Saur Energy Magazine November 2019 by Saur Energy International

www.saurenergy.com

SAUR ENERGY

NOVEMBER 2019 | 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 03 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH

Solar Inverters Ready For the

Spotlight Inside

Dr. Yang Bo General Manager Hoymiles

Iman Javan Director Suntuity REI

Microgeneration &

No.1 supplier in ﬁnanced projects 100% bankable Source：BloombergNEF

87GW+ Deployed Worldwide

15% +

NO.1

60+

20 +

Global Market Share

Largest PV Inverter R&D Team

Countries with Sungrow Installations

Years in the Solar Industry

Email：india@sungrow. cc

Web：www. sungrowpower. com

ELEGANT YET POWERFUL

SMART AND POWERFUL MAX

MIN 2.5-6kTL-X

MAX 50-80KTL3 LV/MV

Better User Experience OLED Display & Touch Button

High Yields 6 MPPTs, Max. Efficiency 99%

Aerospace Grade Material Lighter and Flame-Retardant

Smart & Capable Quad-Core, One-Click Diagnosis

Safe & Reliable Type II SPD, AFCI Optional

Safe & Reliable Type II SPD, AFCI, Anti-PID

Easy Maintenance Online Smart Service

(MAX 50-80KTL3 LV/MV) (MIN 2.5-6KTL-X)

Booth No 5.148

Service Hotline: 1800 120 600 600 (TOLL FREE)

FROM THE EDITOR

SAUR ENERGY I N T E R N A T I O N A L GROUP EDITOR PRASANNA SINGH prasanna@meilleurmedia.com DIRECTOR MARKETING PRATEEK KAPOOR prateek@meilleurmedia.com EDITOR MANAS NANDI manas@meilleurmedia.com

As 2019 heads for a close, the renewables sector may not look back with as much pleasure as one would expect, ASSOCIATE EDITOR in the world's third largest market. In a year marked with MANU TAYAL some bright spots, there has been an almost non stop manu@meilleurmedia.com flow of disappointing news, be it on capacity additions, tender cancellations, or continuing struggles with the STAFF WRITER make in India push and financing. Not to mention the AYUSH VERMA political googlies from Andhra Pradesh. One section that has come out with a little less pain editorial@meilleurmedia.com is the inverter segment, so intrinsic to renewables, and yet, perhaps because of their linkages with the MANAGER- MEDIA SOLUTION broader electronics sector, perhaps a little more GIRISH MISHRA experienced with weathering slowdowns.In this girish.mishra@meilleurmedia.com issue, our cover feature looks at just how players in the inverter segment has done, their hopes, and DESIGN HEAD how they are poised to play an even bigger SANDEEP KUMAR role soon, as smart inverters become more and more ubiquitous. WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Discoms, everyone's favourite scapegoat, JITENDER KUMAR also get an ear this time, with the discom view on solar rooftop. Not always the most WEB PRODUCTION consumer focused, but worth reading, if BALVINDER SINGH only because discoms are a vital part of the energy chain. Besides that, we continue with our mix SUBSCRIPTIONS of national and international news that KULDEEP GUSAIN matters, and look forward to receiving subscription@meilleurmedia.com more of your feedback on what you want to read, as we plan for big things 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 in 2020. Here's to a greener planet! (INDIA),Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi.

Prasanna Singh prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

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.

enquiry@lithiumionbattery.co.in infoaqueouss@gmail.com +91-11-41092309, +91-8130600209 www.aqueouss.in

CONTENT PAGE

DR. YANG BO

General Manager Hoymiles Converter Technology Co., Ltd.

IMAN JAVAN

DIRECTOR SUNTUITY RENEWABLE ENERGY INDIA

FUTURE GENERATION TECHNOLOGY

COVER STORY

SOLAR INVERTERS: READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT POLICY

08 Additional DC Capacity to be Left on Developers MNRE Amends Bidding Guidelines for Solar Power

NOVEMBER 2019

SN Sahai Takes Charge as Power Secretary SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

MARKET

38 The DiscomView of Rooftop Solar China Playing Catch-up in Offshore Wind Tech Offshore Wind to Grow 15-Fold by 2040

CONTENT PAGE

STORAGE

35 TBEA to Open GW-class PV Inverter Facility in India US NonResidential Storage to Grow 10X by 2024

COULD SOLAR ENERGY POWER INDIAN HOMES FOR FREE?

MICROGENERATION AND POWER TRADING - WILL IT WORK FOR INDIA

MILESTONE

FINANCE

44 Avg. Spot Prices at 2-Year Low, REC Prices Rise

Ã&#x2DC;rsted Issues Green Bonds for $394 Mn in Taiwan

NTPC Working on Developing EV Charging Infra

US DOE Grants $28 Million For Wind Energy R&D

RWE Acquires 1.5 GW of Offshore Wind in Poland VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

POLICY UPDATES

ADDITIONAL DC CAPACITY TO BE LEFT ON DEVELOPERS In a decision that will come as a relief for solar power developers in the country, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an advisory/clarification stating that as long as the solar PV power plant is in accordance with the contracted AC capacity and meets the range of energy supply based on Capacity Utilisation Factor (CUF) requirements, the design and installation of solar capacity on the DC side should be left to the generator/ developer. The Ministry further clarified stating that any person is entitled to set up any capacity which he desires to set up and sell power to any entity which may want to buy it. RK Singh, Minister of Power, New & Renewable Energy said that ensuring the ease of doing business for the bonafide producers/ developers is of paramount importance to the country. “We are committed to providing a hassle-free path to the developers of renewable energy which could help India to achieve energy security in the future along with a cleaner and sustainable environment.” The ministry also revealed that the matter, brought to its notice by solar developers/ solar developer associations, that recently few states have raised questions and concerns around globally adopted practice of installing additional DC

capacity, over and above the nameplate AC capacity, with the objective of meeting the committed Capacity Utilisation Factor (CUF) in Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) / Power Supply Agreements (PSAs). The MNRE has further clarified that even if the installed DC capacity (MWp) in a solar PV power plant, is in excess of the value of the contracted AC capacity (MW), it is not violation of PPA or PSA.

CABINET APPROVES RENEWABLE PACT WITH GUINEA

GUJARAT TARGET FOR 30 GW RE GENERATION BY 2022

The Union Cabinet on November 6, 2019, gave ex-post facto approval to a pact signed between India and Guinea in the field of renewable energy. “The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval for the MoU (memorandum of understanding) between India and Guinea in the field of renewable energy,” an official statement said. The objective of the MoU is to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship and to encourage and promote bilateral technical cooperation in renewable energy on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity between the parties. The areas of cooperation include solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy, and waste to energy, small hydro storage and capacity build. The MoU will also help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, it added. In May, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Tajikistan on Cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy. The MoU was signed on October 8, 2018. In April, the Cabinet had given its approval for a Cooperation Agreement between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of India and Ministry for Energy, Utilities and Climate of the Kingdom of Denmark on strategic sector cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy with a focus on Offshore Wind Energy. A Letter of Intent to establish an Indo-Danish Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy in India was also signed.

The state government of Gujarat has set a target of achieving 30 GW (30,000 MW) of renewable energy generation by 2022 from the current generational capacity of 9670 MW, a senior government official has confirmed. “Gujarat will have over 30,000 MW of renewable energy by 2022, the roadmap for which has been finalised,” The State’s Chief Secretary J N Singh has said. At present, the state has a total of 9,670 MW production of renewable energy which includes 6,880 MW wind energy and 2,654 MW solar energy. Earlier, in the state’s latest budget announcement which was made in July, the Gujarat government announced its plans to increase its target for power generation capacity from renewable sources to touch or surpass 30 GW by 2022. The state also plans on selling close to 10,000 MW of the generated power to other states. In September, we reported that the Gujarat energy minister Saurabh Patel had said that the state government’s rooftop solar panel scheme aims to cover two lakh households by March 31 next year. Under the scheme, people can install solar panels for electricity generation on the roof of their houses, and if there is surplus electricity, they can sell it to the power grid. “1,600 MW of solar power will be produced through rooftop solar panels in Gujarat by 2021-22,” the minister said at an event, adding that the government aims to cover two lakh families under the scheme during the current financial year.

NOVEMBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

PROVIDING COMPLETE TURNKEY

SAND TO ENERGY SOLUTION

TURNKEY SOLUTIONS & CONSUMABLES FOR LITHIUM CELL, MODULE AND PACK MANUFACTURING LINES ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM FOR SOLAR PLANTS TURNKEY SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR WAFER, CELL, MODULE MANUFACTURING ALL TYPE OF INVERTERS & CHARGE CONTROLERS FOR SOLAR POWER PLANT EV CAR CHARGING SYSTEM POWER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT DEVICES

Bergen Solar Power and Energy Limited

floor, Plot No. 21, Institutional Area, Sector 32, Gurugram, Haryana, India-122018|Tel : +91(0124) 4986400-416 | Fax : +91(0124) 4986405 Email : pv@bergengroupindia.com |Web : www.bergengroupindia.com nd

POLICY UPDATES

KSEB ASKED MODIFY PSA FOR 200 MW WIND POWER The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has in its latest order, asked state Discom Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to modify its Power Sale Agreement (PSA) that it had signed with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (India) for procuring 200 MW of wind energy. KSEB filed the petition on July 1, 2019, seeking approval for the 200 MW wind PSA with SECI so it can meet its renewable purchase obligations (RPO). In response to a petition filed by the KSEB for the approval of the PSA with SECI, the state commission has issued an order stating that the agreement must be modified to reflect the updated regulations by the Ministry of Power before it can approve the proposal. KSEB and SECI will also be required to submit additional documents issued by the central government on which they have relied while finalising the contract. According to the PSA signed by the parties in June this year, SECI had allotted 200 MW of wind projects to KSEB at a tariff of Rs 2.83/ kWh and a trading margin of Rs 0.07/ kWh. All the state Discoms are required to meet a target of 925 MW from non-solar renewable energy sources by 2021-22, according to the RPO. However,

the existing non-solar capacity in the state is only about 273 MW. In its statement, the KSERC cited a clause that needed revision before the PSA can

be approved. The clause stated that KSEB would be liable to carry all the power transmission losses as determined by the appropriate commissions.

SN SAHAI TAKES CHARGE AS POWER SECRETARY

NOVEMBER 2019

Sanjeev Nandan Sahai has assumed charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Power in New Delhi. He has been appointed in place of Subhash Chandra Garg, who retired on October 31, 2019. Prior to this, Sahai, who is a UT cadre IAS officer of 1986 batch, was serving as the Special Secretary in the Ministry of Power. He also served as Additional Secretary in the power ministry from May, 2018 to July, 2019. Besides this, Sahai held several other significant positions in the Union as well as State Governments including DG (Additional Secretary equivalent) and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Principal Secretary in the Home Department, Chairman and MD of Delhi Transport Corporation, Secretary-cum-Commissioner Transport SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

for Delhi Government, Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board, Finance Secretary in the Government of NCT of Delhi, Home Secretary etc. SC Garg, who is a 1983-batch IAS officer, had applied

for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) on being transferred to power ministry from the post of finance secretary. In his 36 years of service he served on various positions and departments including Principal Secretary of Finance, Government of Rajasthan, Executive Director on the Board of the World Bank, IFC and MIGA, Secretary Power Govt of India and Secretary Economic Affairs and Finance Secretary of India. Now, Garg is mulling to kick off his new innings in the economic and financial policy work outside Government. In his open letter he said that, he want to contribute towards achieving the national goal by crafting and promoting appropriate economic and financial policies and refining the principles, approach and the framework which he has described in his letter.

POLICY UPDATES

MNRE AMENDS BIDDING GUIDELINES FOR SOLAR POWER The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued amendments to its guidelines for the tariff-based competitive bidding process for the procurement of power from gridconnected solar PV power projects. The said guidelines which were first introduced in August 2017, have since been amended three times. In June 2018, January 2019, and then again on July 2019. The latest amendments come just 3 months after the latest changes that were made in July. As per the notification, the key clauses in which amendments have been made are: Regarding the matter of intermediary procurers “traders” and end procurers, the provision for traders to buy power from the solar power generators and selling the same to one or more distribution licensees is still permitted. However, if the power purchased by the traders now is from different projects, the trader may sell the solar power to end Procurer(s) at the weighted average of tariffs discovered and finalised for different bids over a period of (January 1 to June 30) or

(July 1 to December 31) of any year. The documents/ lease agreements to establish possession/ right to use 100 percent of the required land in the name of the solar power generator for a period not less than the complete term of the PPA, must now be submitted on or before the Scheduled Commissioning Date (SCD). Earlier, a period of 12 months after commissioning was allowed.

INDIA, SAUDI INK RENEWABLE ENERGY AGREEMENT

UTTAR PRADESH TO INSTALL PREPAID SMART METERS

India and Saudi Arabia have signed 12 MoUs and agreements in key sectors including renewable energy, security cooperation, defence industries collaboration, and civil aviation. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.The two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Council agreed to further cement the bilateral ties in political, defence, security, trade and investment sectors between the two countries. An MoU was also inked on cooperation in the field of renewable energy between the Saudi Ministry of Energy and India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Recently, we reported that India and the US will launch a new initiative for clean energy to fuel economic growth in the strategically-important Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to expand its sphere of influence, the US State Department has said. The US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the Indo-Pacific region in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region.Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources (ENR) Francis R Fannon is travelling to India from September 30 to October 6 to launch the Flexible Resources Initiative (FRI), under the US-India Clean Energy Finance Task Force, an official statement said. “FRI will execute the US and India’s shared vision for Indo-Pacific economic growth fuelled by clean energy,” the State Department said. In August, India and Bahrain agreed to collaborate in the solar energy sector. The two sides agreed on the collaboration of the kingdom with ISA.

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to install prepaid smart meters for electricity consumption from mid-November. “We are planning to install prepaid smart meters for electricity consumption from November 15, 2019,” said Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma. Sharma stated that the state government will begin this exercise from the residence of officials, elected representatives and Ministers. “Our intention is to make electricity affordable for everyone,” he added. In July, we reported that India was moving towards a new regime where a power consumer would pay first and then get power supply, which would eventually deal with the issue of non-payment in the sector, Union Minister R K Singh had said. The minister also made it clear that states can give free power to certain sections of society but they would have to pay for it from their own budget. “That is what we are going to do. We are putting a connect between payment and delivery. You make the payment first and then you will get the power… there is no such thing as free power. You cannot produce power without an investment,” Singh said. In August, the state government of Odisha announced that it had decided to introduce prepaid smart electricity meters in the state in order to stop power theft and meter tampering, Energy Minister D S Mishra has said. The consumers will get a prepaid card to recharge their electricity meter as they do in mobile phone service after completion of their paid amount, he said. The main purpose of installing such meters is to put a check on meter tampering and power theft.

NOVEMBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

POLICY UPDATES

SOLAR POWER ON AGENDA FOR BIHAR: NITISH KUMAR Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that due emphasis will be paid on solar power in the state and that solar panels are already being installed on government buildings and PV plants being developed at two locations. The announcement was made over the weekend when the chief minister launched around 35,000 schemes worth over Rs 1,600 crore, as part of his ambitions ‘Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali’ campaign that seeks to boost green cover and the water table in the state. Foundation stones were laid for 32,781 schemes worth Rs 1,359.27 crore, while another 2,391 schemes involving an expenditure of Rs 291.27 crore were inaugurated by Kumar at a function organised at the Samrat Ashok Convention Centre. In his speech, the minister said that “due emphasis would be laid on solar power,

which is the only sustainable form of energy. To give it a boost, solar panels are being installed at government buildings. Solar power plants are also being set up

at Lakhisarai and Bhagalpur.” In June, we had reported that in a bid to promote renewable sources of energy, Kumar on June 12 had issued a directive for the installation of solar plates on all government buildings and offices in the state from this year. Chairing a meeting to review presentations on various schemes of the energy department, the CM said there is a need to spread awareness among people to install solar plates on ponds as well as wetlands. Furthermore the minister informed that under the Rs 1600 crore new “JalJeevan-Haryali” campaign there are 11 components that include collection and purification of surplus water in the Ganges during the rainy season, which would help ensure availability of drinking water around the year to areas like Gaya, Nawada and Rajgir, places known to receive scanty rainfall.

NEW DEADLINE FOR BIS CERTIFICATION OF INVERTERS

NOVEMBER 2019

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the deadline for self-certification of solar inverters through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), again. In its notification, the ministry has cleared that considering the issues relating to testing, and the level of preparation of test labs, the industry had sought more time for compliance, and therefore it has extended the deadline again. However, the deadline is subject to the condition that manufacturers have valid International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) accreditation and test reports from international test labs for the smooth implementation of the order. The new deadline for self-certification has been set for December 31, 2019, getting a 3-month extension from the previous deadline of September 30, 2019. Prior to this, the deadline was extended from June 30, 2019, to September 30, 2019, this extension itself was in followup of a longer 6-month extension that the ministry had afforded the concerned stakeholders when it extended the SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

deadline from December 31, 2018. In August, the MNRE had issued the guidelines for the series approval of solar PV inverters for conducting testing in test labs for the implementation of Quality Control Solar Photovoltaics Systems, Devices and Component Goods Order 2017. The guidelines are meant to facilitate

test labs/manufacturers to approve the product family including change in design and materials for the solar inverters for their compulsory registration with BIS and for the implementation of the solar photovoltaics systems order. And were applicable for solar PV based off-grid, grid-tied and hybrid inverters of capacities up-to 150 kW.

THE CONVERSATION

DR. YANG BO

General Manager, Hoymiles Converter Technology Co., Ltd.

