Saur Energy Magazine October 2019

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SAUR ENERGY

OCTOBER 2019 | Rs. 200

I N T E R N A T I O N A L DCP LICENSING NO. F.2(S-29) PRESS/2016 l VOL 4 l ISSUE 02 l TOTAL PAGES 64 l PUBLISHED ON 1ST OF EVERY MONTH

Is Chindia the Answer to India's Manufacturing Puzzle?

Inside

Ved Mani Tiwari Sterlite Power Samir Mehta Bergen Solar Power and Energy Sushil Bansal Novasys Greenergy

FROM THE EDITOR

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

GROUP EDITOR In a month where the RE-Invest event, a showpiece of PRASANNA SINGH the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has had to prasanna@meilleurmedia.com be postponed, it is increasingly becoming clear that the challenges facing the RE sector have taken root, and will DIRECTOR MARKETING need more than just positive wishes to solve.

PRATEEK KAPOOR While the industry obviously benefits from any broad prateek@meilleurmedia.com changes, like the corporate income tax changes that EDITOR were announced recently, specific issues to do with MANAS NANDI the sector need to be addressed too. manas@meilleurmedia.com These range from the massive issue of bleeding discoms to the question of manufacturing in India.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR The latter is the issue we picked up for our cover, MANU TAYAL looking to learn from the leader, China. manu@meilleurmedia.com A week-long visit to China came in very useful as one saw first-hand the tremendous strengths the STAFF WRITER Chinese have built up in the renewables sector.

AYUSH VERMA Do read it to understand why we believe even editorial@meilleurmedia.com India's manufacturing answers might lie with MANAGER- MEDIA SOLUTION some key Chinese firms.

GIRISH MISHRA In other news, solar continues to make strides girish.mishra@meilleurmedia.com globally, from Africa to the Middle East.

Floating solar project announcements DESIGN HEAD of 100 MW and above are no longer a SANDEEP KUMAR surprise, showing just how quickly this industry is changing.

WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER India risks losing its sheen as a leading JITENDER KUMAR market in every segment unless we set our house in order. We all know the WEB PRODUCTION BALVINDER SINGH potential that exists so when we do, we can claim our rightful position SUBSCRIPTIONS among renewables achievers.

KULDEEP GUSAIN On that hope, we wish you a joyous subscription@meilleurmedia.com time as the festive season begins in earnest. May this year end on a 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 positive note for you too!

(INDIA),Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi.

Prasanna Singh prasanna@meilleurmedia.com

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

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CONTENT PAGE

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VED MANI TIWARI

CEO - Global Infrastructure Sterlite Power

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22

SUSHIL BANSAL

FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR NOVASYS GREENERGY

SAMIR MEHTA

CEO Bergen Solar Power and Energy Ltd

COVER STORY

30

Is Chindia the Answer to India's Manufacturing Puzzle?

POLICY

MARKET

EV

24 52

RK Singh Okays changes in EV Charging Guidelines

Guj Rooftop Scheme Targeting 2 Lakh HH in Yr 1

Acme, Adani in Top 10 Solar Asset Owners List

India Could Be the Largest EV Market in the World

India Looking at Wind Power From Ports: Nitin Gadkari

Hydrogen key to Global Energy Transition: IRENA

Punjab to get 100 Public EV Charging Stations

08 MNRE Nudges CPSEs to Prioritise RE Investments

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OCTOBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

CONTENT PAGE

STORAGE

58

38 Engie EPS wins PV+ Storage Project in Guam Loan for 18 MW PV & Storage Project in Chad GE gets100 MWh Energy Storage System in California ADB Grants for Solar Plus Storage Project in Nauru

SPOWDI 1.0: A ZERO EMISSION WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

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SOLAR MANUFACTURING IN INDIA

INNOVATION

MILESTONE

FINANCE

34 44

Delhi Discoms Penalised for Defaulting on RPOs

27

Siemens Gamesa Wins Deming Prize

Equinor Sells 25% in German Offshore Wind Farm

A new Concept for Sustainable Batteries

Winners, 2 New Solar Initiatives by US DOE

ADB Grants $37 Mn for SE Asia Floating Project VOL 4 l ISSUE 02 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

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OCTOBER 2019

POLICY UPDATES

MNRE NUDGES CPSES TO PRIORITISE RE INVESTMENTS All central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) have been asked by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to prioritise renewable energy projects in their investment plans, as part of larger efforts to reduce carbon emission. The ministry had written a letter to all CPSEs, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

“The Ministry requests that the CPSEs may be directed to accord priority to renewable energy (RE) projects in their investment plans.

“They can either set up renewable energy projects on their own or participate in tariff-based bids for all such projects floated by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) or set up manufacturing

units for manufacturing solar PV cells/ modules,” the letter said.

This step will not only help CPSEs cut cost but also contribute to reducing their carbon footprint, besides boosting the

confidence of players in the sector, it added.

The government is aiming to install 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 and this would entail the addition of nearly 30 GW of renewable energy projects per year, the letter said.

The ministry has also issued CPSU Scheme Phase-II (Government Producer Scheme) for setting up 12,000 MW of grid-connected solar PV power projects which is not only aimed at achieving the target but also to enhance domestic solar PV manufacturing capacity, it noted.

Recently, SECI had successfully awarded projects worth 922.4 MW under its tender seeking solar power developers for setting up of 2 GW solar power projects (Tranche-1) under the CPSU-II scheme.

INDIA, US TO LAUNCH CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVE

PUNJAB DRAFTS RE POLICY, PLANS FOR 21% RE BY 2030

India and the US will launch a new initiative for clean energy to fuel economic growth in the strategically-important Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to expand its sphere of influence, the US State Department has said.

The US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the Indo-Pacific region in the backdrop of China’s rising military manoeuvring in the region.

Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources (ENR) Francis R Fannon is travelling to India from September 30 to October 6 to launch the Flexible Resources Initiative (FRI), under the USIndia Clean Energy Finance Task Force, an official statement said. “FRI will execute the US and India’s shared vision for Indo-Pacific economic growth fuelled by clean energy,” the State Department said. The FRI is also a component of the broader US-led Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) Initiative, which is a whole-ofgovernment effort to grow sustainable and secure energy markets throughout the Indo-Pacific, it said.

Fannon will co-lead efforts, along with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as partners from US Department of Energy and the US Agency for International Development. India’s Ministry of Power will host, along with the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), and the Indian Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, the statement said. “Together they will strengthen India’s energy security by jointly working towards a national power system for India that is stable, reliable, and affordable,” the State Department said.

The state government of Punjab issued a draft version of the state’s renewable energy policy, with the prime objective of securing 21 percent of its power requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030.

The policy has been drafted with a target of installing 3 GW of solar projects in the state by 2030, accompanied by 1.5 GW of non-solar renewable generation capacity comprising of biomass, biomass and bagasse co-generation, and small hydro. The draft details the distribution of the planned solar assets between utility-scale, rooftop, floating and hybrid style projects. However, the draft does not include any targets for wind energy generation, with the potential for the technology considerably low in the state.

The policy also aims to develop 500 MW of biofuel projects (based on biomass as the primary feedstock). Other targets include developing storage technology for renewable energy projects, promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs), and solar charging stations. The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has been designated as the implementing agency for the policy by the state government.

To boost the manufacturing of equipment used for solar generation like PV cells, wafers, modules, and balance of system (BoS) equipment, the policy has provided exemption on state goods and service tax (SGST), electricity duty, stamp duty, and property tax. The policy has also announced fiscal incentives for small hydel and canal-top solar projects.

PEDA is also expected to develop solar projects under state or central government policy on a turnkey basis. It will receive 5% facilitation charges from the concerned departments.

08 OCTOBER 2019

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POLICY UPDATES

GUJ ROOFTOP SCHEME TARGETING 2 LAKH HH IN Yr 1 Gujarat energy minister Saurabh Patel has said that the state government’s rooftop solar panel scheme aims to cover two lakh households by March 31 next year.

Under the scheme, people can install solar panels for electricity generation on the roof of their houses, and if there is surplus electricity, they can sell it to the power grid.

“1,600 MW of solar power will be produced through rooftop solar panels in Gujarat by 2021-22,” the minister said at an event, adding that the government aims to cover two lakh families under the scheme during the current financial year.

The state government had made a provision of Rs 1,000 crore in the current year’s budget for the scheme, he said, adding that the households which install solar panels will get 40 percent subsidy from the government for 2 kW capacity and 20 percent subsidy for 3 kW to 10 kW capacity systems.

The beneficiaries can avail of subsidy either under the state scheme or the similar Central scheme. The subsidy will also be given to housing societies and residential welfare associations for installing rooftop system for powering common amenities

such as water pumps and lights in common areas.

Consumers can select any of the 450 firms empanelled by the government for procuring the solar rooftop systems.

In July, Gujarat had emerged as the state with the maximum installed rooftop solar capacity in India, with 261.97 MW installed in the state as per the latest data that was tabled in Rajya Sabha on July 23, 2019.

SECI TENDERS FOR SOLAR PV HOME COOKING SYSTEMS

MNRE SAYS DECEMBER 2022 DEADLINE FOR 175 GW TARGET

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a tender, seeking bids for commissioning of solar PV based home cooking systems in different districts of different states in India.

The scope of work for the selected contractor will include the design, manufacture, supply, erection, testing and commissioning including one-year overall system warranty in respect of all the equipment and accessories supplied and installed and five years of Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) of total 500 number of solar home cooking systems for the beneficiaries in districts Ribhoi (Meghalaya), Bastar (Chhattisharh), Girdih (Jharkhand), Bahraich (UP) and Modhera (Gujarat).

The selected contractors will have a period of 9 months or 270 days from the award of the contract to complete the work on the project.

The last date for bid submission is November 8, 2019, and the techno-commercial bids will be opened on November 11, 2019. A pre-bid meeting has been scheduled for October 21, 2019, to address the concerns raised by the prospective bidders.

To be eligible for participation in the bidding, the parties must be a manufacturer of solar cells/ modules or battery or PV system electronics or solar PV cooking systems. The manufacturing facility must be in operation for at least 1 year as on the last date of bid submission. OR The bidder should have experience of having designed, supplied, installed and commissioned at least 250 number of 1 kWp off-grid solar PV power packs/ solar PV cooking systems in the last seven financial years.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has clarified via an official release that the deadline for India to achieve its renewables target of 175 GW installed generational capacity is December 31, 2022.

According to the notice issued by the MNRE, the clarification was made after the date for achieving the stated target was being mentioned differently in various sources, by the year 2022 or by the year 2021-22.

Recently, less than 4 days after a CRISIL report was released which predicted India to miss out on its renewables target of 175 GW by nearly 42 percent, the MNRE has issued a strong rebuttal.

The detailed letter from the office of the MNRE Secretary Anand Kumar says that “the doubts are ill-founded and not reflective of the status on the ground and plans ahead. By the end of September 2019, India has installed more than 82,580 MW of renewable energy capacity with around 31,150 MW of capacity under various stages of installation. Thus, by the first quarter of 2021, India would have installed more than 1,13,000 MW of renewable power capacity.

This would constitute nearly 65 percent of the targeted capacity. Besides this, around 39,000 MW of renewable power capacity is at various stages of bidding which would be installed by September 2021, taking the percentage of installed capacity to over 87 percent of the targeted capacity. With only 23,000 MW of renewable power capacity left to bid, India is confident that the target of installing 1,75,000 MW of renewable power capacity will not only be met, but exceeded”

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POLICY UPDATES

INDIA LOOKING AT WIND POWER FROM PORTS: GADKARI Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the central government has proposed to tap wind power from three ports in the country.

The proposal to tap wind power from Tuticorin, Kandla and Paradip ports has been discussed with Power Minister R K Singh, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways NitinGadkari said after presenting the degrees at the 34th annual convocation of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT).

Recently, the minister while speaking at an event in Delhi, said that only electric buses will run across India in the next two years and that too without making it mandatory.Speaking at an event on energy efficiency in micro, small and medium enterprises, Gadkari said that cost-saving in running Internal Combustion Engine vehicles on CNG, Bio-CNG, Biofuels, LNG and electric vehicles powered

by renewable energy is reason enough to switch to EVs without making them mandatory or banning petrol and dieselpowered vehicles.

“In the next two years, all buses will switch to electric… and powered by ethanol, methanol, and CNG,” Gadkari said making a strong case for moving away from expensive fossil-fuel-powered vehicles to more green and cheaper alternatives like clean-powered vehicles.

He also reiterated that there was no need to ban any fossil-fuel-powered vehicles as the trend for alternate clean fuels, including EVs, is catching on like e-bikes, e-cars and soon, only e-buses across India. In July, Gadkari had informed that that at present there is nearly 4 lakh (3,97,184) registered electric vehicles (EVs) or battery-operated vehicles in India and that more than half (54 percent) of such vehicles are registered in UP and Delhi.

CHINA TO STAY LEADER IN EV BATTERY RACE

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OCTOBER 2019

As the governments around the world go bullish on electric vehicles (EV), automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) compete to develop long-lasting, durable battery technology to get hegemony over the EV batteries market. But, in this race to develop the most efficient and capable battery technology first amongst corporates, the one confirmed winner in the segment will be China.

In the automotive paradigm, lithiumion battery technology stands at the centre of innovation and there has been a significant amount of progress in the improvement of lithium-ion battery technology.

By appropriating these advancements, Tesla seems to have an advantage over others with its current EV batteries capable of powering its cars for over 8 lakh kilometres before they encounter any critical issues. Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, Canada) in collaboration with Tesla, have published their research in The Journal of the Electrochemical Society. They describe a Lithium-ion battery in the works that “should be able to power an electric vehicle for over 1 SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

million miles” while losing less than 10 percent of its energy capacity during its lifetime.

