Saurenergy International Magazine March Issue 2020

SAUR ENERGY www.saurenergy.com

MARCH 2020 | Rs. 200

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

DCP LICENSING NO. F.2(S-29) PRESS/2016 l VOL 4 l ISSUE 07 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH

RESIDENTIAL SOLAR'S FINAL PUSH The 2022 Deadline, RPO's and Key States Promise Better Times Finally.

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From The Editor

SAUR ENERGY I N T E R N A T I O N A L

GROUP EDITOR

PRASANNA SINGH prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

DIRECTOR

PRATEEK KAPOOR prateek@meilleurmedia.com

EDITOR

When we spoke about the Force Majeure clause and its implications after the disruptions in China, even we probably underestimated its impact on India finally.

Looking back, it's amazing that as recently as 30 days back,most of industry thought this would end with China getting back on its feet.

Now, with the WHO declaring Covid 19 as a pandemic, almost all bets are off. The words 'warlike' is being heard a lot more, to describe the scale of the global challenge and response needed to fight the pandemic.

To stick to our brief, we decided to take a harder look at Rooftop Solar in the residential category, an area that has fallen woefully behind plans. What we found is that now, with a combination of a looming deadline in 2022, RPO's , and at least some states that have decided to catch up, rooftop solar might yet deliver numbers approaching respectability by 2022.

Besides that, we hope that leaders in our sector will take the opportunity to do the right thing by their employees, stakeholders, and community, in these challenging times. Do take every precaution possible, and put the safety and health of your near and dear ones, right on top. The belief and trust in solar's potential has never been higher. You, and the whole renewable energy sector will always bounce back faster, and higher. Best Wishes for the next few weeks!

Prasanna Singh prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

04 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

MANAS NANDI manas@meilleurmedia.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MANU TAYAL manu@meilleurmedia.com

STAFF WRITER

AYUSH VERMA editorial@meilleurmedia.com

MANAGER- MEDIA SOLUTION

GIRISH MISHRA girish.mishra@meilleurmedia.com

DESIGN HEAD

SANDEEP KUMAR

WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

JITENDER KUMAR

WEB PRODUCTION

BALVINDER SINGH

SUBSCRIPTIONS

KULDEEP GUSAIN subscription@meilleurmedia.com

Saur Energy International is printed, published, edited and owned by Manas Nandi and published from 303, 2nd floor, Neelkanth Palace, Plot No- 190, Sant Nagar, East of Kailash, New Delhi- 110065 (INDIA), Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi.

Editor, Publisher, Printer and Owner make every effort to ensure high quality and accuracy of the content published. However he cannot accept any responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor and publisher. The information in the content and advertisement published in the magazine are just for reference of the readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decision on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. Saur Energy International holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of the information provided herein. Any unauthorised reproduction of Saur Energy International magazine content is strictly forbidden. Subject to Delhi Jurisdiction.

CONTENT PAGE

32

JAMES HOU

Head of Sales – SEA & India GoodWe

24

40

SUKHWINDER PAL SINGH Director – Energy Ingeteam

YASH JAIN

Chief Marketing Officer MicroSun Solar

COVER STORY

16

SOLAR ROOFTOP: OVER TO THE STATES STARTUP

POLICY

08 27 CELL PROPULSION 06 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

Parliamentary Panel Directs MNRE to Avoid Further Delay in RE Targets 2043 MW new Wind Capacity Added in India This Fiscal: RK Singh

CONTENT PAGE

34

14

NIMISH TRIVEDI CEO & Co-Founder Prakriti E-Mobility

EV

SOLAR ENERGY AND EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE

34

Solar Technology Versus Fossil Fuels. Is Endgame here?

MARKET

FINANCE

44

20

28

Jaguar Land Rover Partners With Tata Power for EV Charging Solutions

Off-Grid Energy key to Power Growth in Emerging Markets: WoodMac

CDPQ Increases Stake, now Majority Stakeholder in Azure Power

GM Reveals new Ultium Batteries and Flexible Platform for EV Expansion

UK the Global Hotspot, but Offshore Wind Potential is Spread Globally

IFC Invests $200 Mn in Africa’s Largest Green Bond Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 07

POLICY UPDATES

Reviews Extension of Safeguard Duty on Solar Cells

New Roadmap to Make J&K Energy Surplus by 2025

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has notified the start of a probe on whether to continue with the imposition of safeguard duty on solar photovoltaic (PV) cells following an application made by domestic companies for the same.

An application for review and extension of safeguard duty for a period of four more years has been filed by Mundra Solar PV, Jupiter Solar Power, Jupiter International, through the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA). The local manufactures have sought continued imposition of the safeguard duty imposed on imports of ‘solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels’ into India to protect the domestic producers from an increase in imports, according to a notification of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).

“On the basis of the prima facie evidence submit ted by the domestic industr y regarding evidence of serious injury and that the domestic industry is adjusting positively, the DGTR hereby initiates a review investigation for examining the need for the continued imposition of safeguard duty,” the

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Power Development Corporation has drawn a roadmap to make the union territory energy surplus by 2025 by harnessing its large hydel power potential. This was disclosed at the third meeting of a committee constituted by the central government for the formulation of a roadmap to ensure a 24×7 power supply in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here, an official spokesman said.

The meeting was chaired by Uttar Pradesh’s Principal Secretary (Industries) Alok Kumar and was attended by, among others, Power Development Department Secretary M Raju, REC Chief Executive Officer R Lakshmanan, JKPDCL’s Managing Director Mohammad Aijaz, besides the representatives of Tata Power and PWC, Delhi.

The spokesman said the meeting was informed that making the J&K energy surplus by 2025 would be possible after the development of 22 small and mega hydel projects.

The commit tee has been given the responsibility of preparing a prospective power plan for UTs of J&K and Ladakh taking into consideration the adequacies and inadequacies in different sectors to realise the target of 24x7 power supply to all consumers.

The PDD secretary said the department has undertaken several infrastructure developments and works under various centrally-sponsored schemes which are expected to be completed by the yearend, improving the power scenario to a great extent.

Raju said the department has also worked out the requirement to fill the infrastructure gap to consumers in all districts of J&K for which detailed project reports in both distribution and transmission sectors have been formulated and forwarded for financial assistance.

department has stated.

Earlier in July 2018, the government had imposed safeguard duty for a period of two years on the import of solar cells from China and Malaysia, which will expire this year on July 29, 2020.

The period of investigation for the present probe will be from April 2016 to September 30, 2019. This “period is long enough to take into consideration the market conditions and other factors that are relevant for ascertaining the need for the continued imposition of safeguard duty,” it said.

State Subsidies Take Solar Rooftop Prices to Record Lows in UP The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has announced the state and central subsidies that will be provided for rooftop solar projects that will be set up in the residential sector in the state under Phase II of the grid-connected rooftop solar program.

As per the department notification, rooftop solar projects ranging between 1 kW and 10 kW will receive a state subsidy of Rs 15000 per kW, with the maximum subsidy that can be availed by residential rooftop projects capped at Rs 30000.

The central subsidies will, however, vary depending on the size of the projects and the location of the projects. For individual residential rooftop systems ranging between 1 and 3 kW, central subsidies will cover 40 percent of the total cost. For projects, greater

than 3 kW and up to 10 kW will receive a 20 percent central subsidy. For projects greater than 10 kW capacities that will be set up in group housing societies, the central subsidy will cover 20 percent of the total cost. However, there is no compensation to be provided by the state.

Talking to Saur Energy, Bhawani Singh IAS – UPNEDA has revealed that the rooftop solar target set by the department for the year is 60 MW. And that vendor empanelment for the year has also been completed and is available on the UPNEDA website. Singh, when asked about the prospective timeline of the net metering installations for the rooftop systems, said that the “Net meter has to be sanctioned by respective Discoms and that they are yet to notify a timeline for sanctioning of these applications.”

08 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

POLICY UPDATES

Govt Extends Phase-II of Atal Jyoti Yojana Till Mar 2021; EESL to Float New Tender After subdued progress in the installation of solar street lights, the Government has extended the second phase of its Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY) for a period of one year till March 31, 2021.

The move came after the instructions issued by the Finance Ministry’s Expenditure Department on continuation and extension of public funded ongoing schemes. Additionally, the President of India has also provided his assent for further continuation of the scheme.

Earlier, the AJAY scheme was launched by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) on December 18, 2018 for a period of one year.

Now post extension, government-backed Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), the nodal agency implementing the scheme, will continue to implement the scheme as per the earlier approved guidelines.

Therefore, the vendors already empaneled

by EESL for the scheme will continue to install solar street lights against the sanction for MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) funds issued or to be

Southern Railways Granted Net Metering for 4 MW Rooftop Solar Project The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) in its latest order has directed state Discom Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to comply with the state’s solar energy policy and provide Southern Railways with net metering connections for its 4 MW of rooftop solar projects.

The Southern Railways had filed a petition with the state regulatory commission seeking its inter vention for granting connectivity and net metering for the implementation of its 4 MW of rooftop solar projects. The petition had been filed to extend the net metering facility for solar projects connected under HT II-A and HT III Tariff category consumers

issued by the respective DMs till March 31, 2020, the Ministry said.

However, for sanctions issued by DMs after March 31, 2020, EESL will issue a fresh tender for the empanelment of vendors for solar street lights installation.

The phase-II of AJAY will cover installation of 3,04,500 solar street lights (SSLs) of 12 W capacity and 75 percent of the cost will come through the MNRE budget and rest 25 percent will be provided from MPLAD funds.

The total cost for implementation of Phase-II was budgeted Rs 761 crore out of which Rs 571 crore was MNRE’s share and Rs 190 crore was MPLAD funds. However, the progress of the implementation of the scheme is quiet slow because as on March 06, 2020, the total solar LED street lights installed stood at 1,35,577 which is 44.5 percent of the aggregate numbers to be installed.

However, work has already been started on 1,61,472 SSLs and total Wattage installed is 9,49,039 W as of March 06, 2020. in Tamil Nadu as per the commission’s older order from 2013.

The roof top solar projects are par t of the Indian Railways aggressive push for alternate fuels to meet a portion of its energy needs, with the rising energy demand and uncertainty in power tariffs.

In recent years, the Indian Railways has taken significant strides to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity mix, which includes solar and wind, to reduce energy costs as well as carbon emissions. In its vision 2020 document, the Indian Railways had outlined a plan to harness 10 percent of its energy through renewable sources. The national carrier is also committed to an all electric fleet by 2022.

The Souther Railway further submitted that on approaching TANGEDCO for extending the net metering facility, for the above project, the Chief Engineer at the Discom has advised that net metering facility will be facilitated only to eligible LT consumers and that only parallel operation of the solar system without net metering will be facilitated to HT consumers.

TPDDL to Procure 100 MW Solar, 50 MW Wind Power From SECI After CERC Approval T he C ent ral Ele ct r ici t y Re gulator y Commission (CERC) while hearing on two petitions filed by Delhi-based power Discom Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) has approved the tariffs of Rs 2.54/kWh for procurement of 100 MW solar power and Rs 2.52/kWh for procurement of 50 MW wind power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

In its petitions, TPDDL had submitted that being a distribution licensee, TPDDL is obligated to purchase the electricity from renewable sources for the fulfilment of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) as specified in Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) regulations.

Accordingly, pursuant to the competitive bid process conducted by SECI for setting up of grid-connected Solar PV Projects for an aggregate capacity of 2000 MW (250 MW × 8) on Build, Own and Operate basis, TPDDL requisitioned 100 MW solar power after in-principle approval of DERC. Similarly, pursuant to the competitive bid process conducted by SECI for setting up of grid-connected wind power projects for an aggregate capacity of 2000 MW (Tranche III), TPDDL requisitioned 50 MW wind power after in-principle approval of DERC. SECI in its submission had stated that it had signed the prospective Power Sale Agreements (PSA) with TPDDL on March 28, 2018, for 50 MW wind power and September 9, 2018, for 100 MW solar power. After arriving at tariffs through e-reverse auctions after following the ministry of power guidelines for procurement of power from renewable energy generators.

In its findings, the commission noted that based on all the submissions, “it emerges that selection of the successful bidders and the tariff of the Projects has been carried out

by SECI through a transparent process of competitive bidding and the Commission adopts the following tariffs for the projects as agreed to by the successful bidders, which shall remain valid throughout the period covered in the PSAs and PPAs.”

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 09

POLICY UPDATES

Parliamentary Panel Directs MNRE to Avoid Further Delay in RE Targets

Railway’s Petition Regarding 14 MW Rooftop PV Projects Dismissed

A Parliamentary panel has expressed dismay over Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) missing targets continuously and has suggested the ministry to identify weak areas and take corrective actions without any further delay. The Ministry has continuously failed to achieve its yearly physical targets, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy said in a report tabled in Parliament.

The panel expressed concerns that the ministry may also find it difficult to achieve the 175 GW (gigawatt) target by 2022.

For the years 2017-18 and 2018-19, against the grid-connected renewable energy target of 14,445 MW and 15,355 MW, the Ministry could achieve 11,876.82 MW and 8519.52 MW, respectively. Similarly, during the year 2019-20 (up to January 2020), 8,004.64 MW could be installed against the target of 11,852 MW. it said.

The committee said it “ feels that with continuous non-achievement of the assigned yearly physical targets, the Ministry may find it difficult to achieve 175 GW by 2022. The

T he Gujarat Ele ct r ici t y Re gulator y Commission (GERC) has, in a recent order dismissed the petition filed by the Western Railway requesting the commissions’ involvement in granting relaxation in the state’s net metering regulations. The petition was filed against the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL).

In its petition, Western Railways had made the following prayers: 1. Pass an order relaxing Regulation 6.1 (i) & (ii) as well as 6.2 of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (Net Metering Rooftop Solar PV Grid Interactive Systems) Regulations, to the effect that there is no cap on the installed capacity of 1 MW on the rooftop solar PV systems in order to maximise the generation from the single roof of single consumer up to 100 percent of connected load with respect to the PPA entered into by the petitioner with Azure Power Forty Four is the Solar Power Developer (SPD) and, 2. Permit the Azure to install 14 MW of rooftop solar plants in its establishment through Solar Power Developer on RESCO Model The Commission af ter review stated that net metering regulations aim to encourage small capacity consumers to set up rooftop solar systems up to 1 MW. As per the submissions of the petitioner and the respondents, they have not arrived at any conclusion on the implementation of their program for which the modalities have been defined.

The program proposed has dif ferent conditions that do not align with net metering regulations of the state, and therefore it cannot relax or revise the p rov i s i o n s to a c c o m m o d ate t h e i r proposal. Fur ther, the net metering regulation does not include the RESCO model, so the Commission cannot allow any relaxation to the petitioner.

“We, therefore, do not find any merit in the prayers of the present petition and the same are dismissed as rejected,” the order concluded.

committee is highly dissatisfied with the performance of the Ministry and expects the Ministry to improve its target achievement in the coming year.”

The committee has recommended the MNRE to identify the weak areas on the basis of its performance during the previous years and take corrective actions without any further delay. It should also ensure continuous monitoring of the implementing agencies.

Physical achievement with respect to family type biogas plants is also poor as the Ministry could not achieve the target in any of the years from 2016-17 onwards.

Given the time-bound target of 175 GW by 2022, such performances are disappointing, according to the panel’s report.

2043 MW new Wind Capacity Added in India This Fiscal: RK Singh Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh has informed that 2043 MW of new wind energy capacity has been installed in the country in the current fiscal year up until February 29, 2020. Replying to the question raised in the Lok Sabha, Singh said that “During the year 2019-20 (up to 29.2.2020) capacity of 2043 MW was added in the country as against, 1480 MW during the previous financial year 2018-19.”

Answering another question on whether the Government is aware that there is a lack of investment in wind energy projects due to high costs and non-payment of dues to renewable energy developers, the minister said that the government has received representations regarding non-payment of dues to renewable energy developers and following steps have been taken:

i. State Governments have been requested to pay outstanding dues to renewable energy developers. ii. The government has facilitated providing loans to various State Discoms through Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) to clear outstanding dues to renewable energy developers. iii. In order to ensure timely payments to renewable energy developers, the Government has already issued orders regarding opening and maintaining adequate Letter(s) of Credit (LC) as Payment Security Mechanism under Power Purchase Agreements by Distribution Licensees.

Further, in order to attract the investors and developers, the Government has instructed Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd and NTPC Ltd not to prescribe the upper cap in future bids for wind and solar power projects.

10 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

POLICY UPDATES

SECI Gets Approval to Buy Power From 840 India has Offshore Wind Potential of 67 MW Wind-Solar Projects The Solar Energy Corporation of India setting up of 2500 MW ISTS connected GW off the Coast of (SECI) has seen its petition, for approval Wind-Solar Hybrid Projects (Tranche-I) as of tariff discovered through a competitive per the related guidelines on June 22, 2019. Tamil Nadu, Gujarat bidding process for 840 MW wind-solar hybrid power projects (Tranche-I) connected to the Inter-State Transmission System, cleared by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).

SECI in its petition had made the following prayer to the commission: Adopt the tariff discovered in the competitive bid process for the individual power projects plus the trading margin of Rs.0.07/kWh to be recovered from the Buying Utilities/ Distribution Licensees on the terms and conditions contained in the PPAs. SECI had submitted that it issued Request for Selection (RfS) along with draft Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Power Sale Agreement (PSA) documents for

Subsequently, the capacity under the RfS was revised to 1200 MW. Fur ther, based on the request of the Buying Utilities/Discoms, SECI had entered into PSAs for 400 MW capacity with Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited and 440 MW power with Haryana Power Purchase Centre (HPPC).

Based on findings, the commission stated that In the light of the above discussion, in terms of Section 63 of the Act, the Commission adopts the following tariff for the Projects as agreed to by the successful bidders subject to signing of the PPAs with the developers, which shall remain valid throughout the period covered in the PSAs and PPAs.

Britain to Include Onshore Wind, Solar and Storage in Next Round of CfD The government of Great Britain has released the details of the next round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, which opens in 2021. This latest round will be open to renewable technologies including onshore wind and solar, with proposals to include floating offshore wind. The scheme will also be changed to facilitate the deployment of energy storage.

Local communities will have a more effective voice on developments that impact them, through proposals for tough new guidance on community engagement for developers of onshore wind across Great Britain, which was also announced. They will have a definitive say on whether projects are allowed to proceed. It will remain the case that no English onshore wind project can proceed without the consent of the local community.

The Committee on Climate Change has said that the UK need to quadruple renewable energy generation in the UK to reach netzero by 2050 and this latest announcement

is a step in that direction.

Secretary of State for Business and Energy Alok Sharma said “ending our contribution to climate change means making the UK a world leader in renewable energy. We are determined to do that in a way that works for everyone, listening to local communities and giving them an effective voice in decisions that affect them.”

RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Hugh McNeal said “the government is pressing ahead with action to meet our net zero emissions target quickly and at the lowest cost to consumers and businesses. Backing cheap renewables is a clear example of the practical action to tackle climate change that the public is demanding, and this will speed up the transition to a net-zero economy.”

Based on the preliminary studies carried out by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) in collaboration with various multilateral agencies, the Government has identified eight zones each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as potential offshore wind energy zones, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh has said.

Answering a question raised in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that “based on mesoscale mapping, it is estimated that, approximately 36 Giga Watt (GW) offshore wind power potential exists off the coast of Gujarat and 31 GW offshore wind power potential exists off the coast of Tamil Nadu.”

Further adding that the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai had commissioned a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) equipment in November 2017 for measurement of wind resources off the coast of Gujarat. Wind measurement data collection for two years has been completed and also validated with a ground-mounted wind monitoring station at Jafrabad, Gujarat.

Answering the question on the steps taken/ being taken by the Government to develop offshore wind energy projects in Tamil Nadu, the minister said that “the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has already allocated required budget to NIWE for installation/ commissioning of three LiDARs off the coast of Tamil Nadu in Gulf of Mannar for carrying out offshore wind measurements at specific locations along with geotechnical investigations.

The installation of LiDAR off the Tamil Nadu coast could not be done in April 2018 because of opposition from the local fisherman community. NIWE has once again initiated the process of getting required clearances from various agencies for alternative locations.”

However, in a recent statement, the MNRE has made it clear that offshore wind energy remains on the backburner due to the high costs of power generated through it.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 11

STORAGE UPDATES

Tesla, PG&E get Approval for Proposed 1.1 GW Storage Facility in California

Azelio Installs Its Renewable Energy Storage Solution in Morocco

Electric Vehicle major Tesla has received approval from the local authorities to build its massive 1.1 GWh Megapack battery energy storage system facility, which is backed by PG&E, in California.

Earlier this week the Monterey County Planning Commission unanimously approved the Pacific Gas and Electric-backed project, which will be known as the Elkhorn Battery Storage Facility and will involve both solar and wind energy. The project’s unanimous approval will allow Tesla and PG&E to work together to build a system capable of storing wind and solar power that will, in turn, be used during periods of high-energy usage.