MICROINVERTERS WILL BECOME MAINSTREAM INVERTERS IN ROOFTOP APPLICATIONS We think string inverter might change from 500K-1MW to 1.5-2MW, 1000V to higher voltage 1500V, as to apply to bigger station plant. Higher power density inverters, especially microinverters, will become mainstream inverters in rooftop applications, due to its competitive features. 100 percent safe with up to 60V DC input voltage (NRS) and IP67 waterproof, low start-up voltage (22V only) and extremely light weight of Hoymiles microinverter, says Dr. Yang Bo, General Manager, Hoymiles Converter Technology Co., Ltd, China-based one of the leading microinverter company specialist in MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) solutions for global solar investors & end users. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Yang shared his views on various topics including his company’s focus markets, technology shift, scope for rooftop solar market etc.

What are Hoymiles focus markets? thanks to their core advantages which How do you see the growth of roof- are safer, smaller and more powtop market in the coming years? erful. We think new semiconHoymiles microinverters are not only ductor materials like Sic and designed for residential rooftop, but Gallium nitride will be more also for large scale roof and ground- in demand in near future in based commercial solar projects. Even the production of inverters, its latest version MI-600 has already as they can improve the been successfully installed on a 3.6MW efficiency, especially for industrial project. However, we are more microinverters. Also they focused on the rooftops, especially have a higher demand for residential. And we expect 20,000 units efficiency. Another market will be installed till 2020 by targeting trend we see is for storage and 5,000-10,000 rooftops. We believe the hybrid inverters. rooftop market will grow rapidly in the As storage and hybrid coming years based on the government projects take off, policies and various market reports that how it will impact the we have read. decision on the right What are the big technology shifts inverters to go with we are likely to see in this market? for developers? Over 2 years and beyond? I think it won’t impact on We think microinverters and optimizers’ the type of market share will be higher, inverters

to be picked, but more on selecting the right suppliers/manufacturers. They might prefer the suppliers/manufacturers that can also provide hybrid inverters and storage as well. We are happy to share that, Hoymiles will be releasing its hybrid inverter series at the beginning of 2020.

THE CONVERSATION

India has underperformed massively vis a vis targets on rooftop solar, but growth last year was strong. Do you see a big opportunity here? Yes definitely! We believe the rooftop market will grow rapidly in the coming years, especially residential applications.

What is your firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s target in terms of value, installation, or market share for utility scale inverters? We are targeting 20,000 units of 4 in 1 microinverters for residential rooftops in India market, and our global target is 300,000 throughout 2020. Of our goal 150,000 for 2019 globally, we has already sold some 130,000 microinverters at the latest this year.

Do you see end customer involvement as a critical aspect of inverter sales? We do think end customers is the most critical aspect, we listen to them, adjust & design our products to provide them the most benefit. But

Hoymiles will be releasing its hybrid inverter series at the beginning of 2020.

as an international company, our strategy is to work closely with local distributors or installers, as what we are doing in other markets like South America, Europe, North America, etc., and we are very confident about their knowledge of the local market. We believe localization is the key to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on-going success.

What are the key changes you see happening in your product portfolio? We think string inverter might change from 500K-1MW to 1.5-2MW, 1000V to higher voltage 1500V, as to apply to bigger station plant. Higher power density inverters, especially microinverters, will become mainstream inverters in rooftop applications, due to its competitive features. 100 percent safe with up to 60V DC input voltage (NRS) and IP67 waterproof, low start-up voltage (22V only) and extremely light weight of Hoymiles microinverter.

THE CONVERSATION

IMAN JAVAN

Director, Suntuity Renewable Energy India WE ARE MULLING TO FURTHER INCREASE OUR INSTALLATION CAPACITY

We are looking forward for the instalment of another 2 MW by the end of this year and 5 MW by 2020. To facilitate this, we are recruiting more sales personnel, engineers and business developers. The future looks bright for solar industry, as new technologies are coming in this sector. From bio-solar cells, energy harvesting trees, micro-grid technologies, water nest, floating panels to transmission of power from space, seems to be quite a plus point for us, says Iman Javan, Director, Suntuity Renewable Energy India, which is a part of a renewable energy conglomerate Suntuity Group. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Javan shared her views on various topics including her company’s achievements, future plans, opportunity for women in the clean energy space etc.

How has the journey been for Suntuity REI and how do you see the progress hereon? In the past, Suntuity REI has delivered some of the highest efficiency solar energy solutions for various off-takers in South India. We recently completed the largest solar installation on an educational institution in Mumbai and have several more such projects in our pipeline. Suntuity will provide innovative financed solar solutions catering to the changing demands of the Indian market. Our work ethics has helped us gain the trust of hundreds of clients. We have a vision for Suntuity REI to join the ranks of Fortune 500 companies and we work every day in that direction.

According to you, what are the factors that will help in achieving India’s 100 GW solar target? How important is the role of solar rooftop sector in this journey? Our goal is to be one of the main contributors to the country’s attainable renewable energy targets that will help both slow climate change and drive healthier living and economic conditions for our citizens. We anticipate a significant increase in solar adoption and a sense of urgency and responsibility to take action as a result of the proposed target and the impending threats

NOVEMBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

of climate change. As one of the key players in the industry, we continue to contribute towards making renewable energy both financially viable and available. Suntuity Foundation which is the non-profit branch of the Suntuity Group of companies provides impoverished countries with the help they need to produce self-sustainable energy.

What differentiates Suntuity from its peers? At Suntuity REI we are driven by prioritizing the mantra "People, Planet, Profits", which is a great way to align ourselves with our morals and values. Everything we do helps build a brighter future for tomorrow while building on our past-- our goal is to drive success, profit is a side effect of success and not our prime focus. This has helped us grow rapidly and sets us apart from our competitors that are often primarily motivated by profit.

What are Suntuity REI’s expansion plans? We are looking forward for instalment of another 2 MW by the end of this year and 5 MW by 2020. To facilitate this, we are recruiting more sales personnel, engineers and business developers. The future looks bright for solar industry, as new technologies are coming in this sector. From bio-solar cells, energy harvesting trees, micro-grid technologies, water nest, floating panels to transmission of power from space, seems to

THE CONVERSATION

be quite a plus point for us. Suntuity REI is part of a renewable energy conglomerate that has developed and installed over 250 megawatts of solar energy worldwide and has plans to both increase its installation capacity and deliver breakthrough solutions such as battery storage and water generation through its fully financed renewable energy solutions.

my potential and I made my weakness my strength.

We have a vision for Suntuity REI to join the ranks of Fortune 500 companies and we work every day in that direction.

Your personal story is inspiring: Overcoming Dyslexia to achieving what you have. What was your motivation? While I was growing up, it was very painful to see all other kids excel in everything they did at half their potential while the same thing for me was a big task. Challenging myself to achieve the small goals I set each day, helped me understand that I had the potential to overcome dyslexia. Dyslexia counselling helped me study better and frame sentences well. I wanted to be one of the top students in my class and I worked smartly to achieve that. Growing up in a boarding school and working independently helped me realize

What kind of opportunities do you see specifically for women in the solar/renewableindustry? IRENA online gender survey, 2018; put womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s share of renewable energy workforce at 32 percent. Perceptions of what women can or should be expected to do, and what they can accomplish, are deeply embedded in society. It is a slow process to change these views along with the structures that sustains them. But times have changed; studies have proved that companies with higher percentages of female decision makers financially out-perform their industry peers. Many steps are being taken to advance the role and recognition of women in the renewable energy sector by offering mentoring, raising awareness and integrating gender perspectives in energy access programmes. Active participation of women would in turn contribute to the accomplishment of global sustainable development goals.

Gautam Solar Group Company

Galo Energy Pvt. Ltd.

Fast Charge & Discharge 2500+ Cycle Life

/ /

CertiďŹ ed as per IEC Low Weight-High Performance

/ Meets Govt. Norms / Max Protection BMS

2 Lac+ Supplied

Lithium Ferrous Phosphate Battery Pack

Galo Energy Pvt. Ltd. D-120 & 121,Okhla Phase 1,New Delhi-110020, INDIA Contact No: +91 6398500016 / 9310141976

info@galo.co.in www.galo.co.in

POINT OF VIEW

Will the ban on 'Blue Wafer Cell' help in boosting the domestic solar manufacturing? Recently, government had imposed restrictions on the use of imported ‘blue wafer/ diffused silicon wafer’ for the manufacturing of solar PV cells, as such PV cells will not qualify under the category of domestically manufactured solar cells under various government schemes. Here’re some views and voices from the solar industry on its impact:

MANISH AGGARWAL Managing Director Enkay Solar Power

This decision will put MSMEs in big problem as people who are making cells in India have their own module capacity more than the cell capacity, so they will not supply any cells in the market. So we will not get cells for our own production. It shows a clear intention of the government to help big manufacturers and MSMEs have to close their production as all the tenders now require the ‘Make In India’ modules and cells. Cell manufacturers will not give their cells to MSMEs and we will not be able to participate in tenders.

Such a move will be detrimental to the growth of the Indigenous solar industry as it shall make them uncompetitive in their bids for Govt/ PSU tenders. We all know that the Government has taken a good move for promoting indigenously produced solar PV modules through number of programmes of MNRE, such as KUSUM, which have provisions for the mandatory use of domestically manufactured solar PV modules with the domestically manufactured solar PV cells. We also know that the existing capacity of domestically manufactured solar PV cells is hardly 3 GW p.a. This capacity cannot be increased overnight and it will take minimum 1-1.5 years to increase/set up solar PV cell line. So, Government should allow Blue wafers import so that the domestically manufactured solar PV cells capacity can be increased and hence more and more manufacturers could participate in such programmes to complete National Solar Mission by 2022. We therefore request the Ministry to reconsider the notification prohibiting Solar PV cells manufactured using Blue Wafers as DCR, till the domestic capacity is able to support the demand and enables the domestic manufacturers’ to be competitive.

MANISH GUPTA

Managing Director Insolation Energy

NOVEMBER 2019

SUDHIR AGGARWAL

Executive Director Patanjali Renewable Energy

Blue wafer is an intermediate product between black wafer and solar PV cell. Whatever is the value difference between black wafer and solar PV cell, only 25 percent of value addition is achieved at the stage of getting blue wafer and remaining 75 percent of value addition is achieved when blue wafer is converted into solar cell. Therefore anybody who is converting blue wafer into solar cell in India is actually doing a significant value addition in India. Thus manufacturing process of solar PV cell from blue wafer cannot be termed as cosmetic manufacturing process. To put a manufacturing facility starting from black wafer requires huge investment. Therefore, if blue wafer to solar cell is not treated as domestically manufactured solar PV cell, no additional cell manufacturing capacity will come in India. The solar cell manufacturing capacity will be limited to 4-5 big players who exist in the market today. On the other hand, if blue wafer conversion to solar cell is treated as domestically manufactured solar cell, a number of manufacturing facilities will come in India generating employment and giving boost to ‘Make in India’ policy. Allowing Blue wafers will help to reduce imports of cells and provide much needed indigenous capacity, as well as provide employment. As investment is lower as compared to full wafer to cell processing line, capacity will scale up easily and also allow many manufacturers to enter into it and thus competitiveness of the industry will grow. -MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

EV UPDATES

NTPC WORKING ON DEVELOPING EV CHARGING INFRA India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC is working on developing a strong and sustainable electric vehicle charging infrastructure as it believes that ultimately mobility through electric vehicles (EV) will help, a company official has said. While addressing the India Energy Summit in New Delhi, NTPC Executive Director Mohit Bhargava said that electric vehicle is a good concept but the larger issue is related to the battery. “NTPC is working very strongly on the electric vehicle (EV) side. On the charging network side.” “There is a larger issue on the battery side…the life of the battery and how do you reuse the battery,” he added. NTPC had earlier said it has signed pacts with cab aggregators Ola, Lithium, Shuttl, Bikxie, Bounce, Electrie and Zoom Car for the creation of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The collaboration with these aggregators will lead to the development of charging infrastructure for various vehicle segments as well as effective utilisation of public charging infrastructure, NTPC had said. Recently, the energy conglomerate has also issued three tenders, inviting bids from eligible firms for the operation of 250 electric buses in three cities of Madhya Pradesh. The project will be completed under the second phase of the

’Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II) scheme. In September, the power utility had announced the commissioning of its first electric vehicle (EV) charging station along with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). The charging station has been installed at an IOCL petrol pump in Greater Noida.

LI-ION TECHNOLOGIES TO GET INDIGENISATION OF EV MFG RECORD INVESTMENTS IN 2019 WORTH $2.7 BN FOR INDIA Analyst firm Wood Mackenzie‘s ‘Global energy storage outlook, Q3 2019′indicates more than USD 350 million was invested globally in advanced lithium-ion technologies during the first half of 2019. It was just over USD 600 million for the whole of 2018, indicating 2019 to be a record year for expenditure. “As demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, future battery price reductions will be driven by manufacturing rampup, improvements in battery energy density and advancements in commercialising advanced lithium-ion technologies,” the firm said in the outlook. Mitalee Gupta, Wood Mackenzie Analyst said that since 2018 the market has seen significant investments in advanced lithium-ion technologies from automotive giants and oil companies alike. “Investments have focused on developing batteries that are cobalt-free and use alternate electrode materials or solid-state electrolytes. While not all these technologies will become successful, several of them will make their way into the electric vehicle (EV) and storage markets in the coming years.” “While NMC batteries outperform batteries LFP in terms of energy density, the storage market is seeing is lot more interest in LFP. In 2018, demand for NMC batteries from both EVs and the energy storage industry outstripped the available supply, as cell manufacturing capacity couldn’t keep up with the rapidly growing demand. While there was a shortage of NMC batteries in the energy storage market, there were plenty of LFP batteries available – with capacity mostly housed in China,” the report indicated.

Indigenisation of electric powertrain components and battery pack assembly could produce a 5.7 percent higher output value addition worth USD 2.7 billion for the auto industry in India, in case of an electric vehicles (EV) transition, according to an independent study released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The study adds that in order to tap into this potential, India must augment capacity in manufacturing electronics and electrical components. This would also enable it to retain its export share, given a global shift towards electric mobility. The study, supported by the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, assesses the future course of the auto industry by comparing a scenario with 30 percent electric car sales in 2030 against a business-as-usual scenario with limited EV penetration.Looking at the trinity of jobs, growth, and sustainability, the study estimates that jobs in internal combustion engine (ICE) manufacturing would increase by 7 percent between 2018 to 2030, even if India were to achieve 30 percent EV sales during this period. However, this would be 20 to 25 percent lower than the number of jobs supported, if the industry were to only produce ICE vehicles. Further, the auto industry would require creating a trained workforce in the country to achieve a successful transition to EVs. Hence, reskilling along with vocational training would be critical to achieving the EV sales target. Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog said that India is moving towards a shared, connected, and zero emissions world. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

EV UPDATES

1 MN WORKPLACE CHARGERS BY 2025 IN EU, N AMERICA As grid operators, automakers, transit authorities, companies and governments prepare for the 37.2 million electric vehicles (EVs) set to be on road in 2025, interest in workplace charging opportunities is growing. The North America and Europe workplace EV charging markets could surpass a combined 500,000 charger units in 2022 and reach over 1.25 million by 2025, according to new research from Wood Mackenzie. “Workplace chargers today are installed to attract customers and employees by increasing access to charging infrastructure, as well as supporting an improved sustainability programme. Over time, workplace charging could be used by owners to manage demand charges or by grid operators for improved renewables integration,” said Ben Kellison, Wood Mackenzie’s research director. The research expects Europe to embrace workplace chargers to serve its higher concentration of people living in multiunit apartments. Workplace charging infrastructure within

this region has the potential to surpass 700,000 charging points by 2025. Based on Wood Mackenzie’s base-case scenario, Europe could see a total of 735,000 workplace chargers by 2025. The high- and low-case scenarios for 2025 involve the installation of almost 1 million charging points or 534,000, respectively. The research adds that in North America

– California in particular – promoting workplace EV charging is a way to support the electric grid. By encouraging people to plug-in during the day, EVs can be used to absorb excess solar energy throughout the day to increase demand when renewable energy is most prevalent. This helps to temper negative pricing and reduces renewable curtailment.

JAVADEKAR FLAGS OFF EVs PROCURED FROM EESL

NOVEMBER 2019

In order to provide further boost to e-mobility in the country, Environment and Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday flagged off electric vehicles (e-vehicles), which were procured from EESL by the government. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) is a joint venture (JV) of the state-owned NTPC, Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and POWERGRID, under the Government of India. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said in a notification that, with this partnership, the Government of India continues to be an active participant in the country’s quest for reduced emissions & vehicular electrification. While stating the benefits of using e-vehicles at the event in New Delhi, Prakash Javadekar said “e-cars are an attractive, sustainable and profitable solution to mitigate climate change SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

and the risk of public health caused by vehicular emission.” The ministry further added that, “EESL has aggregated demand by procuring electric vehicles in bulk to get economies of scale.” EESL provides EVs to the government entities on lease/outright purchase basis, in order to replace the existing petrol and diesel vehicles taken on lease by a number of government organisations.

The government is likely to replace the present leased vehicles in various organisations with EESL’s e-vehicles. For this, EESL will charge 90 percent of the current lease rent, which the various government organisations are paying to their vendors. So, it will save the cost to the government. The lease rental period will be for 5-6 years and during this period maintenance will be provided by the EESL itself.

EV UPDATES

NTPC TENDERS FOR 250 ELECTRIC BUSES IN MP NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited has issued three tenders, inviting bids from eligible firms for the operation of 250 electric buses in three cities of Madhya Pradesh. The project will be completed under the second phase of the ’Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II) scheme. The buses will be procured and operated in the cities of Jabalpur, Bhopal, and Indore. The tender will also include the annual maintenance contract (AMC) of all the electric buses for a period of ten years. The bids have been invited for 50 buses for the city of Jabalpur, 100 buses for the city of Bhopal, and 100 buses for the city of Indore. The selected bidders will also be responsible for the regular day to day maintenance activities, providing all other consumables required for the operation, charges, penalties for non-compliance of rules, and all other statutory taxes and duties payable for the uninterrupted operations of the buses. The scope of the tender under the procurement of the 250 electric buses will include the design, manufacturing, and supply of 250 fully electric AC buses.

