufacturer, kindly share your plans to foray as developer or equity investor in solar pv power projects. GSK: Hareon has found success in this approach. We have been proud to form successful partnerships in co-developing and co-owning projects with Renew Power and Nereus Capital in India.

September Part D 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW EQ: What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc… GSK: The rise of dual-glass modules brings opportunities for increased durability and overall system cost reduction. The dual glass design makes bifacial modules more promising wherever the mounting approach avoids backside shading from the structure or cables. The transition to diamond saws reduceskerf and wafer cost; 5-busbar cells reduce resistive losses and increase module efficiency.

EQ: As a module manufacturer provided 25 years warranties….is it backed up by warranties by cell manufacturer, materials manufacturers ? GSK: In order to maintain quality, Hareon produces its own cells and its multinational procurement team works to verify that suppliers meet strict specifications for the bills of materials.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar PV modules GSK: As the PV sector matures, look for it to adopt practices similar to other construction industries. As the module cost is approaching the cost of its materials, further innovation is likely to occur in the areas of installation and proving lifetime performance. Installation is likely to become more mechanized, so modules will probably become larger (similar in size to roof decking, for example) and/or pre-fabricated for faster, more consistent installation on-site. In order to prove modules will deliver on their assumed degradation profiles, more comparative accelerated stress testing and materials analysis will be used to help separate the “wheat” from the “chaff”. As mentioned already in an above question : With costs and performance stabilizing across the sector, we consider module reliability to be the primary differentiator between PV products. Warranties are a necessary – but not sufficient – component of the diligence needed to assure return on the solar investment. Ongoing batch testing (via accelerated stress tests) is also essential to confirm modules will meet their performance guarantees.

EQ: What is your commitment towards the solar sector in India GSK: Hareon plans to remain a significant deployer of renewable energy products in India for decades to come.

To that end, we are engaged in forming partnerships to sustain the solar sector in India. Local supply chains and local manufacturing (including the factory we are building in Visakhapatnam) will play an increasingly important part of that strategy.

EQ: Comment on the warranty claim rate, rejections, replacements etc… GSK: Warranty claims over the last three years have ranged from 0.01% to 0.02% of our shipped product. To date, such claims have mainly been the result of perceived cosmetic issues (snail trails, etc.) or glass broken at some point during shipping or installation.

Now Read on

Tablet & Smartphone

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September Part D 2017

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Pv Manufacturing

SUNLAB MEASURING INSTRUMENTS:

OPTIMIZING SOLAR CELL PERFORMANCE In the production and research of crystalline solar cell the solar cell efficiency is influenced by many factors. An important factor is electrical losses, where different resistance losses play an important role.

eries and shunt resistance may lower the fill factor in such way that the efficiency of the cell is far below specification. To be able to control the quality of the solar cell and to enhance its performance it is very important to have the right analyses tools on the workspot. Sunlab B.V. has a long tradition in the delivery of reliable and costeffective measurement instruments in the field of solar cell resistance measurements. The unique and world

wide sold Corescan® is able to detect contact resistance problems that can be induced by different metal pastes or wrong firing settings. In a special resolved mapping it clearly indicates where the problems exist on the solar cell. Next to that it is able to perform simple Shunt, Voc and LBIC scans. The Sherescan® instrument has a similar build up as the Corescan and can detect spatial resolved sheet resistances in the range of 10-200 Ohm/sq. This tool is very helpful to check the results and homogeneity of the diffusion process.

>> Sunlab

has developed special software to measure the sheet resistance of Selective Emitter solar cells. Both the low and high ohmic emitter structures in the cell can be measured and in absolute Rsheet values. In the development of high efficiency solar cell the use of selective emitter structures is gradually becoming part of cell architecture. Corescan® instrument, measurement of metal grid contact resistance, independent of the grid layout.

Sherescan® instrument, measurement of sheet resistance of emitters on silicon solar cells. Measurement of selective emitter structures is possible to control the diffusion and barrier process.

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>> As

the development of solar cells continues to move towards higher efficiencies solar cell concepts like interdigitated backcontact solar cells (IBC) are very promising. As allmetal contact structures are now on the backside of the cell, it becomes very important to optimize the size of the structures for optimum conductivity and minimizing the creation of shunts between the two polarities. As the size of the structures go down below mm scalethere is a need for a high resolution analyses tool. For that reason Sunlab BV and its partner Protemics GmbH have developed a totally new sheet resistivity scanning instrument based on the THz near field technology.

Teraherz PV scan® instrument, measurement of sheet resistance in the smallest details.

The THz scannerenables the detection of sheet resistance differences on structures as small as 30 um. Next to sales of this instrument Sunlab offers a measurement service where solar cell developpers and researchers can send their samples to have them analyzed and decide on the benefits of this outstanding instrument.

Sunlab is a daughter company of the Netherlands Energy Research institute (ECN) that performs PV solar cell research for many industrial partners. For that reason we focus on the latest PV developments in industry and it is our aim to help our customers to find solutions for their measurement questions.