According to another report by Counterpoint Research, battery cell manufacturers are spending heavily on R&D for improving the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, in doing so they are also driving other firms to invest more and more in similar research and development, in fear of not being left out.

Although the speed of improvements has been slow, gradually, lithium-ion batteries have helped increase the driving range

of EVs by utilising high-energy source materials and improving the per-unit cell size.

The counterpoint report further highlights that there have also been considerable efforts to boost the nickel portion of total cathode materials. Most of the top battery players have announced their plans for commercialization/mass production of NCM811 by 2019-2020. NCM811, which contains 80 percent nickel, 10 percent cobalt, and 10 percent manganese, has a much longer lifespan and allows EVs to go further on a single charge.

POLICY UPDATES

PLAN TO REPLACE COAL WITH RENEWABLES: ENV SECY. Reduction of coal consumption is not a one-day process and India has a longterm plan to gradually replace coal with renewable energy, Union Environment Secretary C K Mishra said recently.

Coal-based plants will continue using coal but a long-term plan was in place to reduce its consumption, the secretary said. “Reduction of coal is not a oneday process. We have a plan in place.

A long-term plan where we will replace coal with renewable energy slowly to achieve the goal announced by the prime minister to reach 450 gigawatts.

“But plants which are already coal-based will continue to consume coal,” Mishra said while addressing the media on the first day of the five-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III Sixth Assessment Report. On the issue of reducing coal consumption and carbon

emissions, he said, “We have already 80 GW renewable energy replace coal in the last 5 years and we are moving towards it but we cannot deny that coal will still continue to be required for some time in India”. The secretary also acknowledged

that the demand for electricity in India will continue to rise due to which coal cannot be banned. He said this does not mean that the government is not working on the process to replace coal with alternative renewable energy.

MNRE ISSUES DRAFT FOR DECENTRALISED SOLAR PLANTS

HERC APPROVES PROPOSAL TO INSTALL 468 SOLAR PUMPS

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued the draft guidelines for the development of decentralised solar power plants to promote the decentralised use of solar energy and availability of affordable and reliable solar power in the rural areas.

At the moment Discoms are providing power to agriculture loads either free or at highly subsidised tariff. With average T&D losses for a rural feeder being around 30 percent, the average cost of power purchased by a Discom to deliver one unit of power to agriculture consumer is over Rs 6 per unit.

If the solar power is generated locally and fed in to the 33/11 kV substation, it will not only save the cost to Discoms but also improve the power quality at the tail end of the rural feeder and thus improving the performance of electrical equipment and appliance connected to rural feeders which will also result in improved energy efficiency.

To tackle this issue with the available solution, the ministry felt a need to provide facilitative guidelines for the development of decentralised solar power plants so that same is implemented by all DISCOMs across the country.

In its draft, the ministry highlighted that there are around 40,000 numbers of 33/11 kV sub-stations in the rural areas.

Even if only 1 MW solar power is connected to each of this sub-station, a capacity of 40 GW solar would be added that will save around 26 BU annually against T&D losses, which is worth Rs 9000 crore to Discoms.

The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has recently approved a petition filed by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (UHBVNL) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), seeking the installation of grid-connected solar-powered pumps in the state.

According to the proposal submitted by the two Discoms, the pilot project will involve the installation of 468 such solar pumps, with a combined generational capacity amounting to 2.9 MW. The projects are expected to be installed at 11 kV agricultural feeders in Biana in Karnal district and Marupur in Yamunanagar district. Further, the project is expected to get a 30 percent subsidy through the central government’s KUSUM program. The two Discoms had submitted in their petition to the state commission that as of 2018, Haryana had more than 605,000 agricultural tubewell connections, with another 40,000 farmers waiting for a grid connection.

The pumps will be installed under the CAPEX model through the Haryana Department of Renewable Energy (HAREDA). The solar pumps installed under this project will belong to HAREDA or state Discoms for the initial five years, and farmers will be paid for the surplus energy injected into the grid at Rs 1/kWh. Companies providing the systems will also be responsible for the installation, and operation and maintenance of the systems for five years. The total installed solar capacity required for the feeders is approximately 2.3 MW (Biana), and 0.7 MW (Marupur). Both will remain in operation for 12 hours per day.

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POLICY UPDATES

SECURING AFFORDABLE, CLEAN ENERGY KEY: MINISTER With the biggest attack ever on the Saudi oil industry creating volatility in the market, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has highlighted that securing affordable and clean energy tops agenda of “vulnerable” importing nations like India which were exposed to supply concerns.

India was able to secure most of its contracted suppliers from its second-biggest oil supplier, Saudi Arabia, in the aftermath of the September 14 drone and missile assault on the Kingdom’s main oil facility that knocked out about 5.7 million barrels a day, about half of the country’s output.

“The price volatility and concerns about sustained oil supplies made consuming countries vulnerable given the fact that India, along with most South Asian countries, has a major dependency on crude oil and gas imports. So, securing affordable and sustainable energy figures as a top agenda for all these countries, including India,” Pradhan said at the World Economic Forum.

“It is only natural that the global energy deliberations pay close attention to the developments in the energy sector in India,” he said. “This has a lot to do with the emergence of India as the third-largest energy consumer in the world, and the fact that India is playing a leading role globally by implementing several transformative initiatives to reduce energy poverty in the country.”

India, he said, recorded the highest growth of foreign energy investments in the world, which touched USD 85 billion.

The government’s approach to energy policy, he said, covers four pillars of energy access, energy efficiency, energy sustainability and energy security. Stating that the challenge ahead is daunting, he said close attention is being paid to innovation and clean energy.

CANADA, US TO CUT BACK ON CHINA FOR LITHIUM Canada is in talks with the United States to seek ways for both to reduce their dependence on China for rare earth elements, key minerals for high-tech products, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. He said that in his last meeting with US President Donald Trump, “I highlighted that Canada has many of the rare earth minerals that are so necessary for modern technology.”

Trudeau emphasised that Canada “is a solid ally” and can offer “a reliable supply” of rare earth minerals, many of which currently “come from China.”

It is in Canada’s interest, Trudeau said, “to ensure that we have reliable supplies of these important minerals for technologies and it is a conversation that our government is leading on.”

The remarks followed a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper that Canada and the United States are drafting plans to reduce their mutual dependence on China for rare earth minerals such as lithium, uranium, cesium, and cobalt.

China controls more than 90 percent of

the world’s supply of those minerals used for key components in electric vehicle batteries, storage solutions, solar panels, wind generators, etc. It is also the world’s top producer and refiner of rare earth minerals.

As the US-China trade war heats up, Beijing has hinted that it could block exports of rare earth metals. The threat is

not empty: in 2010 China had temporarily halted such exports to Japan during a territorial dispute.

Canada and China are also going through an unprecedented rift in their relations following the December 2018 arrest in Vancouver of top Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou of Huawei on a US warrant.

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OCTOBER 2019

POINT OF VIEW

"Will the recent reduction in Corporate Tax impact the domestic solar market too?"

With an aim to provide much needed support to boost manufacturing sector in the country and to make them more competitive in the global market, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,in September, announced a significant reduction in corporate tax rate from 30 percent to 22 percent and for new manufacturing companies to 15 percent. Here are some views and voices from the solar industry on its impact:

SAMARTH DAKSHINI Director Raydean Industries

The recent reduction in corporate tax would leave a huge positive impact on the domestic market, especially for the renewable industry, which is currently grappling from a drastic reduction in prices because of high competitiveness. 15 percent tax rate for new manufacturing industries will promote the setup of new manufacturing plants, which will enhance the manufacturing capacity of solar energy systems which is the need of the hour to fulfill the ambitious target of 175 GW renewable energy capacity of Narendra Modi government.

I believe that the government’s recent move to reduce corporate tax is a positive move that will bring the solar and wind sector several benefits. First, new manufacturing units will only be taxed at 15 percent. This will incentivize the establishment of new Indian manufacturing facilities, which in turn, will increase the demand for solar rooftops. Second, Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) has reduced from 18.5 percent to 15 percent. This will benefit the solar and wind sector because most developers and independent power producer’s (IPP’s) tend to use accelerated depreciation as a tax saving instrument. With MAT reducing to 15 percent, it will leave more cash on the books for these developers which in turn improve the net-profit margins and Internal Rate of Return’s (IRR’s). Both these changes will help the solar space go a long way.

VIVEK KUMAR JAIN

Chief Financial Officer Patanjali Renewable Energy

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ANIMESH DAMANI

Managing Partner Artha Energy Resources

To understand the impact better we should evaluate it in two segments, manufacturing companies and non-manufacturing companies. If you see earlier the tax rate for both the industries was 34.94 percent after inclusion of surcharge and education cess. However, for non-manufacturing companies, it was less due to availability of certain exemptions. So, if you see from the point of view of the existing manufacturing industries, the relief is less as compared to non-manufacturing industries. This is because earlier their tax got reduced by availing certain tax exemptions which are not available in the new tax structure, but on the other hand it will be helpful for promoting “MAKE IN INDIA” campaign as it will boost the manufacturers across the globe to set up their manufacturing units in India which ultimately will contribute towards the growth of the Indian Economy.

Being into a manufacturing segment, we shall take this as an opportunity and will comply with it positively. We are confident this will help solar industries to move in the right direction with speedy execution of projects and enable government to achieve their infrastructure growth targets.

THE CONVERSATION

VED MANI TIWARI

CEO - Global Infrastructure, Sterlite Power

Project Monitoring Committee at Ministry Could Fast-Track Project Implementation

The government has introduced an online system for seeking forest clearance that has been very beneficial in securing this critical clearance. To streamline state level clearances for transmission projects, the appointment of a nodal officer at the state level could be very helpful. Similarly, having a Project Monitoring Committee at Power Ministry level for a regular progress update and addressing Inter-Ministerial coordination issues could fast-track project implementation, says Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO - Global Infrastructure, Sterlite Power, a leading global developer of electric power transmission infrastructure and electric utilities solutions provider. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Tiwari shared his views on various topics which the energy sector is currently dealing with along with his company’s achievements, future plans etc. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

Q

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OCTOBER 2019

What have been Sterlite Power’s major milestones till now?

Sterlite Power is driven by its core purpose of “empowering humanity by addressing the toughest challenges of energy delivery” as we believe that electricity access transforms societies and delivers a long-lasting social impact. We are a leading global developer of power transmission infrastructure operating in India and Brazil. Sterlite Power leads with innovative technologies such as LIDAR, Heli-cranes, Digital and AI, Drones to overcome energy delivery challenges.

From being awarded India’s first 765 kV power transmission project in 2011 under competitive bidding framework, the company today has a portfolio of 24 projects across India and Brazil. Our first project to be commissioned in Brazil evacuates wind energy from the north-eastern region to the national grid.

We have also won one of the largest Green Energy Corridor (GEC) packages among the 7 for which auctions were held in India during July 2019.

Here are some of the key milestones for the Global Infrastructure business: • F irst private transmission player to win and commission first ever 765 kV D/C line in India.

• Became first private transmission developer to win an award from the Ministry of Power for early commissioning of 765/400 kV Dhule substation (2015).

• C ommissioned NRSS-29 in Kashmir 2 months ahead of schedule. The Northern Region Strengthening Scheme 29 (NRSS 29) was one of the most challenging and one of the largest private-sector transmission projects in the country, dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, last year. It also represents one of the major private investments in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

• F irst-ever InVIT in power sector (IndiGrid) for asset flip and capital recycling.

• Entered Brazil in 2017 and within 2 years we have grown our portfolio to 10 projects.

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

• We delivered Arcoverde - our first project in Brazil - 28 months ahead of schedule.

• As of FY 2019, we had a total portfolio of 24 assets across India and Brazil, spanning 13315 CKM (circuit kilometres) and 23,885 MVA capacity.

• Maintaining the highest standard of Quality, Health and Safety have led to Sterlite Power being the first in Transmission sector to be given ISO 45001:2018 certification. We have also won the 1st International ROSPA Gold Award in Safety.

• We have recently won a Global Sustainability award from Energy & Environment Foundation for our sustainable practices towards the community and environment.

Q

How suitable is the regulatory framework for power transmission business in India?

Under the competitive framework in transmission, the developers (both public and private) compete to secure the rights to build, own, finance, construct and operate the project for the contract period of 35 years under the BOOM framework.

The developers quote annual tariffs for 35 years and the one quoting the lowest levelised tariff wins the project. The competitive framework has played out very well in the sector so far and has led to about 40 percent tariff reduction compared to its normative tariff if the asset had been created under the non-competitive route. The developers are required to maintain the availability of at least 98 percent to get paid throughout the contract duration, which ensures high-quality asset development.

The overall policy landscape is very conducive providing for a robust payment security mechanism and promoting transparency through a competitive award of projects. This has led to the sector attracting billions of dollars from global investors, that could easily meet the investment requirements for transmission in India.

The government must be complimented for this competitive

THE CONVERSATION

framework that captures maximum value for the consumer through competition. We envisage an overall market size of more than Rs 5 lakh crore in transmission over the next 10 years to create a vibrant State, National & Interregional SAARC grid.

Government has been very supportive and proactive to clear any challenges or impediments to ensure that the overall renewable mission target of installing 175 GW by 2022 is achieved. Linear projects like transmission have little leeway in negotiating forest, wildlife, defence, airport, coastal zone etc. and are therefore heavily dependent on active government support and streamlined process definitions. The execution timelines of 15 months for transmission projects catering to renewable energy projects further amplifies this challenge and complexity.

The government has introduced an online system for seeking forest clearance that has been very beneficial in securing this critical clearance. To streamline state level clearances for transmission projects, the appointment of a nodal officer at the state level could be very helpful. Similarly, having a Project Monitoring Committee at Power Ministry level for a regular progress update and addressing Inter-Ministerial coordination issues could fast-track project implementation.

Q

Is the power transmission sector in India an attractive opportunity today for investors?