The tender for Jabalpur has added the scope of manufacturing of the prototype buses and its approval from NVVN and state transport undertaking. The operation of the electric buses will include the operation of the buses on the given routes as per the statutory rules

and regulations in the state, adhering to the time schedules indicated by NVVN and the authorities. NVVN intends to finance the procurement of electric buses through external commercial borrowings, domestic commercial borrowings, and own sources.

EDF BETS ON STORAGE WITH PIVOT POWER BUY French utility EDF continues to invest in a future where it expects storage to play a critical role, by acquiring UK battery storage firm Pivot Power. For EDF, the acquisition is another step in its effort to become a large scale storage firm. The takeover of Pivot Power also follows EDF’s acquisition in September 2018 of US EV technology firm PowerFlex Systems. EDF confirmed the transaction yesterday, with the news that Pivot becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of EDF’s renewables arm. Pivot has been involved in a project to build and provide as much as 50 MW of energy on demand to EV charging infrastructure in an area. 50 MW could potentially power multiple retail, office and similar areas where EV charging points could be installed. For EDF, which has announced plans to deploy as much as 10 GW of additional energy storage by 2035, the Pivot acquisition will also bring in almost 2 GW of projects potentially in the pipeline. Two of these 50 MW projects, which could go a long way in demonstrating both the effectiveness and commercial attractiveness of Pivots model, are expected to be commissioned towards the end of 2020. A further eight have

planning consent, with another 30 set to be pursued, hence the 2 GW pipeline. Pivot, which has built its own reputation for its work in development of storage projects, where it has executed some prestigious ones at sites such as the Emirates Stadium, did not disclose the price of the deal. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

MAXSON LEWIS

Managing Director Magenta Power Pvt. Ltd.

NOVEMBER 2019

Microgeneration and Power Trading - Will it work for India

At the outset let us define what is microgeneration. In simple terms, it is defined as the small-scale production of electricity from a low carbon source. This includes the design and installation of advanced distributed generation systems using traditional or renewables technologies. Given that traditional power systems are efficient only at scale, they typically do not lend themselves to micro generation. Cases like Diesel Generators do qualify as micro generation units. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

The new concepts of micro generation now include complex systems for production and storage. The new renewable production systems now encompass hydrogen, hydro methane (hydrogen and methane mixture), and biogas other than the often-spoken wind and solar. To manage the fluctuating characteristic of renewables, an energy storage system interconnected to the grid becomes a key component. Every energy

microgeneration system connected in a microgrid, requires a technology layer to simulate, optimize and manage operations as a function of both surplus renewable energy source as input, storage capacity and end energy uses as output. The aspect to deal with is the management of the system Now what is power or energy trading? How is it regulated? What is the role of Blockchain in this? Is India ready for this change over?

OPED

As renewable power, especially solar & battery storage systems increase, peerto-peer electricity trading , also known as p2p trading, is a term often discussed. This system allows consumers to buy power from other users who produce and store more energy than they need. Those consumers can sell their excess power for profit and the buyers can access power at a cost lower than the traditional power generators. The main advantage of this platform is the win-win-situation for both buyer and supplier since no middleman is involved and everyone saves money. Peer-to-peer energy trading is a logical development in the same way shared driving (Uber and Ola), shared housing (AirBnB), shared cars (Zoom Cars), shared Bikes (Bounce) shared cycles (Yulu) are disrupting and redefining the ecosystem. Business is moving from large commercial enterprise to consumer to a model of person to person. So, a retail power trading platform can help micro generation players sell or trade their energy to potential buyers.

Buyers can choose to buy power from a neighbour or a local solar farm, or a distributed rooftop solar systems or home battery banks. But consumers in India can do this only if the Central Electricity Regulatory boards treat it as such. There are power exchange boards which operate only in the wholesale power space. The Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) set up in 2008 and regulated by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was one such attempt. But this was ;limited to bulk consumers and not in the retail trading space. The idea that electricity is a basic commodity and a basic right is passé. The idea that electricity is a free system is gaining ground. An electron is an electron regardless of its source and its ability to power devices at home. People can choose how and when they use it and who they do business with. This is the same way data is treated on the internet highways. People generate data, people consume data, the internet provides the platform for transmitting, managing it and business models to fall in place. The same analogy can be considered true for power. But before we say we can go to power trading right away, there are some important frameworks, technologies, infrastructure, business models and the biggest piece of the puzzle – regulations which need to fall in place. Peer to peer trading for electricity needs a Smart grid with a streamlined energy delivery system which is providing information on a microsecond basis. It requires implementations of innovative products and services with intelligent monitoring, control and communication. While work started decades ago, India is far away from such a smart grid. But as new technologies emerge and the grid becomes smarter as we progress, householders can identify potential sellers or buyers. This is already happening albeit in the non-power space. Think of Amazon and eBay where users trade with others on their own terms. For a platform to support peer-to-peer energy trading, users setting their own terms is the main benefit and the net outcome is competitive price. But this requires contracts and agreements on when and how much electricity they

deliver. These agreements may be for one-off, instant transactions or longerterm agreements made over weeks, months or even years. And this bring us to the concept of Blockchain for this trading platform to become real. Blockchain allows digital information to be shared but not copied. Originally devised for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the information is public so no one can hack it and that is what helps power contracts and buy and sell. Blockchain is also more efficient and transparent. While the idea of a Blockchain is old, its use to regulate energy has already started. Countries like Australia is already put pilots in place. ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) is working on a trial for power-trading between neighbours. It uses blockchain to help households and business to trade or share power with one another. AGL Energy Limited is working on a project to evaluate a virtual trial at Melbourne homes. It mixes solar panels, batteries to store electricity, and ‘smart’ air conditioning. Sonnen is working on a different approach in Germany, the details of which are not fully available, but the focus is on a virtual plant, a real alternative to the grid. As far as regulations are concerned, it will take some time for India to move from a centralised power market to a decentralised one. Wary of losing lucrative non-residential customers, state electricity boards (SEBs) impose open access charges, keeping them away from spot electricity markets. Given that SEBs have more than adequate longer duration power purchasing agreements, the first preference is to fully utilize them. Only the incremental demand is met through short-term markets. With the advent of the blockchain era, a future with micro-grids, an energy distribution network set up with the help of local energy producing systems is now possible. To conclude, as new technologies emerge, customers can find more ways to free themselves from utility and discom inefficiencies and rising prices. Solar and battery storage customers are best positioned to be leading this new digital era revolution in power by embracing peer-to-peer energy trading. The shift is inevitable, if not imminent. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

STARTUP FEATURE

n o i t a r e n e G y e g r o u l t Fu echno T Brief Details Total employees: 10

ADARSH RAJPUT

PRASHANT KUMAR

Turnover: Approx. Rs10 lakhtill FY 2018-19. Key operational areas (Products, Regions, Clients): Solar rooftop installation (Capex, Opex model). Additionally, the company is developing electric vehicle (EV) charging solution powered by solar energy. Founder/Promoter details: Prashant Kumar and Adarsh Rajput. Turning Point for the firm We just two months back finalized a big project of 800 KW in Greater Noida, with a very popular Educational institution. We are currently developing unique product i.e. android/IOS based platform for solar rooftop which is domestic focused. It will boost domestic solar. We are currently looking for bunch of investors with same vision & love for renewables. Plans in next 3 to 5 years • Up next is get recognition in the solar industry. • Scale to different cities. • We are starting a new subscription model for domestic solar rooftop segment. • We are also looking scope of bio-fuels and its integration to our rooftop subscribers. • We are in talks with lithium manufactures to add energy storage to our portfolio. Biggest attraction in the solar sector The single biggest attraction is, it is self-sustainable with abundant of opportunity. Biggest Challenge in solar sector The biggest challenge isthere is entry level barrier until you are validated. Also, there is an immense competition.

NOVEMBER 2019

Present State of Mind As a first generation entrepreneur, we are very much satisfied with the things have gone till now. It was tough period, but every start-up had to go through this period. Persistence is the key. So, we never gave up. And we are still on the road of new innovation to revolutionize this segment. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

GRID UPDATES

TATA POWER ARM TO SET UP 10K MICROGRIDS BY 2026 Utility giant Tata Power on Monday announced the formation of its new arm, TP Renewable Microgrid Ltd, with an aim to set up 10,000 microgrids in India by 2026 in order to provide power to millions of people. The company would be set up in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation, and it will become the world’s largest microgrid developer and operator. The company said in a statement that TP Renewable Microgrid represents important scaling up of efforts to provide access to affordable, reliable and clean electricity in India, and will serve as a model for expanding access to over 800 million people who are without power worldwide. As per the company statement, by scaling up an innovative microgrid model to be implemented in collaboration with Smart Power India (SPI) and the Institute for Transformative Technologies, TP Renewable Microgrid Ltd. will provide clean power to nearly five million households, directly impacting the lives of twenty-five million people over the next decade.

The newly formed company, TP Renewable Microgrid Ltd, will be operated and managed by the Tata Power itself, while the Rockefeller Foundation will provide technical support to the offshoot for achieving its objective. Commenting on the development, Tata Power, CEO, Praveer Sinha said “we are proud to bring energy to millions of people,

once at scale, TP Renewable Microgrid Ltd anticipates supporting 100,000 rural enterprises, creating 10,000 new green jobs, and providing irrigation for over 400,000 local farmers.” “We look forward to empowering communities across India by creating micro enterprise and creating opportunities for all people,” Sinha added.

ADANI GETS LOI FOR RE TRANSMISSION PROJECT IN GUJ Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL), the largest private sector power transmission company operating in India, has announced that it has received a letter of intent (LOI) from REC Transmission Projects to build, own, operate and maintain a transmission project in Gujarat for a period of 35 years. “The project presents a substantial shareholder value creation as it is significantly valued accretive within a relatively short gestation period,” said ATL Managing Director and CEO Anil Sardana. “It is also a great opportunity to continue our commitment to transmitting bulk green power within the country and catering to India’s climate goals,” he said in a statement. The project Lakadia Banaskantha Transco Ltd will comprise of about 360 circuit km of a 765-kilovolt direct line along with 765 kV bays at Lakadia and Banaskantha substations. It is primarily being constructed to establish a transmission system associated with long-term applications from Gujarat’s wind and solar energy zone in Radhanesda. The transmission line will be used to evacuate power to the Lakadia pooling station. The project has been awarded to Adani Transmission through a tariff-based competitive bidding process. ATL is the transmission business arm of Adani Group, one of India’s largest business conglomerates. It is the country’s

largest private transmission company with a cumulative transmission network of more than 14,340 circuit km of which more than 11,470 ckt km is operational. This includes around 2,860 ckt km in various stages of construction. With India’s energy requirement set to quadruple in the coming years, Adani Transmission says it is geared to create a strong and reliable power transmission network and work actively towards achieving ‘Power for All’ by 2022. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

Could Solar Energy power Indian homes for free? 28

NOVEMBER 2019

Imagine running all your electricity-hungry home appliances and devices at home as much as you want and paying zero or near-zero electricity bill. This is already an accepted way of life for many people in Germany, a handful of American states, SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

and a few other countries around the world where electricity tariffs have not just fallen to record levels, but are in fact negative in a few cases. In other words, homeowners have gotten paid for consuming electricity.

Pranesh Chaudhary

Founder & CEO, ZunRoof

Abundance of solar and wind-generated power is what has led to the phenomenon of negative tariffs. Unlike conventional thermal, hydro or nuclear plants that can be shut down partially or fully when there is no demand, wind and solar

OPED

has terrace rights and the terrace isn’t shaded from sun by nearby high-rises. According to the World Bank, “India [have] among the best conditions in the world to capture and use solar energy”. Our government policies also encourage solar rooftops. Not only the government subsidises solar rooftop installation cost by 30%, many state electricity boards today offer net metering, which essentially means that homeowners with private solar rooftops can supply surplus power back to the grid, earning credits in return. These credits can be offset whenever power is used from the grid (in months when air conditioners run), and at the end of the year the family gets to save as much 100% of electricity bill. There are other considerations in favour; solar panel prices have gone down dramatically in the recent years and a KW capacity can be installed for under INR 50,000. In essence, homes running one or more air conditioners can save enough on their annual electricity spends so as to recover their installation cost in as little as four years. Once the investment has been recovered, a solar rooftop plant is still usable for another 20-25 years; leading to substantial long term savings for those who take the plunge.

plants cannot be turned off. Since the electricity generated must be consumed to avoid issues with the grid, discoms are forced to sell it at rock-bottom prices to residential consumers. While there are some legitimate concerns about long term sustainability of dirt-cheap electricity, the inevitability of it in several countries around the world is far from moot. Will we ever see a day of free or nearfree electricity in India? Probably yes, as our policymakers have certainly taken steps in this direction over the recent years. India has set itself an ambitious goal of installing 175 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity by 2022. Of this, 160 GW is targeted for solar and wind power. To put these figures in perspective, our country’s aggregated peak power demand was 177GW in

2018-19 (till February). (Editor’s note: the typical generation capacity is 15-20 percent as of now.) For the impatient ones, getting a private solar rooftop power plant installed on the home terrace is another way of slashing electricity bills without compromising on electricity consumption. In fact, households already make up around 9% of India’s installed solar rooftop capacity, pegged at 521 MW as of September 2018, as per data from renewable consultancy Bridge to India. Combine this with the fact that India’s geographic location and climate – the country gets an average of 300 sunny days a year – are highly conducive to solar power generation, and it is easy to see value in getting a solar rooftop for home terrace, provided the homeowner

Partially Cloudy Despite the obvious benefits of a home solar rooftop, very few households, even those running heavy electricity bills on account of use of multiple air conditioners, have actually installed one. There are some obvious challenges, the primary among them is lack of general awareness about the cost and benefits of installing a solar rooftop. On its part, the central government has shown great commitment to kick starting the home solar rooftop revolution in India and we believe residential solar rooftop systems will be a crucial component of achieving our country’s renewable energy target. Towards this end, we expect a further streamlining of policies and procedures in the coming years. The good news is that for the people of India, a future with abundant and cheap electricity is closer to reality than ever, whether through private home rooftop systems or grid power generated by solar and wind plants. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

Solar Inverters Ready For the Spotlight

Sunil Badesra Business Head Sungrow (India)

Rucas Wang Regional Director Growatt

V.V. Kamath, Managing Director Fronius India

Brijesh Prajapati, Managing Director India |Sofarsolar

COVER STORY

NOVEMBER 2019

For most people, thinking of solar usually brings to mind solar panels, the distinctive signature of solar energy. But this story takes a look at another critical part of the solar chain, the inverters. These devices, tasked with the job of converting DC power to AC and more, have been largely taken for granted, even as a giant industry worth USD 6.7 billion in 2018 has taken shape quietly to provide these for the solar sector. Thanks to their much closer relationship with traditional electronics, the inverter market has allowed a lot of players to survive, and even grow. In fact, for 2018, the global inverter market exhibited all the signs of a maturing market, with the top 10 firms accounting for almost 75 percent of total market share. Within this, the top 5 firms had a share of close to 56 percent, according to a report by research consultancy Woodmac. New entrants to the top 5 included firms like Spain-based Ingeteam and the Israeli Solar Edge, firms that have played from a different rulebook to enter the Chinese dominated list of the top 10. At the ground level,while utility scale developers take very informed calls on the right inverter to use, at the retail level, be it corporate or residential rooftop, the inverter remains almost a black box, not always considered very carefully, as compared to the solar panel or module. For this, the sector has mostly itself to blame, besides the virtual price controls it operates under, thanks to the many challenges faced by solar developers, be it price ceilings, very specific specifications on output and offtake, and mostly state or state backed buying of solar energy. This is usually a combination that spells death to differentiation and branding, and we have seen the impact with the inverter segment too. So how are inverter firms looking at the evolution of the market for their offerings in India? Do they see the inverter take centre stage, as smart grids demand ‘smart inverters’. Will the solar inverter go well beyond solar to manage the full energy configuration on a house or building? When are virtual power plants coming, thanks to these smart inverters? We got some very interesting reactions when we spoke to industry players.

years. My estimate for capacity addition is around 50-70GW. Though, the market has its ups and downs, overall its growth momentum is very strong. That’s why we are planning to launch MAX 200kW for utility scale solar farms next year.”

For most providers of utility scale inverters in India 2018-19 was obviously not a year they would associate with many fond memories. Sunil Badesra, Business Head, Sungrow (India) Pvt Ltd, subsidiary of the global Chinese player, and an established player enjoying the market leadership with other majors like Huawei, expressed his concern by saying that, “the overall installations of utility scale solar project have shrunk last year. The similar trend is likely to continue this year as well (in the range of 5-6 GW) due to multiple factors such as tender cancellations, PPA renegotiation, safeguard duty etc. 15-18 GW (mostly utility scale projects) are in pipeline which will make the trend go towards north from H2, 2020 onwards. The market has remained subdued and it is also seen that the tenders are getting either undersubscribed or barely oversubscribed with limited participants.”