September Part D 2017

BALANCE OF SYSTEM

Araymond Defines New Standard In PV Module Fastening Technology protected with corrosion protection layers that withstands at least 720 hours of salt spray exposure, their performances are maintained during the whole operation time of the solar installation (more than 30 years) even in very aggressive environments (C4 class). ARaymond By Jean-Baptiste remains at the innovation leading edge: Chevrier, CTO ARaymond Energies, the solar entity of ARaymond Energies - France of the ARaymond network is present in most of the countries where solar market is developing such as Europe, South Africa, Australia, USA, Brazil, Chile, Japan, ntil recently, mounting China and obviously India. This allows systems designers of the Figure 1: PowAR Cinch® clip performing ARaymond to acquire a broad view of PV industry did not have two functions, fastening and grounding the technical trends of the solar market much choice to fasten the module ontoCinch® its supporting rail. two Figure 1: PowAR clip performing and be always at the leading edge of the and ground the number of different PV modules functions, fastening and grounding the module technology. As an example, dual glass frameless (crystalline silicon 72 cell and onto their metallic (aluminum or steel) large thin film module) and bifacial modsupporting structure: screws or rivets ule will certainly take in the near future was the unique alternative. But we at a much larger market share. Fastening ARaymond, specialist in innovative fasa large glass module without shadowing tening solutions in many industries like the back side is a technical challenge Automotive, we know the pros and cons that ARaymond is actively working on. of these classical fastening solutions: ARaymond will soon propose a solution screws or rivets can be very effective in which frameless module will be simply and cost competitive in assembling and quickly clipped on the supporting parts in a controlled environment where structure. The flexible fastening solution powered mounting tools and quality Figure 2: PowAR Snap® clip performing two Figure 1: PowAR Snap® clip performing two functions, functions, fastening and grounding the fastening will greatly minimize the local stress in controls are available and properly mainand grounding theonto module onto its supporting rail.aHere a the glass and therefore eliminate any risk module its supporting rail. Here tained. But when assembly operations Unistrut rail is shown. standard standard Unistrut rail is shown. of breakage during the installation. are done outdoors, on a roof top or onto As a conclusion, Solar Systems are an elevated structure, in dusty, rainy or submitted for a long period of time to high temperature conditions, screws and temperature, humidity and wind variarivets become much more problematic tions and Clip technology provides a to use and sometimes maintain. Moresafer and more robust fastening soluover, the rigid connection they impose tion than screws and rivets. Moreover, between assembled parts induce heavy assembly tools are difficult to operate stress onto these parts when the whole in outdoor areas where Solar systems assembly is fluctuating in temperature are installed and the manual assembly during the day or is submitted to strong of Clips simplifies greatly the installation wind gusts. As a consequence, mounting operations. In India, ARaymond started system designers become accountable working from 2007. Today ARaymond for problems such as screws loosening Figure 3:Rayvolt® clip, connecting India is a fast growing company in or accelerated solar cell aging via micro- Figure 1:Rayvolt® clip,module connecting grounding wire onto frame. the renewable energy space. In Solar cracks. ARaymond Clips ease-up and wire onto module frame. domain, ARaymond India has already accelerate installation: our clips require grounding despite continuous vibrations from supplied 300 MW worth of fasteners to a single movement in one direction to wind (50 000 cycles tests performed). various Developers and EPCs likeMyperform up to two operations like fastenARaymond Clips improve plant productrah Energy, Adani Power, Scorpious ing and grounding (see PowAR Cinch® tivity: on roof top installation, the PowAR Trackers, Oriano Solar among others. on Figure 1 and PowAR Snap® on Snap® clip (see Figure 2) prevent Another 600 MW of various projects are Figure 2) or cutting the protection sheath stepping on the module and cell microunder discussion. A distinct advantage of the cable and contacting the module cracks generation during the module is that these solar fasteners are locally frame to the copper wire (see Rayvolt® installation process. During operation, produced in ARaymond India’s state of on Figure 3). ARaymond Clips reduce the elastic design of our clip prevents the manufacturing plant in Chakan Pune. maintenance: unlike screws, our clips stress build-up on the module when they This plant is equipped with latest Manuonce properly installed do not require to are expanding and contracting everyday facturing Technology, Quality labs and be exchanged or maintained. Their elasdifferently from their supporting strucTesting & Validation facilities. ARaymond tic design ensures electrical contact and ture. ARaymond Clips improve reliability: India aspires to cater to projects worth 5 fastening performances are maintained as our clips are made of flexible steel GW annually by 2018-19.

CLIPPING TO REPLACE SCREWS OR RIVETS

September Part D 2017

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

corporate strengths, innovations etc. VK: Tata International’s design expertise in optimally designing mounting structures tailored to site & customer specific requirements, provides it with distinct advantage in the Solar market. Strong relationships with value chain partners enables the division to continuously innovate its products & services to effectively meet the evolving customer & market requirements. An asset light model, reinforced by key value chain partnerships, leveraging powers of outsourcing business model and borrowing from steel trading expertise of parent company, provides Tata International with distinctive, non-replicable advantages in the market place.

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.VIJAY KHANDWEKAR Head of Module Mounting Structure Business, Solar, Tata International Limited

EQ: What are the various Mounting Structures you manufacture/supply for the Solar PV Market VK: Tata International Solar division caters primarily to utility scale solar projects, offering Fixed & Adjustable tilt mounting structures and Sun tracking solutions, along with associated installation, commissioning services and turn key DC services.

EQ: Highlight on the importance of mounting structures in protecting the asset life VK: Mounting structures form the basic foundation blocks of any solar PV plant. Tata International is adept in optimally designing module mounting structure (MMS) solutions that serve reliability, durability and long life requirement of a solar project (tailored to project specific requirements). Our solutions offer high quality steel for project specific requirements, while offering price advantage through our innovative design concepts. We have close to 1.2 GW mounting structure solutions installed till date in most difficult terrain and soil conditions.

EQ: Please present some noteworthy projects, case studies of the projects with your structures VK: Few noteworthy projects installed by Tata International include 160 MW of project installations in Kurnool (AP) across two project sites. These two projects accounted for cumulative material supply of close to 4,250 MT of steel structures and employed close to 70 Engineers (TIL & contractor teams put together) & a manpower of 600 people. Further, TIL also installed one of its first projects with sun tracking solution for a project of 23 MW capacity in Karnataka. With this project, TIL now has products / solutions across technology of a PV solar plant ranging from fixed tilt MMS to adjustable tilt MMS to sun tracking solution.

EQ: What are your USP’s, distinctive advantages in terms of your technology you offer, your

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EQ: What has been your performance last year and what are your plans for the current year? VK: Tata International has offered its products & solutions to 350 MW solar projects in FY17 and is planning to grow this by 40% to 500 MW in FY18.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44 – Rs.3.3 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… VK: We believe that market will align itself to changing market dynamics and constant innovation will bring cost advantage and benefits to the sector. Tata International understands this dynamic market condition and is constantly aligning itself to the evolving needs by means of design and service optimization to meet the aggressive cost pressures of the sector. Continuous Innovation in the sector will position solar power an affordable solution to the growing demand of electricity in India.

EQ: What will be the cost, technology trends in solar mounting structures. VK: With continuously declining solar tariffs, cost & margin pressures would continue to increase across the solar value chain. Developers would typically look for best optimized costs for projects. Technology & supply chain innovations would drive cost optimizations in the sector, without compromising on project quality. Further, developers would also be keen on evaluating solutions that lower the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for their projects with use of new technology such as tracker solution, automated cleaning systems etc. To summarize, technology & supply chain innovations would go hand-in-hand with competitive bidding process in the continuously evolving solar market.