Most of the generation capacity being created in India today is that of renewable energy-based sources. The gestation period of these RE projects is no more than 24 months requiring transmission to be built at a matching pace. To meet the renewable mission target of installing 175 GW by 2022, a comprehensive transmission scheme (Green Energy Corridor GEC) to evacuate 66.5 GW across seven RE resource-rich states of India has been envisaged by the government at a cost of about Rs 50,000 crore. To fast-track the Regulatory approval of these transmission schemes, GOI has also accorded these identified schemes as Projects of National Importance. We reckon more than Rs 30,000 crore worth of projects to be available to developers for competitive bidding over the next 12 months. These are large opportunities that would need to be completed in an aggressive time-frame of 18-24 months.

Various states like UP, MP, Jharkhand and

Maharashtra have adopted competitive bidding to fund and implement transmission system in the last 12 months while others are deliberating. States by themselves could easily unlock a transmission market of more than Rs 15,000 crore each year for investments.

We also feel there is a large requirement of grid integrated battery energy storage systems (BESS) to balance out grid intermittency and demand management caused by the fast integration of RE energy sources into the grid. Considering the steep price declines being witnessed in battery prices globally, it would best to select developers to set-up these grid-integrated storage parks under an availability-based, fixed-annuity, tolling-revenue model akin to the competitive framework prevalent in transmission. We are currently working with the state government and utilities to help them identify immediate opportunities where storage could be economically beneficial and also develop the business model framework.

The developer interest in the sector has been immense despite the aggressive execution timelines for the GEC transmission projects. Each of the GEC bids has seen a healthy competition from 7 to 9 large power sector players. Even in the competitive bids happening at the state level, the competition has been equally robust. The tariff reductions witnessed are about 35-40 percent in comparison to a cost-plus tariff of the projects.

Thus, there is a strong appetite for transmission projects in the developer and investor community due to the government enabled competitive framework and payment security mechanism. As you may be aware, private equity giant KKR and sovereign fund GIC have together invested more than Rs 2,000 crore this year to co-sponsor India’s first power sector InvIT, IndiGrid, alongside Sterlite.

Q

Do you feel the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model will help meet the CapEx required for grid investments?

Indian economy is set to grow at about 7-8 percent each year over the next ten years.

Energy is a critical input to fuel this growth momentum.

The government ha s cons ci ous l y committed to having renewable energy sources to meet this growing energy appetite.

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THE CONVERSATION

Transmission plays a critical role to connect the RE sources by the government and exploring off-shore wind energy are to the load centres. We reckon the investments requirements the right steps in this direction. in transmission sector to the tune of around Rs 5 lakh crore This diversification of our energy basket towards renewables in the next 10 years to create a vibrant State, National & is also imperative in our crude-import substitution and saving Interregional SAARC grid. These investments would largely cater precious foreign exchange reserves. to enabling renewable generation evacuation into the grid, Do you believe storage will be the solution to the challenge energy access to consumers, inter-regional energy exchange of dependable power from renewables? What will be and managing peaks and intermittencies through storage.

As mentioned earlier, the consistency of policy and regulations, your key suggestions to the government to boost battery a robust payment security mechanism and a transparent manufacturing in India? well-established competitive bidding framework have caught We believe energy storage is crucial to meeting India’s the interest of global investors. In the last 10 years, around 57 renewable energy goals. The need for energy storage stems projects with an investment of more than Rs 80,000 crore have from the fact that the existing power grid faces increasing been awarded under the competitive bidding framework, out instability caused majorly by two main reasons. Firstly, the of which 23 projects have already achieved commissioning. A increasing volatility on the supply side due to intermittent nature steady rise in the number of bidders from 3 to 7 in the last 1-2 of renewables; and secondly by the rising unpredictability on years demonstrates the increasing interest in the transmission the demand side as evidenced by high Deviation Settlement sector. The competition has also led to about 35-40 percent Mechanism (DSM) cost borne by distribution companies. transmission tariff reduction compared to a normative cost- The business case for energy storage comes from the basic need for balancing generation with demand. plus tariff of these transmission assets.

The strong appetite shown by investors for transmission assets Utility-scale battery storage systems are being deployed at should reassure the Central Government that the requisite ISTS a scale faster than most power sector stakeholders realize. transmission network in the country could be built using private The battery prices have fallen by 70 percent over the last investments rather than crowding out public funding. The 6 years and are expected to further halve over the next 10 money saved could be channelized in improving the health years. India’s first grid-scale battery-based energy storage of the distribution segment and other priority sectors where system was launched in February’19. We believe that the attracting private investments is a constraint at this juncture. battery framework could turbocharge the storage market PPP model also unlocks execution efficiencies through the and could supply grid stabilization, upgrade reliability & use of innovative technologies to reduce project cost and ensure analytical provision for millions of power consumers its timelines. With innovative models like InvITs, private players all over India. can also provide more liquidity in a debt-heavy infrastructure The government has already made great paces in boosting the battery-based storage across India. Government’s thrust business. on renewable power, as well as e-mobility, will lead to a Power transmission infra is as big a challenge in India’s massive opportunity for battery storage solutions. The Govt power generation ecosystem. Do you believe India’s has an opportunity to set an ambitious goal for India’s battery power infrastructure can sustain the goal of 175 GW renewable storage opportunity to stimulate domestic manufacturing power by 2022 and 500 GW by 2030? and application ecosystem. A robust policy and regulatory Power transmission infra is a bigger challenge as compared framework need to be rolled-out as a first step in this area, to power generation in the development phase as the in consultation with the stakeholders. transmission is a linear project and crisscrosses innumerable Tell us about Sterlite Power’s expansion plans for global districts, habitats and regions. We, at Sterlite, have been very infra business? successful in managing these challenges and yet maintain Sterlite Power is already invested in the growing transmission our assets with a reliability level of 99.8 percent.

We also strongly believe that India’s power infrastructure will markets in India and Brazil and looks to expand to other markets continue to grow at a rapid pace despite its existing challenges. in transmission as well as grid-connected energy storage.

The current government has rightly realised the importance Today we have a portfolio of 24 assets. We will continue to of the power sector in achieving its goal of becoming a 5 lead with innovation and the highest level of Quality, Safety and Environmental standards. trillion-dollar economy by 2024.

The policies and regulations notified by the government We are actively engaging with our neighbouring South Asian have been consistent in this regard. Initiatives like last-mile countries urging them to emulate the success achieved in household electrification exercise, push towards industrial transmission cost and timelines in India and Brazil in their territories. growth through Make-in-India, new industrial corridors and We are also actively evaluating concession opportunities in penetration of electric vehicles are expected to add significantly transmission and grid-connected storage opportunities in to the electricity demand, thus requiring a sizeable installed large economies for expanding our footprint further.

We are actively pursuing Indian large and growing power capacity of generation.

With the policy push tilted towards renewable energy, 500 transmission market and assist the government in achieving GW capacity addition by 2030 looks realistic. Setting up its goal of 40 percent electricity generation from non-fossil ultra-mega solar parks in Leh to the tune of 23 GW targeted fuel sources by the year 2030.

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GRID UPDATES

EESL, NIIF PARTNER FOR SMART METERS IN INDIA Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) have announced a new Joint Venture, IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited, to implement, finance and operate the smart meter roll-out program of power distribution companies in India.

The two firms in joint press statement highlighted that the idea behind the JV is that smart meters will lay the foundation for smart grids which will be crucial to meet challenges of the evolving energy mix and the Government of India’s target of providing uninterrupted 24x7 power supply to every Indian.

The Government of India plans to install 25 crore smart meters in the next few years. With the replacement of 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters, billing efficiency can improve from 80 percent to 100 percent, and has the potential to increase Discoms revenues by Rs 1,104 billion.

EESL, has been spearheading the smart meter deployment in India with the installation of over 6,25,000 Smart Meters.

This partnership of NIIF & EESL will give a fillip to the Smart Meter ambition of the Government of India.

Saurabh Kumar, managing director, EESL stated that India has embarked upon a mission to reduce AT&C losses; proven world over for enabling universal, transparent and responsible energy consumption, and smart meters can play a central role in enabling such an endeavour.

“We are proud to have an established and experienced institution like NIIF partner with us in scaling our ongoing efforts to transform the market for this technology and to accelerate its application across the country. This venture will support the ambitions of ongoing government programmes, such as UDAY and National Smart Grid Mission.”

ADANI PICKS TRANSMISSION SPV PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) has acquired Bikaner-Khetri transmission project in Rajasthan from PFC Consulting, according to a regulatory filing. Adani Transmission won the project linked to renewable power generation in Rajasthan through a tariff-based competitive bidding process.

ATL signed a share purchase agreement with PFC Consulting on September 19, 2019, for acquiring Bikaner-Khetri Transmission Ltd, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) incorporated by PFC Consulting for the implementation of the project. ATL also completed the acquisition on the same day, the filing said.

The project is primarily being constructed to establish transmission system associated with Long Term Applications from Rajasthan Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) Part-0.

The company will build, own, operate and maintain the transmission project for 35 years. The project consists of approximately 480 circuit (ckt) kms of 765 kV line along with associated transmission system.

Recently, we reported that State-owned

utility Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) had bagged an inter-state power transmission project under a tariff-based competitive bidding process, which would benefit Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The company was declared as the successful bidder under tariff-based competitive bidding to establish inter-

state transmission system associated with LTA (long-term access) applications from Rajasthan SEZ Part-B on a build, own, operate and maintain (BOOM) basis.

Power Grid also said that after winning the bid, it acquired BhindGuna Transmission Ltd (BGTL) on September 11, 2019, from REC Transmission Projects Company Ltd (the bid process coordinator).

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THE CONVERSATION

SUSHIL BANSAL

Founder & Managing Director, Novasys Greenergy NEED TO GRAB ROOFTOP SOLAR OPPORTUNITY WITH RIGHT POLICY STRUCTURE The rooftop solar segment is still far behind achieving its target. The main reason behind this I believe is resistance from Discoms and inconsistent solar rooftop policies in every state.

There is high potential in erstwhile slow-moving solar rooftop segment. Already there is awareness among rooftop consumers. The cost advantage is also present. There is a need to grab this opportunity with the right policy structure which is win-win for Discoms and consumers, says Sushil Bansal, Founder & Managing Director, Novasys Greenergy, a part of Sangita Coal Group, and now a well-diversified entity operating in renewable, non-renewable, telecom, food & real estate sectors. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Bansal shared his views on various topics which the solar sector is currently dealing with along with his company’s future plan of action in the renewable energy space. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

Q

What according to you is the potential for solar energy in India and do you believe it offers a viable solution to replace fossil-fuel-powered energy?

Solar energy has a huge potential in India. The quantum of solar energy received in India in a year has energy equivalent to a combined total of energy derived from all possible fossil fuel deposits in the country. India set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy which is set to increase up to 450 GW. So, there is tremendous scope for solar and other renewable energy to power the country.

Today, the prices of solar energy have dropped to a level where energy from fossil fuel seems more expensive. So, the viability in the adoption of solar energy is already there.

We are an ISO certified company and all quality standards set by ISO are followed in our manufacturing process.

All machines and testing instruments are periodically calibrated with standards which ensure consistency in our product quality.

Q

How do you feel about the recent reduction of corporate tax by the government? To what extent can it help the industry grow?

I think it is a welcome move by GOI for catalyzing industrial growth, especially the solar sector where the margins are very thin. This is being taken as a respite for existing industries. It is also going to attract new investments as the tax reduction is even more for new units.

Tell us a bit about Novasys’ current solar module This is surely going to boost our economy and help the manufacturing capacity? What latest technology is industry to grow. being used?

As safeguard duty winds down to zero next year, and Our manufacturing unit is located at Nagpur which is the MNRE recommending fresh duties, do you see right in the centre of India. Our manufacturing capacity is 100 MW per annum. We can make conventional solar equipment manufacturing finally expanding in India? polycrystalline/monocrystalline modules. We can also There is a need for a long term policy for the industry. make new generation Mono Perc and Bifacial modules. Currently, the tenure of safeguard duty is so less that it is We have plans to increase our capacity to 300 MW in not possible to plan for a big investment. A policy term the same premises within a year. We are also looking to of at least 5-10 years is required to bring new investment.

I think the government knows it very well and is in the grow by at least 30 percent in the next 3 years.

We have set up highly advanced, with full automa- line of implementing with fresh basic custom duty for tion manufacturing unit for producing world-class solar imported solar modules and cells. This is surely going to modules. We are technically backed up with German boost solar equipment manufacturing in India. engineering. We have stringer from Germany, fully autoWhat parameters do you follow to ensure the quality mated Lay up, inline Pre EL testing machine with 8 ultra of raw materials?

HD cameras. Our 4 in1 framing machine is unique and Proven and tested raw materials from internationally refirst of its kind in India.

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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

THE CONVERSATION

nowned manufacturers are sourced and each raw material is tested and verified to meet all quality parameters. Our raw materials are first tested by our quality team and if approved, are used for production.

We follow more than 30 in house tests for testing of raw materials and our final products.

Our modules are tested with inline Pre and Post EL machines which are equipped with very high definition 8 cameras which can detect even the tiniest micro cracks and defects. Our framing machine is fully automated with 4 in 1 feature integrated thus avoiding any manual intervention. Our process is optimized to minimize handling of modules thus eliminating the risk of any microcrack generation.

Q

How can the pace for installations in rooftop solar segment be increased?

The rooftop solar segment is still far behind achieving its target. The main reason behind this I believe is resistance from Discoms and inconsistent solar rooftop policies in every state.

There is high potential in erstwhile slow-moving solar rooftop segment. Already there is awareness among rooftop consumers. The cost advantage is also present.

There is a need to grab this opportunity with the right policy structure which is win-win for Discoms and consumers.