Do consumers differentiate between brands of inverters? Brijesh Prajapati, Managing Director - India of Sofarsolar says that “if local manufacturer follow process as per required testing facility, production facilities & required manpower to do complete manufacturing task with proper testing/quality process then customer will get proper worth products as per invested cost. We are recommending to client don’t go on cheap prices & polycarbonate type of body with lesser durability life product available in the market. Nowadays, if any local company providing cheap price product without complete process & assemble type of products so it will be not a long life system. So if client was not aware about the process, so we request them to go with proper process & visit some manufacturing company in abroad or collect some online data or visit some online manufacturing setup videos & gain knowledge to get proper products without any cheating in systems.” The future of solar inverter market in the country also depends on how quickly the industry adapts to new requirements such

On the flip side, Rucas Wang, Regional Director of Growatt looks at the longer term picture and sees solid growth,“Personally, I have high expectation for utility scale solar in the next 5 SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

However, on the case for local manufacturing of solar inverters vs imports in the country, Sunil Badesra said that “India is one of the largest growing solar markets across the globe. Sensing this opportunity, wehave already set up our local manufacturing unit last year. This has helped us to reduce lead time in delivery to our customers. We have also started shipping inverters to global markets from our India factory. The local suppliers’ ecosystem for the inverter is evolving and we are exploring all possible options to build the local supply chain.” However, in order to boost local manufacturing of solar inverters in the country such inverter makers are seeking some support from the government as well. Badesra pointed out a few of them,“we would like to see more tax incentives, and incentives to inverter and component manufacturers under Make in India initiative to make local manufacturing more remunerative.” On this Rucas Wang seconds the thought, “for local manufacturing, our company is considering opening up a factory here. But we haven’t finalized the plan yet.” On the other side, V.V. Kamath of the Austrian Firm Fronius had a different take on the need for local manufacturing to be setup, and explainedthe challenges for the industryas he saw it. “As per our view currently local manufacturing does not have much impact on current projects, but with DCR category (Domestic Content requirement) already implemented for modules in some tenders, if implemented for inverters then local manufacturing (local assembly) may be useful for executing respective tender based projects, but major components required for inverter assembly will still need to be imported, as currently components availability locally is still a challenge.”

COVER STORY

as minimizing losses, higher uptime, more yield etc.Smart inverters today do much more than their predecessors. Besides delivering energy to the grid as efficiently as possible, they can actively regulate voltage, respond to frequency changes, ride through abnormal voltageand respond to instructions delivered via communications. In fact, 5G communications could well kickstart the next round of innovations in Inverters. Communication capability enables a collections of smart inverters to be aggregated and managed as virtual power plants (VPP) by a third party or even by a utility through a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS). This enables DERs to be dispatchable and capable of delivering energy and grid support services at a scale comparable to large generators. The big challenge will be doing this at retail level, as utility level control is already here. As we have covered elsewhere in this issue (See, The Discom Perspective), smart inverters are the best hope to solve some of the biggest challenges discoms cite, when it comes to solar power. Rucas Wang of Growatt inverters on the technological shift sees it all start with inverters capable of doing more at scale, “we are likely to see the shift to 1500 volts system for rooftop solar in coming years. And we’re gonna see the shift to power line communication for string inverters. Growatt devotes significant R&D to technology shifts and we’re using these new technologies to develop our new rooftop inverter MAX 200kW. We’ll unveil its features next year.” On the pace of technological shift in solar inverter’s space Sunil Badesra of Sungrow said, “Currently our invertershave achieved 99 percent efficiency. This is going to get even better with improvements in IGBT technology and new materials. The capacities of the inverter are growing bigger along with smaller form factor. Such compact designs require effective and efficient thermal management to maintain high life of the components and the product.” He adds that minimizing losses remains the holy grail for his firm today too. “Innovative design has been the core feature of Sungrow inverters to minimize the losses while delivering high rated power continuously. As solar projects are being set up on all possible terrains (deserts, water bodies, high altitude, corrosive/ salty environment) and in harsh climatic areas, such features will become more imperative while evaluating the inverters.The inverters are gradually becoming modular in nature with higher redundancy options to achieve higher uptime and more yield.” However, V.V. Kamath of Fronius India commented, “rather than thinking of an inverter which manages PV and converts DC to AC, we need to understand its potential to manage energy as a whole. It should support the features of load management, (controlling of small devices), EV charging, water heating etc. This would be like a full package of energy management” He adds that “there are advancements that are happening in the field of Hydrogen Fuel Cells technology which would certainly become a breakthrough in the coming years.” Referring to advancements in Hydrogen fuel cell

batteries that will make their own demands on inverters that can handle the high energy produced in those processes. Brijesh Prajapati of Sofarsolar is of the view that, “Nowadays demand is for hybrid inverter, zero export facilities for net metering &, rooftop projects in largest MW scale. With government subsidy facilities, agricultural solar pumping project with beneficial scheme for farmers,the storage inverter future will also come very soon. Upgraded technology from 1000V/1100Vdc system to 1500Vdc system in string inverter option availabilities /switching in central inverter to string inverter for cost effective & easy service solution.” With the new technological advancements coming in, the demand for storage and hybrid inverterslikely to take off soon. On how this will impact decision making whilepicking the right inverters by developers, Sunil Badesra says that “Sungrow is one of the leading players in battery energy storage with 800+ numbers of global installations. It has both energy storage and inverter solutions for all the segments from residential to large utility scale projects. For utility scale projects, developers should go with right kind of suppliers who have strong credentials in both PCS and energy storage technology to achieve better grid integration of RE power while meeting the technical requirements of the storage/ hybrid project.” “Actually for Growatt, we have a wide range of PV solutions, including, on-grid inverters for residential, commercial and utility scale solar plants as well as storage and hybrid inverters. So for us, the growing storage and hybrid projects mean more business opportunities and we hope to bring our advanced storage and hybrid solutions to the Indian solar industry, commented Rucas Wang of Growatt. Adding to it, V.V. Kamath of Fronius India explained that, “with new options coming into picture like the reactive power compensation, energy export restriction etc., it invites the introduction of storage and battery systems to increase the self-consumption rate of the customer. We at Froniusare alive to these requirements and have developed newer generation inverters called Gen24 which are hybrid, and come with Li-ion storage. The Fronius Smart Meter also helps in restricting the energy export into the grid.” Sofarsolar’s Brijesh Prajapati is also optimistic about future demand, referring to the experience they have had with the existing hybrid inverters so far.“It is a good option andhigh demand product in the market. Already, Sofarsolar hybrid and storage inverters are performing well in Europeanand Australian markets. In India, North East and South India are emerging as very good markets for the hybrid inverter business.” Furthermore,storage and hybrid inverters can be quiet beneficial for the residential rooftop solar segment as well, as consumers can store electricity generated during the peak solar production time during the day and can consume that electricity in evening time, when power consumption is generally higher. They can also put grid-connection for the backup purpose. We have already seen how California State in the US has subsidized both solar and storage for people living close to areas where VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

COVER STORY

power cuts became a necessity due to risk of wild fires. The idea was to make themselves reliant for their energy needs to an extent, if the grid needed to be cut off. Despite India is trailing its rooftop solar targets, the growth of the sector last year was promising enough to make industry players look to the future with renewed optimism. Sunil Badesra said that “it is true that the rooftop solar in India has been far away from the government’s set target. However, with more awareness and commercial advantage, the adoption has picked up, especially in C&I segment. This has primarily led to strong rooftop growth last year.” On the current trends for the rooftop solar, Badesra said “this year, Gujarat has taken lead in bringing out the largest ever residential tender of 600 MW for the entire state. Sungrow has maintained a healthy double digit market share in Indian rooftop solar market and achieved more than 100 percent Y-o-Y growth in total sales volume (MW).” In-line with this and foreseeing future growth opportunities in India Rucas Wang too added that “we believe that solar will be on the rise in India for years. That’s why we have invested heavily in India, hiring more and more locals for the market here. We have local sales representatives, pre-sales and aftersales engineers. It will provide better services for our clients as well as prepare us for growing business opportunities.” Adding to it, V.V. Kamath said, “considering the total installed roof-top solar capacity which is 4GW+ and our target of 40 GW there is yet a long way to go.We definitely see a major opportunity here in all residential, commercial and industrial (C&I) roof-top installation with the advantage of having a wider product portfolio.” On the future perspective after tapping the vast potential of utility scale inverters’ market in India, the solar inverter manufacturers have big plans in terms of value, installation, or market share as well. Sunil Badesra said, “Sungrow has more than 87GW+ capacity across the globe. In India, our supply stands at 4.2 GW+ and we hope to breach the 5GW mark soon. We being the pioneer in bringing innovative features in our inverters and with new product offerings, we have consistently maintained 17 percent+ market share in Indian utility solar segment consecutively for last two years.” Growatt’s Rucas Wang shares that “we are optimistic about our development in the utility scale sector. Next year we’ll focus on the relatively smaller size of the utility scale market and with our new MAX200kW coming up next year, we’ll have a good bite of this cake.”

NOVEMBER 2019

According to V.V. Kamath, Fronius India is targeting it’s market share of more than 5 percent. Besides all of the above factors, one of the significant factors for inverter sales is the involvement and awareness of the end customer. These days consumers are focusing more on the use of new technologies as they can be helpful in reducing energy transmission losses, cost saving, initial maintenance training provided by inverter suppliers etc. In-line with this, change in the marketing tricks and techniques of these inverter SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

suppliers have become need of the hour. This was rightly explained by Sunil Badesra, “we feel customer involvement is an important aspect in any B2B technical sales process. The performance, service support and reliability are major concerns for long term association with any product/ brand. This brings an opportunity for innovative marketing strategy for better brand building and higher customer retention.” While Growatt’s Rucas Wang explained about the difference between dealing with end customers and EPC and integrator clients, “end customers influence the decision of choosing inverters for sure. And their decision making process is different from that of EPCs and integrators. EPCs and integrators are more professional and rational in choosing inverters. They will consider the technologies, installations, services etc of the inverter brand. In this aspect, Growatt sales and technical engineers can discuss with EPC and integrator clients on our advanced technologies and professional services.” Wang further added that, “but marketing to end customers is quite different. Customers will make decisions according to their impression or sometimes stereotype of the brands. The change of marketing on end customers will be the efforts and engagements from EPCs and integrators to explain and communicate the technology and service capabilities of the brand to the customers. This is the brand communication Growatt has been working hard to achieve by engaging our clients, EPCs and integrators. In coming years, Growatt will continue to provide professional training on the technologies and services in India!” V.V. Kamath also explained about the level of consumer awareness and his company’s marketing tactics by saying that “when we look since the past years, there is a good amount of awareness about the critical aspects of the PV, the products and technicalities that has been created among the people. The end customer/consumer could manage to evaluate or consider only quality products for their installation. There is always a room for quality in the price sensitive market of ours and we have seen this in practical while customers choose only Fronius for their installations.” It’s clear that even as the module and cell battles continue, the inverter sector in solar PV’s has an opportunity to look well beyond solar, thanks to growth in storage and the ability to manage more and more devices through inverters. As solar, or more broadly, renewables share of grid goes up, inverters are far more likely to play a critical role in providing aggregation, real time intelligence, and even managing supply optimally. That change could throw up some very big winners indeed, possibly bigger than the projected industry growth rate of over 15 percent till 2026, which should take it to a USD 13 billion sector by then. India, which will be in the thick of the solar transition by then, can hardly afford to miss out, in terms of encouraging manufacturing in the country. Just one more reason to ensure that the whole sector has a conducive environment to grow well. -MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM -PRASANNA@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM n

STORAGE UPDATES

TBEA TO OPEN GW-CLASS PV INVERTER FACILITY IN INDIA TBEA Xi’an Electric Technology Co. Ltd., an arm of TBEA Group, will inaugurate its GW-class photovoltaic (PV) inverter facility in India on November 29 this year. The firm has emerged as a strong player from its base in China, establishing 2 R&D centers in Xi’an and Munich, Germany. With more than 10 major scientific research projects such as the National 863 Program and Science and Technology Support Program behind it, the firm also claims to have presided over the drafting of many national standards and won more than 300 patents of various kinds in China. This new 2GW manufacturing facility of the Chinese maker of inverters, high-voltage SVGs, energy routers and flexible DC transmission equipment will be located in Bidadi town in Bengaluru,around 5KM from the Electronic City. The company said that this Bengaluru facility will support customers with high quality PV inverter production and manufacturing, service & maintenance, and after sales transit storage. For the plant’s opening ceremony of the company is is looking forward to the presence of various solar industry leaders, government officials, along with its business clients. TBEA’s long term plan plan for its India

factory is to operate three assembly lines with an eventual manufacturing capacity of 2 GW. However, the company will initially to begin manufacturing with two assembly lines each having 1 GW capacity. Out of the two assembly lines, one will manufacture outdoor type central Inverters – all ratings; and another will manufacture utility type multi MPPT string inverter of 208kW. The third line is expected to be operational on a later stage, depending on the market trends, the company said. Possibly with products for the rooftop segment. Through this Bangalore factory the

company intends to provide better and quality services in terms of production, service and spares with improved efficiency of service time. The move will also help TBEA to be more reliable and supportive to its valuable customers and integrate with India solar market with more suitable PV inverter production as per the market trend & technology, it added. TBEA claims to have independently developed a full range of 3kW-5000kW gird-connected inverters, and launched a one-stop smart photovoltaic power station solution which can be applied in various environments. With business in more than 20 countries on four continents, the cumulative global operating performance has exceeded 30 GW, according to their press note. TBEA has had a presence in India for some time now, with relationships with almost every leading developer adding up to a total of 3GW+ supply record in India. ACME alone counts approx. 1.3 GW of supply for its projects in India from TBEA. The firm has successfully exported to Europe, North Africa, Central Asia and some other countries & regions accumulating to total installed capacity of over 30 GW across the globe.

US NON-RESIDENTIAL STORAGE TO GROW 10X BY 2024 New research has revealed that nonresidential storage system costs will fall by 27 percent in the US over the next five years and that this fall in system costs will help drive a more than tenfold growth in the US non-residential storage market by 2024. The research by natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie has revealed that battery cost declines have been the dominant factor in nonresidential system cost declines in the past. However, the next five years will see more progress in balance-of-systems (BOS) costs declines than ever before. By 2024, turnkey BOS costs will decline by more than 20 percent for non-residential systems, Wood Mackenzie said. Engineering, procurement and

construction (EPC) costs and softwaredriven declines will be key to the fall of BOS costs. EPC costs will fall as the non-

residential storage market becomes more competitive. Increasing standardisation around system design, efficiencies in engineering and construction, and changes in business models are poised to drive down EPC costs through 2024, Mitalee Gupta, from Wood Mackenzie’s energy storage team, said. Adding that the competition in the market is driving these advances, making nonresidential storage increasingly lucrative for developers and EPC companies. One example of system design innovation is the increasing prevalence of preloaded containers, which make it easier for EPC companies to install solutions on site. Innovations in storage software will also help reduce BOS costs for non-residential storage. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

THE CONVERSATION

CLEANMAX AND THE HUAWEI EXPERIENCE RITESH SINGHI

Chief Procurement Officer CleanMax Solar Chinese brand Huawei,which is a leading global ICT and network energy solutions provider, has been enjoying significant market share in the solar inverter space in India as well. Saur Energy International magazine talked to one of the clients of solar inverter manufacturer company, CleanMax Solar, during Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2019. CleanMax Solar is among the leading providers of solar power to commercial and industrial (C&I) customers across various verticals. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Ritesh Singhi, Chief Procurement Officer of CleanMax Solar shared about his experiences while working with Huawei as a business partner:

We understand you are a key Huawei customer. How did you decide on going with Huawei? Inverter is the heart of the solar plant and hence one of the most crucial and critical components. It must consistently and optimally perform for the entire life of the plant which is around 25 years. Huawei being the market leader has state of the art inverter products, and so it was an obvious choice for us. We have been associated with them for a long time now and hope to continue this productive association in the future.

rectify the said issues. They have rendered to be of excellent assistance to us on time bound matters.

contributing reason could be lack of domain expertise and relevant technology. Predominantly, in the solar sector, the supply chain is still in the nascent stage with components being imported and assembled in India. We are a developing nation and honing our knowledge in manufacturing components like IGBT and PCB circuits is yet to be benchmarked. Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world class technology and sector knowledge will continue to assist India to achieve our Renewable energy goals.

Since how long have you been associated with Huawei and how has your experience been with them? As a company, CleanMax Solar believes in high quality solar energy solutions with superior efficiency delivered to our clients. We only partner with vendors who share the same ideology and Huawei is an excellent example to the same. For our Are they also providing any initial rooftop solar segment, we have had a training to your ground team with long-standing partnership with Huawei. In India, does Huawei offer an advan- The quality and innovation that they respect to handling or maintenance of tage in terms of after sales support bring in is of international standards and these inverters, or for emergencies? too? How do you rate them in that area? we are glad to be associated with them. Huawei has an excellent technical supOur association with Huawei has been port team equipped with domain and How do you see inverters evolving functional expertise conducting training fruitful and the after sales support, too, is in the coming years in India? Do workshops for our employees. Such proefficient in handling matters of emergency with great care. In case of any require- you see Huawei maintaining their market ductive associations always help in the ment or red flags risen, their turnaround leadership? seamless and efficient functioning and time has approximately been of 1-2 days In India, the solar inverter market is highly to deliver optimal results to our corporate and their team is available at the site to untapped but with great potential. The customers.

NOVEMBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

THE DISCOM VIEW OF ROOFTOP SOLAR

NOVEMBER 2019

A report, Solar Rooftop, The Discom Perspective, was recently released by TERI and the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. The report, as its name implies, is a deep dive into the discom perspective on rooftop solar, with the suggested solutions from the same perspective. The work of researchers Rashi Singh, RishabhSethi and Robin mazumdar, you don’t have to agree with the solutions, or even the issues highlighted of course, but we believe it is important to be aware of the issues, as the role of discoms is simply critical in the rooftop segment. Addressing these views, and finding solutions that are actually fair on all stakeholders, especially the end consumer, is critical. As we recently saw with the protests against the MERC proposal to move to gross metering in Maharashtra, ignoring these warning signs is a surefire way to invite disaster later on. A critical component of India’s 100GW target for solar energy by 2022, the rooftop solar component, is woefully behind its 40GW target, with barely 3.85GW in place on a date. In fact, if we take only net metering projects into consideration, then that number drops to a pitiful 2.3 GW, according to official figures. Almost all the blame for this slow implementation is laid at the door of discoms, who serve the crucial, tail end of the distribution chain. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

The Distribution Utilities Forum (DUF), an initiative launched by The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), is an effort to understand the issues faced by Discoms in implementing Rooftop Solar Systems and measures that will support faster implementation, from the discoms perspective. It’s a critical if one sides perspective, and as their report showcases, discoms have some real issues, and suggestions, to solve the conundrum of slow growth despite a steep fall in costs of installation. So what are the issues? The big one is obviously the fall in revenues. By its very nature, ie, for those who have a rooftop of some size, and the capital to invest in a rooftop solar system, discoms have been aware that their best customers will opt for solar rooftops. That means a fall in revenues from their most dependable customers, in a system where T&D losses remain high, and many key segments are subsidised heavily. A second issue is network stability, though we believe this will matter only in the medium to long term, as solar generation and injection into the grid from rooftops goes up. Discoms contend that when that happens, they are still stuck with their PPA’s signed with legacy generation firms, making oversupply a real loss-making

proposition for them. Metering and billing have been flagged as another major issue, blamed on both infrastructures as well as lack of trained manpower. This has meantdiscomsfavouring gross metering over net metering, allegedly due to the simpler calculations required, plus an ability for the discoms to better predict solar contributions to the grid and plan better. Discomsalso flag possible power quality issues such as harmonic distortions, managing peak load with intermittent solar rooftop generation, improper forecasting and scheduling of generation from the solar rooftop, leading to higher charges under Deviation Settlement Mechanism (DSM) Regulations. Quality of training and manpower limitations have also been blamed for other delays- since solar installations require coordination of several implementing agencies, viz. Discoms (for providing net-metering & approvals), Chief Electrical Inspector (for approvals), State Nodal Agency (SNA) (for release of subsidy), banks (for housing/ improvement loan), urban local body (for enforcing model building by-laws), rooftop owner (for providing access to roofs), developers/ aggregators/EPC contractors (for project implementation &maintenance), etc. Another issue highlighted has been that of residential ‘prosumers’ with solar rooftop

MARKET UPDATES

systems not being covered under the ‘Time-of-Day’ (ToD) framework where applicable. Some discoms claim that this issue has an impact on both, financial and operational aspects as these ‘prosumers’ can use their excess solar generation exported to the grid during off-peak hours to settle energy imported from the grid during peak time. In the process, the utility grid is treated as a back-up power source by these ‘prosumers’. On the positive side, Most of the Discoms were of the view that solar rooftop systems could help in the reduction of T&D loss, avoid over-loading of distribution transformers (DTs) & network congestion and also help in meeting demand with a higher degree of reliability as generation is at the contract demand side. On the security and safety side, Antiislanding is also a critical feature demanded by discoms, especially for systems connected with a battery storage solution. The job of a solar rooftop inverter, Islanding refers to the condition in which a distributed solar system disconnects in the event of a grid outage and stops supplying power. However, improper islanding can be dangerous to utility workers, who may not realize that a circuit is still powered through solar rooftop systems when carrying out repair or maintenance.

The Solutions Keep in mind that the solutions come from the perspective of a collective of firms (discoms) that owe generation firms almost Rs 70,000 crores in June ‘2019, of which over Rs 51,000 crores was overdue. One of the most interesting suggestions is for a move towards gross metering, instead of net metering. Gross-metering with a moderate feed-in-tariff, according to discoms is the suggested ideal arrangement over net-metering for a well developed solar rooftop market, as the net-metering arrangement have greater financial implications on the Discoms. Going further, one of the solutions suggested at the DUF meeting was a regulatory arrangement where both the models co-exist, allowing the Discom to choose the appropriate model for each customer category. Probably read to mean net metering for very small set ups, and gross metering for setups close to 10 KW and above. Interestingly, the MERC (Maharashtra Energy Regulatory Commission), which has proposed such a shift once again, has got a strong pushback from industry already. Speaking about the MERC move, Maxson Lewis, MD, Magenta Power says “Last year MERC attempted to push the Gross metering agenda as a replacement to Net metering. This was held back given

the joint push back. This year again MERC is pushing the same agenda under a different name. Effectively this proposed policy pushes back the ROI of rooftop solar. We are not averse to this policy since as a regulatory body they are in their right to do so. The question is the intent. Improving the profitability of state discoms by ‘in a way taxing’ solar installation is not the right path. We would rather have the discom focus on improving their operational efficiencies, improve recovery and stopping political largesse. Making the inevitable growth of solar to hide operational efficiencies is wrong at multiple fronts – economic and social.” A view that resonates across a large segment of the rooftop sector on the non-discom side. Creating storage for excess energy generation that can be used to even out system demand, importance of antiislanding feature, and determination of appropriate PV hosting capacity in their distribution network & accessibility to the solar inverters as and when required is another demand from discoms. This issue is closely related to the quality of power injected into the grid, as rooftop solar scales to a significant level. Including the harmonics effects due to power electronic devices used in solar PV system. Discoms have also suggested a need for power flow simulation studies VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

MARKET UPDATES

NOVEMBER 2019

to understand the technical impacts of increased penetration of solar rooftop on the distribution network. Interestingly this wish could be fulfilled with technology sooner than expected . The next generation of solar inverters could solve this problem by itself. As Storage becomes cheaper and therefore more common, better grid integration is expected to follow, with better home energy management and building energy management. Not only is the Software in inverters readying for a major upgrade, the next big breakthrough in smart inverters might just solve the issue of grid integration and make having more solar a compelling need for a grid, rather than a desirable option. This is because large rooftop firms will be in a position to aggregate their storage + solar installations in real time, and integrate it with the discom to calibrate supply based on demand, either directly, when the sun is out, or from storage. Thus, this is one discom suggestion that might actually be solved in the coming years, hopefully apace with solar rooftop expansion. Discoms emphasized on controlling capacity so that it does not exceed contract demand. This is primarily to ward off potential revenue loss due to increased injection of energy from solar rooftop systems into Discoms systems. In some ways, this is being done under net metering rules currently, where rooftop capacity cannot exceed sanctioned load. Making a case for a stronger, cohesive push for increasing consumer awareness, discoms also emphasised the need for operational and administrative challenges being looked into by the respective state government and other concerned agencies, and come up with utility specific operational strategies. In other words, they also made a plea for simplifying rules and regulations, coupled with adequate staff training. Mandating Discoms as one of the key implementing agencies for solar rooftop duly taking care of their operational and administrative costs & revenue loss on account of introduction of solar rooftop would go a long way in giving requisite thrust to the solar rooftop programme. In other words, without a strong incentive, discoms question why they should push for solar rooftops beyond their minimum SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

obligations. An interesting example cited in the report has been the case of BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd in Delhi. (BRPL) launched a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Utility-Anchored Rooftop Programmeâ&#x20AC;? known as BRPL Solar City Initiative. BRPL acts as the facilitator for aggregating demand of interested rooftop consumers and inviting bids for supply from the empanelled solar rooftop vendors. BRPL also ensures technical compliance and plant monitoring of the projects. The programme also included creating consumer awareness in regard to benefits of solar energy. This project effectively took the benefits of solar even to people without rooftops for installation broadbasing the movement and involvement of citizenry. We beleve there is also a case for large firms, which cannot offset their carbon intensity beyond a point or even otherwise, to have an option to become a sort of guarantor for clusters of smaller firms, so that they these smaller firms, like the rural example, can shift to green energy, in a process controlled by discoms. The surety of a large firm should earn it a small return, even as smaller firms get the benefits of green energy at a lower cost. For now, discoms make a strong case to create new metering arrangements such as virtual or group net metering also need to be looked into to promote solar rooftop for low-paying consumers,

especially the rural or agriculture consumers. A nationwide certification framework (010kW, 10 kW-100 kW &>100 kW systems) as well as standardization of processes of application, such as documents to be submitted for connection application for a solar rooftop system, quality of workmanship to be followed during the installation process were also underlined as a key challenge to solve. This would help in building consumer confidence as well as getting the best possible yield on a sustained basis, claim discoms. Taking on the challenge of agricultural subsidies and solar in rural areas, discoms made a case for promoting solar at rural sub stations. This would enableDiscoms to supply reliable electricity to agricultural consumers during day-time. Further, the Discoms would be saving on power purchase costs for meeting the demand for agriculture and can avoid the AT&C losses, which are usually high for agricultural consumers. As the burden of subsidy for supply of practically free electricity for agriculture in most states is met by cross-subsidy, this would also reduce the burden on other consumer categories. Discoms opined that support from the Government in terms of financial incentives and clear policy can encourage Discoms to consider promoting solar rooftop in their license area.

MARKET UPDATES

CHINA PLAYING CATCH-UP IN OFFSHORE WIND TECH In 2018, 11 manufacturers installed 735 units of offshore wind turbines globally, totalling 3,693 MW of capacity, and six out of these top ten suppliers are from China. The firms are Shanghai Electric, Envision, Goldwind, Mingyang, United Power and XEMC. Now, while China is certainly dominating in terms of supplying offshore turbines, they are still playing catch-up in terms of offshore turbine technology, a new analysis from GWEC has revealed. The average wind turbine size in the global offshore wind market was below 5 MW before 2017, with no major differences between Europe and China from 2010 to 2016. However, the situation changed after 2017 when the average size of a commercial offshore wind turbine installed in Europe surpassed 5 MW. The trend of installing larger-scale offshore wind turbine continues in Europe, primarily driven by the pressure of reducing LCOE. In 2018, the average size of installed offshore wind turbines passed 7 MW in Europe, with GWEC Market Intelligence forecast

could reach as high as 8 MW in 2020 and around 10 MW in 2023. Yet, the average annual offshore wind turbine size in China was still below 4 MW in 2018. Feng Zhao, strategy director and author of the analysis reveals that this trend is, however, expected to change. Taking into the account the nameplate capacity of the turbines selected for

projects currently under construction in China as well as the announced commercial date for those large offshore turbine models, the agency believes that the annual average turbine size in China has the potential possible to pass the milestone of 5 MW in 2020 and 7 MW in 2025, making the country a true leader in offshore wind development.

OFFSHORE WIND TO GROW 15-FOLD BY 2040 A new report has predicted that offshore wind power will grow impressively over the next two decades, boosting efforts to decarbonise energy systems and reduce air pollution as it becomes a growing part of electricity supply. The report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) finds that global offshore wind capacity may increase 15-fold and attract around USD 1 trillion of cumulative investment by 2040. This growth according to the report is driven by falling costs, supportive government policies and some remarkable technological progress, such as larger turbines and floating foundations. The report finds that offshore wind technology has the potential to grow far more strongly with stepped-up support from policymakers. Europe has pioneered offshore wind technology, and the region is positioned to be the powerhouse of its future development. Today, offshore wind capacity in the European Union stands at almost 20 GW. Under current policy settings, that is set to rise to nearly 130 GW by 2040. However, if the European Union reaches its carbon-neutrality aims, offshore wind capacity would jump to around 180 GW by 2040 and become the region’s largest single source of electricity. An even more ambitious vision – in which policies drive a big increase in demand for clean hydrogen produced by

offshore wind – could push European offshore wind capacity dramatically higher. The huge promise of offshore wind is underscored by the development of floating turbines that could be deployed further out at sea. In theory, they could enable offshore wind to meet the entire electricity demand of several key electricity markets several times over, including Europe, the United States and Japan. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

MARKET UPDATES

ROOFTOP SOLAR PLUS STORAGE, NOW VIABLE FOR INDIA The declining cost of storage solutions, along with that of rooftop solar solutions, is likely to change the future dynamics of the Indian power sector. Several countries such as Australia, the US, Germany, among others, have already endorsed solar power with battery storage. The viability of storing solar power using batteries and using it during peak times is increasing due to declining battery prices. At present, in India, commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers face steep electricity costs, as well as frequent disruptions in the power supply. Installing a solar plus storage system can address both these issues and significantly reduce the company’s electricity bills. Rooftop solar with storage system is a win-win solution for both end consumers

as well as the Discoms. For consumers, the benefits are: •R eliable and affordable power •R eady backup power • Consumers can manage their demand using storage system and reduce their demand charges • Saving cost of alternate energy from diesel generator sets (due to power

cuts). A recent ban on diesel generator sets in certain parts of India (Delhi/ NCR) has created the need for new energy sources • It is also an environmentally friendly option For Discoms, it helps in the reduction of transmission and distribution losses and saves on the investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. As per the research conducted by JMK Research and Analytics, at present, a 1 MW rooftop/ onsite solar plant with 250 kW of battery storage (4-hour backup), is already a viable solution for commercial consumers across key states in India. For industrial consumers, solar with storage is feasible in seven key states except, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

SOLAR TENDER ACTIVITY DOWN 26 PERCENT IN Q3 2019

NOVEMBER 2019

Solar technology tenders activity in Q3 2019 saw 314 tenders announced, marking a drop of 26 percent over the last four-quarter average of 427, according to GlobalData’s power industry tenders database. Looking at global power tenders activity divided by the type of technology, solar held the second position in terms of the number of tenders during Q3 2019 with a 38 percent share. The proportion of tenders by category in the Solar technology tracked by the firm in the quarter was as follows: • Project Implementation: 251 tenders and a 79.9 percent share • Supply & Erection: 20 tenders and a 6.4 percent share • Power Purchase Agreement: 14 tenders and a 4.5 percent share • Consulting & Similar Services: 13 tenders and a 4.1 percent share • Repair, Maintenance, Upgrade & Others: ten tenders and a 3.2 percent share • Electricity Supply: six tenders and a 1.9 percent share. According to the data furnished, AsiaPacific led the solar tenders activity in the period. Comparing tenders activity in solar technology in different regions of the globe, Asia-Pacific held the top SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

position with 243 tenders and a share of 77.4 percent during Q3 2019, followed by the Middle East and Africa with 27 tenders and an 8.6 percent share and North America with 20 tenders and a 6.4 percent share. In fourth place was Europe with 18 tenders and a 5.7 percent share and in fifth place

was South and Central America with six tenders and a 1.9 percent share. Further, the data also revealed that the top issuers of tenders in solar technology for the quarter in terms of power capacity involved, and the top 3 positions were all held by Indian companies along with Emirates Water and Electricity.

FINANCE UPDATES

AVG. SPOT PRICES AT 2-YEAR LOW, REC PRICES RISE The average spot power prices at Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) dropped 54 percent to a two-year low of Rs 2.71 per unit in October, compared to Rs 5.94 per unit in the same month last year. The key reason for the notable decline has been credited to the lower electricity demand, better coal supplies and higher hydro generation. “The day-ahead market (DAM) traded 3,391 million units with average market clearing price at only Rs 2.71 per unit, lowest in the last two years,” an IEX statement said. The average market clearing price was down by 54 percent vis-a-vis price of Rs 5.94. per unit in October 2018 and 2 percent on a month on month

basis, it said. The decline in prices was mainly on account of low demand for power, improved coal supply, and improved hydropower generation. The market continued to be attractive to both the distribution utilities as well as the open-

access consumers in terms of price competitiveness and flexibility in power procurement, the IEX added. All India peak demand at 164 GW in October 2019 declined 4 percent over demand of 171 GW in October 2018 and the energy (supply) met at 99 billion units declined 13 percent Y-o-Y (year on year) according to the NLDC (national load dispatch center) data. Extended monsoon was also one of the key reasons for the decline in the demand for power, it said. On October 30, the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) market at IEX saw a total trade of 4,48,765 (4.49 lakh) RECs comprising of 3,88,821 non-solar RECs and 59,944 Solar RECs.

APPLE LED CONSORTIUM GOES ADB GRANTS $451 MN FOR TN FOR WIND ENERGY IN TEXAS POWER INFRA

NOVEMBER 2019

Apple, eBay, Samsung, and Sprint have announced a joint agreement to purchase power from a new wind farm owned and developed by Apex Clean Energy in Texas. The transaction—spearheaded by Apple, the largest purchaser in the innovative small-load energy aggregation space—totals approximately 75 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, enough to power the equivalent of 20,000 homes. Shared energy purchases such as this allow companies to pool their energy demands and collectively support the addition of large-scale renewable energy projects to the grid. Apple brought together other technology leaders dedicated to responsible business practices—eBay, Samsung, and Sprint—in the aggregation agreement, which will enable all participants to access cost-effective, low-carbon renewable energy from the new project. The full 500 MW White Mesa Wind project is expected to come online in 2021 in Crockett County, Texas. “We’re proud to be powering all of Apple’s operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and driving the private sector to support the clean energy transition,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. “Businesses of all sizes and of varying energy needs can help bring new, renewable energy online. This collaborative agreement in Texas is a model we hope others will replicate.” Gil Heyun Choi, president of Samsung Austin Semiconductor said that the firm understands the responsibility of businesses to work together to support environmental sustainability and increase the share of renewable energy in its local markets. “We see this agreement as a landmark effort for cutting-edge semiconductor technologies and a demonstration of green manufacturing brought to scale.” SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 451 million loan to strengthen power connectivity between the southern and northern parts of the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu, India. “The ADB project will allow more power, including renewable energy, to be transferred from new generation facilities in the south CKIC to the north, where it is most in demand,” said ADB Principal Energy Specialist for South Asia Pradeep Perera. “This will help promote economic development by delivering a more reliable and competitive power supply for industry and services in the state, which will in turn spur jobs and improve livelihoods.” Tamil Nadu had the second largest economy among India’s states in 2018, with a gross domestic product of USD 250 billion. However, the state government has identified quality infrastructure including a reliable power supply as a key prerequisite for further economic development. As a key component, ADB has been assisting in developing CKIC, which covers 23 of the state’s 32 districts and 70 percent of the state population. The state is aiming to develop the northern Chennai–Tiruchirappalli area of CKIC as a manufacturing centre while targeting the relatively poor southern Madurai– Thoothukudi portion for the development of renewable energybased power generation because of the availability of wind and solar resources. The project will establish an extra-high voltage 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission link to transfer the 9,000 MW of extra capacity from Virudhunagar in the southern CKIC northwards to Coimbatore, a major industrial centre, and Chennai. The project includes the construction of a 400-kV network to pool power generated at renewable and thermal power plants in Thoothukudi district to Virudhunagar.