EQ: What is your view on the Government of India target of 100GW Solar and 75GW Wind Power by 2022….Can we achieve that and what would be the challenges VK: Tata International values and appreciates GOI initiative of 100 GW solar power by 2022 and will respond to market growth conditions by offering its products and solutions. We will prepare and strengthen our supply chain and service capabilities to cater to the growing demand and expand in the areas of growth.

September Part D 2017

BUSINESS & FINANCE

CleanMax Solar Announces Equity Financing of USD 100 Mn from Warburg Pincus Funding to consolidate CleanMax Solar’s leadership in Rooftop Solar Market

leanMax Solar, India’s largest rooftop solar developer for the corporate sector, today announced that it has secured equity financing of up to USD 100 million from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing. CleanMax Solar enjoys 24% market share in India’s booming rooftop solar market (Source: Bridge to India 2017 report) and has numerous marquee clients including the Tata group, the Mahindra group, the TVS group, Carlsberg India, Konecranes India, Carl Zeiss India, Manipal Education and Medical Group, SKF India Limited, Mindtree Limited and Alkem Laboratories Limited. CleanMax will use the funds to continue its rapid growth in the rooftop and open access solar power markets in India, while pursuing growth in select international markets (Middle East and South-East Asia), and growing the nascent, yet promising energy storage solutions business.

“CleanMax was founded with the mission of being the sustainability partner for corporates. Companies are leading the world in terms of sustainability aspirations, and today solar power can provide savings upwards of thirty percent on a customer’s electricity bills with no investment from the customer. Warburg Pincus was a partner of choice for us as they have fabulous track record of partnering entrepreneurs in India over past twenty years. With this investment, we combine our market leadership in the corporate solar sector with the status of being also the best capitalized company in the space. Our India business has grown from 8 MW in 2014-15 to over 100 MW in 2016-17, and is likely to achieve aggregate capacity of up to 250 MW in 2017-18. Warburg Pincus’ investment will enable us to pursue additional growth opportunities beyond India, and provide next generation solutions to our customers through a combination of rooftop solar and energy storage. - Kuldeep Jain, Founder and MD of CleanMax Solar

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“CleanMax Solar is a leader in the Indian solar rooftop market, providing customers with cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to meet their energy requirements. We believe that CleanMax, is well poised to benefit from the strong growth tailwinds in the sector, and look forward to working with the management team to build a world class enterprise.” - Saurabh Agarwal, a Warburg Pincus MD “The CleanMax Solar team stands out for their growth and performance. For the last 3 years, we have been working with CleanMax as a rooftop solar and sustainability partner for Manipal Education and Medical Group across our Universities and campuses, bringing in-depth knowledge about solar power and innovative solutions to the table. Their execution has been exemplary, quality of service and response is outstanding and pricing very competitive. My best wishes are with the entire CleanMax Solar team for their journey ahead”. - T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services Pvt. Ltd. "I've been very impressed by CleanMax Solar’s mission of being a sustainability partner for corporates. They have an impressive team and client roster. I'm confident this raised funds will help them maintain their market leadership position. The reason for our investment was clarity and conviction on scale of opportunity that solar industry presented. It’s all about execution once you have a good set of entrepreneurs – that’s what produces winners in the space”. - Anish Jhaveri, Founder of Oliphans capital, which was an early investor in CleanMax Solar

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Electric Vehicles To Accelerate To 54% Of New Car Sales By 2040 Tumbling battery prices mean that EVs will not just have lower lifetime costs, but will also be cheaper to buy, than internal combustion engine cars in most countries by 2025-29.

lectric vehicles will make up the majority of new car sales worldwide by 2040, and account for 33% of all the light-duty vehicles on the road, according to new research published in July 6, 2017. The forecast, put together by the advanced transport team at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, draws on detailed analysis of likely future reductions in price for lithium-ion batteries and of prospects for the other cost components in EVs and internal combustion engine, or ICE, vehicles. It also factors in the rising EV commitments from automakers and the number of new EV models they plan to launch. The central finding of the research is that the EV revolution is going to hit the car market even harder and faster than BNEF predicted a year ago. The team now estimates that EVs will account for 54% of all new light-duty vehicle sales globally by 2040, not the 35% share it forecast previously. By 2040, EVs will be displacing 8 million barrels of transport fuel per day, and adding 5% to global electricity consumption.

The result will be rapidly rising market shares for electric vehicles in the biggest markets, even with oil prices staying low. BNEF sees them accounting for nearly 67% of new car sales in Europe by 2040, and for 58% in of sales in the U.S. and 51% in China by the same date. Countries that have made early progress in EV uptake are expected to be among the leaders in 2040, including Norway, France and the U.K. Emerging economies such as India are forecast not to see significant EV sales until the late 2020s.

Jon Moore, chief executive of BNEF, said that that growth in EV market share “will come about during a time when the power system is also undergoing a revolution, towards cleaner, more distributed generation. This means that not only do EVs surge, but their emissions profile improves over time.” BNEF’s forecast is based squarely on the relative economics of EVs and ICE cars. It assumes that current policies to encourage EV take-up continue until their scheduled expiry, but does not assume the introduction of any fresh measures. BNEF analyzed the auto market not just by country but also by segment, encompassing everything from small run-arounds to SUVs and large family cars.

Salim Morsy, senior analyst on BNEF’s advanced transport team and lead author of the report, commented: “There is a credible path forward for strong EV growth, but much more investment in charging infrastructure is needed globally. The inability to charge at home in many local and regional markets is part of the reason why we forecast EVs making up just over a third of the global car fleet in 2040, and not a much higher figure.” The team incorporated work into their EV forecast work on two other hot topics in the transport revolution – autonomous vehicles, and ride sharing. It concluded that the impact of autonomous driving will be limited in the next 10 years but will play an increasing role in the market after 2030, with 80% of all autonomous vehicles in shared applications being electric by 2040 due to lower operating costs.

Fig:1 Annual global light duty vehicle sales

Colin McKerracher, lead advanced transport analyst at BNEF, said: “We see a momentous inflection point for the global auto industry in the second half of the 2020s. Consumers will find that upfront selling prices for EVs are comparable or lower than those for average ICE vehicles in almost all big markets by 2029.”

