Saurenergy International Magazine May Issue 2020

SAUR ENERGY www.saurenergy.com

May 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 09 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH

R.K. Singh T he 5 Point C heck list For 2020 And Beyond

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Is India Missing Out? R A J K U M A R S IN G H Minister for Power, MNRE and Skill Deve lopment

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From The Editor PRASANNA SINGH Group Editor

prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

T

his month, with the industry still stuck in limbo, as it tries to come out of the Covid lockdown, we decided to put the spotlight on Power Minister R.K. Singh.

Singh has clearly grown into his role, and it shows. From his familiarity with leading industry players, to a much better understanding of key issues, in recent times, he has increasingly come across as keen to find solutions.

So our story looks at the five tasks that might yet be his biggest legacy for India's renewable energy, and power sector, if he can make progress there.

Technological obsolescence is a real challenge in many sectors, and the solar sector is no exception. A relentless focus on lower costs has left India lagging, when it comes to a shift to more efficient equipment. Modules, which can be 60 percent of a project cost, have been the biggest area of concern. We explore that in our other key feature story this month.

As work on both projects across the country, and manufacturing restarts, here's hoping the solar sector will be able to set a great example for safe working, and will be covid free for as long as it takes. Take care, stay safe, and keep that 6 feet distance!

Prasanna Singh prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

DIRECTOR

STAFF WRITER

EDITOR

MANAGER- MEDIA SOLUTION

PRATEEK KAPOOR prateek@meilleurmedia.com

MANAS NANDI manas@meilleurmedia.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MANU TAYAL manu@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.

04 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

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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.

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www.saurenergy.com | vol 4 | issue 09

10

POINT OF VIEW

06 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

08 12 20 24 28

POLICY MNRE Urges SERCs to Allow Online, Use Video Conferencing

TECHNICAL FEATURE Diagnostics - An Effective Approach for Solar industry

PROJECT Discovers Rs 2.90/kWh Tariff in 400 MW Round-The-Clock Tender

THE CONVERSATION HARMANJIT NAGI Director, EDF India

THE CONVERSATION Krishan Sharma Vice President- Asia, ReneSola

FEATURE As 500W Modules Appear, India Risks Falling Way Behind

FINANCE COVID Impact: Siemens Gamesa Incurs Loss; Challenges in India Business

MARKET India Adds 1043 MW of Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Capacity in Q1: BTI

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES Top 10 States for Renewable Energy Installations in Last 4 Years

OPINION 2020-When Energy Storage Got Serious in India

16 COVER STORY

30 34 40 49 55

STARTUP FEATURE

27

R.K. Singh The 5 Point Checklist For 2020

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 07

POLICY UPDATES

Validity of Solar Project Tariffs Extended Until Sept 30 in Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) has published a new order extending the validity period for the benchmark capital cost and levelised generic tariff for solar power projects in the state which were issued by it in June 2019, at least until September 30, 2020.

The meeting attended by D.P. Gairola Member (Law), and M.K. Jain Member (Technical), was conducted in the matter of extension of the period of applicability of the benchmark capital cost and levelised generic tariff issued by the Commission for solar energy based plants vide Suo-moto Order dated June 7, 2019.

In its notification, the commission stated that it reviews the benchmark capital cost annually based on the prices of solar panels/modules in the international market and prices of indigenous solar modules.

“However, Coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak has affected the global supply chain of solar power modules resulting in the non-availability of generalised data of module price. Further, in line with the decision of the Central Government, the State Government has declared COVID 19 epidemic because of which all construction activities along with other commercial activities have been disrupted for the solar power developers. The Central and State Government has further extended the lockdown with certain relaxation and it appears that commercial activities w.r.t. development of solar energy based power projects may take time to get normalised,” the commission stated.

Citing these reasons, it has confirmed that it is of the view that the levelised generic tariff issued vide Commission’s Suo-moto Order dated June 7, 2019, shall continue to remain in force till September 30, 2020.

08 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

MNRE Urges SERCs to Allow Online, Use Video Conferencing In order to provide support to the renewable sector in regularising the matters at SERCs and to safeguard the ongoing investment in the country, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has requested all the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) to consider allowing filing and listing of petitions online and hear urgent matters through video conferencing.

The move came after the renewable power developers have informed MNRE that due to the extended nationwide lock-down in the wake of COVID-19, State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) have postponed listing and hearing of the petitions. Also, the renewable energy developers have emphasised on the need for timely filing and disposal of petitions in SERC and have submitted that any delay in relief from the SERCs will adversely affect the financial viability of their projects.

Moreover, they have also cited the

precedence of Supreme Court, High Courts and Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) starting the online listing and hearing of urgent matters and have requested MNRE to issue advisory to all State Electricity Regulatory Commissions to allow filing and listing of petitions online and hear urgent matters via video conferencing.

Mexican Government Blames Pandemic for Cutback On Renewables The Mexican government has cited the coronavirus pandemic as a justification for new rules that will reduce the role of renewable energy like solar and wind power, granting a reprieve to the government’s own aging, fossil-fuel power plants. The decree over the last weekend has sparked outrage among Mexican and foreign investors who had been allowed to sell their power into the government-operated grid.

Industry associations said it will affect 28 solar and wind projects that were ready to go online, and 16 more under construction, with a total of USD 6.4 billion in investments, much of it from foreign firms.

“This represents a frontal attack on legal security for investments in Mexico and causes serious consequences for the country, including the loss of jobs and investor confidence,” Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council said. The council cited USD 30 billion in affected investments, noting “this does not just discriminate against renewable energy, it also allows

authorities to artificially inflate the price of electricity in the country and arbitrarily displace any private sector power generation project.”

The new rules published late Friday appear to accomplish several of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s goals: to guarantee income for the government’s electrical power provider; boost consumption of government stockpiles of fuel oil; lessen the role of private power generators; and avoid breakdowns in the aging, inadequate powertransmission system. What was striking was that his administration cited the coronavirus pandemic – and the economic shutdowns that accompanied it – to justify the measure.

The government defended the new rules, saying they “will allow the National Electrical System to ensure reliability in the face of a decrease in demand for electrical power due to the pandemic, and due to the fact that renewable energy projects are intermittent and produce oscillation in the electrical system and cause interruptions.

POLICY UPDATES

Discoms to get Loans at low Rates to pay Back Gencos: RK Singh

Financially stressed Discoms will be offered loans at cheaper rates of 8.5 to 9 percent for a 10-year period by state-owned power sector financing companies PFC and REC for clearing their dues towards power generation companies (Gencos), Power and Renewable Energy Minister RK Singh has said. The loans will be offered to discoms under the Rs 90,000 crore liquidity injection plan announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 13, 2020, to help these entities clear their dues towards power generating companies and reinvigorate the sector hit hard by COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown. Singh said that the liquidity injection plan would help Discoms in a big way as it would provide them credit at cheaper rates for a 10 year period with a two-year moratorium on payments. Discoms would save between 3-9 percent on interest payments under this liquidity window as late payment surcharge on delayed payment to Gencos normally works out to 12-18 percent. “PFC and REC provide loans to distribution and generation sector with a spread of 2.5 to 3 percent.

Under the present scheme, they have agreed to take a lower 1.5 percent spread that will lower the interest rate,” he said. He further added that as part of the plan to invigorate the sector, Discoms have also been allowed to defer payment of fixed charges to Gencos for non-drawing of power contracted under power purchase agreement (PPAs) during the lockdown period. This payment, that normally accounts for a charge of Rs 1.251.50 per unit, can be paid post lockdown in three instalment by the discoms. The Gencos will not charge any interest or carrying charge on this late payment.

Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi Assumes Charge as Secretary MNRE The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced that Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi (IAS) has assumed charge as the new Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy from May 11, 2020. Chaturvedi is a 1987 Batch IAS officer and belongs to Jharkhand cadre and succeeded Anand Kumar in the Ministry who earlier took charge Secretary, Ministry of Culture, the ministry detailed in a press release.

After formally taking over, Chaturvedi met senior officers of the Ministry and took stock of the work and issues before the Ministry.

Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Additional Chief Secretary and Additional Secretary (Climate Change Department) of the Ministry of Climate Change Department, Environment & Forest, Government of Jharkhand. The new secretary is B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT-Kanpur and holds a P.G. in International Development from Harvard University (USA). He has worked in the Government of Jharkhand and

Government of India at various positions including field and policy level.

He has also worked as Joint Secretary or equivalent in PMO, D/o Economic Affairs, Ministry Of Finance. He has extensive experience of working in other departments like Planning Commission, M/o Agriculture, M/o Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. Chaturvedi has also undergone training in Financial Management, Community Mobilisation & Participatory Management Techniques.

At the back end of April, the appointment was first made official by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Reporting to his new boss at the MNRE, Minister RK Singh, himself elected from Arrah Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, the Jharkhand cadre Chaturvedi joins at a tumultuous time at the MNRE. His predecessor, Anand Kumar has ensured a strong finish to his own stint, helping pilot a series of moves that have widely been seen as favourable for the renewable energy industry.

ICRA Stands in Favour of Draft Amendments Proposed in Electricity Act ICRA Limited, an independent investment information and credit rating agency, has stated that it believes that the draft amendments proposed in Electricity Act, 2003 have the scope to strengthen the sanctity of power supply contracts and bring reforms in the distribution segment. The Ministry of Power (MoP), Government of India, has recently proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003 in the form of draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 notified on April 17, 2020, to address the issues plaguing the power sector and impeding its investment prospects. As per ICRA note, the introduction of an entity like Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA) with the authority to adjudicate upon matters regarding the performance of obligations under a contract related to sale, purchase, or transmission of electricity, is likely to uphold

the sanctity of the power supply contracts.

Girishkumar Kadam, Sector Head & Vice President – Corporate ratings, ICRA Ltd said the establishment of ECEA is a positive move, there should be clear demarcation of responsibilities between existing regulators and ECEA to avoid jurisdiction issues. “Furthermore, the proposals to notify a National Renewable Energy Policy (NREP) for promotion of renewable and hydropower, enabling state commissions to adopt the central government notified renewable purchase obligation (RPO) norms, the introduction of per unit penalties for a shortfall in meeting RPO target, deemed approved of the tariff discovered through bidding route and incorporation of provisions of the payment security mechanism in the electricity act, once implemented, are likely to revitalise investor confidence, especially in the renewable power sector,” he added.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 09

POINT OF VIEW

The recent winning bid of Rs 2.90/kWh by Renew Power for a renewable + storage tender for 400 MW power might be the biggest event of 2020 for renewable sector, in terms of impact.

In a recent tender for Round-The-Clock (RTC) supply of 100 percent renewable energy (RE) power with storage, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has discovered a levelised tariff of Rs 3.52/kWh for 15 years. The bid was won by Renew Power. On the significance of this development for the renewables industry in India, we bring you some views and voices from the industry.

Manish Das Co-Founder Skilancer Solar As energy transformation is knocking on India’s door, this deal serves to be a positive step in the direction of India looking to increase its RE sector as a whole. The fact that this tender provides for round-the-clock energy supply from 100 percent RE based energy generation sources, such as wind and solar PV, combined with storage will help the country increase its alternative efficiency.

With further innovation in renewable technologies, it is expected that the intensity of energy generation may soon become such that the domestic or household sector may become a generator and feed into the grid rather than draw from it. With a growing manufacturing industry, population and subsequent infrastructure demands, India’s need for renewable and on-demand energy supply is also increasing simultaneously and this event is a big step towards changing the entire ecosystem in India.

Vivek Chaturvedi Regional Business Director Solar - India, ME & Africa, DSM It was a matter of when and not if!

Breaching the Rs 3/- barrier, and ensuring supply of renewable power after sunset and/or when the wind is not blowing, is indeed a big step towards grid parity in real sense. Coming from a player like Renew, makes it reliable and sustainable in every way, and in the long-term, can lead to large-scale adoption of renewable energy with storage, and accelerate growth of the industry.

Debi Prasad Dash Executive Director India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) The future renewable projects in India will see storage as a component. MNRE and SECI should ensure the timely implementation and commission of such projects. This effort by the government during COVID-19 situation ensures the government’s commitment to the renewable and energy storage industry.

-MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM

10 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Diagnostics - An Effective Approach for Solar industry PRAKASH SURATKAR CEO, PV Diagnostics

Diagnostics of a solar power plant can be an important tool to evaluate the “health” of a solar plant and identify measures to improve generation and optimize O&M. A typical diagnostics study would entail complete power flow mapping of a solar plant by measuring module degradation and damages, O&M efficacy, inverter efficiency, breakdown and plant availability etc. to understand where the developer is losing generation.

Problems observed in Solar Power Plants Solar power plants have many major components like modules, structures, BoS components, etc. Each of these components needs specific maintenance and planned strategy for its optimal performance. We have observed various issues in these components, listed below: 1. Module-Level Defects Module level defects can be identified through EL Imaging, Thermography and IV analysis. Defects identified through EL imaging include micro cracks, soldering defects, finger interruptions, Snail Trails, moisture ingression, solder flux interaction with busbars and PID. Following are some examples of EL images showing these different kinds of defects.

Fig. Cracks on modules

Fig. Soldering defect

12 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

Fig. Finger interruptions

Fig. Snail Trails

Fig. Solder flux interaction with bus bars

Fig. Moisture ingression

Fig. PID

At a 21 MW plant in Rajasthan, we observed that approx 0.28% modules were severely damaged (>11.6%) and 4.6% modules were moderately damaged (8.8-11.6%). Apart from this around 95.13% of modules were observed with minor damages (>8.8%).

When 1829 modules were taken for Thermal Imaging from the same plant, 115 modules were observed with hotspots.

2. Issues related to O&M The O&M team is responsible for healthy lifespan of the plant as well as for addressing fatal issues immediately. Some of the specific issues are discussed below: • Improper maintenance of Pyranometer: Often, the angle of the Pyranometer is changed or the pyranometer is not cleaned properly to reduce irradiance reading and show bloated PR, misleading the developer regarding the health of the plant. Abnormally high PR (>85%) is an indication that the pyranometer may not be recording correct radiation.

Figs. Tilt angle of Pyranometer is changed

TECHNICAL FEATURE • Improper cleaning frequency and methodology: At some sites, cleaning is done during the peak hours. This practice is detrimental for the modules because during peak generation hours, the temperature of the modules is often very high and the cold water causes this temperature to fall quickly, leading to buildup of thermal stress.

Fig. Cleaning done during peak hours

Cleaning methodology and frequency is barely adjusted as per the site conditions. For example, a high TDS-rated water could lead to scaling on modules, whereas areas with sticky dust might need an IPA solution to clean the modules. If the cleaning is not done properly, there might be uneven soiling present on the modules which might lead to hotspots.

3.Other BoS Defects • Poor inverter efficiency: At a 5.75 MWp plant in Rajasthan, thorough analysis for inverter efficiency was carried out. Data was collected on a daily basis for 18 consecutive days. Out of the 7 inverters, two were reportedly underperforming. One peculiar observation was that the inverter having the highest normalised generation was the least efficient. This variation was quite unusual. Thus the inverter was replaced and a successful claim was raised with the manufacturer. A performance gain of 1% was recorded for the entire plant.

Corrosion: • Improper maintenance and lack of knowledge about geographical conditions can accelerate corrosion in different components of a solar plant which can impact the longevity of the solar plant. Corrosion in earth strips can cause continuitybreakage of the grounding system which can turn into a serious hazard. The resistance will increase and the plants will be exposed to natural calamities like lightning.

At a 50 MW plant, located in the basin of a salt lake in Rajasthan, we observed severe corrosion in the structures due to the high salt content in the atmosphere coupled with water-based cleaning of modules twice a month. Even alternate waterless cleaning cycles could have significantly reduced the rate of corrosion while maintaining low soiling levels on the modules.

Figs. Corroded Earthing strip and Pipe

Fig. Effect of soiling

• Maintenance of Cables: If the cables are dangling and not laid properly in conduits, they can cause multiple ground faults and introduce the safety risk for the O&M team.

• Labeling of cables: If the cables are not labeled properly, the fault associated with the cables could take days to get resolved, which ideally should have taken just 2-3 hours maximum.

Fig. Dangling cables hiding in the grass

Figs. Corroded GI structure and Joint strips

1. Module level solutions • Identification of diode failures, severe hotspots and isolations Drone based thermography can help in identifying modules with diode failures, severe hotspots and isolated modules.

These modules should be replaced immediately as they could impact the generation from the entire string in which they are connected. E.g. at a 21 MW plant in Rajasthan, we found that 130 modules were broken and still connected to the strings.

The cumulative capacity of these 130 modules was 144 kWp, however, due to the reduced generation from the entire string, their net impact on the overall capacity of the plant was 18.05 kWp. • PID reversal (Potential Induced Degradation) • PID is another major issue existing in plants which do not have a functional negative grounding at inverters. The degradation Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 13

TECHNICAL FEATURE due to PID can be reversed by subjecting the string to a high positive voltage in the evening. At a 15MWp plant in Gujarat, a commercially available PID reversal tool was installed for a period of 126 days. The results from the exercise are given below: Results of PID reversal tool deployment are shared below:

replacement can lead to much higher increase in generation from the plant.

At a 8MW site in Gujarat, we were able to achieve an increase in generation by ~1% due to re-binning of modules.

2. O&M level solutions Most of the O&M issues can be avoided with proper awareness and training. The solutions related to O&M are situation specific. For instance, if there is under-performance because of soiling in the system, the easiest and most effective solution is to conduct periodic cleaning. Many times, the cleaning itself poses a threat to the system causing moisture ingression and corrosion. Hence, novel O&M practices like robot-driven mopping and reducing the frequency of washing if water salinity is high, should be adopted according to the site conditions.

At a 15MWp plant in Gujarat, the above practices were enforced and an overall average power gain of 2% was observed. And not just soiling, a lot of loss-causing defects can be checked in time if close attention is paid to the overall condition of the plant components.

That being said, it’s also imperative that thorough inspection must be carried out by the O&M personnel, consistently.

3.BoS level solutions • If the inverters are not working optimally, it is always recommended to take this up to the manufacturer. For this, the efficiency of the inverters needs to be regularly monitored.

• Wherever loose connections or terminations are identified, severe hotspots have been found. Periodic thermography is recommended. If the fasteners are properly tightened, the reduction in generation losses is significant.

• Improper Labelling and Dressing of cables is a major issue found across several plants. Whenever the cables and connectors are incorrectly labeled, or if their layout is flawed, it can pose a serious risk to the O&M operations on site.

• Challenges with Seasonal tilt-type of structure need particular mention. Quite a number of sites were reported to be having cases of misalignment of panel tables, leading to inter-shading of modules and torsional stresses being developed in the mounting structures. Regular inspection of affixations and inclinations is vital for the plant.

• Corrosion and related maintenance was also a common yet crucial BoS challenge encountered. Several sites have poorly maintained earth pits, severe corrosion across the earthing electrodes, GI coating of strips exposed, etc. These require immediate redressal or might result in rapid deterioration of the plant.

Figs. EL Images before & after reversal

We observed the Voc to improve by 12.55% and Pmax to improve by 29.91% in the module above. Average improvement in power was 9.03% with respect to the Pm of the module before PID reversal.

• Re-binning of modules to reduce mis-match loss: If the modules in a plant are highly degraded and the variation in degradation of individual modules is high, then re-binning of modules can be conducted to reduce mis-match losses. A combination of re-binning along with PID reversal or module 14 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

Conclusion With the solar industry growing fast, it is necessary to address the issues related to module defects, O&M practices, inverter and other BoS component’s performance to ensure optimum performance of the plant. It is extremely important to keep the health of these components up to the mark as they all contribute to the optimum performance of the plant. If you have reasons to believe that the plant is underperforming, ensure that you conduct frequent diagnostics to evaluate the reasons behind this underperformance and take appropriate measures.