We have plans to increase our capacity to 300 MW in the same premises within a year. Also looking to grow by at least 30 percent in next 3 years.

EV UPDATES

RK SINGH OKAYS CHANGES IN EV CHARGING GUIDELINES To provide much-awaited relief to the electric vehicle (EV) owners in the country, Power Minister RK Singh has provided his consent for needed amendments in the EV charging guidelines and specifications.

The Ministry of Power said in a statement that, these revised guidelines and specifications for charging infrastructure shall supersede the earlier guidelines and standards issued by the power ministry on December 14, 2018.

While expressing hope on the revised guidelines that they will encourage faster adoption of EVs in India, Union Minister RK Singh said that these revised guidelines are more consumerfriendly as they incorporate several suggestions received from various stakeholders.

Singh further added that “we have tried to address the concerns of EV owners in new guidelines. As per the new power ministry guidelines, at least one EV charging station should be available in a grid of 3 Km x 3 Km in the cities and one charging station at every 25 Km on both sides of highways/roads.

Also, in phase-1, which is between 1-3 years, all megacities with a population of more than four million according to the

2011 census, and all the existing expressways connected to these megacities and important highways connected with each of these megacities may be taken up for coverage.

On the other hand, in phase-2, which is between 3-5 years, big cities such as state capitals, UT headquarters may be covered for distributed and demonstrative effect. Also, important highways connected with each of these megacities may be taken up for coverage, the ministry added.

THE SECOND LIFE OF ELECTRIC SMARTE INAUGURATES 2 NEW VEHICLE BATTERIES EV CHARGING HUBS IN DELHI

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As the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) has increased exponentially in the past few years, the concern of what to do with batteries when they reach their end-of-life in electric vehicles is also intensifying gradually.

By 2030 there will be over 6 million battery packs retiring from EVs per year, according to IDTechEx’s latest report ‘Secondlife Electric Vehicle Batteries 2020-2030.’

The report highlights that after 8-10 years of services as powertrain for EVs, the used batteries could still retain up to 70-80 percent of the total capacity which could be further utilised in a wide range of energy storage applications. “The key is to match the ‘right’ batteries with the ‘right’ applications.”

It further underlined that the first batch of electric vehicle batteries is reaching their retirement age and that the next ten years will see a huge increase in the volume of retired batteries. Many experts believe that energy storage devices will have an important role in the electricity market. “By 2030, second-life battery capacity will hit over 275 GWh per year which presents huge opportunities for energy storage,” the report analyses. Many global automobile companies like Nissan, Renault, BMW, and BYD all have launched various projects and business initiatives on second-life batteries.

For instance, in February 2019, Nissan Energy and OPUS Campers collaborated on a smart camping concept that uses second-life Nissan EV batteries to deliver up to a week’s worth of remote power for off-grid adventures. This co-created concept is made possible by a device called Roam, designed by Nissan.

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

Delhi-based electric mobility service provider SmartE has announced that it has successfully commissioned two new electric vehicles (EV) charging hubs in Delhi-NCR at the Rajouri Garden and Uttam Nagar Metro Stations.

The company announced that with these new additions the company now serves more than 20 metro stations in the NCR. And the two new hubs were the seventh and eight such charging hubs that it currently operates for its fleet of nearly 1000 vehicles.

According to SmartE, 300 electric three-wheelers are rolled out in the first phase for Uttam Nagar East Station which will help nearly 30,000 commuters to move daily. On the other hand, 50 electric three-wheelers are being given the go-ahead in the first phase from Rajouri Garden Metro Station (Pink Line) to help about 5,000 commuters move per day.

The company is also offering free rides to the customers, for the first 8-10 days.

By the end of the year, the firm is looking to make its services available across nearly 50 metro stations on the DMRC network.

The company is also looking to ramp up its fleet from current 1,000 to nearly 10,000 in 18-24 months.

In July, we had reported that SmartE had raised Rs 100 crore in funding from Japan’s Mitsui and Co. The startup which is a subsidiary of Treasure Vase Ventures raised the amount as a part of its series B funding round.

Mitsui will bring to SmartE multiple synergies through its existing businesses in the EV domain to enable the company for long-term growth.

EV UPDATES

INDIA COULD BE THE LARGEST EV MARKET IN THE WORLD A new report has revealed that India has the potential to become one of the largest electric vehicles (EV) markets in the world, with the government pushing for the segment to curb pollution and reduce reliance on import-dependent fossil fuel.

However, the uptake of EVs has been slow due to the high upfront and lifecycle costs, but a long-term investment in research and development (R&D) will create sustained growth, according to the report by the World Economic Forum and Ola Mobility Institute.

“Apart from investment, government backing and direction will be crucial for accelerating adoption and deployment of electric mobility,” it added.

The report said there are 10 states and Union Territories (UTs) that are leading the way in building production, infrastructure and services to increase the momentum of EV usage in India. These states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

“Considering the strong governmental push towards EVs, India has a huge potential to become one of the largest EV markets,” the report noted.

The report, which also highlights the

opportunities for the sector, analysed three value chains — production, infrastructure and services — of these states, and found that most of them emphasised on the production of the EV value chain, aspiring to be manufacturing hubs for such vehicles and their components.

In the infrastructure value chain, provisions for the installation of charging

infrastructure in public and private places were made by most states to address range anxiety.

Given India’s role as part of the global big four automotive players (alongside China, Japan and the US), the report said large-scale changes to the Indian market would affect the industry’s global footprint.

BENGAL PLANNING 241 EV CHARGING STATIONS The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) has revealed that it has forwarded a proposal to the Ministry of Power for setting up of 241 electric vehicles (EV) charging stations in West Bengal at an upfront installation cost of Rs 125 crore.

“A reasonable investment is required for setting up charging stations. Space identification is required and putting one charging station with five to six chargers including fast chargers involve an investment in the range of Rs 30 to 50 lakh. We are doing a study with The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) for determining the exact location for EV charging infrastructure,” said A.N. Biswas, commissioner of state power

department at a seminar on ‘Future Mobility’organised by The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

According to the proposal, nearly half of these charging stations (116) will come up in the state and national highways

at a distance of around 25 km each.

A charging station not only requires chargers but also putting up of infrastructure like arrangement of space, cabling work, civil work and safety measures. The Centre is ready to provide 100 percent subsidy for the chargers but the second aspect that is infrastructure that is borne by the state is almost half the total cost of the charging station. It is not easy for the distribution companies to infuse funds. “We have to take into account the fact that setting up of charging stations initially will be loss-making and will pick up only when more and more electric vehicles will come into play,” a senior official in the state Power department told reporters.

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EV UPDATES

PUNJAB TO GET 100 PUBLIC EV CHARGING STATIONS Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of four National Public Sector Enterprises under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BSNL (Punjab Telecom Circle), an Indian state-owned telecommunications company, to install 100 public EV charging stations to boost e-mobility in Punjab.

Both EESL and BSNL have entered this 10-year MOU intending to build electric vehicle infrastructure in BSNL, Punjab Telecom Circle area and explore synergy for further promoting EVs, including electric two-wheelers in the state.

Under the MoU, EESL will make the entire upfront investment on services of the MoU, along with the operation and maintenance of the public charging infrastructure by using qualified personnel. BSNL would be responsible for providing the requisite space and power connections for installing the charging infrastructure.

Talking about EESL’s mission to build

a robust EV infrastructure, Venkatesh Dwivedi, Director (Projects), EESL said that developing a strong supporting EV infrastructure is the key to cultivating consumer confidence in electric vehicles and would significantly enhance consumer convenience as well.

“EESL is leading initiatives to promote EV adoption in India under its national e-mobility programme. We are glad to

partner with BSNL for synergistic action on setting up public charging infrastructure and services in Chandigarh,” he said.

Several states in India have released policies for promoting local adoption of EVs. Installation of public charging stations would help in gaining considerable strides towards creating a sustainable EV ecosystem in the states.

TATA'S TIGOR EV NOW WITH EXTENDED RANGE OF 213 KM

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OCTOBER 2019

Following the introduction of Tigor EV for Government and fleet consumers, Tata Motors has announced the launch of its extended range Tigor EV Electric Sedan, with a range of 213 km, certified by ARAI. It will be available in 3 variants – XE+, XM+ and XT+ – for both fleet and personal segment customers.

The new Tigor EV will be available across 30 cities, at a starting price of Rs 9.44 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi (after deducting Govt. subsidies). This vehicle qualifies for a FAME II incentive for eligible commercial customers. The new extended version offers an enhanced driving range, low cost of ownership, connectivity, the comfort of a sedan and zero emissions.

Speaking on the launch of this new variant, Ashesh Dhar, head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, Electric Vehicle Business at Tata Motors said that the newly launched Tigor EV Extended Range model aptly addresses the requirements of long-range applications and also provides higher revenue earning potential SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

for our commercial customers.

“This new version builds on the success of the award-winning Tigor EV, which is already deployed with several fleets and Government customers. This launch reinforces our commitment towards sustainable mobility solutions in India,” he said.

The new vehicle comes with a 21.5 kWh

battery pack, offering a significantly longer range. Additionally, the battery system on the car has the following facilities: - A battery cooling system is designed to ensure consistent performance even in extreme ambient temperature conditions.

- The car has 2 charging ports - fast charging as well as slow AC charging.

INNOVATION UPDATES

A NEW CONCEPT FOR SUSTAINABLE BATTERIES Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia have developed a new concept for aluminium batteries, which will give them twice the energy density as compared to previous versions, with reduced environmental impact and production costs. The team believes that the idea has the potential for large scale applications, including storage of solar and wind energy. Using aluminium battery technology could offer several advantages, including a high theoretical energy density, and the fact that there already exists an established industry for its manufacturing and recycling is a big advantage.

Compared with today’s lithium-ion batteries, the researchers’ new concept could result in markedly lower production costs, reported the study published in the journal, ‘Energy Storage Materials’. “The material costs and environmental impacts that we envisage from our new concept are much lower than what we see today, making them feasible for large scale usages, such as solar cell parks, or storage of wind energy, for example,” said Patrik Johansson, professor at the Department of Physics at Chalmers. “Additionally, our new battery concept has twice the energy density compared with the aluminium batteries that are ‘state of the art’ today,” he added.

In the new concept, presented by Johansson and Chalmers, together with a research group in Ljubljana led by Robert Dominko, the graphite has been replaced by an organic, nanostructured cathode, made of the carbon-based molecule anthraquinone. The advantage of this organic molecule in the cathode material is that it enables the storage of positive charge-carriers from the electrolyte, the solution in which ions move between the electrodes, which make possible higher energy density in the battery.

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THE CONVERSATION

SAMIR MEHTA

CEO, Bergen Solar Power and Energy Ltd

Govt to Devise Long Term Policy for Continuous Demand for Local Products

We believe that to ensure local manufacturing happens in India, government has to devise a long-term policy for continuous demand for local cells/modules for at least 10 years which will ensure that project returns are easily guaranteed for investor and also ensure that no matter what situation arises these policies are not tempered or affected by domestic or international politics, believes Samir Mehta, CEO, Bergen Solar Power and Energy Ltd, an arm of 35 year old Bergen Group which is in itself a diversified company. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Mehta shared his views on various issues which the power sector is currently dealing with along with his company’s long term plans in the renewable energy segment, product offerings etc. Following are the excerpts from that exclusive interview.

Q

As a diversified group, tell us about the key focus areas for Bergen in the near future.

Energy and automation will form the crux of the future Indian growth story. Hence, we have focused our strength on providing complete solutions to our customers for energy generation, transformation and storage technologies as well as new automation technologies for manufacturing.

Q

Your solar vertical has become key in the past twelve years. Tell us about your offerings, and experience in the market there.

Bergen Group started 35 years ago and with a vision of helping our customer to grow, we developed many verticals.

Solar vertical was started by the group in 2003 with a focus on the manufacturing industry for solar cell and solar panel.

In the course of our work, we got a lot of requirements for solar power generation technology support, so we did some EPC work for sharing knowledge with our customers as well as we got some products like CCU and inverters in our product range. So in a way, our solar

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offerings were all shaped by market demands. Today Bergen Solar Power and Energy Limited has become a one-stop in Bergen group for all activities which falls under solar be it manufacturing of polysilicon, solar wafer, solar cell and solar module, providing various type of inverters, charge controllers and other products related to power generation as well as energy storage technologies. We are pleased to inform that we have now capabilities to provide a complete turnkey greenfield or brownfield solar manufacturing projects. We feel honoured to have been a part of many big projects which have happened in the case of solar manufacturing in India.

Q

Do you offer products such as Non-Imaging Concentrating Collector (NICC)? Is it viable in the Indian market and how?

Yes, we provide NICC technology which was actually created for NASA. It is an excellent rooftop solution for any organization which is looking for reducing their carbon footprint for steam generation using solar in small compact space.

Since the design of the concentrating structure is unique, it allows a high concentration of the solar radiation throughout the entire solar day

THE CONVERSATION

Q

from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm without any moving structure.

The Indian government has been announcing various Since it makes use of diffusion radiation also and requires initiatives from time to time to support domestic less maintenance work like cleaning, we have found high manufacturing. How much have they helped? Do you see steam generation potential with low CapEx. We have found any major challenges still? the system extremely viable where people use high-cost Domestic manufacturing in India has always been conventional fuel to generate steam. We see a big potential going through a tough time due to either negligence for this technology implementation in India. by government policies or because of international situations which has always been an issue with local With such close competition in the manufacturing. We believe to ensure market in India, are you looking at local manufacturing happens in India, exports too? Or focused on India only? government has to devise a long-term How do you plan to stand out from the policy for continuous demand for local competition? cells/modules for at least 10 years Like all wise people said competition which will ensure that project returns is always good and we believe also are easily guaranteed for investor in the same. With our unique product and also ensure that no matter what and solution offerings at reasonable situation arises these policies are not prices and excellent after-sales service, tempered or affected by domestic or besides our experience in the sector, international politics. Interest on Capital we can differentiate ourselves from is another deterrent on the viability our competition. But honestly, the pie is of these projects. Some relief should big enough for all the quality players to be planned. The government should operate. Issues are more from Chinese understand local manufacturing is imports, inconsistent govt. policies etc. essential for the development of the We are already exporting some of our country through job creation and not products to SAARC and Africa Countries the cheapest price of electricity which and we are exploring some other major is a requirement of DISCOM because economies. of their financial health and due to their mismanagement. The whole What are your product offerings for country is penalized for the due to off-grid solar plants? Do you provide discom inefficiencies. after-sales services too?