Source : Bloomberg New energy Finance

Fig:2 Global Light duty Vehicle Fleet The forecast shows EV sales worldwide growing steadily in the next few years, from the record 700,000 seen in 2016 to 3 million by 2021. At that point, they will account for nearly 5% of light-duty vehicle sales in Europe, up from a little over 1% now, and for around 4% in both the U.S. and China. l However, the real take-off for EVs will happen from the second half of the 2020s when, first, electric cars become cheaper to own on a lifetime-cost basis than ICE models; and, second – arguably an even more important moment psychologically for buyers – when their upfront costs fall below those of conventional vehicles. l The key component of an EV – the battery – is set to plunge in price, building on recent, remarkable cost declines. Since 2010, lithium-ion battery prices have fallen 73% per kWh. Manufacturing improvements and more than a doubling in battery energy density are set to cause a further fall of more than 70% by 2030. l

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Source : Bloomberg New energy Finance

September Part D 2017

RESEARCH

RE Long-Term Demand Outlook Is Positive: ICRA Owing to improving cost competitiveness of wind and solar power coupled with favourable policy support from both Central and state governments, the long-term demand outlook for renewable energy (RE) sector looks strong, says ICRA.

ccording to a study by the rating agency, the improving cost competitiveness for renewable energy players has been driven mainly by competitive bidding process followed as well as a significant fall in photovoltaics (PV) module price levels over the last three year period for solar players. Within this, he said, ICRA estimates the share of wind and solar energy capacity addition requirement to be at least 35 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. Given the strong pipeline of projects awarded in the last 12-month period, ICRA expects solar capacity addition of 7-7.5 GW in FY2018, which is likely to be higher than the wind energy capacity addition.

"In case of the wind energy segment, the capacity addition in the near term will be critically dependent upon the finalisation of bidding plans by distribution utilities and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)," Majumdar said. The RE sector continues to face regulatory challenges related to RPO norms and its compliance, continuing delays in payments from distribution utilities and risk of forced back down by the utilities in a few states. "Nonetheless, some easing in release of payments has been observed in few states in the recent months, with the implementation of the UDAY scheme. This apart, while falling tariffs improve demand outlook, they also affect the cost competitiveness of preexisting RE projects as well as the project economics of new projects," ICRA said. Also, the viability for the winning bidders from the credit perspective would depend upon availability of long tenure debt at cost competitive rates, plant load factor (PLF) levels and their ability to meet the budgeted costs, it noted.

"Even under a conservative assumption of overall renewable purchase obligation (RPO) at 15 per cent (comprising 10 per cent non-solar RPO and 5 per cent solar RPO) by fiscal 2022, the incremental cumulative RE requirement for the period FY2018-FY2022 is estimated at 65 GW, which is quite significant," said ICRA Senior Vice President and Group Head Sabyasachi Majumdar. "The RE projects in few states are facing issues with tariff renegotiation requests by utilities in view of the falling wind and solar tariffs under competitive bidding. However, such renegotiation is unlikely given that there has been a precedence of regulatory ruling in favour of the developers in such cases," Majumdar said. He also said such RE projects may remain exposed to risk of forced back-down by utilities, especially in case of purchase power agreements (PPAs) wherein tariff is significantly higher than average power purchase cost of the respective state owned distribution utilities. Going forward, ICRA said, the timely alignment of RPO trajectory in line with targets specified by the power ministry along with improvement in RPO compliance remains extremely crucial for achieving the 175 GW RE capacity target set by the Centre.

"Moreover, a fundamental improvement in the financial position of the distribution utilities remains important in the long run, which is dependent upon their ability to curtail distribution loss levels in line with targets and tariff adequacy," ICRA noted. PTI PSK NRB RDS Source: indiatoday

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ROOFTOP & OFFGRID

Government schools in Delhi may soon light up with solar power. - File Photo

Delhi Schools Planning To Light Up With Solar Power - By Ashish Mishra, IANS

Government schools in Delhi may soon light up with solar power as the Aam Aadmi Party government is considering a proposal to set up photo-voltaic panels on rooftops of all its school buildings.

he move will give momentum to the Delhi government's flagship programme to make the national capital a solar city. The government, in its Solar Policy, targets to generate 2,000 MW electricity through solar power by 2025. Officials said the proposal to light up Delhi schools with solar energy was ready and would be implemented soon.

"In the initial phase, solar panels will be set up on the rooftops of 25 to 30 school buildings in the city in the next few months," a Delhi government official told IANS, declining to be named because the policy is still under wraps. www.EQMagPro.com

"In this manner, initially the government is eyeing power generation of 20 to 30 MW solar electricity. After successful implementation of this project, the government will extend it further," the official said. He added that the government was of the view of that maximum utilisation should be made of school buildings in generating solar power and turning them into "green buildings". Explaining why the government was targeting school buildings, the official said such structures were best for solar power because they contain a larger expanse of shadow free area. "Most of the government schools buildings have big flat rooftops and do not have parapet wall which gives larger expanse of shadow free area giving maximum exposure of solar panels to the sun. This condition is congenial for solar power generation."

He clarified that residential buildings had less expanse of shadow free area because of parapet walls, water tanks and other constructions on rooftops. l According to Delhi's solar policy, deployment of solar panels on government and public institutions is mandatory. The policy says that the government or public sector buildings constitute one fourth of the total solar power potential of the city. l The Delhi government last year notified the "Delhi Solar Energy Policy" to rapidly develop decentralised renewable energy sources, especially solar, and reduce its current dependence on unsustainable and centralised fossil fuel energy. l It says the city is blessed with almost 300 sunny days and the rooftop space available for solar panels is estimated to be 31 sq km, giving Delhi a solar energy potential of 2,500 MW. l The government has also released the list of empanelled companies so that domestic consumers can get solar photo-voltaic panels on their rooftops and avail 30 per cent subsidy offered by the government. l Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre, which comes under the Department of Power of the Delhi government, is responsible for promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation in the capital.