FINANCE UPDATES

ØRSTED ISSUES GREEN BONDS FOR $394 MN IN TAIWAN The World’s largest offshore wind energy developer, Ørsted has announced that it has secured nominal Taiwanese Dollars (TWD) 12 billion (USD 394 million) through the issuance of green senior bonds, to finance its investments in offshore wind in Taiwan. This transaction marks the first-ever green TWD bond to be issued by a foreign corporation in Taiwan. The bonds will be issued in accordance with Ørsted’s Green Finance Framework. The firm also revealed its intention to issue green senior bonds in TWD for the purpose of raising green financing for its significant investments in the Taiwanese offshore wind sector. It is the first time, Ørsted issues TWD-bonds in the Taiwanese market.

Matthias Bausenwein, Ørsted Asia Pacific President, said that the green bond issuance demonstrates the firms’ ambition to build strong ties with local financial institutions and to “create an active green bond market to support the

long-term development of the offshore wind industry in Taiwan.” Ørsted has completed the pricing of new unsecured green senior bonds of nominal TWD 12 billion in total comprising a 7-year TWD 4 billion fixed-rate tranches and a 15-year TWD 8 billion fixed rate tranche. Both tranches have settlement on 19 November 2019. Ørsted CFO Marianne Wiinholt, said that the firm is very pleased with the completion of this historic transaction which is an important step in the financing of the Changhua 1 & 2a project. “We are proud to help develop the local financial market with respect to green financing and this underlines our commitment to Ørsted’s activities in Taiwan.”

CPPIB TO ACQUIRE PATTERN ENERGY IN ALL-CASH DEAL

PSEG GAINS STAKE IN ØRTSED’S 1.1 GW OFFSHORE PROJECT

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), a professional investment management organisation, has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Pattern Energy in an all-cash transaction for USD 26.75 per share, implying an enterprise value of approx. USD 6.1 billion, including net debt. Post-acquisition, both CPPIB and Riverstone Holdings will combine Pattern Energy and Pattern Development into an integrated renewable energy company. However, the Pattern Energy management team, led by Mike Garland, will lead the combined enterprise. As per the acquisition deal, Pattern Energy shareholders will receive USD 26.75 per share in cash consideration, representing a premium of approx. 14.8 percent to it’s closing share price on August 9, 2019, the last trading day prior to market rumors regarding its potential acquisition. Besides, the consideration also represents a 15.1 percent premium to the 30-day volume weighted average price prior to that date. Moreover, the transaction is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2020, subject to required regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. Commenting on the deal, Pattern Energy, CEO, Mike Garland said “this agreement with CPPIB and Riverstone provides certain and significant value for Pattern Energy shareholders with an all cash transaction at a very attractive stock price.” Garland further added that, “over the years, Pattern Energy has been able to provide shareholders with a consistent dividend and now our shareholders can realize the value embedded in the company. We believe the proposed transaction reflects the strength of the platform we have built.”

The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a leading energy company with a utility serving 2.3 million New Jersey electricity customers, has announced it will enter into exclusive negotiations with Ørsted, for PSEG to potentially become an equity investor in one of Ørsted’s offshore wind projects. Subject to negotiations toward a joint venture agreement, advanced due diligence and any required regulatory approvals, PSEG would acquire 25 percent of the 1.1 GW Ocean Wind project. “Ørsted’s experience in the offshore wind industry has taught us the importance of strong partnerships,” said Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America and CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. “Given PSEG’s track record for success and history providing energy solutions for communities across the Mid-Atlantic region, we are thrilled at the prospect of having them join the Ocean Wind project.” Ocean Wind is a 1,100MW offshore wind project which will supply more than half a million New Jersey homes with clean power from its location 15 miles off the coast of Atlantic City. Subject to permitting and final investment decision, Ocean Wind is expected to be commissioned in 2024. “We are pleased about the opportunity to explore a partnership with Ørsted, a world leader in offshore wind development, and help New Jersey achieve its goal of carbon free generation by 2050,” said PSEG Power President and Chief Operating Officer Ralph LaRossa. Located off the coast of Atlantic City, Ocean Wind will be New Jersey’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. The project will supply more than half a million New Jersey homes with clean power. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

FINANCE UPDATES

RWE ACQUIRES 1.5 GW OF OFFSHORE WIND IN POLAND RWE Renewables has announced that the firm has acquired a pipeline of up to 4 offshore wind projects in Poland as part of its ambitions to enter the Polish offshore market and grow its offshore operations across Europe, with a total generation capacity of more than 1.5 GW. The company has acquired the shares in the project companies from private owners and developers. RWE intends to further develop, build and operate the projects. The four projects, which are in different development stages, are all located around the Slupsk bank area in the central Polish Baltic Sea. Over the next years,

development activities will continue, and the construction phase might start as early as 2023. Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, CEO, RWE Renewables say that as one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies RWE sees great potential for offshore wind

parks on the central Polish Baltic Sea. Our strategy is to develop the projects, build them and drive the growth of offshore wind energy in Poland with our operations forward.” Following a recent asset swap with E.ON, RWE Renewables, the newest subsidiary of RWE, now has more than 9 GW of installed capacity and 2.6 GW under construction. The company has particularly strong capabilities and long-term expertise in the development, construction and operation of large offshore wind farms. With a total installed offshore wind capacity of 2.5 GW, RWE Renewables ranks number 2 globally.

QUERCUS SELLS 320 MW OF RE 27 COUNTRIES PLEDGE $9.776 ASSETS TO GREEN ARROW BN TO REPLENISH THE GCF

NOVEMBER 2019

Green Arrow Capital (GAC) and Quercus Investment Partners have signed an agreement for the sale of 100 percent of the management company Quercus Assets Selection (QAS), to GAC, one of the principle independent Italian operators in the alternative investment landscape. QAS is among the leading European funds specialising in Renewable Energy Infrastructure. The acquisition of Quercus Assets Selection allows GAC to establish itself among the top ten operators in Europe and the leading independent Asset Manager in Italy with approximately 400 MW of Renewable assets under management. For Quercus, the sale completes Phase One of its European investment strategy, where it will return to invest in new subsidy-free (or grid-parity) assets amongst other investment products. Since its inception, Quercus has raised and invested 5 funds dedicated to Renewable Energy active in Italy, UK, Spain, Romania and Bulgaria. Eugenio de Blasio, Founder and CEO of Green Arrow Capital, said that firm is delighted with this operation that allows it to position itself among the largest independent pan-European operators for alternative investments, with an AUM now approaching 2 billion euros. Through the Luxembourg platform, QAS, manages over 320 MW of installed capacity split between PV and wind through its 5 separate vehicles Quercus Renewable Energy (QRE), Quercus Renewable Energy II (QRE II), Quercus European Renewables (QER), Quercus Italian Wind Fund (QIWF) and Quercus Italian Solar Fund (QISF). Diego Biasi, co-founder and CEO of Quercus Investment Partners said that with the sale of this platform, built in the first 10 years of its activity, Quercus is about to successfully close the first chapter in its history and begin a new investment cycle in conjunction with the support of select key international strategic investors. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

The shared urgency of addressing climate change took a big step forward with 27 countries pledging to replenish the Green Climate Fund (GCF) by USD 9.776 billion for the next four years. The resources will help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the negative effects of global warming, such as rising sea levels, record temperatures, prolonged drought, and more frequent and severe weather events. The amount pledged exceeds the USD 9.3 billion announced at the Fund’s previous pledging conference in 2014, even though some of those contributors have yet to pledge. Three-quarters of the countries increased their pledges in national currency. Nearly half of them doubled or more than doubled their pledges. This is a seventy percent increase in the fund’s programming resources on an annual basis. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Sweden are the top contributors. The Fund will continue receiving contributions in the coming four years. The pledges demonstrate strong and continued confidence in the Fund’s unique ability to promote a paradigm shift towards low-emission, climate-resilient development. In particular, these commitments will enhance the Fund’s ability to support developing countries to design and deliver ambitious climate action plans. By 2020, governments are expected to submit updated plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are key to the Paris Agreement. To achieve maximum impact, the Fund’s public investment boosts the climate action capacities of developing countries and helps unlock private sector markets of low-emission, climate resilient innovation. Every USD 1 billion invested in the Fund spurs nearly USD 3 billion in additional financing, including from recipient countries.

FINANCE UPDATES

DSD CLOSES $250 MN FOR DISTRIBUTED SOLAR PROJECTS Distributed Solar Development (DSD), the business-backed by BlackRock Real Assets’ Global Renewable Power platform and GE Renewable Energy, has announced the closing of a USD 250 million fund financed by Morgan Stanley, Silicon Valley Bank and Fifth Third Bank to fund a portfolio of distributed generation projects through 2020. “This transaction positions DSD for significant growth over the next year as we work to meet growing demand from commercial and industrial clients for clean, renewable energy,” said Erik Schiemann, CEO at Distributed Solar Development. “Our ability to partner with some of the world’s leading financial institutions underscores the importance of alternative energy as a business driver and as a force for environmental responsibility.” “We are proud to partner with DSD, BlackRock Real Assets and GE Renewable Energy on the financing of this solar portfolio,” said Jorge Iragorri, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. “We are excited to support our clients and continue growing renewable energy across the U.S.” Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a long-time backer of cleantech and energy companies, has a quickly growing project finance

business dedicated to the energy and resource innovation space. As of the end of 1H2019, the team had committed more than $1.3 billion to renewable energy projects, with an emphasis on distributed solar generation. Fifth Third Bank’s participation reflects its commitment to sustainability. The bank recently became the first Fortune 500 Company to achieve 100 percent renewable power with the opening of the Aulander Holloman Solar Facility in North Carolina. It also recently added a group dedicated to providing M&A and capital markets advisory services for the renewable energy industry.

STERLITE POWER TO SELL PROJ- LIGHTSOURCE BP RAISES DEBT ECT IN BRAZIL FOR $35.5 MN FOR 200 MW SO LAR PROJECT Global power transmission assets developer Sterlite Power has entered into a sale agreement with V2i Transmissão de Energia S.A. for its Brazilian transmission project called Arcoverde. As per the deal, V2i Transmissao de Energia S.A. will pay USD 35.5 million to Sterlite Power, subject to various adjustments. The motive behind the construction of Arcoverde Project was to expand the flow of renewable energy in the State of Pernambuco in Brazil. Commenting on the deal, Sterlite Power, CEO, Pratik Agarwal said “we are proud to have delivered our first successful project to support the SIN – Brazilian National Grid. Through this transaction we monetize our first asset and thereby attract equity capital to reinvest in our portfolio of greenfield projects.” However, the conclusion and effectiveness of this sale transaction is subject to compliance with certain preceding conditions, the company said. “The Arcoverde project is an example of our operational excellence. This project was delivered 28 months ahead of schedule and is consistent with our business model, where we generate growth capital by attracting investments for our developed assets,” said RuiChammas, CEO, Sterlite Brazil. The company had won this ‘Arcoverde’ project in April 2017, and had commissioned record 28 months ahead of the deadline, August 2021, set by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency, ANEEL. Meanwhile, the foreseen investment by ANEEL to this project was USD 41 million, its concession will end in 2047 and currently it has RAP of USD 6.15 million.

Lightsource BP has announced that it has signed a senior debt facility with ING and EDC (Export Development Canada) to fund its first Australian solar project. The 200 MWp solar installation, near Wellington, NSW, is the largest single plant to be financed by Lightsource BP to date. It is also one of the first times that bifacial solar panels will be installed at this scale in Australia. ING is underwriting two-thirds of the financing with EDC funding the remaining third. NAB (National Australian Bank) will act as facility agent and security trustee on behalf of ING and EDC. Construction on the project is due to start shortly and will showcase next-generation Canadian Solar bifacial panels, alongside Array Technologies Inc. single-axis tracking. This combination will allow Lightsource BP to operate the site to maximum efficiency and boost levels of energy production. The majority of the electricity generated by the site will be sold by Lightsource BP to Snowy Hydro via a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). With an installed capacity of 200 MWp, the solar plant will produce approximately 435,000 MWh of clean, renewable electricity annually. Enough energy to power approximately 72,500 homes and cut carbon emissions by 350,000 tonnes – the equivalent of taking around 121,500 cars off the road. Adam Pegg, country manager for Australia at Lightsource BP, said that this project is the first in the Australian pipeline to come to fruition, and is just the beginning of Lightsource BP’s ambition to be a leader in the Australian solar market. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

MODULE UPDATES

JINKOSOLAR UNVEILS NEW TIGER MODULE JinkoSolar, one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, has announced that it has officially launched a new high-efficiency “Tiger” module using 9-busbar Mono PERC and Tiling Ribbon (TR) technology at All-Energy Australia 2019, Australia’s largest national showcase of clean and renewable energy, held in Melbourne. With module efficiency of 20.78 percent, the new Tiger module is capable of generating up to 460 Wp of peak power output which is suitable for both utility and rooftop installations. JinkoSolar incorporated Tiling Ribbon technology into the new Tiger module to eliminate the inter-cell gap and increase efficiency. The new Tiger module combines a half-cut cell design

to reduce cell current mismatch and ribbon power losses. In addition, 9-Busbar technology shrinks the distance between the main busbar and finger grid line which decreases the resistance loss and increases power output and efficiency. “Our new Tiger module delivers

significantly higher power output and an easy performance boost that doesn’t require much extra effort for customers to install,” said Kangping Chen, CEO of JinkoSolar. “This is another step forward technologically for JinkoSolar and demonstrates our ability to innovate advanced technologies as we accelerate towards the era of grid parity.” The firm has also announced recently that it has partnered with Photon Energy Solutions, an arm of Photon Energy, to supply13.6 MW in PV solar modules for project development in Hungary. The modules will be installed by Photon Energy at three projects which comprise of a further nineteen solar power plants located at Tiszakécske, Almásfüzitő, and Nagyecsed in Hungary.

JINKOSOLAR EXPANDS MONO JA SOLAR MODULES FOR 32 MW SOLAR PLUS STORAGE PROJECT WAFER CAPACITY BY 5 GW

NOVEMBER 2019

JinkoSolar has announced that it is expanding its highefficiency mono wafer production capacity at its production facility in Leshan, Sichuan Province, with an additional 5GW. The firms’ mono wafer production capacity is expected to expand to 18 GW once the phase-II of the capacity expansion is complete. Full production of the additional 5 GW of production capacity is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2020. The first phase of the 5GW of the capacity expansion project began production in the second quarter of 2019 and has already reached full capacity. Kangping Chen, chief executive officer of JinkoSolar, commented that with this added capacity, the firm will be ideally positioned to benefit from the growth opportunities that strong demand for high-efficiency mono products are creating. “Rapidly expanding capacity for mono products will enhance the overall integration of our production and significantly improve overall profitability going forward.” Recently, the firm had announced the launch of its new high-efficiency “Tiger” module using 9-busbar Mono PERC and Tiling Ribbon (TR) technology at All-Energy Australia 2019, Australia’s largest national showcase of clean and renewable energy, held in Melbourne.With module efficiency of 20.78 percent, the new Tiger module is capable of generating up to 460 Wp of peak power output which is suitable for both utility and rooftop installations. JinkoSolar incorporated Tiling Ribbon technology into the new Tiger module to eliminate the inter-cell gap and increase efficiency. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

JA Solar has announced that it supplied all PERC modules for a 32 MW solar-plus-storage facility. The facility, one of the largest PV plants in Hokkaido, and has been successfully connected to the grid. The project represents an innovative large-scale application of photovoltaic and energy storage technologies, and marks an important milestone in promoting the development of renewable energy in the region. The project is located in coastal Shibetsu, Hokkaido in Japan. The cold, windy climate and extreme weather conditions in the region set a high performance requirement for solar modules. The mono PERC modules provided by JA Solar for the project have excellent mechanical loading performance, ability to maintain high and stable power output within the temperature range of -40℃ and +85℃, as well as in extreme environments such as intense wind pressure, low temperature and snowy conditions. The excellent salt and alkali resistance enable the solar modules to provide a strong guarantee for steady performance and high returns of power generation from the solar plant in the coastal areas. The plant is expected to generate an annual energy yield of 30,000,000 kWh, reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by 24,180 tons each year. The solar-plus-storage plant is equipped with a storage battery of 10,445 kWh, which can self-regulate to ensure stable operation of the power plant in both peak and off-peak hours. Meanwhile, the energy storage system can adjust power output through an intelligent control system based on the local power demand, further improving energy consumption and maximising the returns of investment.