“It’s huge for the area and as you know the power plant has been gradually shutting down and they producing about one-tenth of the power they used to produce in the past and that hurts us from a tax standpoint,”

Swedish company Azelio said that it has completed the installation of its renewable energy storage with 24h clean power production in Morocco.

Further, the installation is a partial result of the joint technical and business development agreement between Azelio, a specialist in thermal energy storage, and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen).

The solution has been successfully installed at the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, and on the occasion the company organised an inauguration ceremony together with Masen.

During the event, various dignitaries were present including government representatives from several countries, the World Bank, IFC, Ambassadors, and many more.

However, the verification of the storage is expected to be initiated during Q1 of 2020, with commercial installations later in the year, and followed by the volume production in next year.

Commenting on the development, Jonas Eklind, CEO of A zelio, said that “we have an ambitious development and commercialization of our technology, where Masen’s profound experience in renewable energy is of great value. Being present on one of the world’s leading arenas for renewable energy marks a big step for Azelio and is the platform from where we take the next step in becoming a global industrial player.”

The Swedish company said that it has developed a solution for efficiently storing renewable energy from solar and wind power and make it available across the day as electricity and heat.

It further added that the system uses recycled aluminum as a storage medium, containing no rare minerals and suffers no reduced capacity over time.

Moreover, it is scalable up to 100 MW from merely 100 kW, and by that fills a void in the market towards the goal of universal access to affordable and sustainable energy, it claimed.

Monterey County Supervisor John Phillips commented. As per the details provided to the county planning commission, the storage facility will consist of approximately 270 manufactured battery storage units with a capacity of up to 730-megawatt hours (MWh) and associated improvements for connection to existing power transmission facilities on 4.5 acres of land at the PG&E substation in Moss Landing. The project also has the potential to become one of the largest battery storage facilities in the world as it can give 730-megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy during off-peak hours. Tesla’s contract with PG&E states that this could be bumped up to 1.095 GWh of energy storage in the future, reported KSBW.

Total to Develop 25 MWh Battery Energy Storage Project in France Total has announced that it has launched a battery-based energy storage project in Mardyck, at the Flandres Center, in Dunkirk’s port district. With a storage capacity of 25-megawatt hours (MWh) and an output of 25 MW of power, the new lithium-ion energy storage system will be the largest in France.

The development of renewable energy that is intermittent and decentralized requires the security of the electricity grid through flexible electricity storage capacities, especially in the form of batteries. And the new BESS will be used to provide fast reserve services to support the stability of the French power grid.

It is part of government policy to support the development of electrical capacity through capacity mechanisms.

Scheduled for commissioning in late 2020, the new storage system, which represents an investment of around EUR 15 million, will be based on Saft’s Intensium Max 20 High Energy solution and will comprise 11

integrated 2.3 MWh containers, designed and manufactured at Saft’s production site in Bordeaux.

“This project is part of Total’s strategy to develop the stationary energy storage solutions that are critical to the expansion of renewable energy, which is intermittent by nature. It will contribute toward the goal of increasing the share of renewables in France’s energy mix while helping to stabilise the domestic power grid,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total.

“Total’s involvement in the electricity segment continues to expand. With more than 40 percent of the storage capacities allocated, Total was the leading winner of the first call for tenders organised by RTE (France’s Electricity Transmission Network).

This success was made possible thanks to the competencies of Total Flex, renewable energy aggregation expert, and Saft, the European leader in batteries for energy storage.”

12 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

POINT OF VIEW

Should Safeguard Duty Expiry in July be Replaced with Fresh Tariffs on Solar Imports from China and Malaysia?

Safeguard duty, which was implemented by the government in July 2018 with an aim to protect the domestic solar manufacturing, is going to be wrapped up in July this year. In-line with this, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has already initiated a review investigation for considering continuance of safeguard duty on solar cells import in the country. Here’re some views and voices from the industry on whether the fresh safeguard duty will be imposed on imported solar cells and modules:

IMAAN JAVAN Director - Operations Suntuity Renewable Energy India (REI)

MANISH AGGARWAL Managing Director Enkay Solar Power

PRIYANKA MOHAN Managing Director KOR Energy Safeguard duty has definitely made imports from China and Malaysia costlier and resulted in better sales of Indian made modules. Safeguard duty will be expiring in the month of July 2020. After its expiry, Indian modules will lose competitive advantage to modules imported from China and Malaysia. Thus, imposing fresh tariffs on imported modules will safeguard the interest of Indian module manufacturers. Also, domestic module manufacturers need this to protect their market share from Chinese and Malaysian module suppliers.

The safeguard duty on imports of solar cells and modules from China and Malaysia was announced in July 2018 to protect domestic cell and module manufacturers. The duty was set at 25 percent for the first year, followed by a phased down approach for the second year, with the rate reduced by 5 percent every 6 months until the duty is set to end after July 2020.

Imposing the safeguard duty forced developers to bid higher to compensate for the higher module prices, but that caused government agencies to cancel auctions retroactively.

On the manufacturing side, the imposition of safeguard duty has created a shortage of domestically made solar cells in India. Many small module manufacturers have complained that there are only a few suppliers in India selling quality cells to module manufacturers.

Although the safeguard duty was imposed with the intention of curtailing ‘serious injuries’ to domestic manufacturing, it has not significantly helped domestic manufacturers.

Imported solar components such as those from China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand are relatively cheaper and more advanced than homemanufactured products, and despite the safeguard duty being imposed since 2018, we have been steadily importing solar components from these countries. Even after the safeguard duty was imposed, the demand for local solar panels has not increased and the manufacturing capacity in the country is still the same. Hence, I don’t see any benefit gained as such from the imposition of safeguard duty as the domestic market has not grown the way it should after such an imposition.

Moreover, the overall implications of safeguard duty needs to be taken into consideration from the point of view of both domestic and international markets, and the current solar targets India is committed to. Hence, I believe that it should not be replaced with fresh tariffs till the time a careful review of the overall solar scenario is undertaken by the government.

-MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 13

THE CONVERSATION

NIMISH TRIVEDI CEO & Co-Founder Prakriti E-Mobility Pvt. Ltd.

Prakriti to Launch its EV Taxi Booking App by March End Focused on offering clean, affordable, and comfortable rides to consumers, EVERA will be offering one-of its kind services in the city. We are operational in Delhi-NCR, and kick-started with 200 cabs and by the end of March 2020, the numbers will increase to 500. We are planning to scale it up to 5,000 EVs within two years. By End of March 2020, we will be able to launch our Evera App in the market, says Nimish Trivedi, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Prakriti E-Mobility Pvt Ltd, a startup company with a goal to start global revolution in commercially used EVs. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Trivedi discussed on various topics including company’s services, mission, future plans, offerings for customers, initiatives taken etc.

Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

14 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

Tell our readers about how Prakriti E-mobility came into existence, its vision, mission and contribution towards India’s clean energy goals.

generations to come. By reducing carbon footprints, EV taxis will help in saving the environment. Some of the game-changing features of Prakriti’s EV fleet that will revolutionize the With a vision to reduce CO2 footprints app-based conventional taxis in in the capital city of India and adjoining Delhi-NCR are: - Zero Surge Charge - No Cancellations - No Emissions areas (Delhi-NCR), Prakriti E-Mobility incepted in September 2019. It aims to - Professional Drivers - Comfort & provide emission less fleet services for Safety. a better environment by providing care, convenience, sustainability, intelligence Shed some light on ‘Evera’ and & expansion of the EV fleet on a large what are the benefits of using it to scale to create a greener future for the customers? generations to come.

The EVERA App offers great benefits to its users and help them in contributing How you plan to convince customers for using your app-based towards the healing of the environment EV taxis as compared to an already by reducing carbon footprints. By established app-based conventional simply scheduling a ride on the app, the customers can enjoy noiseless taxi’s in the market? and smooth drives throughout the city.

The brand new and odour less cabs These days, people are smart and are surely to make their trip a pleasant very-well aware of the problems one and worth every penny along the environment is facing, owing to with other benefits including Evera the high pollution levels. Everybody Zero Surge Charge, No Cancellations, wants to contribute their bit and No Emissions, Professional Drivers, make this world a better place to Comfort & Safety. live in, both for them and for the

THE CONVERSATION Initially, in which areas of Delhi/NCR you planned to offer your cab services and in what numbers? How do you deal with behaviour and safety issues of drivers?

We are operational in Delhi-NCR, and kick-started with 200 cabs and by the end of March 2020, the numbers will increase to 500. Focussed on offering clean, affordable, and comfortable rides to consumers, EVERA will be offering one-of its kind services in the city. In its first phase, Prakriti plans to introduce 500 EVs on the EVERA Platform with a plan to scale it up to 5,000 EVs within two years. Prakriti will be partnering with EV manufacturers to offer a brand-new fleet of EVs to its customers with the highest driving range in the segment.

Prakriti’s app-based service will have a fleet of ‘Trained and Professional Drivers’ provided by India’s top fleet management companies. To ensure that our customer enjoys the experience of riding with us, it is one of our utmost priorities that our drivers go through multiple trainings exercises to enhance their behavioral and driving skillsets.

What are the significant achievements of Prakriti E-mobility in short span of its inception?

It is a big achievement to have 200 EV cars on board which are operational 24X7, to work with fleet management companies with 400 drivers and to have

“

rakriti will be P partnering with EV manufacturers to offer a brand-new fleet of EVs to its customers with the highest driving range in the segment.”

app development (a global company) to ensure smooth running of cabs.

By when we will be able to expect Evera’s launch? In how much time do you think you will expand Evera fleet completely across Delhi/NCR?

By End of March 2020, we will be able to launch our Evera App in the market. We are waiting for our App to launch soon, once it’s there in the market, we will soon expand our fleet across major parts of Delhi -NCR. On the technology front as well, how do you ensure the smooth functioning of your services for customers? What are its features?

around 50 dedicated employees to work with us, in only 5 months’ time. We have created the largest charging infrastructure in India with 10 fast chargers and 30 slow chargers which are operational 24X7. Also, we have signed up a MoU with Tata motors for supply of EV and have partnered with TATA powers for charging infrastructure and RideCell for

We are excited to be working with Ridecell to bring a unique mobility services to India. With advanced Ridecell technology and our in-house IT Team, we can ensure our EV fleet operates at the peak efficiencies and our customer will have a positive and easy experience in booking, locating and riding with Evera including its other benefits.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 15

COVER STORY

SOLAR ROOFTOP: OVER TO THE STATES

16 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

COVER STORY The Missing Player

Numbers That Make Headlines Finally

Rooftop Solar. Right up till 2014, when India shifted gears in solar with an ambitious new target and a new focus on utility scale solar, solar usually meant rooftop solar, or even solar water heaters and other distributed solar products. And this was not because we had a lot of rooftop solar in the country. It was simply the most readily available image that came to hand, or to mind, when you searched for solar energy.

With a new 100GW solar target in its sights from 2014-15, all that changed for the government. Massive, tender driven utility scale solar parks became the norm, as that’s where the government saw an opportunity to take advantage of both falling equipment prices, and attracting global capital.

It’s a pivot that had delivered, with close to 34.4 GW capacity of grid interactive Solar power as on February 29, 2020, out of which 31.98 GW is ground mounted and 2.42 GW is from rooftop solar. Yes, that number from rooftop solar effectively meant that the 40 GW share of rooftop solar in the 100 GW target is effectively impossible by 2022. While the figure is overwhelmingly residential solar, leaving some home that the C&I segment will fill in the slack, even the MNRE minister, Mr R.K. Singh had stopped highlighting rooftop numbers over 2019. Till recently, it was looking like the government just didn’t have the bandwidth, or the patience to make this work. And why was that?

Because, unlike the utility scale projects, which promised power, capital and low prices, residential rooftop solar, by its very nature, demands attention to local support systems, a much higher number of local stakeholders in the form of installers, heightened awareness levels, and of course, local financing, including subsidies. Most importantly perhaps, the role of state governments comes into its own here, with each state free to establish and tweak rules. As they proceeded to do, with very different results.

Thus, if we saw state wise capacity addition, Gujarat topped in the installed rooftop solar capacity with 468.90 MW, while leading rooftop solar states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Punjab has 232.77 MW, 219.56 MW and 118.52 MW of capacity respectively.

The figures are not very impressive if we consider the targets set. The CII 2019 report states that “rooftop solar growth in the residential segment has been relatively slow primarily due to lack of awareness, delays in policy enforcement, putting cap on net metering, issues in disbursement of subsidies, nonavailability of flexible financing (delays in subsidy payment) and bureaucratic hurdles in getting approvals.” It’s not like the central government didn’t try. In order to ramp up the installation of solar energy and to achieve India’s 40 GW target from Rooftop Solar (RTS) projects by 2022, the government launched ‘Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II’ with a total central financial support of Rs 11,814 crore.

Under the scheme, government wants to set up 4 GW gridconnected rooftop solar plants in the residential sector with 40 percent CFA (Central Financial Assistance) for RTS systems up to 3 kW capacity and 20 percent for beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW. But till recently, even this didn’t really work. But now, things could be set to change, finally.

In February, a call for empanelment with PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) for solar rooftop vendors, the L1 rate of Rs 37,000 was achieved for 1 kWp - 10 kWp category grid-connected rooftop solar systems in residential sector.

So, to install a residential rooftop solar system of 1 kWp a consumer in Punjab need to pay just Rs 22,200, after availing 40 percent government subsidy i.e. deduction of Rs 14,800 from Rs 37,000.

Now, with the price per kWh dropping to Rs 22,200 in Punjab, is this the big moment for a rooftop solar boom in Punjab and elsewhere? Puneet Goyal, Co-founder and Director of SunAlpha Energy, an installer, is not too sure. He says “this kind of announcement looks very good to the consumers but then actually PUNEET GOYAL the on-ground reality is that Co-founder and Director these prices are unsustainable SunAlpha Energy even after the subsidy and the industry needs to realize that the bidding has to be responsible.

Constructing a high-quality plant at this rate is not possible and at the same time, people think that setting up a solar plant is easy but actually the services cost is very high in putting up a small solar plant, and vary has to what type of quality components that the installer will be able to give up these rates. Even in the other states like Gujarat or Rajasthan, there were unsustainable bids but those departments realized that the bids are unsustainable and then they have objected to extremely low bids. I think the department should realize here also that the bids are very unsustainable and there will be no company interested to set up a plant at these rates.”

In-line with Goyal, Mohua Mukherjee, Energy and Climate Finance Expert; Program Ambassador ProBono at International Solar Alliance (ISA), asserted that “I do not think this is a realistic or viable price for a rooftop installer to deliver the service to a residential rooftop customer.

MOHUA MUKHERJEE In fact these kinds of prices Climate Finance Expert; are only hurting the market Program Ambassador, ISA because customers will expect such numbers and they won’t be available from anywhere.

There are too many assumptions built into this price. It will be extremely rare for all those assumptions to hold at the same time. So instead of being a big moment for a rooftop solar boom, I fear that it could instead create market confusion and delay the pace of orders placed for residential rooftop solar. It may in fact lead to a slow-down as angry customers feel frustrated when no rooftop solar installer can take their orders at these prices.”

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 17

COVER STORY Consenting with other spokespersons, Pinaki Bhattacharyya, MD & CEO, Amp Energy India, was also of the view that “the price discovered in Punjab is for residential rooftop with a 40 percent subsidy from the government. This price of Rs 22,200/kW is a bit unreasonable, PINAKI BHATTACHARYYA which sets unfair expectations MD & CEO from prospective consumers”.

Amp Energy India Now this particular case is a rate contract tender, so all companies interested to work have to accept the L-1 price. But not many players may consent to the L-1 rate which may impact overall capacity deployment.

There have been reports, of a number of rooftop solar EPC companies in the last few months that have gone bankrupt due to falling margins and tariff pressures. And delays in release of subsidy payments from the relevant agencies.”

too. In both cases, the consensus view was that the segment with the largest subsidy, the 1-3 KW segment, is the one with the least focus on brands in general, and are simply looking to see savings add up as quickly as possible.

And for rooftop, clearly, this is still the market for states especially, as they seek broader market penetration, or to spread subsidy beneficiaries, as widely as possible. While The Big Boys Are Interested, Finally practically every state is behind on its targets, the year has begun well, with lower prices, as well as what many believe However, in contrast to this apparent contradiction of is a market ready to change lower prices and worries about their sustainability, we finally. Pawan Pandey, Founder, have firms like Tata Power, which has rolled out its solar Radite Energy, an EPC player, rooftop services to over 90 cities, at last count. The firm had this to say. “The non-subsidy claims to have installed over 375+ MW of rooftop projects, rooftop solar market can really including some of the most industrialised states like Gujarat, take off, provide the issue of net Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. While the firm didn’t want metering is resolved. And by to comment for this story, Ashish Khanna, President, resolve, it should be simpler and (Renewables) at the firm has gone on record to state faster. Just this one chance could that they expect the energy mix in the country to change change the scenario completely”. massively in the future, and a presence in the solar rooftop PAWAN PANDEY It’s a view echoed in both Delhi segment is natural move for the firm. Tata Power, for the Founder and Maharashtra too, where record has already announced a decision to not start any Radite Energy installers have lamented the future thermal power plants. paperwork delays and of course, More interestingly, for many of the larger players like Tata moves by discoms in Maharashtra to shift away from net Power or even Adani Green energy, which are sizing up metering even. the rooftop solar market, subsidies are no longer decisive.

Another sign of higher state involvement finally is the flurry While the bigger firms will not say it, many customers, and of rooftop policy initiatives, besides action on the ground, dealers confirm that these firms prefer to sell on the power of their brand and consumer trust, rather than just the lowest as seen in Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra. The SARAL Index (State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index), launched in cost option. Subsidy’s, with their DCR (Domestic content August last year by the MNRE to measure the attractiveness requirements), are even discouraged by these firms, when of a state for solar power, has demonstrated that states with they claim they will have to compromise on quality. the biggest targets are not necessarily the most attractive, “Solar is ostensibly sold as a 25 year solution, but at the according to the measure of the Saral index. Thus, Karnataka, consumer level, hardly any customer is thinking that long.

Telangana and Gujarat lead in the index, with a ‘key’ state Most are looking at a 10 year horizon, or even less at times, like Uttar Pradesh not even in the top 10 in the initial list. That depending on how they consider payback period. The might have been one reason for the UP government to add committed customers want quality, some assurance on degradation of performance over time, and a strong service in its own subsidy to drive adoption. network”, says a major dealer who represents multiple large One of the biggest issues with rooftop solar, the seeming brands. However, selling to this segment without subsidies reluctance of discoms across states to embrace it, is also requires more classic marketing and branding strategies, something the sector, with its preponderance of utility firms set to change, with the central ministry, as well as state and national level regulators, no longer as accommodative for and least cost solutions, is not really used to. missing RPO (Renewable Purchase Obligation) targets now.

It’s a view echoed by small installers in Punjab and Gujarat 18 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

COVER STORY past 4 months for its solar rooftop scheme. More importantly, installers we spoke to were confident of delivering on their Ranking State SARALScore Grades contracts within the next two months.

Financing does come up regularly as a challenge for 1.

Karnataka 78.8 A++ residential rooftop also. On this Mukherjee suggested that 2.

Telangana 72.2 A++ “One party that can step in, because that is their normal 3.

Gujarat 67.9 A++ business, is a Local Bank. If the local lender is in the picture, then the residential customer can indeed pay Rs 22,200 4.

Andhra Pradesh 66.1 A++ per kW out of his pocket, plus whatever installation charges, 5.

Rajasthan 62.2 A+ and he can take a subsidy advance loan for Rs 15,000 per 6.

Madhya Pradesh 58.3 A+ kW from a bank. The customer can sign over the right for receiving his subsidy to the bank. This means that when 7.

Delhi 54.6 A+ MNRE finally receives proof of installation and releases 8.

Punjab 53.4 A+ the subsidy to the state nodal agency, then the state nodal 9.

Maharashtra 52.0 A+ agency directly sends across the central subsidy amount to the relevant bank a year later when the money arrives from 10.