Source: Business Standard

September Part D 2017

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SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING

Goldi Green Solar Module Manufacturing Facility-

Excellence In Manufacturing Goldi Green is an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & OHSAS 18001:2007 certified Solar PV module manufacturing company. We offer modules up to the range of 350Wp using Poly & Mono crystalline solar cells. Since inception, we have always focused on delivering the best quality to our customers, resulting in which, we have earned a reputation as being quality suppliers of PV modules in India as well as across the world.

he process of manufacturing a quality PV module at Goldi Green starts right from the time when raw materials are introduced onto the production line. Various quality controls are implemented before, during and after the production process. Our quality control team monitors each step of the production process, ensuring each module to adhere to Goldi Green’s strict quality standards. This results in consistent delivery of rated power of our modules even under severe climatic conditions.

The following in-house tests, conducted at our facility have been instrumental in improving the long term reliability of our modules.

GEL CONTENT TEST • Gel content of EVA is a measure of crosslinking of the polymer. • It is an important test to verify the EVA nature and process of Lamination. • EVA gel content determination

is considered important for the PV module quality control along with assurance of reliability of the module up to its entire service life. • We at Goldi Green ensure Gel content of all EVA well above 75%.

IMPACT:  Proper adhesion around Solar cells prevents moisture and guarantees safety, reliability and performance of Solar cells continuously for long term.  Offers physical protection from weather induced and envi-

ronmental damages.  Maintains stability at elevated temperatures and high UV exposure preventing yellow-browning.  Optically transparent and having low thermal resistance.

ROBUSTNESS OF TERMINATION TEST • Robustness of termination test is useful to check termination of cable attachment with Junction box.

IMPACT:  Terminations, attachment of terminations, and attachment of the cables to the body of our modules can withstand stresses that are likely to be applied during normal assembly or handling operations.

September Part D 2017

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SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING

MECHANICAL LOAD TEST AS PER IEC NORMS • To determine the ability of the module to withstand static load conditions.

IMPACT:  Goldi Green modules are able to withstand external static load factors like snow& ice loads of 5400 PA and wind pressure of 2400 PA from both the sides.

HV test (DCW, IR, Wet leakage test) 1. DCW (Dielectric Current Withstand test)  Ensuring our modules have sufficient Dielectric strength to withstand high voltage conditions,along with maintaining safety during operation. 2. IR(Insulation resistance)  Goldi Green module live parts and accessible parts are sufficiently well insulated and sufficient IR values are attained as per IEC standard.

Adhesion pull test

JB pull test

• Test is done using an Adhesion Pull tester and it is done for both conditions EVA to Glass and EVA to back sheet.

 Goldi Green module Junction boxes are fitted taking care of appropriate bonding of Junction box with back sheet thus as certaining strength between back sheet, junction box and sealant.

IMPACT:  Our modules are manufactured for ruggedness ensuring strong bonding between different material layers of modules like EVA to Glass and EVA to back sheet.  This ensures longevity of Goldi Green modules throughout their operational lifetime.

3. Wet leakage test  Goldi Green modules have the best insulation which enables them to withstand moisture from rain, fog, dew and melted snow, thus preventing corrosion to the active parts of the module circuitry, along with prevention of ground fault or a safety hazard and assuring best performance under wet operating conditions.

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September Part D 2017

SOLAR PV MANUFACTURING

Ground Continuity Test  All modules at Goldi Green undergo Ground continuity test.  Ground continuity test ensures that continuity is maintained in frame area after frame assembly.  As a result electrical continuity is maintained across entire frame so that at fault conditions safe grounding can be done.

Solderability Peel Test  We regularly do solderability peel test ensuring sufficient solderability strength between solar cells and ribbon to validate the process of tabbing & stringing, solar cells and interconnect materials.

CONCLUSION: Solar energy being a long term (More than 25 years) investment, solar module reliability is one of the most important factors. Besides being tested by third parties (SGS-TUV-SAAR) & (UL), Goldi Green modules are also integrated for reliability testing as part of the design process, and the test results are used to fine- tune module quality during mass production. All these efforts, backed by zero tolerance for any compromise on quality, help us maintain and deliver excellence in our products and manufacturing.

“Our solar panel installations have stood the test of time, making them a value for money investment and enhancing our customers’ faith in us” - Goldi Green Director Chetan Shah

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“Adopting a quality focused approach has been our motto and we never compromise on it. Armed with the best manufacturing know-how that technology can offer, and combined with a team of qualified professionals, we provide modules that are resilient, well-built and extremely durable giving the best power output performance compared to other reputed players” - Goldi Green Director Bharat Bhut

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

VJ: As we know tariff price is Rs 2.44-3.3per/kwh ,this is very low for this with consider the quality of raw material and other manufacturing factor need to make in high volume production with least rejection. Globally solar cells prices are increasing for maintain this need to more production & cant compromise with quality for a long term power performance.In a last one month Cell prices increases very high 15-20% , a very big challenge for bidder /power project developers to meet the cost which they have given because modules pricing increasing day by day.

EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India

INTERVIEW With Mr.VIKAS JAIN DIRECTOR, INSOLATION ENERGY PVT. LTD.

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission ? VJ: Inspired from ‘make in India’ campaign, Insolation Energy has been formed by the combined efforts of senior industrialists Mr. Manish Gupta and Mr. Vikas Jain having experience of more than 17 years in various sectors like Steel, Industrial Solutions, Real Estates, Health & Fitness and Independent Solar Power Producer Business. Their aim is to provide clean and green electricity at affordable price to one and all. Vision is 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.

EQ: Enlighten the product & services you are offering along with technology advancement? VJ: Insolation Energy, an ISO 9001:2015 certified, MNRE approved & MNRE Channel Partner Company has state-of-the-art fully automatic manufacturing facility in Jaipur (Rajasthan) of 60MW per annum for Solar PV Modules in the range of 3Wp to 350Wp using poly & mono crystalline cells. We have most modern production line with a robotic plant in a very hygienic and fully air-conditioned environment where enough care is taken to avoid manual handling of material as well as finished products. Modules also certified for UL at underwriters laboratory for USA. Up to 18% module efficiency & PID free. Multiple EL testing for defect free modules & high conversion Efficiency due to ARC coated glass. Some of our most popular Modules this year include :l Sapphire Series 72 Poly Crystalline l Sapphire Series 60 Poly Crystalline We also offer customized OEM Solutions. We are constant focus on increasing of technology efficiency evaluating technologies to improve technology through PERC technology & start to all testing in house.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44-3.3 per kWh in various Solar Tenders… Whats your view on the viability.