How do you see the demand or We provide complete Off-Grid plants as speed of absorption of Lithium-ion well as components. We have already batteries in the country in the next 5 executed more than a 500KW of Off-Grid years? plants across India. Also, we supply highly As part of the evolution of this advanced charge controller and off-grid industry because of the inconsistency inverters. After-sales is a key differentiator of RE generation, energy storage for us and we strongly believe we can technologies are the obvious next retain our customer only because of step to even out inconsistencies. after-sales services.

Whether it will be Lithium-based storage Currently, do you supply mono technology or another technology, time and bifacial solar cells? Which are will tell. What we do understand is that more in demand in the Indian market? it will be a play of major technology And why? Do you think the market will players and smaller players will not be move away from polycrystalline cells able to play in this game because of anytime soon? the cost economics.

We provide cells from our partner Runergy Are you currently working or from China. So we can provide each planning to enter into the electric type, based on demand. Also, we supply turnkey technology for solar cell manufacturing in India. Demand vehicle charging space as well? for mono and bifacial solar cell will be mainly driven due to We do have ready products for EV charging and various reducing LCOE which will be achieved mainly because of the solutions. One of the interesting solutions we have is a production of the high-power panels, in turn reducing BOS. renewables powered EV charging with storage solution Also, these trends will be decided by wafer manufacturers in which can feed energy into Grid during non-usage hours.

China which are increasingly focusing on mono technology Something like this should have a bright future, as it makes a lot more sense to power EV’s with renewable energy. due to domestic demand and increase profit.

Q

Q

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We are already exporting some of our products to SAARC and Africa Countries and are exploring some other major economies.

Q

Q

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THE CONVERSATION

Is Chindia the Answer to India's Manufacturing Puzzle?

Jimmy Wang CEO Ginlong

30 OCTOBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

Polaris Li President Seraphim

Guy Rong President Arctech Solar

COVER STORY

When it comes to manufacturing in Solar, it is not a rankings fight globally. China settled that some time ago. By 2012 to be accurate. It’s a fight for the other 30 percent market share, be it with breakthrough innovations, temporary tariff protections or sheer cussedness as the US is doing right now.

But eventually, even this 30 percent share would require every ounce of ingenuity, innovation and domestic market size deliver.

India, which has been trying hard to create a fertile ground for solar manufacturing, has consistently failed to do it so far.At least at scale. To understand that, it is important to understand the story of China’s dominance and the presentday situation in that country. For this story, Saur Energy spent a week meeting key players in China that have emerged in the solar supply chain.

The China Growth Story: On Western Wings

The solar manufacturing sector as it exists today was predicted by no one in 2005, and by barely a handful of people in 2007.

For that, China deserves almost all the credit. For instance, in 2005, Chinese exports to the US were a piffling USD 22,000.

By 2007, this figure had climbed to USD 2.5 billion. Last year, when the Trump administration embarked on its trade 'war' with China, the figure being cited was USD 50 billion. How did China dominate the industry so conclusively? By building at scale, for global markets, with solid backing bth from the central government and now, regional provinces, besides the most important part.Creating a huge domestic market.

Data: 2016

manufacturers made in the sector, starting 15 years ago.

Today, close to 65 percent of global manufacturing is either based in China or in countries where facilities are controlled

by China-based firms. So strong is the China grip on the sector that prices are virtually decided in China today.Even global competitors cannot really fight them without having a manufacturing presence in China. That’s dominance.

Present Day China market-Myths that Need to be Buried

Three myths need to be removed when it comes to the Chinese

Solar 101, or How Chinese Manufacturers Took Over manufacturers today. The Myth of quality, unlimited funding, the World and global awareness.

As pointed out earlier, till 2007 the Chinese only saw Solar manufacturing as an area with small potential, churning our products mainly for exports with very little domestic consumption. European powerhouses like Germany, which were in the middle of major solar deployment projects in their markets, had little hesitation with manufacturers outsourcing to China. With generous feed-in tariffs, (FiT), a norm that carried the industry till as recently as 2017 in most markets, the business was predictable, profitable (after subsidies) and growing slowly.

Adding to this government support and subsidies was a strong domestic market that truly took off post-2007, when the Chinese government made a strong commitment to adding solar power to its energy mix. Perhaps it was the pressure of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, or the realisation of unsustainable pollution levels, or solar simply qualified for the Chinese template for massive support. The short result was that by 2013, China effectively made up for a 20-year head start to overtake Germany by becoming the country with the highest installed capacity of solar power.

By 2017, China was the first country to pass 100 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity and by the end of 2018, it had 174 GW of cumulative installed solar capacity. Wood Mckenzie, a global solar tracking firm, reckons that by 2024 China will be at 370+ GW of installed capacity, more than twice the US level. These numbers tell the simplest tale of the incredible investments and expansion in capacities Chinese

On quality, it’s a fact that a lot of Chinese manufacturing was built up using the best technology in Europe, mostly what Germany had to offer, besides other global best practices.

Today, when we met Chinese manufacturers in China in their facilities, they stressed on the investments they have made in R&D and the patents which for them is a regal badge of honour. With market dominance, some of the recent innovations have come from China, with hopes for future breakthroughs reaching markets heavily dependent on Chinese adoption and backing.

Another clear sign of the focus on quality is the word 'bankability' that you get to hear consistently across presentations by Chinese firms. Bankability, which denotes the willingness of financial institutions across the world to fund projects that are using China-made or supplied equipment, is a critical aspect for manufacturers todayand an area where most Chinese manufacturers have made giant strides.

And the critical input: Funding. Like many other sectors in China that came up after the economy opened up post 1981, the solar manufacturing industry too has received massive state backing in its initial phase. Post-2012, the biggest support was probably the feed-in tariff model, which assured clearprofits, that enabled these firms to expand and invest globally and work at very low margins. But the situation today is much different. You will heara lot more about shareholder returns, return on equity and profits, with the industry expected to fend for itself now.

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In fact, after China stopped its FiT model in favour of a bidding system early this year, the competition there has been intense, driven by a drop in prices as well as a slowdown in projects.

Every Chinese firm today is striving to be financially viable with the weaker ones falling behind. The withdrawal of Chinese subsidies almost completely removed any benefit the safeguard duty imposed by the Indian government in 2018 could have delivered as module prices slipped faster in China. One key reason why absolutely no Indian manufacturer has cited the duty as a success in encouraging manufacturing.

Further, while it is true that in their quest for volumes many Chinese firms offered generous terms to buyers, it is also true that the same Chinese firms are wary of who they sell to in India and elsewhere now. Stung by payment delays and defaults, these firms are investing a lot more time and research into their clients when it comes to due diligence on creditworthiness. Having their own offices in key markets is just indication on their view on the market now. Speaking to Saur Energy, Jimmy Wang, CEO at Ginlong, a key player in the Solar inverters space, says “With multi-year warranties today, we see this as a key cost factor affecting profitability and market leadership, making it a key issue about having our own teams to provide the kind of support we promise”.

Seraphim, a firm that was founded by professionals in the semiconductor industryand known for its focus on research and development, is a good example of the new focus on global markets on the back of innovation and quality.

At an interaction with Saur Energy, Polaris Li, president, Seraphim said "actually, 85 percent of our sales are from overseas clients. A key reason is that the payment terms in China can be complicated and take a long time. unlike LC’s (Letter of credit), that’s very easy and simple. “ He goes on to add how for Seraphim, it’s about a ‘plus solar’ attitude rather than ‘Solar plus”, when Solar was a very SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

expensive proposition. Giving an example of this, he cites the situation where they created a solar powered tracker that could be fixed on cattle herds in Australia, that helped to find any straying cattle. “ The margins from such an innovation are way higher than normal solar solutions!”, he adds.

Every Chinese firm worth its salt today has a global footprint and is no longer working with the old model of appointing country representatives or middlemen. Every firm we met has its own offices in key markets.

Made in India, Owned by Chinese?

Indiawith its strong installed capacity now and big solar targets heading right up to 2030 and beyond, finally offers a proven market with a definite size and future visibility. Thus, it is no surprise that the government has been desperate to see manufacturing take root in India for its solar needs. However, as with much other government-led initiatives, the efforts have simply struggled.

Forall the efforts made by the Indian government, total solar cell and module capacity in the country, according to the MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) figures, is at just around 3GW for solar cells, and just over 9 GW for modules. Of this, it is estimated that just 1.5 GW in cells are in active production. Travails of module makers in the small scale sector have been well documented, thanks to their troubles with GST and tax treatment vis-a-vis larger players operating out of SEZ's.

By the MNRE's admission, a significant part of this capacity is relatively outdated technology. A relentless focus on pricing for large projects has already meant that India has become the largest market if not a dumping ground for polycrystalline cells and modules even as the developed markets move to mono and even Bifacial.

But almost no one argues against the need for manufacturing

COVER STORY

in the country. Besides the issue of cutting dependence on imports, there is also the issue of foreign exchange outgo with India targeting 100GW of solar by 2022 and 350GW by 2030. At current trends, that could mean an impact of tens of billions of dollars by 2030 when the country already has a massive trade imbalance with China.

On manufacturing in India, Guy Rong, president, Arctech Solar said: ”In India, solar costs are already among the lowest in the world, despite imports. That is because costs are dependent primarily on the equipment and land (acquisition) costs.

Impact of people cost on manufacturing costs, is quite low".

In his way, he makes a case for manufacturing when land is valued even more as the efficiency of more high tech modules like Bifacial and Mono Perc will make a case for themselves by reducing land requirements.

As of now, the only possible movewhich promises results when it comes to manufacturing is the government's CPSU scheme II for 12 GW of manufacturing linked solar. This scheme, by linking bids to use of domestically sourced products, with viability gap funding of over Rs 8200 crores, and finally, being meant for captive consumption by central undertakings, is the most comprehensive effort to bypass World Trade Organisation restrictions, which seem to prohibit any manufacturer subsidy meant for use by the public.

But even the well-intentioned CPSU scheme faces serious challenges. One reason is the fragmented nature of the market right now in India. In solar, being integrated, working in clusters close to each other always helps. Existing Indian manufacturers do not pass this test. Everything in the solar chain, from making polysilicon or mono silicon from sand, casting it into ingots, cutting the ingots into ultra-thin wafers, making cells with the wafers by etching current-conducting silver wires on them, and making the panels or modules with the cells is all distributed in India today. Today, there is no Indian company that even produces wafers.

Setting up integrated plants is a capital and power intensive business that would require special incentives. And state support for critical issues like water linkages. Schemes like the ‘Modified Special Incentives Package Scheme’, or M-SIPS, which offers a 25 percent capital subsidy to electronics, semiconductor and solar manufacturing units, have worked out only for Adani in Gujarat. And even the Adani project stops at wafers, not back to polysilicon. So could make in India be done with Chinese firms?

That will certainly require a mindset change in government though nothing forbids Chinese firms to step in. Interestingly, with the business evolving to be a low to mid-margins business with 8-15 percent net margins, the case for allowing Chinese investment is quite strong, if they bring in majority capital.

Firms like Arctech Solar, a specialist in the solar tracker business, have almost had to shut shop and exit the market here, due to low demand. "Solar trackers can add 11-14 percent to a project cost, for the higher efficiency they bring. When the focus is not on efficiency, some developers avoid using these altogether", said Guy Rong ofArctech Solar. But the firm remains keen on India, seeing the market as too critical to stay away from. They plan to be back in India in early 2020, with a product 'made for India'. Which would meancheaper and hopefully not a major

compromise on quality and effectiveness.

Polaris Li of Seraphim points to another important consideration for Chinese firms to manufacture in India - the potential for exports. Which should be welcome for India too."India’s continuation on the GSP list with the US would have been very good. The Generalised System of Preferences or the GSP allows countries on the list to export to the US with zero duties." India’s removal from the list in June by the Trump Administration might have made it just a tad more unattractive as a manufacturing destination that could have been used for exports to the US market. In fact, the GSP factor was a big reason for the rush to invest in Malaysia, and lately, Vietnam.

Similarly, Jimmy Wang, CEO, Ginlong, a global leader in inverters, said that "we’re considering that (manufacturing in India). I think there are many reasons we try to move the manufacturing. Is it close to the main market, is it big enough for the capacity, and then costs? It has to offer a cost-competitive option.

Finally, one looks at factors like the trade disputes right now, which can all combine to create the case for manufacturing in another market". Ginlong, for now, is busy with a 5GW capacity expansion near its existing facility in China.

India, while it meets the key requirements of a strong domestic market, slips up when it comes to its regulatory issues and price sensitiveness. That is why Hanwha Q Cells, a leading Korean firm that is also among the leaders globally, has opened manufacturing plants in the US, besides other locations in China, Korea and Malaysia, but has no such plans for India.

While exports from India is one possibility, for a premium player like Hanwha that positions itself at the top end of the technology chain in solar, the Indian market is much better served with a simple marketing office.

Even Trina, and Longi, two of the bigger Chinese players with a strong presence in India, have both held back on manufacturing in India. In the case of Longi, this has been done despite the firm picking up land for the plant as far back as 2018 and announcing plans for a 1 GW line in Andhra Pradesh.

