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DCP LICENSING NO. F.2(S-29) PRESS/2016 l VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH
SOLAR BOOM A FANTASTIC FILLIP FOR INDIA! CHINA’S - NEW SOLAR POLICIES EV MARKET - INDIA EXCLUSIVE
Praveer Sinha CEO and MD Tata Power Co. Ltd
PROVIDER SOLAR & POWER
TURNKEY SOLUTION
1111, 11th floor, Unitech Arcadia, South City-2, Sector-49, Gurgoan-122018 Mobile: +91-9871115441 | Landline: Direct (0124)-4377220 Landline Office: (0124)-428990 | pawan@raditeenergy.com | info@raditeenergy.com
SAUR ENERGY I N T E R N A T I O N A L EDITOR
MANAS NANDI manas@meilleurmedia.com
DIRECTOR MARKETING
PRATEEK KAPOOR prateek@meilleurmedia.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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SUB EDITOR
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SUB EDITOR
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KULDEEP subscription@meilleurmedia.com Saur Energy International is printed, published, edited and owned by Manas Nandi and published from 303, 2nd floor, Neelkanth Palace, Plot No- 190, Sant Nagar,East of Kailash, New Delhi- 110065 (INDIA), Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi. Editor, Publisher, Printer and Owner make every effort to ensure high quality and accuracy of the content published. However he cannot accept any responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor and publisher. The information in the content and advertisement published in the magazine are just for reference of the readers. However, readers are cautioned to make inquiries and take their decision on purchase or investment after consulting experts on the subject. Saur Energy International holds no responsibility for any decision taken by readers on the basis of the information provided herein. Any unauthorised reproduction of Saur Energy International magazine content is strictly forbidden. Subject to Delhi Jurisdiction.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR SCORING BOUNDARY
Last 4 years have been path-breaking in India’s renewable energy landscape. Renewable power installed capacity has already reached over 70 GW. Over 40 GW renewable power capacity is under construction/tendered. Globally, India stands 4th in wind power 5th in renewable power and 6th in solar power installed capacity. Solar energy capacity increased by over 8 times from 2.63 GW in 2014 to 22 GW. Wind energy capacity increased by 1.6 times from 21 GW in 2014 to 34 GW. Trajectories for bidding 115GW renewable power projects up to March 2020 have been announced. India seems to be well on track to achieving 175 GW target of installed renewable energy capacity. Trends suggest that the target will not only be achieved but exceeded. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, has given its approval for implementation of Phase-Ill of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV (Photo Voltaic) Application Programme to achieve additional 118 MWp off-grid solar PV capacity by 2020. Off-grid and Decentralized Solar PV Applications Programme has high impact in the rural and remote areas of the country where grid power has either not reached or is not reliable. During the Phase-Ill, the programme is likely to benefit 40 lakh rural households. In addition, the off-grid solar power plants proposed in the programme to provide electricity to schools, hostels, panchayats, police stations and other public service institutions, that will help communities at large and also help in increasing participation of women in education, social and livelihood activities. The future looks promising. Lots more inside. Happy reading!
ManasNandi manas@meilleurmedia.com
04 JULY 2018
SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 11
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CONTENT
PAGE
14
PRAVEER SINHA
CEO and MD | Tata Power Company Ltd
44
30 POLICY
CHINA’S - NEW SOLAR POLICIES & CHANGE IN MARKETS
THE INDIAN INVERTER RACE INNOVATION
MARKET
MODULES
54 25
06
JULY 2018
49
Cabinet Okays Continuation of Off-grid, Decentralised Solar PV Applications Program
Solar-powered System Can Harvest Fresh Water from Air
India, Peru Sign MoU on Coop in New and Renewable Energy
Solar Power System to Convert Plastic into Fuel Discovered by IIT Madras
SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 11
FORE Partnership Shakes Hand with Sunpreme for Bifacial Smart PV Panels
55 World to Get 50% Electricity from Wind and Solar by 2050, says Report
JinkoSolar US Arm Inks Solar Panel Supply Pact with sPower CEL Release EoI for PV Cell, Module Manufacturing in India
PAGE
18
ELECTRIC VEHICLES MARKET IN INDIA A ROCKY ROAD AHEAD!
CONTENT
36
JOHN MARTIN THOMAS MD | TALESUN SOLAR SWITZERLAND AG
46
SACHIN JAIN
Co-Founder & CEO | Oriano Solar
SOLAR BOOM
08
MILESTONE
A FANTASTIC FILLIP FOR INDIA!
PROJECTS
FINANCE
40 53 New Delhi Railway Station Awarded Silver Rating for Green Initiatives CleanMax Solar bags FT, IFC Transformational Business Awards 2018
Tata Power Renewable Gets 150 MW Solar Proj in MSEDCL’s 1,000 MW Bid Over 60 Cos Participated in MP’s 28 MWp Rooftop Solar Project Pre-Bid Meet ACME Group Won 50 MW Solar Power Project in SECI Reverse Auction
58 Piyush Goyal Inaugurates NLCIL’s Rs 1,302 Cr Solar PV Projects in TN India Offers $75 Mn Credit Support for 100 MW Solar Project in Cuba Greenko in Advance Stages of Buying Essel Infra’s Solar Business VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
07 JULY 2018
Solar Boom
A Fantastic Fillip for India!
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PIC CREDIT: GOOGLE SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 9
STORY
COVER
India’s solar boom proved to be a game changer for the country’s renewable growth trajectory, as the sector witnesses’ sharp momentum during the past four years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2014, when he took PM’s chair, India had about 2.63 GW of solar energy capacity, which now surged to nearly eightfold to 22 GW. On the global front too, Asia’s third largest economy stood at fifth position in the renewable space and sixth in the solar power installed capacity. Also, India’s renewable power sector is the 2nd most attractive renewable energy market in the world. From investors’ perspective also, the sector has become more attractive mainly on account of increased government support and improved economics. Further, world’s seventh largest economy added 11.788 GW of electricity generation capacity from renewable sources between January to November 2017 alone. Initially, the focus of Indian Government has shifted towards clean energy after it ratified the COP-21 Paris Agreement. During April 2000 to December 2017, the non-conventional energy sector has received a total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow of USD 6.26 billion. With an aim to hit its ambitious target of 175 GW renewable energy including 100 GW from solar by 2022, government has announced the trajectories for bidding 115 GW renewable power projects up to March 2020. Besides, the renewable energy installed capacity has already reached over 70 GW and more than 40 GW is under construction/ tendered. Also, the future of solar energy seems to be like a bright shining star in the sky as the country looks to meet its energy demand on its own, which is likely to reach 15,820 TWh by 2040. While, trends suggest that renewable sources are expected to help meet 40 percent of the country’s energy
demand by 2030. Bucking the trend, the
development and deployment of 20 GW
Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister
solar power by the year 2022, however,
R. K. Singh, recently, said that, “We have
India has achieved the target four years
pledged in Paris that by 2030, 40 percent
ahead of the deadline.
of our installed capacity will come from
According to the Ministry of New & Renewable
renewables.”
Energy (MNRE) report, by the end of March
“I believe we have already crossed about
2014, the total solar power installed capacity
30 percent, if we add hydro power. So by
reached 2,647 MW and the total renewable
2030, 53-55 percent of our capacity will
power installed capacity stood at 31,702
come from renewables,” Singh added.
MW. In terms of electricity generation,
According to the government data, solar
the renewable power installed capacity
power generation growth likely to outweigh
generating around 70 billion units per year
other sources by 2022. As on December 31,
corresponding to about 6.5 percent in the
2017, the total solar power installed capacity
total electricity mix.
in the country stood at 17,052.37 MW with
Later, during the leadership of Prime Minister
Telangana remain on top with 2,990.07 MW
Narendra Modi, the government in the
followed by Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh,
‘2015 Union budget of India’ had shoot up
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with capacities
the target under NSM for solar power from
of 2,310.46 MW, 2,165.21 MW, 1,819.42 MW
initial 20 GW to 100 GW by 2022, and from
and 1,800.85 MW respectively.
2015-16 onwards the yearly targets were
Besides, the government has finalized
also revised in upward direction.
tendering trajectory in order to achieve its
This is mainly on account of Government
mission target of 100 GW by 2022 for solar.
of India’s commitment towards increased
For 2017-18, the tendering target set by the
use of clean energy sources and is already
government is 20 GW, while for 2018-19 it
undertaking various large-scale sustainable
will be 30 GW and for 2019-20 the target
power projects and promoting green energy
will be 30 GW respectively.
heavily. In addition, clean energy has the
Evolution
potential to create many employment opportunities at all levels, especially in
The National Solar Mission (NSM) was
rural areas.
launched by the then Prime Minister
Over the last 4 years there has been a
Manmohan Singh on January 11, 2010.
significant jump in the percentage contribution
Initially, the mission had set the target for
of renewable energy to total installed
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COVER
STORY
capacity. In 2013-14, the contribution was
come down significantly on the back of
12.92 percent which grew to 20.06 percent
regular solar auctions and new government
by the end of March 2018.
mega projects like solar parks. So, the rapidly
According to the industry estimates,
sliding costs have made solar photovoltaic
renewable energy will be reaching 49
the largest market for new investments.
percent in India by the year 2040 of the
Further, the government’s ambition of
total electricity, as more efficient batteries
achieving universal household electrification
will be used to store electricity which will
too proved to be a boon for the sector.
further trim solar energy cost by 66 percent
As of March 2018, the solar photovoltaic
against the current cost.
installed capacity reached 21.7 GW. Also,
Further, increased use of renewables in
India has the 3rd largest concentrated solar
place of coal will save the country around
power (CSP) installed capacity.
USD 8.43 billion yearly.
Besides, the world’s largest solar park having
On the back of government’s significant
capacity of 5 GW is being set up in Gujarat.
efforts, Asia’s third largest economy has
Also, in November 2017, the government
moved from the seventh position in 2014 to
had inked a USD 100 million pact with the
second position in 2017 in the Renewable
World Bank for shared infrastructure for
Energy Attractiveness Index.
solar parks project and in CY2017, Indian
Solar Revolution in Four Years
solar sector received investments of over USD 10 billion.
In a recent significant move to open huge
Adding to it, zero import duty on components
potential for domestic manufacturers and
used in making solar panels was announced
developers, the government is mulling to
under the Union Budget 2018-19 to help
auction renewable energy projects of 40
encourage domestic manufacturing.
GW that comprising of 30 GW of solar and
In March 2018, ‘Shakti Sthala’, the world’s
10 GW of wind energy projects every year
largest solar park, was launched in Karnataka
for next 10 years till 2028.
with an investment of about USD 2.55 billion.
Elaborating the power ministry’s plan, the
On the back of rising competition and FDI
MNRE, Secretary, Anand Kumar said, “We
inflow, solar sector players have started
have 30 GW solar energy bidding plan for
bidding at significantly lower prices with tariffs
2018-19 and 2019-20. This 30 GW auction
reaching record low of Rs 2.44 (USD 0.04)
per annum would continue till 2028. Similarly,
per unit during the month of May in 2017.
we have to auction 10 GW of wind energy
Moreover, government has announced the
for next 10 years till 2028 to meet the power
‘Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy’ with an aim to
demand of 862 GW by 2030.”
achieve the hybrid wind-solar capacity of 10
“We have to do 350 GW in solar (to meet
GW by 2022. It will also help in minimizing
demand by 2030), of which 100 GW is
variability and offers optimal utilization of
planned till 2022. So we have to bid out at
infrastructure including land and transmission
least 30 GW each year from 2020 onwards
systems.
to achieve additional 250 GW,” he further
Besides, government has come up with a
added.
scheme for development of solar parks and
Here’re a few other significant developments
ultra-mega solar power projects aiming to
of the sector:
set up dozens of solar parks and ultra-mega
According to the India Brand Equity
solar projects targeting 20 GW of solar power
Foundation (IBEF) recent report, in the last
installed capacity by 2019-20. Under the
2 years, the setup and financing costs have
scheme USD 83.78 million have already
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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 11
been sanctioned.
International Solar Alliance
India’s efforts towards solar sector came into limelight when the seeds of International Solar Alliance (ISA) was sown at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-21) in Paris on November 30, 2015 by the PM Modi and the then President of France Francois Hollande. After a heady journey, the green shoots of that seed sprouted and the young sapling of ISA celebrated its founding day in March this year. Just only in 2-years, it transitioned from a high-profile announcement at the COP21 summit to an inter-governmental organization under the UN charter. Amidst the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi, the first summit of ISA congregated. ISA is the first international inter-governmental treaty based organization that will have a secretariat in India. It provides a common platform for cooperation among sunny
STORY
nations lying fully or partially between the energy in particular areas.
COVER
said, “28th April 2018 will be remembered as
Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn seeking to In a recent development, ISA’s Interim Director a historic day in the development journey of massively ramp up solar energy, in order to General, Upendra Tripathy said that, ISA plans India. Yesterday, we fulfilled a commitment bend the global greenhouse emissions curve to approach multilateral development banks due to which the lives of several Indians will by providing clean and cheap energy. The (MDBs) like Asian Infrastructure Investment be transformed forever! I am delighted that primary objective of the inter-governmental Bank (AIIB) to create a special purpose vehicle every single village of India now has access organization is to undertake joint efforts (SPV) to specifically finance solar projects. to electricity.” required to reduce the cost of finance & He further added that, this SPV aimed at “Leisang village in Manipur, like the thousands technology. It aims to mobilize more than financing USD 150 billion would become a of other villages across India has been USD 1 trillion of investments needed by 2030 ‘World Solar Bank’.
powered and empowered!” he added.
for massive deployment of solar energy,
According to the government data, all the
and pave the way for future technologies
Rural Electrification
597,464 census villages have been electrified
adapted to the needs of 121 prospective Adding another feather in India’s cap, across the country. member countries.
Asia’s third largest economy continued However, as per the government’s ‘electrified’
The ISA Framework Agreement came into its rollercoaster ride in April too, and once villages definition - village electrification is force on December 6, 2017. Out of the 121 again scripted history by hitting the target of a legacy issue which, though, mandates potential countries, about 61 have joined the electrifying all villages ahead of the deadline. electrification of at least 10 percent households alliance and around 32 of them have also Solar energy too plays a vital role in achieving in a village, but does not imply restricting ratified the Framework Agreement.
this significant target well before the deadline. household electrification only to 10 percent.
Now, it has four ongoing programmes namely, India’s efforts towards rural electrification bore Now, India, the seventh largest economy, scaling solar applications for agriculture fruit when Leisang village in the Senapati has already moved out of this dichotomy and purpose, affordable finance at massive district of Manipur became the last village marches towards its next goal of achieving scale, scaling solar mini grids and scaling to be connected to the national power grid. universal household electrification in the solar rooftop catering to the needs of solar PM Modi termed it as a historic moment and country by December 31, 2018.
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COVER
STORY
Moreover, India’s efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also backed by the autonomous agency IEA as it also said in its report that access to electricity is accelerating due to strong policy commitments in India. In India, access to electricity causes expansion of micro-enterprises that created new employment generation and income opportunities for the rural populace. According to the IEA, in India food production has jumped by around 35 percent since 2000, in part because of the introduction of more modern farming techniques, including the use of electric pumps for irrigation from ground water sources. Here’s another significant milestone that India hit on the back of rural electrification i.e. under the Solar Study Lamp Scheme, Government of India has been providing light to seven million school going children. Backing India’s efforts, the IEA forecasted that, in Asian developing countries, the electrification rate increases from 89 percent in 2016 to 99 percent in 2030, bringing the population without access down from about 439 million in 2016 to 54 million in 2030. This achievement is largely the result of India’s tremendous electrification effort, which sees 250 million people gain electricity access between now and the early 2020s, when it reaches full access.
Industry Analysis
Backing the renewable headway, the IEA in its World Energy Outlook projected a growth of renewable energy supply to 4,550 GW by 2040 globally. The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous agency within the framework of the Organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 30 member countries and beyond. On the domestic front, world’s seventh largest economy’s power demand has been rising at a faster pace. In FY18, India’s peak power demand already reached 164.07 GW. It is estimated that it will require an additional power supply capacity of 295 GW by 202122, 450 GW by 2,034 and 690 GW by 203536 respectively. Besides, according to the projection of National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Asia’s third largest economy has a solar potential of about 750 GW assuming 3 percent wasteland is made available. Further, there exists a significant potential from decentralized distributed applications for meeting hot water requirement for residential, commercial and industrial sector via solar energy. However, the total solar energy potential in India likely to be 748.98 GWp, whereas in state-wise solar potential estimation Rajasthan will be on top followed by Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
with 142.31 GWp, 111.05 GWp, 64.32 GWp and 61.66 GWp respectively, according to an assessment by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). According to the IBEF latest report, solar installation in the country likely to rise 360 percent by 2020 and both solar and wind energy sectors in India are expected to generate over 3 lakh jobs by 2022. Further, in order to meet the surging demand of trained manpower, a target of achieving 50,000 SuryaMitras of skilled manpower has been set in the solar sector by 2019-20.
Road Ahead
The dream of providing better climate and fresh air to our future generations can be fulfilled only through trimming the effects of global warming. In the current scenario, renewable energy has enough potential to leave significant footprints on the future of our planet ‘Earth’ and solar energy too has a bright future. In order to achieve the targeted goals, Indian solar has to cross a long road ahead as still it is filled with hiccups and challenges. Some of the prevailing concerns are about India alone needs approx USD 125 billion between FY2018 and FY2022 to meet its 175 GW target of renewable energy. In a move to increase the portion of solar power in the energy bucket, provide cheaper electricity and cut carbon emissions, concessional financing and less-risky funds will be required for solar projects. Also, a dedicated focus with deadlines and milestones is required to make it possible to measure its progress. Now, our green future depends on our willingness to how and what we can do in order to achieve our goals. In this scenario the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a famous German writer and statesman, will be evident, he rightly said that, ‘Knowing is not enough; We must apply. Willing is not enough; We must do’!