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VJ: Our PV module performance is better in all kind of geographical locations also we have conducted more than 30 test in-house and field performance from our own make solar panel in our 2MW project in Ujjain with approx 6 MW in OEM.

EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar modules ? VJ: We have installed the 2 MW own INA make solar pv module in Ujjain ,that has been commissioned in Q1 ,working fine and generation is higher as per our expectation due to all modules installed microcrack defect free and PID free with 5 BB solar cells .same response form our Customer.

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, etc... VJ: 60MW Fully turnkey line by Jinchen with inline CCD camera in stringer ,layup , pre and post EL with other quality checking equipments with inline automatic visual inspection for avoid the microcrack.

EQ: How much is your R&D budget VJ: Our R&D team having professional highly qualified experience person in PV industry with having experience in backword integrations –cells ,Module & EPC, management has been decide day by day R&D team will do work for newly product and issue budget 2 % of total profit .

EQ: Technology road map VJ: Our Product development and Engineering team already working for new IEC certification with new BOM and product which stands for 1500 V with PERC cells for better performance in power plants .also we are designing and implementation stage for glass to glass & Bifacial module for save the space. We are working for Bifacial ,back to back contact and merlin technology module for a new product ,also working for 1500 V certifications .

EQ: Explain various guarantees, warrantees, insurance, certifications, test results, performance report of your modules ? VJ: INA Modules follow industry international standards, giving the 12 years product workmanship and 90% power for 12 years and 80 % up to 25 years performance. We have the all IEC certificates IEC 61215, IEC 61730 Ed.1 & 2, IEC 61701, IEC 62804, MNRE, CE, we are the authorized channel partner of MNRE . We supplied the module to customer from our factory to primary customer with a marine policy. For performance you can see the data generation of our projects which has been commissioned at different locations.

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc… VJ: Our product having 5BB poly & PERC cells PID free module with latest standards 96 hours 3 cycle and microcrack defect free,also with narrow bin for avoid the mismatch of array or losses in current .

September Part D 2017

POLICY & REGULATIONS I have gone through the file notings of the Registry of the Commission on the original petitions filed as well as the contentions of the petitioner made therein on the question of classification of this petition. The issue lies in a narrow compass and therefore it is suffice, if it is examined whether the petition filed by the petitioner herein has the attributes of dispute resolution and whether the Registry was right in classifying the present petition as a Dispute Resolution Petition (D.R.P.) and rejecting the claim of the petitioner for classification of the petition as a Miscellaneous one.

Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission - Order Consequent to the orders of the Hon’ble Appellate Tribunal for Electricity dated 16.5.2017 in Appeal Nos.71 to 73 of 2017 directing the Secretary of the Commission to place the matter before the Chairperson for disposal, the matter has been referred to me by the Secretary of the Commission under Regulation 20(7) of the TNERC-Conduct of Business Regulations and they are numbered as Pre-Registration Cases (PRC) Nos.1 to 3 of 2017. The referral has been made against the orders of the Registry under Regulation 20(6) of the TNERC-Conduct of Business Regulations. The hearing date was fixed on 16-06-2017 A.N. and the Counsel for the Petitioners Thiru Rahul Balaji appeared on that day to make his submissions.

The Petitioners have filed petitions before this Commission inter alia with the following prayers :(i) To direct the Respondent to strictly enforce / implement “MUST RUN” status on solar power plant of the Petitioner in the State of Tamil Nadu and consequently direct the Respondent not to issue orders to the solar power plants to switch off generation or to back down generation;

September Part D 2017

(ii) To issue appropriate directions to consider deemed generation to solar plant for loss of generation due to outages / backing down instructions of Respondents and to approve the methodology for estimating deemed generation.

The main contention of the Counsel for the Petitioners is that the prayer in the above petitions involved the exercise of regulatory power of the Commission and that the Commission has already accepted the petition filed by M/s. National Solar Energy Federation of India with a similar prayer and classified the same as Miscellaneous Petition only. Now I have to see whether the return of the above petitions by the Registry directing them to file as Dispute Redressal Petitions (DRPs) is in accordance with the provisions of the TNERC’s Fees and Fines Regulations, 2004. On the question whether the present petition is one of Dispute Resolution or a Miscellaneous one, I have no manner of doubt that the present case requires adjudication by the Commission and cannot be taken up in regulatory jurisdiction, since without hearing the other side, the Commission cannot decide the monetary claim made by the Petitioners and on previous occasions the Commission has classified the petitions filed by the generators for “MUST RUN” status as Dispute Resolution Petition only. It is for this reason, I am inclined to hold that the issue of “MUST RUN” Status requires formal adjudication and not exercise of regulatory jurisdiction. Therefore, the argument of the petitioner that the entire matter falls within the regulatory jurisdiction of the Commission cannot be countenanced and hence rejected.

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POLICY & REGULATIONS Having said so, the next point that arises for consideration is whether the decision of the Registry in treating the petition filed by the National Solar Energy Federation as a Miscellaneous one is correct and on the same logic whether the present petitions could also be classified as Miscellaneous Petitions (M.P.). Firstly, the issue cannot be examined only with reference to the Conduct of Business Regulations alone as it involves the Fees & Fines Regulations as well. I am of the view that the Registry of the Commission has two fold duties before it, namely, ensuring the adherence to TNERC’s Conduct of Business Regulations as well as the Fees and Fines Regulations. The Registry has to not only ensure that the petition is filed as per Conduct of Business Regulations but is also duty bound to exercise due diligence in ensuring the collection of appropriate fees for which proper classification should be done by the Registry without going into the merits of the case lest it may result in financial loss to the Government to which the fees collected by the Commission are remitted. It is important to note here that the petitioner in the said case namely National Solar Energy Federation Ltd. relied upon by the petitioner herein is an Association representing the cause of generators collectively. Needless to say fees cannot be levied for a petition filed by an Association under Item No.7A in the Table under Regulation 6 of the Fees & Fines Regulations as only Dispute Resolution Petition involving a generator and a licensee would attract fees under the said regulation. At the same time, the right of the Association to file a petition cannot be curtailed so long it satisfies the requirements of Conduct of Business Regulations and Fees & Fines Regulations and rightly for this reason, the petition filed by the National Solar Energy Federation, which is an Association was classified as Miscellaneous Petition. However, in the present case, the petitioner is a generator who cannot maintain a Miscellaneous Petition as per Fees & Fines Regulations and he is entitled to file only as a D.R.P., falling under the said item 7A of the Fees and Fines Regulations.