The fact that India rushed to an auction-based system fairly early in its solar journey also meant that local industry never quite got the time or profits to prepare for bigger investments.

The state of the country's power sector today, with Discoms bleeding and hurting everyone in the ecosystem, also means that the kind of amounts that manufacturing demands will always be at a premium in India. Frequent policy changes, besides the sort of issues we see in Andhra Pradesh on signed PPA’s, have further spooked both developers and potential manufacturers.

That could simply mean inviting in the firms who have been doing business in India, and done well out of it. Firms that have a degree of comfort with the market now, and much like many other multinationals, might value the Indian market for more than its hard numbers. The soft power of Indian human resources, married to Chinese manufacturing nous, might make for a great combination after all. As the countries most likely to be the engine for the global solar market, it might be in everyone’s interest to see these giant two neighbours find common cause with each other here.

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FINANCE UPDATES

DELHI DISCOMS PENALISED FOR DEFAULTING ON RPOs Delhi’s power regulator, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has imposed penalties to the tune of Rs 1.71 crore on discom TPDDL and Rs 2.88 crore each on BYPL and BRPL for defaulting on renewable energy purchase obligations (RPOs) for three financial years.

The DERC in its order last month found default on the part of the three power discoms in meeting their RPO. The order was passed on petitions filed by Green Energy Association and Indian Wind Power Association with DERC against TPDDL, BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL) and BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL).

A spokesperson of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) said the order

by DERC was under examination and an appropriate course of action will be

decided.

BSES discoms have signed long term agreements for around 1700 MW green power at a very competitive rate, which will raise the share of renewable energy in BSES portfolio to 27 percent by 2021-22,

said a company spokesperson.

“BSES will achieve 100 percent RPO requirement from 2021-22 onwards and surplus energy from renewable energy will help BSES to offset accumulated RPO shortfall of the previous years,” he said.

The Green Energy Association sought action against discoms for noncompliance of solar RPO in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The IWPA claimed noncompliance of RPO for financial years 2012-13 to 2014-15.

The Commission in its order observed, “there is no doubt that discoms have failed to meet their RPO.” “Keeping in view all factors and various directions of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), it is established that the failure of discoms to meet the RPO makes them liable to pay penalty.”

SHELL ACQUIRES 20% STAKE IN ORB ENERGY

IREDA IPO. WILL IT BE SECOND TIME LUCKY?

Orb Energy, one of the leading providers of solar energy solutions in India, has announced that the Royal Dutch Shell’s New Energies business has acquired an almost 20 percent stake in the firm in its latest funding round.

The company announced that the fresh investment will help more Indian SMEs, a largely underserved part of the market benefit from lower-cost solar power. The company offers SMEs credit to invest in their rooftop solar systems, driving Orb Energy’s growth in sales and helping Indian businesses boost their competitiveness. “In the last decade, we have cemented our position as one of India’s most trusted solar companies. We are therefore delighted that Shell New Energies has recognised our work and decided to invest in a close to 20 percent stake”, said Damian Miller, Orb Energy’s Chief Executive Officer.“Shell’s investment will power the next phase of our growth and ensure that more underserved SMEs in India can benefit from clean, lower-cost electricity from solar.”

It has been revealed that the deal was done as part of Shell’s Energy Access Ambition to deliver a reliable source of electricity to 100 million people in the developing world by 2030. And is the latest of several the international conglomerate has made in India, aimed at reducing energy poverty through investment in Africa and Asia.

Brian Davis, vice president, Shell Energy Solutions, said “we were attracted by Orb Energy’s focus on providing cleaner and affordable energy solutions to SMEs in India. This is a vital and growing sector, with great potential to contribute to the country’s renewable energy ambitions.”

The Integrated Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), a 100 percent owned entity of the government of India, has got a final nod for an IPO from SEBI, the market regulator.

The final regulatory approval clears the way to the muchawaited initial public offering (IPO) for the state-owned firm.

While the firm had last targeted it before September end, now the hope is to see it close the issue before 2019 ends.

The firm had tried much earlier too for the IPO, back in July 2018 when it had received the nod from SEBI. However, it had shelved plans due to poor market conditions.

For IREDA, which finances green energy projects, the regulatory clearance is one more effort to get a more public profile as a listed entity, besides raising some muchneeded equity capital through the issue of 139 million fresh shares at a premium. The sale is expected to be approximately 15 percent of its equity base, currently, 100 percent government-owned. The firm disbursed loans for close to Rs 9385 crores in 2018-19, and reported a profit after tax of Rs 244 crores, a steep fall over the Rs 370 crore figure it had reported in 2017-18.

The plans are to raise an estimated Rs 700-750 crore from the IPO, itself a climb down from a reported plan to raise Rs 850 crores earlier. Which would indicate a target price in the range of Rs 50 or below.

Subject to its successful completion, IREDA will join listed peers such as PFC as well as PFS India besides other entities that provide funding to the renewable energy sector.

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FINANCE UPDATES

EQUINOR SELLS 25% IN GERMAN OFFSHORE WIND FARM Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor has announced that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of 25 percent ownership (94-95 MW) interest in the Arkona offshore wind farm off the coast of Germany, to funds advised by Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners for a total amount of approximately EUR 500 million.

Currently, Equinor holds a 50 percent interest in the wind farm located in the German part of the Baltic Sea. Following the transaction, Equinor will retain a 25 percent interest and RWE Renewables (following their takeover of E.ON Climate and Renewables) will remain the operator with a majority 50 percent interest. PålEitrheim, executive vice president in New Energy Solutions in Equinor said that this divestment demonstrated the firm’s ability to realise value from the development of offshore wind projects. “Active portfolio management through the project life cycle is an important part of our offshore wind strategy. Arkona was delivered under budget and on time and has had strong operational performance since start-up.”

The Arkona wind farm is in the German part of the Baltic Sea,

35 km northeast of the Rügen island in Germany. The wind farm consists of 60 six-megawatt turbines and the first power from the wind farm was supplied to the grid in September 2018, and all 60 turbines have been generating power since November 2018. The wind farm has a nameplate capacity of 378 MW and an export capacity of 385 MW and supplies energy equivalent to the demand of 400.000 households.

SUZLON DENIES REPORTS OF FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY

MODI OFFERS $150 MN LOC FOR PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS

Debt-laden renewable energy solutions provider Suzlon Energy on Monday specifically denied all reports suggesting that it has filed for bankruptcy and that it will soon be approaching the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

“We wish to reiterate that Suzlon’s debt resolution and revival plans have never been dependent on any single option,” it informed stock exchanges in regulatory filings.

“The lenders and the company continue to work hard for a sustainable resolution plan to preserve the value of the company since the relevant stakeholders are mindful about Suzlon’s contribution to Indian renewable energy sector, its strong market position together with its order book as well as industry potential,” it added.

The company said the lenders have already signed an intercreditor agreement. In terms of the June 7 circular of Reserve Bank of India, the lenders have time till January 2020 to work on a sustainable resolution plan before taking any extreme steps. “Considering the interest of all stakeholders, the lenders and the company are working on a constructive solution,” it said. For 2018-2019, Suzlon company reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,527 crore and debt of Rs 9,624 crore. Care Ratings assigned a default measure for the company in April this year.

In July, the company failed to pay the principal amount of 172 million dollars for outstanding bonds which were due. The outstanding payment was part of a total bond issuance of 546.91 million dollars.

In August, in its latest financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2019, Suzlon’s consolidated net loss had narrowed to Rs 336.88 crore in the quarter, on account of lower expenses.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a USD 150 million line of credit (LOC) to the group of Pacific island nations for undertaking solar, renewable energy and climaterelated projects based on their requirement.

Modi, who attended the India-Pacific Islands Developing States (PSIDS) Leaders’ Meeting, also announced a total allocation of USD 12 million to the member states towards implementation of high impact developmental project in the area of their choice. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. This is the first time that Modi has met the leaders of the PSIDS on the margins of UNGA in a plurilateral format.

“In New York, I had the opportunity to meet leaders of the Pacific Islands and interact with them on ways to boost cooperation between our nations. Pacific Islands are at the core of our Act East Policy. Issues like climate change and disaster management were discussed,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted. The meeting was attended by the Heads of delegation of Fiji, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Independent State of Papua New Guinea, The Independent State of Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu and Republic of Vanuatu.

“In the spirit of his fundamental Mantra “SabkaSaath, SabkaVikasaurSabka Vishwas (together with all, for the development of all and with the trust of all),” Modi announced allocation of 12 million dollars grant (1 million dollar to each PSIDS) towards implementation of high impact developmental project in the area of their choice.

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FINANCE UPDATES

ADB GRANTS $37 MN FOR SE ASIA FLOATING PROJECT The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a USD 37 million loan agreement with Da Nhim–Ham Thuan–Da Mi Hydro Power (DHD) to finance the installation of a 47.5 megawatt (MW) peak floating solar PV power facility on the man-made reservoir of DHD’s existing 175 MW Da Mi hydropower plant. The project marks the first large-scale installation of floating solar PV panels in VietNam and the largest installation in Southeast Asia.

This project will help to boost the share of renewable energy in VietNam’s overall energy mix and decrease the dependence on imported fossil fuels such as coal, said ADB Private Sector Operations Department Deputy DirectorGeneral, Christopher Thieme.

“The pairing of these two clean energy technologies—hydropower and

solar—is a simple but highly innovative achievement, which can be replicated elsewhere in VietNam and across Asia and the Pacific,” he said.

The financing package includes a USD 17.6 million loans from ADB’s ordinary capital resources. This is supplemented by USD 15 million of blended concessional co-financing provided by the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia and its follow-on fund, the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia II. These funds were established by the Government of Canada to encourage private investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in Asia and the Pacific.

The package also includes a USD 4.4 million parallel loans from Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP), supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency through a USD 1.5 billion equity commitment.

IL&FS MOVES NCLAT FOR `145 CR FROM GUJARAT DISCOM

EQUINOR EYES FLOATING OFFSHORE PROJECT IN NORWAY

IL&FS has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) seeking the release of around Rs 145 crore held by the Gujarat-based distribution company Gujarat UrjaVikas Nigam (GUVNL). A two-member NCLAT bench headed by Chairperson Justice S J Mukhopadhaya has issued a notice to the Gujarat UrjaVikas Nigam over the IL&FS plea. And has directed to list the matter for next hearing on October 15, 2019.

According to senior advocate Ramji Srinivasan appearing for IL&FS, the matter relates to the payment of five IL&FS wind energy companies. IL&FS had approached Gujarat Energy Regulatory Commission regarding this but could not get relief there. Earlier this month, flagging non-payment of dues by power discoms to renewable energy producers, Union Power Minister RK Singh had cautioned seven states, including Maharashtra and Karnataka, that the developers could approach NCLT against the distribution companies to recover payments. The minister pointed out the power producers are likely to default on their payment obligations due to non-clearance of dues by the discoms and there is a “danger” of them approaching the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for recovering the pending amount.

IL&FS Group, which has a total debt of above Rs 90,000 crore, is going through a debt resolution plan. The entire resolution process is based on the principles enunciated in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and is supervised by Justice D K Jain.

In August, after long deliberations, NCLT) on August 28, 2019, has cleared the sale of IL&FS’s seven wind energy assets to Japan’s Orix Corporation for Rs 4,800 crore.

Equinor has announced that it has, along with the Snorre and Gullfaks partners, made a final investment decision (FID) for the HywindTampen floating offshore wind farm development in Norway.

The Snorre and Gullfaks oil and gas platforms which are operated by Equinor with partners will be the first-ever powered by a floating offshore wind farm. The wind farm will be located some 140 kilometres from shore in 260-300 metres of water between the platforms.

EldarSætre, chief executive officer of Equinor said that the firm has been systematically maturing technologies for floating offshore wind for almost 20 years. And that the decision by the Snorre and Gullfaks partners helps bring this technology an important step forward.

The HywindTampen investments will total almost NOK 5 billion (USD 550 million). Norwegian authorities through Enova have made a funding commitment of up to NOK 2.3 billion for the HywindTampen project. Besides, the Business Sector’s NOx Fund has decided to support the project by up to NOK 566 million.

The wind farm will consist of 11 wind turbines based on the Hywind technology developed by Equinor. The 8 MW turbines will have a total capacity of 88 MW, capable of meeting about 35 percent of the annual power demand of the five Snorre A and B, Gullfaks A, B and C platforms. By reducing the use of gas turbines on the fields the project helps cut CO2 emissions by more than 200,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to the annual emissions from 100,000 passenger cars.

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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

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THE SOLAR SHOW MENA 2020

website : https://www.middleeastelectricity.com

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

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

Location : Dubai, UAE Phone : +971 4 4072470

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

Location : Cairo, Egypt Phone : +971 4 4402535

E-mail : Info@middleeastelectricity.com

E-mail : Abdelbasset.hfd@terrapinn.com

RENEWX 2020

POWERGEN INDIA 2020

website : www.renewx.in

website : www.powergen-india.com

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

Location : Hyderabad, India Phone : +91 98707 46073

E-mail : sheetal.rathod@ubm.com

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

E-mail : pr@itenmedia.in

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

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

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

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

E-mail : ravim@eigroup.in

website : www.snec.org.cn

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

Location : Shanghai, China Phone : +86 21 33685117

E-mail : info@snec.org.cn

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

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

E-mail : info@annexhibition.com

E-mail : power@ronco.com.cn

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

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

STORAGE UPDATES

ENGIE EPS WINS PV+STORAGE PROJECT IN GUAM Engie EPS, a subsidiary of the Engie group, involved in the energy storage systems and microgrids segment has been informed by the Power Authority of Guam, a US territory in the Western Pacific, that it has been selected as the successful bidder for the construction of two solar-plus-storage projects under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), in the context of Phase III of the “Renewable Energy Resource” program.