STORAGE UPDATES

Lithium Ion To Stay Numero Uno Option for Storage, Say Researchers A recent three day meeting between researchers from Germany and Israel has concluded that lithium-ion batteries will continue to rule in the storage space in the near future. Redox flow storage, which has made strides recently, did find a mention for its potential, especially in stationary applications. However, price for Redox flow storage remains a major issue for now, with the technology costing over twice as much as Lithium Ion storage batteries.

Storage has assumed an increasingly critical role for the growth and impact of the energy transition to clean energy, with storage at scale and lower prices seen as the biggest potential disrupter for the fossil fuel based energy eco-system, which still dominates.

Advances in storage are also seen as vital to bring forward existing carbon emission targets, as solar and wind power hit their first challenge of grid stability in an increasing number of markets over the coming two years. In India, we have seen how bids for peak electricity demand with a combination of renewable and storage, and the recent Rs 2.90 bid for round the clock supply was met with wide hopes for a second wind it offers to the country’s renewable energy sector.

Sodium Ion batteries also found a mention, especially considering the risk of shortages or supply disruptions for Lithium and Cobalt, key components in Lithium batteries.

However, the researchers, from Germany’s Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) and the

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, still believed commercial scale development was some time away, due to cost and stability issues. India got its first and biggest batterystorage system of 10 MW in 2019 at New Delhi, Tata Power Delhi Distribution installed it at its Rohini sub station. Mainly as a grid balancer, a role that requires storage to step in only in times of instability. The future is already here, with the recent bids going well beyond that role, and demanding round the clock, or peak power supply from new storage projects. With blended cost of power from storage plus renewable projects competitive with thermal power today. Any rate below Rs 4 kWh is good enough, which explains the response of the power minster to the winning

bid of Rs 2.90 made by Renew Power.

The changing dynamics of the transport sector, where EV’s are expected to account for over 30 percent of all vehicles by 2030, also demands a faster shift in the energy mix, as charging these millions of new EV’s with coal or even gas powered electricity will take away a significant part of the benefits they deliver to the environment.

At the moment, pump storage, or hydro based storage continues to dominate, the nineteenth century technology proving to be remarkably resilient even as the energy scenario has changed completely since it first made its appearance. Over 90 percent of global storage is still credited to pumped storage for now.

Lithium-ion Battery Market to Reach $129.3 Bn Globally by 2027: Report According to a new report, the global lithiumion battery industry has been estimated at USD 36.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to hit USD 129.3 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 18.0 percent over the next eight years from 2020 to 2027. The report published recently by Allied Market Research revealed that the increase in demand for smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices and the emergence of electrical, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will drive the growth of the global lithium-ion battery market.

While on the other hand, the high price of the batteries will impede the growth to some extent. However, higher energy efficiency requirements in technologically updated

consumer gadgets are expected to create multiple opportunities in the industry.

The report also added that based on component, the cathode segment accounted for nearly two-fifths of the global lithiumion battery market share in 2019, and is expected to rule the roost by the end of 2027.

Cathodes offer high capacity and superior power delivery to lithium-ion batteries, which, in turn, fuels the segment growth.

The electrolytic solution, on the other hand, would grow at the fastest CAGR of 19.5 percent throughout the forecast period.

Technological advancements in electrolytic solutions are expected to drive the growth of the segment. Furthermore, based on the

end-use industry, the report detailed that the electrical & electronics segment contributed to nearly half of the global lithium-ion battery market revenue in 2019, and is anticipated to retain its dominance till 2027. Currently, mobile phone manufacturers are developing smartphones, tablets, UPS, and PCs with enhanced performance, slimmer designs, and various other advanced features. This factor has boosted the growth of the segment.

At the same time, the automotive segment would showcase the fastest CAGR of 19.1 percent during the study period. The surge in the penetration of electric vehicles/plugin hybrid vehicles is anticipated to drive the growth of the segment growth.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 15

COVER STORY

R.K. SINGH Minister for Power, MNRE and Skill Development

R.K. Singh The 5 Point Checklist For 2020 16 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

COVER STORY

Union Power Minister R.K. Singh will complete 3 years of his association with the Power Ministry on September 3 this year. 2020 could be the year that defines his tenure. Ever since his appointment as the Minister of Power (Independent Charge) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, he has found himself in the idle of a sector in transition. He earned his spurs quickly enough, and on 30 May 2019, he was appointed as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Minister

of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mr Singh found himself in the middle of a ‘boom’ in renewable energy in his first term, with India adding 10.3 GW of solar capacity in 2017-18. 2016-17 had been even better, with 11.3 GW added. This was largely on the back of the agility his predecessor, Piyush Goyal , himself a Minister of State with Independent Charge of Power between 2014 to 2017 , showed. Mr Goyal was quick to spot the new reality of solar power, with prices dropping fast, strong interest among global players to see India emerge as a key

market, and the country’s own Paris accord commitments to fighting climate change.

India revamped its renewable energy target to 175 GW, with Solar expected to deliver a bulk of this at 100 GW by 2022. For Solar, the 5 fold jump from 20 GW to 100 GW opened up the floodgates. Helped by low import restrictions and the support of southern states initially, the spike during 2015-2017 was unprecedented. This is where Mr Singh found himself in 2017, before things started going south.

The problems, typical to India’s controlled economy were predictable. As projects went live, the discom issue reared up. In the form of payment delays. Pressure to keep prices low to get discoms support resulted in margins being shaved to the barest minimum, the consequences of which are still being felt. July 2017 saw the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which spared no sector, including Solar EPC , from its impact. While all this was happening, rumblings from domestic manufacturers were growing louder all the time, culminating in an investigation by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), a body under the commerce ministry. By July 2018, the DGTR had recommended a graded safeguard duty (SGD) on import of solar cells from China and Malaysia, with the last of the reduced duties set to go by this July. The Safeguard duty proved to be a big blow, slowing down bidding, sparking off litigation from bidders who had won projects before the duty came in, and of course, a demand to allow price escalations from developers. Post SGD, India’s still thriving solar tenders started seeing their first slowdown in participation , with many tenders undersubscribed or even forced to be cancelled.

In 2019 too, July was to prove to be a cruel month, with the new state government of Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, delivering on its threats to renegotiate rates on older PPA’s. Coming from one of the states with the highest number of renewable projects, this was a big blow, and sent shockwaves through an embattled industry.

The result of all this? In August last year, a report from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimated total discom dues to renewable energy developers across 513 projects at Rs 9,735 crores. Even this figure was probably lower than the actual number, as a prominent developer chose to opt out, not wanting to drag their issues in the open Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 17

COVER STORY just yet . In fact, if the dues of 1722 crores of this developer were to be added, then the final figure would have been Rs 11458 crores.

Delays, cancellations, and frustrations around policy. What was new for a sector with a high government involvement?

Quite a lot, going by the efforts Mr Singh and his MNRE ministry has made over the past few months. Which brings us to the 5 tasks, where, progress could mean all the difference between a thriving solar and renewable energy sector or complete distress , by 2021. India, where a crisis seems The New MNRE Website Menu. Will There Be A to be the only way to shake up things for food, the Coronavirus crisis could indeed mean the biggest reforms ever.

Despatch Centre pre-eminent over State level centres. The bill, quite simply, seems 1. Passage of the Electricity to be premised on the view that the plight (Amendments) Bill , 2020. The proposed of the power sector is primarily due to new bill is now in its final stage, with the failure of states to use their power feedback from stakeholders awaited till responsibly, and hence the need to take June 5, before it progresses to the next stage. away or neutralise a lot of that influence.

The bill, and the amendments proposed That view is attractive for those in a hurry to in it, has done as exhaustive a job as one see things done, but we believe a balancing could expect, to provide some serious long act will be required by the minister to ensure term direction and rule of law to the sector. that such sharp changes donot make this an Ever since it was introduced to the public all out confrontation between the centre and domain in April this year, the proposed Act states. has sent a surge of expectations through the renewable sector. For three main reasons, On the sub-licensee provision at discom and sundry associated ones. Key is the level, industry insiders have expressed attempt to give the backing of the central law worries at the lack of clarity on rules. to key notifications issued by the ministry .

Or the removal of cross subsidization of These include timely payments to all genco’s, power, which has the noble intention of ( in advance or against LC’s), deemed making power cheaper for industry too. generation status to RE projects whenever The question is can the sector be trusted to any discom ties to curtail generation without deliver quality power at a fair price to the a strong reason like grid safety, and strict common consumers? The discom mess has implementation of Renewable Purchase been a long time in the making, and already Obligation(RPO) norms for renewable the Rs 90,000 crore stimulus is looking energy, which will force lagging discoms to inadequate as everyone lines up for support. tighten up.

By far, the toughest and most important challenge for Mr Singh. The good news? He As outlined by Mr Singh himself in a seems to have the full backing of his boss, recent interaction with industry CEO’s, and the man who matters, Prime Minister state governments had a vested interest in Narendra Modi. maintaining status quo, when it came to discoms. In fact, states like Tamil Nadu, 2. Ensuring a solid footing for the energy Bihar and Telangana have already pitched storage sector. The Minister has reason to postpone the passing of the bill. But they to be hopeful of achieving much here. need to be resisted, firmly.

Starting with the resounding success of the Options like private discoms, starting latest 400 MW Renewable+ Storage tender. with union territories, are bound to face Renew Power bid for round the clock power, resistance , as they have. Steps like a the holy grail for any energy source to be national selection committee that will fill considered mainstream, at a very attractive state regulatory commissions are bound Rs 2.90 per kWh. (Levelised tariff of Rs to be seen as an attack on state autonomy.

3.52 kWh over 15 years) .The winning bid, As is the move to make the National Load and even the interest from other bidders, 18 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

New Approach Too? clearly demonstrates that when it comes to storage, the future is here, with Solar + Storage making a strong case for itself purely on costs over thermal power. Storage is also one area where India’s manufacturing ambitions have a much better chance of reaching fruition, unlike solar equipment, where China simply outinvested everyone with huge capacities.

With storage, India has a chance to ensure that it’s well outlined 50GW capacity target for make in India has a chance to come true.

Many pre-conditions, in terms of market readiness, a build up demand to keep pace with supplies, and dropping costs, could help make it happen.

It was in March last year that the government launched its National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage with an aim to set up 10 Gw of manufacturing in India by 2022, and 50 GW by 2025. 15 months later, word is that we are very close to launching these tenders with special incentives for manufacturers. With the investing climate never better than it is presently, at least in terms of government support at both central and state levels , the storage push can’t come sooner.

3. Rooftop Solar. Government loves big . We get that. It is more visible, grabs headlines, attention, and involves big ticket investments. But in solar, small, or at least the relatively small, in the form of rooftop solar can also pack quite a punch.

Besides creating ground level demand for domestic manufacturers, the commercial and industrial market as it is called, for industrial sized rooftop solar, can also be a huge driver of investments and generation.

For years together, rooftop solar has been left to fend for itself, with the now standard ‘central subsidy’ delivering poor to fair

COVER STORY results in just a few states. The problem fsor interested consumers and corporate customers starts right at the search stage.

There is an unholy mess of regulations , costs and quotas stifling the sector, with new rules for virtually every state. Headline numbers of residential solar rooftops ranging from Rs 22,000 to Rs 37,000 across states today are almost meaningless on the ground. Vendors who have empaneled to get a foot in to the market , confuse the issue even further with customers, as they seek to protect their margins. A national resource with statewise data and resources is the minimum requirement, if not the promised single window clearance for applications.

In the commercial and industrial market too, states like Gujarat have found ingenious ways to block growth, by first pushing for capex projects, and later, making projects dependent on discom NOC’s. Something they have been unsurprisingly loathe to give. In this case, Will The stimulus deliver permanent relief? the Gujarat model if rolled out nationally, will be a disaster for the whole sector. are happy to endorse, and wait to see it put into action soon.

4. Speed up the Central Public Sector With their promise of volume off take Undertaking (CPSU) program for the over the next 3 years from domestic development of solar projects worth manufacturers, the scheme can also 12GW. provide a much needed fillip to domestic The CPSU scheme seeks the setting up of manufacturers, whose biggest grouse is lack setting up of 12,000 MW grid-connected of visibility in future orders, and frequent solar PV projects by CPSUs /State PSUs/ disruptions in the past two years. In fact, Government Organisations, with Viability increasing the volumes here and speeding Gap Funding (VGF) support for self-use or up the process might be a far better idea use by Government/ Government entities, than tinkering with the duty on imports, either directly or through discoms. Under which looks set to go up again. Simply the scheme, a total of 12 GW of solar because duties, especially high duties, projects is expected to be tendered under have built up a perfect record of breeding the second phase of the scheme. According inefficiencies and passing on these costs to the ministry, 4 GW was to be tendered in to the end consumer in the form of higher FY 2019-2020, followed by another 4 GW in power prices.

FY 2020-2021 and then in 2021-2022. All the projects are expected to be developed by 5. Revive The ISA. The International the end of FY 2022-2023. Under the CPSU Solar Alliance has not exactly gone into program, the usage charges should not hibernation, but the signs are not good. exceed Rs 3.50/kWh and will be exclusive A visit to the site of the prestigious of any other third-party charge such as initiative is indicative of the tiredness that wheeling, transmission, and the likes. has affected the organization too. While The issue here, as always, has been the inaccessible at the time of writing this, speed of execution. With such a huge the last time we did track it, it had been number of available CPSU’s and other months, even years since fresh information government bodies eligible, the process and data had been added. has actually frozen down. There is a need, articulated by the minister himself recently, Founded in November 2015, by Prime to give the job to a fee select PSU’s, if this Minister Modi and President Hollande of scheme is ever to finish. It’s a thought we France, the organisation has an ambitious

objective to The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. For this, it seek to mobilise a trillion dollars by 2030, that will support the effort to make solar energy affordable and a larger part of the energy mix across its 122 members at last count.

The ISA is an initiative that Prime Minister Modi, and Mr Singh as Co-President of the Isa assembly are justifiably proud of the initiative, considering the fact that it is the second largest global organisation after the UN, in terms of member countries.

However, like other large organisations, the ISA too seems to have fallen prey to the familiar challenges of a slow decision making, paper pushing, and meetings with no serious impact or outcome. As India’s biggest move towards combating climate change, the ISA needs to show far more for its 4 plus years of existence, than the global tender for 2,72,000 Solar pumps where it did drive prices down significantly, it has to be said.

With the EU, and many other key regions increasingly talking about a green stimulus, it is upto organisations like the ISA to grab the opportunity and grab the new found respect and interest in solar energy as an option.

@Saur News Bureau

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 19

PROJECT UPDATES

NTPC Tenders for Solar Modules Package for Solapur Project

NTPC Ltd has issued a tender, inviting bids from eligible vendors and bidders for the supply and installation of solar PV modules worth 33.6 MWp at the Solapur PV Project in Maharashtra. The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the manufacturing, supply, packaging and forwarding, transportation, supervision of installation and supervision of the commissioning of the solar PV modules (crystalline – minimum 330 Wp nominal rating) of nominal DC capacity of 33.6 MWp. The firm plans to finance the subject package through its own resources.

The last date for bid submission is June 24, 2020, and the techno-commercial bids will be opened on June 25, 2020. The date and time of opening of the price bids will be intimated to the technically cleared bidders.

A pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for June 8, 2020, to address the concerns raised by the prospective bidders. All bids must be accompanied by bid security for an amount of Rs 1 crore. To qualify for participating in the bidding process, the bidder should have manufactured and supplied solar PV modules of cumulative capacity of 26 MWp or above, out of which at least one such supply order should be for 6 MWp or above capacity. The reference plant of 6 MWp or above capacity must have been in successful operation for at least six months prior to the date of the technocommercial bid opening. Financially, the average annual turnover of the Bidder, should not be less than Rs 55 crore during the preceding three completed financial years as on date of techno-commercial bid opening. And, the net worth of the bidder as on the last day of the preceding financial year should not be less than 100 percent of bidder’s paid-up share capital.

20 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

Discovers Rs 2.90/kWh Tariff in 400 MW Round-The-Clock Tender State-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has discovered a tariff of Rs 2.90/kWh in its tender for Round-The-Clock’ (RTC) supply of 400 MW renewable energy (RE) power to NDMC, New Delhi, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. ReNew Power has emerged as the winner under this tariffbased competitive bidding (RTC-I) and won complete 400 MW of capacity at a quoted tariff rate of Rs 2.90/kWh. On the successful e-RA conducted by SECI, Power Minister, R.K. Singh tweeted “Golden chapter added in IndianRE story, as e-RA for 400 MW RE Projects with Round the Clock (RTC) supply conducted by @SECI_Ltd results in historic 1st year tariff of Rs.2.90/kWh. MNRE makes a new beginning towards firm, schedulable & affordable RTC supply through 100% RE power.” Furthermore, Anand Kumar, previous

MNRE Secretary and the current Secretary to Ministry of Culture, congratulated SECI through a tweet “Congratulations SECI for discovering the tariff of Rs. 2.90 / kWh under Round the Clock bid.” The bid submission for SECI’s 400 MW RTC-I RE power supply tender was closed on March 23, 2020, in which total four companies had applied.

The four bidders were – Greenko, ReNew Power, HES Infra and Ayana Renewables and they applied for the capacity of 400 MW, 400 MW, 100 MW and 50 MW respectively.

Thus, SECI received an application for a total 950 MW of capacity and the tender got oversubscribed by 550 MW. At the time of applying, ReNew Power quoted a price of Rs 2.90/kWh, Greenko quoted Rs 2.91/kWh and others quoted around Rs 4.05/ kWh.

Uttarakhand to Empanel EPC Contractors for Rooftop Solar Projects The Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) has issued a tender, inviting bids from eligible firms for the empanelment of the EPC contractors to undertake work of project commissioning of grid-connected rooftop and small solar power plant at various locations in the State of Uttarakhand.

The scope of work for the empaneled contractors will include the design, manufacture, supply, erection, testing, net-metering and commissioning of the 1 kWp to 500 kWp grid-connected rooftop and small solar power plants in the state.

The contractors will also be required to provide warranty and maintenance services for the plants under the term of an Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) for a period of 5 years.

The last date for bid submission is June 5, 2020, and the technical bids will be opened on June 11, 2020. All bidders will have to submit an Earnest Money Deposit of Rs 5

lakh along with their bids.

As per the tender documents, work orders shall be placed by UREDA to various empaneled firms and they will design, manufacture, supply, erect, test, and commission the solar power plant and shall make all necessary arrangements for satisfactory maintenance and performance of the Power Plant. Warranty and AMC period will include rectification/ replacement of all the defective and consumable components/items including batteries. PV modules used in solar power plants 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 selected firms will be empaneled for a period of 1 year. After completion of this period, the validity of rates may further be extended on the basis of the performance of the firms and mutual consent between UREDA and interested empanelled firms.

PROJECT UPDATES

SECI Extends Bid Deadline for 3 Solar Projects at SCCL Again The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a notification, extending the bid submission deadline for three solar PV project tenders to be built at Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) Telangana for a second time during the lockdown.

The three tenders for which the deadlines have been extended include the 34 MW (AC) ground-based plant for different packages at SCCL, 32 MW (AC) OB Dump based plant for different packages at SCCL, and the tender for 15 MW (AC) floating solar plant for different packages also at SCCL in Telangana.

The tender for the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, commissioning, and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of 34 MW (AC) ground-based solar PV power plant for different packages at SCCL has been extended from May 13, 2020, to June 12, 2020. The bids will now be opened on the new deadline.

The deadline for the tender for the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, commissioning and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of 32 MW (AC) OB Dump based solar PV power plant for different packages at SCCL has been extended from May 15, 2020, to June 15, 2020. The bids will now be opened on the new deadline.

Finally, for the tender for the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, commissioning and O&M of a 15 MW (AC) floating solar PV power plant for different packages at SCCL have been extended from May 18, 2020, to June 17, 2020. The bids will now be opened on the new deadline.

The reason behind the extension of the three tender deadlines is believed to be due to the economic slowdown caused due to the global COVID-19 outbreak and the consequent nationwide lockdown which has been in place since March 25, 2020.