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- MANU@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM
UPDATES
TECH
ISRO Floats RFQ for Li-ion Cell Technology Transfer to Indian Industries Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has issued a Request for Qualification (RFQ) for transferring the in-house developed Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell technology to competent Indian Industries on non-exclusive basis. ISRO said in a release that, “VSSC, ISRO is now offering to transfer this technology to competent Indian Industries/ start-ups on nonexclusive basis to establish Li-ion cell production facilities in the country that can produce cells of varying size, capacity, energy density and power density catering to the entire spectrum of power storage requirements.” The move will help in establishing the Li-ion cell production facilities in the country and this initiative is expected to enable Zero Emission Policy of India. It will also accelerate the development of indigenous electric vehicle industry across the country. “Interested applicants shall attend a pre-application conference (PAC) scheduled on July 13, 2018. All queries or request for additional information concerning the RFQ shall be attended only in the pre-application conference,” the release added. The Last date for registration of pre-application conference is June
28, 2018 and date of pre-application conference is July 13, 2018. On the other hand, the last date of submission of RFQ is August 13, 2018 and Opening of RFQ is August 14, 2018. The release further added that, “Technology shall be transferred to all/any of the competent firms who qualify the eligibility criteria as specified in the RFQ. The required process documents shall be provided by ISRO at the time of signing of technology transfer agreement and payment of technology transfer fee.”
SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 11
13 JULY 2018
THE CONVERSATION
PRAVEER SINHA CEO and MD, Tata Power Company Ltd
Govt to revisit, revise power distribution guidelines in National Electricity Policy The Government’s policies pertaining to distribution of power needs to encourage private sector participation through Public Private Partnership route of Franchisee model so that fundamental transformation and changes takes place in the existing distribution system being run and operated by State Government owned Discoms. This will not only benefit the consumers with better services and cost effective supply but also the whole power sector along with the related economic and industrial growth., believes Praveer Sinha, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Power Company Ltd, part of $130.13 billion Tata group and a leading player in the electric utility space. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Saur Energy International, Sinha shared his views on various issues which the power sector is currently dealing with along with his company’s future plan of action in the renewable energy segment. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.
Q
As in recent quarters Tata Power’s renewable portfolio proved to be a boon for the financial health of the company. How do you see the future of the company’s renewable segment in the country in coming years? As Tata Power aims to achieve up to 40% of its generation capacity from non-fossil fuel by 2025. Please explain what will be your action plan to achieve it?
Renewable energy is going to play a big role in the coming years with the Government’s ambitious target of ‘24X7 Power for All by 2019’. A special World Energy Outlook report of the International Energy Agency says that by 2040, over 50% of India's new generation capacity will come from renewables and nuclear energy. Solar power is a focus area of the government with 100 GW installation being targeted by 2022. At Tata Power, our renewable portfolio is doing very well. We are planning to expand it substantially by adding 1000 MW every year for next 5 years. Today, renewable accounts for 30% of our business and we aim to scale it to 45-50% in the next five years, largely through organic growth. While the Company will focus on solar energy generation the most, both utility-scale and rooftop solar, it will also actively participate in high technology area of floating solar and offshore wind projects too.
Q
Last year, Tata Power emerged as the top player in India’s rooftop solar installation portfolio. What
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do you think were the factors that remained supportive as compared to your competitors?
The solar rooftop market is growing steadily and is going to be a big opportunity for consumers & developers. With the rising costs of conventional sources of energy, there has been a shift in the mind-set of the society to use alternative energy sources. This change is in line with Tata Power’s vision of sustainable development. We have always aimed to focus on customer-centricity. We provide our Commercial, Industrial and residential customers with modular, scalable, designs for easy upgrades. We also support them with Network Operating System Centre (NOC) as a tool to provide value added services to the customers. It enables remote monitoring and management of rooftop solar systems, live data tracking and analysis, provides instant insights and real-time monitoring – ensures maximum generation & uptime. Moreover, all the Tata Power solar designs have embedded safety aspects for its safe and secure operations. These are some of the key differentiators being provided by Tata Power in renewable space.
Q
Government is mulling to replace fossil fuel vehicles with EVs by 2030. In your view, how easier could be the path for the government to achieve this target? And what will be the overall agenda of Tata Power for setting up of an EV charging units in India?
With the government’s ambitious plans to have more than 10
THE CONVERSATION
To succeed and survive, Indian Discoms need to quickly embrace digital technology tapping the sophisticated technologies like IoT, analytics, automation and cloud to generate higher efficiency.
Developing and maintaining the right mix of the energy portfolio of power producing companies will hold the key to strategically grow in the sector.
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15 JULY 2018
THE CONVERSATION
million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, there is a need of providing proper and secure charging infrastructure along with charging stations. Due to high growth potential of this sector, it makes it imperative to address infrastructure bottlenecks including network upgrade challenges. In addition to this, there is a necessity to create proper facilities for safe and eco-friendly disposal of used batteries. Tata Power has established the public Electric Vehicle charging station at Mumbai and Delhi to make Mumbai and Delhi EV ready. Being the first to propagate the change towards sustainable energy, Tata Power aims to support the government's plan to replace petroleum product run vehicles with electric vehicles by 2030, by installing proper and adequate charging stations at strategic locations. With 12 charging stations already launched in Mumbai and 5 in Delhi, Tata Power aim’s is to build a network of EV charging facilities to make it easier for people to adopt to EVs and be future ready. It has recently partnered with Tata Motor’s to deliver on the Maharashtra Government and Group's vision of making Maharashtra EV ready and improving India's carbon footprint and thereby enabling the customers with a sustainable future.
Q
As India is marching towards universal power access for all. What is your take on electricity demand in the country?
While most of the power produced in India is from thermal sources, the non-availability of fuel for thermal generation is posing a big challenge at present. This has had a ripple effect on the financial health of power producing firms leading to stressed assets and NPAs that are giving a negative outlook to the investors, private players and financial institutions. Developing and maintaining the right mix of the energy portfolio of power producing companies
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will hold the key to strategically grow in the sector. New and innovative solutions need to be looked at to meet demand. Electricity demand can also be met through innovative off grid solutions and distributable generation options.
Q
Being one of the established players in the transmission & distribution segment, what future scope did you see in the next 2-3 years?
To succeed and survive, Indian Discoms need to quickly embrace digital technology tapping the sophisticated technologies like IoT, analytics, automation and cloud to generate higher efficiency. This will make the energy value chain more intuitive and customer centric through grid modernisation, asset optimisation, improving resiliency of the ageing infrastructure, minimising T&D losses and boosting the efficiency of power distribution - and leveraging connected distributed energy resources. This is vital as the financial health of Indian Discoms has been a cause of concern not only for the power sector, but also for the government. Cross-subsidising of power, high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, poor customer services, unreliable supply have over the years adversely impacted the financial
health of the Discoms, while having a cascading effect on the entire power sector and the consumers. Despite government’s intervention, marked by schemes like UDAY and Integrated Power Development Scheme, many State Discoms are still reeling under huge financial stress and operational inefficiencies
Q
Being a Discom, in your view, what should be done from the government’s end to tackle the issues related to tariff?
The Government’s policies pertaining to distribution of power needs to encourage private sector participation through Public Private Partnership route of Franchisee model so that fundamental transformation and changes takes place in the existing distribution system being run and operated by State Government owned Discoms. This will not only benefit the consumers with better services and cost effective supply but also the whole power sector along with the related economic and industrial growth. The government needs to revisit and revise the power distribution guidelines in the National Electricity Policy.
PERSPECTIVE FINANCE
Electric Vehicles Market in India
A Rocky Road Ahead! In a bid to reiterate India’s commitment towards climate change during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-21) in Paris, the union government has braced it’s arms to make a major shift from the petroleum product run vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs) by 2030. Though the government of India’s ambition of having more than 10 million electric vehicles on the Indian roads by 2030, seems to be very promising. Yet, it is filled with lots of hiccups and challenges too, as it is the need of the hour to provide proper and secure charging infrastructure in the country along with the easily accessible charging stations. No doubt! Electric Vehicles are the future of the world on the back of high growth potential in the sector. So, this makes it vitally important for the government to address the bottlenecks of the sector including policy formation, clarity & amendments; proper charging infrastructure; network upgrade challenges etc. Moreover, there is also a need to create proper facilities for safe and eco-friendly disposal of used batteries. Recently, the Society of Electric Vehicles Manufacturers (SMEV) has also suggested the government to make such policies that will help domestic manufacturers in the short-term such as beginning with from 3 months time period to a maximum term of 3 years because this will provide clarity to companies that have already
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invested in the development and manufacturing of EVs in the country. According to the forecast of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) latest report, sales of EVs increasing from a record 1.1 million worldwide in 2017, to 11 million in 2025 and then surging to 30 million in 2030 as they become cheaper to make than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. However, the report further added that, “The outlook for EV sales in the long term will be influenced by how quickly charging infrastructure spreads across key markets, and also by the growth of ‘shared mobility’.” “While we are optimistic on EV demand over the coming years, we see two important hurdles emerging: a risk of cobalt shortages in the early 2020s that could slow down the rapid battery cost declines seen recently, and the challenge of charging infrastructure,” the report added. Though the BNEF future outlook shows optimistic approach for EV markets across the globe, but it also highlighted the current challenges that the industry needs to be dealt with. It highlighted that charging infrastructure remains a barrier in many countries and supply of raw materials like cobalt could create some bumps in the road to cheaper batteries. Therefore, there is a need to build a network of sufficient & efficient electric vehicle charging facilities in India to make it easier for the people to adopt to EVs easily and be future ready.
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In my journey of exploring about the future scope and emerging hiccups & challenges for electic vehicles market in India, a veteran from an automotive industry, Saurabh Srivastava, President – Marketing & Product Strategy, Eastman Auto and Power Limited, discusses about his expectations as well as the concerns he hope will be addressed… In view of the government’s 2030 vision for Electric Vehicles (EVs), is the policy guidelines clear for the emerging EVs market in the country? Automotive Mission Plan has been finalized jointly by Government of India and Indian Automotive Industry. The government wishes to shift completely to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. It wants only EVs to be produced and sold in the country by then, implying a complete phase out of the internal combustion engine. EV batteries market of $300-billion by 2030 is foreseen by Niti Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute in India. According to their report, battery accounts roughly a third of the total purchase price of EVs today after 70% drop in battery price over the last six years. The technology that the government wants to adopt is in a developmental stage. Due to this, some states are gradually supporting the plan and embarking on the process. In our opinion, these guidelines have provided a platform to improve relations with other countries & also the plan is expected to provide a fillip to the renewable energy segment, with India redefining itself as a technological hub for innovation in clean energy.
Saurabh Srivastava
President – Marketing & Product Strategy Eastman Auto and Power Limited
emission vehicles would require greater efforts and attention. Not everyone is aware about the benefits and ways to use the electric vehicles working on batteries. People are sceptical as to their usage. To convince different companies and states to invest in the project the need to spread awareness is necessary. One way we at Eastman are working on spreading awareness is by conducting “Awareness Drives” in different cities with the objective of enlightening people regarding usage of e-rickshaw batteries and encouraging the stakeholders to invest in them. We have already touched various parts of West Bengal like Katwa, Bardhaaman, Howrah, Barasat, Midnapur, Siliguri, Nadia & Kolkata, our next target states are Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. We aim at combining the technological advancements with the government’s vision to enable sustainable benefits to the consumers. Our tubular technology What are the challenges that industry for e-rickshaws is technologically is facing while growing from internal superior to the flat plate as it gives the combustion engine vehicles to zero end user longer battery life. emission vehicles? In a developing country like India, What kind of support do you want adapting a new technology and moving from the government to setup charging from traditional methods is always infrastructure in India? challenging. People are so used to By 2030, India is aiming to convert the vehicles using petrol and diesel over 30-40% of its vehicles to Electrical as their fuel that adapting to zero Vehicles (EV’s). Due to high population
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in the country, the accessibility of the charging stations becomes a challenge. Government needs to ensure that these stations are easily available to the people. For setting up E-Vehicles charging stations, the government support and proper execution of various preferential policies are important. Also, incentives with green policies are required. Long queues and large waiting period can hinder in the developmental growth. Therefore, charging infrastructures need to have the ability to charge quickly and instant charging stations are the need of the hour, to avoid difficulties while waiting in long queues. Established power generation and harnessing companies like Eastman Auto and Power Ltd can also collaborate with the government to provide the necessary equipment and infrastructure to setup charging stations which in turn will be a win-win situation for both. Which kind of investment sources do you find more suitable and why? The government has proposed a grant of Rs 1,050 crore for 4,200 public charging points in populated cities and major highways, besides concessional land and local authority support. India aims to shift 30-40% of its fleet to electric mode by 2030. One of the major drawbacks that the project faces is the insufficient availability of finance. Dividing the revenue between various organizationsgovt. bodies, venture capitalist, financial institutions can prove to be effective as cost sharing will help in reducing the burden on one party single handed. Different public and private bodies like metro stations, shopping malls, commercial complexes, apartments and residential blocks should set electric charging stations in their parking lots so that it could minimize the growing public gatherings at a particular point in the premises.
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N-type or P-type cell: What is the world mulling for? A solar photovoltaic (PV) cell comes with
Sunil Rathi
Director- Sales and Marketing Waaree Energies Ltd
variety of technology. This means that for a layman or a novice in the field, it becomes quite puzzling to select the right type of technology. For instance, the basic technology that could be found in today’s market is p-type & n-type solar cell. While their purpose remains the same i.e. to capture sun’s irradiance and turn it into energy, it’s their manufacturing process which differentiates them. Anyone with knowledge on history of solar cell would know that the first solar cell was fabricated at Bell Labs in 1954 which was of n-type mono-crystalline. Until 1980s, with the application of solar cells being mainly on satellites, the p-type solar cell had shown less degradation to exposure of cosmic rays. Thus for decades, the industry had kept continuous focus on p-type PV cell development. However with the changing market trends and the
Figure 1: Average stabilized efficiency values of Si solar cell (Source: ITRPV 2018)
continued research on n-type solar cell in previous decade, its ability to outperform the currently in use p-type solar cell cannot be ignored. With the currently available diverse technology of solar cells and the predictions of advancement in efficiency of (almost) all these solar cell (both p-type
Figure 2: Basic cell structure of p-type cell (on left) compared to n-type solar cell (on right)
and n-type) (Figure 1), it is important for
end user’s perspective, it is important that
flow of current, the wafer is either doped
us to understand what would be market
you know the basics of these types of cells.
with phosphorus (leading to n-type wafer)
inclined towards. Additionally, this blog
As evident from figure 2 below, the p-type
or boron (leading to p-type wafer).
would also give its readers an insight on
solar cell has p-type semiconductor at its
Let us now understand the advantages of
technical advantages and disadvantages
base and vice versa (for n-type solar cell).
both these technology. The first advantage
of both n-type and p-type solar cells.
This difference (in base) arises only when
of p-type cell is economics of the scale, due
From figure 1 above it is evident that both p
the doping on wafer (both multi and mono)
to the current and previous market trend
& n-type solar cell shall experience a jump
is performed (Figure 3). Necessary to create
which had demanded for p-type solar cell,
in their efficiency. However from an investor/
a semiconductor junction which inducts the
they have an upper hand on economics of
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OPED
scale in manufacturing. This is because the entire value chain right from sand to solar cell is optimized as per p-type solar cell. Its next advantage is its cost competiveness compared to its opponent. In the current market scenario, initial cost may become a determining factor which gives p-type an upper hand. Coming to the advantages of n-type cell, firstly they are more efficient compared to their counterpart. This means that one can expect more power output and hence more revenue from the same area. Secondly, they are susceptible to various degradations (explained later) experienced by a p-type solar cell. This means that we can have an increased lifetime of module made from such kind of cells. Additionally, they are also less sensitive to impurities
Figure 3: Value chain of silicon wafer manufacturing
(compared to p-type cell). Thirdly levelized use, the solar market is expected to bolster. necessary to increase the few practical cost of electricity (LCOE) (a ratio of total The PERC alike other cell technology comes remedies possible for (partially) eliminating cost incurred to total energy generated over in both p & n-type. However there are still LID & LeTID. N-type PERC cell however are
plant’s lifetime) can be moderately significant lots of challenges which are needed to be known to be LID & LeTID free. This means that (sometimes even plant’s return of investment addressed and the major being Light Induced a steady power output can be expected out (ROI)) when compared to p-type cell. Degradation (LID) and Light enhanced of such modules. As predicted by ITRPV, the As we had mentioned in introduction of this Temperature Induced Degradation (LeTID) market share of n-type mono solar cells shall blog, p-type cell are currently dominant in the for p-type cells. LID & LeTID are known to rise to around 30% (Figure 4). We however market. With the introduction of highly efficient have cause significant reduction in power believe that its market share would rise to
cell technology like PERC for commercial output in PERC module. A lot of efforts are around 40% by 2028 given its advantages. We at Waaree Energies have understood such technology trend and have capability of producing both p-type and n-type cell based solar module. Our modules are backed up by the stringent quality certificates we have received from various national and international certifying agency. This means that the EPC player/ end customer shall be fully ensured that the modules they are using would be of premium quality. Let us all pledge to make solar energy the primary source of energy in the near future.