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Though the petitioner has strenuously canvassed for classification of the present petition on the ground that the prayer sought for relates to the “MUST RUN” status and not dispute resolution and in a similar case, the same type of petition was admitted and classified as “Miscellaneous Petition” (i.e. in the case of National Solar Energy Federation Ltd.), I am of the considered view that there is subtle distinction between these two cases as explained in para 5 above. A reference to the fees and fines Regulations would bring out the fact that there is a difference between the fees payable by an Association and by a Generator who seeks a Dispute Resolution. The following portions of the Fees and Fines Regulations of the Commission would be relevant for better understanding.

As may be seen from the above, the petitioner being a generator, his case for dispute resolution could be taken up only under Section 86(1)(f) of the Electricity Act, 2003 read with item 7A in the Table under Regulation 6 of the Fees & Fines Regulations which prescribes 1% of the amount of Dispute, subject to a minimum of Rs.20000/-. On the other hand, the Miscellaneous Petitions filed by an Association is subject to payment of Rs.2,00,000/- under item 7 in the Table under Regulation 6 of the Fees & Fines Regulations. The question involved herein being one of monetary nature and the Commission remits the fees collected by it under the Regulations to the Government of Tamil Nadu, the Registry has to classify the petitions and collect fees as per the Regulations to avoid any monetary loss to the Public Exchequer. Further, the learned Counsel himself admitted during the hearing that he has filed with a similar prayer in respect of M/s.Green Infra Wind Farms Ltd. as D.R.P. for “MUST RUN” status of wind energy (vide D.R.P.No.28 of 2012). On this count also I hold that the contention of the Counsel for the Petitioner that the above cases ought to be classified as Miscellaneous Petitions is not sustainable for the reasons stated above. Under these circumstances, I hold that the Registry has rightly returned the above petitions with a direction to file the same as D.R.P. I therefore direct the Petitioners to file the petitions as D.R.P. with applicable fee. With the above orders, the PRCs are disposed of.

September Part D 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr. D.V.

Manjunatha

Founder and Managing Director, Emmvee Group

EQ: How much modules have you supplied in India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18?

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

DVM: Emmvee supplied 500MW till date and in financial year 2017-2018 target 350MW.

GSK: • We have installed the world’s most advanced cell stringer machine and multi-stack laminator, beside other sophisticated machine in our facility. • Emmvee commissioned 1MW Roof–top solar power plant at its solar water heater manufacturing facility in Dabaspet, Karnataka, India, has a production area of 25,000 Sq. mtrs. • Emmvee is also a successful bidder for developing 3 power projects of total capacity of 40 MW in Karnataka. These projects are being developed at the cost of around 280crores. • Emmvee’s Joint Venture with Dr. Reddy’s Lab, Hyderabad for the supply of solar power for their facilities for next 25 years. The capacity of solar power plant is 15 MW. • We own and operate 14WW power plant in Germany. • We have worked closely with prestigious clients like Sun Edison, BHEL, NTPC, Dr.Reddy’s Laboratory etc….

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company and objective DVM: EMMVEE is the market leader in solar industry with global presence. From the time of its inception in 1992, the company has always been pioneer in the solar sector, consistently setting new trends with its comprehensive system solutions. Emmvee, manufacturer of photovoltaic modules and solar water heating systems with 2 specialized manufacturing facilities and employs over 650 people. Emmvee is headquartered in Bengaluru. Our objective is to become the global leader in manufacturing highly qualitative, innovative and cost-effective solar water heating systems as well as solar photovoltaic modules and systems that will provide clean, reliable energy sources around the world.

September 2017

EQ: Kindly highlight your product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages etc… DVM: Emmvee brings the top class On-grid and Off-grid modules for various applications. It has always been in the forefront of technology adaptation in the manufacturing facility. Emmvee is the first company in India to install high speed stringer and multi-stack laminators manufactured by German companies. Photovoltaic power can be reliable only if modules are able to perform in the harshweather conditions for more than 25 years and to achieve this, the module have to meet stringent quality requirements. As the market matures , more and more developers are looking for high quality modules and Emmvee always ensures that the quality requirement of the developers are met through high tech manufacturing process and raw materials. Emmvee sources the raw material from the best companies’ worldwide.

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September 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures DVM: Emmvee, manufacturer of photovoltaic modules and solar water heating systems with 2 specialized manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru. Emmvee is committed to meet our existing and prospective customers emerging needs in the field of Solar Technology. Anticipating the needs of our Customers/Clients, the state-ofthe-art fully automated manufacturing facility is situated in Bengaluru. Emmvee wants to play a very dominant role in solar PV scene of India. Emmvee has at present 0.5 GW per year solar module manufacturing capacity and has plans to expand as per the market development and needs in future. It produces high quality photovoltaic modules using the latest and best machines; have a unique modular system offering higher productivity with optimized processes. EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your modules in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback DVM: In India too, the company has successfully completed power projects aggregating to a total capacity of 100MW as on date, which also includes roof top projects. Many reputed developers like BHEL, Tata Power, NTPC, Amplus, IC India and many more have used the modules produced by Emmvee in their projects and are extremely satisfied with the products. The company is also in the forefront in using Green power to meet the electricity needs of its manufacturing facility. It has its own 1MW power plant installed on the roof of its manufacturing facility.Emmvee also very active in EPC space of large solar photovoltaic based power projects. The company has a great deal of experience in developing and commission many power projects in Europe. The company owns and operates 4 power plants in Germany. So far the modules that have been sold in Europe have shown remarkable performance and until now we have not had any claims from our customers in Europe. In fact many customers reported a very good energy yield and performance; they are very much satisfied with our modules.

September 2017

EQ: Solar Trade Wars : What are the benefits to Indian manufacturers DVM: The Solar trade war has no positive benefit to the domestic solar manufacturers. The trade war has induced fierce competition among the manufacturers and in order to secure orders many manufacturers are resorting to cut corners in Quality of the module’s, which will definitely result in large scale failure of modules in field within a short time. This situation in not a pleasant are as the power plants will not be able to generate the desired Electrical energy.