Inox Wind Begins Work on Phase-I of Gujarat Wind Projects Inox Wind has announced that it has started work on the 126 MW phase-I of its 250-megawatt wind power projects in Gujarat following the receipt of certain advances. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal, the firm noted in a filing to the BSE.(Bombay Stock Exchange) “Post receipt of certain advances, Inox Wind has started execution of the first phase of the project comprising of 126 megawatts (MW) which is scheduled to be commissioned by Q3 of FY 2021 at Dayapar, District Bhuj in Gujarat, on a turnkey basis,� the filing said.

As part of the order, Inox Wind will provide Continuum Power Trading (TN) with end-to-end solutions from development and construction to commissioning and providing long term operations and maintenance services, it said. The firm

had entered into definitive pacts with the company to erect and commission a 250 MW wind power projects in the state of Gujarat. Common infrastructure such as 220 kilovolts (kV) pooling substation at Dayapar, 220 kV bay at Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) Nirona End, 220 kV transmission line for 72 km is already ready and the project will be executed on a plug and play basis, it said.

At the back end of April, Inox Wind had become one of the first renewable energy firms in the country to announce that it had reopened its manufacturing facilities across the country. After lockdown order issued by the government in the wake of containment of coronavirus pandemic, Kailash Tarachandani-led company had earlier on March 26, 2020, suspend operations at all its three manufacturing sites situated at Ahmedabad, Barwani and Una.

Mizoram Looking to Sell Surplus Renewable Power The Power & Electricity Department of Mizoram (PEDM) has issued a Notice Inviting Tenders (NIT) for the sale of its surplus renewable power (non-solar) for the period from July 22, 2020, to December 31, 2020.

The power department is seeking to sell the power through a trader having a valid interstate trading license issued by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), and having past experience of consultancy/ trading service on behalf of state power utilities to enable PEDM for sale of its surplus renewable power.

The scope of the contract shall be the sale of available surplus renewable power (non-solar) on a short term basis which shall be governed as per the general terms and conditions specified in the tender documents.

To be eligible, the participating bidder should be an Indian entity, should have a valid trading license (category II or above)

issued by CERC, and finally the bidder should have traded at least 100 MU of RE power (non-solar) from all over India during last three financial years.

According to the NIT, all the charges and losses up to delivery point including but not limited to POC Injection Charges & Losses, Transmission Charges & Losses, RLDC/SLDC Operating charges, SLDC Application fee or any other charges applicable as amended from time to time shall be borne by PEDM. And, all charges and losses beyond delivery point including but not limited to POC Withdrawal Charges & Losses, STU and Wheeling Charges & Losses, RLDC/SLDC Operating charges, RLDC/SLDC Application fee, or any other charges applicable as amended from time to time shall be borne by the successful bidder.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 21

PROJECT UPDATES

Tender Issued for 19,000 Solar Street Lights Under MNRE Scheme in Punjab

The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has issued a tender, inviting bids from eligible vendors and firms for the work of designing and commissioning of 19,000 solar street lights in the state under the MNRE off-grid and decentralised solar PV applications scheme. The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the design, manufacture, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of 19000 solar street lights including complete system warranty and its maintenance under an annual maintenance contract for a period of 5 years. The maintenance service provided shall ensure the proper functioning of the system as a whole. All preventive/ routine maintenance and breakdown/corrective maintenance required for ensuring maximum uptime shall have to be provided by the supplier.

The last date for bid submission is May 28, 2020, and the techno-commercial bids will be opened on May 29, 2020. All bidders will have to submit an Earnest Money Deposit of Rs 30 lakh along with their bids.

As per the tender, the tentative quantity is 19,000 solar lights. However, the figure may be increased or decreased by PEDA. Furthermore, the successful bidders will have to ensure that the project is completed within one year of award of LoA as per MNRE guideline. To be eligible, the bidder must be engaged in the business for the minimum last three years in, either of the following: i) LED Street Lighting Projects Or ii) Solar Power Projects Or iii) Any SL EPC contractor. And, the Annual Turn Over of the bidder should have Rs 7.1 crore in each financial year during the last three financial years, and the bidder should be profitable in the last financial year i.e. 2017-18 & 2018- 19.

22 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

SECI Extends Bid Deadline for Projects in Andaman and Ladakh The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced the extension in the bid submission deadline for its tenders for setting up solar power projects in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh.

For its tenders for the selection of solar power developers for setting up of 4 MW grid-connected floating solar projects with 2 MW/ 1 MWh Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at the Kalpong Dam in North Andaman, the deadline has been extended for the seventh time.

The last date for bid submission has been extended from May 18, 2020, to June 15, 2020. The techno-commercial bids will now be opened on June 18, 2020.

As per the RfS, which was issued in January, the Electricity Department, Andaman & Nicobar administration (A&NA) shall enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the successful Bidder selected

by SECI based on this RfS for purchase of Floating Solar Power with BESS for a period of 25 years based on the terms, conditions, and provisions of the RfS. The maximum levelised tariff payable to the Project Developer is fixed at INR 8/ kWh for 25 years. This shall be inclusive of all statutory taxes, duties, levies, cess applicable as on the last date of bid submission.

For its tender for the development of 14 MW of solar power projects along with 42 MWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at Leh and Kargil in Ladakh under the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP)2015, the nodal agency has extended the bid submission deadline from June 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020, and the technical bids will now be opened on the same date.

RES and Energy Estate to Advance 2 GW Renewable Hub in Queensland RES, one of the world’s largest independent renewable energy companies with over 16 GW portfolio has partnered with Energy Estate to work together on the Central Queensland Power project (CQP) which plans to deliver over 2 GW of wind, solar and storage developments and new transmission infrastructure.

Energy Estate is an advisory firm and business accelerator, focused on accelerating the transformation of the global energy sector. RES and Energy Estate have successful track records of developing large scale renewable energy projects in Queensland.

RES’ 72MW Emerald Solar Farm and 180 MW Dulacca Wind Farm, and Energy Estate’s 300 MW Rodds Bay Solar Farm through its affiliate Renew Estate.

The concept behind the CQP project is to accelerate the development of an integrated portfolio of strategically located wind, solar

and energy storage projects in the Fitzroy Renewable Energy Zone, over the next 10 years. This includes creating a robust and resilient supply chain for the renewable energy sector in Queensland using the natural advantages of the region and port at Gladstone. “The Central Queensland Power project is designed to drive the decarbonisation of Gladstone and accelerate the energy transition of heavy industry around this critical region. We are developing renewable energy projects which will deliver a mix of wind, solar and storage in proximity to Gladstone, allowing for blended generation to create a firmed renewable electricity supply able to meet the 24/7 requirements of existing heavy industry as well as the wider community and stimulate the development of new industries such as green hydrogen” said Simon Currie from Energy Estate.

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THE CONVERSATION

HARMANJIT NAGI Director, EDF India

We are on Track to reach 2 GW Renewable Development in India We are strongly committed to renewable development in India, with 2 GW of renewable capacity targeted by 2022 through wind, solar and hydro projects. I’m happy to say we are on track to reach this target. Thanks to new opportunities in 2019 and early 2020, we now have significant pipeline of renewable projects under development: 1 GW in solar and 400 MW in wind. EDF is also providing technical services in hydro engineering for pumped storage hydro projects, says Harmanjit Nagi, Director, EDF India, an Indian arm of French electric utility Électricité de France S.A. (EDF) Group. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Nagi shared his views on various topics including company’s business verticals in India, its initiative for startups, implementation of smart meters and smart cities projects, future strategy for India etc. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

24 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

THE CONVERSATION Shed some light on EDF’s various business verticals in India in the clean energy space.

India is a strategic country for EDF’s international development. Today, our business in India covers all the fields that are crucial for building a lowcarbon electric system in the country.

We are strongly committed to renewable development in India, with 2 GW of renewable capacity targeted by 2022 through wind, solar and hydro projects.

I’m happy to say we are on track to reach this target. Thanks to new opportunities in 2019 and early 2020, we now have significant pipeline of renewable projects under development: 1 GW in solar and 400 MW in wind. EDF is also providing technical services in hydro engineering for pumped storage hydro projects.

We are implementing one of the largest Smart metering projects in India. This includes installation of 5 million smart meters and associated infrastructure across the country. Such a project reduces the losses in the distribution system and improves the overall efficiency, thus reducing the carbon footprint of Indian Discoms.

We are also exploring possible business opportunities in EV charging infrastructure, hydrogen generation via electrolysis which is CO2 free as well as Zinium (Zinc Air) batteries for e-mobility.

EDF is working along with NPCIL for the development of 6 EPRs of 1650 MW each, totaling 10GWs of low carbon generation at Jaitapur, Maharashtra.

How will the EDF Pulse India programme support Indian startups?

What is the vision behind this?

WE ARE ALSO EXPLORING POSSIBLE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE, HYDROGEN GENERATION VIA ELECTROLYSIS WHICH IS CO2 FREE AS WELL

The very idea of EDF Pulse Awards - be it in India or in other countries where EDF launched this initiative, is to create, develop, reinforce and promote low carbon innovative players which is fully aligned with the core strategy of the EDF group.

By providing access to EDF network and expertise, the group will help to develop further business opportunities and enable start-ups to move from the planning phase to commercial roll-out.

This initiative is also beneficial for us as a company. In the long term, it will bring us valuable insights into rapidly changing needs of more intelligent & digitalized consumer in India. It will also give us better view of innovative projects Indian start-ups are able to come up with to address those needs.

Tell us something about the company’s smart metering project in India?

Today EDF, is a major player in the smart metering segment in India.

It is responsible for designing the infrastructure, installing, and looking after operations of the system.

Looking at the economies of scale, our pricing is very competitive and still a benchmark for future projects. 5 million smart meters are under installation under EESL project. Although, schedule adjustments might be needed due to lockdown, the project is well underway.

Do you face any challenges in India while working in the smart meters segment, including dealing with Discoms?

AS ZINIUM (ZINC

The EDF Pulse India programme is aiming to support socially inclusive Indian-based innovations for an electric world that is more eco-friendly and better connected.

EDF will provide laureates with a marketing campaign aimed at the general public to boost visibility.

Depending on the award, a prize money up to USD 20,000 will also be awarded to develop their business.

We are sure, the positivity created by this event, will be the core ingredient, for the business community, for coping up in this testing time of COVID -19 crises.

I am proud to say, that today, EDF has developed and implemented first of its kind smart pre-paid metering solution in India, starting from Bihar.

The pre-paid solution, always comes with its own difficulties of implementation like consumer understanding of the project, change in business process of Discoms, etc., but thanks to incredible support received from EESL and Bihar Discoms, our team today, is more confidently overcoming these on-ground hurdles.

The pre-paid smart metering program will definitely be game changer for largely improving financial efficiency of India’s

AIR) BATTERIES

FOR E-MOBILITY.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 25

THE CONVERSATION electricity distribution sector. The system will also give customers better control of their energy budget and allow them to play an active role in their own consumption.

As EDF is also working on smart cities project in India in street lights vertical. How was your experience till date? Any difficulties faced?

Street light business is just starting point for us. Our ambition is definitely to play much more significant role in this connect urban infrastructure space.

EDF has an experience in managing smart streetlights for 1,000 cities with 2.5 million light points currently in operation globally.

In India, EDF group, via Citelum, is managing more than 250,000 street light points in Ahmedabad and Noida.

In this space, our operational and safety standards have definitely created new benchmark. We are excited to venture more in this space, with new technologies - more efficient, connected and better adapted to consumer demands.

What will be your key suggestions for the government that could help companies in working during this Covid-19 situation?

I believe this pandemic, in long term, will really change the way the companies will work. The International Energy Agency

26 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

(IEA) says that the world will use 6 percent less energy this year - equivalent to losing the entire energy demand of India. So, definitely, this is a testing for all companies working in energy space.

Getting the economy back on track should not eclipse another emergency which is still there: the fight against global warming.

Low-carbon electricity is clearly an ally in this challenge. Lowcarbon economy, as a whole, with all the business branches it involves, is an amazing opportunity for creating jobs and triggering sustainable growth.

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

EDF has been present in India since more than 25 years. Our aim is to be one of the key partners in the country’s ambitious energy development program. The latter puts a strong emphasis on building a low-carbon electric system. This is our core business and we are more than happy to bring our know-how and experience in all the fields that are crucial to turn this ambition into reality: electricity generation from renewables and nuclear, smart metering, electric mobility, energy efficiency etc. We are keen to implement solutions that best fit Indian context. That’s why it is so important to be connected to the economic fabric and support those who innovate. And that’s what EDF Pulse India challenge is all about.

STARTUP FEATURE

Energos Technologies Rajesh Solanki CEO & Founder, Energos Technologies Key operational areas (Products, Regions, Clients) – USA, India and Australia based Edge AI company, Energos is aiding the removal of humans’ reliance on old dirty centralised power grids, to usher in a new decarbonised, prosumer-based green energy economy by automation of autonomous self-optimising distributed energy systems. The company is working towards a ‘green internet’ by building an Edge AI hardware and software platform to manage intermittent energy supplies, with minimal human interference.

Founding Members detail: Rajesh Solanki is the founder & CEO of Energos while Anees Mir is the co-founder & CTO of the company.

Rajesh Solanki is a repeat entrepreneur and has vast experience in building cross border tech companies. Energos prides on a very experienced and talented global team spread across USA, Australia, and India.

Anees Mir is an expert in areas related to AI, IOT, machine learning and energy efficiency technologies. He is a software engineer and did his engineering from Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology in 2001.

Turning Point for the firm One of best thing was getting support from large partners like Shell, Energy Australia and other energy retailers to offer new age digital energy services to business customers. It helps large multi-site businesses to achieve their net zero carbon goals.

Plans in next 3 to 5 years We plan to put our understanding of the sector and mentorship provided by Shell under its E4 scale track programme into play and grow in our sector.

As electricity grids transition from large centralized coal plant-based grids to distributed energy systems with several renewables, storage

Anees Mir Co-Founder & CTO, Energos Technologies and EVs in the network, Energos build deep tech to balance the varying demand with intermittent supply.

The Mumbai and US based Energos believes that its Edge AI device, YIVObot, is the solution to maintaining the resilience and reliability of a distributed grid while also optimising its performance by selftuning.

Its patented automatically optimizes and automates the multidirectional energy flow in distributed energy systems at each microgrid level and distributed grid level.

Biggest Attraction in the sector More than ever before, businesses have set up finite 2030 carbon reduction goals under their sustainability initiatives, believes Rajesh Solanki. To achieve these targets, they are investing to reduce their energy consumption and costs while also investing in renewables, storage and EV charging infrastructure.

Present State of Mind Solanki believes that many energy services companies across the globe are at the forefront of the space, and well positioned to adopt these new digital technologies to serve their business customers better. This presented the perfect opportunity to position into the new energy tech ecosystem, driving the smart energy ‘hub’ to a low emissions future.

The current halt in economic activities due to coronavirus has led to a global reduction in pollution. That is a huge validation that our economic activity should shift to a decarbonized future.

Energos’ Edge AI technology can help work towards this transition, producing a decarbonised, new prosumer-based green energy economy.

-MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 27

THE CONVERSATION

Krishan Sharma

Vice President- Asia, ReneSola

For Krishan Kumar Sharma, a 12 year journey in the solar sector has taken him to Renesola, a leading module manufacturer, where he is the Vice President, South Asia. With his wide exposure to the solar markets in Asia, and through Renesola, the world, we caught up with him to get a view on the Covid-19 impact on the market.

What are the key trends you are seeing in the demand and direction for Solar Modules in India ?

Due to this unprecedented situation of outbreak of Covid-19, the past several months have been very challenging for everyone.

Covid-19 pandemic is halting the life worldwide and industries are badly affected. The solar industry is not separated from the Covid-19 impact and delayed overall projects installation. This outbreak comes at a time when the demand of SPV modules would have been peaking in India as it was the end of the financial year. Since the initial target was around 15-16 GW installation in 2020, this will drop to 8-10GW now, and even that is contingent on various factors like manpower, equipment supply etc. As most of the solar projects COD (Commissioning Date )has been delayed to 2nd half of 2020, 28 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

which will lead to increase in module demand in Q3 & Q4 2020. In terms of Technology, we see an increasing demand of MONO PERC SPV Modules, however, Polycrystalline still is in demand due to better financial viability with it.

What will be the overall Covid-19 impact on Solar Energy projects? When do you see a return to normalcy?

COVID-19 affected the Global Market so badly that it will take long time to recover from its impact, according to the recent figures millions of people are affected worldwide and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared it a global health emergency. Many companies across different sectors globally have ceased or decreased capital expenditures where possible, and the

THE CONVERSATION solar sector is no exception where C&I customers have postponed or cancelled their plan to opt solar as capital investment.

The Virus affected more than 188 countries as on date which is a threat to global trade as well. Unbalanced demand & supply in the Chinese market will definitely have an impact on the global Solar markets as they depend for the supplies of raw or finished products from China.

Countries around the world are taking steps to support the energy sector and to mitigate the negative effects of the crisis. There are myriad challenges that policy makers, regulators need to address to ensure energy security.

Most of the countries have taken special measures to ensure a safe and reliable energy supply by guaranteeing essential services non-effected by the lockdowns, as well as measures aimed to ease financial requirements on consumers who face economic difficulties during lock down (bill-paying measures for vulnerable consumers to avoid disconnections).

Due to this unprecedented situation of Covid-19, Supplies are continuously disrupting due to delay in Production, shortage of raw- material, transportation which forced several manufacturers to run their plants partially. Even the consignments of solar modules already manufactured are facing delays in transit to project sites on account of precautionary restrictions on transit at ports.

At present, India has installed approximately 35 GW of Solar PV projects. However, Covid-19 delayed overall project commissioning date, which will obviously impact on India’s ambitious target of achieving 100 GW solar projects installation by 2022.

There are serious concerns over Covid-19 in the context of project financing, delays of construction or disruption to operations.

Projects in the development or pre-construction phase that are seeking financing are facing delays in closing deals. Lenders are wary of the current market volatility and could refrain from investing in the short term investments. Development based funds and banks are withholding the disbursement of funds for RE projects and that has stopped many projects of various scales.

I don’t think situation will get normal anytime soon. We are definitely not going to have a return to the pre-pandemic situation anytime soon. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) corona virus will 'be with us for long time'. Therefore we have to learn to live with Covid-19 till the vaccine gets developed. I read somewhere that an end can occur not because a disease has been vanquished but because people grow tired of panic mode and learn to live with a disease.

What is your top offering in India in terms of sales/efficiency/latest technology?

Renesola has been supplying both the technologies Poly and Mono in Indian market. Poly has reached an average wattage of 340Wp modules while Mono Perc has reached 395Wp within the same Cell size of 156.

Recently, we have launched higher wattage of modules in 166 size cells achieving the average rating of 450Wp and the same will be available in Indian market by the end of July.

As India is always price sensitive market, Poly modules are much more in demand due to price gap of around 2 cents in between poly and Mono PERC.

Do you see solar +storage becoming significant soon?

Will that have an impact on the module market also?

In order to tackle the grid stability issue due to volatile nature of the Solar PV Generation, the battery storage system will be a game changer. This will help to store power during day time and can provide backup of consistent power at peak time. Thus, the combination of Solar and storage would have an additional advantage of energy scheduling and peak shaving of demand.

Recently market has witnessed a lot’s of initiatives from the government to promote the Energy Storage for large scale projects.

The recent, Round The Clock (RTC) tender issued by SECI was oversubscribed by 550MW which itself states the potential of this segment. This will be a huge win for Indian power sector to rely on renewable energy in future which will provide round the clock power and remove the dependency on Thermal power plants which are highly polluting source of power.

I believe, solar + storage will be the future for renewable power industry. However, solar module market will grow exponentially with the combination of storage system,

Which are your key global markets today?

Renesola has been supplied more than 20 GW globally, whereas India is and always been a key market for Renesola and supplied more than 2.5 GW solar PV modules. China, Brazil, Europe and Australia are the other key markets where Renesola is focusing on.