Tamil Nadu 50.9 A+ MNRE.” Even as many discoms continue to plead inability to achieve For Tata Power, which has today built up the widest geographical coverage to offer its services, the rooftop those targets, the new trend is for state regulators to fine, or pitch is serious business, with the firm determined to seek demand contingency funds to purchase REC’s (Renewable leadership in the segment. Chinese equipment players Energy Certificates) even, to make up for shortfalls. As of are also noticing the new energy for rooftop solar, with now, all entities that fall under RPO obligations need to purchase 21 percent of their power from renewable sources key inverter firms for instance taking care to expand their by 2022, of which 50 percent, or 10.5 percent, has to be solar product offerings to cover this category too, from an earlier energy. This single obligation has finally pushed quite a few focus on utility solar. In fact, there is a good chance that for discoms to take a fresh look at rooftop solar, as these can be the next 10 GW at least, the big names from the utility solar business may not be the ones we see in rooftop solar, as counted as part of their RPO numbers. a combination of domestic sourcing, cost and more basic On the possible negative effect of the price drops on other requirements creates opportunities for others. states, Mohua Mukherjee, cited an example of Uttar Pradesh where the prices have already dropped below Powered by Startups Punjab’s levels, than to a matching subsidy from the state When asked to hazard the best government. “We are already seeing the impact of this in case scenario for residential UP, after Punjab. Today a potential UP residential rooftop rooftop by 2022 end, we arrived customer is being told they only have to pay possibly as at a 12 GW number, spread over low as Rs 7,800 for 1 kW rooftop installation. Clearly this is more than 4 million rooftops. That pure fiction, even though it’s easy enough to work out the has given wings to a lot of solar numbers in theory on paper with all kinds of assumptions.” startups across the country. For Mukherjee adds that “If a person from any other state briefly people like Pranesh Chaudhary, tunes into this information and hears figures like Rs 22,000 Founder, Zunroof Tech Private and Rs 7,800, s/he might be excited and reach out to a Limited, a solar rooftop startup rooftop installer in her own state. When that installer says PRANESH CHAUDHARY which has just raised a fresh $ that the total upfront cost will come to around Rs 40,000 Founder and CEO 3 million (Rs 22 crores) round of per installed 1 kW, for up to the first 3 kW, with a rebate ZunRoof funding, that’s the stuff dreams of Rs 15,000 per kW within 12-18 months to be given back are made of. Zunroof has a stated to the customer (as and when it reaches the installer from the Center, via the state nodal agency), this will immediately aim of placing solar rooftops on 1 million homes in 5 years, according to Pranesh. create unnecessary doubts in the customer’s mind.”

Now if things are harming the industry in spite of boosting it At another end is Loom Solar, a startup that sells directly, as then how this situation can be handled? Puneet Goyal, who well as through platforms like Amazon. The firm has been is working in many states as rooftop solar installer and O&M pushing aggressively in the residential segment, selling small systems without any subsidy component, successfully. services provider, suggested that “the department should Instead of subsidies, the government could do well to look at first analyze the bid of similar tenders of other states, none of other states have closed at these particular rates so even giving wings to the startup ecosystem in solar rooftops. All it though the states can have the bragging rights that they are needs to do is ensure regulation moves as it should. Is that too much to ask? slow than the lower states.” The recent success of Gujarat, which has a well established settlement system for subsidy -EDITORIAL@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM payments, points to that. The state received over 115,000 applications or an aggregate capacity of 441 MW in just the Rankings (1/3)

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 19

MARKET UPDATES

US Energy Storage Market Sets Power Capacity Record in Q4 2019 The United States (US) energy storage sector set a power capacity record in Q4 2019, deploying 186.4 megawatts (MW) and 364.2 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage.

According to Wood Mackenzie and the US Energy Storage Association’s (ESA) latest ‘US Energy Storage Monitor’ report, Q4 2019 marks the largest-ever quarter for storage deployments across all US market segments.

The front-of-the-meter (FTM) market spiked 160 percent in quarter-over-quarter growth, with 103.8 MW deployed in Q4 2019. The FTM market accounted for 56 percent of quarterly deployments, in MW terms, after two consecutive quarters in which it made up less than 50 percent.

On an MWh basis, the FTM storage sector grew by 44 percent quarter-over-quarter,

with the implied reduction in average duration, due mainly to new projects in PJM participating in Reg D with 1-hour duration batteries.

While Massachusetts led the FTM rankings, California ruled the behind-the-meter (BTM) segment. The Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in California were a significant driver of growth for the residential segment and create upside going into 2020. The non-residential BTM sector recorded its second-strongest quarter on record, with 42.2 MW deployed. The residential market saw another breakthrough quarter, with 40.4 MW installed in Q4 2019.

With a ground-breaking Q4 2019, Wood Mackenzie and ESA forecast the US energy storage market to grow significantly over the next six years. The market is expected to expand from an annual deployment of 523 MW in 2019 to 7.3 GW in 2025. Additionally, the market’s total size will surge from USD 712 million in 2019 to USD 4.2 billion in 2021 and reach USD 7.2 billion by 2025. This growth will be largely be driven by utility procurements.

Slow Progress in January 2020, Indicates MNRE Report to Cabinet In its report for the month of January 2020, the Ministry of New And Renewable Energy has seen fit to highlight the following key points for the month of January 2020. The report is a document generated for each month, and supposed to be followed by most ministries. MNRE, we are happy to share, is one of the few ministries which does it more or less regularly, helping establish a high level of transparency in its working.

Right upfront is the official number for new capacity additions in January 2020. Going by the ministry’s note for December, these seem to be 412.65 MW, since it places cumulative RE additions till January at 8004.64MW, versus 7591.99MW till December 2019.

Using the same sources, Wind additions seem to be 110 MW, while solar additions in January came in at 300 MW. That takes total installed RE capacity according to MNRE, to 86.32 GW as of January 31, 2020. Wind leads with 37.61 GW, Solar power at 34.03 GW, with Bio-Power at 10 GW and small hydro at 4.68GW bringing up the rest.

On the expenditure front, the ministry reports

spending Rs 3152 crores till January, which is 84.21 percent of the revised estimate for it for the year till March, 2020.

The report also highlights projects of 35.09 GW under various stages of implementation, and a further 34.47 GW in the bidding pipeline. Specific projects bid out or where letters of allocation etc have been issued are also highlighted, which we of course do cover as a matter of course during the month for you, dear readers.

20 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

Ratings for Solar to Remain Stable, Wind Revised to Negative: India Ratings India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has maintained a stable outlook on the overall energy and infrastructure sector, including solar power projects for FY21 while revising the outlook on the wind sector to negative from stable. However, these ratings maynot quite capture the impact of the Covid 19 spread.

“Contracted revenue, minimal volume risk and moderate-to-strong counterparties mitigate cash flow concerns in solar assets; while wind assets profile face headwinds such as resource volatility and weakening profile of counterparties and original equipment manufacturers, who are also operations and maintenance contractors,” Ind-Ra stated.

For solar, Ind-Ra expects the ratings of solar projects to remain stable in FY21, given revenue generation in line with projections and limited exposure to weak counterparties.

Construction completion of projects with strong counterparties will be positive for the project ratings.

“However, there could be some slippages in construction timelines due to delays in the import of modules from China. Given the force majeure clause application, the tariff is unlikely to be affected and the agency does not expect any significant cost overruns,” it said.

For wind, the rating agency issued that uneven plant load factor performance, weak counterpar ties and a few weak operations and maintenance contractors are placing pressure on the ratings. Counterparties’ financial stress and distribution companies’ higher dependence on an external source of funding to settle the mounting power purchase dues do not augur well for projects and elevates the counterparty risk.

A new reform framework in the offing for distribution companies is a watch event for energy infrastructure assets. Should the counterparties profile see a sharp shift due to the new policy action, the generators would be a beneficiary.

MARKET UPDATES

Public Tenders Added 80% of Current Renewable Capacity in Latin America, Caribbean

On the occasion of Mexico WindPower 2020, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have published a joint report Competitive Processes for Financing Renewable Energy Projects which found that over 80 percent of current renewable energy capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean has been driven by public tenders and auctions.

As one of the first reports of its kind, it provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of financing frameworks in key markets in

Latin America and the Caribbean. The report provides deep insights into the financing mechanisms for renewable energy projects, such as auctions and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), that are currently in place throughout different markets in the region and provides recommendations on best practices for structuring these mechanisms to continue accelerating renewable energy growth.

Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC, said “the transition from Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) to auctioning has been a major turning point

in many markets to help lower the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of renewable energy through heightened competition and price transparency. This has been clearly demonstrated in Latin America and the Caribbean where we see some of the lowest prices globally for both wind and solar, with the average price for wind decreasing by 46 percent on average across the region since 2016 when we saw a surge in auctions.

However, in order for auctions to work and sustain growth long-term, there must be a level of certainty and regularity to preserve industry and investor confidence in the market.”

“We also see PPAs playing an increasingly important role in driving renewable energy growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, but similar to auctions, the PPA market will require a long-term vision in order to continue to create transparent and low prices for renewable energy projects and attract investors,” he added.

UK the Global Hotspot, but Offshore Wind Potential is Spread Globally The United Kingdom (UK) has cemented its status as the global market leader in offshore wind, according to an analysis released by the Renewables Consulting Group (RCG). The RCG Offshore Wind Development Index, which provides an assessment of the global hotspots for new offshore wind asset development, puts the United Kingdom on top, followed by Taiwan and the United States.

As per the analysis, the European market, in particular, saw a dramatic reduction in electricity prices for offshore wind project contracts in the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands.

The allocation of 5.5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind contracts under the United Kingdom’s third contract for difference (CfD) round at record low prices shows that the technology is costcompetitive with fossil fuel-based generation. The initiation of the fourth round of seabed leasing in 2019 confirmed the United Kingdom’s ambitions to add more offshore wind capacity.

Further adding that the wider Asian market has experienced significant growth in 2019, covering various stages of offshore wind project development. Taiwan retained its position at second place in RCG’s OSWD Index, with continued progress towards its

2030 offshore wind target. The lowering of feed-in tariff (FiT) prices at the beginning of 2019 struck a balance between encouraging cost reductions whilst still providing a good level of support for new developments. Other markets in the Asia Pacific region have also made strong progress.

Leasing activity at the federal level in the United States may have stalled in 2019. However, the combined efforts of individual states continue to move the industry forward, with the award of substantial power purchase agreements (PPA) and ambitious new targets set for offshore wind procurement through to 2030.

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MARKET UPDATES

Off-Grid Energy key to Power Growth in Emerging Markets: WoodMac An estimated 420 million people now use standalone off-grid solar and another 47 million people rely on mini-grids for access to electricity. While investments in energy access have rapidly accelerated since 2016, total volumes still fall short of the total estimated financing needed to reach universal electricity access globally by 2030, according to Wood Mackenzie. However, the next decade presents a huge opportunity for the off-grid energy access sector.

Regulated kilowatt-hours were historically a low risk and low return business but climate change and the global boom in lowcost renewables have quickly made the traditional electric utility business ripe for disruption. Distributed renewables – mainly solar PV, increasingly combined with battery storage – now have highly convincing economics against costly and polluting distributed diesel for commercial and industrial demand applications.

Data from the analysis shows a total pipeline of more than 500 MW of commercial and industrial solar under development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, nearly 3.5 GW of renewable energy capacity is operational or under development for powering mining applications, nearly half of which will power mines already off the

grid or those looking to improve on unreliable grid power.

Benjamin Attia, Wood Mackenzie Senior Research Analyst, said “the market for off-grid renewables holds a lot more promise beyond lighting unlit households or reducing costs and fuel variability for remote, diesel-dependent industries; it represents a fundamental and dramatic evolution in the utility business model towards customer-centricity.

“Off-grid deployments will take an increasingly larger bite out of the present and future power demand on the grid, particularly where systems and incomes are large enough to support modular system upgrades over time.”

Indonesia Racing Towards 23% Renewable Energy: IEEFA

The electricity system in Indonesia might soon see a glimmer of hope after going more than three years without significant growth in renewable energy investment, a new IEEFA report finds.

Arifin Tasrif, the newly appointed Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, announced in late January that the government would replace 2,246 old diesel power plants, 23 coal-fired power stations, and 46 combinedcycle plants with renewable power as a non-negotiable, national priority.

The new report, “Racing Towards 23 percent Renewable Energy”, notes that Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) has been preparing for a new Presidential Regulation that would accelerate renewable energy development to reach the 23 percent goal in 2025. Moreover, a renewable energy bill has been included in the House of Representatives’ National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) to handle issues around renewable energy regulation, the report states.

The report finds that the government chose

22 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

a feed-in-tariff (FIT) to push renewable investment forward, but then highlights research showing that the best system-level results – long-term energy supply at fixed, highly competitive prices – are best achieved via carefully designed auctions. A FIT system pays small generators a generous price for the electricity they feed to the electricity grid, with the aim of encouraging widespread investment interest in renewable electricity production.

“The case for auctions versus one-off project negotiations has been vividly demonstrated by corporate power buyers, such as Google,” the report notes. “When Google ran its first online reverse auction in 2019, it was overwhelmed by the results.

Google managed to procure 18 projects with a total of more than 1500 MW of wind and solar capacity. The key to this is a very clear procurement process and well-designed conditions set in advance.”

THE CONVERSATION

YASH JAIN Chief Marketing Officer MicroSun Solar Tech Pvt Ltd

Demand for Domestic Products Increased After China’s Covid-19 Incidence Solar panel prices, production, and supply are poised to continue to be in turmoil in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak. Yes, the demand for domestic products have increased tremendously after China’s COVID-19 incidence. However, the industry is also facing shortage of raw material as compared to the demand. Also, we are coming up with energy storage solutions along with EV segment that will help in catering and uplifting the Indian solar industry, says Yash Jain, Chief Marketing Officer, MicroSun Solar Tech Pvt Ltd, a company in renewable energy space providing end-to-end PV solutions from manufacturing modules to EPC installations. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Jain shared his views on various topics including company’s future investment & expansion plans, latest technology, policy hindrances etc. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

24 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

Shed some light on how Microsun Solar comes into existence, its various segments, and product offerings for the solar industry.

MicroSun Solar is a renewable energy company, which is one of the leading manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) modules and panels, solar water pumping systems, solar lighting systems and Solar Power Packs in India. It is a pivotal company in the area of renewable energy providing end-to-end Solar PV solutions ranging from manufacturing Solar PV modules to Solar EPC projects. It carries with it over 12 years of technical experience of successful solar module manufacturing and project execution in India. It has set up its own facility with 150MW per annum capacity of Solar modules manufacturing in Bangalore.

It all started in 2001, when we acquired ‘NALSUN’ to manufacture flat plate solar collector fins., Because our well experience business acumen and quality consciousness, we acquired major customers and within 4 years of business operations we became No.1 OEM supplier to the solar water heater industry in India as “Maharaja Techno Chromes Pvt Ltd”. We were doing very great as we had the technology from a LAB in Bengaluru and there were very few companies who were into manufacturing of Copper Fins in India during that Era, we picked up really fast in just 3 years, started selling out to Big Giant Companies who were into Solar Water Heating Systems but slowly we started finding it very tough when China aggressively marketed products at very dirt cheap price in Indian market, we couldn’t bear selling in the loss for a longer time and on the other side we were losing our market share, hence we decided to diversify.

THE CONVERSATION Tell our readers something about Microsun Solar’s manufacturing facility in Bangalore. Is this truly a Make in India initiative?

We believe in a sustainable future, and we believe in creating it ourselves.

Being a multi-product organisation and one of India’s leading engineering companies, Microsun Solar has dedicated itself to leaving behind a green legacy. Working for greater good, our eco-conscious values have driven us into delivering world-class solar energy products manufactured using state-ofthe-art technology from Ecoprogetti, Italy. Each Microsun solar product is created with the single minded objective of reducing carbon footprints and global warming, our manufacturing facility is headquartered at Bengaluru, India. Yes, it is truly a Make in India initiative. Policy reformations and initiatives like Make in India are truly creating a conducive environment for manufacturing growth.

Domestic Manufacturers have got a great push for supply of it’s products across the nation.

What parameters you follow for manufacturing to ensure the quality of your products? Do you provide after sales support too for your customers?

For us Quality of Module means the modules have to be durable, and efficient to maintain standard level of performance to satisfy energy requirements. You very well know that Low quality modules can lead to faster degradation of the panels and deficient energy generation, which can make solar plants unviable. We can’t afford to lose our customer’s trust just for the sake of little higher profits.

Our company focuses on adopting qualitative management and innovative technologies, our manufacturing facility has the finest testing machinery and equipment imported from Italy. Starting from incoming quality control to finished product quality check, we use various machines such as cell inspection/testing machine, EVA gel content tester, EL testers, Sun simulators, hi-pot tester etc.

To maintain long term focus on quality and reliability, we have developed operation procedures that make sure that during and post production, the modules

comply to highest quality standard matching our commitment to the client.

We have maintained a complete traceability model of module manufacturing BOM, process details and enforce people accountability to ensure 100% of all modules produced are of similar quality.

Is there any new technology on which you are currently working on?

In the PV module space, we have launched BIPV modules, and have started selling it in the niche segmented market. We have a great demand for this product and certainly, working on to make the best efficient BIPV modules.

Our team is also currently working to enhance the productivity of our existing facility while maintaining the delivery of

“

e are coming W up with energy storage solutions along with EV segment that will help in catering and uplifting the Indian solar industry.”

after China’s COVID-19 incidence.

However, the industry is also facing shortage of raw material as compared to the demand. The raw materials are taking turns from other countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore etc.

How do you see the effect of China slowdown will last on the Indian solar industry as a whole? How much it will impact prices?

The disruption in business is beginning to be felt globally. However, it’s time for India Inc to create opportunities. The dependence on China has decreased, though only slightly, over the last five years. From importing finished products, India is now assembling products and developing the ecosystem here as well.

The Coronavirus outbreak in China has created a shortage of solar wafers and Solar module glass in India, meaning it’s harder to build the solar panels with cost effectiveness in mind. If the Raw Materials such as Cells (DCR) and Glass are procured from India then the rates are surging high, demand and prices will definitely rise. The difference comes upto Rs 3 to 4 per watt.

In your view, what are the major challenges currently for the solar industry on which policy makers should take note as soon as possible?

top quality products including packaging and lastly, we are also working on microinverter technology.

Also, we are coming up with energy storage solutions along with EV segment that will help in catering and uplifting the Indian solar industry.

Is the demand for domestic products increased after China’s COVID-19 incidence or whether the solar industry is facing raw material scarcity?

Solar panel prices, production, and supply are poised to continue to be in turmoil in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak. Yes, the demand for domestic products have increased tremendously

India has ambitious plans of generating 100 GW of solar power by 2022. This is out of the total 175 GW the country plans to produce from renewable sources.

Prime Minister 1). Shed some light on how Microsun Solar comes into existence, its various segments, and product offerings for the solar industry.

MicroSun Solar is a renewable energy company, which is one of the leading manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) modules and panels, solar water pumping systems, solar lighting systems and Solar Power Packs in India. It is a pivotal company in the area of renewable energy providing end-to-end Solar PV solutions ranging from manufacturing Solar PV modules to Solar EPC projects.

It carries with it over 12 years of technical experience of successful solar module manufacturing and project execution in India. It has set up its own facility with

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 25

THE CONVERSATION 150MW per annum capacity of Solar modules manufacturing in Bangalore.

It all started in 2001, when we acquired ‘NALSUN’ to manufacture flat plate solar collector fins., Because our well experience business acumen and quality consciousness, we acquired major customers and within 4 years of business operations we became No.1 OEM supplier to the solar water heater industry in India as “Maharaja Techno Chromes Pvt Ltd”. We were doing very great as we had the technology from a LAB in Bengaluru and there were very few companies who were into manufacturing of Copper Fins in India during that Era, we picked up really fast in just 3 years, started selling out to Big Giant Companies who were into Solar Water Heating Systems but slowly we started finding it very tough when China aggressively marketed products at very dirt cheap price in Indian market, we couldn’t bear selling in the loss for a longer time and on the other side we were losing our market share, hence we decided to diversify.

Being a solar module manufacturer how do you deal with the cost pressure that came from developers due to lower tariffs?

Low Tariffs are definitely pushing Developers to cut costs and quality of Solar projects. With limited ability to reduce prices of modules and inverters, developers are trying to cut costs on other equipment. Many developers come to us and negotiate on price, if we can’t give the desired price. They will ask to compromise on the quality and this is against our ethics and culture. We strictly deny the module order. The pressure from EPCs and developers is real and surreal, who are in turn pointing fingers at the government agencies who they say are forcing their hand with low tariff caps and low bid matching.

All the EPCs and developers come to the Module Manufacturer because the 60 percent cost of the entire project is the Module Cost. However,

26 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

due to aggressive bidding in the industry, Module Manufacturers including us are feeling the heat.

We straight away deny undertaking such orders.

I know this brings our opportunity costs & Profitability into the picture.

However, this is not the long term business. Today you see, one by one few companies in this sector are shutting down its operations because they took the shortcut to earn the goodwill and profit – for which they compromised on aspects of the product and are now vanished from the market.

Do you have any further investment or expansion plans in near term?

We do have expansion plans in next two years to double the capacity and we shall deploy a separate line for cut cell modules. With this expansion we shall be able to make the latest technology modules viz glass to glass and twin peak on large scale.