The Guam Power Authority (GPA) is now considering Engie, the lowest bidder amongst those qualified in the competitive tender process, for contract award.

The two “Solar-after-Sunset” systems proposed by Engie integrate more than 50 MWp of solar PV with approx. 300 MWh

of battery energy storage to render 100 percent of the daily solar production available for up to 7 hours after sunset.

Engie EPS will supply the innovative battery storage design and act as full energy storage solution provider and system integrator, supported by its strategic partner Samsung SDI. CarlalbertoGuglielminotti, chief

executive officer at Engie EPS said “We are proud to contribute to GPA’s pioneering vision. This is an iconic project which sets a paradigm shift for the zero-carbon transition: Engie EPS’s technological edge makes it now possible to provide solar power at night cheaper than conventional generation.”

The project is scheduled to be online in July 2022 to deliver over 85 GWh of clean dispatchable energy annually, in line with the island’s target of sourcing over 25 percent of energy from renewables.

Engie will now work with GPA to obtain the approvals for the 20-year power purchase agreements by the Consolidated Commission on Utilities and the Guam Public Utilities Commission.

ADB GRANTS FOR SOLAR PLUS SUNGROW TO SUPPLY STORAGE STORAGE PROJECT IN NAURU SYSTEMS FOR PROJECT IN US

38 OCTOBER 2019

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Nauru have signed a USD 22 million grant for a project that will fund the delivery of reliable, affordable, secure, and sustainable solar energy to help meet the socio-economic development needs of the Pacific island nation. The Government of Nauru will contribute USD 4.98 million towards the initiative.

“Nauru currently relies heavily on imported diesel fuel for power generation,” said ADB Director General for the Pacific, Carmela Locsin. “The project will reduce diesel dependency and help boost the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources from 3 percent to 47 percent.”

The grant will fund a 6-megawatt (MW) grid-connected solar power plant and a 2.5 MW-hour, 5 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to help supply continuous power even when solar energy is interrupted by cloud cover. The system will be fully automated and integrated with the existing diesel system to optimise solar energy use, enable optimal BESS charging and discharging, and allow optimal shut-off of the diesel engines. This will reduce the Pacific Island nations' reliance on diesel for power generation and decrease production costs.

The project will strengthen the institutional capacity of the Nauru Utilities Corporation by training staff in the operation and management of the solar plant and the battery energy storage system while supporting gender-mainstreaming efforts and providing project implementation assistance.

Project-related employment will include gender targets.

When the project is complete, solar power will provide 100 percent grid-connected electricity supply to the people of Nauru during daylight hours.

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, has announced that it has signed a contract to supply its fully integrated Energy Storage System (ESS) ST4200KWh-2000 to a 15MW/32MWh project in Massachusetts, US. The project will participate in ISO-New England wholesale markets after completion and is one of the first solar-plusstorage offerings to contribute to the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program, setting the benchmark for Massachusetts’ solar-plus-storage projects.

The Sungrow ESS solution ST4200KWh-2000, which integrates separate PCS and Li-ion battery, energy management system, local controller, HVAC and FSS in a 40-foot container, will bring together the plant’s production processes within a one-stopshop to allow flexible transportation and on-site installation, as well as ensure unified communication, system safety and optimal system efficiency.

The combined solar and storage portfolio is operated by Stem, the US energy firm, and owned by Syncarpha Capital, LLC, a New York-based private equity firm.

“We are happy to partner with Sungrow which has a trusted 20 plus year track record in this industry for the first batch of SMART projects and many more in the future. We felt strongly about Sungrow Samsung SDI’s product offering, especially with the fully integrated concept, which really helped us reduce the LCOE and operational costs,” said John Carrington CEO of Stem Inc. The project, which is deployed across five distribution gridconnected sites, will be supported by Sungrow’s dedicated team of experienced professionals in the U.S. and is planned for commissioning in Q2 2020.

STORAGE UPDATES

LOAN FOR 18 MW PV & STORAGE PROJECT IN CHAD The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a loan of 18 million euros and a Partial Risk Guarantee (GPR), for the establishment of the solar power station of Djermaya in Chad.

The construction and operation of the solar power plant, with a maximum capacity of 32 MW, is planned 30 km north of N’Djamena. The project will also include the development of a 4 MWh battery system for network stabilisation.

Led by the Bank’s “Desert to Power” initiative, this flagship project is original in many ways. It is the first of its kind in renewable energy production, it is also the first public-private partnership (PPP) in the field of electricity in Chad.

The PPP will consist of Aldwich International Limited/Anergie and Smart Energies, promoters of the project, as well as Infraco as shareholder and on the other hand the governmental part composed of the National Electricity Company (SNE), the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Finance and the Renewable Energy Agency (ADER).

The project will contribute to building

sustainability in the country’s power sector by reducing production costs; it will also increase the installed capacity in the country and contribute 10 percent of the energy supplied to the interconnected system, the equivalent of 25,000 customers.

The project will also diversify the energy mix by introducing renewable energy into a fossil fuel-based thermal generation system. This will reduce carbon emissions by 38,000 tCO2 per year, in line with the country’s commitments.

GE GETS100 MWH ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA GE Renewable Energy has announced that it has been selected by Convergent Energy + Power (Convergent) for the supply of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for three projects in California for a total capacity of 100 MWh. The scope of work for the company will also include a long-term service agreement and augmentation guarantees.

Frank Genova, COO and CFO of Convergent, said that Convergent has a track-record of developing trailblazing energy storage assets that advance the energy storage sector; and that the company is proud to partner with GE Renewable Energy to provide for local area reliability and support the growth of renewable energy in California.

With a total capacity of 100 MWh, this is the largest single order for BESS for GE Renewable Energy in the US. The energy storage systems support two primary goals. First, they provide the targeted local capacity to enhance grid

reliability during peak periods. Second, as fast-acting stabilisation devices, the battery energy storage systems can charge and discharge rapidly to regulate frequency and contribute to grid stability, helping to balance and facilitate the ever-growing penetration of variable renewable energy.

Assets such as these will assist with making California’s state targets of 33% renewable energy penetration by 2020 and 100

percent by 2050 a reality.

Prakash Chandra, Renewable Hybrids CEO, GE Renewable Energy, said that energy storage is going to be a major component in the energy transition to more renewable generation.

With this project, GE Renewable Energy will reach a total of 495MWh in operations or construction in the battery energy storage space.

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Solar Manufacturing in India Global Overview

Globally, over 100 GW of PV capacity was installed in 2018, with China continuing to take the lead, as it added 45 GW of capacities during the year. Other countries to install large solar capacities included Europe, the U.S. and India. China is also the world’s largest producer of solar cell/module, followed

by Malaysia and Taiwan. Countries across the globe have provided strategic support to solar energy, also supporting solar manufacturing. Government subsidies/incentives have been the key reason behind the formation of large manufacturing bases globally.

capacities by 2022, of which 100 GW would be solar.

Driven by the thrust towards renewables, India’s solar capacities have grown almost tenfold from about 3 GW in FY14 to about 29 GW currently. The domestic solar manufacturers, however, have not been able to tap this growing market for solar energy.

Solar manufacturing capacity did not keep pace with the solar generation capacity in India, while imports have steadily risen with increased capacity addition over the years.

World solar PV cell/module production (GW)

Annual PV installations (GW)

Source: MNRE List of Cell and Module Manufacturers in India, ISMA

As per the MNRE’s list of cell and module manufacturers in India as on 31st May 2017, the domestic manufacturing industry has a limited capacity of about 3GW for solar PV cells and around 8 GW for solar PV modules. However, based on the latest information provided by MNRE on 5th March 2019, domestic manufacturing capacities of solar cells and modules stand at about 3GW and 10GW respectively.

Source: MDPI

Current Domestic Scenario

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India’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions signed under the Paris Climate Change Agreement resulted in it embarking on an ambitious program of installing 175 GW of renewable SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

Source: Commerce Ministry, CEA

OPED

helped bring down imports from China and Malaysia, but those from other SE Asian countries like Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand increased. It’s clear that India is a key market for global manufacturers, and they will try to remain competitive, making local manufacturers unviable. The challenge is therefore much bigger to make the ‘Make in India’ dream possible.

The solar capacity addition plan per year is 20 GW and the domestic manufacturing capacity as of today stands at 10 GW. Assuming, the entire manufacturing capacity is utilized domestically, it would cater to 50 percent of India’s solar requirements. However, the domestic manufacturers are unable to meet the requirements and the majority of it is met through imports.

The existing scenario in FY19 depicts India’s high import dependency and the opportunity loss of Indian solar manufacturers. A simple back of the envelope calculation shows the following: In the above table, corresponding to 6.5 GW capacity installed in FY19, the maximum supply of domestic cells and modules would be worth USD 1893 Mn. This is an opportunity loss of business to the domestic industry as more than 90 percent is supplied by foreign players. This loss of business opportunity can only balloon as capacity additions grow.

Source: Commerce Ministry

China has been the major source of India’s solar imports, followed by other South-East Asian countries like Malaysia and Vietnam. To protect the domestic solar manufacturing industry that was flooded with cheap imports, the governmentimposed safeguard duty of 25 percent in July 2018 (for a period of one year and later to be scaled down to 20 percent and 15 percent for the first six months and remaining six months of the second year respectively) on imports from China and Malaysia, while the same was not applicable on import of such products from other countries. The safeguard duty though

Cost and Imports

Note: Chinese module cost includes $0.01/W for freight

Source: Bloomberg NEF

The basic reason behind high import dependence is the cost differential between the domestic and imported solar modules.

Chinese solar modules before the imposition of safeguard duty were 15-20 percent cheaper than the domestically manufactured cells.

The approximate total import bill for cells and modules assuming a modest 10 GW peryear would be USD 3 billion per year. Post SGD imposition in July’18, the landed cost of Chinese modules increased, serving the purpose for domestic manufacturers. As per BNEF estimates, the domestic project developers were estimated to pay $0.34/W insteadof $0.27/W for modules imported from China in August’18. However, with progressivedecline in safeguard duty and aggressive pricing adopted by Chinese manufacturersconsidering China’s decision to curb annual solar installations, the price difference is expected to narrow down. This is, therefore, temporary relief to the domestic manufacturers, unless other measures like anti-dumping are established.

The various reasons behind such a cost structure of the Chinese solar PV include: • The scale of Chinese manufacturing companies enabling lower fixed costs.

• E xistence of a complete supply chain locally reduces logistics cost.

• Soft loans: state-owned commercial/policy banks providing the solar industry with loans at preferential, lower than commercial rates and terms.

• Export Credits: Export-Import Bank of China provides exportcontingent loans at preferential rates and assistance in the form of export seller’s credit.

• Income tax reduction: export-oriented (>70 percent) foreign-invested enterprises eligible to pay only half the income tax rate; preferential tax benefits to enterprises recognized.

• Subsidies: grants, loans, and other incentives to enterprises in China, in part to implement an industrial policy of promoting the development of global Chinese brand names, and to increase sales of Chinese- branded and other Chinese merchandise around the world.

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Similar favourable conditions for domestic solar manufacturers in India has not been available. There is a lack of economies of scale, while R&D investment has been insufficient - India’s investments in technological know-how remain low compared to other developed nations and China. China’s 39,784 patents in solar technologies are far higher than India’s 246 and there is lack of domestically available raw materialsthe manufacturing process of solar cell/module starts from silicon-polysilicon-ingots-wafers-cells-module. India currently produces only cells and modules with imported material.

Government Policy Interventions

The government of India attempted some policy initiatives aimed at developing domestic solar manufacturing industry, that did not accrue any major benefit to the domestic solar manufacturers, who continued to be driven out on account of China’s competitive advantage. Some of these measures include: Domestic content requirement- Some support was given to the domestic industry by mandating DCR (domestic content requirement) for selected solar projects, but this was struck down

by WTO on grounds that DCR violated global trade rules. DCR mandated projects by public sector entities for government procurement however are WTO compliant. Recently, NTPC issued an EPC tender for 1GW solar project under the CPSU scheme, requiring only domestically manufactured cells and modules to be used for the project.

Safeguard duty- In order to protect the domestic manufacturers from cheap imports, the government imposed 25 percent safeguard duty on solar panel imports from countries like China and Malaysia, which would scale down to 20 percent to 15 percent in a span of two years, not giving enough time for domestic manufacturers to increase their capacities.

Manufacturing linked solar tender- The government also tendered manufacturing linked solar projects which either faced extensions or got cancelled due to lukewarm response from the developers on account of the capping of tariff at lower levels and shorter duration offtake, that possessed its risks.

Also, raw materials for solar manufacturing are under ADD (anti-dumping duty), like glass and EVA, but the module can be imported with no ADD.

4. Lower logistics cost of import 5. Superior quality control 6. Lifetime availability of spares 7. Solar plant ancillary units These benefits exclude obvious savings on freight/handling & more importantly the ability to service the solar plants with spares during the plant life. Insurance products covering performance/damages will also improve if good local manufacturing firms are the suppliers. There is, therefore, a case for re-examining the significant opportunity in domestic solar manufacturing. There may be challenges due to political pressures that could emerge from the U.S. and China on protectionist grounds. There will be a need for a pragmatic and smart economic, political and legal strategy to build and nurture a vibrant solar sector in India.

Some of the recommendations are: • Provision of tax benefits.

• Provision of subsidies to counter Chinese efforts.

• Economies of scale. This should be thought of not only for the Indian market but also potentially become a hub for global supply.

• Solar manufacturing zones at different locations could be set up with several benefits like land, infrastructure sharing, tax benefits, coastal access for logistics.

• Funds collected through coal cess should be put to proper use by channelizing it towards increased R&D investments and technological upgradation. India can also utilize its FTAs and take advantage of being a co-founder of ISA for technology transfer from across nations. Research could be conducted on developing facilities for recycling panels.