Recently, Renesola has signed 150MW distribution modules supply agreement with Prosun for Australian market.

With all the social restrictions on now, how is ReneSola gearing up to market itself? Is there a change in strategy to connect with customers and other stakeholders?

As we all know that current restrictions are easing out day by day and at least we believe that the situation will get better soon. However, in the meantime, we are exploring new ways to educate our clients about new technologies & products.

Moreover, Renesola has appointed 2 channel partners in India to reach out to each and every client no matter how small is their requirement but want to serve every client irrespective of quantity.

Presently, Covid-19 situation is not allowing us to interact with customers & stakeholders in person but we are regularly using the online platforms to host the meetings and trainings.

What is the biggest step the government could take to revive market demand in solar sector?

It’s really a need of the hour to revive solar market otherwise the whole solar industry may face big problem. Investors are expecting more favourable conditions in this crucial time.

The Government should direct DISCOMs to clear all pending dues of IPP’s immediately. Also, provide relaxation of safe guard duty on solar PV cells and modules to ease out some burden on project capex and make it more affordable for the small EPCs/ Small Developers who are already cash drained in this lockdown situation.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 29

FEATURE

As 500W Modules Appear, India Risks Falling Way Behind Some of the leading Chinese solar PV module manufacturers, which remain the undisputed global leaders of the solar modules and cells industry, have a new prestige product. Breaking the 500 W barrier for solar module output from a single panel. The latest in the list, with also the highest-rated module in the market, is JinkoSolar with the launch of its 2020 flagship - the ‘Tiger Pro’ module series, which the firm claims can generate a maximum power output of up to 580W. To put this into perspective, it is 40 percent higher (on average) as compared to current mainstream products installed in utilityscale solar projects.

Interestingly, none of the companies we 30 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

spoke to have any expectations, or hopes of seeing any demand for these top-end products from the Indian market, which remains trapped in the polycrystalline era. Even as the generational shift from polycrystalline modules to Mono and Mono PERC modules is almost complete in comparable markets. Mainly on the excuse of lower costs, and the DCR (Domestic Content Requirements) route, since most domestic manufacturers are still churning out polycrystalline modules. “The higher efficiency of Mono Modules comes at a cost that is close to 10 percent extra, which can increase total project costs by upto 6 percent. With most developers working at wafer-thin margins, that difference is still too much to bridge, especially with other

unforeseen events like the Safeguard Duty in 2018, financing challenges in 2019, and now COVID related disruptions impacting plans,” says a leading manufacturer who did not want to be named.

Jinko’s Tiger Pro-branded module is expected to be in volume production in the third quarter of this years and the firm believes that by greatly reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) compared to traditional modules, the high-efficiency Tiger Pro module series paves the way for investors to generate higher power output.

Technical Aspects: The company used an innovative multi-wire 9BB and TR tiling ribbon technology in all these high energy density modules to reach significantly

FEATURE improved performance with conversion efficiency up to 21.6 percent.

Next in the list, and also a new addition to the commercial solar PV modules market is LONGi’s recently announced Hi-MO5 modules which are expected to be officially launched at the end of May 2020. According to the firm's brief information update, the module output for the new series will be 530W and efficiency will exceed 21.0 percent.

Much like the Tiger Pro series from Jinko, the Hi MO5 series modules will superimpose 9 busbar and half-cut cell technologies onto a mono PERC base. The firm has assured that it will go all-in with its new module series with production expected to begin in August this year and reach an annual production capacity of 10 GW. years.

Following up behind LONGi, is another Chinese manufacturer, JA Solar. The firm had recently announced that the power output of its high-efficiency solar modules under standard testing conditions had set a new industry record reaching above 525W. The modules are expected to be the first (out of all major firms announcements) to hit the market with commercial availability scheduled for the second half of 2020.

Trina Solar is the last of the major module manufacturers that we will cover in this article. The manufacturer which has been ever-present at the top of global module manufacturers list for a few years now. The firm also exceeded 10 GW in global module shipments last year.

The manufacturer recently announced that its Vertex module is able to reach “Our value of ‘customer-centered’ has driven 515.8W power output, based on the test us to achieve this breakthrough, which result by TÜV Rheinland’s independent enables us to win recognition from both evaluation. This was a major breakthrough the PV Industry and our valued customers”, and milestone for the firm which had said Jin Baofang, Chairman of the Board commenced formal mass production of of Directors and CEO of JA Solar. “In the the Vertex pilot line on March 18, 2020, and future, we will continue focusing on the has also begun shipment of the first Vertex technological innovation of our products to order on March 27, 2020. Making it the first drive the development of the photovoltaic to enter the market with 500W+ output industry, and allow more people to enjoy the modules. benefits of clean energy.”

“The Vertex module has built a brand new The firm is also planning to invest CNY technological platform by integrating and 6.6 billion (USD 947.7 million) for the innovating a variety of technologies such establishment of two new solar PV as 210mm large size silicon wafers, multimanufacturing plants in China with a busbars, 1/3 cut technology, non-destructive combined annual production capacity cutting, and high-density packaging, close to 15 GW, as it looks to secure the top providing us with a glimpse into the future spot in the global market. The firm intends developmental direction while keeping to build a production facility in Yiwu city us excited about the possibilities,” Yin where it will be able to make 5 GW of solar Rongfang, Vice General Manager and EVP at PV cells per year, while a new 10-GW factory Trina Solar said. will produce PV modules. According to the manufacturer, the construction of the two With the development and improvement new bases is expected to take around four of the industry chain, especially the

improvement in glass supply capacity, adding another column of cells to the existing five-column layout design can increase the Vertex module’s power output to more than 600W. “Furthermore, with PERC+ cell conversion efficiency anticipated to surpass 24 percent, combined with other factors such as the optimisation in module design, improvements in load capacity as well as downstream installation, the Vertex modules’ power output will continue to increase. This provides the direction and path for the iterative development of PV modules, which will further drive the continuous decrease in the BOS and LCOE of PV systems,” Yin added.

These updates from a few of the biggest Chinese (and global) module manufacturers bring into perspective the progress that is being made in the global solar PV market.

As a direct consequence of which, solar PV is now (along with Onshore Wind) the cheapest sources of new-build generation for at least two-thirds of the global population. The latest analysis by research consultancy firm BloombergNEF (BNEF) showed that the global benchmark LCOE for utility-scale PV has fallen 4 percent since the second half of 2019.

The report adds that in China, the largest PV market, the firm’s solar benchmark is at USD 38/MWh, down 9 percent from the second half of 2019, following a rapid uptake in Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 31

FEATURE better performing monocrystalline modules.

New-build solar in the country is now almost on par with the running cost of coalfired power plants, at an average of USD 35/ MWh. This is significant as China advances on its deregulation agenda, opening up competition in the power sector, the analysis added. The analysis estimates that some of the cheapest PV projects financed in the last six months will be able to achieve an LCOE of USD 23-29 per megawatt-hour, assuming competitive returns to their equity investors.

Those projects can be found in Australia, China, Chile, and the U.A.E., where they will challenge the existing fleet of fossil fuel power plants.

In India, we have a strange situation in the market where developers and manufacturers are completely at odds. Polycrystalline proponents got their day in the sun when tariff bids for solar tenders crashed to Rs 2.44 per unit in 2017 itself. Subsequent auctions for over 12 GW of solar projects were almost all won at prices ranging between Rs 2.44 to Rs 2.90 per unit of power. And almost all of these are being built, or are planned to be built using polycrystalline modules.

However, far too many of those bids are in trouble today.

The long and drawn-out imposition of the safeguard duty on import of modules from China and Malaysia in July 2018, the “Make in India” initiative and the subsequent government order to include mandatory provision for domestic content in projects has locked developers in multiple battles, involving compensation for the higher cost of imports for PPA’s signed before the SGD came in, to an inability to explore better quality and efficiency, even if they wanted to for large initiatives like the 12 GW PSU solar scheme.

The sharp drop in tariffs in Indian tenders in 2017 and early 2018 were partly due to no restrictions in importing modules from Chinese or other foreign manufactures which offered superior products at lower prices compared to the domestic manufacturers. Despite the Safeguard Duty and the 12 GW domestic manufacturing linked PSU scheme, manufacturing has not really expanded as expected. Manufacturing for high quality, ‘premium’ cells and modules, definitely not.

32 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

This can be seen by looking at the product portfolio of West Bengal-based Vikram Solar. One of India’s leading module manufacturers and a Tier 1 company in the segment.

boasts the power output of the module to a maximum of 480 MW.

However, sales continue to be powered by the Polycrystalline offerings, be it for Vikram Solar, Waaree Energies or many In the Mono PERC segment the firm offers other smaller domestic manufacturers. It its high-density Somera Grand Ultima Max is safe to predict that if you were to spend Silver modules that are made using Celltime checking out large projects executed Cleaving Technology. The 150 mono PERC by developers like Adani Green (at the 648 half-cut cell module, as the firm claims, is MW Kamuthi Project in Tamil Nadu), Azure equipped with maximum power density, Power, Acme Solar, Avaada Energy, etc, as reducing the Balance of System components of now, each one of them has been built as well as the number of modules required - using polycrystalline modules. However, ultimately reducing the overall project cost. with price ceilings being removed in recent Supporting an efficiency of 20.56 percent the auctions, at least a few developers are module output maxes out at 425 W. looking at Mono Modules for upcoming projects. A leading module manufacturer In the polycrystalline segment, the firm that we spoke to predicts a 50/50 share in offers the Eldora Grand Plus Module with 2020 and a move to 60/40 for Mono modules 144 Cells. The module features a multiby next year. busbar cell design that increases the module power output up to 5 Wp compared to its Technologies that are barely making a mark previous version, matching the Chinese now, like n-type heterojunction technology firms with the 9 BB design feature. The (HJT) silicon solar cells, because they offer module has a 17.78 percent efficiency and conversion efficiencies going up to 25 the maximum output of 350 W. percent, are impossible to foresee being manufactured here, due to cost issues. The The closest the firm has reached to the best option for the adoption of modern cell 500W barrier is through its bifacial modules. and module technology, is the corporate Which have almost no market in India. and industrial market, which offers better The Somera P-Duplex 144 half-cell module margins, and in its capex version, even comes with Frame design. Made with P-Type clients more willing to spend a little extra for mono PERC bifacial cell and glass with the increased efficiency. But the obstacles transparent backsheet configuration, the to the growth of that market are enough module provides up to 15 percent power material for a separate story. gain from the ground facing side which

MILESTONE UPDATES

PV Tracker Firm GameChange Solar Clears 10 GW Milestone GameChange Solar has announced that is has surpassed the 10 GW milestone for sales since the company was founded in 2012.

The company’s rapid expansion has been prompted by growth in both its fixed-tilt and tracker product lines for MaxSpan and Genius Tracker respectively.

“Customer adoption has been widespread globally due to the firms’ cost-effective and fast installing systems which have surpassed bankability requirements for even the most stringent project owning utilities and IPPs worldwide,” the firm stated.

Derick Botha, Chief Commercial Officer at GameChange Solar, said “we are gratified to pass the 10 GW milestone and look forward to further growth and continuing to be a leading innovator in the market. We are driven by our mission to reduce costs for utility-scale solar projects in order to drive the industry’s growth globally.”

In December 2019, the firm had announced that it had received orders for more than 200 MW of Genius Tracker systems in South America.

Arturo Herrero, Chief Business Development Officer at GameChange Solar, had said at the time “we are excited to have been selected for these important projects in the LATAM market. As the global quality leader for

single-axis trackers, we anticipate continued significant growth into leading markets worldwide. These projects push us over 3 GW of orders received in 2019.”

In June 2019, we had reported that NEXTracker, a Flex company, had announced its latest industry milestone, with 20 gigawatts (GW) of its smart solar

trackers delivered and under active fulfilment globally. The firm was named the No.1 supplier of photovoltaic (PV) tracker systems globally in 2018, a title it has held for four consecutive years, according to research and consultancy firms IHS Markit and Wood McKenzie Power and Renewables.

Scatec Solar Passes 1.5 GW Mark for Operational PV Projects Scatec Solar has announced that it has, along with its partners, grid-connected and started commercial operations of the 54 MW Boguslav solar project in the Kyiv region of Ukraine. And with that, the firm has stated that it has passed the milestone of 1.5 GW solar capacity in operation globally. In addition to operational assets, the firm also stated that a portfolio of 399 MW capacity is under construction, of which 235 MW is in Ukraine.

“We are pleased to complete our second project in Ukraine, in less than ten months after closing the financing. The Boguslav solar plant will lead to the abatement of more than 55,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and contribute to growing the share of renewable energy in the country, says Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar.

The project is realised under Ukraine’s Feed-in-Tariff scheme and is expected to deliver about 61 GWh per year. The Boguslav plant will be providing clean energy for up to 27,000 households. Public land has been leased for an extended time-period and the solar power plants are expected to deliver power also beyond the Feed-in-tariff period.

In April, the firm had announced that it has started commercial operation of the third 86 MW solar plant in Upington, South

Africa, completing the 258 MW solar power complex. The 86 MW facility, known as Dyason’s Klip 2, is expected to produce 217 GWh annually. The Upington solar power complex is estimated to deliver annual production of 650 GWh, providing clean energy to around 120,000 households and lead to the abatement of more than 600,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

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FINANCE UPDATES

COVID Impact: Siemens Gamesa Incurs Loss; Challenges in India Business Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has reported that its performance in the second quarter of FY 2020 (January-March) reflected the unexpected effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and commercial activity, with a direct impact of EUR 56 million on the company’s profitability. Furthermore, the complicated situation further intensified the challenges in its onshore business, mainly in the Indian market and the execution of projects in Northern Europe.

Although the lack of short-term predictability has led the company to withdraw the guidance it issued in the first quarter of 2020, the long-term prospects for the industry and Siemens Gamesa remain sound. The company registered a record order backlog of EUR 28.6 billion (+21 percent YoY) and believes it is wellpositioned to take advantage of sector growth outlook thanks to its geographical diversification and leadership in technology.

In this context, Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Gamesa, called for a green recovery, “we are experiencing a situation without precedent that has changed our lives in just weeks. Siemens Gamesa

considers that the renewables industry must play a key role in the economic recovery to move towards a sustainable energy model that generates quality jobs. It is in our hands to avoid another crisis: the climate crisis.”

The firm ended the first half of its fiscal year (October 2019 – March 2020) with a record order book: EUR 28.6 billion (+21 percent YoY), which sustains good longterm prospects. This figure was achieved

after signing EUR 6,830 million (+36 percent YoY) in the first half and integrating the Service assets acquired from Senvion.

Order intake between January and March amounted to EUR 2,203 million (-11 percent YoY), reflecting the normal volatility of the Offshore market and the impact of COVID-19 on the signing of Onshore contracts, some of which were deferred to subsequent quarters.

CIT Leads $217 Mn Financing for 200 MW Solar Project in Ohio The CIT group has announced that its Power and Energy unit served as lead arranger on a USD 217 million financing for the 200-megawatt (MW) Hillcrest solar photovoltaic project in Brown County, Ohio.

The financing was arranged on behalf of Innergex Renewable Energy, a Canada-based independent renewable power producer that develops, acquires, owns and operates hydroelectric facilities, wind farms and solar farms. Innergex’s portfolio includes 68 operating renewable energy facilities with an aggregate net installed capacity of 2,588 MW. “Securing Hillcrest’s financing is an important step forward, and we are very pleased with the agreement we have reached,” said Michel Letellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Innergex.

“We greatly appreciated CIT’s agility and expertise in arranging this financing and ability to deliver despite the current circumstances.”

In connection with the financing, CIT is providing a package of cash management and capital markets services. Power and Energy, part of CIT’s Commercial Finance division, leverages its deep industry knowledge and expertise to offer comprehensive financing solutions for renewable and conventional power generation. The unit manages a large, diverse portfolio that includes investments in 34 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

all asset classes across the energy sector.

“We are very pleased to again support Innergex as it continues to expand its portfolio of renewable energy projects,” said Mike Lorusso, managing director and group head for CIT’s Power and Energy business. “Innergex is making major strides in advancing the growth of renewable power and CIT is proud to play a role in facilitating that growth.”

FINANCE UPDATES

Moody’s Lowers Forecast for Global Green Bonds Issuance due to COVID-19 Bond credit rating agency Moody’s has stated that it has lowered its forecast for global sustainable bond issuance this year after economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak reduced green bonds volumes in the first quarter, even as social bond issuance rose to a record. In a report published recently by Moody’s Investors Service, it was revealed that the total sustainable bond issuance fell to USD 59.3 billion in the first quarter of 2020, down 32 percent from the previous quarter, as green bond volumes declined 49 percent to USD 33.9 billion.

Still, social bond issuance reached USD 11.9 billion, more than double the previous quarterly record, while sustainability bonds registered a strong USD 13.4 billion total.

The surge in social and sustainability bonds has been primarily led by multilateral

development banks, which have increasingly turned to these instruments to finance their coronavirus response efforts. “We now expect green bond volumes of USD 175-225 billion this year, down from our original USD 300 billion forecast,” said Matthew Kuchtyak, AVPAnalyst at Moody’s. “However, we maintain our combined USD 100 billion forecast for social and sustainability bonds, given the heightened market focus on coronavirus response efforts.” “Greater emphasis on social finance and sustainable development will likely be one of the lasting outcomes of the coronavirus crisis.” Furthermore, the report

also detailed that there was an increase in liquidity borrowings in the first quarter by investment-grade companies seeking to fortify balance sheets in anticipation of an economic slowdown. This was especially evident in the last two weeks of March when a surge of borrowing contributed to an alltime monthly record for new bond issuance from US investment-grade companies. Such borrowings are often brought to market quickly with proceeds not tied to specific projects, two characteristics that potentially explain the drop in use-of-proceeds sustainable bonds.

Philippines Central Bank Offers Support for Energy Transition and Renewables: IEEFA The Philippines’ Central Bank (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) has approved a Sustainable Finance Framework to safeguard the financial system from the evolving material hazards from climate change and energy transition risk including stranded assets, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reports in a new briefing note.

“COVID-19 has exposed the country’s ill-prepared supply chains, lack of digitisation, and inability to retain critical functionality in events of low probability but serious consequences, such as the pandemic,” said the author of the note IEEFA energy finance analyst Sara Ahmed.

The Central Bank’s Sustainable Finance Framework offers new support for energy transition and renewables. “But it also demands leadership from the finance and energy sectors to champion global standards, build real resilience, and improve the country’s ability to recover from shocks of non-financial origin,” according to the note.

In other words, it gives banks the impetus to start pricing not only climate and transition risk but also to value climate-resilience and low-carbon opportunities.

The Central Bank’s new framework mandates that “banks shall adopt a transition plan with specific timelines to implement the board-approved strategies and policies integrating sustainability principles into their corporate governance and risk management

frameworks as well as in their strategic objectives and operations.”

Ahmed said the transition plan will be an important catalyst for investors who are also putting more weight on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, and complements the work of the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission which previously released mandatory ESG reporting guidelines for publicly-listed companies, starting in 2020.

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FINANCE UPDATES

kWh Analytics Closes a Solar Revenue Put with Capital Dynamics and More kWh Analytics, a market leader in solar risk management, has announced that it has structured a ‘Solar Revenue Put’ as part of the refinancing of the 173 MW DC Cal Flats 130 photovoltaic facility located in Monterey County, California.

The Solar Revenue Put is structured as an insurance policy on solar production and revenues, which serves as a credit enhancement for financial investors. Using its proprietary actuarial model and risk management software (HelioStats), the firm has developed the Solar Revenue Put to drive down investment risk and encourage development of clean, low cost solar energy for the Cal Flats facility.