STARTUP FEATURE

CELL PROPULSION

NAKUL KUKAR Founder and CEO Cell Propulsion Total employees: 30 Key operational areas (Products, Regions, Clients) The company is poised to drive massive growth of nascent heavy electric commercial vehicle market and capture its major share. It is developing connected, electric powertrains for electric buses. They will be used to electrify the fleets of 12m, 16ton city transport buses. The company is into electric vehicle (EV) battery packs, integrated electric powertrains for electric commercial vehicles and eBuses.

Founding Members detail The company was founded by Nakul Kukar and Paras Kaushal. Nakul is having experience of working in the domain of launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion.

He has worked at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on its launch vehicle engines. Subsequently, he has led the design and development of a lunar lander propulsion system, and the design & development of solarpowered electric aircraft. Nakul graduated from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Another Founder Paras Kaushal is a mechanical engineer who has worked on developing all-terrain vehicles. He has worked at ISRO on launch vehicle engine ignition systems. Subsequently, he has

worked on the design and development of thermal control systems for a lunar lander, satellites, the solar-powered aircraft, electronics hardware, and space grade lithium batteries. Paras graduated from Punjab Technical University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Turning Point for the firm A major turning point for the firm was when it got the opportunity to work on a pilot with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to supply one electric bus. It will be deployed into commercial service, and the company will also provide maintenance for the subsequent 2 years of operation.

Plans in next 3 to 5 years The company is focused towards achieving a leadership position in developing motor controllers, battery management systems, chargers, operating firmware, and system engineering for integrating and operating these components as a unified system (Integrated electric power trains). It own designs and IP for electric motors and battery packs but it has to get them manufactured from its suppliers. This enables the company to be agile and scale its powertrain solutions quickly to multiple vehicle segments.

Over the next 3-5 years, Cell Propulsion aimed at commercializing electric powertrains for light and heavy

PARAS KAUSHAL Founder and COO Cell Propulsion

commercial vehicles with technology development getting completed as part of the BMTC pilot. The company aim to sell or lease the electric powertrains for LCVs and HCVs both in the after-sale market, as conversion kits, and directly to vehicle manufacturers for their new electric LCV and electric bus models.

Biggest Attraction in the sector Electrification of buses and trucks will have a massive impact not only on the Indian economy but also on a large section of Indian society as buses are still the most common mode of transportation for the masses. This potential to create a positive impact has been the biggest attraction for the company to venture into this sector.

Biggest Challenge for the Sector The biggest challenge currently for the company is to find skilled engineers that have worked on high voltage, high power (600V to 800V & 100kW+) electrical equipment and have the capability to design and develop such technologies.

Present State of Mind The progress so far has been quite good even though there is always room for improvement and doing better.

In retrospect, we would have started even earlier with our venture as we underestimated the time required to build such technologies and products.

-MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 27

FINANCE UPDATES

CDPQ Increases Stake, now Majority Stakeholder in Azure Power Azure Power Global Limited (AZRE), a leading independent solar power developer in India, has announced that Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global institutional investor, has acquired additional shares of AZRE from a stakeholder. A transaction that has seen CDPG become a majority stakeholder in the India solar power developer.

Ranjit Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Azure Power said “this new investment by CDPQ is a recognition of Azure Power’s leading solar development platform in India. By having a majority shareholder with a long-term approach and a AAA credit rating, we will have better access to external capital further improving our future growth.”

As per Azure Power, CDPG has acquired an additional 717,701 shares from a shareholder of AZRE. And that after acquiring the additional shares, it is the direct owner of 24,259,272 shares of AZRE, which represent a majority 50.9 percent of the outstanding shares of Azure Power Global Limited.

“This additional investment represents a new chapter in our partnership with Azure Power,” added Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive

Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure at CDPQ. “We have built a relationship over the years, deepening our understanding of every aspect of Azure Power: its assets, its operations and its people. We are excited to continue supporting them for the next phase of their growth in the promising Indian solar energy sector.”

In January, in its most recent investor presentation, the firm had shared its yearly results and plans for the future. It revealed that it has a 7.1 GW committed portfolio, between its existing and future commitments.

Renew Financial has Invested USD 421 Mn in California Residential Solar

Renew Financial announced it has invested USD 421 million over the last decade to empower California homeowners to add solar photovoltaic systems to their properties.

Through the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing solution offered

by Renew Financial, more than 12,000 California homeowners have been able to complete residential solar projects and, in turn, successfully power California’s renewable energy future.

Established in 2008, the California PACE

program allows eligible property owners to finance the cost of adding solar panels and other sustainable upgrades to their homes with no out-of-pocket expenses and flexible repayment terms. Renew Financial’s substantial investment has resulted in California homeowners generating over 2.3 billion kWs of electricity with their PACE-financed solar systems, effectively reducing their carbon emissions and saving USD 30 million in utility costs. Renew Financial originally developed PACE as a

28 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

low-cost, upfront financing solution for a broad range of homeowners, especially those who are unable to access prime rates through traditional lending options. Beyond the many valuable benefits, PACE offers homeowners, state and local governments also use PACE as an effective public policy tool to achieve environmental policy goals, such as reduced carbon emissions, higher energy savings, and water conservation.

Kirk Inglis, CEO of Renew Financial, said “California is leading the nation in solar adoption with more than 6 million homes creating more than 24,464 megawatts of solar capacity.

“Expanding access to PACE is critical for creating a more sustainable future here in the Golden State. We are excited about giving more Californians the opportunity to have their own residential solar systems, and we look forward to further broadening access to PACE for those looking to complete solar projects in a safe and cost-effective way.”

FINANCE UPDATES

India Imported Solar Equipment Worth $1.18 Bn From China Between April-December

India imported solar cells and modules worth USD 1,179.89 million from China in the first nine months — between April and December — of the current financial year (2019-20), union minister of new and renewable energy RK Singh has said.

In FY17, FY18, and FY19 India’s solar imports from China stood at USD 2,817.34 million, USD 3,418.96 million, and USD 1,694.04 million, respectively, the minister said in a written reply in Parliament. “The solar panels or modules imported from China are generally cheaper than those produced by domestic manufacturers,” Singh said.

The total value of solar photovoltaic cells or solar cells imports, whether or not assembled in module or panel, stood at USD 1,525.8 million for the April-December period of FY20.

For the past three financial years, FY17, FY18, and FY19 the total value of the country’s solar imports was USD 3,196.5 million, USD 3,837.6 million, and USD 2,159.7 million, respectively. Chinese firms supply about 80 percent of solar cells and modules to India.

Recently, the power minister had said that the country’s solar industry is under no compulsion to import solar cells or modules from China following the coronavirus outbreak.

“The solar industry is under no compulsion to import solar cells, modules and other equipment from China. They are free to meet their requirements either from the domestic market or alternative sources,” Singh said in a written reply in Parliament.

He was replying to a question on whether the dangerous virus has affected India’s ability to increase clean energy capacity.

Power Trade at IEX Grew by 57% in February, REC Sales Increased The volume of power traded at the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), the country’s largest online electricity platform, grew by 57 percent to 4,516 million units in February this year.

IEX said the increase in trade volume was mainly due to distribution utilities opting for replacement of their costlier power with exchange-based procurement.

“The other key reason was an increase in demand on account of early onset of summer and agricultural demand in the southern as well the western states, particularly in Telangana due to lift irrigation,” IEX said in its monthly power market analysis.

The day-ahead market traded 4,289 million units during the month with the average market clearing price at Rs 2.91 per unit, registering a 6 percent decline over the price of Rs 3.08 per unit in the corresponding

period. “The total sell bids during the month at 10,372 MU were twice the buy bids at 5,233 MU, which ensured lower clearing price and brought significant savings to both the distribution utilities as well as the commercial and industrial consumers,” said IEX. There was a significant increase in the trade volume of both solar and non-solar renewable energy certificates (RECs) in the month. A total of 984,157 solar RECs were traded on the IEX during the month. Compared to last month’s REC trading session, there was a huge upsurge in the solar RECs. The sale bids in February were at 1,014,459 and the buy bid was at 1,094,700. The month also witnessed a reduction in the price of the non-solar RECs, which dropped by Rs 400 from Rs 2,200 in January to Rs 1,800, a drop of 18.2 percent.

Green Energy Projects Received Rs 1.34 lakh Crore in Investments Over last 3 years Green energy projects have attracted investments of about Rs 1.34 lakh crore between April 2017 and January 2020, Parliament was informed recently. “Based on standard capital cost per MW, an investment of around Rs 1.34 lakh crore is estimated to have been made in the renewable energy sector during last three years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20 (up to January 2020),” Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He said most of the grid-connected renewable energy projects are being implemented by private sector developers selected through a transparent competitive bidding process.

India has set an ambitious target of having 175 GW of clean energy by 2022 which includes 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind energy.

To a query on lack of investment in wind energy, he said, “During 2019-20 (up to 29.2.2020), the capacity of 2043 MW was added in the country as against 1480 MW during the previous financial year 2018-19.” Further, he said in order to attract investors and developers, the government has instructed Solar Energy Corporation of

India and NTPC not to prescribe upper cap (of tariff) in future bids for wind and solar power projects.

He informed the House that the installed capacity of wind power during 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 (as on February 29, 2020) was 1865 MW, 1480 MW, and 2043 MW, respectively.

In another reply, he said a total of 8004.64 MW of renewable energy capacity has been installed in the April-January period of this fiscal as compared to 5978.47 MW installed in the year-ago same months. As on February 29, 2020, a grid-connected capacity of 35065.34 MW of solar power has been installed, he said.

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FINANCE UPDATES

IFC Invests $200 Mn in Africa’s Largest Green Bond IFC, an arm of World Bank, has invested about USD 200 million recently in the green bond issuance of Standard Bank of South Africa placed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets having presence across 20 African countries.

This is Africa’s largest green bond and South Africa’s (SA) first offshore green bond issuance, which is aiming to increase access to climate finance.

Commenting on the development, Adamou Labara, IFC’s Country Manager for South Africa, said that “this bond is a landmark placement for South Africa and will contribute to financing South Africa’s green economy. We hope it will catalyze interest in green investments from other actors in the country.”

This is a 10-year green bond facility privately placed by IFC, and is compliant with the International Green Bond Principles.

IFC is one of the world’s largest green bond issuers, with 172 issues in 20 currencies, with aggregating over USD 10 billion.

IFC said in a statement that this bond will help in enabling Standard Bank Group’s Sustainable Finance Business Unit to on-lend to and finance climate-smart projects in SA for example renewable energy, energy efficiency, water efficiency and green buildings.

“When it comes to financing, clients should be considering green, social and sustainable products as investors increasingly shift their

mandates to sustainable businesses,” said Nigel Beck, Standard Bank Group’s executive head of Sustainable Finance.

Currently, commercial banks provide 45 percent of SA’s financing for renewable energy and energy-efficient projects.

However, IFC has estimated approx. USD588 billion as SA’s climatesmart investment potential between now and 2030.

Projects funded by the green bond have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 742,000 tons per year, or nearly 3.7 million tons over a five-year period, IFC estimates.

Singapore-based Vena Energy Issues $325 Mn Green Bond

Vena Energy, one of Asia-Pacific’s leading independent power producers (IPP) and pure renewable energy company, has announced the successful issuance of a benchmark USD 325 million (5-year 3.133 percent fixed rate) green bond offering.

This is the first corporate USD Green Bond issuance from a Singapore-based company.

The Green Bond rated BBB- by Standard &

Poor’s and listed on the Singapore Exchange, is issued under Vena Energy’s Euro Medium Term Notes Programme established in November 2019. The Green Bond proceeds will be used to refinance existing corporate loans for the development, construction and operation of Eligible Green Projects in accordance with the firms’ Green Financing Framework, which was established in 2018

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to enhance the company’s planning and disclosure practices as well as providing transparency and accountability to all its stakeholders. The Green Bonds issuance was facilitated by Crédit Agricole CIB, DBS Bank Ltd, ING and MUFG serving as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Lead Managers.

ABN AMRO, Banca IMI, BNP PARIBAS and SMBC Nikko served as Joint Lead Managers.

Crédit Agricole CIB and SMBC Nikko also served as Joint Green Structuring Advisors.

“This is a significant milestone for Vena Energy as we access the international capital markets and an affirmation of the positive contributions that we have made to the environment and host communities in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Nitin Apte, CEO of Vena Energy. “We are proud of the positive reception from global investors experienced during our roadshows across Asia and Europe, as we reaffirmed our commitment to play a leading role in developing and generating clean renewable energy to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy across the Asia-Pacific region.”

INNOVATION UPDATES

NREL Research Boosts Stability of Perovskites, Helps Silicon Solar Cells A change in the chemical composition has enabled scientists at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to boost the longevity and efficiency of perovskite solar cells developed by the lab.

The new formula enabled the solar cell to resist a stability problem that has so far thwarted the commercialisation of perovskites. The problem is known as light-induced phase-segregation, which occurs when the alloys that make up the solar cells break down under exposure to continuous light.

“Now that we have shown that we are immune to this short-term, reversible phase-segregation, the next step is to continue to develop stable contact layers and architectures to achieve longterm reliability goals, allowing modules to last in the field for 25 years or more,” said Caleb Boyd, lead author of a newly published paper in Science titled “Triple-halide wide-bandgap perovskites with suppressed phase-segregation for efficient tandems.” Boyd and co-author Jixian Xu are associated with the University of Colorado-Boulder Professor Michael McGehee’s research group, which investigates perovskites at NREL. Perovskite solar cells are typically made using a combination of

iodine and bromine, or bromine and chlorine, but the researchers improved upon the formula by including all three types of halides.

The research proved the feasibility of alloying the three materials.

Adding chlorine to iodine and bromine created a triple-halide perovskite phase and suppressed the light-induced phasesegregation even at an illumination of 100 suns. What degradation occurred was slight, at less than 4 percent after 1,000 hours of operation at 60 degrees Celsius. At 85 degrees and after operating for 500 hours, the solar cell lost only about 3 percent of its initial efficiency.

India-EU Partnership on Energy Research in RE and Smart Grids

India-European Union (EU) Flagship Call on Integrated Local Energy Systems was announced at India Smart Utility Week 2020. This partnership between Indian and the EU will help in Clean Energy and Climate and this partnership will foresee strengthened cooperation in energy research and innovation, mainly in renewable energy and its integration in the energy system.

The collaboration can make energy supply cleaner, more efficient and affordable to all.

This Indo-EU flagship call is fully in line

with both the European Union’s and India’s involvement in Mission Innovation (MI), a global initiative of 24 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union), committed to reinvigorate and accelerate global clean energy innovation with the objective to make clean energy widely affordable. This IndoEU Flagship call is expected to give novel solutions encompassing local integration across various energy vectors and increase the share of renewables in the energy mix

and high energy efficiency.

At the event, India and Sweden also announced the India-Sweden Collaborative Industrial Research & Development Programme. The joint Programme, cofunded by the Indian Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Swedish Energy Agency, will bring together world-class expertise of Sweden and India to address challenges in the area of Smart Grids. Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST, and Dr. Robert Andren, Director General, Swedish Energy Agency signed the Protocol of Cooperation between Swedish Energy Agency and DST discussed how this will benefit both countries.

India-Sweden Industrial led Research & Development collaborative programme on Smart Grids at a collective investment of 5 Million USD will help to transform the clean energy sector into a secure, adaptive, sustainable and digitally-enabled ecosystem and provide reliable and quality energy for all.

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THE CONVERSATION

James Hou Head of Sales – SEA & India GoodWe Power Supply Technology Co, Ltd

We are Planning to Launch 1500V Inverter Solution for Indian Market India being one of the largest solar market globally, GoodWe have always focused on product quality and customer services being fruitfully awarded with regular building customer trust and increasing inverter supply in India. Focusing on Indian Solar market requirements, we are planning to launch 1500V inverter solution in its product basket.

Thus, keeping inverter solutions up to date with market scenario and technology drag along with dedicated services, we have plans to support maximum number of solar giants in India, says James Hou, Head of Sales – SEA & India, GoodWe Power Supply Technology Co, Ltd, one of the leading solar inverter and energy storage solutions manufacturer globally.

In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Hou shared his views on various topics including company’s product offerings, latest technology, innovations etc.

Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

Tell our readers in brief about GoodWe advanced components makes GoodWe inverters reliable, easy to maintain and and its various product offerings for high-performance device. the solar industry.

We not only manufacture solar inverters but also provide life-time free monitoring GoodWe is a leading solar inverter solution like SEMS (Smart Energy company having focus in research and manufacturing of PV inverters and energy Management System) and EzLogger Pro. SEMS can manage the production, usage storage solutions. Since its inception, and scheduling of the energy to provide company have been dedicated for research and development of PV inverter a reliable power source and total control technology which have fruitfully awarded over connected appliances. into GoodWe being ranked in Top 10 solar EzLogger is our self-developed inverter manufacturer by Bloomberg, IHS monitoring device. In combination with a GoodWe solar Inverter, it can easily Markit and Wood Mackenzie.

We takes pride in being recognized as read and record all key plant data and preferred inverter partner by its customers, constantly transmit the data to the global monitoring web server via internet. which is the result of dedicated R&D, high quality production norms, integrated Over the years, how do you see the advanced components and unmatched level of consumer awareness while after-sales services. selecting any inverter brand in India?

We have full-fledged 1kW to 80kW solar How can it be improved? inverter product basket containing solar solutions for residential, Commercial & Today’s consumer is smart, detail Industrial (C&I) and utility scale projects oriented and well equipped with related and storage inverter solutions. The knowledge. And above all, consumer is inverters have a robust design and investing money only in efficient manner manufactured for extreme conditions to taking full concern over the ROI. Also, maintain high efficiency and maximum to support and enhance knowledge of output to provide maximum ROI. High end topology design integrated with solar inverter consumer, GoodWe have

32 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

THE CONVERSATION an appreciable initiative from GoodWe Solar Academy, which is dedicated to enhancing the knowledge of customers towards building efficient and costeffective photovoltaic system. GoodWe Solar Academy run a solar technical magazine namely “Enjoy Solar”, which is a free source of gaining technical details about various parameters of solar system.

In the 5th issue of Enjoy Solar, the details of how to select the best inverter for the solar system were available.

comes fully loaded with features making it a reliable source of power generation and easy to monitor the Return of Investment (ROI).

Do you have any specific plans for the Indian market?

The solar inverter market in India is dominated by utility scale followed by commercial & residential scale segment.

India being one of the largest solar market globally, GoodWe have always focused How GoodWe is having an upper hand on product quality and customer services in terms of technological advancement being fruitfully awarded with regular building customer trust and increasing and innovations in its products? inverter supply in India. Focusing on Indian Solar market requirements, we are GoodWe offers MT Series Solar Inverter planning to launch 1500V inverter solution solution which comes in 50kW to 80kW in its product basket. Thus, keeping capacity. MT series inverters have inverter solutions up to date with market become a necessary choice for C&I and Utility scale project due to its technological scenario and technology drag along with dedicated services, we have plans to strength for high performance even at support maximum number of solar giants harsh conditions of 50 degree Celsius. in India.

The MT Series inverters come with 50 percent DC overloading and 15 percent What is your major USP among Indian AC overloading feature along with 4 customers as compared to the close MPPT having range of 200V to 1000V. peers? How do you market your The inverter is made to adapt in extreme products in India? conditions like high heat of 50 degree Celsius, high humidity of 85 percent along GoodWe have full-fledged 1kW to 80kW with protection grade of IP65 keeping it solar inverter product basket containing operational in heavy rain and dust. solar solutions for residential, Commercial PV technology has been developing & Industrial and utility scale projects and rapidly aiming at reducing LCOE and Storage Inverter Solutions. Strong R&D the PV inverter plays an important role.

Though MT Series inverter solutions have backing the inverter technology for the company provides high sense of reliability IP65 protection grade, it comes with an intelligent ventilation design which allows which lead to GoodWe serving some the major giants of the industry. Major USP strong heat dissipation with the help of of GoodWe is that we believe in sharing smart fans thus ensuring long product knowledge and profit and not just marking lifespan. It offers 99 percent efficiency sales. GoodWe’s R&D team is dedicated rate along with a flexible and light weight to build smart, efficient and intelligent design; the 80kW MT series inverter inverter along with excellent design best weighs only 72kgs making it easy to suitable for harsh weather conditions. operate and maintain.

Also, GoodWe provides a lifetime free GoodWe MT Series inverter solution monitoring platform to customers which come with various other feature which keep these inverters ahead in the market. makes it easy to track your Return-onInvestment. And over the above, its is all Key features like DC reverse current build by GoodWe itself. alarm, String level monitoring with smart detection, Arc fault circuit interrupter, Shed some light on GoodWe’s latest Power line communication with PLC, battery storage system along with its WIFI and various other communication port sources, I-V curve scanning function, features.