EQ: What’s your commitment towards the solar sector in India? DVM: Emmvee thrive towards qualitative and quantitative optimization in providing customers with Sustainable Wide Ranging Solar Power Solutions. We believe in quality and our infrastructure, specialist staff and engineers, and state-of-the-art process make sure we achieve optimum production quality and well satisfied customer .We are committed to offer highly reliable product and solar power solution.

EQ: What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future? DVM: India, Germany & Middle East countries.

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44-3.3 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…What’s your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc… DVM: The recent price bid is definitely very challenging to achieve. The prices of the solar cells and modules are already showing upward trend and we foresee that the prices of cells will continue to grow further due to the strong demand in China and other Countries. This could put lot of pressure on the developers who have bid at such prices.

EQ: As a manufacturer, kindly share your plans to foray as developer or equity investor in solar pv power projects.

EQ: What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc DVM: At Emmvee, we are able to do stringing of solar cell at a very high speed about 5550cells/hrs. in a single machine. This machine is very sophisticated and completely automated. The machines can string 3, 4, 5, PERC and bifacial solar cells. PERC solar modules are now getting lot of attention and many companies have already switched over to PERC solar modules. On the materials side, we see lots of improvement in Back sheet designs; they are getting better and cheaper. EVA is being replaced polyolefin silicones which are having better properties and ease to produce modules with these materials.

EQ: How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits. DVM: Emmvee invest 2.5% sales towards R & D budget.

EQ: What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India DVM: We already have fullfledged manufacturing facility at Bengaluru at the moment we are having 0.5GW and we are planning to enhance the production as far the market demands.

DVM: At Emmvee we would like to focus more into module production.

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ENERGY STORAGE

Mr. Nitin Sharma, Vice-President Solar & EMS, Raychem RPG

The Current Trends In Energy Storage Space Globally, Individuals and Industries are taking control of energy and its source. Increasingly, sustainability is linked to individual choices and business sustainability. Western European countries are leading with regard to energy sources and consumption patterns.

ajority of these countries have energy sustainability goals that are linked to national policies. For example, Sweden has a goal to take fossil fuels out of energy mix completely by 2050 and they are working aggressively towards the same. Hitherto oil tankers and reserves along the coasts have been converted into museums and tourist attractions. USA, Western Europe, Australia, Japan, South Korea including India have specific government incentive and policies to promote generation and usage of cleaner energy generation. Distributed solar, small wind and energy storage solutions coupled with smart IOT based technologies have enabled people to have better control on their equipment at any time of day when they can optimally run equipment, thereby saving energy cost.

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Time of Day (TOD) based energy charge is leading exponential growth of home energy storage systems in Australia, USA, Germany and South Korea. In fact, South Korean government increases the PPA rate by 5 times, when distributed solar is coupled with a storage system. India is the leader in terms of technology customization, localization and adoption. We see that similar technologies are proliferating in India wherein the combination of renewable energy, energy storage and digital technologies are enabling people to monitor their energy consumption and sources. We, at Raychem RPG, are proud partners of this technology shift with our pilot smart grid project with PGCIL and are driving technology innovation to enable businesses and individuals make smart energy choices. Our smart controller based system helps users optimize diesel consumption while designing energy generation, using combination of solar power, grid connection, energy storage and back-up generators. Wishing all readers energy independence and power on the GO! SEMS Imagination delivered!

September 2017

PR DUCTS REFUcube - New concept of Centralized String Inverter System Design In order to optimize string inverter plant designs, REFU Elektronik GmbH - since years focusing on highly efficient and reliable string inverter technology - has conducted several studies and gained interesting insights.

t became clear that a significant potential of savings in string inverter plants can be achieved when grouping all inverters ata singlelocation close to the transformer (or the point of connection to the public grid) reducing AC cabling in favor of DC cabling The benefit is even amplified when using aluminum cables on the long DC homeruns from the field to the inverters. When using high DC/AC ratio of up to 150%, the overall losses of cabling are also reduced. In a centralized installation approach other advantages of string inverters such as easy maintenance in one place and the reduction of delicate communication infrastructure are achieved. Compared to central inverters string inverters reduce the risk threatening business plans and/or performance bonds due to the short mean time to repair

September Part D 2017

(MTTR) and easy replacement in case of failure. Higher energy yields and flexibility are achieved by the modular design, for example in non-homogeneously shaped terrains.Increasing divergence of module degradation during lifetime can be mitigated by reorganization of the solar modules on different inverters. In summary the studies made evident that centralized string inverter plant designs are superior to other concepts (central inverter as well as decentralized string inverter plant designs) in terms of costs, risk reduction, design flexibility and ease of installation. As a direct result of these studies, REFU has developed and now launched the REFUcube – the first centralized string inverter solution in an ISO container. REFUcube is available in four power classes – 1, 1.6, 2 and 3 MVA and comes

in a 20ft (for 1 MVA) or 40ft container (1.6-3MVA). It includes MV/LV transformer, MV switchgear, LV switch board, DC connection panel, auxiliary transfer and auxiliary switchboard as well as grid protection relay. All components are prewired (with DC, AC and data communication) and tested to ensure optimal compatibility andease of installation. It can be transported easily to and handled at the solar plant locationthanks to its low weight and compact design. The REFU CombinerBoxes are positionedclose to the solar panels and therefore allow short PV string cables and only one cablepair (+/–) from each DC CombinerBox to the container. Thanks to the natural convection cooling of the integrated REFUsol 46Kinverters and the intelligent ventilation concept the container doesn’t require fans or airconditioning for the inverter compartment. This means the need for maintenance is keptto a minimum. The use of stringinverters in the centralized concept allows on the one hand an easy replacement in case of problems, while on theother hand guaranteeing a continuous operation of the remaining inverters. Therefore theoverall system availability will be close to 100 %. Additionally the design and easy installation of REFUcube provides several areas ofcost savings: the reduction of cabling, minimized set-up and installation effort as well asreduction of commissioning costs.

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September Part D 2017

10 Years

Devoted to Materials, We Know Reliability Builds Perfection. Booth NO.

22nd-24th Sep, 2017

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GCL S.I. is part of GCL Group. Based on a fully-integrated Vertical PV industrial chain capacity operation, GCL S.I. delivers a one stop, cutting-edge, integrated energy system solution package which incorporates DESIGN-PRODUCT-SERVICE.

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September Part D 2017

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