The facility is owned and operated by Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset management firm focusing on private assets including private equity, private credit, and clean energy infrastructure. The refinancing was led by Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Australia’s leading provider of integrated financial services and among the leading arrangers of renewable energy projects in the U.S., Europe and Australia; and Rabobank, a leading global bank focused on the food, agribusiness, commodities and renewable energy industries. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, a subsidiary of Swiss Re, the world’s largest reinsurer, is providing capacity for the Solar Revenue Put. This is the first syndicated refinancing utilising the Solar Revenue Put. “Capital Dynamics is a leader in clean energy investing and is focused on helping its customers affordably and reliably meet their sustainable energy needs. Community solar farms bring renewable energy to our customers while saving them money on their electric bills,” said Benoit Allehaut, Managing Director of Capital Dynamics’ Clean Energy Infrastructure team. “The Solar Revenue Put helps sharpen our competitive edge by enhancing our returns and reducing our downside risk.”

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Vestas Reports Operating Loss for Q1 2020 Despite Strong Sales Global wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has issued its interim financial report for the first quarter (Q1) of 2020. The firm has reported that its revenue increased compared to the same quarter 2019, with increased order intake and combined order backlog at an all-time high level. However, due to uncertainty around the full impact from COVID-19 the firm has maintained its suspension of full-year guidance which was announced in April.

In the first quarter of 2020, Vestas generated revenue of EUR 2,235 million – an increase of 29 percent compared to the year-earlier period. EBIT before special items decreased by EUR 97 million, resulting in an operating loss of EUR 54 million. This resulted in an EBIT margin before special items of -2.4 percent, compared to 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

The quarterly intake of firm and unconditional wind turbine orders amounted to 3,311 MW. The value of the

wind turbine order backlog was EUR 15.9 billion on March 31, 2020. In addition to the wind turbine order backlog, at the end of March 2020, the firm had service agreements with expected contractual future revenue of EUR 18.2 billion. Thus, the value of the combined backlog of wind turbine orders and service agreements stood at EUR 34.1 billion – an increase of EUR 5.8 billion compared to the yearearlier period.

Group President & CEO Henrik Andersen said “In the first quarter of 2020, the global demand for wind energy remained strong in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic’s continuing impact on societies and operations across all continents. In this environment, Vestas delivered increased revenue and order intake year on year, continued strong Service performance, and a record-high order backlog of more than EUR 34 billion that provides us with stability in the current period of high uncertainty.

for string inverters over other technologies due to its cost-competitiveness and reliability. This doubling of our production represents an exciting milestone for Solis.”

The expanded factory will add 1,000,000 square feet to its existing facility in the Binhai Industrial park, bringing the company’s total capacity to 20 GW. Construction plans include a new stateGinlong Technologies (Solis), a global of-the-art R&D center, high-volume leader in photovoltaic string inverter production lines equipped with advanced manufacturing, has announced its plans to automation machinery, increased raise over USD 100 million (~700 million warehousing capacity and new offices.

Chinese Yuan), through a non-public A new corporate campus includes stateoffering to finance the expansion of its of-the-art offices, a multi-functional manufacturing capacity. conference center and apartments for Facing a rise in the global string inverter dedicated personnel. market, the firm will use these funds to “Our new corporate campus will add double its production capacity of Solis more than 500 new jobs to the Solis team, products to 20 GW per year. This expansion bringing in fresh talent and new ideas to will enable Solis to boost its supply to gridboost innovation and drive growth,” adds connected and solar-plus-storage projects Wang. for customers worldwide.

Ginlong raised 533 million yuan during its “The demand for our ultra-reliable Solis IPO on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in inverters has driven this push to double March of 2019, making it the only publiclyour capacity,” said Yiming Wang, Ginlong traded company focused exclusively on PV President. “We are seeing a boost in demand string inverters.

Solis to Raise $100 M and Double Production Capacity to 20 GW

EV UPDATES

EV Sales to Fall 18% in 2020, Long Term Fine: BNEF Sales of electric passenger vehicles are forecast to fall 18 percent in 2020, to 1.7 million worldwide – with the coronavirus crisis interrupting ten successive years of strong growth. However, sales of combustion engine cars are set to drop even faster this year (by 23 percent), and the long-term electrification of transport is projected to accelerate in the years ahead.

The latest annual “Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook”, published recently by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF), shows that electric models could account for 58 percent of new passenger car sales globally by 2040, and 31 percent of the whole car fleet. They will also make up 67 percent of all municipal buses on the road by that year, plus 47 percent of two-wheelers and 24 percent of light commercial vehicles.

The figures have major implications for oil and electricity markets. Transport electrification, particularly in the form of two-wheelers, is already taking out almost 1

million barrels of oil demand per day and by 2040 it will remove 17.6 million barrels per day. Electric vehicles (EVs) of all types are seen adding 5.2 percent to global electricity demand by 2040. Colin McKerracher, head of advanced transport for BNEF, said the COVID-19 pandemic is set to cause a major downturn in global auto sales in 2020. It is raising difficult questions about automakers’

priorities and their ability to fund the transition. The long-term trajectory has not changed, but the market will be bumpy for the next three years.”

The report further highlights that the falls in lithium-ion battery prices will mean that the lifetime and upfront costs of an electric car ‘cross over’ with those of ICE equivalents in around 2025, on average.

among G20 countries with 66 percent of the Indian respondents confirmed their current or planned investments in EVs, while 51 percent of respondents from both Italy and Mexico came at the second position.

The reason for India leading the G20 charge is its rapid economic growth, strong industrial base and automotive manufacturing combine with an urban pollution crisis and progressive environmental policy agenda to accelerate

low-carbon transportation, added the report. Commenting on the analysis, Antony Skinner, global co-head of power & utilities at Ashurst, said that “the effects of climate change can no longer be ignored.

Addressing its impacts has become a priority for businesses, governments and individuals alike. As the energy transition takes place, with an increasing emphasis on cleaner and renewable technology, energy supply is under more scrutiny than ever before.”

EV, Storage to Lead Non-Power Generation Technology Investments Electric vehicles (EVs) and battery storage lead in the current and planned non-power generation technology in which senior business leaders from G20 countries have invested in or are committed to investing in, says an international law firm.

The law firm Ashurst in its new research report – Powering Change – Energy in Transition, analysed the views of over 2,000 senior business leaders from G20 countries, on the topic Changing global energy market as it seeks to meet rising energy demand and a drive towards decarbonisation.

Thus as per the research findings, battery storage with 46 percent and EVs with 43 percent are the top non-power generation technologies in which most of the respondents from G20 nations have invested in or have committed to invest in.

Significantly, India will lead the charge 38 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

EV UPDATES

Uber Leads $170 Mn Investment in Electric Scooter Rental Firm Lime

Electric scooter and bike-sharing firm Lime has announced that it has raised USD 170 million in an investment round led by Uber. Other investors include Alphabet, its venture capital arm GV, and Bain Capital Ventures.

Under the deal, Uber Technologies will transfer its own electric bike and scooter division ‘Jump’ to Lime and the companies will further integrate their apps. Lime global head of operations and strategy Wayne Ting will become CEO of Lime while outgoing CEO Brad Bao will become chairman.

The news of the funding round was first reported by The Information. As per the report, the USD 170 million funding round values the electric scooter rental firm at USD 510 million, which reportedly implies the firm’s valuation has taken a 79 percent dip from its previous valuation of USD 2.4 billion. The news of the financing comes just a day after Uber announced that it would be laying off close to 3,700 employees or 14 percent of its workforce, because of the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and the subsequent economic slowdown.

Lime has also been served the short end of the stick in these uncertain times worldwide. The firm had pulled its fleet of electric kick scooters from 99 percent of its markets around the world. As its revenue dried up, the company said it would lay off about 80 full-time employees, or about 13 percent of its global workforce. The firm had also said that it laid off 14 percent of its staff and exited 12 markets in January before most of the COVID-related shutdowns went into effect in an effort to help the company achieve profitability.

Electric Scooter Firm Okinawa Resumes Work With 1/4th Force Electric two-wheeler maker Okinawa has revealed that it has resumed operations at its plant in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), and corporate office in Gurugram (Haryana), with 25 percent workforce. The company said it will maintain safety measures at its offices, manufacturing unit and dealership networks as it begins business activities.

It has also issued an advisory to its dealership network, which too will be operating with 25 percent staff, the firm issued in a statement. All the products will be sanitised at the plant before being dispatched and the exercise will be repeated again when dealerships receive them, the company added. “As the government has announced relaxation in economic activities, we have decided to resume business operations gradually, maintaining all the precautions,” Okinawa Managing Director Jeetender Sharma said. Hence, the company is ensuring the safety and sanitation of all the touchpoints, he added.

In April, Inox wind, a leading wind energy solutions provider in India, had announced that it had reopened its manufacturing facilities across the country. After lockdown order issued by the government in the

wake of containment of coronavirus pandemic, Kailash Tarachandani-led company had earlier on March 26, 2020, suspend operations at all its three manufacturing sites situated at Ahmedabad, Barwani and Una in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh respectively. The firm had issued in a statement that after “obtaining requisite permission from concerned district administration, it has now resumed operations at all its three manufacturing plants in compliance with all the safety guidelines and directives issued by the Central and State Governments and local administration to safeguard the employees, labourers and all other stakeholders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Okaya Joins CharIN EV Okaya Power Pvt Ltd, an arm of Rs 7 billion Okaya Power Group, has now become a member of the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN E.V.), an open coalition of worldclass firms within the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Berlin-based CharIN E.V. is a registered association founded by Audi, BMW, Daimler, Mennekes, Opel, Phoenix Contact, Porsche, TÜV SÜD and Volkswagen.

The move is aimed at supporting the Combined Charging System (CCS) as a global standard for EV charging.

The company, which is among the leading brands in the battery and inverter manufacturing space, said that it has joined CharIN in order to contribute towards the global electric mobility (e-mobility) revolution with its expertise in the development of EV.

Commenting on joining forces with CharIN, Anshul Gupta, Director of Okaya Power Pvt Ltd, said that “as one of the largest players in EV charging segment, our membership in CharIN exemplifies our continued efforts to boost EV ecosystem in the country.

At Okaya, we understand the need for internationally flexible charging system which ensures maximum compatibility between current vehicles and chargers, and reinforces the ability to persist through future innovations.”

He further added “in view of the new vehicles capable of faster charging speeds hitting the market, it has become inevitable to scale up charging infrastructure based on a single standard. Hence, Okaya has joined hands with CharIN E.V. to foster e-mobility with highly capable, energy-efficient and user-friendly charging infrastructure.”

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 39

MARKET UPDATES

India Adds 1043 MW of Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Capacity in Q1: BTI India added about 715 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar capacity in January-March 2020, down 67 percent from 2163 MW during the same period last year, a report said.

The report from clean energy consultancy firm Bridge To India said that the country added 328 MW of utility scale wind capacity in the quarter ended March, which was down 65 percent as compared to 944 MW in January-March 2019.

"India added total utility-scale solar and wind capacity of 715 MW and 328 MW, respectively in the quarter ended March. For the financial year 2019-20, total utility-scale capacity addition was 7,408 MW, 34 percent below the high of two years ago," the report revealed. It further said the progress in the second and third quarters would continue to be affected by coronavirus disruptions.

Although project construction activities were allowed to commence from April 20, 2020, a further 2-3 months are expected to be lost in remobilisation effort and resolving shipment blockages. There may be further hold-ups depending on government approvals or reopening of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in case of open access projects.

The consultancy firm also said that "faced with sharp demand slowdown and deteriorating financial condition, Discoms are reluctant to sign long-term PPAs and commit to long-term

purchases, the government may also have to struggle to find buyers for the recently completed auctions.”

There are 37 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind projects in the pipeline for auction, excluding 3 GW capacity in the manufacturinglinked tender, the remaining 34 GW is due for completion in the next two years.

3.35 GW of Wind Capacity Auctioned in the Q1 2020; 1.2 GW in India The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has published its first quarter wind auction database under its Market Intelligence’s services. The database reveals that from January to April 2020, a total of 3.35 GW of wind power capacity was auctioned, with 2.1 GW in Europe and the remaining 1.2 GW in Asia.

It also stated that during the same period in 2019, nearly 5 GW of capacity was auctioned. This significant difference can predominantly be attributed to the COVID-19 crisis, with delayed and postponed auctions in key markets such as Brazil, China, and the US for offshore wind.

However, many key markets for wind energy have continued their auctions as planned despite the crisis, which will be important in securing the growth of the industry. In India, the world’s fourth-largest onshore wind market, 1.2 GW of renewable hybrid capacity was auctioned for projects that include both an energy storage system and renewable energy capacity. A tender for another 2 GW of wind energy capacity was announced on March 7, 2020, with tariff caps removed from 40 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

the auction to boost investment.

Further adding that in Europe, France held its fifth auction round for 1.7 GW of renewable energy projects, awarding 750 MW of this capacity to onshore wind projects. While this wind tender was oversubscribed, the next round which was originally scheduled in July will be shifted to November due to the COVID-19 crisis.

In Italy, the first tender was held under the country’s new renewable auction scheme in February, resulting in 495 MW of wind capacity. Germany also executed two of its renewable energy auctions out of the seven planned for 2020, however, both onshore wind tenders went undersubscribed, drawing just 674 MW of capacity out of the 1,200 MW available.

MARKET UPDATES

India’s Solar, Wind Capacity Installation Falls 70% in Q1 2020 The solar and wind energy installations in India fell short by 70 percent with 720 MW of solar energy and 188 MW of wind energy projects installed during the January-March quarter of 2020, as compared to the previous quarter, as per the research and advisory services provider firm.

On a yearly basis, India commissioned 35 GW of solar capacity and 38 GW of wind capacity as of March 31, 2020. However, the current pipeline of solar, wind and hybrid projects stood at 37 GW which is likely to be commissioned in the next 2-3 years. While, another 34 GW of projects are under bidding phase where tenders are issued but auctions are not completed, according to the JMK Research & Analytics report.

Also, the utility-scale solar segment saw 5.7 GW of capacity addition, as against merely 2.1 GW was added in wind energy in FY2020.

On next two-quarters projection, the Gurgaon based company predicted that the new solar and wind energy capacity additions are expected to remain about 1.7-2 GW and 0.8 GW respectively in next two quarters i.e. Q2 2020 and Q3 2020.

While on yearly projections, in CY2020 (Jan-Mar 2020), about 5.5 GW of new solar energy capacity and 1.5 GW of wind energy

capacity is expected to be added. However, in FY2021, about 6.5 GW of solar and 2.2 GW of wind is expected to be added, the report estimated.

On quarterly market shares for inverters segment, in Q1 2019, Kehua and Sungrow were the leading players in the central inverter category while Sungrow shipped the highest number of string inverters, added the report.

The Renewable Energy Transition is Finally Coming to Asia: IEEFA Despite the current global economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global renewable energy transition is well underway and it is coming to Asia according to the latest study by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). This transition is being driven by renewable energy technology that disrupts incumbent industry business models, much like the rise of the mobile phone and the internet.

The technology disruption is fundamentally reshaping the global energy landscape. A key impetus is the dramatic, ongoing deflation in the cost of solar energy and battery storage.

Both have seen costs drop 80 to 90 percent over the last decade and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) expects both to halve again in the coming decade. Renewables are now a cheap source of energy generation, beating the costs of new imported coal. Such a global market transformation has significant implications for energy security.

It added that while South and Southeast Asia have been renewables laggards, Asia is nevertheless on the cusp of a dramatic pivot.

Recent developments across India, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan highlight the potential for change.

“India imported some USD 250 billion worth of fossil fuels in 2019, both a massive economic drain and a major energy security risk. Leveraging renewable energy resources — wind, solar and hydro — allows for domestic diversification away from imports and helps reduce energy security risks,”

IEEFA said.

The global energy transformation is belatedly coming to Asia. The speed of that change is likely to be dramatic and consistent with disruptions seen in Europe, the United States, Australia, and India over the last five years, it concluded.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 41

MARKET UPDATES

India Must Intensify Nearly 600,000 Clean Energy Jobs Lost Policy Reforms to hit in the US due to Pandemic: Report 60 GW Wind Target A report tracking the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on US employment by 2022: Report has revealed that April brought clean energy According to a new report, wind energy capacity in India can only realistically reach 50 GW by 2022. And, efforts by the government to lower barriers around market design, grid infrastructure and land allocation must be intensified, in order to revive auction appetite and resolve the execution challenges facing India’s wind market and reach the country’s ambitious 175 GW renewable energy target by 2022, of which 60 GW is due to come from wind energy.

The report, “India Wind Outlook Towards 2022: Looking beyond the headwinds” by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and MEC+, highlighted the key challenges that must be overcome to restore strong wind market growth in India, including grid and land availability; off-taker risks; onerous tender conditions; and low tariff caps.

Collectively, these challenges have led to the last three central wind tenders and all state wind tenders to be unsubscribed, re-tendered or even cancelled, while 80 percent of awarded projects have been delayed by 6-12 months.

The report details three scenarios for new wind installations in India until 2022, ranging from 11-17 GW of installations depending on the extent and speed with which the government and industry are able to resolve these challenges.

In 2020, supply chain disruptions due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis will further compound existing challenges to delay around 0.7-1.1 GW in new volume to 2021 and also possible cancellation of some planned auctions.

India is the world’s fourth-largest onshore wind market by installations, with 37.5 GW of capacity as of 2019, and has the potential for more than 695 GW at 120 metres.

Wind is already the second most competitive energy source on India’s grid today, and the government has set a target to reach a total wind capacity of 60 GW by 2022 and 140 GW by 2030.

42 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

job losses triple those seen in March, for an estimated 447,200 new clean energy jobs lost. This totals 594,300 clean energy jobs lost since the beginning of the pandemic, or a 17 percent drop in clean energy employment.

The cumulative losses represent more than double the past 3 years of industrywide clean energy employment growth, now erased. The report by BW Research Partnership further added that the due to updates in reported March employment statistics, the estimated 106,400 clean energy jobs lost during March has been revised up to 147,100 jobs. However, these impacts do not include many temporarily furloughed or underemployed workers.

Dependent on back-to-work orders, job losses in clean energy will likely continue to grow into the coming months but at a decreasing rate, the report stated.

The report reveals since the stay-at-home orders have been extended and non-essential work has been shut down, job losses are being seen more comprehensively across

the economy, in industries like healthcare services, manufacturing, and retail trade.

Clean energy related manufacturing plants that produce everything from electric vehicles and batteries to efficiency appliances, building materials, highefficiency lighting equipment, and solar panels and wind turbine parts also were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Residential construction and specialty trade contracting has also seen increased declines, bringing energy efficiency work to a crawl.

As a result, clean energy companies began expanding furloughs and layoffs, which created a glut of unemployment filings among clean energy workers throughout the course of April.

India 5th Largest Energy Earner in the World, 3rd in Renewables According to a new study, India ranks fifth in the world when it comes to the world’s largest earners from energy industries. And for the rankings to judge a country’s ambition for alternative energy sources or renewables, India finished 3rd globally.

According to the study released by British Business Energy, the valuation of the world’s biggest earners from their energy industry was compiled by combing the values of the energy companies in a country to find out which country makes the most. According to the results furnished in the study, the United States leads the rest of the world when it comes to making money from its energy industry. In the second position, with almost a third of the value of the US, is China.

Followed by Russia, the Netherlands, and in fifth position India. The report also released

the list of the top 10 nations when the revenue of the countries energy industries were pitted against its GDP to judge how much they contribute to it. Surprisingly enough, the United States finished outside the top 10 as the Netherlands took the first position with its energy industry contributing 46.76 percent to its GDP. Followed by Russia, Norway, Hong Kong, and Thailand. India finished sixth on the list with the energy industry contributing to 13.25 percent of its GDP. Finally, for renewable energy, the study revealed the ranking based on an individual country’s investment in the sector, partial usage or plans to use renewable energy, and more. The US was back on top with an overall rating of 7, Brazil finished 2nd with a score of 6.5, and India closed out the top 3 with a score of 6.3.

MARKET UPDATES

Renewables Unaffected as Thermal Generation Suffered Amid Lockdown: India Ratings According to a new analysis, the power demand in India declined for March and April amid the COVID-19 led lockdown, however, with the decrease in demand, electricity generation from all sources (excluding renewables) also decreased by 8.8 percent yoy to 97.7 BU in March 2020 with thermal generation taking the biggest hit by declining 11.1 percent yoy.