PROJECT UPDATES

NEW YORK FINALISES 1700 MW OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTS Governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has finalised contracts with Equinor Wind US for its 816 MW – Empire Wind Project and Sunrise Wind LLC (a joint venture of Ørsted A/S and Eversource Energy) for its 880 MW – “Sunrise Wind” offshore project to deliver 1700 MW of clean, affordable renewable energy to New Yorkers. As the largest procurement for offshore wind in the nation’s history, the announcement advances Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading Green New Deal goal to develop 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035 and position New York State as the regional hub of this rapidly growing industry in the United States. “New Yorkers know all too well the devastating impacts of climate change and the catastrophic consequences

if we do not act urgently,” Governor Cuomo said. “By finalising the contract awards for the nation’s largest offshore

wind procurement, we are realising the positive impacts these projects will have on the environment while diversifying our economy and bringing significant economic benefits to the Empire State.” NYSERDA also concurrently submitted its comprehensive filing, “Launching New York’s Offshore Wind Industry: Phase 1 Report”. The report documents the successful results of New York’s first largescale offshore wind solicitation with a combined total capacity of nearly 1,700 megawatts and provides important details about these highest scoring projects. Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said that by every measure, the state’s first offshore wind procurement was a resounding success and the execution of contracts signifies a major milestone in its nation-leading pursuit to deliver clean, locally-produced power to millions of New York homes and businesses.

RENEW POWER COMMISSIONS RAILWAYS TENDERS FOR POW250 MW PLANT IN BIKANER ER FROM HYBRID PROJECTS

NOVEMBER 2019

ReNew Power Chairman and Managing Director Sumant Sinha has announced that the company has successfully commissioned a 250 MW solar power plant in Bikaner, Rajasthan. In a tweet, Sinha wrote that “on this auspicious day of Diwali, with the commissioning of our 250 MW solar project in Bikaner, ReNew Power crossed 5,000 MW of commissioned capacity. We are the first company in India and the 11th globally (excluding-China) to achieve this milestone.” With the installation of the latest 250 MW solar plant in Bikaner, the company has reached the 5.2 GW mark for commissioned projects. Sinha has also announced that besides achieving the 5.2 GW mark for commissioned projects, the company’s pipeline of projects under development take total assets under development or commissioning beyond the 8 GW mark. In a second tweet, Sinha thanked his team for achieving this milestone in a period of 8 years. In July, we reported that the firm had raised $300 million (approx. Rs 2,050 crore) through a rights issue. Goldman Sachs, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have subscribed to the issue, with each of the shareholders infusing $100 million, a company statement said. Earlier in the year, it was reported that the firm had raised USD 350 million in debt funding from Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC), and another USD 435 million through the issuance of dollar-denominated green bonds. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

The Railway Energy Management Company (REMCL), on behalf of the Indian Railways, has issued a Request for Selection (RfS), inviting bids from eligible parties to procure power from wind and solar hybrid projects. The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the wind-solar hybrid projects anywhere in India on a Build Own Operate (BOO) basis. Additionally, under the terms of the RfS, the timeline for commissioning the entire capacity has been set at 27 months from the effective date of the PPA, and part commissioning of the projects will not be allowed. Projects which were commissioned two years before the bid submission deadline will not be viable for consideration under the RfS. The maximum tariff payable has been fixed at Rs 2.93/ kWh for the entire term of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) term of 25 years. Bidders will be required to submit a performance bank guarantee for a value of Rs 20 lakh/ MW of a project within 30 days of the issuance of the letter of award, and an earnest money deposit of Rs 5 lakh/MW. In the interest of utilising the optimum potential offered by the hybridisation of solar and wind, the developer is free to declare the rated capacity of the hybrid project at the output level of the sub-pooling substation, which will be considered as the project capacity. The project capacity does not necessarily have to be the arithmetic sum of the installed capacity of the two components; the tender document has underlined.

PROJECT UPDATES

EDPR GETS PPA FOR 490 MW IN COLOMBIA AUCTIONS EDP Renewables (EDPR) a global leader in the renewable energy sector and one of the world’s largest wind energy producers, has secured two 15-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) at the recent renewable auction organised by the Colombian Government. The PPA contracts are based on the energy to be produced at two wind farms, namely Alpha, with a total installed capacity of 212 MW, and Beta, with 280 MW, which are expected to commence commercial operations in 2022. Within the framework to develop these two facilities, currently at an advanced stage, EDPR has made commitments to the local indigenous community, which will benefit from the positive socio-economic impact of the wind farms in the region. Colombia will act as the focal point for the consolidation of EDPR’s business in Latin America, where the company intends to continue growing as part of its strategy of studying worldwide opportunities while developing profitable wind and photovoltaic projects in

countries with a low-risk profile and regulatory stability. Colombia is the 14th market in which EDPR operates and it’s third in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. Across the continent (including operations in Canada and the United States) EDPR had, as of 30 June 2019, an installed capacity of 6,029 MW. Recently, we reported that WindPower Korea, EDPR and Aker Solutions have

formed a consortium with the ambition to develop an initial 500 MW floating wind farm off the coast of Ulsan Metropolitan City in South Korea. The new consortium is committed to supporting the ambitious renewable energy plans of the South Korean Government, which call for 13 GW of offshore wind to be installed by 2030 and set a target of at least 30 percent renewable energy by 2040.

CEL TENDERS FOR EXECUTION OF KUSUM IN RAJASTHAN The Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has issued a tender, inviting bids from eligible firms for forming a pre-bid tie-up for the commissioning of distributed grid-connected solar systems for solarisation of agriculture consumers under Component C of MNRE’s Rs 34,422 crore Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Uthan Mahabhiyan KUSUM scheme during 2019-20 in Rajasthan Discoms on pilot basis. Component-C of the scheme involves the solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected pumps. Under this component, individual farmers having a grid-connected agriculture pump will be supported to solarise pumps. Solar PV capacity up to two times of pump capacity in kW is allowed under the scheme. CFA similar to that under the component-B of the scheme will be applicable. The purpose of the pre-bid tie-up tender is to obtain bids from interested bidders to enable CEL’s participation in the tender for the work of design, survey, supply, installation, testing, commissioning and 5 years comprehensive maintenance of distributed grid-connected solar PV systems for the Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, The successful bidder selected through this tender will sign a pre-bid tie-up agreement and pre-contract integrity pact with CEL. CEL will submit its proposal to the customer based

on the techno-commercial proposal obtained from the successful bidder. The scope of work for the contractors under this tender covers design, survey, supply, installation, testing, commissioning and 5 years comprehensive maintenance of the distributed systems for solarisation of agriculture consumers on a pilot basis on select agriculture feeders in Rajasthan. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

PROJECT UPDATES

MNRE INVITES BIDS FOR EVALUATING 5 GW VGF SCHEME The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited expression of interest (EOI) for the evaluation of its 5 GW Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme. The ministry said in a statement that, it intends to engage reputed organisation, experts, consultant, company, society, institution, autonomous body to undertake evaluation of scheme viz. ‘Implementation of scheme for setting up of over 5000 MW grid connected solar PV power projects with Viability Gap Funding under BatchIV of Phase-II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)’. Further, the last date for submitting the proposals, in four envelope system, is November 20, 2019. Since February 2016, MNRE has been implementing the said scheme, and the objective of the programme is implementation of at least 5,000 MW

grid-connected solar PV power projects with VGF under phase-II, batch-IV of National Solar Mission (NSM). Besides, the eligibility criteria for bidders include – an experience of at least 5 years in conducting such assignments and

engaged in renewable energy activities; the bidders should have annual turnover of at least Rs 1 crore per year for past 3 years; having sector specific experience and in-house capability to manage the assignment will be an added advantage.

ACWA BAGS 250 MW SOLAR PROJECTS IN ETHIOPIA

NEXANS WINS 1,075 MW SEAGREEN WIND FARM PROJECT

ACWA Power, a leading international developer has announced that it has been awarded 250 MW (2*125 MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) projects by the Public-Private Partnership Directorate General (PPP-DG) of the Ministry of Finance in Ethiopia. ACWA Power won the bid for the plants during the first round of Ethiopia’s solar programme organised under the new PPP law. ACWA Power and Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP), the stateowned electricity producer, and the Ministry of Finance signed a Letter of Intent on October 15, 2019. The entities will proceed to sign a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the projects at USD 2.52 cents/kWh over a time span of 20 years before the end of 2019. With a combined capacity of 250 MW, the projects will contribute to addressing the current energy shortfall as well as diversifying the energy mix in Ethiopia, where the Government is currently working to increase the electricity generation capacity of the country from 4,300 MW at present to 17,300 MW by 2020. The new plants will be located in Dicheto, in the Afar region, and in Gad, in the Somali region of the country. Paddy Padmanathan, chief executive officer of ACWA Power said that it is a remarkable achievement to have been selected to deliver these projects, the first to be tendered under the new public-private partnership framework in Ethiopia. The two solar PV projects that were tendered in April 2019 and are estimated to power 750,000 homes and offset 320,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

France based cable manufacturer Nexans has received a contract from SSE Renewables, a renewable energy arm of Airtricity, for 1,075 MW Seagreen offshore wind farm project. As per the agreement, the company will be the preferred supplier for designing, manufacturing and installing onshore and offshore export cables for the phase-I development of the project. Currently the project is under construction off the Angus coast, in which phase-I comprises of the Seagreen Alpha and Bravo wind farms. Further, the project is expected to commence operations in 2024. Also, both the wind farms, jointly, will form the largest wind farm project in Scotland. The company said that it will supply and install 3 offshore export cables for 65 km along with 3 onshore export cables for 20 km for the project. SSE Renewables is the owner of Seagreen wind farm project. Commenting on the partnership, Seagreen Project, Director, John Hill said, “we are pleased to announce Nexans as our preferred supplier to design, supply and install the onshore and offshore export cable. Nexans is one world leaders in this field and this agreement is a major step forward for the Seagreen project.” “We are delighted to receive this agreement from SSE and we are excited to be helping to bring the biggest windfarm in Scotland to life,” said Vincent Desale, Nexans SEVP for the Subsea and Land System Business Group.

NOVEMBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

PROJECT UPDATES

INFOSYS HELPS IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF SGRE IT giant Infosys has entered into a strategic long-term partnership with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), global leader in wind energy, in order to help in its digital transformation. As per the agreement, Infosys, a global leader in the nextgeneration digital services and consulting, will provide end-toend IT infrastructure transformation of the Spain-based SGRE. It includes hybrid cloud transformation, roll-out of a software defined network, the set-up of an intelligent service desk, and digital workplace services. Moreover, the IT company will provide application management and transformation services to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. According to the contract signed, Infosys will enable Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to align its existing disparate IT setup into a harmonised and consolidated infrastructure landscape. Further, it will also provide a hybrid cloud solution integrating multiple public cloud platforms with its private cloud to bring agility to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s IT infrastructure while ensuring technical and financial synergies. Commenting on the partnership, Infosys, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Manufacturing, Jasmeet Singh said “we are delighted to be selected as a strategic partner of SGRE in their transformation journey. Leveraging our innovative solutions, domain knowledge and a clear comprehension

of SGRE’s business strategy, we look forward to enabling their core modernisation, enhancing cloud capabilities and consolidating disparate and heterogeneous infrastructure and processes into a single SGRE global standard.” “When considering our desired IT operating model, we were looking for a partner that brings a careful balance of innovation, operational excellence and sustainable commercial viability,” said Alan Feeley, Chief Information Officer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

TATA RENEWABLE ARM AWARDED 150 MW SOLAR PROJECT Renewable arm of utility giant Tata Power, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) has got a Letter of Award (LoA) from Tata Power – Distribution (Tata Power – D) to develop 150 MW of solar project. One of the leading power companies said in a statement that, “Its wholly owned subsidiary TPREL has received a Letter of Award from Tata Power – Distribution on 31 October 2019 to develop 150 MW of solar project.” However, the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) will be executed upon approval and adoption of tariff by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), it said. As per the deal, the energy will be supplied to Tata Power – D under a long-term PPA for 25 years from the scheduled commercial operation date. Commenting on this partnership, Tata Power, CEO & MD, Praveer Sinha said “we are proud to announce that TPREL has been awarded 150 MW solar project by Tata Power – D. We are delighted to contribute towards the realisation of our

country’s commitment towards clean and green energy through solar power generation.” Also, Tata Power’s renewable arm has won this capacity in the month of August this year in a tender issued by Tata Power – D. Moreover, the project is expected to be commissioned by the company within 18

months from the date of execution of the PPA. On the project win, Ashish Khanna, President-Renewables, Tata Power, said “we are pleased to announce our win and with this, we continue to demonstrate our strong commitment towards renewable energy as well as project development, engineering and execution capabilities.” VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

UPDATES

SOLAR POWER AND AGRICULTURE: A PRODUCTIVE MIX? News that cranberry farmers in Massachusetts, US, are trying out solar installations on their farms to get some extra income has put the focus back on one of the biggest critiques of solar power. That there simply isn’t enough land that meets the requirements of sunlight, proximity to the transmission grid, and a ready market to make the industry a provider of first resort when it comes to the power grid. That is one reason floating solar, despite its higher costs, has been catching on increasingly and is set to grow well above industry growth rates for the next few years now. In India too, thanks to our massive agrarian economy, there have already been rumblings about allotment of land and the impact of solar parks on the local ecosystems in some cases. Some states, notably Delhi, even came out with policies that sought to ensure the coexistence of solar with agriculture, by mandating a minimum height for the installations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, while not stating it explicitly, has clearly got high hopes on income from solar power supplementing farm incomes, in his target to double farm incomes by 2022. In the US, the push for additional income came due to the crash in cranberry prices, a crop where farmers were exporting almost 30 percent of their produce. Caused mainly by the trade wars between the US and China, besides ongoing issues with Europe, farmers faced the prospect of a steep drop in income, without any easy alternative. Till solar developers came in with an offer to put agriculture first. Of course, while some crops, notably cherry tomatoes can actually deliver higher productivity under the shadow of solar panels, there are others, where being in the shadows clearly drives down the yield. Even on the Cranberry experiments, its probably too early to judge, though productivity increases are ruled out, as the crop definitely needs the sun to bloom well.

The KUSUM scheme in India, where solar pumps are supposed to replace lacs of diesel pumps or grid-connected pumps, is just one example of how the Indian government is trying to make the combination of solar power and agriculture work. And as of now, this remains the best hope for a solution that can actually deliver, provided farmers get net metering quickly, and a decent rate there. With state subsidies underwriting a huge part of the pump prices, we expect to see real data on its benefits at scale by as early as June of 2020. For the record, the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government scheme has been a non-starter with barely any takers when we last sought a reply from the government spokesperson. Broadly, the Mukhyamantri Agriculture-cum-Solar Scheme, as the scheme was called, sought to get solar developers to build power generating plants on agricultural holdings. The farmers were to be paid Rs 1lakh/acre for leasing their land, with a 6 per cent annual escalation. The hope was to supplement farmers’ income, currently estimated at Rs 20,000– 30,000/acre. They were also allowed 1000kWh/acre of free electricity generated by the system. However, the scheme has struggled for any traction thanks to the fragmented land holdings, as well as the low interest shown by developers.

`2.71.DEVELOPERS HOLD OUT ON SECI’S ISTS-VI AUCTION

NOVEMBER 2019

In the latest auction for 960 MW of inter-state transmission system (ISTS-VI) connected solar projects, SECI has declared ReNew Power (300 MW) at Rs 2.71 /kWh, Avaada Energy (300 MW) at Rs 2.71 /kWh, Masaya Solar Energy (UPC Renewables) (300 MW) at Rs 2.71/kWh, and Tata Power (60 MW) at Rs 2.72 /kWh as winners. For those who may have missed out, Masaya Solar is associated with the Haryana-based UPC Renewables group. The winning bids continue to test the limits of the unofficial government push to keep prices in the rage of Rs 2.70 to Rs 2.90, depending on the sites and conditions. The sites for this round are all over India. Readers will recall that for this particular SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

auction, which was meant to be for 1.2 GW (1200 MW)initially, the tariff bids had been capped at Rs 2.65 /kWh, which taken ll the way to Rs 2.78 /kWh by the fourth set of amendments, after pushback from developers. Thus, the price has effectively moved up by 7% over the ISTS V tender bids of Rs 2.58. The ISTS-V had been seen a dramatic drop in interest, being subscribed for only 50% of offered capacity, or 600 MW.That meant, as per ministry guidelines, only 80% of the bid capacity could be awarded. Thus, 480 MW was given out at the Rs 2.58 price. Clearly, even those prices may be history, as the results of ISPS VI show. With the government at complete odds

with independent rating and research agencies on India’s march to 100 GW of solar by December 2022, what is clear is that it is time to shift focus from pushing down bid prices to seeking efficiencies in the remaining part of the distribution chain. Inefficiencies that seem to be adding on anything between 80 percent to 125 percent to the power purchase cost of renewables. It is also believed that subject to storage costs dropping down, there may be a renewed push for solar hybrid projects that can tackle the issue of grid stability as well as curtailment of renewable buys, being resorted to by discoms ever since tougher norms on payment terms have kicked in.

