NATIONAL NEWS
ISRO Develops an Android App for Computing the Solar Energy Potential of a Place
Computation of solar energy potential is essential to select the locations for solar photovoltaic (PV) thermal power plants. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that its Ahmedabadbased Space Applications Centre has developed an android app for computing the solar energy potential of a place. According to ISRO the App provides monthly / yearly solar potential (in kWh/m2) and minimum / maximum tem-perature at any location. It also displays the location on the satellite image and provides azimuth / elevation angles as well as day length over different time periods in a year. The App can be downloaded from “New and Renewable Energy” section at vedas.sac.gov.in.
Indian Railways Looking to Set Up Rs. 200 Crore 50 MW Solar Power Plant in Chhattisgarh
The Indian Railways is looking to set up a 50 MW solar power plant in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, through Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL). The 50 MW solar power plant is expected to cost around Rs. 200 crore. According to The Hindu of the total cost, 20 per cent will be borne by the Railways, while the remaining 80 per cent will be raised through debt. The power from the plant will be purchased through a developer model, wherein the developers will be asked to operate and maintain the solar project. The solar project is part of Indian Railways’ plan that it chalked to use solar power at 8,000 stations.
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Gujarat Announces Key Change in the 'Rooftop Solar Project Policy for Homes'
Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani recently announced important amendment in the ‘Rooftop Solar Project Policy for Homes’ by removing the condition of the solar plant’s capacity to be within 50 per cent limit of the sanctioned load. The Chief Minister announced relaxation to address the difficulties faced by the people in optimum utilization of the rooftop solar plant. Citizen with even low sanctioned load can now go for maximum utilization of the capacity. Gujarat announced its rooftop solar plant policy in late-2015. The latest amendment is expected to provide economic benefit not only to the citizens, but also to the state’s economy by greater harnessing of renewable source of energy, protecting the environment at the same time. However, there would not be any change in the government’s subsidy scheme of Rs.10.000 per kW, subject to maximum limit of 2kW.
SB Energy Commissions 350 MW Solar Power Project in Andhra Pradesh
SB Energy Holdings has announced the commencement of commercial operation of its 350 MW solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh. The plant commenced operations on March 29, 2017 and was completed 51 days ahead of the scheduled date agreed in the PPA (power purchase agreement), the statement added. It is the first operational solar power plant delivered under the Solar Parks scheme of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. SB Energy is a three-way joint venture between Japan's SoftBank Group Corp, Bharti Enterprises and Taiwan-based design, and manufacturing services provider Foxconn Technology Group. The power plant has been designed and developed by SB Energy using the latest technology and will supply power at an agreed tariff of Rs 4.63/kWh. It has the capacity to produce electricity for over 7 lakh Indian households and is connected to the grid at 400K/V. In support of the solar power and renewable energy mission of the Government of India, SB Energy is committed to build 20GW of capacity, it said.
UP Governor Ram Naik Calls for Alternative Energy to Improve Power Situation
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik lamented that industrialists were often wary of coming up with projects in the huge state due to erratic electricity supply and laid stress on maximizing the use of alternative sources of energy to improve the power situation. Addressing a function after inaugurating a solar power panel at the Allahabad Museum, the Governor also said that launching of this project (solar power panel) is a very important step in the direction of energy conservation. There could be no better way to celebrate the World Earth Day. At present, power is being generated through a number of resources - oil, coal, water (hydro) and nuclear. But all these resources are finite. Solar energy scores on this point as we can rest assured that as long as there is life, the sun will continue to rise.
MP Government to Provide 18,500 Solar Water Pumps to Farmers in the State at Subsidized Rates
The Madhya Pradesh government would soon provide nearly 18,500 solar-powered water pumps to farmers in the state at subsidized rates. New and Renewable Energy Department Principal Secretary Manu Srivastava told that the Government will be going to make available solar bore well and surface pumps fitted with remote monitoring system to the farmers under the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Solar Pump Scheme. The rates of solar powered pumps already arrived at after the bidding is the lowest in the country. The performance of each pump can be monitored on a real-time basis from anywhere in the world. MP Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) would be the nodal agency to make available the solar pumps to the farmers. The sale of solar pumps is going to rev up the agricultural productivity of the state. MP has the highest agricultural growth rate of over 20 per cent since last couple of years, the official said. The use of solar pumps will increase the cultivable land area, reduce dependence on diesel pumps and make multi-cropping possible.
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Annual maintenance contractors Installers / EPC companies Inverters Manufacturers of solar cells Materials and equipment Module connectors Monitor, Mounting Systems, Trackers Photovoltaic (PV) modules Project consultants Smart Grid Technologies
Solar cell manufacturers Solar consumer and commercial products Solar energy storage Solar LED’s Solar park developers Solar street and billboard lighting systems Solar water heating, cooling systems and solar pumps Suppliers of raw materials System integrators and assemblers Turnkey solution providers, etc.
COVER STORY
- Santanu@saurenergy.com
SAUR ENERGY I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SOLAR AND PAPER INDUSTRY ALIGNED
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INNOVATIONS
Bio-inspired energy storage: A new light for solar power
Inspired by an American fern, researchers have developed a groundbreaking prototype that could be the answer to the storage challenge still holding solar back as a total energy solution. The new type of electrode created by rese-archers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, could boost the capacity of exi-sting integrable storage technologies by 3000 per cent. But the graphene-based prototype also opens a new path to the development of flexible thin film all-in-one solar capture and storage, bringing us one step closer to self-powering smart phones, laptops, cars and buildings. The new electrode is designed to work with supercapacitors, which can charge and discharge power much faster than conventional batteries. Supercapacitors have been combined with solar, but their wider use as a storage solution is restricted because of their limited capacity. RMIT's Professor Min Gu said the new design drew on nature's own genius solution to the challenge of filling a space in the most efficient way possible -- through intricate self-repeating patterns known as "fractals." "The leaves of the western swordfern are densely crammed with veins, making them
extremely efficient for storing energy and transporting water around the plant," said Gu, Leader of the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Nanophotonics and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship at RMIT. "Our electrode is based on these fractal shapes -- which are self-replicating, like the mini structures within snowflakes -- and we've used this naturally-efficient design to improve solar energy storage at a nano level. "The immediate application is combining this electrode with supercapacitors, as our experiments have shown our prototype can radically increase their storage capacity -30 times more than current capacity limits. "Capacity-boosted supercapacitors would offer both long-term reliability and quickburst energy release -- for when someone wants to use solar energy on a cloudy day for example -- making them ideal alternatives for solar power storage." Combined with supercapacitors, the fractal-enabled laserreduced graphene electrodes can hold the stored charge for longer, with minimal leakage. The fractal design reflected the self-repeating shape of the veins of the western swordfern, Polystichum munitum,
native to western North America. Lead author, PhD researcher Litty Thekkekara, said because the prototype was based on flexible thin film technology, its potential applications were countless. "The most exciting possibility is using this electrode with a solar cell, to provide a total on-chip energy harvesting and storage solution," Thekkekara said. "We can do that now with existing solar cells but these are bulky and rigid. The real future lies in integrating the prototype with flexible thin film solar -technology that is still in its infancy. "Flexible thin film solar could be used almost anywhere you can imagine, from building windows to car panels, smart phones to smart watches. We would no longer need batteries to charge our phones or charging stations for our hybrid cars. "With this flexible electrode prototype we've solved the storage part of the challenge, as well as shown how they can work with solar cells without affecting performance. Now the focus needs to be on flexible solar energy, so we can work towards achieving our vision of fully solarreliant, self-powering electronics."
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