The analysis by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), a credit rating agency under the Fitch Group has revealed that in March 2020, the all-India energy demand decreased 8.9 percent yoy to 98.8 billion units (BU) while energy supply decreased 9.2 percent yoy, resulting in the energy deficit remaining at 0.4 percent (March 2019: 0.4 percent).

However, despite a reduction in power demand in March 2020, the energy demand for FY20 was higher by 1.2 percent yoy.

“A recovery remains uncertain due to the uncertainty around any relaxation of the timelines of the lockdown period amid rising

cases and its impact on economic growth,” the analysis covered by Shreyas Vaidya for Ind-Ra stated.

The analysis further stated that the thermal plant load factor (PLF) declined to 52.6 percent in March 2020 (February 2020: 60.4 percent; March 2019: 62.9 percent) on account of the lower demand. Central, state and private sector PLFs decreased to 65.2

percent in March 2020 (March 2019: 77.3 percent), 46.1 percent (58.8 percent) and 47.5 percent (55.6 percent), respectively.

Thermal PLFs were impacted most due to the decline in the power demand in March and April 2020, given the must-run status of renewables, hydro and nuclear. Thermal PLFs are expected to remain low, on account of the extension of lockdown.

Vestas Breaks Record, Installs Over 10 GW Wind Turbines in 2019: WoodMac Danish wind turbine maker Vestas has now become the first wind turbine manufacturer to install over 10 GW of wind capacity in a single year in 2019, as said by the global energy research & consultancy firm.

The Denmark-headquartered OEM’s grid-connected capacity of 11.3 GW in 2019 is an increase of 1.5 GW on 2018, with installations completed in more than 35 markets, as per the new analysis done by Wood Mackenzie, or popularly known as WoodMac. The report further added that its installations in the Americas region contributed higher than 50 percent of capacity for the first time, driven by the US, Mexico and Argentina.

However, the second position was grabbed by SGRE, dominating the 1.9 GW UK offshore market and achieving more than 1 GW of onshore installations in the US and Spain, according to Wood Mackenzie’s research.

Moreover, GE grew its global dominance by connecting projects in 24 markets, with first-ever turbine installations in Greece, Oman, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Chile reaching 8.7 GW. This is a 60 percent increase in 2018.

However, the report further revealed that 2019 was a year of market consolidation.

Commenting on the development, Shashi Barla, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, said that “the top five turbine OEMs – Vestas, SGRE, GE, Goldwind and Envision – increased their combined market share by 10 percent from two years ago, capturing 68 percent of global capacity.”

Sitting just outside the top 5, MingYang grew its market share by nearly 3 percentage points. The company doubled installations in China to 4.4 GW, including record offshore activity of over 500 MW driven by projects in Guangdong, the report added.

Barla further added that “China’s big 3 OEMs – Goldwind, Envision and MingYang – each recorded their highest ever installs in 2019.

This challenged the West’s big three – Vestas, GE and SGRE – who also logged record installations last year.”

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 43

MODULE UPDATES

JinkoSolar Unveils 580W Tiger Pro Module Series for Utility Projects JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd has launched its 2020 flagship Tiger Pro module series in a virtual product launch. The Shanghai-headquartered company’s latest module series can generate a maximum power output of up to 580Wp, which is 40 percent higher as compared to current mainstream products installed in the utility-scale projects.

This series displays multiple solar power efficiency innovations across 3 flagship model.

The company used an innovative multiwire 9BB and TR tiling ribbon technology in all these high energy density modules to reach significantly improved performance with conversion efficiency up to 21.6 percent.

Commenting on the launch of Tiger Pro series, Kangping Chen, Chief Executive Officer of JinkoSolar, said that “we’ve made an enormous leap into the highefficiency era by introducing industryleading and more competitive products.

The global PV market is rapidly moving towards high-performance modules to reduce system costs and initial upfront capital investment, so it was time to consolidate our competitiveness by leveraging our ability to rapidly begin mass-producing cutting-edge products.”

Some of the other advantages of JinkoSolar’s newly launched Tiger Pro module series include lower power attenuation rate (at 2 percent for the first year) and better open-circuit voltage.

The company in a statement said that by greatly reducing LCOE compared to traditional modules, the high-efficiency Tiger Pro module series paves the way for investors to generate higher power output.

“We always modify our designs based on customer feedback and market response because designing high-efficiency products in the lab is one thing, but ramping up to mass production drives the entire industry forward together towards grid parity,” said Chen.

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JA Solar Achieves New Breakthrough in Module Power Output JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of highperformance photovoltaic products, has announced that the power output of its high-efficiency solar modules under standard testing conditions has set a new industry record reaching above 525 W. Such ultra-highly powerful PV module with 525W+ is designed to meet the customers’ desire and demand for further reducing the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and maximising the economic value of PV systems for renewable energy generation.

The goal of this new high-power module series is to bring JA Solar’s high-quality and cost-effective PV products to a whole new level for its worldwide customers. The modules will be commercially available in the second half of 2020.

“At JA Solar, we have been focused on

technological innovation, and committed to provide high-efficiency and reliable photovoltaic products for our global customers. Our value of ‘customer centered’ has driven us to achieve this breakthrough, which enables us to win recognition from both the PV Industry and our valued customers”, said Jin Baofang, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of JA Solar.

“The latest breakthrough in module power output is another milestone in JA Solar’s efforts to enhance product performance and boost customers’ long-term economic benefits. In the future, we will continue focusing on the technological innovation of our products to drive the development of the photovoltaic industry, and allow more people to enjoy the benefits of the clean energy”, he added.

Seraphim Signs Agreement to Supply 183 MW Modules to Philippines Jiangsu Seraphim Solar System (Seraphim), one of the world’s leading solar module manufacturers, recently announced that it has signed an agreement with ERS Energy Sdn Bhd to deliver 183 megawatts (MW) of high-efficiency solar modules for projects in the Philippines.

Co-developed by AC Energy Inc., the energy platform of Ayala Corporation, ERS Energy Sdn Bhd as the EPC contractor and Seraphim as the module provider, the solar farm projects are set to be located in Alaminos, Laguna, and Gigasol, Zambales.

Jonathan Kan the Managing Director of ERS Energy Sdn Bhd commented, “Seraphim and ERS have maintained excellent cooperation for many years.

We are impressed by Seraphim’s passion and professionalism in the solar industry, which makes them an ideal partner. We are determined to join hands to deliver high quality, safe and reliable products to our customers.”

The projects will be using Seraphim’s monocrystalline 158.75mm half-cell PERC modules. Seraphim incorporates innovative design features. Half-cell modules have lower current and series resistance, minimizing mismatch losses, internal power losses, and shadow effects. The high output of half-cell modules will maximise power generation on a constrained land area, significantly saving costs for large-scale power plants.

“We are pleased to sign this supply agreement with ERS Energy, the EPC Contractor for these projects, further strengthening our long-term strategic relationship and enabling us to maintain our leading position in the Philippines market,” said Polaris Li, president of Seraphim. “We strive to support the Philippines to meet its renewable energy goals by utilising our years of experience and leading-edge technology advantages.”

MODULE UPDATES

First Solar Inks Supply Agreement for 415 MW PV Modules With Geronimo Energy First Solar has announced that it has entered into a framework supply agreement with Geronimo Energy, a National Grid company. Under the agreement, First Solar will supply 415 megawatts (MW) of its high-performance, eco-efficient Series 6 photovoltaic (PV) modules in 2022. This latest transaction has grown the relationship between the two companies to over 1.4 gigawatts (GW) of both systems and module technology sales.

Geronimo Energy, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a leading American renewable energy company, with over 2.4 GW of wind and solar operational or under construction, and a multi-gigawatt development pipeline. Geronimo was acquired by National Grid, one of the world’s largest publicly owned utilities in July 2019.

“Geronimo sees value in optimising our solar projects with the Series 6 module.

Its benchmark-setting degradation rate and lifetime energy yields make it the right choice to support our mission to help repower America’s grid with clean, renewable electricity,” said Nathan Franzen,

Vice President of Development, Geronimo Energy. “First Solar and Geronimo have deep roots in the US Midwest and a shared commitment to a sustainable future. A strategic partnership like this helps Geronimo continue its mission to repower rural American communities with renewable energy projects through farmerfriendly development and local economic benefits.”

Designed and developed at the Company’s

research and development (R&D) centres in California and Ohio, First Solar’s Series 6 PV module claim to set industry benchmarks for quality, reliability, design, and environmental performance. With a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than crystalline silicon PV panels manufactured using conventional, energy-intensive production methods, Series 6 delivers a superior environmental profile and cleaner solar electricity.

Ultra-Thin Solar Cells Market to see 56.9% CAGR in Coming Years The requirement for energy which doesn’t release harmful gases, including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide during generation, is rising. Though numerous sources are utilised to produce renewable electricity, solar power is the most popular due to its low levelised cost of energy (LCoE). REN21 says that over 26 percent of the total electricity in 2018 was produced by solar farms. To increase the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels, so that the cost of solar power can be reduced further, research and development (R&D) is being carried out. And due to such efforts, the global ultra-thin solar cells market, which generated USD 30 million in 2019, is expected to advance at a 56.9 percent CAGR between 2020 and 2030 (forecast period).

According to the analysis by P&S Intelligence, The cadmium telluride (CdTe) classification holds the largest share in the ultrathin solar cells market, as, compared to the conventional PV cells made from crystalline silicon (c-Si), it is the only cost-effective technology with appreciable electricity output. In addition, as most other ultra-thin solar cell technologies are currently undergoing R&D, they account for considerably low adoption. Furthermore, with the growth of the construction sector, the adoption of CdTe PV cells is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years.

In 2019, the on-grid bifurcation contributed higher revenue to the

ultra-thin solar cells market, as a large part of the world has grid connectivity. Moreover, the off-grid system cannot work in the absence of the sun, while the on-grid system can supply additional power to customers any time of the day, using the grid as the electricity feedstock.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 45

MODULE UPDATES

Sungrow to Supply Inverter Solutions to 500 MW Solar Plant in Oman Sungrow, a leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, has announced that it will supply 1500V SG250HX inverter solutions to the 500 MWac IBRI II project in Oman, which is the largest utility-scale solar plant in the Sultanate to date, demonstrating the Company’s robust efforts in supporting Oman’s ambition of lifting the renewable energy mix by 10 percent. The delivery of inverter solutions will commence in Q2 this year.

The IBRI II PV project is an Independent Power Project (IPP) to be developed on a BOO (build, own, operate) basis. The USD 400 million project was funded on a debt to equity ratio of 70:30 and a consortium consisting of ACWA Power, Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and the Alternative Energy Projects Company (AEPC) has achieved its financial closure recently.

The project is expected to come online in the summer of 2021, barring any COVID-19 related considerations. It will supply clean power to state-owned utility Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) under a 15-year contract. The plant can generate roughly 1,300 GWh annually, which is enough to power an estimated 33,000 homes and offset 340,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

The project is located in a desert around 300 km west of Muscat with ample sunshine and abundant flat land. The system poses strict requirements on a minimised LCOE with cutting-edge PV technologies and the resilience to harsh conditions like high temperature and sand corrosion. Sungrow’s SG250HX, one of the

world’s most powerful 1500V string inverters, to be installed onsite is an ideal match for the project. The solution features 12 MPPTs with maximum efficiency of 99 percent and enables flexible block design allowing for up to 6.75 MW blocks. Compatible with bifacial modules and tracking systems, the solution can significantly maximise ROI for a PV project.

Module Manufacturers And Energy Sector Firms Resume Manufacturing With India slowly opening up its economic activities again after total shutdown for many days amidst coronavirus lockdown, various companies across the clean energy space are also resuming operations by reopening their factories and offices.

Despite the lockdown extension to May 31, the government has provided permission to various companies across sectors to reopen their factories and offices but with strict measures and guidelines.

Thus, companies have cautiously resumed their manufacturing and production activities with limited employee strength and taking proper precautionary measures, as any infection incident reported can prove to be costly.

Companies said that they are ensuring workplace hygiene and employee safety by taking various measures such as checking body temperature of every individual at the time of entry, making mandatory the 46 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

wearing of mouth mask and gloves for everyone, implementing social distancing among employees etc. Some of them are listed below: After obtaining requisite permission from concerned district administration, Kailash Tarachandani-led Inox Wind, in April last week, said that it had resumed operations at all its three manufacturing plants in the country. Swelect Energy Systems Ltd too resumed operations at its solar photovoltaic (PV) modules manufacturing plant located in Bengaluru in April last week. On the company’s request for allowing execution of an energy supply project to Airport Authority of India (AAI), the concerned authority had granted permission to run its facility with a skeletal strength as per Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines.

RPG Group flagship firm KEC International (KEC) also resumed operations at all its 5 factories across the country in a phased

manner after receiving necessary approvals from the relevant government authority. It also said that it had applied for permissions for the remaining project sites and is hopeful that operations would be resumed at rest of the sites in the near future.

Amidst strict measures followed as per the government directives, MicroSun Solar resumed operations at its Bangalore factories and opened all warehouses across the country in May first week.

Module manufacturer Alpex Solar too resumed operations at its facility in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh on May 08, 2020. The company is having an automatic module manufacturing facility with a capacity of 350 MW per annum.

In the electric two-wheeler manufacturing space, Okinawa also resumed operations at its plant in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), and corporate office in Gurugram (Haryana) in May 2020, with 25 percent workforce.

OPED

Water Scarcity Driving Smarter Solutions in Solar Projects

MANISH DAS Co-Founder & Director, Skilancer Solar India is a country that is developing rapidly and with this growth comes an increasing demand for water. Although India is wellendowed with strong natural river systems, water scarcity is becoming a serious issue in the country. With higher demand for electricity, traditional sources of energy have become a liability not just due to pollution but also because of heavy water consumption by the industries using or generating them. Rapid industrialization and concentration of business units in water-stressed areas gives rise to growing risks like water scarcity, rising costs and environmental degradation, etc.

Water crisis is causing problems worldwide more so in the times of the coronavirus pandemic when keeping washed hands and cleanliness is one important precaution to keep the deadly virus at bay. Ironically, water is not available, as per the needs, in a large part of the country not just for people but also for industries. According to a report, 60% percent of the water used in the solar sector for cleaning of solar modules is groundwater through borewells while the remaining 40 percent comes from surface water sources such as rivers,

canals and lakes. According to SEIA, on an average, all solar power technologies use almost 20 gallons per megawatt hour of water for cleaning solar collection and reflection surfaces. Groundwater is preferred by the industry as it is almost free and is operationally expedient. The report further states, while it requires specific regulatory permissions, there are various reports of illegal extraction. If surface water is used, the procurement responsibility is generally outsourced to a local vendor who supplies water through tankers.

In terms of solar panels they need to be cleaned regularly, as soiling can happen due to accumulation of dust, dirt, pollution, bird-droppings etc . The water scarcity can be dealt with by providing smarter and handy solutions to these solar modules and projects and it would also help them from a lot of trouble of getting water regularly as generally these solar projects are based in dry areas due to easier availability of land as well as more sunshine days.

There are technological solutions to manage this risk. The main options include: waterless cleaning robots for solar panels.

These technologies are now technically

and commercially proven. They can help not only in reducing water use but also in increasing power generation output. They can also reduce the cost of cleaning, which primarily depends on the cost of water and labour. Higher costs are observed in the dry states of Rajasthan and Gujarat as these are arid regions. Using water in these regions can also defeat the very purpose of using renewable energies at times. Technologies like AI and deeptech are solving these problems for us today We tend to forget the fact that clean water is also a natural resource just like fossil fuels on which we cannot depend for a very long period of time. By the use of water the ecosystem of 100% green energy cannot be achieved. We need to adopt non conventional tools and measures to make renewable energy more sustainable for the future.

As the issue of water scarcity and solar energy are linked, the right intervention by the government and leading industries can help create more opportunities for the growth and development of solar energy led industries in India, leading to a much required solar revolution in the country.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 47

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES

The Top 7 Solar Power Parks across the World According to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), the nodal agency for implementing renewable energy projects in the country, a solar park is a concentrated zone of development of solar power generation projects. Developing a solar project, inside solar parks brings with it many benefits which include – no-hassle land acquisition for the development of solar power projects.

Various infrastructure features like transmission system, water, road connectivity and communication network, etc. are also developed on priority and provided to the projects. The parks are also characterised by well developed proper infra-structure where the risk and gestation period of the projects is minimised.

Here’s a list* of the 7 largest solar parks in the world, all of which are believed to have a cumulative capacity greater than 500 megawatts (MW).

Bhadla Solar Park

Jinchuan Solar Park Installed – ~950 MW, Planned – Not Known According to Philip Wolfe, Founder of Wiki-Solar, the Jinchuan Solar Park in China’s Gansu Province is home to solar projects just under 1 GW in cumulative generation capacity. The largest individual project in the park has a capacity well over 200 MW, which was codeveloped by JinkoSolar.

Ananthapuram Ultra Mega Solar Park Installed – ~500 MW (750 MW different phases of construction), Planned – 1500 MW The NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Park, also known as Ananthapuram Ultra Mega Solar Park, is a solar park located in Nambulapulakunta Mandal in the Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The first phase of the park was commissioned in 2016 with a capacity of 250 MW. A further 750 MW was planned to have been commissioned

by March 2018 in the second phase, however, work on that had come to a standstill after a political fight between the two dominant parties had emerged for a lion’s share in the contracts from three companies that are executing the work on the 750 MW solar park.

Installed – 2,245 MW, Planned – 2,200 MW The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan, recently came in the news in January 2020, when Hero Future Energies (HFE) commissioned a 300 MW solar power project in the third section of the solar park.

This project took the total installed capacity of the solar park beyond Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park 2.2 GW (2,245 MW), making the park now fully operational at its Installed – 750 MW, Planned – 750 MW planned capacity.

The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park or RUMS is one of the relatively Pavagada Solar Park newest solar additions to India. Located in Madhya Pradesh, the Installed – 2050 MW, Planned – 2 GW site has a total installed cumulative capacity of 750 MW. However, Before Bhadla Solar Park made the news in January 2020, the unlike the other solar parks in the list, this site is home to only three title for the largest solar park in the world was briefly held by the solar projects, each of 250 MW solar generational capacity which Pavagada Solar Park located in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka. were developed by Mahindra Susten, Acme Solar and Solenergi.

In December 2019, Softbank-led SB Energy had announced the The park has two off-takers in MPPMCL which sources 1233 MUs commissioning of its final 100 MW solar project in the park taking annually, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which the overall installed capacity of the park to 2050 MW. 50 MW over sources 345 MUs annually. the planned capacity of the park.

Special Mentions –

Golmud Desert Solar Park

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

Installed – ~1800 MW, Planned – Not Known (Expected 4-5 GW) The Golmud Desert Solar Park, as the name suggests is located in the Golmud desert to the east of Golmud in the Qinghai Province of China. The solar park accommodates approximately 55 solar power plants with a cumulative capacity surpassing 1,800 MW. The park is also home to Huanghe Hydropower’s 200 MW solar project, which was the largest individual solar power plant in the world when it was first commissioned in 2011.

Installed – 413 MW (2450 MW in different phases of construction), Planned – 5 GW The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) which is implementing it describes it, is the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. It has a planned production capacity of 5,000 MW by 2030, with investments totaling AED 50 billion. The fourth phase of the solar park is the largest single-site solar IPP project in the world that will combine CSP and photovoltaic technology for 950 MW capacity. Recently, DEWA achieved a world record by receiving the lowest bid of USD 1.6953 cents per kWh for this phase through a partnership with the consortium led by ACWA Power and Gulf Investment Corporation as the Preferred Bidder to build and operate the 900 MW 5th phase. *Solar Park capacities are frequently expanding as more and more projects reach commercial operation, this list tries to identify the parks based on the installed capacity and the proposed final capacities.