Figure 4: World market share for different wafer types (Source: ITRPV)
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Renewable to be Half of Total Installed Capacity by 2030: RK Singh By the end of 2030 the renewable energy mix in India’s electricity mix would account to around 55% of the total electricity. The country is expanding and growing in its installation capacity while at the same time the energy demand is also increasing. Power Minister RK Singh said "We have pledged in Paris that by 2030, 40% of our installed capacity will come from renewables. I believe we have already crossed about 30%, if we add hydro power. So by 2030, 53-55% of our capacity will come from renewables." The Minister, who is also in-charge of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), was
addressing the business session in Delhi with the President of Seychelles. “It (power demand) will go up further, which means we will need to expand our capacity, so energy is a good market here," Singh said, adding that India has become a highly competitive market in terms of renewables. “The size of the bids will increase. Future bids will be tagged along with manufacturing. We bid out the capacity, plus the commitment to manufacture up to 50% of the capacity we bid for –manufacturing of solar cells right from polysilicon onwards,” Singh added. He said that India has already installed
PM Extends Invitation to Kazakhstan to Join Solar Alliance
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On the sidelines of the 18th summit of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), held in China’s Qingdao city, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev and invited the country to join India led International Solar Alliance (ISA). MEA Secretary (West) Ruchi Ghanashyam said "Prime Minister NarendraModi invited Kazakhstan to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the President of Kazakhstan responded positively”. Launched by the Prime Minister at the India Africa Summit in 2015, ISA is an alliance of more than 121 countries. The first meeting of the member states took place in the same year in United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November. The website of the ISA says, it is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community, including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporate, industry, and other stakeholders, can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. Apart from Kazakhstan's President PM also held series of meetings with leaders of other SCO countries. Those include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Afghanistn President Ashraf Ghand and Pakistan President MamnoonHussain. He also met Uzbekistan President ShavkatMirziyoyev. He also met with Tajikistan President EmomaliRahmon and discussed key sectors of bilateral cooperation.The recent meetings constitute a part of India's growing engagement with resourcerich Central Asia.
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70,000 MW renewable energy capacity while projects of 40,000 MW capacity are in various stages of implementation. “We are adding about 40 million consumers to the electricity network, the biggest expansion plan in the world,” Singh said. “It’s hard to make sense of recent MNRE announcements. They underestimate various operational and financial challenges and are not grounded in reality. Private investors want MNRE to address their problems instead of setting even loftier targets,” said Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director at solar consultancy firm Bridge to India.
Safeguard Duty on Solar Equipment Likely to Hit India’s 100 GW Goal by 2022 Implementation of proposed safeguard duty may hit the country’s most ambitious target of installing 100 GW capacity by 2022, believes Indian solar power developers. The solar developers opined that it would directly affect 25 GW volume under various stages of implementation and hit out thousands of jobs in the segment. Further, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) will hold a public hearing in the national capital on June 26 with regard to imposition of 70 percent safeguard duty on imported solar equipment. An industry source said that, “Viability of more than 25,000 MW of projects along with thousands of jobs associated with construction of this capacity are on stake until there is a complete clarity and an outcome of safeguard duty investigation.” “Currently, around 8 GW to 9 GW solar energy capacity is under construction at various stages and double of this capacity is also tendered out for allocation. Industry is completely blank on the treatment of these projects with ongoing investigation of safeguard duty,” it added. The developers are worried as the process of pass through option is very uncertain, long and complex and does not provide any assurances of protecting these projects from becoming NPAs, if the duty is imposed. Industry experts are of the view that availability of solar power at competitive rates (below Rs 3 per unit) will not sustain long as the project cost expected to be increased by almost 40 per cent with existing recommendations of DG safeguard for imposing the duty on the import of solar modules.
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Cabinet Okays Continuation of Off-grid, Decentralised Solar PV Applications Program The government has provided its consent for implementing phase-III of off-grid and decentralized solar PV application program to achieve additional 118 MWp (Mega Watt peak) off-grid solar PV capacity by 2020. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for implementation of off-grid and decentralised solar PV (photovoltaic) application program phase-III. Under this program, 3 lakh solar street lights will be installed across the country with special emphasis on areas where there is no facility for street lighting systems through grid power, North Eastern states and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts. Moreover, the solar power plants of individual size up to 25 kWp (kilo Watt peak) will be promoted in areas where grid power has not reached or is not reliable, aiming to provide electricity to schools, hostels, panchayats, police stations and other public service institutions. The aggregated capacity of solar power plants would be 100 MWp. Besides, 25 lakh solar study lamps will be provided in North Eastern states and
LWE affected districts. The CCEA said in a statement that, for solar street lights and solar power plants, financial support up to 30 percent of the benchmark cost of the system will be provided except for NE states, hill states and Island UTs where up to 90 percent of the benchmark cost will be provided. The total project of the 3
components included under the phase-III is Rs 1,895 crore of which Rs 637 crore will be provided as central financial assistance. It is estimated that, besides increasing selfemployment, the implementation of Phase-III is likely to generate employment opportunity equivalent to 8.67 lakh man-days for skilled and unskilled workers.
India, Peru Sign MoU on Co-op in New and Renewable Energy India and Peru has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in the field of new and renewable energy. The MNRE said in a statement that, “The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Peru having identified new and renewable energy as a common area of interest; and desiring to identify and establish cooperation activities between the Indian and Peruvian entities.� The MoU aimed to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote bilateral technical cooperation in new and renewable energy on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity between the two countries, it said. Further, the areas of cooperation will focus on exchange and training of scientific and technical personnel; exchange of available scientific and technical information and data; organization of workshops, seminars and working groups; know-how and technology transfer in non-commercial terms; exchange of information on regulatory
aspects of renewable energy; and other forms of cooperation as mutually agreed by the Parties. VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
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CGPL, TPCDT Partner to Provide Rooftop PV Systems to All Households in Tunda, Gujarat Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd (CGPL) has joined hands with Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) for its 'Suryoday' project, aiming to provide universal rooftop solar installation in Gujarat’s entire Tunda village. This project targets 100 percent households in the region and will provide individual houses rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system which would be connected to the grid without having battery banks. Commenting on the Suryoday project, Tata Power, COO & Executive Director, Ashok Sethi said, “At Tata Power, we are committed
towards a greener and cleaner future with focus on renewable energy. We continue to seek potential areas across India for the development in the sector. To execute this vision, we aim to initiate growth in capacity through organic and inorganic means to achieve 30-40% generation capacity of Tata Power from clean energy sources.” “The initiative in Tunda, Gujarat is an affirmative step towards providing clean energy to our communities,” Sethi added. CGPL has identified Tunda village as the model village under Suryoday project. The company said in a statement that in
consultation with the Gram Panchayat the Tunda community has agreed upon processes to enable 200 households of Tunda with solar power. Besides, the Gujarat Energy Development Authority (GEDA) approved vendor has been identified to install the rooftop facility. Till date, seventeen household installations have been completed and connected to the main grid line. Meanwhile, the total cost for per household/1 KWp will be Rs 69,500 with significant contributions from Central Government, State Government, CGPL and TCDPT and the village community.
R K Singh Asks States to Speed- Solar-Wind Hybrid Power up Work under Saubhagya; Policy Announced for Gujarat In order to enhance the generation of renewable energy in the Assures All Possible Support state, a new wind-solar hybrid power policy has been announced The Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh has discussed the progress of work under Saubhagya, Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna in a ‘Review, Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting’ with the secretaries of power/ energy departments of the states/ UTs and MDs of the power
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utilities. Further, this was the first RPM meeting after achieving 100 per cent village electrification. During the meeting, the Minister congratulated all states for achieving 100 per cent village electrification and exhorted them to work further for universal household electrification under Saubhagya. He assured the states of all possible support in this regard. Singh also asked the state officials to give suggestions on the revised draft of tariff policy keeping in mind the long term health of the sector. The Power Minister further said that draft on amendments to Electricity Act will also be circulated soon. While addressing the meeting, AK Bhalla, Secretary, Power asked the states to maintain the momentum generated by the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. Moreover, discussions were held on various aspects of the rural electrification like, availability of trained manpower and material, incoming monsoon and tendering process at local level etc.
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by the government of Gujarat. Saurabh Patel, Energy Minister and Pradeep singh Jadeja, Minister of State for Energy spoke to media about the newly announced policies. They said, the policy is meant to promote the production of wind and solar power simultaneously. The policy describes that any developer can setup solar unit on the land meant for a wing power unit and vice versa. It allows the establishment of wind-solar units that are hybrid in nature. The objective of the new policy is the optimum utilization of land and grid land for clean energy. The land will be used for dual purpose as the power produced from the hybrid solar and wind units will be exempted from the duties that are imposed on electricity. The new policy has the provision for 50% exemption from electricity duty for selling electricity to a third party. For hybrid captive plants, total exemption will be given from cross-subsidy surcharge and additional surcharge, and 50% relief in wheeling charges and distribution loss. Those who already have third party sale agreement with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd can continue with the arrangement in line with their capacity. New developers can decide the capacity of the wind-solar hybrid unit in accordance with the renewable power purchase agreement with the consumer. Moreover, group captive companies can set up hybrid projects with 100% investment share in the same ratio for the consumption. Gujarat currently produces approximately 5,500MW of wind power and 1,600MW of solar power, totalling 7,100MW of green energy.
UPDATES
POLICY
Green Energy Will Account For 40% of Total Energy Production in India, says Harsh Vardhan As the country is leading the new initiatives in fighting climate change and greenhouse emission, it is also rapidly shifting from conventional source of energy to clean energy. The goals set by the government have potential of reducing greenhouse gas emission to a considerable level. Union Minister for environment, forest and climate change Harsh Vardhan said, “Though India’s average greenhouse gas emission is less than one-third of the corresponding global figures, the Narendra Modi government is committed to reducing it by 20-25% by 2020 and 33-35% by 2030. “Besides, green energy, electricity produced from non-fossil fuel sources such as wind, solar power and hydropower, will account for 40% of the total energy production in India,” he added. He said, India would produce 175 GW electricity through different sources of green energy by 2020, out of which 100 gigawatt would be solar energy. Reiterating the India’s commitment at the
Paris Agreement the Minister said the country would potentially achieve the target before the deadline. “Vehicles in India will be upgraded to be compatible with BS (Bharat Stage)-VI fuel by 2020 from BS-IV at present,” Harsh Vardhan said. Harsh Vardhan also spoke about ‘Green Good Deeds’ initiative of his ministry, which is a small positive action to be performed by individuals to strengthen the cause of
environmental protection. The initiative was formally launched by the Union forests minister in January this year. The Minister said the Modi government was committed to eliminating single-use plastic in the country by 2022. He also said over 30 crore energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) street lights had been installed by the central government.
Union Cabinet Nods for 3 lakh Solar Street Lights in NE States, Maoist Affected Areas In order to light up the streets of northeastern states and Maoist affected districts, the Union Cabinet has approved Rs 637 crore central government assistance for solar power plants, solar street lights, and solar study lamps to be installed in the areas. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the third phase of Off-grid and Decentralised Solar PV (Photo Voltaic) Applications Programme to achieve additional 118 MW (megawatt peak) offgrid solar PV capacity by 2020, an official statement said, citing Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Prasad said that 3,00,000 solar street lights will be installed throughout the country with special emphasis on areas where there is no facility for street lighting systems through grid power, northeastern states and Maoist-affected districts. In the areas where grid power has not reached or is not reliable the second component of the program would come with the standalone solar power plants of the individual size up
to 25 KW. "This component is mainly aimed at providing electricity to schools, hostels, panchayats, police stations and other public service institutions. The aggregated capacity of solar power plants would be 100 MWp," Prasad said. Further, 25 lakh solar study lamps would be distributed students in the northeastern states and Maoist-affected districts, the minister added. T h e t o t a l p ro j e c t o f t h e t h re e components included under the phase-Ill, which is likely to generate 8.67 lakh man-days of employment for skilled and unskilled workers, is Rs 1,895 crore of which Rs 637 crore will be provided as central financial assistance. "For solar study lamps only 15 per cent of the lamp cost to be borne by beneficiary student and balance will be provided as financial support as such systems will be provided to school going children in backward and remote areas," the statement said.
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Indian Railways to Become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030: Piyush Goyal Citing the transformation in the country, Railway Minister, Piyush Goyal said, by the year 2030 the Indian railways will become a net zero carbon emitter. The Minister was speaking in an event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Railway Board. He said the national transportation was going green in a big way. "With the current action plans on anvil for 100 per cent electrification, coupled with renewable strategies, Indian Railways will become a net zero carbon emitter by 2030. However, it is always a team which needs to work in partnership, with a collective effort of working towards a common goal," he said. While quoting Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, the minister added,
"Great things in business are never done
by one person. Industry participation is as much important in our mission as to make Indian Railways the newest, finest and safest railways in the world." Sharing the scale of modernisation and transformation Indian Railways has been able to achieve, the minister said, "We have been able to ramp up track renewal to 476 km every month." "In the last 64 years, freight loading has increased by 1,344 per cent in Indian Railways. Passenger travel in terms of kilometres has increased 1,642 per cent. The total investments in 2013-14 in the capital infrastructure of the railways was slated for about Rs 46,000 crore, which is now made Rs 1,41,000 crore for this year," he said.
China Solar Policy May Further Cut Power Bidding Tariff As Chinese government has decided to deploy caps and reduce feed-in-tariffs for solar projects, it is highly likely the module prices will further go down which would eventually result in slump in solar bid tariffs. Following the announcement of policy change and its implementation the solar module price is expected to decline 28-29 cents from the current average of 33 cents a watt, experts believe. "With China accounting for close to 90 per cent of the country's solar module imports in 2017, fall in module prices is expected to benefit those seeking to expandtheir renewable energy portfolio.� Crisil infrastructure advisory director Pranav Master told. He also said solar bid tariffs in the forthcoming tenders are likely to drop as developers will factor in the potential fall in module prices following the Chinese action. Echoing similar views, solar advisory firm Gensol co- founder Anmol Jaggi said solar bids will become more competitive going forward. "The tariffs, which will be discovered in the next rounds of interstate transmission system bidding, could hit a new low. It may even breach the Rs 2.44 a unit pricing that was discovered during the Bhadla phase-IV bidding," he said. Jaggi further said the Chinese module price, which is averaging at 33 cents a watt now, is likely to decline to 28- 29 cents after this announcement. The recent amendment in competitive bidding guidelines for solar projects, which extended the timelines for
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project execution, is further likely to support the fall in tariffs as developers place orders for modules about six months later to take advantage of the expected drop in module prices, he said. However, the cash-strapped distribution companies, in turn, will benefit from lower tariffs as it will reduce their power purchase costs and help achieve their RPO obligations, Master said. He also warned that the Chinese move will make the situation worse for the domestic industry as it comes at a time when the industry is already struggling due to falling margins, especially after the imposition of safeguard duty.
UPDATES
Under KUSUM Scheme Govt. to Provide 2.75 Million Solar Pumps to Farmers Under the first phase of Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme that is to be launched by July 2018, the government will provide 2.75 million solar pumps to farmers in different parts of the country. The solar pumps will be distributed between the areas where the grid has not reached and where there is availability of grid. 1.75 million solar pumps will be installed in the areas where there is no grid and around 1 million at the places where the grids are available. The total worth of the scheme is Rs 48,000. "Initially the solar-pumps will be distributed as per the demand from each region but at the later stage, if required, we will provide more pumps," Power Minister R K Singh. Also the plans are to provide 10 GW of Solar Power Plants of intermediate capacity of 0.5–2 Mw and 50,000 grid-connected tube wells
used for drinking water projects and irrigation. The scheme aims to ensure installation of grid-connected solar power plants of up to 2 MW capacity each in the rural areas; installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs of farmers not connected to the grid; solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also enable them to sell surplus solar power generated to DISCOMS and get extra income; and solarization of tube wells and lift irrigation projects. Under the scheme, the government plans to incentivise farmers to run solar farm water pumps and use barren land for generating power for extra income of up to Rs 60,000 per acre every year. At present, farmers earn about Rs 30,000 per acre annually from conventional wheat and paddy rotation, after deducting input costs.
RK Singh Launches Campaign to Promote Energy Efficiency
In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emission, the Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R.K Singh has launched a campaign in New Delhi to promote the energy efficiency in the area of air-conditioning. Speaking on the matter, the Minister said, “Every one degree increase in the air-conditioner temperature setting results in saving of 6 percent of electricity consumed. Normal human body temperature is approximately 36-37 degree Celsius, but large number of commercial establishments, hotels and offices maintain temperature around 18-21 degree Celsius.” “This is not only uncomfortable but is actually unhealthy. Setting the temperature in the range of 18-21 degree Celsius compels people to wear warm clothing or use blankets; therefore, this is actually wastage of energy. Some countries like Japan have put in place regulation to keep the temperature at 28 degree Celsius,” he added.
Also, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency after a study recommended that the default setting in the air-conditioning should be at 24 degree Celsius.Moreover, the Power Ministry will issue an advisory to all establishments and manufacturers. Also, Singh held meeting with major airconditioner manufacturers where they were advised to keep the default setting of ACs at 24 degree Celsius and also to carry out labeling indicating the optimum temperature setting for the benefits of consumers both from financial and their health points of view. These temperatures setting will be in the range of 24-26 degree Celsius. The Ministry of Power said in a statement that, after an awareness campaign of 4-6 months, followed by a survey to gather public feedback, it would consider making this mandatory. If all the consumers adopt, this will result in savings of 20 billion units of electricity in a single year alone, it added.