Anti PID function, Insulation monitoring, Integrated residual current monitoring unit, GoodWe is pleased to introduce the ESA Series, an ‘All-in-One’ hybrid system that etc. GoodWe MT series inverter solution

is designed to simplify the installation process to the maximum. It consists of the following elements: a hybrid inverter, a battery bank and a pre-wired system located inside a modern cabinet; it also includes connection devices and a preset cable slot. It is estimated that this system reduces the installation cost by as much as 60 percent!

Features • Pre-Installed Devices: Built-in DC switch, AC breaker (On-Grid/Backup), battery breaker, switch board, earth terminal and communication unit.

• Pre-Wired Design: The smart meter, the battery and the AC breaker are prewired and pre-connected at the factory and the moment the set reaches the end users, it is ready to be deployed and installed.

• Preset Cable Slot: As part of the systems design, there is a cable slot, where external PV and CT cables to the grid or the loads can be placed.

• In addition, the ESA system is also equipped with an AC load bypass switch, used for switching the load supply from the backup to the grid; the bypass switch also performs the rapid shutdown protection through the connection of an additional external breaker with a switch board.

How has been GoodWe’s growth journey so far?

GoodWe has been regularly evolving as a top listed solar inverter manufacturer being recognized by Bloomberg, IHS Markit and Wood Mackenzie. With a mission to provide hassle free products and solutions, GoodWe have partnered with various solar giants like Tata power solar, Sterling and Wilson, Bosch, etc and served them with best of its products and services. High performing inverters have helped GoodWe gain customer satisfaction leading increased to increased reliability on the brand.

GoodWe have received its recognition after many years of painstaking research, continuously achieving innovative breakthroughs in the world of inverter technology. Inverters being highly efficient and intelligent combined with flexible and light weight design makes GoodWe an obvious choice for every project.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 33

OPED

SOLAR ENERGY AND EV CHARGING

INFRASTRUCTURE

34 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

OPED With the push to move to electric mobility at a national scale, and with the government being very enthusiastic about deployment of electric vehicles, the electronic industry can expect to see a lot of activity around indigenous development and manufacturing.

While electric vehicles are being worked upon by major OEMs, an ecosystem for development of chargers, charging stations and software & cloud services is steadily being built. Established companies as well as various start-ups, have started working on these areas and results are starting to show. However, there is still a lot of opportunity to make even better, the electronics side of it.

The government, with the help of BIS, ARAI, EESL and other bodies, has already released technical specifications on charging stations and some of the original specifications like the AC-001 and the DC-001 have already been developed and charging stations have been deployed at select locations. The newer guidelines require the charging stations to be equipped with multi standard chargers, viz. AC Type 2, the CCS and the CHADEMO, in addition to the lower power AC and DC-001. However, these systems are reliant entirely on the grid, are subject to real estate availability at prime urban and semi-urban locations, and the question of the grid being ready and equipped for these added loads, still remains.

This is where, solar energy and storage comes into picture to not only supplement the grid but to also work standalone at feasible locations across the country. Fortunately, India has seen successful solar deployment and the abundance of solar energy due to its geographic location. The one-time installation and capital expense, works well for at least 20-25 years, with the return on investment, taken care of in a few years. The energy input henceforth, becomes virtually free. The subsequent sections will illustrate a feasible implementation that may be adopted to harness solar energy, store it and use it for EV charging. It will touch upon energy harnessing & storage schemes, distributed battery management, power conversion and connectivity, which are the basic building blocks for a modular, scalable, solar powered EV charging station.

A typical solar EV charging station implementation is depicted through the diagram below. The major building blocks are selfexplanatory.

Figure 1: Solar EV charging station functional blocks There is the user side, which basically depicts the functionalities visible to the end user. Information exchange and the user interaction is taken care of, here. It would typically consist of a TFT screen with touch sensing, NFC card readers for authentication or payments, and maybe also a Bluetooth interface for more advanced features.

The vehicle is physically connected to any of the output ports: AC slow charge for smaller vehicles and e rickshaws, AC fast charging for some classes of vehicles and of course, DC fast charging. The user has to authenticate himself, set his charge preferences and he needs to wait till the charge session is over. However, the more complex functions go on behind the scene, which are controlled and monitored by the central controller in conjunction with many different other modules.

Power flow and energy management: The system has 3 sources of power. First and foremost, are the solar panels. The sizing estimation is beyond the scope of this article, but, it is typically a few kilowatts at the minimum. A panel would typically produce at rated irradiance, about 150W/square meter. The solar panels feed the MPPT module. This is a DC-DC converter with a maximum power point tracking algorithm running inside it. These are typically very high efficiency units, running at excesses of 98% electrical efficiency. These are typically multiphase interleaved buck or buckboost converters, and operating levels are at a few hundred volts at both the input and output side. Isolation may or may not be a requirement, but most implementations are galvanically isolated for regulatory and safety reasons. The output feeds a common DC bus, from which downstream energy may be provided to the load. The implementation may be analog, fully digital or a mix of analog and digital control.

The second source is the grid. This may be optional, as the intent is to maximize the usage of solar. However, in areas where intermittent grid is available, or where the solar insolation is not entirely sufficient for operation year-long, or during certain seasons, grid helps in fulfilling the demand. Since the system is essentially a solar energy storage setup, it is also possible to use this station to supplement the grid, during peak hours or as a solar farm, using bidirectional grid tied inverters. With proper policies in place for exporting to the grid from solar farms or from captive plants with nett metering, this serves a dual purpose too.

The third source and the sink/storage, is the battery. The trend these days is to use Li Ion batteries which have very high cycle life, lends itself well to quick charging, very high depth of discharge and very high volumetric efficiency. It is possible to house these batteries underground, to save real estate. These Li Ion battery packs are arranged in a suitable series parallel combination, and in several strings. The batteries terminate themselves into a junction box and termination unit, which also functions as a supervisor.

Each battery has a data port, typically CAN or RS485, and these are daisy chained and fed to this termination unit, which then has a top level view of the health and status of every individual battery, string or the entire battery bank. This is essentially a data concentrator and a switching unit, putting battery packs IN or OUT of circuit. In addition, this communicates with the central controller to decide the charge and discharge of the batteries.

The following diagram makes the power system architecture quite clear. This is a modular system, to allow for suitable expansion, and modules are typically expandable and 3-5kW each with a communication bus, typically CAN or MODBUS/RS485. The central controller is able to configure the modules as per the functional requirement at any point of time: be it charge management, be it load management or be it diagnostic checks. There is a provision within the controller to also monitor the energy usage, basically Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 35

OPED kWh consumed, kWh stored and kWh generated/exported. It can also communicate with industry standard energy meters for 2) Power management: This is the most critical yet invisible part of the station. The system controller continually monitors the billing and tariff setting purposes. power scenario: supply and demand. Then it decides how to fulfill the demand, from the supply. Whether solar alone is able to supply the load, or is a combination of solar and storage is needed or it needs partial input from the grid as well. There may be scenarios, where there could be excess availability or excess demand. It is intelligent enough to route power correspondingly, by altering the settings of the various power blocks described above.

Figure 2: The power system architecture at the back end

3) Connectivity: These days, stations and deployments need to be connected to the cloud for remote monitoring and control. It has to talk to the CMS (Central Management System) periodically, to report transactions, parametric, diagnostics and operational data. It also needs to take operational commands and settings from the CMS. So a multitude of connectivity options, both wired and wireless is provided. 3G/4G, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and even LoRa has been used for remote monitoring.

The major power management blocks: The DC DC converter block is fed from the DC bus. Depending on the type of vehicle 4) Protections, diagnostics and fault reporting: The system, in order to prevent malfunction, has very fast acting protection mechanisms connected, and the demand raised by the vehicle BMS for the that may be triggered by external events like surges or lightning required voltage and current, the central controller configures strikes, or due to operational issues, accidental or deliberate the DC DC converter over the communication bus. This option misuse/abuse or from short circuits, over temperature or over is typically for DC fast charging, and multiple DC DC converter voltage/over current conditions. To keep operational costs low modules would work in tandem to fulfill the load. The DC AC and to have minimal downtime, systems are able to self-report inverter, is also fed from the DC bus, but this caters to vehicles issues that may arise from time to time. Modular build allows which can only accept AC to charge or for general slow charging pin pointing which faulty section needs to be replaced at the applications. The bi-directional inverter serves two purposes: It field, so the technician can arrive well prepared. either feeds the DC bus to fulfill the demand or, it exports power back to the grid, when the charging station is lying idle or is needed to supplement the grid during peak hours. The key figures of merit A brief explanation of how a solar EV charging system may be deployed, has been given above. Feasible working solutions and for any power conversion block these days are: various sub-modules may be experienced at the STMicroelectronics 1. V ery high efficiency: >95% end to end, are now realistic figures India Development center in Noida, and it is possible to customize 2. Very high power densities: Smaller and even smaller systems, designs as per the needs of the OEM. E Mobility and EV charging infrastructure is one of the key focus areas and relentless research as real estate is a significant deployment cost is being done to address high performances in all the functional Both of the above points are met with, using advancements in blocks described above. End to end silicon for realizing realistic silicon. Wide band gap semiconductors, especially silicon carbide EV Charging stations, is available, along with many reference devices, are able to work at very high switching frequencies, at designs, to keep the time to market small. much higher junction temperatures and with higher efficiencies.

In addition to this, there is an automatic reduction in the size of the passive components like magnetics and capacitors. Better magnetics materials also lend to smaller and low loss designs handling much higher powers.

The master central controller is the brain of the station. It performs functions starting from identifying and engaging the user/subscriber till ensuring the vehicle is charged in an optimal manner. It is a powerful combination of high performance computing, connectivity and sensing. The major functionalities are as 1) User ID and payment: This is the most visible functionality as far as the user is concerned. This is done through a smart card, an OTP, NFC enabled phones or even Bluetooth. All these sub systems are controlled by the MPU/MCU on board.

36 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

RANAJAY MALLIK SRA-SAIL STMicroelectronics

MILESTONES UPDATES

Renewables Generated More Electricity Than Coal in the US Last Month In peak winter, renewable energy (utility-scale solar, wind and hydropower) sources gen-erated more electricity than coal plants in the US in February. Specifically, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) new hourly electric grid monitor, renewables generated 56,981,597 megawatt-hours of electricity during February while coal produced 54,733,731 MWh. The data comes with a few caveats. EIA notes that the numbers are not final (there is a two-month lag until numbers are confirmed in the Administration’s Electric Power Month-ly) and that the new web-based resource is still undergoing beta testing. Still, the likelihood that renewable generation outperformed coal during the winter, historically a high-demand season for coal-fired generators, is a clear sign of the rapid transition that is re-shaping the US electricity sector.

The first time renewables outproduced coal, last April, was a landmark month according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Adding that February 2020’s results are, if anything, even more important given the time of the year and some of the underlying data. As it had noted at the time, the April 2019 results were somewhat influenced by the industry practice of taking coal plants offline during lower-demand sea-sons (spring and fall) to perform maintenance and upgrades in preparation for higher en-ergy demand during the summer and winter months.

Even more interesting is comparing the daily figures of coal generation last April with this February’s results. February logged 11 days when coal-fired generation totalled less than 1.8 million megawatt-hours (MWh); last April witnessed only five such days.

At the other extreme, April 2019 marked 13 days when coal-fired generation topped 2 million MWh; February 2020 recorded only eight. Most tellingly, for the month as a whole, coal-generated an average of 1.98 million MWh daily last April; while this February the daily average was just 1.88 million MWh.

Gujarat Tops in Rooftop Solar; Gets Highest Ever Registrations for Residential Sector in 4 Months

Adding another feather in its cap, Gujarat has received highest ever applications for the installation of residential rooftop solar systems during the past four to five months period, as confirmed by the sources.

State-owned Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) has received more than 1,15,000 ap-plications for residential rooftop solar installations. Till date, it has received applications for an aggregate capacity of over 441 MW for residential rooftop solar installations.

A spokesperson from the state-owned agency said that “this is the highest ever registra-tions done in the last four months in Gujarat.”

He further added that “after seeing the sig-nificant response for 38 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

residential rooftop solar scheme, we have, now, further extended the date for submitting the application till March 15, 2020.”

Now, it is expected that GUVNL will receive application requests for an aggregate 500 MW of capacity till the closure of the program.

For the next financial year also, the state-owned organization is planning to bring a new scheme in which it is expected to add approx. 600 MW of additional capacities in the resi-dential rooftop solar segment.

Moreover, GUVNL is also planning that in the near future, a consumer can apply directly from its sub-divisional offices for the installation of a rooftop solar system and the infor-mation will be uploaded directly by the office. Currently, rooftop solar installers are apply-ing on the portal on behalf of the consumer, as confirmed by the person aware of the mat-ter.

As of now, a total of 459 rooftop solar installer companies have been empanelled which can apply for the scheme in Gujarat on behalf of the consumer.

As on January 31, 2020, aggregate capacity of 2,376.50 MW solar rooftop systems has been installed in the country.

Rosatom’s 1st and Russia’s Largest Wind Farm Begins Supplying Electricity

The largest wind farm in Russia has begun supplying electric power and capacity to the Wholesale Electricity and Capacity Market. The Adygea Wind Warm is the first completed project of NovaWind JSC (the ROSATOM division responsible for wind energy projects). The project with a total capacity of 150 MW consists of 60 wind turbines. Localisation de-gree of facility equipment confirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation is 65 percent.

Through its localisation program, NovaWind plans to bring the degree to 80-85 percent.

As part of the current localisation program, the task concerning batch production of wind turbine components and assemblies in the territory of the Russian Federation was solved. Rosatom is a system integrator that effectively accomplishes a full range of tasks, such as designing wind farms, making its own production of wind turbine components, managing the supply chain and logistics of components to the site, subsequent service and opera-tion. It is currently implementing a program for wind farm construction at four more sites in the Stavropol Kray and the Rostov Region. The next largest wind farm with an installed capacity of 210 MW will appear in the Kochubeyevsky district of the Stavropol Kray. Over-all, by 2023, the firm will install 1 GW of wind farms.

Rosatom, is a state-backed nuclear specialist from Russia, which has morphed into a global firm with huge nuclear ambitions. It is one of the largest companies in Russia, and it is also implementing the Kudankulam power plant in India, besides a 67% share of the world construction market for nuclear plants currently.

MILESTONES UPDATES

Record Amount of Wind Turbine Capacity Ordered Globally in 2019 2019 saw nearly 100 GW of global wind turbine order capacity, shattering the previous record set in 2018, according to a new analysis from Wood Mackenzie. As noted in the report, ‘Global Wind Turbine Order Analysis: Q1 2020’, this record demand resulted in an estimated USD 78 billion in wind turbine order capacity in 2019, USD 25 billion of that to-tal is attributed to Q4 2019. As per the analysis, the global wind turbine order intake in-creased by 8.4 GW in Q4 2019 and 39 GW for the full year.

China is integral to this growth, both onshore and offshore, with developers in the country ordering an astounding 50 GW of wind turbine capacity in 2019. A perfect demand storm last year yielded three consecutive quarters of 12 GW+ of wind turbine order intake in the country.

“Demand in China was primarily driven by the expiration of the feed-in-tariff (FIT) but was also enabled by new transmission capacity and the easing of red warnings in Northern provinces,” said Luke Lewandowski, Wood Mackenzie Research Director.

It further added that the global offshore

order intake reached 17 GW last year, with orders in China accounting for 76 percent of total demand.

“A nearly 2 GW surge in offshore orders in Taiwan last year – and to a lesser extent in Vi-etnam – resulted in firm offshore wind turbine order intake in the Asia Pacific, excluding China, exceeding offshore order intake in Europe for the first time within the annual peri-od,” added Lewandowski.

Demand for 4 MW+ onshore turbine platforms increased by 202 percent yearover-year, with a remarkable 8 GW ordered in China alone.

Wind Energy now the top Source of Renewable Electricity in America In 2019, the United States generated about 4.1 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.

According to new figures from the US Energy Information Administration, 63 percent is still generated by fossil fuels, while 20 percent is generated by nuclear power plants.

And roughly 18 percent is now generated by renewable resources such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power from dams and other water-generated power plants.

In the renewable energy sector, which is surging and is predicted to be meet nearly 40 percent of the US energy market within the next three decades, wind is the one that is breezing to the front of the pack. For the first time in history, wind turbines created more electricity than the longtime renewable champ, hydroelectric dams.

“The past decade saw a steady increase in wind capacity across the country and we capped the decade with a monumental

achievement for the industry in reaching more than 100 GW,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.

“With all of that capacity in the ground wind projects were able to deliver 7.2 percent of the na-tion’s electricity in 2019. That means US wind farms can power over 32 million homes from close to 60,000 wind turbines spinning across 41 states. The industry is proud to provide consumers with clean, affordable power that keeps utility costs stable and avoids carbon emissions contributing to climate change.

“And more wind energy is coming, as the industry is well into investing USD 62 billion in new projects over the next few years that put us on the path to achieving 20 percent of the nation’s electricity mix in 2030. As a result, wind is positioned to remain the largest renewable energy generator in the country for the foreseeable future.”

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 39

THE CONVERSATION

SUKHWINDER PAL SINGH Director – Energy Ingeteam Power Technology India Pvt. Ltd.

Auctions Designed in Innovative Ways Can Help Achieve Specific Country Goals One of the main trends to procure renewables-based electricity at the lowest price -while fulfilling other objectives- is the use of auctions.

Auctions designed in innovative ways can help to achieve specific country goals, beyond solely procuring electricity at the lowest price. These goals might include ensuring greater participation of communities or other new and small players, and maximising the socio-economic benefits of renewables, believes Sukhwinder Pal Singh, Director – Energy, Ingeteam Power Technology India Pvt Ltd, Indian arm of Spanish electrical conversion and turbine control equipment supplier Ingeteam. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Singh shared his views on various topics including company’s product offerings, importance of investment in R&D, latest technology, policy etc. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

Tell our readers in brief about Ingeteam and its various product offerings for the green energy sector, especially in India. Major milestones.

Ingeteam is an international corporation headquartered in Spain, with state of the art own technology on rotating machines, power electronics and automation and control systems. We are present in 22 countries and new markets with 4,000 employees around the world.

We at Ingeteam had a successful year in the renewable energy sector not only in India but globally also. Our success was driven by our range of high quality products and services which helped us to have strong presence globally. Particularly for India we are proud that we were able to ship 1 GW of wind converters from our manufacturing unit in Chennai and for solar had strong references in string inverters apart from large battery storage project that would be commissioned in 2020 with Ingeteam Storage central inverters. With the new product launches in 2020 we see good opportunities for us.

Shed some light on the company’s R&D infrastructure along with the yearly investment in it R&D is the backbone of Ingeteam’s business activity, in which more than 5 percent of the company’s turnover is invested annually and more than 500 persons are working in the R&D dept. Our people are key to our success. Ingeteam is always developing products that are

40 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

at the same time more robust, more reliable, with a greater power density, with the latest communication and control features and with more advanced grid support functionalities in order to meet the increasingly demanding international regulations. Ingeteam applies these R&D improvements in all the products that it designs and manufactures for the different market segments: utility scale wind, utility scale PV, residential PV, commercial and industrial PV, utility scale energy storage systems and residential hybrid systems.

What is Ingeteam’s market USP as compared to the close peers? Name a few major clients.

Ingeteam is a global supplier that provides a very wide range of products and services for different sectors: string and central PV inverters, wind converters, energy storage battery inverters, MV solutions, wind and hydro generators, O&M services, etc. We have been into RE sector for more than 30 years. We offer a comprehensive range of proven and reliable electrical equipment, fully integrated solutions. This is a key differentiator that is valued by our customers for two reasons: i). Most of our competitors cannot offer such a wide scope of supply. ii). Our presence in so many different industrial sectors gives our customers a greater confidence in our brand, as we are a more bankable company that will not leave them behind.

THE CONVERSATION Few months back Ingeteam crossed 1 GW production milestone at its India manufacturing facility for wind converters. Shed more light on this facility in terms of technology, production, employment generation etc.

market is quiet competitive in terms of prices, how do you deal with it?

Definitely India is a price sensitive market so we need to keep working on the technology to help meet the expectations of our valued clients by helping reducing on the overall BOS with our products, We established our new cutting-edge solutions and services. Competition is Indian facility in autumn of 2018 in the vicinity of Chennai to satisfy the demand normal in any sector. It is true that price pressure in the solar power sector is a key for wind power converters and control cabinets from both local and international factor, but it is also true that and thanks to that, the solar PV technology is now OEMs. In response to positive trends in the most competitive energy generation both the domestic and global markets, technology in many countries, and it will the 3,500 m² production facility was probably become the most competitive recently expanded by about 50 percent technology all over the world in the to reach 4,900 m². Similarly, we have coming years. This means that the global tripled the staff headcount to reach market will grow and the opportunities 82 employees, and introduced three additional products to its local production for all the manufacturers will be many.