Delingha Solar Park Installed – ~1000 MW, Planned – Not Known (Expected ~2 GW) The Delingha Solar Park, located in the north of Haixi in the Qinghai Province of China houses a cluster of close to 40 solar power projects, which together have an operation capacity well over 1 GW. The solar park also consists of concentrated solar parks delivering close to 200 MW energy to the grid. The 810 MW Huanghe Qinghai Delingha Solar Thermal Power Project concentrating solar power (CSP) plant is already being constructed in phases in the park.

48 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES

Top 10 States for Renewable Energy Installations in Last 4 Years

As part of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions as per the Paris Accord on Climate Change, India has undertaken to install at least forty percent of its total electricity generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources like renewable energy by 2030.

According to the latest data made available by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), as on 29th February 2020, a cumulative renewable energy capacity of 132.15 GW had been installed in the country, with an additional capacity of 46.69 GW under various stages of implementation and 34.07 GW under various stages of bidding. As on the same date, the country had a cumulative installed capacity of 138.93 GW from non-fossil fuel sources. The cumulative renewable energy capacity and cumulative capacity from non-fossil fuel sources constituted 35.80 percent and 37.63 percent of total electricity generation capacity of 369.12 GW installed in the country as on 29th February 2020, respectively.

Here is a list of the top 10 states that have implemented the maximum amount of renewable projects in the last four years.

(Period April 2016-February 2020) The overall rankings depend on the cumulative installations achieved in solar power projects, wind power projects, small hydro power (<25 MW) projects, biopower, and also large hydro power projects.

KARNATAKA This southern state has been at the forefront of India’s renewable energy transition for a while now and that is reflected in its ranking of number 1 in the list with a total of 9639.31 MW or nearly 10 GW

renewable energy projects implemented in the state since April 2016. Of this total, more than 70 percent capacity (7131.41 MW) has been accomplished through solar power projects, the highlight of which is the full commissioning of the 2000 MW+ Pavagada Solar Park.

Latest Development – In April, SECI had issued a Request for Selection (RfS) document for selection of solar power developers for setting up of 2500 MW ISTS-Connected Solar PV Power Projects at Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park (UMREPP) in Koppal District, Karanataka under Tariff-based Competitive Bidding (ISTS-X). The last date for the submission of bids is May 29, 2020.

ANDHRA PRADESH Following up behind Karnataka is another southern state, Andhra Pradesh. Besides the massive turmoil introduced in its renewable energy sector since new Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to overturn previous PPAs, the state has installed 5667.11 MW of renewable energy capacity in the four year period. Almost the entire capacity has been through solar and wind energy projects which saw 2986.06 MW (solar) and 2661.05 (wind) in new capacity additions. The remaining 20 MW capacity has been through small hydro power projects.

Latest Development – At the back end of February, the Andhra Pradesh Government had proposed to set up its own generating units to produce 10,000 MW (10 GW) of solar power to meet the energy requirements of the agriculture sector. The government has already issued an order for setting up the Andhra Pradesh Green Energy Corporation Limited, as a subsidiary of Power Generation Corporation of AP, to erect the 10,000 MW solar power plants.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 49

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES GUJARAT Following up closely behind Andhra Pradesh is the western state of Gujarat, which saw a total of 5351.99 MW of new renewable projects installed. The first and only state on the list where wind installations surpassed solar. With 3530.4 MW implemented, wind dwarfed the 1757.24 MW of solar that has been installed in the state during the four year period.

Latest Development – Inox Wind had recently announced that it has started work on the 126 MW phase-I of its 250-MW wind power projects in Gujarat following the receipt of certain advances. The first phase of the projects is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal. Prior to that, the MNRE had issued guidelines related to the complete solarisation of the Modhera town in Gujarat, which is popularly known as the sun-temple town.

TAMIL NADU Next in the list is Tamil Nadu, which at one point was the leader of the country’s renewables front. With 4624.925 MW installed in the period, the state slots into the fourth position. A majority of the capacity additions were met by solar (2850.97 MW), and a bulk of the remainder by wind (1678.455 MW).

Latest Development – Based on the preliminary studies carried out recently by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) in collaboration with various multilateral agencies, the Government had revealed that an offshore wind power potential of 31 GW exists off the coast of Tamil Nadu.

had approved a USD 346 million loan to India to help provide an efficient and reliable power connection to rural agriculture customers in the state of Maharashtra. The loan will be under ADB’s resultsbased lending (RBL) modality, where fund disbursements are linked to the achievement of agreed program results rather than to upfront expenditures, as is the case with traditional investment lending.

MADHYA PRADESH Following up behind Maharashtra is its neighbour state of Madhya Pradesh. The state has installed 1882.14 MW of renewable energy projects in the four year period and ranks 8th on the list. With 1482.09 MW capacity, solar led the charge for the state to get it into the top 10, a big credit for which will go to the work at the REWA ultra mega solar park in the state.

Latest Development – In April, the Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited (MPMKVVCL) had issued a tender, seeking eligible bidders for setting up of 45 MW of rooftop solar power projects in the state. In January we had reported that the state had secured Rs 4000 crore investment for the development of two wind energy projects in the state.

SIKKIM Next on the list, and certainly, a surprise in the list is the northeastern state of Sikkim. With 1299.07 MW installed in the period, the state fills in being Madhya Pradesh. However, it is important to note here that going by the MNRE’s previous definition for renewable energy projects I.e. the one in which large hydro projects were not accounted RAJASTHAN under renewable energy sources, the state would lose 1299 MW of its Next in the list is the second western state in the top 10, Rajasthan.

1299.07 capacity. With solar accounting for 0.07 MW in the time frame With 4074.45 MW capacity installed the state slots in at number 5. and no developments in wind, small hydro, and biopower.

Roughly 92 percent of this entire capacity has been achieved through Latest Development – In January, ITI Limited, a leading telecom solar power projects (3763.8 MW), while the remainder has been equipment manufacturer and total solution provider in India, has filled out by wind (305.7 MW) and 4.95 MW of biopower capacity. issued an EOI for the empanelment of Business Associates for off-grid Latest Development – Towards the back end of Match, it was reported solar water pumps under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Surakha that in line with the governments ambitious 175 GW by 2022 target, Evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme. The eligible states India’s largest power generation utility NTPC and state-owned Solar had been divided into two clusters. Cluster 9 with Arunachal Pradesh, Energy Corporation of India (SECI) will soon be signing an agreement Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and with the Rajasthan government for setting up of 2 renewable energy Tripura. And Cluster 10 with Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parks of 5 GW capacity each.

Jammu & Kashmir.

TELANGANA In the sixth position, is the fourth southern state in the list, Telangana.

With 3352.3 MW installed during the four year period, almost 90 percent (3092.9 MW) of which was through solar project installations, the state has finished sixth on the list. Large hydro project holds the next big share with 209 MW installed during the period.

Latest Development – In September 2019, we had reported that as part of its target to achieve 5000 MW solar power, the Telangana government will float tenders in the next two months to produce 1000 MW of solar energy. We at present don’t have any information on those proposed tenders.

UTTAR PRADESH Closing out the top 10 rankings is the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with 975.56 MW capacity installed during the period. 951.06 MW or 97.5 percent of the total capacity installed in the state coming from solar power projects. Bio power filled out the remaining 24.5 MW capacity.

Latest Development – In March, 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. For 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.

MAHARASHTRA Next on the list is Maharashtra with a total of 2485.74 MW capacity instilled in the state during the last four years. A majority of this capacity has been met through solar (1406.79 MW). The next big share [The data has been sourced from the Ministry of New and Renewable is held by biopower at 532.7 MW, followed by wind at 346.55 MW. Energy and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA)] Latest Development – In April, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) 50 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES

Top 10 Rooftop Solar States by Installed Capacity in India India has set one of the world’s most ambitious targets of 175 gigawatts (GW) for renewable energy capacity addition by 2022, including 100 GW for solar, 60 GW for wind, 10 GW for bioenergy and 5 GW for small hydro-power. Out of the solar’s 100 GW capacity, 40 GW will come from rooftop solar and 60 GW from groundmounted solar projects. Here we look at the top ten rooftop solar states by installed capacity in the country.

1). Gujarat Gujarat tops the list of states with the highest installed rooftop solar energy generation capacity in India. It’s total rooftop solar capacity as on February 29, 2020, stood at 468.9 megawatts (MW). While its total installed solar power generation capacity stood at 2,886.16 MW at the end of February this year.

2). Karnataka Karnataka houses the second-highest installed rooftop solar energy generation capacity in India. Its rooftop solar capacity as of February 2020 stood at 232.77 MW. However, the state’s total installed solar power generation capacity stood at 7,277.93 MW as on February 29, 2020.

3). Rajasthan Rajasthan houses the third-highest installed rooftop solar energy generation capacity on pan India. Its rooftop solar capacity at the end of February 2020 stood at 224 MW. Whereas, the state’s total installed solar power generation capacity stood at 5,035.08 MW at the end of February this year.

4). Maharashtra Maharashtra houses the fourth-highest installed rooftop solar power generation capacity across the country. It’s rooftop solar capacity as on February 29, 2020, stood at 219.56 MW. Maharashtra’s total installed solar power capacity stood at 1,801.80 MW at the end February this year. of February 2020.

8). Haryana 5). Delhi Haryana houses the eighth-largest installed rooftop solar energy Delhi houses the fifth-highest installed rooftop solar energy generation capacity across the country. It’s rooftop solar capacity generation capacity in India. It’s rooftop solar capacity as of by the end of February 2020, stood at 121.34 MW. While, Haryana’s February 29, 2020, stood at 156.2 MW. While the state’s total total installed solar power generation capacity stood at 252.14 MW installed solar power capacity stood at 165.16 MW at the end of as on February 29, 2020.

February this year.

9). Punjab 6). Tamil Nadu Punjab houses the ninth-largest installed rooftop solar energy Tamil Nadu houses the sixth-largest installed rooftop solar energy generation capacity in India. It’s rooftop solar energy capacity as of generation capacity in India. It’s rooftop solar capacity as on February 29, 2020, stood at 118.52 MW. However, the state’s total February 29, 2020, stood at 155.99 MW. However, Tamil Nadu’s total installed solar power generation capacity stood at 947.10 MW at the installed solar power capacity stood at 3,915.88 MW at the end of end of February this year.

February 2020.

10). Telangana 7). Uttar Pradesh Telangana houses the tenth-largest installed rooftop solar energy Uttar Pradesh houses the seventh-largest installed rooftop solar generation capacity across the country. It’s rooftop solar capacity energy generation capacity on pan India. It’s rooftop solar capacity as on February 2020, stood at 90.46 MW. While the state’s total as of February 29, 2020, stood at 146.1 MW. Whereas, the state’s total installed solar energy capacity stood at 3,620.75 MW by the February installed solar power capacity stood at 1,095.10 MW at the end of end of 2020.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 51

WEEKLY TOP ‘X’ SERIES

Top 10 Ground Mounted Solar Power States

by Installed Capacity in India With the Modi Government’s aspirational goal of 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024-25 for India, power sector gets a centre stage as it is one of the most important pillars of the economic growth of the country. However, coronavirus likely to impact the goals.

Despite such hindrances, power industry especially renewable energy has a higher spirit of achieving the targets. Out of the 175 gigawatts (GW) for renewable energy capacity addition target by 2022, India has installed capacity of about 86.76 GW of gridinteractive renewable power till February 29, 2020, which is in just 4-5 years.

Also, from 60 GW of ground-mounted solar projects target, India installed 31.98 GW of ground-mounted solar projects. Here we look at the top ten states for ground-mounted solar power by installed capacity in India.

1). Karnataka Karnataka grabbed the top position in the list of states with the highest installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity in India. It’s total ground-mounted solar power capacity as on February 29, 2020, stood at 7,045.16 megawatts (MW).

While its total installed grid-interactive renewable power generation capacity stood at 15,232.06 MW by the 2020 February end.

2). Rajasthan Rajasthan secured the second-highest position in the list of states for installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity in India. Its ground-mounted solar capacity as of February 2020 stood at 4,811.08 MW. However, the state’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power generation capacity remained 9,479.95 MW as of February 29, 2020.

3). Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu houses the third-largest installed ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity on pan India. Its total groundmounted solar capacity at the end of February 2020 stood at 3,759.89 MW. Whereas, Tamil Nadu’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power generation capacity reached 14,335.22 MW at the end of February this year.

6). Gujarat Gujarat secured the sixth-highest position in the list of states by installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity in India. It’s total ground-mounted solar capacity as on February 29, 2020, reached 2,417.26 MW. However, the state’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power capacity jumped to 10,511.43 MW by the end of February this year.

7). Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh houses the seventh-largest installed gridinteractive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity across the country. It’s ground-mounted solar capacity as of February 29, 2020, stood at 2,208.48 MW. Whereas, Madhya Pradesh’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power capacity stood at 4,995.01 MW at the end of February 2020.

8). Maharashtra Maharashtra grabbed the eighth-highest installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity on pan India.

It’s a ground-mounted solar capacity by the end of February 2020, touched 1,582.24 MW. While the state’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power generation capacity jumped significantly to 9,710.40 MW as of February this year.

4). Telangana Telangana enjoyed the fourth-highest installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar power generation capacity in India. It’s ground-mounted solar capacity as on February 29, 2020, touched 3,530.29 MW. The state’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power capacity reached at 4,017.32 MW as of February 2020.

9). Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh houses the ninth-largest installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity in India. It’s ground-mounted solar energy capacity as of February 29, 2020, reached close to 1 GW i.e. 949 MW. However, Uttar Pradesh’s total installed grid-interactive renewable power generation capacity grew to 3,235.71 MW by the end of February 2020.

5). Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh houses the fifth-largest installed grid-interactive ground-mounted solar energy generation capacity across the country. It’s ground-mounted solar capacity as of February 29, 2020, stood at 3,470.99 MW. While Andhra Pradesh’s total installed gridinteractive renewable power capacity stood at 8,313.92 MW by the February end this year.

10). Punjab Punjab secured the tenth-highest installed grid-interactive groundmounted solar energy generation capacity across the country. It’s ground-mounted solar capacity as on February 2020, stood at 828.58 MW. While the state’s total installed grid-interactive renewable energy capacity stood at 1,448.50 MW at the end of February this year.

52 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

MILESTONE UPDATES

1st Offshore Wind Farm to use 9.5 MW Turbines Starts In just under ten months from the start of the offshore works, the 219 MW Northwester 2 offshore wind farm is now supplying the Belgian grid with green energy from all of its 23 fully operational wind turbines rated at 9.5 MW each. This wind farm is the first to use the world’s highest-rated Siemens Gamesa V164-9.5 MW turbines in commercial operation.

This is the seventh wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, which now brings the total offshore energy capacity to 1,776 MW and moves Belgium closer to reaching the goal of supplying 10 percent of domestic energy demand with offshore wind by the end of 2020.

“As we started the offshore construction of our fourth wind farm back in July last year, we could not have imagined the circumstances under which we would be completing this project. Following the powerful storms over the winter that caused some temporary disruption, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to deal with an unprecedented level of uncertainty.

We managed to keep the project on track though. Following an excellent dialogue with the Belgian government and support of our

contractors, all operating procedures were re-designed to continue the construction works, ensuring the health and safety of all people involved and safeguarding their safe return home during this COVID-19 pandemic. Today we can proudly say ‘we did it’,” said Peter Caluwaerts, Parkwind’s Project

Director. The project is a 219 MW wind farm, approximately 51 km offshore in the Belgian territorial waters. Current shareholders are Parkwind (70 percent) and the Japanese industrial group Sumitomo Corporation (30 percent). Parkwind has been in charge of development and construction.

Largest Solar Project in US Gets Govt Approval The United States (US) Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have announced that they have granted approval for the proposal to construct and operate the largest solar project in US history.

US Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for Solar Partners XI, LLC to construct a 690MW photovoltaic solar electric generating facility and ancillary facilities about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The estimated USD 1 billion Gemini Solar Project (Project) could be the eighth-largest solar power facility in the world when finished and is expected to generate enough electricity to power 260,000 homes in the Las Vegas area and potential energy markets in Southern California.

“As our economy rebounds from the invisible enemy, President Trump is working to make the United States stronger than ever before. Our economic resurgence will rely on getting America back to work, and this project delivers on that objective,” said Secretary Bernhardt.

The Project will facilitate critical infrastructure investments that will create jobs and economic activity and increase renewable energy, helping to meet Federal and state energy goals.

“Despite the challenges of the coronavirus, we’re pleased to see that Nevada will soon be home to one of the biggest solar projects in the world,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “The solar industry is resilient and a project like this one will bring jobs and private investment to the state when we need it most. We appreciate the work that the Trump Administration has done to make this historic project a reality.”

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 53

OPINION

The 90K Stimulus And The Market For Solar Assets It is no secret that many developers were forced to sell off their renewable energy assets in the recent past to meet their liquidity requirements. From selling by the Shapoorji Pallonji group, which owns leading EPC developer Sterling and Wilson, to reports of Renew Power being in talks, there have been a string of deals earlier too, be it Essel Group’s asset sales to Adani Green, or acquisitions

by Vector Green of Rattan India’s solar assets and more. Now, with a big issue facing many developers, namely, dues from discoms, close to a resolution with the Rs 90,000 crore credit line from PFC/REC to discoms, will there be a pause on Solar asset sales? After all, dues in many cases have been outstanding for well over 6 months , with the additional stress of facing power curtailment from discoms in many states, despite instruction for must run status issued by the MNRE. Not really, point out industry insiders. A developer involved with over 500 MW of solar projects informs us that they don’t expect things to change drastically.”While the

liquidity is fantastic news for all generators, the situation for renewable energy producers was already looking up with the efforts of the MNRE to prioritise renewable energy payments”. He also reminds us that some of the biggest deals have involved firms like ILFS or even the Essel Group, which were more like distress sales. An investment banker, whose asked not to share his name as he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirms that ” for many developers, holding on to these assets is never a part of the long term plan. Flipping, or turning over the portfolio is a given for them, to generate cash flows for the next project, and improve margins for their owners and other stakeholders”.

On the other hand, the developer we spoke to confirms adds that delays in payment simply lead to fresh capital raises going to service loans for operational plants, rather than the expansion it was raised for. For his firm, a resolution of their payment issues has definitely made expansion easier.

Making the market even more interesting is the interest from many institutional investors who are already present in the market, who have a strong appetite for more Indian renewable energy assets. That is one reason valuations, or realisation per MW has not really crumpled in India, despite the many challenges the industry has been facing.

Kamal Singh, Delhi-based energy sector consultant stresses that with both cost of capital and yields in other developed markets being quite low, a period of stability on the policy and predictable growth could really heat up the market, as far as acquisitions go.

Especially from US or Europe based firms.

The current move to infuse liquidity in the biggest customers, ie, the discoms will simply reduce the risk to that extent for investors still sitting on the fence. He points to the recent deal of Total and Adani Green to remind us that there is a ready market of large legacy energy players from the oil sector who are keen on large acquisitions, to diversify away from fossil fuels.

Renewable Energy Industry Reacts to Rs 90k Cr Stimulus for Discoms After PM Narendra Modi had announced a new Rs 20 trillion stimulus package in his recent messages to the public, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman came to the rescue of the power sector in the country. While detailing the elements of the stimulus package the FM announced that PFC/REC will infuse liquidity of Rs 90,000 crore to Discoms against their receivables.

That is USD 11.8 billion out of the roughly USD 266 billion, or roughly just over 4 percent of the stimulus announced.

These loans are to be given against State guarantees for the exclusive purpose of discharging liabilities of Discoms to the generation companies. This, due to an unprecedented cash flow problem accentuated by demand reduction has seen Discoms payables to power generation and transmission companies rise to ~ Rs 94,000 crore, according to the ministry.