POLICY
Govt. to Launch Single Solar Power Bid of 100 GW: R K Singh Propelling the growth trajectory in clean energy to the next level, the government
is planning a single solar bid of 100 GW
for generation, storage and manufacturing of solar equipment in the country.
While addressing the function in Power and
New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh
said, "The biggest (renewableenergy) tender was floated in Spain.
We brought out single tender of 10,000
MW which would be opened in July. Now
(we) will bring out a bid (tender) of one lakh MW which would also include solar manufacturing and storage (output).
He also highlighted country’s capability of accomplishing the renewable energy
programs and said the country will over
achieve the renewable energy target of
175 GW by 2020 and would eventually have 225 GW.
"India is making rapid strides in the field of
renewable energy and we will overshoot
the target of 175GW renewable energy
by 2022," the Minister said.R K Singh was speaking as the chief guest at Gurdwara
Rakab Ganj Sahib where he inaugurated
1500 KW capacity of solar plant developed by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
While lauding the initiative by DSGMC, the Minister said that this would inspire other institutions to go green and become environment conscious.
He said that 20 cities in India are ranked
among the most polluted in the world and there is an urgent need to reduce fossil fuel use so that we leave a better world for our children.
The minister reiterated the government's commitment to bring electricity to every household by December 31, 2018.
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The Indian Inverter Race
INVERTERS
Major Inverters Players in India As the country’s growth trajectory is showing upward trends, the main driving force for acceleration of the industries is continuous supply of electricity. We know India has a shortage of power and is one of the hurdles for sustainable growth. This makes back-
8 ABB 8 TMEIC 8 SUNGROW 8 Delta
8 TBEA 8 HUAWEI 8 INGETEAM 8 SMA
up power system industry as the growing market in the country. Although India has many inverter players struggling to carve out their space, the demand remains high with the day. Inverters play an important role in power backup system. The country is rapidly shifting from conventional source of energy to green energy. Although Photovoltaic (PV) plays an important role in driving the solar power growth in the country however, the inverter stands in the heart of the growth of the solar system. The inverter can be defined as a device that converts DC current into AC, which means it acts as a gateway. The uninterrupted supply of power to keep the wheels of industry running is one of the biggest factors of growing demand in the inverter sector in India. The two types of inverters that dominate the market are String and Central inverters. Traditionally Central inverters are used across the board, however, with the advancement of technology the string inverters have been introduced as well. Apart from the basic designs the two types differ in size and components as well. A central inverter is placed near the electricity panels, mostly away from harsh climate conditions and is protected from exposure to hail storm, rain, snow or harsh wind. A central inverter works in a systematic way. DC power is taken from all the solar panels and stored in a combiner box. The DC power is subsequently taken to the central inverter where it is converted into AC power thus making it useful for industrial usage. The
voltage generated from the central inverter
directly deal with the shading issues however
is quite high. At maximum it can go upto
the balance of power is maintained. These
1500 volts.
types of inverters are mainly used in residential
The main usage for the central inverter is
and commercial places.
in large-scale industrial applications. The
The sheer size and the easy installation of this
sheer size and the power output make it
inverter have become a perfect replacement/
a perfect fit for the industrial purpose. This
alternative for smaller installations of 1 MW.
type of inverter has lower per unit power
Similarly, with the advancement of technology
cost but a slightly higher installation cost,
the string inverters have a great potential
however, the installation per se is easy as
in the market. There is an option for power
there are very few components which make
optimization in this type of inverter. The pairing
the connection of inverter easy.
of power optimizers with string inverter is
Similarly, the central inverters are in the
gaining momentum. The power electronics
market for long now and have gained a
are placed or installed on the module level
potential trust of users and businesses alike.
which means every solar panel has one
The sheer amount of time it is present in the
power electronic gadget attached to it.
market makes it a credible bet for the users
The power optimizers have potential to cover
and the industry alike.
the effects that are caused by shades which
Having said, there is a small disadvantage
string inverters cannot do on its own. Before
attached to the central inverters as well. All
sending the DC electricity to the inverter, the
the system gets affected in one of the panels
power is conditioned for the higher efficiency.
is in shade. The power output gets affected
The installation of string inverter alone cannot
and the performance of entire system is
do that. Although the installation cost for this
reduced due to one shaded panel.
type of inverter is slightly higher than central
Another type of inverter is string inverter. The
inverter but it requires less maintenance.
infrastructure of string inverter works when
As the technology is advancing, the string
solar panels are installed in rows with each
inverters have also been transformed. From
on a string. The strings are then connected
the initial four and six string system it now
to the inverter. Each string carries the power
boosts of 12 string inverters. Furthermore to
(DC), which is produced by the panels, to
accommodate smart grids, the latest systems
string inverter where it is converted into
are installed with the advanced features
usable electricity.
that would come in handy whenever new
There is no shading issue attached with
systems are introduced. The inverters are
this type of inverter. The panels are placed
also equipped with the weather monitoring
on a single plane thus do not face multiple
and censoring tools that add to the safety
directions. Although string inverters do not
of the product. VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
31 JULY 2018
INVERTERS
Saur Energy profiles the 3 leading players in the solar inverter inverters for photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in residential and commercial buildings. industry.
ABB
Under the central inverter category the company offers inverters like • • • • • • •
PVI-10.0/12.5-TL-OUTD (10 to 12.5 KW) PRO-33.0-TL-OUTD (33 KW)
UNO-DM-1.2/2.0/3.3/4.0/4.6/5.0-TL-PLUS (1.2 to 5.0 KW) PVS-100/120-TL
UNO-DM-6.0-TL-PLUS (6 KW)
TRIO-TM-50.0-400 / TRIO-TM-60.0-480 (50 to 60 KW) TRIO-20.0/27.6-TL-OUTD (20 to 27.6 KW)
The Central Inverters offered by the company are high at efficiency, reliability and easy-to-maintain industrial design in compact package. Various models and designs offered by the company have proven reliability of components and a compact design. Under the central inverter category the company offers the following inverters: •
TRIO-20.0/27.6-TL-OUTD (20 to 27.6 KW)
•
PVS800-57B – (1645 to 1732 KW)
• •
Started in 1988, ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri) is a technology company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The company mainly deals with electrification, products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids. According to Fortune 500 of 2016 the company was ranked 286th. ABB has operations in around 100 countries globally and employees around 134,800 employees. According to the company it has installed base of more than 70,000 control systems connecting 70 million devices globally. Although ABB deals with multiple industries and has operations in Aluminum, Automotive, Buildings and Infrastructure, Cement, Chemical, Data Centers, Food and Beverage, Life Sciences, Marine and Ports, Metals, Mining, OEM and Panel Builders, Oil and Gas etc however, here we will specify the inverters of the company. Central inverter and String inverter are two types of Inverters ABB is offering to the Indian market. In string inverters according to the company ABB offers one of the broadest portfolios of string inverters currently on the market, which includes a powerful line of single- and three-phase string
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PVS800 – (500 to 1000 KW)
PVS980 – (1818 to 2091 kVA)
INVERTERS
TBEA
TBEA is a China based company that specializes in high-end For 1000V Inverter Solution the company offers: power transmission and transformation equipment manufacturing, renewable energy and new materials. The company boasts to have • provided green technology and smart environment-friendly, stable •
500kW
Indoor Inverter
630kW
Indoor Inverter
and efficient energy equipment to more than 60 countries across • the globe. The countries include United States, Russia, India, Brazil, •
1000kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
1250kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan etc. The company also • has supplied the turnkey projects and systematic solutions from •
2000kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
2500kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
survey to design, construction, installation, debugging and training. • The company has successfully established 14 manufacturing industry •
3750kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
5000kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
parks in China. According to the company the last updated figure of the total capital reached to 88.7 billion RMB and the sale revenue For 1500V Inverter Solution the company offers: is more than 50 billion RMB. Although the TBEA deals with wide range of products but the • product that has seen exponential growth, due to its cutting edge •
1250kW
Indoor Inverter
2500kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
technology, is their inverter.
•
3750kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
For India Market, TBEA is majorly into Central Inverters Supply and • have both 1000V & 1500V inverter solutions including both Indoor
5000kW
Indoor/Outdoor Inverter
& Outdoor solutions.
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INVERTERS
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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 2 l ISSUE 11
INVERTERS
TMEIC
Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation does not emit CO2. TMEIC’s SolarWare® Inverters deliver (TMEIC) was started in 2003 in Japan. The name itself high energy efficiency (98.8%), lower switching losses by was the result of integration of Toshiba and Mitsubishi 56%, lower equipment footprint and weight thus leading to Corporation’s industrial system divisions.
unparalleled yield on customer investment.
Although company deals with verity of products here we It redefines the PV utility scale solar inverter solution in will discuss the inverters only.
reliability, efficiency and productivity. TMEIC sets the
For Indian market the company offers “PV Inverter standard of utility scale installation with its own proprietary Solarware” series of solar inverters. The latest inverter and the most advanced multi-level inverter system which model company has introduced is PVH L2550E (2550KW- brings flat efficiency characteristics providing huge benefit 2550 kWA).
to high DC/AC ratio.
Photovoltaic generation offers a powerful alternative to secure our energy supplies. Photovoltaic generation is
- ZULKARNAIN@MEILLERURMEDIA.COM
clean and ultimate environment-friendly technology since it VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
35 JULY 2018
THE CONVERSATION
JOHN MARTIN THOMAS MD, TALESUN SOLAR, SWITZERLAND AG
India, you know is not an easy country to enter. I have been monitoring India from last 2 and half years and we find that the moment has come for Talesun to enter in India, says John Martin Thomas, MD Talesun Solar Switzerland AG. In a conversation with Manas Nandi, Saur Energy International, Martin spoke at length about Indian solar market and his expectations from India.
Q
Can you please introduce John Martin for us?
I am an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and did my studies in Switzerland, settled in Italy in Milan. I am the Chairman of the save Indian Royal Heritage that is the (Trust of 560 royal families) for saving our royal heritage viz palaces and forts and converting them into boutique hotels. Also, I am the president of Indian Importers Chambers and Commerce & Industry for the European Union. I am the President for Department India of Union of Export Chambers of Europe with head office in Brussels in European Parliament. I am founder and CEO of Indo-European sustainable development so there are a lot of activities. Currently I am heading Talesun Solar Switzerland AG as Managing director and Heading newly formed Indian Subsidiary too. I am also representing the Indian churches. I am their advisor and representative at the international level.
Q
How did you generate interest in the solar market?
Renewable has always been my weak point in the sense that there has always been an interest, and as an OCI I visit India almost every month and I visited remote places and I have seen the conditions in the remote areas where you don’t have lights. So from there all this interest for solar, not only solar but renewable in general sense has started. We are also for the off-grid projects which soon we are going to present to few state governments for creating smart villages. In the entire sense smart not just smart only from the solar point of view, so that’s the reason why I entered the market.
Q
Can you please brief me about Talesun solar Switzerland? What exactly and how you are associated with Talesun? How is it active in India? What are your plans?
Talesun is part of the Zhongli group, a Chinese cable manufacturer, which entered the solar sector in 2010. It is
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one of the biggest panel producers around. The company is making around 2.8 GW of solar panels and having two production units in China and Thailand. Now as regards to Talesun Switzerland, it is a holding company of Talesun for all the Project Development, Bridge/Construction Financing & EPC contracts that Talesun does apart from China. So China is directly followed by Talesun China, but rest of the world as Project developer, Bridge Financing & EPC constructions is done through the holding company based in Switzerland. The company has planned to enter in the Indian market, so it is setting up the Talesun India for the EPC projects and as developer too. I am currently heading Talesun Solar Switzerland AG as Managing Director and heading Indian team too.
Q
So we can expect you on bids also?
Yes
Q
What are your plans in India and what kind of projects you want to enter? Is it both rooftop and ground-mounted?
The company is majorly in the ground-mounted because it is a large player in the sector, so we are looking into 50 MW plus. Currently the company is not working on rooftops apart from few things that we have done in Italy, because one of the joint venture partners for the company in Italy is the Italian government public sector company, with whom the company had joined hands as EPC partner. Right now the company has around 12 MW on the rooftop for the Milan fair site, which is there, so the company is involved in that, and Talesun has done few other things with Italian firm also, that is the only thing in the rooftop in Europe that the company has done
Q
Why India and why now?
Well, till now China has been leading the solar sector, so most
THE CONVERSATION
of our activities were based in China, in fact we have more than 5 Giga of solar already constructed in China and we are the second player in China after China Power as a developer. India, you know is not an easy market to enter. I have been monitoring India from last 2 and half years and we find that the moment has come for Talesun to enter in India. So, this is the right moment and we are setting up few agreements also.
Q
Indian market has seen as low as Rs 2.44, what do you think a sudden change of Chinese solar policy will help the developers and EPCs like you in India?
Well, the plus point we have is that we are tier-1 panel producer, so the production we have is in-house and as an EPC we are recently doing 300 MW in Argentina at 4000 meters of height, so I don’t think anyone has such experience. We have been developing/ constructing Projects across the globe and current global exposure stands at 8 GW. So experience plus in-house production capacity of Talesun will help a lot.
Q
What I want to understand a sudden change in Chinese policy, will that help in India?
It is not much of a Chinese policy that will help, it is rather the working group based in Switzerland and Milan which has decided to enter into the Indian market.
Q
Do you think people are expecting imported modules much cheaper in Indian market by the end of next quarter? We have a couple of people who are very optimistic about that.
One of the things which people are not looking at is that Europe has restarted its solar program and Chinese manufacturers prefer selling their panels to the European market than to India because they get a better price. So I don’t see that the prices are going to go down that much for the imported panels in India.
Q Both
You mentioned that you work on 50 plus MW, is it private or Public or both?
Q
Q
Q
Well we don’t want to give any problems to anyone; we just want to create the arc, a small area, small size for us. As I said we have production in our hand so from that point of view bridge financing / Construction Financing which many are looking at which we can do. In my view this is the plus point to enter in Indian market, even as pure EPC for big players who are already present in the market.
Any specific plans for Indian SECI bids you have?
Well for SECI and NTPC bids, we are joining hands with few of the utilities because we don’t keep the assets with us, so we need the utility which does that and we will be their partners in the bid and for the construction/development & Bridge/ Construction Financing. Any major private developers you are looking to partner with?
There are few we have in mind.
As a new entrant in India, how do you plan to challenge the existing bidders? What are your plans to get the bids because the prices are tough in Indian market? How do you plan to counter those bids?
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THE CONVERSATION
Q
What are your thoughts about rural electrification? And three key suggestions to our policymakers?
India in the last 5 years has done a lot in the solar sector but still a lot has to be done especially in the off-grid sector. I think solar as off-grid is the easiest way to bring lights to the villages. In my personal view and has nothing to do otherwise, is that instead of supplying the solar lighting systems per house in the villages if you have a village which has 100 houses we can put up a small plant, in a 20 feet container, through which you can supply the electricity to all the villages instead of putting it up on all the houses. Apart from saving time, this will also be possible to add a battery to it so that you can supply 24 hours of power to the villages and also from the maintenance point of view it becomes much easier to maintain one big container which can provide electricity to 100 houses in a village than maintaining 100 individual points. In a village what is needed is that the people have power for at least one point for TV, as villages have now started getting them, fan, lights, an AC point, if necessary. That is what can be provided.
Q
When it comes to storage, India has missed the bus on the module manufacturing to some extent, do you think storage is the place where “Make in India” can come in?
Q
Every other day we hear some infrastructure companies are coming, there are various companies in Delhi who are working with the government in installing EV infrastructure, at least in the government premises, the general perception is that EVs are still not successful because of the storage capacity, and the time of charging, how soon can we see the revolution?
Well in Europe the revolution is already there. You can charge EV in two hours, three hours, depending on what you are going to use. But in India, we still don’t have that. We have to look into this from the cost point of view. We have to think is India ready to pay for EV. Maybe EV may not cost you so much apart from Tesla, but rest of the thing for charging and all the cost will be higher and how many Kilometers can you do with that. And how many kilometers each you have to put the points, so these are all things which has to be studied by the policymakers.
Q
What are your suggestions to the policy makers of India, as an industry veteran, your suggestions might help?
According to me it should start as a pilot project, taking a city which is not congested like Delhi or Bombay, I mean don’t go for the big city, go for the smaller cities and implement in those cities first the EV idea.
Storage. Yes, of course. I think for the Indian market and even for the export in the African and south-east Asia, India can be Coming back to the solar, do you see prices going the right partner to produce for the local consumption and below 2.4 sustainable, how do you see it going? for the exports. Below Rs 2.44 it is not at all sustainable. Most of the new players who entered in the market had no experience in the Have are your thoughts on EV as an industry? solar many did it on presumptions that prices would go down, how many of these projects have really gone down, but that Even though Europe is still struggling, so India will find it destroyed the market. difficult because of the infrastructure. We talk of EV but we don’t have that capacity of infrastructure. How do you plan to make this understand to the
Q
Q
Q
consumers? Consumers always go with the trend. The consumers now think that solar is a very easy product because the light is Plans are there but it also depends on how it has to be free, but the cost of the production of panels is not that cheap implemented, so lot of support from the government is and has its cost. So the industrial cost has to be taken into needed. consideration which normally the consumer doesn’t consider.
Q
Any plans from Sir John?
Q
What kind of support? If you can specify?
Q
There are a lot of companies that put an asterisk on their websites so consumers get confused, you as an industry veteran, how do you plan to make them understand what actually they have to pay for green energy?