We are committed to innovation and range in the past year. Agility is at the core of our production strategy. Our Chennai wind facility has been built on While there is a modular design, which allows us to no dearth of rapidly ramp production up or down government according to ever-changing market incentives in India, conditions. This flexibility plays a big role in ensuring that our production the lack of adequate centre remains both highly efficient infrastructure and and cost-effective. In 2018, Ingeteam’ s unaffordable price technology was deployed on 15 percent of EVs are a big of the newly added wind capacity in challenge.”

India and reached 1 GW of production output within the first year of operations.

For 2020, the company expects to development of full in-house technology experience steady sales growth, with & continue to remain flexible. Our major gains in all key markets. engineering teams can provide clients with flexible solutions tailored to meet their What are the latest changes in the project needs. inverter technology side? Do you find the Indian market receptive to the Do you have any future investment or latest tech? expansion plans in next three to five years for India?

The main technology trend that we see in the PV inverter business is the Indian market has been consistent development of 1500V PV inverters for the last few years and we see that with a greater power output. Thus, PV trend to continue in the years to come. inverters with a greater power density, Though there are challenges to meet at both string inverter level and central inverter level. At central inverter level, we the targets set by the Govt. in order to are seen liquid-cooled developments that achieve 100 GW but still enough scope for the renewable energy players to can provide a greater amount of power thanks to the greater cooling capacity of be sustainable for long term in India.

That is the reason why we see a lot of the liquid coolant. At string inverter level companies investing in manufacturing in we also see larger inverters that achieve India looking at the long term, including several hundreds of kilowatts.

Ingeteam. We will continue to invest in India and build on our already established As most of the players say that Indian

“

network of manufacturing, sales and services to provide our clients with the latest technology products and services meeting not only the Indian standards, but also global ones.

What are your suggestions for the Indian policy makers in order to provide further boost to the market?

One of the main trends to procure renewables-based electricity at the lowest price -while fulfilling other objectives- is the use of auctions. Auctions designed in innovative ways can help to achieve specific country goals, beyond solely procuring electricity at the lowest price.

These goals might include ensuring greater participation of communities or other new and small players, and maximising the socio-economic benefits of renewables.

As electric vehicles market in India is likely to witness boom, what are your plans to tap this market?

The EV market is dependent on the incentives being provided by the government and also on the technology and innovations. While there is no dearth of government incentives in India, the lack of adequate infrastructure and unaffordable price of EVs are a big challenge. Though we feel the market may take further 1-2 years to reach to its potential we at Ingeteam are already geared up for the EV Solutions as despite the Indian automotive market experiencing a decline in FY2019, the electric vehicle market is expected to keep growing in the coming years. With the B6 norms becoming applicable from April 2020, the electric vehicles will become more price competitive thus accelerating the electric vehicle sales in the country.

Since 2011, we have been present in the E-Mobility Sector, with the development and supply of AC and DC charging stations to our customers under the INGEREV® trademark, with the FUSION, RAPID 50, GARAGE and GARAGE Basic, CITY Duo and CITY Ground models. The increasing deployment of electric vehicles in all areas of mobility, for both business and private use, requires charging stations that are adapted to meet all possible needs.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 41

SOLIS FEATURE

SOLIS REOPENS IN CHINA ON FEBRUARY 10

Solis or Ginlong (Solis) as it is called in China, has become one of the earliest firms in the sector to restart operations after the shutdown caused by the Coronavirus and measures taken to combat it. The return to normalcy is a critical sign of the overall sector returning back to work, considering China’s role worldwide in the renewable energy sector. The firm has shared its steps taken to manage the return in detail.

Coronavirus Spread Situation For Solis, which has its own factory in Ningbo, Zhejiang, almost 1000km away from Wuhan City, the epicenter of the outbreak, the break was a blow, like all other manufacturers.

The firm informs us that as a county with a population of approximately 550,000, by March 5, 2020, only 2 infection cases 42 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

have been confirmed, an extremely low level. Up to now, these 2 infection cases have been discharged from the hospital and there has been no new infection found. Thus, local administration has seen it fit to assume that the coronavirus spread is under control locally and the quarantine could be ended in the very near future.

Employee Safety The publicly listed Ginlong (Solis) and its subsidiary companies have reported that no employee was infected in the factory. As the first priority, Ginlong (Solis) had imposed the most critical and professional protection and prevention systems in all sites to ensure facilities and employees’ safety. Ginlong (Solis) employees from Hubei province have been temporarily prevented from returning with no time limitation. Local employees being the main workforce

SOLIS FEATURE 2. Health Management Keep abreast of the information of pre-return workers, understand their return times and transportation methods, and comprehensively grasp the current physical conditions of return workers, contact with personnel in areas with severe epidemics, and health status of immediate family members. Implement the main responsibility of enterprise supervision to ensure safe resumption of work.

All employees are required to take a daily temperature test before going to work and wear a mask to work all day. Occasionally, a temperature sampling test is performed to prevent people at risk during their employment. Ginlong (Solis) actively organizes employees from other provinces to perform nucleic acid detection tests for the new coronavirus disease. A nucleic acid test sample can be collected in less than 1 minute, and the collected sample is sent to a medical laboratory for testing. Ginlong (Solis) is making every effort to take scientific precautions and to provide the safest working environment for employees. To date, 579 employees participating in the nucleic acid test have tested negative for the coronavirus.

3. Full disinfection Comprehensively clean and disinfect the facilities, equipment, vehicles, etc. of the factory area, public places in the workshop, and people’s gathering places (dormitories, restaurants, etc.), and conduct ventilation and sanitation management.

4. Prevention and Control Training The company issued internal publicity materials for epidemic prevention manuals, carried out online personal protection knowledge training for all employees, and hanged and posted anti-epidemic and epidemic prevention slogans in important eye-catching locations such as companies, workshops, canteens, and accommodations, and effectively raised the awareness of epidemic prevention and control among all employees.

5. Catering control Breakfast for employees is sold as a set menu. There is a line in the cafeteria (1 meter apart). It is not allowed to eat in the cafeteria.

Lunch and dinner: It‘s recommended that all employees bring their own plates (chopsticks and spoons must be prepared by themselves or the company provides disposable tableware for use), meal time, etc.

All staff: Eat in canteens in batches. A table in the restaurant can only be used by one person. All meals are placed by the staff after have been asked to work overtime to ensure our production and the meal is served, and the dishes are recycled by the restaurant staff after the meal. shipments.

The firms risk management protocol was also shared , 1. Ensure that there are no “risk groups” in the enterprise Before resuming work, each worker was checked, filled in the “Enterprise Return-worker Registration Form”, compiled the “Enterprise Return-worker Survey Form”, and formulated the “Enterprise Return worker Epidemic Prevention Plan” to implement various epidemic prevention measures.

Employees from Hubei (Wuhan) and other provinces with severe outbreaks in areas outside the province were notified in advance to postpone their return.

6. Material management and control The epidemic prevention materials shall be placed uniformly, and the material distribution management personnel shall properly keep special items (such as disinfection tablets, disinfection water), etc., and the materials that have been made up shall be reported to the procurement in a timely manner.

The implementation of the above measures, the capacity of Ginlong (Solis) has been fully restored to the normal level. The firm is hopeful that this return to normalcy for them will be followed with normalcy in the rest of the world too, where it hopes to return to its key markets as a key supplier once again.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 43

EV UPDATES

Iberdrola Accelerates EV Plans, to Install 150,000 Charging Points by 2025 Iberdrola has decided to ramp up its sustainable mobility plan, with more investment – a total of 150 million euros – to provide an even larger number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points within the next five years.

The firm has made transport electrification one of the priorities of its strategy to transition toward a decarbonised economy based on renewable energy and smart networks, which is why it is stepping up the charging infrastructure plan in Spain, and implementing it in other markets where it operates, such as the United Kingdom, Portugal and Italy.

The new sustainable mobility plan entails installing around 150,000 electric vehicle charging points – six times the number in the original plan – in homes, companies and public highways in cities as well as the main motorways and highways over the next five years.

The availability of these infrastructures on public roads is essential to meet the demand for charging points, to cater to the demand foreseen and to cover Spain’s main road and motorway network.

Because of this, Iberdrola is installing rapid charging stations and will provide ultra-rapid stations (350 kW) every 200 kilometres,

super-rapid (150 kW) every 100 kilometres and rapid (50 kW), every 50 kilometres. Electric vehicle drivers using Iberdrola charging points can charge their electric vehicles with 100 percent green energy from clean generation sources with renewable Guarantee of Origin (GoO) certificates.

The firm’s new five-year Sustainable Mobility Plan is more ambitious than the programme for 2021, with approximately 25,000 charging points (residential, companies and public, urban and on highways and motorways) in Spain.

GM Reveals new Ultium Batteries and Flexible Platform for EV Expansion

General Motors (GM) has shared details of its strategy to grow the company’s electric vehicle (EV) sales quickly, efficiently and profitably. “Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO. “What we have done is build a multibrand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size

truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”

At the heart of GM’s strategy is a modular propulsion system and a highly flexible, thirdgeneration global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries. They will allow the company to compete for nearly every customer in the market today, whether they are looking for affordable transportation, a luxury experience, work trucks or a high-

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performance machine.

“Thousands of GM scientists, engineers and designers are working to execute a historic reinvention of the company,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “They are on the cusp of delivering a profitable EV business that can satisfy millions of customers.”

The firm has pointed out that its flexible, modular approach to EV development will drive significant economies of scale and create new revenue opportunities, including: Continuous Improvement in Battery Costs • Flexibility • Capital Efficiency • Complexity Reduction • Rising Customer Acceptance • New Sources of Revenue Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick will all be launching new EVs starting this year.

The next new Chevrolet EV will be a new version of the Bolt EV, launching in late 2020, followed by the 2022 Bolt EUV, launching Summer 2021.

EV UPDATES

Jaguar Land Rover Partners With Tata Power for EV Charging Solutions Jaguar Land Rover India has announced that it has entered into a partnership with Tata Power to offer end-to-end EV charging solutions. As per the agreement for the partnership, Tata Power will provide charging solutions for Jaguar Land Rover in India, across its retail network of 27 outlets in 24 cities and at the customer’s residence and/or office.

India’s largest integrated Power Company, Tata Power will be responsible for providing a range of AC and DC chargers, starting from 7 kW to 50 kW capacity. The firm will be the preferred partner to facilitate the installation and management of chargers at the designated premises and other after-sales related support services.

“The partnership with Tata Power will be a tremendous value addition for Jaguar Land Rover customers as it provides a onestop solution to their charging needs and also provides easy accessibility to the wide network of public charging infrastructure being set up by Tata Power across India. This tie-up is one step forward in creating the right ecosystem enabling a simple and hassle-free charging experience for owners of our first Electric Vehicle, the Jaguar I-PACE, which makes its debut in India later this year,” said Rohit Suri, president and managing director, Jaguar

Land Rover India. Tata Power has a network of over 120 charging points across public, captive, residential & corporate segments addressing different charging standards.

Ramesh Subramanyam, CFO and president – New Business, Tata Power Company Limited said “Tata Power is delighted to work with Jaguar Land Rover India as an end-to-end EV charging partner.

As India’s leading integrated player in the EV charging space, we will provide Jaguar Land Rover India’s EV customers with easy, ubiquitous and seamless charging experience at their Homes, Offices and Public places.”

NTPC Tenders for Operation of 90 Electric Buses in Bengaluru

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN) has invited bids on a ‘Limited Tender’ bidding basis for the operation of 90 electric buses for a period of 10 years in the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The scope of the proposal includes the operation of the electric buses in the city of Bengaluru. The broad scope of the proposal includes the operation of the electric buses

on given routes in the city as per the statutory rules and regulations in the state of Karnataka adhering to the time schedules indicated by NVVN & Authority. The scope also includes regular day to day cleaning, maintenance activities other than covered under Annual Maintenance Contract by bus manufacturers and providing all other consumables required for operations, making

timely payments towards annual insurance premiums, roadworthiness/fitness certificate, RTO charges, penalties levied upon by local authorities for non- compliance of rules & regulations and all the other statutory taxes and duties payable for uninterrupted operations of the buses.

In November 2019, NVVN had issued three tenders, inviting bids from eligible firms for the operation of 250 electric buses in three cities of Madhya Pradesh. The project will be completed under the second phase of the ’Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II) scheme. The bids were invited for the operation of 50 buses for the city of Jabalpur, 100 buses for the city of Bhopal, and 100 buses for the city of Indore.

T he scope of the tender under the procurement of the 250 electric buses included the design, manufacturing, and supply of 250 fully electric AC buses.

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OPED

PANKAJ MOHANPURIA Brand Manager HomeScape Solar – Residential Arm of Amplus Solar Over last few decades, scientists are trying to come up with innovative and efficient ways to utilize energy from the sun. From times immemorial, humans across different civilisations have worshipped the sun as a God due to its various life-giving properties, and rightfully so. We have been using sun for its heating and lighting properties for many years now, but the power generation properties were put to use only in the 1950s when the first photovoltaic cells were made available for commercial use. From that to today, after 6 decades of existence of photovoltaics, the biggest use of solar energy is in power generation primarily.

Before jumping to any conclusions, let’s first analyse what are the various technologies to harness solar that have actually been successful.

Solar Technology Versus Fossil Fuels.

Is Endgame here?

the heat exchanger system in the tank.

But the highest temperature attained for domestic purposes is max. 80 degrees Celsius (MNRE website).

way, you can get maximum advantage from sun’s passive heating during winters.

But can solar energy replace fossil fuels?

Harnessing solar power on a commercial Solar thermal technology or scale was inefficient, unattractive and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP): unreliable until almost 2 decades ago, Also known as the concentrated solar but with technology and efficiency power technology, this is another way improvements has come government to harness solar energy. Sun rays are backing. Solar power tariff is at par with focussed on heating water, which the grid rates today. So can solar energy converts it into steam which can then replace fossil fuels? Can solar energy be be used to run steam turbines, thereby used in cement, steel and other energy generating electricity indirectly from intensive industries? The answer is Yes! the sun. But this technology is relatively Be it producing energy for use anywhere expensive. The energy harnessed in at scale, or with CSP, as explained this technology is largely different from above, it is now possible to produce the one in solar photovoltaics, here it is temperatures above 1000 degrees thermal energy. In concentrated solar power, sunlight is reflected and focussed Celsius and industries that use heat energy apart from electricity. The on a single point using mirrors. electricity that we use at our homes CSP could also be used for things other and offices forms only 25% of the form Photovoltaic cells (PV’s): These convert than simple power generation, like of energy that we need in the world. producing temperatures in excess of solar energy into electrical energy. A The other dominant form of energy is 1000 degrees in a solar power tower. At group of photovoltaic cells arranged 800-1200 degrees, even water molecules heat energy, which has a high share on a surface is called a solar panel. could be broken down into its constituent in emissions too. There are now startPhotovoltaic cells take up energy ups that are funded and working on molecules, hydrogen and oxygen. Work from the sun and converts it into making this technology commercially is on to make it viable. usable electricity. You may have seen exploitable. photovoltaic cells on a solar calculator, or on a rooftop nowadays. Be it idle rooftops Passive solar heating or cooling: Have Get on the solar bandwagon! or utility scale solar parks, PV’s are being you ever felt that the building gets If you are not already utilizing solar heated up if it has a glass window? pushed everywhere.. Out of a total solar energy to your advantage, there is no That’s because of the passive heating rooftop potential of 124 GW n India we better time than now to start. due to sun’s infrared radiation. For have been able to utilize only 4 GW If you an organisation or a company, large premises, especially offices and (approx.) so far. commit to using 100% renewable warehouses, solar energy can be efficiently used for centralised heating or electricity. Apart from that, if you are an Solar water heaters: These utilize even cooling with the help of evaporative industry that is using heat as a dominant thermal energy of the sun and work cooling systems that works even in high form of energy, keep yourself updated on the principle of heat transfer. Almost about the commercial viability of CSP in humidity. Buildings can be designed all solar water heaters come with a your area and explore transition fuels until and modelled to take advantage of the large collector tank and a storage tank. heating effect of sun in winters. For eg. It’s then.

Thermal energy of the sun heats up good to have large windows facing south That is the right thing to do today, for all the fluid in the collector system, which if you are in Northern hemisphere. In this citizens, individual or corporate. then transfers the heat to the water in 46 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

GRID UPDATES

PGCIL Subsidiary Granted Transmission License for 2 GW RE Projects in Gujarat T he C ent ral Ele c t r ic i t y R e gulator y Commis sion (CERC) has granted a transmission license to Powergrid Bhuj Transmission Limited (PBTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) to establish the transmission system for providing connectivity to renewable energy (RE) Projects at Bhuj-II (2 GW) in Gujarat on a Build, Own, Operate and Maintain (BOOM) basis.

Based on the competitive bidding carried out by PFC Consulting Limited (PFCCL) in accordance with the Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Power. PGCIL had emerged as the successful bidder with the lowest levelised transmission charges of Rs 1237.67 million per annum. The Commission after considering the application of the Petitioner in the light of the provisions of the Act and the Transmission Licence Regulations in its order dated January 24, 2020, prima facie proposed to grant the license to the Petitioner.

The commission noted that in its previous order, it had proposed to grant a transmission license to the Petitioner company and directed for the issue of public notice. In response to the public notice, no suggestions/ objections have been received. Central Transmission Utility (CTU) in its letter dated December 6, 2020, had recommended for grant of transmission license to the Petitioner.

“We are satisfied that the Petitioner company meets the requirements of the Act and the Transmission Licence Regulations for grant of transmission license for the subject transmission system of this order.

Accordingly, we direct that Transmission Licence be granted to the Petitioner, Powergrid Bhuj Transmission Limited, to establish ‘Transmission System for providing connectivity to RE Projects at Bhuj-II (2000 MW) in Gujarat’ on Build, Own, Operate and Maintain basis as per the details given above,” it said.

TenneT Secures EUR 250 Mn Loan for Offshore Wind Transmission Link The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a EUR 250 million loan agreement with TenneT Holding. The financing will be used for the western section of TenneT’s “Zuidwest 380 kV” project, which will enable the transmission of rapidly growing amounts of offshore wind energy to users in the Netherlands and beyond.

In its entirety, the Zuidwest 380 kV project also supports the increased connectivity of European electricity markets. Specifically, the EIB financing will support the construction of a new 380 kV transmission line – combined with a 150 kV line for part of the route – from the substation at Borssele to a new substation at Rilland.

One of the main reasons for the upgrade is the ongoing growth of offshore wind power generation capacity of the Dutch southwest coast, as part of the 1.4 GW Borssele Wind Farm Zone. The new grid connection will allow for the avoidance of congestion on the

high voltage grid once the wind farms are in operation and will facilitate the transfer of green, offshore electricity to demand centres.

“The Netherlands’ ambitious targets for renewable energy generation require more investment in the transmission network,” stated EIB Vice-President Andrew McDowell.

“That’s why the EIB, as the EU Climate Bank, is pleased to support this project.”

Otto Jager, CFO of TenneT added: “The switch from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is one of the biggest challenges the world is currently facing. It is an immense task for transmission system operators. This project in the southwest of the Netherlands will support us in maintaining our strong track record in the availability of our electricity grids. At the same time, this connection facilitates the integration of sustainable offshore wind energy into the Dutch electricity system.”

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Eversource, National Grid Propose Transmission Solutions for Greater Boston National Grid and Eversource have announced that they have submitted a range of proposals for transmission solutions that will provide Greater Boston with enhanced electricity reliability, increasing capacity for the flow of new clean energy resources, while having a minimal community or environmental impact.

New England’s power grid manager, ISO New England had said the station’s closing will create significant reliability risks in the Boston area, including overloaded transmission lines and overall system instability. To address those concerns, ISONE had issued a solicitation for competitive transmission solutions. The eight proposals include upgrades to existing properties, are cost-effective, and can be built before Exelon retires Mystic Station on June 1, 2024.

Some of the new proposals have the added benefit of enabling the cost-effective delivery of clean energy resources like offshore wind, with one capable of supporting an additional 1,100 megawatts of clean energy during peak demand hours.

“Our proposals will help usher in new clean energy resources, provide enhanced reliability for the region’s electrical system, and ensure these upgrades happen with little environmental impact,” said Rudy Wynter, president and COO of the Wholesale Networks & US Capital Delivery group within National Grid.

The eight proposals submitted by Eversource and National Grid range in cost from USD 48 million to USD 120 million, with the most cost-effective solution, containing the following benefits: • Maximises the use of existing transmission facilities in the Boston area; • Keeps upgrades entirely on properties already in use by the energy companies, minimizing the environmental impact; • Will be in-service eight months prior to the planned Mystic Station retirement; • C apitalises on the strong financial capabilities and unparalleled expertise of two companies that develop and construct transmission projects in Massachusetts and throughout New England.