Welcoming the quote, Sumant Sinha, CMD, ReNew Power said “the Rs 90,000 crore liquidity infusion into discoms will breathe fresh life into the power sector and protect distribution companies from going bankrupt. This money will help the discoms to repay most of the Rs 92,000 crore outstanding payments that they owe to power generators, restarting the virtuous cycle of liquidity, higher investments, and rapid growth for the power sector. This may also be an opportune time for the government to convince states to 54 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

expedite distribution sector reforms so that distribution companies don’t need a bailout next time and are able to become financially viable entities.”

In the same tune, Gagan Vermani, Founder and CEO, MYSUN said “the provisions announced by the Prime Minister yesterday and detailed by the Finance Minister have infused some confidence and given the economy a much-needed injection of energy. The revision in the definition of MSMEs, Rs 90,000 crore for the distressed Discoms, and a major injection in the NBFCs are welcome moves.

It would be interesting to see the implementation of collateral-free loans for the MSME sector in real terms as the banks have often been reluctant about such products. However, we welcome the announcement and look forward to playing a key role in helping the solar sector stand back on its feet.”

OPINION

2020-When Energy Storage Got Serious in India The recent win for Renew Power in the round the clock power tender for 400 MW at Rs 2.90 kWh marked a huge turning point for storage in India too. For one, the renewable+ storage combination as a way to get power at all hours possibly, and at scale, is no longer a possibility that will get laughed off. A reaction we would regularly hear as recently as 9-10 months ago. The 1200 MW tender RE+storage that preceded this one, although with peak power supply requirements, had already indicated that things were changing far faster than people imagined.

Secondly, questions about the opportunity in storage, while no longer relevant, will now be focused on the fact that the same cost pressure that accompanied the growth of solar in India will bear down on storage suppliers and manufacturers too. For storage, that means the margin premiums for early movers is a very small window indeed. How the sector, that is still taking shape, adapts to this reality remains to be seen. Will it impact manufacturing decisions for India? Or will it mean government protection of some sort soon?

While there are multiple technologies aiming to make a mark, at this point, Lithium Ion remains well ahead.

The good news is that being a little behind the curve, India will get the benefit of both scale economics and research investment already made into storage technology. The storage market was already projected to rise from $18 billion in 2019 to $100 billion in 2025. On the back of strong pipelines for capacity creation in China, the US and Australia. All three countries have seen a resurgence in Hybrid solutions, or Renewable+ storage systems, something India discovered last week with the Renew bid. In fact, Woodmac, the global research firm predicts that despite the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, global storage addition will go from 5.2 GW in 2019 to 12.6 GW in 2020.

In India, there is a strong pipeline building up for storage linked projects, of which the smaller ones will start coming online from 2021 onwards.

In terms of long term demand and growth, any number of triggers could increase it, or sustain it.

Old, polluting coal powered stations

themselves. Close to 60 GW of capacity is linked to these plants. many of these plants are already living on borrowed time, as they have managed repeated extensions on deadlines to comply with new pollution norms. The latest deadline is 2021. At some stage, the owners of these plants, which include many state discoms themselves or the NTPC , will take a call on closure or extending their lives further, with the latter becoming an increasingly could be retired, for instance. The expensive proposition. power ministry itself had informed a That means fresh installation demand Parliamentary Standing committee on for renewable energy, but this time energy that thermal power plants of 42,877 with storage. As power markets evolve megawatt (MW) capacity have outlived to a more competitive market possibly, their lives and have been operational customers will also get more choice from for 25 years or more in India. The 1973 generators who go with renewable energy+ make Badarpur Thermal Power Station storage options to meet demand. was virtually forced to shut down in The drop in storage costs seen recently 2018 as pollution worries in the NCR challenges many projections, and notions region reached a crescendo. There is no about the limitations of renewable energy reason not to apply the same standards to in meeting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;baseloadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements. 2015 many more areas where similar vintage might be too early, but 2030 is definitely a plants operate, especially as the low cost time when the last of the doubts are blown argument of coal fired energy versus away by the performance of the hybrid renewable is laid to rest now. projects that come up by then. Throw in In fact, over 50% of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thermal better handling of the power produced plants today are over 25 years old, if today ( a lot of captive commercial one goes by the list of plants on the CEA renewable power is wasted on holidays, website. The oldest ones that are over 40 for instance), and you have the making of years ( pre -1980) are a sizeable cohort a perfect, long runway for storage in India.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 55

OPINION

Why Resisting Pushback to Electricity Act Is Vital Even as the Electricity Act Amendment Bill, that seeks to make crucial changes to the Electricity Act (2003) is seemingly on the verge of being finalised for passing, resistance has finally started showing up.

Predictably, it is Tamil Nadu, a state which has some of the highest market distortions in its power market, that has started the push back. Heeding this particular call will be a huge disappointment for the power sector, including the renewable power sector.

State Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Saturday urged Prime Minister Modi to put the act in abeyance, until further discussions with state governments and importantly, after the Corona pandemic. Considering the uncertain nature of the latter, and especially the assured long term impact of the pandemic on economies, that is a clear attempt to spike progress of the bill and what it entails. The ostensible reasons given to hold back the bill include primarily three issues. The right of the state to provide free power to its farmers, the right of states to nominate the members to its respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission, and finally, the ‘threat’ to discoms from the provision to separate carriage and content in the distribution sector, which would make the power utilities in the public sector totally ‘unviable’, according to Mr Palaniswami.

The reasons appear to be motivated, to say the

least, and not necessarily by public good. Free power is still a possibility in the bill, except that the state has to do it by way of direct benefits transfer to the farmers, something that has been done quite well in other areas of agricultural subsidies and more. Tamil Nadu especially, with a much higher penetration of banking channels, should not have too much of an issue here.

On the state regulator, Tamil Nadu has probably made one of the strongest cases for having a more independent state power regulator. Its state regulator has failed to issue even the mandatory tariff revisions for the past few years in the state, since 2014 to be precise.

That has seen the state discom, TANGEDCO, hurtle towards record losses yet again, and could well cross Rs 10,000 crores in 2019-20, after losing Rs 9256 crores in 2018-19.

No Need For Private Help? (Rs in Crores) With no metering of agricultural consumption, and no upper limits on

consumption, it is an open secret that agricultural consumption is the fig leaf behind many other inefficiencies, including collections and even failure to curb power theft by many industrial consumers. This is unfortunately true not just for Tamil Nadu, but even leading industrial states like Maharashtra. Plus, the proposed amendments cover critical aspects like contracts enforcement, timely payments and orders against LC’s, all steps that seek to instill better discipline among state discoms.

However, it is clear that even now, just passing the bill with most of the amendments intact will hardly solve the sector’s problems.

Accumulated losses of discoms, made worse by the collapse of collections and power consumption since the Corona pandemic, will still need a separate resolution plan.

Estimates among experts have varied between Rs 100,000 to Rs 200,000 crores to solve that for good. Thus, if ever a crisis offered an opportunity to take bold steps, the current crisis is probably the greatest opportunity in the 21st century for India to move to solve its electricity market’s multiple challenges in a big way. Mr Palaniswami’s actions are probably guided by the state elections coming up in a year. That can hardly be a reason to hijack reforms the whole country needs, if it is to be ready for the coming decade and beyond.

Wind Power Will be a key Building Block for Economic Recovery: Industry The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) along with key signatories representing all the major wind industry corporates and associations across the world have released a statement highlighting wind power’s role in the global economic recovery following the COVID-19 crisis and laying out the key policy actions that must be put into motion in order to realise a sustainable economic recovery.

As per the statement, wind power is a key building block for economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19, which will enable governments to renew critical infrastructure for a sustainable future. The wind industry will help to deliver jobs, clean and affordable power and energy security needed for a sustainable 56 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

economic recovery. Ben Blackwell, CEO at GWEC said the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented social and economic impact around the world, and how we recover from the crisis depends on the actions that we all take over the coming months.

“We have the opportunity here to ‘re-build back better’, help kick-start sustainable economic recovery, and build the energy infrastructure of the future. Young people, in particular, will bear the financial, social, health and environmental costs of the stimulus plans now being designed, and carry the debt associated with this spending, so we must make sure they are able to benefit from today’s decisions. At the same time, governments should establish a principle

of “no harm” for economic stimulus spending and ensure that this does go to reviving fossil fuel industries that need to be phased out to achieve the energy transition and head off the threat of dangerous and irreversible climate change.”

Calling on governments, intergovernmental bodies, and global lending institutions, the statement suggests key actions policy makers can take to put wind energy investment at the centre of their economic recovery and growth plans with three overarching themes: investment for a sustainable and resilient future, an enabling environment for clean energy, and empowerment of people to drive the energy transition forward.

PRODUCTS

4 products from Kickstarter have made it to our list of promising solar powered products this month.

OUTXE W20 Solar Power Bank PRODUCT BRIEF: The Outxe W20 is designed to be the best outdoor power bank for modern travelers. The manufacturer claims that the product takes 6.5 hours to fully charge through an AC source, however, it also has a solar panel on the backside, acting as an emergency backup once your power bank is running out of battery.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The power bank covers everything from IP67 rating, 20000 mAh portable power, wireless charging, quick charging & recharging, unlimited solar power backup that fit in your pocket or hang on your backpack.

APPLICATION: Power Bank PRODUCT BENEFITS: The power bank is capable of charging three products (2 outlet plus one wireless charging dock) simultaneously and on a full charge, is capable of powering an iPhone from 0-100 at least 6-7 times. The 20000 mAh capacity is also the largest capacity that you can take with your luggage onto a plane.

AVAILABILITY: The product is available for purchase on the company’s website and retails for $69.99 on discount.

EcoFlow R600 Portable Power Station PRODUCT BRIEF: R600 series, with its unprecedented modular design, elevates the portable power station to a whole new level of performance and expansion, so you can customise the capacity and AC power in ways like never before.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The Capacity of R600 Pro Starts from 768Wh, it enjoys 3500+ lifecycles and it can easily expand to 2304Wh capacity by connecting the EF-1500 External Battery. You can even chain R600 Pro with any number of third-party 12V deep cycle batteries or LFP batteries to customize your own system with truly unlimited power. 10 times faster than the industry average, R600 can be fully charged within 2 hours.

APPLICATION: Portable Power Station PRODUCT BENEFITS: R600 series is the only chainable power station on the market that not only doubles its capacity but also doubles its power output. With its patented technology, R600 can lower the required power draw of heavy-duty devices (like a hairdryer) running them more efficiently with only 600W. AVAILABILITY: The product is in the prototype phase and has just launched on kickstarter.

MacroBoom Portable Solar Speakers PRODUCT BRIEF: The MacroBoom Speakers are the combination of durability and power, solar charging and solid audio quality in a portable speaker. The product has been proven to survive helicopter drops from 10,000 ft and fast moving rivers.

PRODUCT FEATURES: These highly portable, solar charging, IP67 water and dust proof, shockproof, daisy-chaining, bike/ surf/sky-mountable bluetooth speakers take rugged sound to a whole new level: one that will impress adventurers & audiophiles alike.

APPLICATION: Portable Speakers PRODUCT BENEFITS: The firm claims that the speakers of comparable audio quality cost upwards of $200-$300; while others sacrifice audio quality in the pursuit of solar power/durability, but the MacroBoom starts at only $125. The product also features 140-180 mAh High Sensitivity Solar Charging - 35 Hour Full Solar Charge, and a 5600 mAh battery.

AVAILABILITY: Available for purchase on the firms’ website.

58 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

PRODUCTS Segway Ninebot KickScooter Air T15 PRODUCT BRIEF: The KickScooter Air T15, as the firm describes it is the most compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient KickScooter ever designed. And it is powered by industry leading Segway motors.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The KickScooter Air T15 is an electric scooter with robust functions and an exquisite craftsmanship.

The team spent six years working on an integrated design with the lightest yet the most durable material for a sleek and futuristic style that elevates your urban commute. The Air T15 can be folded in half with just one click. Once folded, the 6-axis sensor embedded in the dashboard will detect the operation mode and help to turn the power off automatically.

APPLICATION: Electric Scooter PRODUCT BENEFITS: The body of the Air T15 is made with aluminum-magnesium alloy to bring a lighter yet stronger and more reliable performance. This also ensures that the body of the vehicle is splash-proof, corrosion-resistant and eco-friendly.

AVAILABILITY: The product is in the prototype phase and has recently launched its campaign on kickstarter.

Knurl- Solar Powered Hybrid Cello PRODUCT BRIEF: The Knurl is a hybrid (acoustic/electric), solar-powered and 16 strings cello designed to reprogram its sound on-the-fly. It was revealed on the futuristic album ‘Un-Bow’, revealing a new behaviour between bow and sound of a string instrument.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The Knurl has 4 modes of performance/composition (Synthesis, Detection, Programming & Analogue mode) which are installed in a microcontroller (bella) and rechargeable through a self-contained electronic circuit (all the electronic devices are attached to it, which includes speaker, microphone, microcontroller, solar panels and sensors).

APPLICATION: Hybrid-Programmable Cello PRODUCT BENEFITS: Its components are made by up-cycled material (Recycled PETG). At its digital settings, the 4 Modes manipulate the sound through algorithmic calculations and compositional methods. Summing up those possibilities there is a variety of (71) processing definitions. Each synthesis is designed according to concepts of sound design, active acoustic and physical modelling.

AVAILABILITY: The product is in the prototype phase.

Water Wasp - Off-Grid Solar Water Maker PRODUCT BRIEF: The Water Wasp is a life-saving off-grid survival solar water maker. Disasters can make drinking water toxic and if you live near the ocean with lots of sunlight, and you want a way to make water for months and years without a constant supply of complex filters, electricity, and if you want to be prepared for hurricanes, earthquakes, nuclear disasters, tsunamis, drought and unrest, then the Water Wasp offers a potentially life saving option.

PRODUCT FEATURES: Grab a bucket of nasty flood water or salty ocean water, and the sun will heat the basin to extract the pure water, drop-by-drop, about a gallon of pure water per day in hot climates.

APPLICATION: Off-Grid Water Purifier PRODUCT BENEFITS: The product is made using only UV-stabilised plastics, that are designed to last 4 to 6 years in direct sunlight, and indefinitely with intermittent use. The Water Wasp can handle any load of dissolved metals and salt without losing efficiency.

AVAILABILITY: The product is in the prototype phase, and has a kickstarter campaign you can support.

Saur Energy International n May 2020 n 59

OPPORTUNITIES Solar Energy Project Finance – Micronesia Renewable Energy

Job Description: • Manage the company websites and social media accounts.

• Ensure consistent branding across digital and traditional channels.

Micronesia Renewable Energy, Inc. • Work closely reporting to our Head of Marketing. The solar is equipping Micronesia customers marketing specialist will contribute to develop the company’s with state of the art renewable energy marketing presence in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal. solutions. MRE focuses on solar PV • Joining a fast growing company, the successful candidate will Installations, energy efficiency, auditing, work directly with the company’s management team and enjoy lighting solutions and power factor correcting. The organization significant autonomy in developing and executing campaigns is looking for a candidate for solar energy project finance position to gain prospective customers and increase sales with the sales who is responsible for managing the analysis of various financing team to develop effective campaigns. options for projects under development as well as new investment Eligibility Criterion: opportunities.

• Solid understanding of different marketing techniques (B2B and Location of job: Guam area, US. B2C).

Type of job: The position is contractual.

• Specialized in marketing computer software and online Job Description: applications (e.g. Mailchimp, analytics and Google Adwords).

• The candidate will support all aspects of transaction execution • Knowledge of social media advertising (Facebook, LinkdIn, from acquisition to divestiture.

Twitter, Instagram).

• Create and maintain complex project finance models for internal • Ability to map and improve the customer journey for different and external parties to move renewable energy projects to segments. finance.

• Degree in Marketing, Communication or related degree.

• Specifically, synthesize and model terms of construction loan, tax • Native German or native French with good command of English. equity bridge loan, and sponsor equity with back-leverage loan Apply here: https://bit.ly/2XzjnE7 in time and yield-based partnership flip structures.

• Review project documentation and third-party reports, Solar Sales Consultant including PPAs, financing term sheets and agreements, IE Palmetto reports, etc. and accurately integrate assumptions into financial models.

Palmetto.com is an end-to-end software Eligibility Criterion: & logistics platform that enable & • Minimum 3 years of project finance, corporate finance, or supports members in our community. investment banking experience in renewable energy or similar Members are aligned in the mission industry. of helping homeowners transition to a • Deep familiarity with project finance structures, including clean energy future with our innovative software product platform partnership flips, construction financing, and back-leverage; coupled with clean technology hardware such as solar and energy familiarity with sale-leasebacks and inverted leases a plus backup. It is looking for solar sales consultant.

• Deep knowledge of partnership accounting concepts, including Location of job: Texas, United States or remote. partnership tax issues, capital account balances, basis, deficit Type of job: The position is full-time. restoration obligation, suspended losses, re-allocation, 731(a) Job Description: gain, etc.

• Quickly develop relationships with new prospective customers.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2TsuehE • Meet with homeowners to deliver presentations and present proposals.

Marketing Specialist – Solar • Discover, understand, and execute on optimal financing and Energy - Younergy system design solutions for customers.

• Leverage Palmetto’s easy to use, all-encompassing sales The company is working on the building technology platform. blocks of the distributed energy utility by • Tightly manage customer expectations and sales cycle bundling energy services that are based procedures for a multitude of customers at once. on locally deployed solar systems and • Self-generate new sales opportunities by cultivating referral storage. It has developed a proprietary opportunities from new and existing clients. software platform allowing it to efficiently manage the individual Eligibility Criterion: elements of the distributed energy value chain; from the sourcing • A candidate with experience of B2C sales for atleast 1 year is and construction of projects to their operation and maintenance preferred. including billing and collections. The company is looking for a • A candidate having experience in solar sales for atleast 1 year is suitable candidate for the position of Marketing Specialist – Solar preferred.

Energy.

• A candidate with experience in outside sales for atleast 1 year is Location of job: Lisbon, Portugal or remotely from home. required.

Type of job: The position is full-time.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2LNd9ef 60 n May 2020 n Saur Energy International

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

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

THE 15TH ASIASOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INNOVATION EXHIBITION & COOPERATION FORUM website : www.asiasolar.net START DATE : 03-SEP- 2020 END DATE : 04-SEP- 2020

Location : Hangzhou, China Phone : +86 512 53986898

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

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

RENEWX 2020 website : www.renewx.in START DATE : 04-SEP-2020 END DATE : 05-SEP-2020

Location : Hyderabad, India Phone : +91 98707 46073

E-mail : intl@pgo-china.com

E-mail : sheetal.rathod@ubm.com

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

6TH SMART CITIES INDIA 2020 EXPO

website : www.snec.org.cn

START DATE : 10-OCT-2020 END DATE : 12-OCT-2020

Location : Shanghai, China Phone : +86 21 33685117

website : www.solarindiaexpo.com START DATE : 20-OCT-2020 END DATE : 22-OCT-2020

E-mail : info@snec.org.cn

E-mail : ravim@eigroup.in

THE 12TH CHINESE RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

PV OPERATIONS USA 2020

website : www.crecexpo.com START DATE : 04-NOV- 2020 END DATE : 06-NOV- 2020

Location : Wuxi, China Phone : +86 510 81827276

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

website : events.newenergyupdate.com/pv-usa/ Location : San Diego, USA START DATE : 12-NOV- 2020 Phone : +44 207 4224358 END DATE : 13-NOV- 2020

E-mail : liuyang@crecexpo.com

E-mail : tobias@newenergyupdate.com

RENEWABLE ENERGY INDIA 2020

INTERSOLAR INDIA 2020

website : www.renewableenergyindiaexpo.com Location : Greater Noida, India START DATE : 10-DEC- 2020 Phone : +91 93792 29397 END DATE : 12-DEC- 2020

website : www.intersolar.in START DATE : 15-DEC- 2020 END DATE : 17-DEC- 2020

E-mail : Pankaj.sharma@ubm.com

E-mail : feth@solarpromotion.com

Location : Mumbai, India Phone : +49 7231 58598206