We need support especially in the policies because if you are going to put up points for EV then how are you going to manage that, from the payment point of view, how you are going to supply the power to that point, if you are going to supply through solar structure so there are a lot of things It all depends what does he pay for the maintenance of the panels and what he saves if he uses the right panels, the right which has to be studied but in detail. inverters, right product. So that right product will cost you.
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UPDATES
PROJECTS
BEL Sets Up 16 MW Solar Power Plant at HVF, Avadi Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has set up a 16 MW grid-connected solar power plant at Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF), Avadi. The company’s move was one among many green initiatives undertaken by it. The plant was inaugurated by the Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman in the presence of M V Gowtama, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL. The company is establishing energy security for the Ordnance Factory Estates under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme by setting up utility scale grid-connected solar power plants. This 16 MW (AC) power plant has been developed in around 80 acres of land area. The plant has been set up at an approximate cost of Rs 105 crore for the annual captive consumption of HVF & Engine Factory (EFA), Avadi, around 25 km from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Further, the plant will inject power at 110 kV to TANTRANSCO’s 110 kV sub-station located around 2.5 km away and is expected to result in annual savings of Rs 45.41 million for both, HVF and EFA. Moreover, the company’s project is expected to generate employment
In addition, various kinds of maintenance work will also generate employment opportunities for the local population on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the solar power plant will lead to reduction of SO2, NO2 and particulate matter (pm) emissions resulting in improvement in air quality and human health. The carbon dioxide avoided due
for professional, skilled and unskilled labour.
to this solar power plant would be around 26,384 tons/ annum.
Azure Power Wins 75 MW Solar Power Project in NE
EDF Renewables, PGGM Ink Pact on Solar, Wind Projects in US
India’s one of the leading solar power producers Azure Power has won the largest solar power project of 75 MW in Assam in the North Eastern region of India. As per the pact, the company will sign a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) at a weighted average tariff of Rs 3.37 (~US cents 5.2) per kWh. Moreover, the project will be developed by the company outside a solar park and is expected to be commissioned next year. In recent years, Assam has seen a significant increase in power demand and has a shortage of electricity capacity. Commenting on this occasion, Azure Power, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Inderpreet Wadhwa said, “We are pleased to announce our win in Assam and with this, we continue to demonstrate our strong project development, engineering, and execution capabilities. We are delighted to make this contribution towards the realization of our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s commitment towards clean and green energy, through solar power generation.” Meanwhile, the state has a peak power deficit of 4.2 percent and energy demand growth was 9 percent during the year ending March 2018. APDCL currently serves a quickly growing consumer base of more than 3.3 million.
Independent Power Producer (IPP) EDF Renewables has inked the Purchase and Sale Agreements (PSA) with PGGM Infrastructure Fund for its Red Pine Wind, Rock Falls Wind, Switch Station 1 Solar and Switch Station 2 Solar projects. As per the deal, PGGM Infrastructure Fund will acquire 50 percent ownership interest in all the four projects and the total capacity of the portfolio of projects is 588 MW. However, the completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary conditions. Also, EDF Renewables will remain involved in the projects as a coowner providing management services and provider of operations and maintenance services. Commenting on the development, EDF Renewables, Executive Vice President of strategy, Raphael Declercq said, “This portfolio of wind and solar projects provides an attractive investment opportunity in the US renewable energy sector, well suited for a large pension fund. We are pleased to forge a new business relationship with PGGM and expect to follow with another transaction. We are confident that our expertise as a developer and operator complements PGGM’s renewable energy investment strategy.” EDF Renewables is one of the largest renewable energy developers in North America with 10 GW of wind, solar, storage, biomass and biogas projects developed throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.
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LY 18
PROJECTS
UPDATES
Tata Power Renewable Gets 150 MW Solar Proj in MSEDCL’s 1,000 MW Bid Tata Power’s renewable arm Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) has bagged the 150 MW solar PV project in the bidding process of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd’s (MSEDCL’s) 1,000 MW grid connected solar power project. The company has received the Letter of Award (LoA) to develop the project and will sign a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the MSEDCL. However, the agreement signed will be subject to the approval of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) with applicable tariff. Commenting on the project win, Tata Power, CEO & Managing Director, Praveer Sinha said, “Renewables is a focus area for us and we
are looking at expanding in the renewables space, especially in Solar. As we move forward, with the new technology coming in, we expect to do further improvement in the PLFs, and also in the returns in renewable business. So that’s a core area that Tata Power is looking at, and I’m sure in a very near future we will attain and maintain the
Over 60 Cos Participated in MP’s 28 MWp Rooftop Solar Project Pre-Bid Meet More than sixty prospective bidders from across the country have participated in the 2nd pre-bid meeting for Madhya Pradesh’s 28 MWp rooftop solar projects. As per the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (MPUVNL) statement, over 60 prospective bidders from across the country attended the second pre-bid meeting … convened by the Madhya Pradesh government for its 28 Mega Watt peak (MWp) rooftop solar project. Also, MPUVNL, which recently floated the tender for the project, is implementing the project under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) mode. Moreover, the bids will be submitted for the tender by July 9, and the financial bid will be opened on 19th July. MPUVNL further said that “Under the RESCO model, the project developer will invest, build and operate the rooftop solar project by using the mix of ‘its own funds’ and ‘taking debt’, to generate electricity and sell it to the beneficiary.” According to the provisions of the tender, the rooftop solar power projects are targeted for commissioning within nine months from the date of execution of the power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the beneficiary procurers.
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leadership position.” “We aim to make the country self-sufficient in energy generation and be a support to attain world leadership in this sector. TPREL is towards Tata Power group’s renewable energy portfolio and achieve 30-40% generation capacity through clean energy sources. To achieve this goal, we are evaluating clean and green energy projects which are in line with our core business value of sustainable growth & returns to the shareholders and will further enhance and increase our clean energy footprint,” said AshishKhanna, President-Renewables, Tata Power. For this project MSEDCL had invited bids through competitive bidding process and e-reverse auction for a period of 25 years.
ACME Group Won 50 MW Solar Power Project in SECI Reverse Auction
In an auction conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), ACME Group said it has won 50 MW solar power project at Gujrai solar park in Uttar Pradesh. According to the company statement, ACME won the contract in the reverse auction, invited by the SECI for Gujrai solar park, a company statement said. SECI had invited solar tenders with cumulative capacity of 275 MW to be executed at multiple solar parks in Uttar Pradesh. “ACME participated in the bidding process for 50 MW at Gujrai solar park in Kanpur dehat district of Uttar Pradesh and won it at a tariff of Rs 3.38 per cent unit. It is a very tough project due to site access, soil condition, difficult contour, high wind speed and lower GHI (Global Horizontal Irradiance). The tariff remains lower than forbearance price of Rs 3.48 per unit,” the statement said. "We wanted to learn from this project and use our innovation and execution capabilities to meet the customer expectation. I'm happy that our team has done this. We will build special structure and balance of plant to meet site condition," said Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, Founder and Chairman ACME Group in the statement. ACME has 30 MW operational project in UP and decided to expand its footprints in the state. By winning this bid, ACME will now sign a 25 year PPA with SECI who will sell power to state utilities of Uttar Pradesh.
UPDATES
Vikram Solar Commissions 10 MW Solar Project in Madhya Pradesh
At the ordnance factory in Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh Vikram Solar has commissioned a 10 MW solar power project for Bharat Electronics Limited. The Ordnance Factory in Itarsi will use the power that is generated from this captive power plant. According to the company statement, it will be responsible for installation of that plant, and apart from that the company will also provide operations and maintenance (O&M) service to the plant for a period of 10 years from the date of commissioning. Director of Sales-EPC, Vikram Solar, Rohit Dhar said, "The large expanse of black soil in
the area posed a challenging environment to work during the monsoon. We understand that no project is without its set of challenges and our team constantly strives to overcome these hurdles by exercising superior operational practices in the field along with robust planning and execution capabilities.” It is a 10 MW plant project and has 35,360 modules powering the whole unit. Vikram Solar has 750 MW (commissioned + under execution) EPC capacity. Vikram Solar Limited (formerly known as Vikram Solar Pvt. Ltd.) is a globally recognized leading solar energy solutions provider, specializing in high efficiency PV module manufacturing and comprehensive EPC solutions. With an international presence across 6 continents, it is an active contributor in shaping the solar revolution. A fully forward-integrated Solar EPC solutions provider, the company deploys world-class technology to design, install and commission benchmark solar projects worldwide. Vikram Solar Limited has a track record of installing & commissioning more than 750 MW+ of solar projects across India.
Tata Power Renewable Energy Inks PPA with GE for Solar Rooftop Solns Tata Power’s wholly-owned arm Tata Power Renewable Energy has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with GE to provide solar rooftop solutions for 6 manufacturing and services sites in India. Further, the project would be executed on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis, it said. “Tata Power will install solar rooftop projects at manufacturing sites located at Durgapur in West Bengal, Pallavaram and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, multi-modal manufacturing site at Pune and upcoming factory at Marhowra in Bihar and maintenance facility at Roza in Uttar Pradesh,” the company said in a statement. Moreover, the solar rooftop projects installation
will help to generate over 1 million kWh of electricity per year, and will lead to an average tariff reduction of around 30 percent, it further added. Commenting on the development, Tata Power (Renewables), President, Ashish Khanna said, “We are hopeful that the renewable segment will also be encouraged by these cost optimised energy solutions.” “India is an important manufacturing base for GE and sustainability is at the core of our business. Generation of solar power at our manufacturing plants will help us in reducing our carbon footprint,” said Amit Kumar, Vice President, Supply Chain - GE India and South-East Asia.
PROJECTS
Radite Energy Secures 70 MW Solar Project from Azure Power
In a significant development, Gurgaon based Radite Energy has bagged 70 MW solar project from Azure Power for Pavagada solar park located in Karnataka. This is the third biggest order in continuation that the company has secured from Azure Power after completion of projects in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, as confirmed by the company’s spokesperson. As per the deal, the company is responsible for complete turnkey solution from designing to installation. He further added that, in the coming months, Radite Energy is targeting for 250 MW solar project from Azure Power. While in December 2017, Radite Energy had won turnkey solution project for 40 MW solar power plant in Gujarat from Azure Power. As per the deal, the company was responsible for providing end to end solution from designing to installation of the 40 MW solar plant. Radite Energy is a distinguishable complete turnkey solutions provider for solar energy and is one of the fastest growing company in this space. Meanwhile, the company is consistently striving to deliver excellence.
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PROJECTS
UPDATES
NTPC Issues 36 MW Tenders for Solar Projects in Telangana, Gujarat To develop the grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed in the states of Telangana and Gujarat, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) have issued tenders for total of 36 MW. For the solar PV project in Ganghar, Gujarat, NTPC is looking for engineering procurement construction (EPC) contractor to develop a 21 MW capacity of plant. The deadline for bid-submission is 26 July 2018. Also, to develop a 15 MW of grid-connected solar PV project in Ramagundam, Telangana, the public utility seeks an EPC contractor for the project. The scope of work includes the design, EPC, testing and commissioning of the solar
PV projects and they will be developed on turnkey basis. The funds for these projects will come from the treasury of NHPC. The successful bidders will also provide operation and maintenance (O&M) services
for a three-year period for each project and the modules can be sourced from anywhere for the projects. In May 2018, NTPC had tendered a total of 102 MW of grid-connected solar PV projects to be developed across the country. NTPC has approximately 870 MW of projects in operation and another 750 MW of projects are in the pre-construction stage. These projects in the pre-construction stage will be developed at Ananthapuramu Ultra Mega Solar Park in Nambulapulakunta mandal located in the Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh. NTPC had issued tenders for the 750 MW capacity in March 2018.
NMC, PGCIL to Set up Floating Solar Delhi’s 7 Govt Colonies to be Power Plant on Gorewada Lake More Greener; Mulls to Go Solar Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Power Grid Corporation
The idea of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs to redevelop seven government colonies of the national capital will lead to an increase in the green area coverage by about 3-times against the existing green space area. These government colonies include Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Mohammadpur, Sriniwaspuri, Kasturba Nagar and Thyagaraj Nagar. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs said in a statement that, the compensatory plantation of trees will be done in the ratio of 1:10 thereby resulting in enhanced tree coverage area. It further added that, the re-development will be done with complete adherence to environmental sustainability and green building concepts and special care and attention will be given towards retaining maximum number of existing trees and incorporating them in large cluster as an integral part of landscaping design scheme. Moreover, solar panels will be installed in the upcoming complexes to generate renewable energy and the total solar power generation in the 7 GPRAs will be 5,654 KW. Besides, in the new construction ground coverage will be restricted to 15-20 percent against the existing ground coverage of 50 percent and the green area will be 50 percent.The Ministry is also planning for the plantation/ transplantation in the colonies as green barrier along boundary to cover main roads. Another feature of the redeveloped colonies will be orientation of houses as per sun path to avoid heat gain in the building and green terraces to mitigate heat gain. The upcoming complexes are being developed by providing green spaces, with lush green trees around the constructed building, it added.
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of India Limited (PGCIL) have decided to setup a floating solar power plant on Gorewada Lake to fulfill its electricity needs. This project is the first of it’s in the Maharashtra. Water treatment plant (WTP) that is adjacent to the lake will be the first beneficiary of the power generated from the panels. The plan is to generate 3MW solar power from the project expected to cost Rs18 crore. As per NMC officials, three WTPs — Pench-I, II and III situated adjacent to Gorewada lake can run entirely on the 3MW solar power during daytime, saving huge expenses of NMC. Power Grid team comprising executive director Sanjay Garg, manager Anurag Shrivastav and deputy manager Dr Vinay Senre made presentation of the proposed project before the NMC officials. An official from NMC electrical department told Power Grid will now prepare detailed project report (DPR) of the project and submit with the NMC. “Power Grid came up with pre-feasibility report of the project. Project is feasible and beneficial for NMC. Decision on who will set up, operate and maintain the unit will be taken after submission of DPR,” he said. “We were planning to set up panels in and around WTPs. It would have occupied huge space. We bring water from Totladoh (Pench) reservoir and put it in Gorewada lake, which is owned by NMC itself. Then, the water is pumped and treated at the three WTPs. Therefore, the project will be feasible and requires no more stress,” he said. Deputy mayor Deepraj Pardikar, municipal commissioner Virendra Singh, leader of opposition Tanaji Wanve, additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Kumbhare, chief engineer Manoj Talewar, executive engineer (electrical) Sanjay Jaiswal, ADTP Pramod Gawande, deputy executive engineer Dipak Chitnis and other NMC officials were present.
FEATURE
China’s - New Solar Policies &
Change in Markets
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n the first week of June, the china dropped bombshell solar policy change that sent ripples across the board. The country rolled back the subsidies solar developers would enjoy from the government. The change in the Chinese solar policy will also mean the halting of approvals for new solar projects across
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the country in 2018. This would mean ease of pace of expansion of solar industry and management of around $17 billion in subsidy bills. The announcement of guidelines for the solar industry was made by the country’s National Energy Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance. The market in China is expected to slow down and would compel the manufacturers to look for overseas shipping of their panels and other equipment. Also, with the tap on government subsidies turned off, and the subsequent decline in the costs of equipment Chinese developers will surely look for international investment.