L&T Bags Transmission and Solar Project Orders in India and Overseas

Infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro has announced that its power transmission and distribution business of L&T Construction has bagged significant orders in India and overseas.

In Bangladesh, the business has won a turnkey order for design, supply, installation, and commissioning of power transmission infrastructure for the 800 MW Rupsha power plant, it said in a statement. An order to build 220kV substations in Nepal has been received, it said, adding that an order to establish 380kV and 230kV transmission line corridors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also been bagged.

On the domestic front, the business has won an order to design and construct a 50 MW Solar Photovoltaic Plant in Tamil Nadu.

Additional orders have been received for ongoing transmission line jobs in India, it added. “L&T Construction awarded signif ic ant c ont racts for i ts power transmission and distribution business… in India and overseas,” it said.

The company did not provide the value of the contracts but said the orders fall under the “significant” category, which ranges between Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 2,500 crore according to the classification of contracts.

In Februar y, the f irm had repor ted another batch of orders that its Power, Transmission and Distribution Business of L&T Construction had secured. In the Philippines, the business has won an order to construct a 500 kV substation, in association with a prominent local player, that will cater to the growing demand for electricity in the metropolitan area of Manila.

On the domestic front, the business has won an order in Gujarat to construct a 765 kV Double Circuit Transmission Line that will help transmit power from renewable energy sources.

GRID UPDATES

Sterlite Power Completes Sale of Novo Estado Project to ENGIE’s Brazilian Arm One of the leading global developers in the power transmission space Sterlite Power has successfully completed the sale of its Novo Estado project in Brazil to French multinational electric utility company ENGIE’s arm in Brazil.

The Vedanta Group company, Sterlite Power, has informed that, the sale process of Sterlite Novo Estado Energia S.A. (Novo Estado) to ENGIE Transmissão de Energia S.A was concluded, with all precedent conditions met.

Thus, from now onwards, ENGIE will hold the 100 percent stake in Novo Estado, it added.

As per the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, Sterlite Power in Brazil has received the respective sale price which was agreed and signed between

the two companies earlier on December 23, 2019. However, the company did not disclose the sale amount.

Sterlite had won the Novo Estado Project in Brazil at the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency-ANEEL auction in December 2017.

The project includes 1, 831 km of transmission lines, 4,000 towers and 32,000 km of cables.

I t is ex p e c te d to c o nt r ib u te to t h e expansion of Nor th-Southeast and Nor th-Nor theast interconnections, in addition to part of the outflow of energy from Belo Monte HPP, contributing to the strengthening of an even more solid and active network in the development of the energy transmission system in Brazil and its North region.

The company which develops power transmission infrastructure is having projects of more than 13,315 circuit kms and 23,885 MVA in India and Brazil.

With a portfolio of power conductors, EHV cables and OPGW, the company also offers solutions for upgrading, uprating and strengthening existing networks. It is also the sponsor of IndiGrid, which is India’s first power sector Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT).

Sterlite Power Secures Rs 2,024 Cr Funding from IndusInd Bank, L&T Infra for Transmission Project in Gujarat Global player in the power transmission s p a c e S te r li te Powe r has s e c ure d funding for about Rs 2,024 crore for its power transmission project in Gujarat.

The company said that, it has achieved financial closure for its Lakadia Vadodara Transmission Project Ltd (LVTPL).

It further added that, we have secured funds worth Rs 2,024 crore from IndusInd Bank and L&T Infrastructure Finance.

C omment ing on t he development , Anuraag Srivastava, Group CFO of Sterlite Power, said that “this project is aligned to our country’s renewable energy target of 175 GW RE by 2022. As a leading global developer in power transmission, Sterlite Power aims to deliver and execute large scale renewable energy transmission projects across the country.”

The company had won this project in December last year under tariff-based

competitive bidding process in Gujarat.

The global power transmission assets developer had acquired this inter-state green energy corridor (GEC) transmission project from PFC Consulting Ltd. It will further execute this project (WRSS 21 – Part B) under Build, Own, Operate and Maintain (BOOM) model for a period of thirty five years.

Moreover, this project will connect the wind energy zones of Bhuj in the state of Gujarat to the load centres in both Maharashtra and Gujarat states, the company added.

Under the project, the company will be laying of 350 kms of 765 kV double-circuit transmission line connecting 765/400 kV Lakadia substation to Vadodara substation in the state of Gujarat.

Additionally, the project has an aggressive timeframe of 18 months for completion.

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MODULE UPDATES

Canadian Solar Sets 23.81% World Record Efficiency for Silicon Solar Cell

Canadian Solar, one of the world’s largest solar power companies, has announced its technology team set a world record of 23.81 percent conversion efficiency for n-type large area multi-crystalline silicon solar cell.

The record-setting N-type P5 cell conversion efficiency was recently tested and certified by Germany’s Institute für Solarenergieforschung GmbH (ISFH). This is the third time within a span of nine months that the company has set multi-crystalline solar cell conversion efficiency world record (see 22.8 percent and 22.28 percent records for p-type multi-crystalline cells).

Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar said, “I am very pleased to announce that we broke the world record yet again.

This is a milestone for our revolutionary n-type P5 technology development. It proves that both our p-type and n-type multicrystalline silicon technology can achieve efficiencies as good as mono. We remain focused on expanding our technology pipeline to provide our customers with the most LCOE-competitive products.”

The manufacturer has been developing and is commercially launching its P5 cell technology and solar module products.

In September 2019, Canadian Solar set a world record of 22.8 percent conversion efficiency for p-type P5 cell. The 23.81 percent

record efficiency multi-crystalline cell was fabricated utilizing 157mmx157mm (area 246.44 cm2) n-type P5 silicon wafer and PASCon (Passivated Contact) technology.

In February we had reported that the manufacturer had signed a multi-year module supply agreement with Lightsource BP to deliver 1.2 GW of high efficiency polycrystalline solar modules for projects in the US and Australia.

JinkoSolar Tiger Modules hit 1 GW in Orders, 3 Months After Launch

The new Tiger 465 Wp TR process of JinkoSolar, which began volume production in the first quarter of 2020, and will match yields similar to the original Cheetah process, is widening the technology lead over its rivals.

To date, the Tiger modules have recorded 1 GW in orders during the past three months.

Looking ahead, the module manufacturer sees strong demand and expects the next

few quarters to outperform their typical seasonal patterns. To support this rising demand, it is ramping up its advanced Tiger process technologies.

According to the firm, the volume production of the TR and TR+ process is one of the fastest on record and the process is one of the best the industry’s commercially available and economically sensible technologies up

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to 20.71 percent.

The firm which is one of the world’s largest solar module producers, hit a new high after CICC upgraded its rating from Neutral to Outperform.

From a full-year perspective, the firm is expected to enjoy solid revenue growth in key products such as Swan TB bifacial, high-performance Tiger and Tiger Plus using the N-Type process specially designed for home and business market. Tiger series capacity aims to reach 10 GW in the fourth quarter of 2020 and will account for about one-third full-year sales.

For the Swan Bifacial modules with a transparent DuPont backsheet has been perceived as one of the best selling bifacial panels to date. After delivery to the first client in Australia Q3 last year, JinkoSolar has booked nearly 2 GW of orders and the Swan bifacial module has become one of the best selling bifacial modules in the world.

MODULE UPDATES

LONGi Solar Modules Used for 100 MW Floating Solar Plant in Hunan LONGi Solar, one of the world’s leading solar technology companies has announced that the company has supplied 100 MW of its HiMO4m monofacial PERC modules for China Datang Corporation’s first floating solar plant in Hunan Province. It is established practice for the Datang Corporation to implement the strategic deployment of new energy, the floating solar plant being part of the 100 MW“Fishery-Solar Complementary” project owned by the Corporation’s subsidiary, Datang Huayin Electric Power.

Located in the water area of Changhe, Sihushan Town, Yiyang City, the project is the first floating solar plant in Hunan Province to integrate ecological and environmental protection with power generation. It has great significance in realizing the Datang Corporation’s goal of “building a world-class energy enterprise,” implementing its stated policy of restoring ecology and returning fishing to the Dongting Lake.

With a total of 100 MW of installed capacity, the floating plant is built incorporating PV power generation arrays, 35Kv power distribution, and quality stability facilities, a 110 kV booster station and an operational management center. This is the first cooperation between LONGi and Datang Huayin Electric Power.

The plant has adopted LONGi Hi-MO4m monofacial PERC modules and a floating

system from Sungrow Power, a key hightech enterprise focused on the R&D of new energy in China, and one of LONGi’s technology partners. Generally, the BOS cost of a floating solar plant is significantly higher than that of a ground mount plant, but the LONGi Hi-MO4m module can help reduce the BOS cost element of a floating configuration, creating value for the project owner.

JA Solar to Supply 100 MW Modules for Subsidy-Free Projects in Spain

JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic products, has announced that it is to supply modules to two 50 MW solar power plants in Alvarado-La Risca, a town in the region of Extremadura, Spain, with 100 MW high-efficiency mono PERC modules. The power plants are expected to enter operation in the third quarter of 2020.

Developed and built by a Spanish solar company – Solarpack,

the two subsidy-free projects were recently acquired by Green Investment Group Limited (GIG), which signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy Europe Limited. PPA is one of the key factors driving the Spanish PV market back to the Gigawatt scale and leads investors to focus more on the power generating capability and long-term performance of solar modules.

The 100 MW modules supplied by JA Solar used solar cells manufactured with Gallium-doped silicon wafers. In 2019, JA Solar was granted with the IP rights on doping silicon crystals with Ga and using the Ga-doped p-type crystalline silicon wafers for making solar cells over various nations and regions where the related patents covered. The application of Ga-doped silicon wafers can effectively mitigate the initial light-induced degradation (LID) that solar cells using boron-doped p-type silicon wafers having long suffered. It enables the solar modules with long-term performance, stability, and improved return of investment.

In January, the Chinese module manufacturer had announced that it is planning to invest CNY 6.6 billion (USD 947.7 million) for the establishment of two new solar PV manufacturing plants in China with a combined annual production capacity close to 15 GW. Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 51

PROJECT UPDATES

GUVNL 500 MW Solar Tender Attracts Only 3 Bids Worth 430 MW The Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) has revealed all the technically qualified bidders who will now participate in the price bids stage and e-reverse auction for the ten-der for the purchase of power from 500 MW of grid-connected solar PV power projects to be set up in Gujarat (Phase VIII). The state utility has announced that it has received a total of 3 technically qualified bids worth a combined 430 MW of solar power project ca-pacity.The three bidders are Tata Power, Juniper Green and Vena Energy – who submit-ted bids worth 200 MW, 190 MW and 40 MW, respectively.

GUVNL had issued the tender for the 500

MW solar power projects in February.

As per the tender, the scope of work for the successful bidders will include the setting up of solar PV power project(s) including the transmission network up to the delivery point at its own cost. As per the tender notification, the financial bids for all technically cleared bidders were to be opened on March 18, 2019, followed by the e-reverse auction. However, ac-cording to reports, the e-reverse auction has been rescheduled for March 16, 2020.

The objective for issuance of the tender is to fulfill the renewable power purchase obliga-tion (RPO) and to meet the future requirements of Discoms, GUVNL intends to procure solar power up to a capacity of 500 MW (Phase VIII). The maximum tariff payable to the selected bidder was set at Rs 2.65/ unit. And the number has been deemed, by industry stakeholders, as the key reason for the lukewarm response the tender has received.

ITI Limited Tenders for Procurement of Solar Power Under Open Access Model ITI Limited, a PSU, plans to enhance the use of renewable energy in its Data centre facil-ity to bring it under the “Green Data Centre” tag which will contribute towards cutting car-bon emission in the environment. Towards this, it has now issued a tender to procure so-lar power from a reputed developer for one of its premises in Bengaluru through a long term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) under the 3rd party Open Access model.

ITI Limited is planning to procure the solar power for its internal consumption, with the aggregate requirement of power being 80,00,000 (8 Million) units per year approximately.

As per the tender, the Solar Power Developer (SPD) or the Private Partner will set up the plant on GCOA (Group Captive Open Access) Model, bearing the total project cost includ-ing design, supply/manufacturing, erection and commissioning of the plant and undertaking operation & maintenance of the plant throughout the concession period.

ITI Limited will purchase solar power generated by the plant for its internal consumption, on a pre-determined tariff as will be outlined in the Power Purchase

Agreement (PPA). The Lock-in period shall be a period of 7 years, after which the developer and ITI Limited will have options either to continue or decommission the plant.

ITI Limited will purchase Solar power produced equivalent to its inter nal consumption with no annual escalation at a pre-determined tarif f, which will necessarily be less than the prevailing purchase rate at the location of the project.

The Scheduled Commercial Operation Date (SCOD) shall be 180 days from the date of PPA including KPTCL/BESCOM and other statutory approvals as per the PPA.

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NTPC Invites Bids for Development of Wind Projects Worth 600 MW

NTPC Ltd has issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB), inviting online bids from eligible bidders for setting up of ISTS-connected wind energy project(s) up to a capacity of 600 MW any-where in India.

The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the detailed design, engineering, micro-siting, manufacture, supply, erection, testing, commissioning of the wind energy projects. The project developers will also be required to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance of the offered wind farm as detailed in tech specs including the supply of all spare parts, consumables, repairs / replacement of any defective equipment, pay-ment of reactive power penalty and other charges levied by the respective state govern-ments. The developers will also be responsible for the acquisition of the required land for the offered wind farm project as per prevailing government rules and transfer of title/ lease deed to NTPC including infrastructure development.

The last date for bid submission is March 30, 2020, and the techno-commercial bids will be opened on the same date. A pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for March 16, 2020, to address the concerns raised by the prospective bidders. As per the IFB, all bids must be accompanied by a bid security amount of Rs 6 lakh per MW of their quoted bid capacities.

The average annual turnover of the Bidder, should not be less than Rs 326 crore during the preceding three completed financial years as on the date of the technocommercial bid opening. Additionally, the bidder should have a positive net worth as on the last day of the preceding financial year.

CIM Begins Construction on Proposed 2.7 GW Westlands Solar Park The CIM Group has announced that it is advancing the development of Westlands Solar Park (WSP), one of the largest permitted solar parks in the world that could grow to more than 2,700 megawatts (2.7 GW) of renewable energy potential at full buildout, which could provide clean energy to more than 1,200,000 homes.

T h e m a s t e r- p l a n n e d e n e rg y p a r k encompasses more than 20,000 acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley in western Fresno and Kings Counties and is designed to open in phases to meet the needs of public and private utilities and other energy consumers. WSP has a completed and certified programmatic environmental impact report for the en-tire project and WSP is one

PROJECT UPDATES

of the few renewable energy zones identified as a Competi-tive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) through the Renewable Energy Transmission Initi-ative (RETI) process.

The first phase of CIM’s development at Westlands Solar Park includes Aquamarine, a 250-MW solar photovoltaic project, which has obtained all entitlement and conditional use approvals following a full environmental impact review. CIM signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Valley Clean Energy Alliance, a locally governed electricity provider for the California cities of Davis and Woodland and unincorporated portions of Yolo County, for 50 megawatts of capacity, with initial delivery anticipated to occur in late 2021.

At the Westlands Solar Park , CIM is repurposing selenium-contaminated and drainage-impaired farmland for the development of clean energy. WSP has garnered strong sup-port from environmental communities including the Sierra Club, NRDC, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Center for Biological Diversity.

Jakson to Set Up Assam’s Biggest Solar Plant; Plans to Invest Rs 300 Cr Jakson Group, country’s one of the leading diversified energy and EPC solutions provider, is planning to invest Rs 300 crore in the state of Assam by setting up the state’s big-gest solar power plant having 70 MW capacity.

The move came af ter the Noidaheadquartered company won the bid for developing this 70 MW grid connected solar power plant in Assam under the Request for Proposal (RfP) issued by the discom Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL) last year.

In line with the development, the company has now signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with APDCL for this project situated at Amguri in Sivasagar district of Assam.

During the agreement signing ceremony, which was held at the CM Secretariat, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with other senior government officials and dignitaries were present.

Commenting on the project, Sundeep Gupta, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of Jak-son Group, said that “as one of India’s leading solar power developers, Jakson is

proud to set up another milestone solar power plant in the state of Assam. The project will be the biggest solar power plant in Assam and contribute towards achieving India’s ambitious solar energy target of 100 GW by 2022.”

“With this project, our solar IPP portfolio now stands at 300 MW, of which 80 MW is opera-tional and 220 MW is under various stage of execution. We plan to scale this to 1 GW in the next 2-3 years,” told Atul Gupta, Assistant Vice President – IPP Business of Jakson Group.

Besides this PPA, the diversified group, Jakson, has also inked a land lease and project implementation support agreement with APDCL for the project.

Tender for Solarisation of Agricultural Pumps Under KUSUM Scheme in Kerala

The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) has issued a tender for the rate contract for the solarization of grid-connected agricultural pumps of cumulative capacity of 300 HP under the PM-KUSUM scheme in the state of Kerala.

The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the supply, installation and com-missioning of SPV ground-mounted / rooftop power plants with grid connectivity for solar-ising the following capacity of agricultural pumps with power plants of capacity 1 kW, 2 kW, 3 kW, 4 kW, 5 kW, 6 kW, 7 kW, 8 kW, and 10 kW. The proposed location for the instal-lation of the SPV modules can be on the rooftop of existing buildings /ground mounted among the 14 districts in the state of Kerala.

The project developers will also be required to provide 5 years’ warranty for the system and components or part of the system as per the special conditions of the contract.

PV modules used in solar power plants/ systems must be warranted for their output peak watt capacity, which should not be less than 90 percent at the end of 10 years and 80 percent at the end of 25 years The last date and time of submission of the tender is March 24, 2020, and the tenders will be opened on March 26, 2020. All bidders must submit an Earnest Money Deposit of Rs 1.2 crore along with their bids.

To be eligible for participating in the bidding process, the annual turnover of the bidder should be at least Rs. 3 crores in each of the last three financial years.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 53

OPINION

At Rs 22,000 per kW Solar Rooftop in Punjab. Reality Bites Rs 22,200 per Kw. Yes, that was the final rate arrived at after a call for grid connected so-lar rooftop bidding from vendors looking to get empaneled with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

This was after the L1 rate of Rs 37,000 received for 1 kWp – 10 kW category. After the 40 percent subsidy, the rate effectively became Rs 22,200 till 3 KW. For beyond 3 KW to 10 KW, the subsidy rate is 20 percent. On paper, that means a residential rooftop solar sys-tem of 1 kWp in Punjab should be just Rs 22,200.

A price that almost everyone seems to agree should shake up the rooftop sector. Or will it?

At the end of the exercise, PSPCL empaneled 211 vendors who are eligible to install these subsidized grid-connected rooftop solar systems for residential consumers. The subsidy will be given to the installer or vendor and consumers just need to pay the net amount of Rs 22,200 for 1 KWp. For comparison sake, the successful solar rooftop push in Gujarat discovered a price of Rs 28,000 per KW(with subsidy), and Rs 37,000 for above 3 Kw. We decided to speak to some of the empaneled vendors listed on the PSPCL site, and the response surprised us. Quite simply, contrary to the media hoopla, this ‘amazing’ rate is not going to work, apparently.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, our first vendor said that “most of the installers are not interested in installing on such low prices because at Rs 37,000 we are not getting any margins and we are just getting our costing complete. So, it becomes very difficult to continue our businesses if we are not getting margins.” This assumes added significance when one takes into account the time taken to disburse subsidies by the authorities.

Most vendors we spoke to gave a figure of between 3 months to a year, with time taken getting extended in case of any query raised by the inspection engineer, or otherwise.

In the past, vendors have claimed that some of them had to go out of business due to payment delays.

Then, there is the curious case of the government’s own estimate of the right price. At an upper price cap of Rs 54,000, the ‘discovered’ price is over 30 percent less than the gov-ernment price. That speak a lot about the governments own estimate ability too. In fact, vendors with a national footprint based out of Delhi lamented that it is ‘unreasonable’ prices like these that lead to confusion, and delays in other states too.

“Though the upper cap was put at Rs 54,000 by the government but there should be some lower cap also and government should do some study on how such lower prices can be feasible . If one or two installers quoted such prices why others are not able to ac-tually work on such prices. What is the ground reality? This should be checked by the government,” he added.

While talking on the matter, another Punjab based installer, who installs upto 3kW sys-tems, agreed, going so far as to say that that “We are not taking orders as on such low prices we are not able to get even our costings. We have raised the issue with the gov-ernment let’s see what will happen…”

“Right now we are unable to get profits in our business because 54 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

we have to meet many expenses including maintenance cost, interest rate on bank loans etc..T he initial installa-tion has to be done from our own funds and we get our margin from the subsidy received from the government. At this new price, there are no margins” he added.