UPDATES

Is An ‘Andhra Discount’ Coming For Indian Renewables? As the Imbroglio over Andhra Pradesh’s effort to renege on its signed PPA’s continues to simmer, the state government is implementing the classic payments squeeze to force firms to come to the negotiating table. Successful or not, this has already damaged India’s credibility with potential and existing investors This week has all about India’s refusal to finally sign up for the RCEP or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. While the government has put its decision down to the lack of flexibility from other members to accomodate Indian concerns, the general consensus is also clear that it is also an acknowledgement of India’s lack of preparedness for such a treaty. While the lack of competitiveness of our industry, and reasons therein can always be debated, there is absolutely no doubt about the extra costs and risks for industries operating in a sector with a huge government overhang. The plight of the renewables sector in Andhra Pradesh is the most stark example of it. At a time when the central government has realised the key issue of payments, curtailments etc, and taken steps to tackle it, the Andhra government’s intransigence on renegotiating PPA’s signed by the previous state regime is frankly, breathtaking. So much so, that we heard the term ‘Andhra discount’ for the first time during discussions with a renewables financing professional working

with a global fund. Taken another way, there is a premium firms raising money for large renewables projects might end up facing, after the Andhra experience of its most storied players. After placing a 4 week stay on the government order, the state high court placed the onus of taking a call on the issue with the APERC (Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission) along with a six month time frame to do it, the state government has been unrelenting in its squeeze. Its (admittedly loss making) discoms have failed to make payments to the developers caught in the crossfire, even at the lower rate of Rs 2.80 per unit, (instead of an average Rs 4.80 per unit), the state discoms continue to treat power produced by these projects poorly, if we consider inputs from the state. The three firms that have been pinpointed by the State Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, include ReNew Power, Greenko and Mytrah , all established firms with projects all over the country. Coincidentally, all three have been powered by investor funding, which will create its own pressure on the investing climate for the whole ecosystem. Besides their own valuations and further fund raises, possibly. Worse,firms that had escaped the CM’s eagle eyes, also seem to be suffering from payment delays. For the Andhra chief minister, whose main grouse, besides allegations of impropriety

in the deals themselves, is that there was no need to commit to such long term deals when ‘everyone’ knew that prices would come down with higher efficiency, the issue has become a prestige issue. Which is never a good idea with politicians. Even a positive response from the ERC now to the developers issues, may not see the state enforce such an order, without a face saving measure for the CM. So far, bringing down the price to Rs 2.80 is off the table, especially for the full 25 year period. We might yet see either a reduction of the contract period, or a lower rate for a significant portion of the contract period, to settle matters here. For the developers, stuck as they are with their investments and assets in the state, something along those lines may be the least of the poor choices in front of them. Of course, what it does to their plans to invest any further in the state, or even the plans of their peers, is something to be seen. Andhra Pradesh matters in the context of the large national targets too, already under great stress, despite official protestations of being on track. The state would have easily contributed a further 5-6GW of power in solar and wind together. With time passing by all too fast as the country moves towards the 2022 deadline, that number may be missed by a huge factor, unless the state government makes a huge U turn. VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

MILESTONE UPDATES

US DOE GRANTS $28 MILLION FOR WIND ENERGY R&D The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of 13 projects to receive a total of USD 28 million to advance research and development (R&D) in wind energy nationwide. While utility-scale, land-based wind energy in the United States has grown to 96 gigawatts, significant opportunities for cost reductions remain, especially in the areas of offshore wind, distributed wind, and tall wind. The selected projects span the technology development spectrum including testing, demonstration, integration, and technical assistance and cover all three wind energy sectors: distributed, offshore, and land-based utility-scale wind. Four Wind Innovations for Rural Economic Development (WIRED) projects will receive a total of USD 6 million in federal funding to support rural electric utilities by

developing technology to integrate wind with other distributed energy resources, and by simplifying distributed wind energy project development through standardised solutions and technical assistance. Bergey WindPower of Norman, Oklahoma will develop a standardised distributed wind/battery/generator micro-grid system that rural utilities can provide to rural homes and businesses to deliver

resilience, energy savings, and reliable power. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of Palo Alto, California will develop novel modeling, planning, and operation methods for deploying and operating wind energy and battery storage technologies that allow increased wind energy while maintaining rural grid reliability. Iowa State University of Ames, Iowa will design optimisation models and control algorithms that help rural utilities leverage distributed wind in coordination with other distributed energy resources such as battery storage and solar PV. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association of Arlington, Virginia will provide technical assistance and develop standardised wind engineering solutions, metrics, case studies, best practices, and finance models to help rural cooperatives cost-effectively adopt distributed wind.

SUNGROW BECOMES INVERTER INGETEAM ANNOUNCES 1 GW LEADER IN AMERICAS WIND OUTPUT FROM INDIA OPS

NOVEMBER 2019

Sungrow is now the largest supplier to offer both string and central inverters to the Americas after witnessing rapid growth according to data for the first half the year found in IHS Markit's latest PV Inverter Market Tracker – Q3'19, a leading data and analytics provider, commonly cited in the PV industry. After witnessing significant success in the United States, Brazil, Chile and other regional market hubs, the Company continues an upward growth trajectory with securing and delivering its industry leading technology to many of the Americas' largest EPCs, distributors and integrators. The celebrated projects across the regions include Techren 2, a 250 MW project located in Boulder City, Nevada, the largest bi-facial solar power plant installed to date; a 400 MW project with Enel in Chile, another milestone in the utility-scale solar segment in Latin America. As the world's largest provider of central and string 1500V solutions, the firm continues to roll out a tailor-made product portfolio. In particular, the turnkey station SG3150U-MV for 1500V, targeting for North American large-scale utility plants, which has been a hit to the market amassing orders over 1.5 GW. Another celebrated innovation is what the firm claims to be the world's most powerful 1500V string inverter SG250HX. Equipped with 12 MPPTs and compatible with bifacial modules, the compact inverter is customised for applications in complex terrain. Since the entry to American market, Sungrow has established regional offices in the United States, Brazil, Chile and Mexico with a professional local team covering sales, technical support and service throughout the region. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

At least one firm seems happy with their time in India so far. Spanish electrical conversion and turbine control equipment supplier Ingeteam has announced the completion of 1GW of output within the first year of operations at its production facility in India. The firm, which set up its plant near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, had planned to sell in the Indian market as well as export from here. Its range of products includes Indar generators, electric motors, and submersible motors & pumps. The Group completes its products and systems portfolio with operation & maintenance services. Ingeteam Chennai plant director Josep Garcia says: “Agility is at the core of Ingeteam’s production strategy. “Our Chennai wind facility has been built on a modular design, which allows us to rapidly ramp production up or down according to ever-changing market conditions. “This flexibility plays a big role in ensuring that our production centre remains both highly efficient and cost-effective.” That has translated to an expansion to 4500 sq metres from its existing 3500 sq metres set up, besides introducing three new products to. The firm claims to have 82 employees in India currently. Ingeteam made technology was deployed on 15 percent of the newly added wind capacity in India in 2018, according to the firm. Garcia added: “I am very proud of my team, and grateful to our key suppliers for their professionalism. “Reaching a production output of 1GW within the very first year is no small feat.“Year after year, we confirm our leadership role in this promising market.”

EVENTS THE BIG 5 SOLAR

INTERSOLAR INDIA 2019

website : www.thebig5solar.ae

website : www.intersolar.in

START DATE : 27-NOV-2019 END DATE : 29-NOV-2019

Location : DUBAI Phone : +971 4 445 3609

START DATE : 27-NOV-2019 END DATE : 29-NOV-2019

Location : Bangalore, India Phone : +49 7231 58598215

E-mail : jessicascopacasa@dmgevents.com

E-mail : feth@solarpromotion.com

SIGMA SUMMIT 2020

THE ENERGY EXPO

website : https://sigmasummit.com

website : www.theenergyexpo.com

START DATE : 06-FEB-2020 END DATE : 08-FEB-2020

Location : New Delhi, India Phone : +91 93549 33450

START DATE : 12-FEB-2020 END DATE : 13-FEB-2020

Location : Miami, USA Phone : (305) 412-0000

E-mail : Info@middleeastelectricity.com

E-mail : mail@TEE2019.com

MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2020

THE SOLAR SHOW MENA 2020

website : https://www.middleeastelectricity.com

website:https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/solar-show-mena

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

Location : Dubai, UAE Phone : +971 4 4072470

START DATE : 13-APR-2020 END DATE : 14-APR-2020

Location : Cairo, Egypt Phone : +971 4 4402535

E-mail : Info@middleeastelectricity.com

E-mail : Abdelbasset.hfd@terrapinn.com

RENEWX 2020

POWERGEN INDIA 2020

website : www.renewx.in

website : www.powergen-india.com

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

Location : Hyderabad, India Phone : +91 98707 46073

E-mail : sheetal.rathod@ubm.com

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

E-mail : pr@itenmedia.in

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

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

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

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

E-mail : ravim@eigroup.in

website : www.snec.org.cn

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

Location : Shanghai, China Phone : +86 21 33685117

E-mail : info@snec.org.cn

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

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

E-mail : info@annexhibition.com

E-mail : power@ronco.com.cn

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

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

PRODUCTS

Agni Solar Mini Light 1 PRODUCT BRIEF: Compact, durable and easily portable – the Solar Minilight 1 is the perfect travel companion as it is light-weight yet powerful and convenient to have at hand for various applications. PRODUCT FEATURES: The light features a 0.3 W/5V mono crystalline solar panel that it capable of charging the light in approximately 8 hours when under sufficient sunlight. The product also features 2 brightness modes Bright and Dim. APPLICATION: Solar Lighting (Outdoor/Indoor) PRODUCT BENEFITS: The product is powered by a 3.2 V 400 mAh Li fe PO4 battery that is capable of powering the light for up to 4 hours when operating on brightest mode and nearly 8 hours when working on dim mode. Featuring a 0.5 W bright LED the light is a light-weight yet powerful and convenient to have at hand for various applications. AVAILABILITY: The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at Rs 559.

Seiko Mens Analogue Solar Powered Watch PRODUCT BRIEF: The Seiko SNE475P1 solar powered watch is the combinational product of the firms stylish design and the advanced watchmaking technology. Featuring a watch face capable of charging the battery when placed under sunlight (illumination) the product is self powered. PRODUCT FEATURES: The stainless steel body is complemented by the leather straps. The watch features calendar functionality in an analog design. The product is also water resistant up to 10 bar and 100 meters APPLICATION: Watch PRODUCT BENEFITS: The watch with a 42 mm dial is capable of charging the device whenever there’s sufficient illumination. And weighing in at only 7.05 ounces the watch is also well suited for outdoor activities AVAILABILITY: The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at USD 250.

Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel Recharger

NOVEMBER 2019

PRODUCT BRIEF: Re-engineered to be lighter and smarter, the Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel by Goal Zero has the innovative technology to charge USB devices directly from the sun, and with great ease. PRODUCT FEATURES: The foldable solar panel does not hold any charge and instead can be directly connected to charge USB capable devices like lamps, phones, and even for storing power in power banks to be used later. Featuring a monocrystalline solar panel of 7W rated capacity the panel has output that ranges between 0.8 A and 1.4 A. Detachable kickstand provides optimum angle placement, natural shade for charging devices and a vented pocket for temperature regulation. Weatherproof layering easily sloughs rain and snow. APPLICATION: Solar Panel Charger PRODUCT BENEFITS: The Nomad 7 Plus features an auto restart that’s smarter than anything else on the market. With the ability to track power flow history, it knows the difference between a device that has reached a fully charged state and one that disconnects due to environmental causes, i.e. lack of sunlight, shadow, solar eclipse, etc. When the latter is detected, it automatically reconnects the charging device, no extra work on your part is needed. AVAILABILITY: The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at USD 100. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

Part of

Hosted by

ADSW Principal Partner

Explore the future of solar power. Discover proven technology and the latest breakthrough innovations in solar power at the World Future Energy Summit 2020. Develop your network, share knowledge and do business with global solar technology leaders, project developers and governments.

SOLAR EXPO & FORUM HIGHLIGHTS: • See 274 exhibitors showcase their solar energy technology • Meet 50 industry speakers at the Solar Forum • Source hundreds of solutions for your solar projects

www.worldfutureenergysummit.com

Industry Supporter

Knowledge Partner

M i d d l e E a s t & N o r t h A f r i c a ‫ﺍﻟﺸــــــــــــــــــــﺮﻕ ﺍﻷﻭﺳــــــــــــــــــــﻂ ﻭﺷﻤـــــــــــــــــــﺎﻝ ﺍﻓﺮﻳﻘﻴـــــــــــــــــــﺎ‬

Co-located with

Organised by

PRODUCTS

Qi 20000 mAh Solar Power Bank PRODUCT BRIEF: The Solar power bank by Qi is as claimed by the firm, the best choice in portable solar chargers when considering travel, camping, and hiking.With a 20000 mAh backup the power bank is capable of charging many devices to full over a single cycle conventionally using cables and even wirelessly. PRODUCT FEATURES: The power bank features a solar power panel on one face which charges the big battery backup when place under sunlight and on the other face the product has a wireless charging dock which can charge devices such as mobiles and speakers wirelessly. APPLICATION: Power Bank/ Charger PRODUCT BENEFITS: The device features 2 USB outputs, 1 type-C input/ output and the proprietary Qi wireless charger that is compatible with most mobile devices brands in the market. Dual input port (high-speed Type-C and Micro USB) enables to fully charge the battery in around 6-8 hours, in outdoor situations the solar panel could absorb light and transfer into electricity. AVAILABILITY: The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at USD 32.

BEBIG 2-in-1 Solar Powered Camping Fan-Lantern PRODUCT BRIEF: The BEBIG 2 in 1 is a solar powered mini fan that also adds features like high intensity lamp and extended battery life, without being bulky and thus well suited for daily use and even for outdoor use i.e. camping. PRODUCT FEATURES: The product features a solar back panel that charges the device when placed in sunlight. The device can also be charged using AC power and takes nearly 8 hours to completely charge up. The product features stepless speed regulation, super wind, eye protection, spotlight flashlight. APPLICATION: Lighting PRODUCT BENEFITS: On a single charge, the fan lasts nearly 6 hours, the desk lamp 6 hours, and the flashlight 8 hours (individual use for each). AVAILABILITY: The product The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at Rs 2600.

Hikeren Waterproof Solar Outdoor Lights

NOVEMBER 2019

PRODUCT BRIEF: The Hikeren solar powered security light is designed for usage as lighting systems on Front Doors, Yards, Garages, Decks etc. Featuring 30 LED spotlights the solar powered light and easy to install procedure the product offers great illumination with great ease. PRODUCT FEATURES: The security light is completely powered by the sunlight which is converted by the retrofitted solar panels on the device. Capable of charging the 4400 mAh battery of the device in nearly 6.5 hours. APPLICATION: Security Lighting PRODUCT BENEFITS: Made of high-impact ABS plastic and having unique IP65 waterproof design, the lights can withstand all kinds of terrible weather. Once charged to full the lights can be powered for nearly 18 hours in one cycle thanks to the massive 4400 mAh battery back up. AVAILABILITY: The product The product is available for purchase on the company website or through select e-commerce websites and retails at USD 30. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 03

OPPORTUNITIES

Manager, Energy Solutions – WBCSD

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is looking for a full-time Manager for the Energy Solutions project in India to progress the on-going work stream on Integrated Energy Strategies. The objective is first to work in depth with three large Indian companies to support each in the development of an integrated energy strategy. Location of job: New Delhi Type of job: The position is full-time, one-year contract starting ideally from December 01, 2019. Eligibility Criterion: • Master’s university degree level education with a technical/ science (engineering, energy) or an economical/financial background. • 7-9 years’ professional experience gained in a relevant industry setting (energy-intensive /heavy industry, energy company and/or consultancy). • Strong understanding of energy technologies for heating / cooling / energy storage, ideally from an energy-intensive company perspective, and emerging business models across the energy value chain. • Previous experience in energy-intensive sectors, particularly with regards to emission reduction pathways, is a definitive benefit. Job Description: • Scope of the work program is to listening to WBCSD members’ needs and understanding of market developments. • Implement the work program – i.e. engage three large companies and their energy value chains in developing an integrated energy strategy compliant with a 1.5°C temperature increase and produce the lighthouse publications. • Develop policy recommendations emerging from the work. • For a second phase, identify the next barriers on the path towards a sustainable energy system in India, with a focus on heating & cooling of buildings and industry. Apply here: https://bit.ly/2XacAjw

Regional Head (Sr. Manager) – BD - Mahindra Susten Mahindra Susten is a portfolio company of Mahindra Partners, the USD 1 billion private equity division of the USD 20.7 billion Mahindra Group. The company offers diversified services within the renewables space. It is looking for Regional Head (Senior Manager) – Business Development.

Eligibility Criterion: • B.E / B.Tech – Electrical/Civil/Mechanical + MBA from a premium institute. • 10+ years of experience including minimum 3 years in project/ technical sales, experience in solar/energy/power sector. • Technical understanding about solar PV technology and EPC process. • Commercial acumen and understanding of contracts. • Client relationship management. Job Description: • Prepare the market strategy for each region / state in line with yearly business targets. • L ead the overall sales process and project delivery in the assigned region, from lead generation to successful completion & commercial closure. • Liaison with state and nodal agencies for permits & approvals work with and expand current prospect database to generate effective leads & convert them with desired profitability. • Develop and manage channel partners for the specified region / state. • Develop and maintain relationship with key accounts & customers. • Liaison with key accounts and government agencies. Apply here: https://bit.ly/2KhDT68

Solar EPC Manager – SunAlpha Energy

SunAlpha Energy is one of the leading rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) specialists. It is investing, constructing & operating high-quality rooftop solar PV systems for commercial, industrial and residential power consumers across India. It was founded by IIT and Georgia Institute of Technology technocrats. Eligibility Criterion: • Experience in direct Sales & business development is a must • Electrical / Mechanical Engineering degree • Experience: Minimum 3-yr in Solar PV sales & BD • Excellent communication skills Job Description: • Drive residential solar sales and sales team from Business development up to Operation and Maintenance. • Increase Sales and expand channel network in the assigned area. • Identify and target new prospective clients. • Prepare custom client techno-commercial proposals and presentations. • Maintain a high level of open communication within the team and supporting workgroups. • Maintain excellent client relationship with existing and potential clients. Apply here: https://bit.ly/34ZutEk VOL 4 l ISSUE 03 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

NOVEMBER 2019

700 MW+ Solar Project TM

10 MW+ Rooftop Installations

FASTEST

GROWING

TURNKEY

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Complete Solution For Ground Base & Rooftop

EV Charging Station/ Infrastructure Provider

PAN India Presence

A-48, 3rd Floor, Sector-67, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301 Mobile: +91-9871115441 | Email: pawan@raditeenergy.com | Web.: www.raditeenergy.com