FEATURE
The Chinese government in their statement said, the measure is aimed at promoting the solar energy sector’s sustainable development, enhancing its development quality and speeding up the reduction of subsidies. It was only in 2015 when China became the global leader in solar capacity. It accounted for nearly 54 % of global PV installation in 2017 and is growing to show upward trends since then. In one of the GTM research, the analysts say that the reduced demand from China will lead to an oversupply in the global market. Reinforcing the assertions of Chinese authorities an analyst said, “This not only sets the market up for an oversupplied second half of the year but since China is such a large driver of global demand, it also suggests that suppliers need to slow down manufacturing investments, lest they extend the oversupply cycle beyond 2018.” Although the drop in local demand in China will help the developing countries like India, due to the cost reduction, however, it has chances of remaining static due to the restart of EU’s solar program. A c c o rd i n g t o S i r J o h n T M a r t i n o f Talesun,“Europe has restarted its solar program and Chinese manufacturers prefer selling their panels to the European market than to India because they get a better price. So I don’t see that the prices are going to go down that much for the imported panels in India.” Having said that prices in the global market can still go down given the fact China’s local demand will be less and global market will be overflowed. There are international ramifications of the Chinese new solar policy as well. The oversized positioning of China and the sudden changes in the policies would have short-term ramifications as well. There is a possibility, at least in the short term, of shortage of the equipment. Because of China’s outsized positioning, the global market will certainly take a hit, at least in the short term. In the times when there were changes in the US in solar tariffs which during their early months caused some disruption in the market, similarly, the
disruption in the market is expected due to these policies.The near-term market turmoil due to change in policies would also propel grid parity and has a potential of higher penetration of PV in the newer markets. The decline in price would not be confined to PV only but would affect the entire solar supply chain including solar modules. In a 2017 study, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) wrote, "Over 70% of China’s large-scale wind and solar projects have been installed in the resource-rich northern regions featuring low electricity demand and low export capacity." Moreover, China's "lack of transmission lines to export electricity from the renewable energy mega-bases has been the major cause of renewables curtailment." Curtailment is stranded power that is generated but cannot get into the grid. BNEF says China's renewable power generators "face the worst curtailment rates in the world, with the national average curtailment ratio in 2016 at 17% for wind and 10% for solar." Policymakers and market analysts are keeping their eyes on the outlook of solar industry for next two to three years to gauge the real damage or benefit of the solar policy change in China. It is imperative to mention here that global solar market is very competitive. In most of the countries, the solar power is among the cheapest source of electricity and from last two years it is the biggest industry in terms of net-addition and capacity. The international solar market will become more competitive once the effects of the new policies are gauged properly. There is, however, good news for India visà-vis Chinese policy changes in the sector. India imports almost 70-80% of photovoltaic panels from China and Malaysia, of which 50-60% are imported from China only. Any alteration in the policies or the local market in China will directly affect, positively as well as negatively, Indian market. First thing first, the reduction in the products like photovoltaic panels is inevitable. Similarly, the other equipment like cells and glasses that are imported from China will also see the reduction in prices. Similarly, the tariffs in India, which hit Rs
2.44 per KW in May 2017, may go below than that. The reduction in overall prices may help in many ways. Indian has set the target, under Narendra Modi dispensation, for 2022. The country has pledged to double its renewable power capacity to 175 GW by the end of 2022. The target will make India second to China in terms of calmative production in the industry. Whatever the manufacturing capacity of China may be, their holding back certainly flood the global market with their manufacturing capacity, this will have a direct impact on prices, and will, in turn, reduce the tariff prices across the board. According to the statement by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s maximum annual solar-cell manufacturing capacity is about 3 gigawatts while average yearly demand is 20 gigawatts, meaning the remainder needs to be procured from the international market. Given the fact China has changed its solar policies, it may compel them to curtail their exports and the countries that see grid parity like India will get a boost in installation because of the cheaper prices. Although there are multiple hurdles in terms of policy and regulations, despite all that solar power sector in the country has seen a boom in the last couple of years and the growth trajectory is showing upward trends only. India now stands at 22,000 MW of solar capacity and in 2017 alone nearly 40% of the total addition in the grids came from solar projects only. There are certain segments in which India has started to move ahead of China; however, the head start of China has kept them ahead of overall solar power capacity. Similarly, in terms of setting up of solar parks India is leading and among top world’s largest solar parks are being built in India. The under-construction parks include Bhadla Industrial Solar Park with 2225 MW capacity, Pavagada Solar park with the capacity of 2,000 MW, Ananthapuram- I Solar Park with 1500 MW capacity, Kadapa Ultra Mega Solar Park with 1,000 MW capacity and Rewa Solar Park with 750 MW capacity. - ZULKARNAIN@MEILLEURMEDIA.COM
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THE CONVERSATION
SACHIN JAIN Co-Founder & CEO Oriano Solar
Like energy conservation programmes, discoms can incentivize consumers that participate in green solar energy program through energy bill discounts, says Sachin Jain, Co-Founder & CEO Oriano Solar. In a conversation with Zulkarnain Banday, Saur Energy International, Sachin spoke about solar rooftop market in India and more. Following are the excerpts from the exclusive interview.
Q
How do you see Indian rooftop market emerging?
The Indian rooftop market has a huge potential. Currently, the C&I rooftop segment is adopting it through Capex or Opex model. Going forward, we see huge growth in the residential / household market as well.
Q
What challenges do you think Indian rooftop solar faces currently?
There is a lack of proper financing in the residential and small rooftop space. Most bank financing is aligned towards C&I IPPs. Additionally, adoption of solar energy has been in some select states. Successful case studies of net metering implementation need to be shared across states for wider adoption.
Q
What things need to be done by India to match the Chinese rooftop industry? Is there any possibility of India reaching where China is?
China rooftop industry has been growing significantly with support of incentives in terms of feed in tariff. Like energy conservation programmes, discoms can incentivize consumers that participate in green solar e n e r g y p ro g ra m through energy b i l l
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discounts. Additionally, to finance small roofs, there is a need to have proper rating system where banks can use these ratings to lend to households. Like accelerated depreciation available to industries, households should get income tax benefit for solar installations that can drive adoption at a mass level.
Q
How are declining EPC costs affecting your projects? Are your projects affected in terms of quality or otherwise?
Solar energy prices have come to levels now where payback to households and rooftop owners can be less than 5 years. Additionally, with technology advancement, we are seeing overall system quality of solar projects have significantly improved over the years.
Q
How and what kind of support do you provide to the customers?
We provide turnkey solution right from land, evacuation approval, modules, BoP to transmission line to both industries and IPPs.
Q
What will be your 3 key suggestions to policy makers to make India a truly solarized nation?
Some of key drivers which that we think can drive adoption at a mass level are: • Incentivizing households by giving income tax credit. • Ease of implementing net metering at household level. • Financing to small rooftops through dedicated programmes.
Q
Where does your company stand in the Indian solar market currently and what are your expectations form this Financial year?
Oriano Solar aims to play to important role in driving C&I market adoption in India and has installed over 150 MW of projects for leading companies and IPPs. We plan to install around 150 to 200 MW this financial year.
UPDATES
MILESTONES
Surat to be India’s First Smart City with Solar Power The consultative committee members of the Ministry of urban development are on a visit to the city of Surat where they visited multiple projects that are being implemented by Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) under ‘Smart City Mission’. Under the Mission, the SMC with the investment of whooping Rs 2908 crore are implementing the development works in the city. As for now 31 projects are under implementation stage and 14 projects have already been completed. Furthermore, 13 projects under the mission are to be tendered soon. The delegation to the city was led by the Minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh
Puri. The delegation visited eight projects being implemented under the Surat Smart City Mission. The delegation saw tertiary treatment plant, smart dustbins in Limbayat, solar energy plant, vertical gardens, housing project at Parvat, BRTS road and BRTS model station in Adajan, Fort and command and control system at SMC’s main building. “The delegation comprised six MPs and CEOs of seven cities among others. The members of the delegation were quite impressed with the ongoing and completed projects. The Delhi Municipal Corporation would be replicating the smart dustbin project in the capital city. Nearly 75 smart dustbins would
be installed there before July-end,” said Municipal commissioner M Thennarasan. The Union minister wanted SMC to expedite the Integrated Traffic Control System (ITCS) project in the city. He also wanted helmets to be made compulsory in the city for twowheeler riders. The team viewed presentations given by the CEOs of Pune, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, New Delhi and Surat on the work being undertaken in their respective cities under the Smart City Mission. This is first time that a parliamentary consultative committee on Smart City Mission is visiting Surat.
Tata Power Gets Sandvik India Gender Award 2018 under CSR Category Integrated power company Tata Power has won the Sandvik India Gender Award (SIGA) 2018 under the Corporate Organization CSR category in Pune. The award recognized the company’s excellence and commitment towards gender equality and diversity in its operational areas. It was presented by Vandana Chavan, Ex- Mayor, Pune, to Atul Karwatkar, Senior Specialist, Maval Tata Power. The SIGA award is a unique platform recognizing individuals who demonstrate exemplary leadership in promoting gender equality across the organization. Further, the award saw a participation of 384 entries under 8 categories including individual, NGO, social venture, corporate policy, CSR, CBO and government sectors. The grand jury for the awards was Ulrika Sundberg, Consul General of Sweden, Erwin Steinhauser, Managing Director, Sandvik India and Ajit Chaudhary, Tata Sons along with other eminent panelists. Commenting on the award win, Tata Power, CEO & Managing Director, Praveer Sinha said, “It gives us immense pleasure to be elected as one of the leading Corporate Organization under the CSR category out of the 24 panellists. Such platforms
highlight our efforts in bringing a holistic transformation by promoting gender equality and diversity. We will continue to promote this ideology and revolutionize the mind-set of society at large.” While praising Tata Power’s achievement in building an organisation with a focussed approach to promote gender diversity, Sandvik India, MD, Erwin Steinhauser said, “As an ambassador of Sandvik India, it gives me great pride to award Tata Power for their exemplary dedication in promoting gender equality. By developing women’s potential by utilizing their talents and
skills, they have fortified gender equality in opportunities and benefits generating higher economic growth.” During the selection process, the awardees went through 3 crucial stages and were awarded on the basis of criteria like fostering and promoting an inclusive approach in the communities, challenging and overcoming conscious and subconscious bias, developing a gender-balanced leadership in the workplace and helping women achieve their ambitions personally and professionally.
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UPDATES
CleanMax Solar bags FT, IFC Transformational Business Awards 2018 In the Transformational Business Award 2018, CleanMax Solar, a sustainability partner for India’s leading corporates, has won the Financial Times (FT) & International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) award for ‘Achievement in Transformational Infrastructure’ in London. The company was shortlisted out of 189 entries received from across 126 countries, thus making CleanMax Solar the first Indian company to win this award in category with Tata Motors at their Sanand facility in Gujarat. The award was received by Kuldeep Jain, Founder and Managing Director, CleanMax Solar during awards ceremony held in London. Commenting on the occasion, Kuldeep Jain said, “We are extremely humbled and honored to receive this prestigious and globally regionsed award from Financial Times & IFC. It gives us motivation to continue working towards a sustainable future by providing innovative solutions which are also viable for corporates.” He added “I would like to thank FT/IFC Jury members for recognizing our endeavors and also all the employees and stakeholders at
CleanMax Solar who work relentlessly to ensure quality project delivery.” In 2015, CleanMax Solar provided a solar rooftop solution to the Tata Motors facility where the Tata Nano car is manufactured. The rooftop solar plant was developed on a “build-own-operate” model, which enabled Tata Motors to switch to solar power in zerocapex and risk-free manner. The project has helped Tata Motors in reducing its carbon footprint by 2700 tons annually for a period of 25 years and also locks in a large fraction of its electricity
cost from solar power, at a discount to grid electricity tariffs. It is estimated that Tata Motors is saving around INR 3 million annually. The solar plant has also reduced the indoor temperature of the factory and generated long-term local employment opportunities. This is the fifth edition of the FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards, the global programme highlighting innovative, long-term private sector solutions to major development challenges.
New Delhi Railway Station Awarded Silver Rating for Green Initiatives After being awarded with ‘silver’ rating by the Indian Green Building Council, New Delhi Railway Station has been declared ‘green station’. In whole of the northern railways network this is the first one to get the ‘green’ tag from the authority. Out of 100 the station scored 64 points for its environment-friendly initiatives like solar panels, solar geysers, green drives, 100% LED lights, water conservation and waste management. The station scored 64 out of 100 for its environment-friendly initiative like solar panels, 100% LED lights, solar geysers, green drives, waste management and water conservation. While a score between 50 and 60 secures a “certification”, those between 60 and 70 get classified in the silver
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category. If a building or location secures a rating between 70 and 80, it is classified as “gold” while the highest rating is “platinum” with a score over 80. The six broad parameters are considered by
the agency for certification are sustainable station facilities, health hygiene and sanitation, energy efficiency, water efficiency, smart and green initiatives and innovation. “This is recognition to all the multifarious initiatives we have taken to enhance passenger amenities, including energy and water conservations, solid waste management and housekeeping,” said a senior railway official. R N Singh, divisional railway manager, Delhi division said, “The certification is the outcome of massive efforts and tireless work for the past several months to improve and upgrade the most important railway terminal in India. Many more upgradations are planned that will make it more environment-friendly in the next six months.”
UPDATES
INOVATION
Solar Power System to Convert Plastic into Fuel Discovered by IIT Madras A solar powered system developed by the scientists from IIT Madras can convert non-recyclable plastic into fuel that can be used in place of generators, furnaces and engines run on diesel. The technology - which consists of a mobile unit that can collect and process waste currently yields around 0.7 litres of fuel oil per kilogramme of plastic, researchers said. "India produces approximately 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste in a day. Centralised systems for plastic waste management cannot work to effectively deal with this much plastic waste on a daily basis," said Ramya Selvaraj, a research student at the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in Tamil Nadu. "We thought that if the plastic can't come to the industry, let the industry come to the plastic," Selvaraj said. The team showcased its project on the occasion of the World Environment Day, hosted by the United Nations (UN) in New Delhi. "Our major proposition was instead of taking technology to waste, taking all the waste to a decentralised technology which is a very complex model in solid waste management," said Aravind E S, a research student at IIT Madras. "We found that the current plastic waste management systems were not working because of the logistics involved; there were
cost and space requirements that could not be met," Selvaraj added. Divya Priya was the team leader. She was assisted by technical guide Professor Indumathi Nambi of IIT Madras and Chinnai based NGO Sriram Narasimhan of Samridhi Foundation. "We have approached the government and municipal corporations in multiple cities in Tamil Nadu to put up the small recovery units at the material faculty in all the wards for waste collection and management. This can reduce costs involved in transportation, dumping sites and increase the efficiency with which the waste is dealt," Selvaraj added.
Solar-powered System Can Harvest Fresh Water from Air Using just solar power, the scientists have developed a system that can harvest water out of air which can be of great help for the people living in dry areas of the world. Omar Yaghi, who invented the technology underlying the harvester said, “It operates at ambient temperature with ambient sunlight, and with no additional energy input you can collect water in the desert. This laboratory-to-desert journey allowed us to really turn water harvesting from an interesting phenomenon into a science.� The trial in Scottsdale, where the relative humidity drops from a high of 40 per cent at night to as low as 8 per cent during the day, demonstrated that the harvester should be easy to scale up by simply adding more of the water absorber, a highly porous material called a metal-organic framework (MOF). Metal-organic frameworks are solids with so many internal channels and holes that a sugar-cube-size MOF might have an internal surface area the size of six football fields. This surface area easily absorbs gases or liquids but, just as important, quickly releases them when heated. The researchers anticipate that with the current MOF (MOF-801), made from the expensive metal zirconium, they will
ultimately be able to harvest about 200 millilitres of water per kilogramme of MOF. They have also created a new MOF based on aluminum, called MOF-303, that is at least 150 times cheaper and captures twice as much water in lab tests. This will enable a new generation of harvesters producing more than 400 millilitres of water per day from a kilogramme of MOF. "There has been tremendous interest in commercialising this, and there are several
startups already engaged in developing a commercial water-harvesting device," Yaghi said. "The aluminum MOF is making this practical for water production, because it is cheap," he said. For the study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers collected and measured the water and tested the latest generation harvester under varying conditions of humidity, temperature and solar intensity. VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
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Heraeus Joins Hand with Jinergy to Break Through Technical Barriers to Double Printing One of the leading suppliers of metallization solutions to PV industry, Heraeus Photovoltaics jointly with Jinergy Clean Energy Technology has developed and successfully ramped up the 18-μm opening screen printing process on solar cells. The company said in a statement that, this ultra-fine-line (UFL) printing process is the world’s first breakthrough in the doubleprint technology. As compared with the 22-μm opening screen printing employed in mass production, the 18-μm opening screen process has improved the efficiency by 0.05 percent and reduced the paste cost by over 15 percent, setting a technical benchmark in the quest for UFL printability, efficiency gains and cost leadership in the PV industry. During the signing ceremony at 2018 SNEC, Jinergy, General Manager, Liyou Yang said, “Ever since its inception, Jinergy has established and maintained a long-term strategic partnership with Heraeus. Without such a close collaboration and combined R&D strength and innovations, we would not be able to remove the technical barriers to UFL printing and therefore realize the 18-μm opening screen process.” “As two world-leading players in the PV manufacturing value chain, Heraeus and Jinergy will further our cooperation, make joint efforts to promote technical progress and development of the clean energy industry and make contributions to the society,” Yang added. “We are pleased to work with ambitious and innovative companies like Jinergy, to embrace changes and challenges in the PV industry.
This year will see a dynamic PV market. We believe these groundbreaking technologies and processes will fully play their roles in the PV industry. We are well prepared for this, and expect to further the cooperation with Jinergy to create more values for the PV value chain,” said Dr Weiming Zhang, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Heraeus Photovoltaics. As per the company statement, the 18-μm opening screen printing process is based on Heraeus SOL9642B series, a newly upgraded double-print front-side silver paste. Besides, this new generation product carries all the advantages of SOL9641A and 9641B platforms and ensures outstanding efficiency gain through improved double-print ultra-fine-line printability with higher aspect ratio, it added.
New Material for Solar Cells Discovered With AI Software Assistance Solar cells will play a crucial role in shifting to a renewable economy. Based on lightabsorbing organic molecule and combined with semiconducting polymer a new and promising class of solar cells called Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has been developed by the scientists in Japan. The product is made from inexpensive, lightweight materials, and has a good safety as well. However, for full-scale commercialization the ability of the product to convert light into electricity is too low and not up to mark. Researchers are working on power conversion efficiencies (PCEs)- the ability to convert light into electricity- of the project. The ability to convert light into electricity depends on both the organic and polymer layer. Although there were efforts by scientists to use different material for it
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however all the efforts lead to only waste of time and energy. However, a team of researchers at Osaka University have used computer power to automate the search for well-matched solar materials. According to the study which was reported in The Journal of Physics and Chemistry Letters, this could lead to vastly more efficient devices in the future. "The choice of polymer affects several properties, like short-circuit current, that directly determine the PCE," study first author Shinji Nagasawa explains. "However, there's no easy way to design polymers with improved properties. Traditional chemical knowledge isn't enough. Instead, we used artificial intelligence to guide the design process."Informatics can make sense of large, complex datasets by detecting statistical
trends that elude human experts. The team gathered data on 1,200 OPVs from around 500 studies. Using Random Forest machine learning, they built a model combining the band gap, molecular weight, and chemical structure of these previous OPVs, together with their PCE, to predict the efficiency of potential new devices. "Machine learning could hugely accelerate solar cell development, since it instantaneously predicts results that would take months in the lab," co-author Akinori Saeki says. “It's not a straightforward replacement for the human factor - but it could provide crucial support when molecular designers have to choose which pathways to explore.”