He further said ”even on time frame for release of subsidy payments, nothing has been given in writing. Only a verbal insurance that it will be within a year. That is not good enough for most vendors today” “Earlier, when the subsidy was granted on the name of consumer (so the consumer would pay whole amount upfront) we were not in such a difficult position but since when subsidy is provided to installers we are in such a stressful situation,” the installer com-mented.

In fact, some vendors went so far as to say that the only way this scheme could show re-sults, was if customers agreed to the reality of challenges faced by vendors, and paid them separately for some services. Because for getting the subsidy, they have no option but to upload prices based on the auction. Six out of the seven vendors we managed to speak to were skeptical of the success of the scheme.

Most vendors seemed to be counting on getting their customers to ignore the subsidy al-together of needed, on the pitch of better quality equipment, a service contract post instal-lation, and a net metering connection, which is independent of the subsidised installa-tion.

At an effective rate of Rs 32000 to Rs 35,000 per KW without any subsidy, many believe the 1-3 KW segment will still work for them. With average power rates in the vicinity of Rs 5 to Rs 6.50 for consumption between 0-100 and 100-300 units respectively, Punjab al-ready has some of the highest rates for residential energy. That means, payback period for a net metering system upto 3 KW can be quite fast, at 3-4 years. In fact, the only sav-ing grace in this while issue was the confidence of installers with regards to availability of equipment for work.

Clearly, this is one state where the price discovery may just have gone too far, and will do more damage to the solar rooftop movement than benefits.

OPINION

Wind Energy – The Struggling Pillar of the European Green Deal: WindEurope When launching the European Green Deal in December European Commission Presi-dent Ursula von der Leyen described it as the EU’s new growth strategy. The Industrial Strategy to be launched by the European Commission will be the first test. Is this strategy supporting the industries that will deliver the European Green Deal? Wind power is al-ready 15 percent of Europe’s electricity. It employs over 300,000 people, represents more than EUR 25 billion of new investments and exports EUR 8 billion of goods and services every year.

The European Commission’s decarbonisation strategy says climate neutrality will need 5 times more wind energy capacity by 2050 than Europe has today. So wind is a natural pillar of the European Green Deal.

But the wind industry in Europe is under pressure like never before. The wind supply chain is struggling. Europe is at risk of losing its global leadership on wind energy, and

along with it tens of thousands of jobs in the industry, research and innovation. Wind has already lost over 38,000 jobs in Germany alone in the last 4 years.

China is now installing twice as much wind energy each year as Europe. It is reducing costs with economies of scale faster than Europe.

Competition with the Chinese in third-country markets is getting tougher because they come with cheaper Government-backed finance and benefit from structural over capacities built on inflated subsidy regimes.

The Industrial Strategy can send a strong signal that Europe wants its companies to stay global champions. And that the EU’s industrial policy will be a driver for strategic value chains that will help achieve climate neutrality. The accelerated deployment of wind en-ergy is a pre-requisite to the success of strategic new value chains: low-carbon industry, clean mobility and renewable hydrogen. But the wind sector should be recognised as a job creator too, and stand out as a strategic value chain in its own right.

Made In India. Is Change Coming Soon from China?

In the 2020 Union Budget, the Finance Minister made a not so subtle pitch for ‘Assemble In India’, even as the focus on Made in India continued. For India’s solar sector, the issue has never been more urgent, with over 80 percent of equipment imports from China.

The Economic Survey, which precedes the budget by a day, had stated that by integrat-ing ‘Assemble in India for the world’ into ‘Make in India’, India can create 4 crore well-paid jobs by 2025 and can raise its export market share to about 3.5 percent by 2025 and 6 percent by 2030. The opportunity specifically in Solar manufacturing has been well doc-umented.

With corporate tax rates already lowered previously to a much more

globally competitive regime, some of the biggest hurdles to make in India are going away. For the solar sector, which has seen stop start efforts to make in India, big change might be coming. And this time, it might actually be the Chinese firms that do the heavy lifting. For good reasons. As leaders in the biggest segments for solar equipment, be it ingots, wafers, cells, inverters or modules, China-based forms today have a strangle hold on global capacity and market shares. It’s an idea we have shared earlier too, and today it looks much closer to possibil-ity than it ever did .

More importantly, as other national markets have grown, we believe a lot of the China based firms are much more globalised, to take a call on manufacturing abroad, something they have always been very reluctant to do. Firms like Seraphim have made it a philosophy to target global markets over the domestic China market.

India, which looks set to offer a domestic ready market of anything between 9 to 15 GW per annum from 2021 onwards for a decade or more, offers an opportunity large enough to make manufacturing here worthwhile. Especially with domestic tariff policy exhibiting a skew towards domestic manufacturers. Perhaps most importantly, with enough familiarity in the Indian market for a host of China majors today, their confidence in navigating through India’s famous bureaucracy is far higher, as we realised during our one on one discussions.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 55

OPINION

Stinging Order at APTEL An Embarassment for AP Discoms, Andhra Government Adding politics to established policy is not recommended, and the consequences, when that is done, were there for all to see after the APTEL order on February 27. The case was a much followed one, of the Andhra Pradesh Discoms essentially, versus both the NTPC, as well as three of the key bid winners of the solar auction for Ananthapu-ramu and Kadapa solar parks.

At stake was the future of some of the largest solar con-tracts in the state, totaling up to over 750 MW, and shared between Ayana Solar, SB En-ergy, and Sprng Energy. Quite simply, the story is this. After winning the bids, all three developers, entered into relevant PPA’s with NTPC, the nodal agency in this case, at the winning tariffs of Rs 2.72. As is usual practice, NTPC in turn, entered into back to back Power Sales Agreements with various AP discoms, who would purchase the power gen-erated by the developers and sold to NTPC. As always, a trading margin of Rs 0.07 per unit would be payable to NTPC. By 04.06.2018, a PPA between the developers and NTPC, and PSA between the state dis-coms and NTPC was duly signed. All good and proper, one would have imagined. But then politics happened.

On May 30, 2019, the Jagan Mohan Reddy led YSR congress rode to power in the state. Among other accusations during the campaign trail, Reddy had accused the state agen-cies of buying renewable power at highly ‘inflated’ costs. Thus it was, that the state gov-ernment began questioning and placing pressure on discom chiefs to renegotiate. De-spite advice to the contrary, on not interfering with agreements that had been entered into by following central guidelines, the above projects did get roped in, with the result that was finally laid to rest

by APTEL yesterday. Some of the quotes below from the APTEL order will make clear exactly what the learned members of the bench there felt about the shenanigans in Andhra, something that has unfortunately

also hurt the reputation of the state regulator, APERC. “If tariff is discovered in a Bidding Route under Section 63 of the Act, the appropriate Commission is required to adopt the tariff discovered and applicability of Section 86 (1) (b) is limited to consider the merits of the case vis-à-vis the guidelines.” This was the not so gentle rebuke to the state regulator on the legality, and wisdom of allowing public hear-ings on a tariff order that had been arrived at after a clear bidding process, and hence did not call for the same, in law or spirit.

“Therefore, it is clear that the general regulatory powers which could be exercised by the State Commission comes into picture only if in a given situation, there are no guidelines framed at all or where the guidelines do not provide a procedure to deal with. Therefore, in the light of the guidelines prescribed by MoP for a specific procedure to be followed in the procurement of solar power in question, there was no scope for the State Commission to hold public hearing calling up for objections/suggestions from public. The only re-quirement of the Statement Commission in such situation would be to see whether the bidding process initiated was in accordance with MoP guidelines and whether it was complied with strictly adhering to MoP guidelines.”

On the contention of AP discoms, that the appeal by the developers was liable to be re-jected because now, they simply wouldn’t be able to establish the project on time, without admitting that they themselves were to blame due to the extra conditions

56 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

they added to the most critical part of the transaction, the PSA’s. This appeal was summarily dismissed.

“Once the process of procurement of power and adoption of tariff is subjected to conditions, as stated above in the impugned order dated 05.10.2019, the parties whose interest and rights are prejudiced with the impugned order become aggrieved person.

Therefore, the Appeals filed by the Appellants are maintainable, since with the impugned order, there is no finality to adoption of tariff. This stand of the Appellants is further strengthened by the fact that lenders of the Appellants also expressed that there is no fi-nality to tariff adoption.”

It didn’t end there. Among other things, the AP discoms also used the stand of public hearings to claim that even the trading margin of 7 paise payable to NTPC, needed to be 2 Paise. Just like that. And just like that, this claim too was shot down, with the bench re-minding the discoms that their inital agreement with the state agency had been signed for 7 paise, and at no time did they express any reservations on that. Not just that, 7 paise is a well established figure, arrived at after due study, and both SECI and NTPC have been charging it everywhere.

If that wasn’t enough, there was this stark reminder to the dis-coms.

“In fact, in case of 1000 MW Gani, Kurnool Solar Pak, though APDISCOMs have delayed the payments for more than 6 months, M/s NTPC made payments to solar power develop-ers on its own ensuring uninterrupted power supply from solar power developers.

PRODUCTS LG Chem & Span Energy Storage With Backup power Product Brief: LG Chem and Span have announced a battery storage and intelligent home energy control system that enables customisable backup power, letting customers control which home loads remain powered on during outages.

Product Features: The Span smart panel provides advanced, real-time controls for the home and the LG RESU home battery can provide essential backup power during an outage. This unique backup power solution requires no re-wiring or down-selection of protected loads, a process that can involve difficult decisions for customers and labor-intensive installations. Instead, the Span panel replaces the standard electrical panel and enables monitoring and controls for every circuit within the home.

Application: Storage Benefits: By having complete control of home loads, homeowners have the ability to manage backup power efficiently with the ability to choose what loads are being backed up.

Availability: The product will be available through the firms’ website.

Lumos Thrillseeker Solar Backpack Product Brief: With a built in Solar Fabric, the Lumos Thrillseeker solar backpack, can take rain, dirt, and even big impacts. Making it the perfect carry on for trail rides and tours. This 12-liter hydration bag has been designed for great stability and clings to the wearer even during the roughest of trail rides.

Product Features: The backpack features adequate reflectors for safety and cross-straps for weight distribution. The bag is water-resistant and ships with a rain cover. The Solar Fabric charges a proprietary Lithiumbased battery inside the bag which can be used to charge GPS devices, Bike Lights or Smart-phones.

Application: Adventure/Travel Luggage Benefits: The curved profile of the backpack fits the rider snugly, thereby reducing the strain of carrying a backpack during activities. The lithium based battery can be used to charge any USB compatible device on the go, and the water rating of the backpack and solar fabric make it easily the preferred choice on adventure trails.

Availability: The backpack is available on select e-commerce websites like amazon.in where it retails for Rs 4000. (Currently on discount at Rs 1999)

SunnyBAG PowerTAB Product Brief: The PowerTAB is a portable solar system that claims to finally make you 100 percent independent. Highly efficient solar panels + batteries which the firm claims to be like in the Tesla Model S. Product Features: The 5 watt SUNPOWER solar panel charges through a highly efficient power management consisting of two cells that together provide 6000 mAh storage volume. It’s interesting to know that the same cell called 18650 is used in the Californian Tesla Model S. Application: Charger - Power Bank Product Benefits: It provides the possibility to use phones and tablets with 100% renewable energy. A high quality converter uses the technology to provide 2,4 Ampere output current on the USB. This is enough to recharge bigsize tablets quickly, and a mobile phone in 100 minutes. There are two 1 watt lights at the back of the PowerTAB that can be used for reading at night.

Availability: The product is available for purchase on the company’s website and retails for EUR 69-79.

58 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

PRODUCTS SOS 20K Portable Solar Battery Product Brief: No matter what environment you're tackling, SOS 20K will be there - and because it can stand abuse, charge from the sun, and is equipped with four 3-in-1 LED S.O.S signal lights, it will never leave you stranded.

Product Features: The power bank has a capacity of 20000 MAh and the battery has a guaranteed lifecycle of 1000+ charge cycles. The product is waterproof, dustproof and also has a built in sos signalling feature.

Application: Power Bank - Charger Product Benefits: The product takes 58 hours to a fully charge (variable based on directness of sunlight) its battery using the solar panel, and only 4-6 hours for enough power to re-charge your mobile devices.

Availability: The product is available for pre-order on the company’s website.

Reolink Argus PT Smart Home Camera Product Brief: The Reolink’s flagship battery-powered security camera lineup with the unique and revolutionary Product Features: The camera is powered by a rechargeable battery or Reolink Solar Panel, which enables customers to charge the camera directly without replacing the battery. By adding a solar panel to Argus PT set up. The camera has an ultra-wide viewing angle with 355-degree pan and 140-degree tilt design. The IP65 weatherproof rating enables it to endure extreme weather conditions.

Application: Home/Office Security System Benefits: The camera adopts an industry-leading starlight CMOS image sensor and is able to shoot stunning images, even in the dark. The video footage can be recorded at the maximum rating of 1080p full HD. Customers can configure or access the camera with smartphones or computers and whenever there are motion events, the system sends out a real-time app or email push notifications to alert the user.

Availability: The product currently retails for $118.99 on the company’s official website and a few select e-commerce websites.

Puronics Solar-Powered Residential Water Softener Solutions Product Brief: California headquartered Puronics Water Systems has recently released a line of its innovative solar-powered residential water softener systems. The firm claims the the new power option will allow homeowners to choose a greener option for water treatment.

Product Features: The solar-powered feature will be available on any unit using an iGen® control valve, including Puronics Bacteriostatic and Chlorostatic® water softener and filter systems, the company said.

Moreover, the electricity generated through solar power will be stored in a rechargeable and replaceable battery pack, and the solar panel can be mounted up to 18 feet from the unit.

Application: Water Softener Product Benefits: The patented iGen® digital control valve which will be completely operated using solar energy, maintains sixty days of water usage history to maximise water and salt efficiency.

Also, it sends the alert to the owner when it is time for the filter to be replaced.

Availability: The product currently retails on the company’s official website.

Saur Energy International n March 2020 n 59

OPPORTUNITIES Construction Manager for Solar Energy – E Light Electric

rapidly changing industry.

•S trong customer service skills with emphasis on customer satisfaction.

•A bility to use sound judgment in qualifying (or disqualifying) E Light Electric Services, Inc is a Denver based customers for our solar products. commercial electrical contractor and is currently looking for a construction manager experienced with renewable Job Description: energy for utility scale solar projects across the nation.

• I n addition to our internal lead generation campaign, Energy Consultants will be expected to generate referral based sales Location of job: This is a travelling position. from their existing customers.

•L earn to identify and deploy the correct solar product for a Type of job: The position is full-time. homeowner’s unique situation.

•G uide quality prospects through the solar installation Eligibility Criterion: process.

•T echnical knowledge of major and minor electrical materials etermine suitability of sites using proprietary tools and and their uses. Trouble shooting techniques and components • D satellite technology. involved in entire system.

•D eal effectively with all inquiries and represent Sungrade •W iring systems and how to perform all phases of project Solar in a professional way. installation.

•E lectrical control work and how to troubleshoot.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2IQqOQ8 •P roficiency with Outlook. Excel, Bluebeam, iAuditor and other computer software programs developed and used in Sales and Marketing - Raijin Solar Energy reporting and communication.

•C ommercial electrical construction/ Solar installs.

The company is a leading photovoltaic (PV) installer, EPC contractor, importer and supplier Job Description: of all kinds of solar products for medium and •E xecute initial site set up and clean off and maintain site large scale solar power projects. It was set up with a focus on facilities throughout the project. developing solar as sustainable energy alternative in India.

•E nsure the safe work practices of the employees on the project.

Location of job: Ahmedabad, India.

•E nsure all safety procedures and site requirements are followed.

Type of job: The position is full-time.

•E nsure personnel are trained prior to performing tasks.

•E nsure daily crew briefings are being done.

Eligibility Criterion: • 1 -4 years of proven experience as marketing executive or Apply here: https://bit.ly/2Qlg9B4 relevant role.

•B achelor’s Degree required.

Sr. Solar Energy Consultant - Sungrade •Q ualified MBA in marketing is a plus.

Solar •G ood communication and presentation skills.

•P roficiency in MS Office.

Sungrade Solar is one of California’s leading • E xperience in Solar Project Marketing is an added solar brands, generating more than USD advantage.

50 million in revenue. The company is •T horough understanding of marketing and negotiating seeking experienced, top-level solar sales men and women techniques. who Sungrade can trust with extremely high-quality solar appointments with interested customers. It is looking for honest, Job Description: ethical, and committed sales professionals who will build anaging the Sales & marketing operations to achieve the strong relationships with its customers and provide white-glove • M profit & business (sales volume and business). experience for which it is recognized.

•T o promote organization in particular segments where there is potential of business which is matching with company Location of job: United States. ability and Product range.

•G et approval from national as well as international Type of job: The position is full-time.

Consultants and OEMs by complete documentation process as per their requirement.

Eligibility Criterion: •M anaging online Portal and websites of company to keep it •C andidates must have a minimum of 3 years of sales updated with the latest trends and promoting new launches. experience with at least 1 year of experience selling solar.

•B achelor’s degree or equivalent.

•W illingness to learn all new technology and procedures in a Apply here: https://bit.ly/3d2t8BD 60 n March 2020 n Saur Energy International

EVENTS MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2020

THE SOLAR SHOW MENA 2020

website : https://www.middleeastelectricity.com START DATE : 24-APR-2020 END DATE : 25-APR-2020

Location : Dubai, UAE Phone : +971 4 4072470

website:https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/solar-show-mena START DATE : 13-APR-2020 END DATE : 14-APR-2020

Location : Cairo, Egypt Phone : +971 4 4402535

E-mail : Info@middleeastelectricity.com

E-mail : Abdelbasset.hfd@terrapinn.com

RENEWX 2020

POWERGEN INDIA 2020

website : www.renewx.in

website : www.powergen-india.com

START DATE : 24-APR-2020 END DATE : 25-APR-2020

Location : Hyderabad, India Phone : +91 98707 46073

E-mail : sheetal.rathod@ubm.com

Location : New Delhi, India Phone : +91 97114 33860

E-mail : pr@itenmedia.in

SNEC 14TH (2020) INTERNATIONAL PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER GENERATION AND SMART ENERGY

6TH SMART CITIES INDIA 2020 EXPO website : www.solarindiaexpo.com START DATE : 20-MAY-2020 END DATE : 22-MAY-2020

START DATE : 05-MAY-2020 END DATE : 07-MAY-2020

Location : New Delhi, India Phone : +91 11 4279 5000

E-mail : ravim@eigroup.in

website : www.snec.org.cn

START DATE : 25-MAY-2020 END DATE : 27-MAY-2020

Location : Shanghai, China Phone : +86 21 33685117

E-mail : info@snec.org.cn

THE 16TH SOUTH EAST ASIA'S RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE

THE 9TH (CHINA) SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTED ENERGY AND BIOMASS POWER

E-mail : info@annexhibition.com

E-mail : power@ronco.com.cn

THE 15TH ASIASOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INNOVATION EXHIBITION & COOPERATION FORUM

RENEWABLE ENERGY INDIA 2020

website : www.asew-expo.com/Home.aspx Location : Bangkok, Thailand START DATE : 11-JUN- 2020 Phone : +86 10 65262861 END DATE : 13-JUN- 2020

website : www.asiasolar.net START DATE : 03-SEP- 2020 END DATE : 04-SEP- 2020

Location : Hangzhou, China Phone : +86 512 53986898

website : www.distributed-energy.cn Location : Shanghai, China START DATE : 16-JUN- 2020 Phone : +86 21 50185270 END DATE : 18-JUN- 2020

website : www.renewableenergyindiaexpo.com Location : Greater Noida, India START DATE : 23-SEP- 2020 Phone : +91 93792 29397 END DATE : 25-SEP- 2020

E-mail : intl@pgo-china.com

E-mail : Pankaj.sharma@ubm.com

THE 12TH CHINESE RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

INTERSOLAR INDIA 2020

website : www.crecexpo.com START DATE : 03-NOV- 2020 END DATE : 05-NOV- 2020

E-mail : liuyang@crecexpo.com

Location : Wuxi, China Phone : +86 510 81827276

website : www.intersolar.in START DATE : 15-DEC- 2020 END DATE : 17-DEC- 2020 E-mail : feth@solarpromotion.com

Location : Mumbai, India Phone : +49 7231 58598206

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DCP LICENSING NO. F.2(S-29) PRESS/2016 l VOL 4 l ISSUE 06 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH

The Perfect Storm Problems demanding solutions are piling up.

How will India's solar sector save 2020?

Inside:SANJAY SETH GRIHA Council IDRISH KHAN Ginlong (Solis) Technologies RAJNEESH KHATTAR Informa Markets