UPDATES
EV
Magenta Power Sets-up India’s 1st Solar Powered EV Charging Station; Mulls to Expand by Year End One of the leading service providers of renewable energy solutions, Magenta Power in association with Exicom installs country’s first solar charging station (DC fast charge) for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Turbhe, Navi Mumbai. The company also has aggressive plans in EV space and aims to set up 100 charging stations at various locations in Mumbai. It is also in discussions with various stakeholders to this end. The new charging station, which is called as Magenta Charging Station - 3, will cater to four-wheelers and these newly installed chargers will enable electric car users to charge their cars at any time safely and conveniently. Moreover, the grid-connected charging station will be powered by solar, which in turn makes the entire ecosystem totally free from fossil fuel. The company said in a statement that, “By reducing the carbon emissions to zero, it is the right solution for an eco-friendly environment.” While speaking on the occasion, Magenta Power, CEO, Maxson Lewis said, “We are very proud to set up our first solar based Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Navi Mumbai. It is also India’s first solar based EV charging station. Solar panels and electric vehicles are the perfect match that are certainly going to play a key role in the energy systems of the next 25 years. As the nation moves towards clean and affordable power for all, it is our
attempt to provide customers with the best
solutions for a greener tomorrow.”
SolarEdge Unveils EV Charging Station at Intersolar Europe Israel-based inverter solutions provider SolarEdge Technologies has unveiled its residential Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station at Intersolar Europe. Now, the company will also provide standalone EV charger that offers greater system design flexibility, specifically for sites where the inverter and EV charger cannot
be installed at the same location. Further, the new EV charger will be integrated into the company’s smart energy suite to support increased energy independence. Commenting on the development, SolarEdge, Founder, VP Marketing & Product Strategy, LiorHandelsman said, “This EV charger reflects our ongoing commitment to develop
smart energy solutions to improve the ways we produce and consume energy.” “With the EV and PV markets having significant overlap, SolarEdge believes that combining the two solutions will accelerate the adoption of both technologies and give individuals more control over their energy usage, thus reducing their carbon footprint,” he added.
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Tata Power Joins Hand with Tata Motors to Make Maharashtra EV Ready Integrated power company Tata Power has joined hands with Tata Motors to make Maharashtra EV ready and to establish electric vehicle charging stations in the state for public use. Further, Tata Motors has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to support the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy (2018) in accelerating the adoption of Electric Vehicles in the state. In order to mark the week-long World Environment Day celebration, Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis has inaugurated the new EV charging stations. There are 9 new places where the EV charging stations have come up including Matunga, BKC, Bhandup (near LBS Marg), Chembur, Malad (near Link Road) and Carnac Bundar (near Fort & Freeway). Commenting on the development, Tata Power, CEO & Managing Director, Praveer Sinha said, “We are committed to making Maharashtra EV ready and Government’s vision of providing green technology solutions. We are happy
to partner with Tata Motors to deliver on the Government and Group’s vision of improving India’s carbon footprint and enabling the customers with a sustainable future. We are happy to present Maharashtra with various electric vehicle charging stations that cover the wide expanse of the city.” “Tata Motors is committed to the Government’s vision of e-mobility in India. We are excited to join forces with the Government of
Maharashtra towards this endeavor. We are uniquely positioned to leverage the strength of our group companies to create an EV ecosystem. With our ready portfolio of EV offerings across our passenger and commercial vehicles, we are geared up to meet future requirements beyond the current tender commitments,” said GuenterButschek, CEO & MD, Tata Motors.
MP CM Shivraj Singh Launches Exicom’s Solar-Powered AC Charger on World Environment Day
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To mark the occasion of World Environment Day, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan has inaugurated an electric car and Exicom’s AC Charger run by solar energy in Madhya Pradesh. With this, the operations of e-vehicles and charging stations have begun in the state. Speaking on the occasion, CM Chouhan said that, “The temperature of the earth is increasing each day. Pollution caused by increasing number of vehicles is destroying the environment of the cities. He said the solar-run electric vehicle is a step to check pollution. Such an eco-friendly technology is welcome.” The Central Government started the National Electric Mobility Mission to promote electric vehicles for environmental protection. Under
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this, it has now decided to buy e-cars and set up charging infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh, after Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Commenting on the launch, Exicom, Managing Director, Anant Nahata said, “We are very happy and honored to play a leading role in the electric mobility evolution in the country. We are committed to building an efficient EV charging infrastructure across the country for creating an enabling ecosystem for EVs to operate smoothly. The Madhya Pradesh government’s progressive stand on EVs will surely contribute to a meaningful expansion of the electric ecosystem in the months and years ahead.” “Our solutions are capable to deliver the performance needed for anxiety free transport
at the lowest cost while also helping to solve many problems like reducing pollution and oil import. Exicom’s comprehensive portfolio of energy efficient advanced EV charging stations provide charging solutions to all kind of e-buses, e-cars, e-rickshaws, e-scooters and commercial electric-vehicles (EV), including the newly launched e-cars such as Tata Tigor and Mahindra Verito,” Nahata added. Meanwhile, Exicom EV AC Charger supports latest BEVC-AC001 specifications. It is designed with 3 sockets to charge up to 15A per socket (or 3.3KW). It is suitable for installation at the wide range of places including parking, service stations, commercial and residential through pedestal mount/ wall mount or pole mount.
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Jinkosolar Supplies High Efficiency Solar Modules to Green Light Contractors One of the leading PV module suppliers, JinkoSolar Holding has supplied 275.4 MWdc high efficiency modules to Green Light Contractors. These modules will be used in the Bungala Solar Farm near Port Augusta, South Australia, which is owned by a joint venture between Enel Green Power and Dutch Infrastructure Fund. Green Light Contractors, a subsidiary of Elecnor Group is EPC contractor for the Bungala project, which recently completed and started production at its first 137.7 MWdc phase. The Bungala project is the largest solar PV project under construction in Australia.
Commenting on the development, Green Light Contractors Projects Responsible for Australia, Pedro Fernandez said, “Bungala Solar Farm is nowadays a reference in the Australian solar scene. Green Light Contractors is really proud of being entrusted with the engineering, procurement and construction of this important milestone for
Kumbaya Becomes Member of GOGLA to Connect the Unconnected
California-based solar energy firm Kumbaya, the company behind the zeroXess solution for off-grid power, connectivity and content, has got the membership in the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), an independent, not-for-profit industry association that serves as the voice of the off-grid solar energy industry. The company’s mission is to connect the unconnected, bringing people in off-grid communities’ access to zeroXess, an economicallypriced home energy and communication hub. Kumbaya’s zeroXess uses a simple single board computer and is powered by 120W solar panels with industry-leading efficiency. Commenting on the development, GOGLA, Executive Director, Koen Peters said, “We are proud to accept Kumbaya as the newest member of GOGLA, and anticipate the company and its zeroXess solution will benefit tremendously from the network and resources available through membership.” “The products and solutions that GOGLA members promote transform lives by improving health and education, creating jobs and income opportunities and helping consumers save money, and Kumbaya’szeroXess exemplifies each of these attributes,” Peters added. GOGLA is the industry association of the off-grid lighting and electrification sector. It’s objective is to help the industry grow quickly but sustainably. With over 1 billion people living without access to electricity, about 1 in 7 people on earth, off-grid energy appliances and services can address this issue, particularly across developing and emerging countries.
the renewable energies in South Australia.” “Working closely with JinkoSolar in the supply of PV modules is for sure one of the keys of the good results that this project may achieve,” Fernandez added. Speaking on the matter, JinkoSolar, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, Gener Miao said, “We are pleased to work with Green Light Contractors on this remarkable project in South Australia.” “The Australian market is growing rapidly. We are working closely with local developers to build sustainable partnerships where they will be able to maximize their return on their investment from the superior performance of JinkoSolar’s products,” Miao added.
Uttarakhand HC Rules Against Solar Power Panels on Fields In an order, the Uttarakhand high court has said that the beneficiaries of the Centre’s rooftop solar energy scheme cannot set up their solar power panels and related equipment in grounds and agricultural fields. However, they can be setup at the ground level in their houses and compounds without any problem. Lalit Sharma, counsel for the central government, said, “The Centre objected to setting up of such solar projects in open fields and agricultural lands since they were meant for rooftops only.”The directions were issued by a single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. Under the Grid Interacted Rooftop and Small SPV (solar photo voltaic) Power Plant scheme, the Uttarakhand government is promoting use of small-scale rooftop solar power plants in the state. The National Solar Mission of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy provides a subsidy of 30% to the applicants. The system works on net metering basis wherein the beneficiary pays to the utility on net meter reading basis only. Alternatively two meters can also be installed to major the export and import of power separately. According to the scheme, ‘The feed in tariff for the power generated from the Solar Power Plant will be decided by Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) in such a manner that it provides a safeguard to all stakeholders including DISCOMs. The availability of electricity grid near the solar installation is an essential component which needs to be provided by the concerned agencies i.e. UPCL/PTCUL.’ VOL 2 l ISSUE 11 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
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JinkoSolar US Arm Inks Solar Panel Supply Pact with sPower One of the leading PV modules supplier JinkoSolar Holding’s US subsidiary has signed a three-year deal to supply 1.43 GW of high-efficiency modules to sPower. sPower is the leading renewable energy independent power producer (IPP). Further, the pact includes significant down payments, which will help Jinko expand its manufacturing capacity in the United States and Asia. Moreover, this major supply deal continues the strong strategic relationship between the two countries. To-date, the Chinese modules supplier has supplied over 800 MW approximately 2.5 million solar panels for sPower’s PV projects. Commenting on the deal, sPower, CEO, Ryan
Creamer said, “We have had a strong track record of success with JinkoSolar’s high quality and reliable modules, which is why we have signed another deal.” “JinkoSolar’s technology roadmap and cost leadership are also strong enablers for our future projects, and we look forward to maintaining our strong partnership,” Creamer added. “We are very pleased to work with sPower,” said Gener Miao, JinkoSolar Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Miao further added that “We value the opportunity to grow our business with a visionary like sPower. JinkoSolar has been investing heavily in advanced solar technologies, and these efforts have yielded
CEL Release EoI for PV Cell, Module Manufacturing in India A government enterprise, Central Electronics Ltd, (CEL) has invited expression of interest (EoI) for the construction of plants that would manufacture crystalline silicon (c-si) solar modules and cells. The main purpose of the initiative is to increase the production capacity of CEL and bring down the prices of photovoltaic (PV) cells in India. Its aim is to make components financially viable for the market. Not only cells but the CEL is also planning to expand India’s solar value chain by manufacturing ingots and silicon wafers. The EoI is open to “financially and technically capable foreign PV manufacturers” interested in entering a strategic alliance or joint venture for installing at least 100 MW of PV manufacturing capacity. Bids are due by June 25. Any financially and technically capable foreign PV manufacturers can submit documents to enter in to strategic alliance or joint venture (JV) for setting up a minimum of 100 MW solar PV modules capacity, said company. According to the company, CEL was the first Indian company to develop crystalline solar cells and modules in 1977-78 and has a 50-acre production facility in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh.
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major benefits.” The company has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 8 GW for silicon ingots and wafers, 5 GW for solar cells, and 8 GW for solar modules, as of December 31, 2017. It has eight production facilities globally, 16 overseas subsidiaries in Japan (2), Singapore, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates, and global sales offices in China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, United States, Brazil, Chile, Australia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates.
FORE Partnership Shakes Hand with Sunpreme for Bifacial Smart PV Panels Real estate investment fir m FORE Partnership has joined hands with global solar photovoltaic company, Sunpreme, for its Bifacial Smart Solar Panels. The company’s highly sustainable office development on Mount Street will feature Bifacial Smart Solar Panel, developed by Sunpreme based in California, US. These solar panels absorb light from both sides increasing energy yield (kWh) per kWp and generating additional electricity through reflective and diffuse light. FORE is the first real estate developer in the UK to use Sunpreme solar panels, having also installed them at its Yorkshire House building in Leeds and at 58 Victoria Embankment in London. Commenting on the development, FORE Managing Partner, Basil Demeroutis said, “Windmill Green is set to become Manchester’s most sustainable multi-let office building when it opens its doors later this summer. We have used Sunpreme solar PV in multiple commercial rooftop locations and they have incredible consistency, even with the mixed weather we can get in the UK. Given the reduction in feed-in tariffs, we need to find new ways to make
the economics of installing solar PVs pay, and Sunpreme does exactly that.” “We are really pleased to have forged such a channel partnership with Sunpreme. They have an incredible reputation for innovation and world class quality, and we really want to push such innovative technologies on all of FORE’s one million plus square feet of real estate,” Demeroutis added. Meanwhile, the energy generated will be used to power all of the lighting in the seven-storey building on the corner of Windmill Street and Mount Street in the city centre.
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Greenko’s Equity Raise, Acquisition Credit Positive, says Moody's Report Backing the renewable energy company’s buyout move, credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service in its report said, the acquisition of Orange Renewables Singapore in USD 922 million by Greenko Energy Holdings (GEH) and its additional equity raise of USD 447 million from the shareholders is a major positive for the clean energy company. According to the Moody’s report, “GEH’s credit profile will benefit from the cash-flowgenerating ability of Orange Renewables assets and the continued demonstration of shareholder commitment and support. The acquisition confirms GEH’s expansion ambitions, which will entail execution risk and funding needs.” Greenko will acquire Orange Renewables Singapore for a total enterprise value of approximately USD 922 million, which has 907 MW of solar and wind assets and
pipeline assets of over 500 MW. The renewable energy firm has signed the agreements for a primary equity raising of USD 447 million from an affiliate of GIC and an entity that is ultimately wholly-owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). Further, GIC invested its share, being USD 316.1 million, while ADIA will invest the remaining USD 79.3 million and Greenko Ventures will invest USD 52 million. However, GIC continues to maintain their current majority shareholding.
The Moody’s report further stated that, the additional equity injection beyond the acquisition requirement demonstrates shareholders’ commitment to GEH. “The shareholder equity injection reinforces our expectation that GEH’s ultimate shareholders, GIC, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Greenko Ventures (held by the founders) will provide support to the Greenko group in case of need,” the report added. Including the latest equity injection, the shareholders have so far injected USD 1.4 billion into GEH over the past three years to help finance the development and construction of GEH’s renewable energy portfolio. In addition, the majority shareholder is closely involved in GEH’s strategy, risk management as well as corporate governance, Moody’s said.
World to Get 50% Electricity from Wind and Solar by 2050, says Report The world will generate half of the power generation from solar and wind by 2050 on account of precipitous reductions in cost, and the advent of cheaper and cheaper batteries that will enable electricity to be stored and discharged to meet shifts in demand and supply, according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report. BNEF in its report ‘New Energy Outlook (NEO) 2018’ states, this year’s outlook is the first to highlight the huge impact that falling battery costs will have on the electricity mix over the coming decades. It predicts that lithium-ion battery prices, already down by nearly 80% per megawatt-hour since 2010, will continue to tumble as electric vehicle manufacturing builds up through the 2020s. “We see $548 billion being invested in battery capacity by 2050, two thirds of that at the grid level and one third installed behindthe-meter by households and businesses,”
said Seb Henbest, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for BNEF and lead author of NEO 2018. Henbest further added that, “The arrival of cheap battery storage will mean that it becomes increasingly possible to finesse the delivery of electricity from wind and solar, so that these technologies can help meet
demand even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. The result will be renewables eating up more and more of the existing market for coal, gas and nuclear.” BNEF in its outlook sees $11.5 trillion being invested globally in new power generation capacity between 2018 and 2050, with $8.4 trillion of that going to wind and solar and a further $1.5 trillion to other zero-carbon technologies such as hydro and nuclear. NEO 2018 further stated that, this investment will produce a 17-fold increase in solar photovoltaic capacity worldwide, and a sixfold increase in wind power capacity. The levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE, from new PV plants is forecast to fall a further 71% by 2050, while that for onshore wind drops by a further 58%. These two technologies have already seen LCOE reductions of 77% and 41% respectively between 2009 and 2018.
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India’s Utility Solar Capacity Grows 72% in 2017-18: Report Solar consultancy firm ‘Bridge To India’ in its latest annual report on the sector said that India’s utility solar capacity grew by a whopping 72 percent in FY18 as compared to the previous year. It installed 9.1 GW of utility solar over 5.5 GW in 2016-17. The total solar installation was 10.4 GW, the rest comprising rooftop solar plants and off-grid solutions, taking India’s cumulative solar capacity to 24.4 GW, it said. The report further noted that solar capacity addition in FY18 was higher than that of all other energy sources, conventional and renewable, combined. In comparison coal
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and wind only added 4.6 GW and 1.7 GW respectively. Among the states, Karnataka added the most capacity at 4.1 GW, which was 46 percent of total capacity installed in 2017-18, followed by Telangana (3.28 GW), Rajasthan (2.3 GW), Andhra Pradesh (2.28 GW) and Tamil Nadu (1.86 GW). According to the study, Adani Green Energy, Renew Power and Acme Solar were the top 3 developers in FY18, installing a total capacity of 2.3 GW among them. Commenting on the development, Bridge to India, Managing Director, Vinay Rustagi said,
“Indian solar market has grown spectacularly over last four years. But we are still only at 24.4 GW, way short of the 100 GW target.” The study, however, estimates that capacity addition will be lower in FY19 because of a slowdown in tender activity in late 2016 and early 2017. The majority of installations this year were driven by state government tenders. Rustagi further added that, “While falling prices and government support have helped in boosting demand, supply side factors like land and transmission still remain a concern.”
Lower Incentives for Chinese Solar Developers to Benefit India: ICRA
Higher RPOs to Help India Meet 175 GW Renewable Target, says Greenpeace
Credit rating agency ICRA said that the reduction in subsidies for solar energy projects in China will benefit Indian solar independent power producers (IPPs) with softer module prices. The agency said in a statement that revision in feed-in tariff rates and imposition of installation caps for solar power projects by the Chinese government is expected to negatively affect the demand for solar modules in China. As per the ICRA statement that, it has not only imposed a cap of 10 GW for new distributed generation solar power projects based on feed-in tariff in CY2018, against 19 GW installed in 2017, but further has removed the capacity target for utility scale projects and stated that no new utility scale projects should be awarded on feed-in tariff basis. “The policy changes in China are likely to impact the domestic demand for solar PV modules and consequently result in a softening of export prices for Chinese PV module manufacturers. This is likely to result in lower equipment costs for Indian developers/IPPs. “On the other hand, the aforesaid softening in the module price levels internationally is likely to be a negative for domestic module and cell manufacturers due to increase in competitive pressures through imports,” said Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Vice President & Group Head, ICRA Ratings. From an aggregate 5.5 GW solar power capacity that has been bid out during FY2018, as much as 2.9 GW has been bid at tariffs equal to or lower than Rs 3 per unit. Meanwhile, the developers have based the bids on expectations of fall in imported module prices and certain other advantages like availability of land and evacuation infrastructure for projects in solar parks.
Greenpeace India said that 21 per cent target of Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) by 2022 will be helping India in meeting the renewable energy goal of 175 GW till 2022, but RPO compliance by discoms is critical. The global environmental group’s India branch in a statement said, “The Union government's decision to increase RPO of state distribution companies from 17 percent in 2019 to 21 percent by 2022 has been welcomed by Greenpeace India, while also warning that ensuring the Discoms compliance is critical. The RPO target will help India meet its 175 GW renewable energy target under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.” In a statement Greenpeace India, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Pujarini Sen said, “Most state Discoms have failed to comply with existing RPO targets and do not seem to be serious about making the shift to clean energy. According to a 2017 Greenpeace analysis, only 6 states were able to meet the RPO targets, so it's great that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has now established an RPO Compliance Cell, though there is no clarity yet on what penalties could be imposed for non-compliance.” Further, to actually meet the new RPOs, state and private Discoms will need to implement new & creative renewable projects and not rely on large solar or wind farms alone, it said. It further added that, MNRE’s recently announced Kusum scheme to promote solar arrays connected to irrigation pumps can play a key role in helping states fulfil their RPOs.
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Azure Power Raises $135 Mn via Debt Financing from IFC Consortium Indian solar power producer Azure Power has raised USD 135 million through debt financing from a consortium led by International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC led consortium also includes other lenders like FMO - the Dutch development bank, Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la CoopérationEconomique (Proparco) – the French development finance institution, and OesterreichischeEntwicklungsbank AG (OeEB) – the development bank of Austria. The company said in a statement that this is the largest solar rooftop debt financing in India and it will use these proceedings to finance approximately 200 MWs of its solar rooftop projects across the country.
Commenting on the development, Azure Power, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Inderpreet Wadhwa said, “This financing will enable us to rapidly expand our Azure Roof Power platform in India and lower the energy bills of our customers
BHEL Gets EPC Orders Worth Over Rs 125 Cr to Set-up PV Plants in Gujarat
State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has won the two orders in Gujarat worth aggregating more than Rs 125 crore for setting up of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) power plants on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. The company has bagged the first order from Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (GACL) for setting up of a 20 MW SPV power plant. On the other hand, it has secured the other EPC order from Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFC) for setting up of a 10 MW SPV power plant. Further, both the solar power plants will be set up at Gujarat Solar Park, Charanka, Gujarat. With these orders, the company’s solar capacity under execution at Gujarat Solar Park has reached 120 MW while its solar portfolio has risen to 580 MW.Currently, BHEL is executing over 210 MW of ground-mounted and rooftop solar PV projects in India. Moreover, the company has been contributing to the national initiatives for developing and promoting renewable energy based products on a sustained basis, since past three decades. BHEL has enhanced its state-of-the-art manufacturing lines of solar cells and solar modules. In addition to this, space-grade solar panels using high efficiency cells and space-grade battery panels are also being manufactured by the company at its Bengaluru plant. Meanwhile, the company offers EPC solutions for both off-grid and grid-interactive SPV power plants and has set up solar plants in various locations in India including the Lakshadweep Islands for island electrification.
by providing clean and sustainable solar energy. Rooftop financing in India remains challenging and this facility is a testament to our strong financing, project development, engineering and execution capabilities.” “Earlier, we had invested approximately USD 30 million in Azure Power, and this will be our second investment in the company, which is testament to FMO's commitment to clean energy initiatives in India and our support of Azure Power,” said Linda Broekhuizen, Chief Investment Officer, FMO. The company offers rooftop solar power solutions for commercial, industrial, government, and institutional customers in cities across India.
REC Pledges $1 Mn Contribution towards ISA
Rural Electrification Corporation, (REC) a state-run power sector financier has announced to pump in $ 1 million in the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA). According to REC statement, “In view of the World Environment Day 2018, REC contributed USD one million to the International Solar Alliance becoming a corpus contributor.” In presence of the Power Minister R K Singh, REC's Director (Technical) S K Gupta and other senior officials from the two organizations, the REC Chairman and Managing Director P V Ramesh handed over the cheque to Interim Director General of ISA Upendra Tripathy. The pact was inked on June 4 at the World Environment Day exhibition in New Delhi. "The REC is extremely proud to partner with ISA and promote sustainability through global collaboration, especially with India hosting the World Environment Day this year," Ramesh said. Apart from financing projects in the power sector value chain of the country REC is also increasing its energy portfolio in renewable energy and is entering into the storage infrastructure and e-vehicle industry. ISA is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community, including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and other stakeholders, can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner.
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Piyush Goyal Inaugurates NLCIL’s Rs 1,302 Cr Solar PV Projects in TN The Union Minister for railways, coal, finance & company affairs, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the Rs 1,302 crore worth of Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Ltd (NLCIL)’s three 100 MW solar power projects for commercial operation in Tamil Nadu. These projects are located at Thoppalaakkarai and Sethupuram in Virudhunagar district and SellaiyaSezhiyanallur in Tirunelveli district of the state. The three solar plants are having an installed capacity of 100 MW each and were erected at a cost of Rs 1300 crore, including operation & maintenance cost for 15 years. Moreover, the power produced from these plants will be provided to Tamil Nadu Power
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Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO) at a cost of Rs 4.41 per unit. The Minister in his inaugural address appreciated the CSR initiatives of the organization. Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the company and Anna University. This MOU was signed by
Dr V. Manoharan, General Manager/ Centre for Applied Research & Development, NLCIL, Neyveli and Dr S. Ganesan, Registrar, Anna University, Chennai. The MoU would help set up a pilot project on solar drying of lignite, in order to increase its caloric value from 2700 Kcal to 4350 Kcal. The cost of the pilot project is Rs 2 crore 69 lakh. The company is a ‘Navratna’ profit making, Government of India Enterprise engaged in mining of lignite and generation of power through lignite based thermal power plants. It was established by GoI in 1956, following the discovery of lignite deposits in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu.
India Offers $75 Mn Credit Support for 100 MW Solar Project in Cuba
Greenko in Advance Stages of Buying Essel Infra’s Solar Business
During the third leg of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind’s three nation tour, India offered a USD 75 million credit support to Cuba for a 100 MW solar power project. The President's Secretariat said in a statement that, “India offered a line of credit of US Dollars 75 million to support a 100 Mega Watt solar power project in Cuba.” After a ceremonial welcome at the Revolution Palace, President Kovind led the delegation level talks with the Cuban side led by President Diaz-Canel. During talks, both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of renewable energy, biotechnology, traditional medicine and trade and investment. Besides, President Kovind also thanked President Diaz-Canel for Cuba’s becoming a founding member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and sought his support to help the Alliance combat climate change. Moreover, India also offered additional 10 slots to Cuba under the ITEC program, taking the total annual scholarships given to Cuba to 70. Currently, President of India Ram Nath Kovind is on a three nations tour to Greece, Suriname and Cuba. During his visit to Suriname, President Kovind announced that India will extend concessional financing of USD 20 million for setting up a solar project in Suriname to provide clean energy to a cluster of 49 villages. In addition, India will extend a line of credit of USD 27.5 million to support a power transmission project in Pikin Saron area.
A part of Subhash Chandra-led Essel group, Essel Infraprojects is in advance stage of selling 685 MW solar business to Greenko group. The potential size of the deal could be at around $ 1 bn. Apart from Greenko, global private equity fund Actis and Tata Power were also in the race to buy the assets of Essel. However, their deals did not go through. When contacted, an Essel spokesperson told sources, "As an infrastructure conglomerate, we keep on evaluating various opportunities. However, we would not like to comment on market speculation."Greenko also declined to comment on the deal. Essel has a total portfolio of 23 projects, under various stages of development, with nearly 310 MW of operational solar power facilities, which it had bid for under the National Solar Mission and state government auctions, and another 375 MW capacity under construction. Greenko, backed by Singapore's GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), has recently bought wind and solar energy producer Orange Renewables for an enterprise value of about USD 1 billion. GIC and ADIA have recently invested USD 450 million more in Greenko Energy Holdings, which has over 3,200 MW of operating capacity. In 2016, Greenko acquired SunEdison's Indian assets at an enterprise value of USD 392 million.
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Greenko Agrees to Buy Orange Renewables for $1 Billion With the acquisition of solar and wind portfolio of Orange Renewables for $1 billion, the Greenko Group is set to have its largest deal so far. The deal would include the taking over of debt of $680 million by Greenko. The deal would mean taking over of 708 MW of operational projects which include 140 MW of Solar PV projects and 560 MW of wind power projects. Also, the under construction wind projects of 200 MW would be overtaken by the Greenko from Orange Renewables. The acquisition would mean Greenko standing at par with ReNew Power in terms of the total operating capacity of nearly 4.3 GW. It will surpass the Tata Power who has generated the total of 2 GW from renewable energy so far. Orange Renewable is engaged in the development and management of projects
across the renewable energy spectrum that includes Solar and Wind energy. The company is owned by Singapore-based AT Capital with an Indian-born billionaire Arvind Tiku as its main sponsor. The headquarters of Orange is in Delhi and has operations in five states across India. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra are the states in India where Orange has 750 MW of operational wind and solar generating plants. Similarly, the under-construction plants stand at the capacity of 250 MW. Earlier in 2016, Greenko bought Indian portfolio of SunEdison for about $300 million. The company is Hyderabad based and has in past 18 months raised more than $2 billion through equity and debt; however, it will purchase the Orange via its internal reserves.
India Extends $20 Mn Concessional Financing for Solar Project in Suriname In a move to provide clean energy to a cluster of 49 villages, President of India Ram Nath Kovind said that India will extend concessional financing of USD 20 million for setting up a solar project in Suriname. “In addition, India will extend a line of credit of USD 27.5 million to support a power transmission project in Pikin Saron area and another line of credit of USD 3.5 million for maintenance of Chetak helicopters,” said President Kovind, during the second leg of his three nations tour to Greece, Suriname and Cuba. While speaking on climate change, President Kovind stated that it is an international concern and a foreign policy issue. He commended Suriname for its enlightened approach on climate change. President Kovind added that India is proud to have Suriname as a co-partner in the International Solar Alliance. He thanked Suriname for ratifying its entry into the ISA.
He stated that this will allow us to collaborate on solar energy projects that will be of benefit to Surinamese people and our planet. Indian President further said that it is not just in the field of renewable energy that India would want to partner Suriname. India is happy to share its developmental experiences with Suriname, as per Suriname’s needs, desires and priorities. India will assist Suriname in establishing a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology. An MoU to take forward this project was signed. Besides, the two sides also concluded four MoUs in the fields of elections, diplomatic academies partnership, employment for spouse of diplomats of the two countries and archives. Moreover, Suriname also invited Indian investment in areas such as agriculture, mining, energy and timber.
FINANCE
Renewable Energy Attracted $42 Bn of Investment in 4 Years: MNRE An investment of $42 billion was attracted by the India’s Renewable Energy Sector in last four years and over the same period of time the green energy projects created over 10 million man-day of employment annually. The data was shared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on the eve of Modi government’s completion of four years. “New opportunities have emerged. Altogether new business space has been created. Indian companies have begun to explore foreign stock exchanges as a source of funds. India is progressively becoming a most-favored destination for investment in renewables,” the Ministry said. The Ministry further added, “Foreign investors can enter into joint venture with an Indian partner for collaboration and setting up renewable energy-based power generation projects.” It added that 100 per cent foreign investment as equity qualifies for automatic approval and the government is also encouraging foreign Investors to set up renewable energy-based power generation projects on build-own-operate basis. The ministry also said the country’s renewable power installed capacity has already reached over 70 Gigawatt (GW) and over 40 GW of renewable capacity is under construction or has been tendered. “Globally, India stands 4th in wind power, 5th in renewable power and 6th in solar power installed capacity. Solar energy capacity increased by over 8 times from 2.63 GW in 2014 to 22 GW. Wind energy capacity increased by 1.6 times from 21 GW in 2014 to 34 GW,” the statement said. MNRE also said that trajectories for bidding 115 GW renewable power projects up to March 2020 have been announced and the country is well on track to achieving 175 GW target of installed renewable energy capacity and trends suggest that the target will not only be achieved but exceeded.
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UPDATES
ABB Wins 132 KV Substations Contracts Nigeria Eyes from Iraq 30% Renewable ABB has bagged orders from the Ministry Besides, the fifteen mobile substations will Energy by 2030 to of Electricity in Iraq to deliver 5 fixed and 15 enable fast electrification in some of the mobile 132 kilovolt substations, aiming to most-needy areas. National Grid help strengthen the power grid and provide Commenting on the development, Patrick electricity in central Iraq. The move has come as the government of Iraq is rebuilding the country and investing in its grid as part of its ambitious plan to develop its power infrastructure to meet electricity needs.Additionally, the substation projects are supported by the Swedish government financing. As per the deal, ABB will also deliver key products like gas- and air-insulated switchgear, power transformers and capacitor banks to improve power quality and advanced IEC 61850-based automation, protection and telecommunication systems for control and monitoring of substation assets.
Fragman, Head of ABB’s Grid Integration business, a part of the company’s Power Grids division said, “The substations will help to improve the electricity supply by expanding capacity and strengthening Iraq’s power infrastructure.” “These projects add to our extensive installed base in the region and support our focus on growing markets, reinforcing ABB’s position as a partner of choice in enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid,” Fragman added. The company is among the leading suppliers of air-insulated, gas-insulated and hybrid substations with voltage levels up to 1,100 kV.
GE Power Launches New ADMS Soln to Support TPDDL’s Efforts to Modernize Delhi’s Electric Grid GE Power’s grid solutions business has launched a first-of-its-kind Advanced Distribution Management Solution (ADMS) in India in collaboration with Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL). The project has been executed by GE T&D India which is the listed entity of GE Power Grid Solutions in India. Further, this newly launched solution will facilitate advanced monitoring, analysis and improve control and planning operations, enabling TPDDL to enhance the reliability, safety, and efficiency of Delhi’s distribution network. Moreover, the system is set to benefit over 7 million people living in the north and west part of Delhi, an area that experiences a peak load of more than 1,850 MW. On the occasion of the launch of ADMS, TPDDL, CEO, Sanjay Banga said, “The new ADMS in collaboration with GE will enable us to further improve on our service and help us in achieving our objective of
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providing world class quality power supply to our consumers.” GE Power said that for its team this is a major milestone as it is the first project in India with an integrated GIS – DMS – OMS. The system integrates Smallworld GIS with GE’s ADMS using standard adaptors. “Our partnership with Tata Power-DDL is a key initiative in their consistent pursuit of providing best-in-class services to the people of Delhi. With the addition of ADMS technology, Tata PowerDDL will further strengthen Delhi's distribution system in terms of network reliability and efficiency,” said Sunil Wadhwa, Regional Leader, GE Power’s Grid Solutions business, South Asia and MD, GE T&D India. This solution will also help TPDDL towards the implementation of the smart grid, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, battery storage solutions and integration of rooftop solar by monitoring the load patterns and availability of power supply.
Intensifying its collaboration with India on clean energy, the Federal Government of Nigeria has set a target for 30 per cent renewable energy contribution to the country’s electricity grid by 2030. The Minister of State I, Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, said this in Abuja at a business meeting on Nigeria-India cooperation in solar and other renewable energy sources. Shehuri said a loan of $66m and $8m were granted to Nigeria for the solar project after it joined other countries to sign the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in March 2018 in New Delhi, India. He added that Nigeria has an investors’ guide that outlines the target of 30 per cent renewable energy contribution to the national grid by 2030 when the generation level should be at 30,000 megawatts (MW). The High Commissioner of India, B. N Reddy, said his country targets generation of 100,000MW from solar by 2030 and has already attained 20,000MW this year. Reddy also said there was an eight-member Indian business delegation at the meeting hosted by the High Commission of India, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) to guide local investors. The representative of ASSOCHAM Nigeria, chapter, Manish Rahtagi of Simba Group said India contributes 4 per cent of global renewable energy generation and has the third largest installed capacity of solar power. ACCI president, Prince AdetokunboKayode, urged the Federal Government to have a clear cut policy on renewables and expressed the need to harmonise policies at the ministries of environment, power and petroleum resources.