• Brand creation through quality certification/standards and durability assurance-Create a body through ISA, where India can take the lead.

• More DCR mandated solar tenders for public procurement for a long duration can be introduced to help domestic manufacturers.

Authors:

What’s the Opportunity here

42 OCTOBER 2019

If India were to achieve even 50 percent of its total solar potential (650 to 750 GW) in the next 15-20 years, there is a huge opportunity for policy intervention in India. Even assuming only 200 GW of capacity addition in the next 15-20 years, India can promote its domestic manufacturing industry which in turn will result in employment generation and foreign exchange savings of over 50-60 bn USD. In summary, the following benefits can be visualized: 1. A 20 GW domestic capacity per annum will spawn a plethora of employment opportunities 2. Forex savings 3. Lower foreign exchange risk & lower tariff SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

RAMESH SUBRAMANYAM

CFO & President – New Business Tata Power Ltd

ADITYA GUPTA

Chief - Strategy Business Excellence & Business Collaboration Tata Power Ltd

MILESTONE UPDATES

SIEMENS GAMESA WINS DEMING PRIZE Siemens Gamesa, one of India’s leading renewable energy company, has been awarded the coveted Deming Prize for its industrial operations covering all four of its manufacturing units and other support functions in India.

The prestigious Deming Prize is awarded by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), to companies that have demonstrated exceptional performance through Total Quality Management (TQM).

The award means Siemens Gamesa becomes the first wind energy company in the world to have won this quality award. The formal Deming Prize Award Ceremony will take place on November 6 in Tokyo, Japan.

We are very proud to have won this

award and are happy to share it with all our employees, customers and suppliers whose great support has made this achievement possible, said Ramesh Kymal, chairman and managing director, Siemens Gamesa India.

“Renewables as an industry has become extremely cost-competitive and demands companies like us to reinvent ourselves to meet evolving market trends. The implementation of TQM practices has seen tremendous efficiency improvements and in turn has helped us deliver best in class products and solutions to our customers,” he added.

Siemens Gamesa has operated in India since 2009, and the base installed by the company recently surpassed the 6.2 GW mark. The company has two blade factories in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), and Halol (Gujarat), a nacelle factory in Mamandur (Chennai, Tamil Nadu) and an operations & maintenance centre in Red Hills (Chennai, Tamil Nadu).

NOBEL PRIZE AWARDED FOR WORK ON LI-ION BATTERIES

FORTUM GETS AWARD FOR RE PROMOTION IN RUSSIA

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2019 has been awarded jointly to Akira Yoshino, John B. Goodenough and M. Stanley Whittingham for the development of lithium-ion batteries.

Making the announcement in Stockholm, the Nobel Committee said that the winners have “created a rechargeable world’, underscoring the critical role their find has made in our lives today. “The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 rewards the development of the lithium-ion battery. This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful batteries are now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles. It can also store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making possible a fossil fuel-free society,” the committee said. The foundation of the lithiumion battery was laid during the oil crisis in the 1970s. Stanley Whittingham worked on developing methods that could lead to fossil-fuel-free energy technologies. He started to research superconductors and discovered an extremely energy-rich material, which he used to create an innovative cathode in a lithium battery. This was made from titanium disulphide which, at a molecular level, has spaces that can house – intercalate – lithium ions. The battery’s anode was partially made from metallic lithium, which has a strong drive to release electrons. This resulted in a battery that had great potential, just over two volts. However, metallic lithium is reactive and the battery was too explosive to be viable.

“They have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil-fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind,” the committee said. The Nobel Prize winners for 2019 will get Swedish kronor 9 million, a gold medal and a diploma.

Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum has been awarded a prize in MediaTEK, a national contest for communications and media in the energy sector, for building awareness for renewable energy development in Russia.

This event was a part of the Russian Energy Week, an international forum in Moscow, and is supported by the Russian Ministry of Energy. Further, the special jury prize has been given to Denis Litoshik, Communications & PR Director, Fortum Russia.

At the award ceremony, Press Secretary for the President of Russia Dmitriy Peskov and Minister of Energy of Russia Alexander Novak were also present.

Fortum is among the frontrunners in developing renewable energy in the country. Last year in January, it has commissioned first commercial-scale wind farm in Russia i.e. Ulyanovsk Wind Farm 1 with an installed capacity of 35 MW. Now, Fortum and Russian government-owned Rusnano jointly implementing an extensive investment program in the country.

Earlier in the last two years, the two companies had established Wind Energy Development Fund (WEDF) on a parity basis which obtained the right to build almost 1,823 MW of wind energy generation. Moreover, wind farms are likely to be commissioned between 2019 and 2023. The first project completed by WEDF was Ulyanovsk Wind Farm 2 which commenced supplying power to the Wholesale Electricity and Capacity Market (WECM) in January 2019. The plant is having a power generation capacity of 50 MW. Last year, Fortum had also secured the right to build 115.6 MW of solar power generation under the competitive selection of RES investment projects.

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MILESTONE UPDATES

WINNERS, 2 NEW SOLAR INITIATIVES BY US DOE The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the winners of the first round of the American-Made Solar Prize, a USD 3 million competition designed to revitalise US solar manufacturing. As part of the prize, the winners each received USD 500,000 in cash for use at DOE National Laboratories.

DOE Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Daniel R Simmons, announced the winners at the ongoing Solar Power International event in Utah.

The winners, Phase3 Photovoltaics and Solar Inventions, faced an expert panel of industry judges at one of the solar industry’s largest conference.

• Phase3 Photovoltaics (Portland, OR) – Prefabricated Solar Systems: This team developed a cross-functional effort to establish the process for solar to be integrated into factory-built homes.

• S olar Inventions (Atlanta, GA) – Configurable Current Cell: C3: This team created a new approach to develop a new photovoltaic cell design that can help produce a more stable and reliable module.

“The American-Made Solar Prize brings together private sector entrepreneurship with expertise at DOE’s national labs

to foster next-level innovation in U.S. solar manufacturing,” said Assistant Secretary Simmons. “These transformative technologies will address critical needs in the U.S. solar industry, and develop impactful solutions for the industry to utilise and overcome these challenges.”

Also, two initiatives led by EERE’s Solar

Energy Technologies Office (SETO) were also announced at the event. The National Community Solar Partnership which is aimed at expanding affordable community-solar access to every American household by 2025, and the teams participating in the new Solar District Cup.

BENLING INDIA BAGS ‘STARTUP OF THE YEAR’ Benling India, an emerging electric vehicle (EV) brand was conferred with the ‘Startup of the Year’ award. The award was organised by First View Media Venture and presented at ‘India E-mobility Week Awards 2019’ held in New Delhi.

Paritosh Dey, executive director, Benling India Energy & Technology while receiving the award said “it is a moment of eminent pride for Benling India to receive this prestigious ‘Start-up of the year’ award.

Benling India is constantly working towards innovating new technologies and widening its consumer base in India. We are actively working towards achieving the Government’s vision of an all-electric fleet and green mobility solutions.”

The firm is continuously working towards the research and development and

innovation in technologies related to the electric vehicle segment to enhance EV infrastructure in the country. With an unwavering focus on quality, it envisions to produce high-performance electric vehicles that are highly efficient, lightweight, durable and eco-friendly.

The company envisages the future of mobility – a sustainable automotive ecosystem that brings mobility solutions to customers across the world.

“For the coming financial year, Benling India will be investing in the Indian market for expanding its manufacturing facilities in Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, and Guwahati.” He added The company currently has a product portfolio of three low-speed models namely Kriti, Falcon, and Icon. The company also has plans to launch one high-speed model named Aura in January.

In August, we reported that the company after successfully selling close to 800 electric two-wheelers in the country is planning to launch an all-new electric bike to rival India’s Revolt 400.

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MILESTONE UPDATES

GOOGLE MAKES BIGGEST RE PURCHASE Tech giant Google, which is the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy (RE), has now announced what is the biggest corporate purchase of RE in history.

The purchase is made up of a 1,600 megawatts (MW) package of agreements and includes 18 new energy deals. Together, these deals will increase the firms worldwide portfolio of wind and solar agreements by more than 40 percent, to 5,500 MW—equivalent to the capacity of a million solar rooftops.

Once all these projects come online, Google’s carbon-free energy portfolio will produce more electricity than places like Washington D.C. or entire countries like Lithuania or Uruguay use each year.

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google said that a cornerstone of Google’s sustainability efforts is its commitment to clean energy and that the company has been a carbon-neutral company since 2007. “In 2017, we became the first company of our size to match our entire annual electricity consumption with renewable energy (and then we did it again in 2018)” The latest agreements will spur the construction of more than USD 2 billion in new energy infrastructure, including millions of solar panels and hundreds of wind turbines spread across

three continents. In all, the company’s renewable energy fleet now stands at 52 projects, driving more than USD 7 billion in new construction and thousands of related jobs.

These 18 new deals span the globe and include investments in the U.S., Chile and Europe. In the U.S., the company will purchase energy from 720 MW of solar farms in North Carolina (155 MW), South Carolina (75 MW), and Texas (490 MW)—more than doubling the capacity of its global solar portfolio to date.

FINAL TURBINE IN AT LARGEST OFFSHORE WIND FARM

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Ørsted has announced that the final of 174 wind turbines has been installed at the world’s largest offshore wind farm Hornsea 1. The component load-out took place at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s factory in Hull, where the majority of blades were constructed, and the components were then transported 120 km out to sea.

Standing a proud 190 metres above sea level and with its three 75 m long blades, each 7 MW turbine will be able to power a UK home for over a day with every single rotation. Part of an impressive array dotted over 407 km2 of North Sea more than 100 km from the Yorkshire coast, the final turbine completes the 174-strong array of turbines, which make up the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

With the final turbine is installed, the project will undergo a period of commissioning and will be officially inaugurated in 2020 as the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Once complete, the site will be the world’s first offshore wind farm to be able to generate over 1 GW of electricity – enough to power well over one million UK homes.

Hornsea 1 is the world’s biggest offshore SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

wind farm with a capacity of 1.2 GW, nearly double the current world’s largest offshore wind farm, the Walney Extension.

The product features the longest ever AC offshore wind export cable with a

total length of 467 km. And three 400 MW offshore substations will convert to high voltage the clean electricity from the medium voltage cables connected to each wind turbine.

PROJECT UPDATES

ANDHRA PRADESH TENDERS FOR 350 ELECTRIC BUSES The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has floated a tender, inviting bids from eligible vendors for the procurement of 350 air-conditioned electric buses under the second phase of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) India scheme.

The objective for issuance of the tender is that the state government of Andhra Pradesh is planning to run electric buses on specific routes in the state.

The buses are expected to be procured on a gross cost contract (GCC) basis. The scope of work for the selected vendors will include the operation and maintenance of the buses, along with the procurement and installation of an 11-kV substation, charging stations, related equipment, and maintenance.

APSRTC is looking to procure buses of sizes 9 meters (m) and 12m, and it will provide demand incentives as per the FAME India guidelines as well. The buses will be contracted for 12 years.

Earlier this year in March, the Union Cabinet had finally after much deliberation approved the proposal to implement the second phase of the FAME India scheme II aimed towards the promotion of electric mobility in the country. It was also

indicated that the primary objective of the program was to boost the transition of the public transportation system to be more electric.

Recently, while speaking at an event on energy efficiency in micro, small and medium enterprises, Nitin Gadkari, India’s road transport and highways minister had said that only electric buses will run across India in the next two years and that too without making it mandatory.

SECI TO TENDER FOR 200 MW RENEWABLE PROJECTS SOON

VESTAS UNVEILS TURBINE CONTRACTS FOR 1316 MW IN US

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a notice, informing prospective developers that the agency will be inviting proposals for the development of 200 MW of renewable projects on a pan India basis soon. The selected projects and developers will be required to connect the projects with the inter-state transmission system (ISTS).

As per the notice, the details of the tender and related documents will be released on October 15, 2019.

The projects can be developed anywhere in India, and the nodal agency will procure the power that is generated on a ‘round-the-clock’ basis, for which the successful bidders will enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with SECI for 25 years.

The projects will be developed on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) model, and the power that SECI procures will be sold on to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Recently, SECI had reissued a Request for Selection (RfS) for the selection of solar power developers (SPDs) for setting up of 500 MW grid-tied solar PV power projects in the state of Tamil Nadu (Phase-1). The last date for bid submission is October 14, 2019. The estimated cost of tender work is Rs 2 thousand crores. All bidders must submit an Earnest Money Deposit of Rs 4 lakh per MW of bid quantity along with their bids.

More recently, the nodal agency had conducted the auctions for its 2 GW CPSU solar tender, awarding project capacities worth 922.4 MW.

Vestas has announced the signing of multiple new wind turbine agreements for projects due to be developed in the United States (US). In total, the company has announced 5 deals worth a combined 1316 MW in wind turbine deliveries.

The first order has been received for 359 MW of V120-2.2 MW turbines for a wind project which will include previously purchased V112-3.45 MW components, the project has a total nameplate capacity of 400 MW. The second-order has been received for 337 MW of V1504.2 MW turbines and V136-3.45 turbines delivered in 3.7 MW Power Optimised Mode for a wind project. Turbine delivery is planned for the first quarter of 2020 with commissioning scheduled for the third quarter of 2020, for both the projects.

The third and fourth orders have been received for 256 MW of V120-2.2 MW turbines and 230 MW of V136-3.45 MW turbines. The orders also include 10 and 20-year service agreements. Turbine deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2020 with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020, for both the projects.

The last order has been received for 134 MW of V110-2.0 turbines for a wind project in the US, including previously purchased 2 MW components, the project has a total nameplate capacity of 150 MW. The projects and the developers have not been disclosed yet for any of the orders. However, the firm has revealed that with all these orders its order intake in the US has crossed 4.4 GW. VOL 4 l ISSUE 02 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

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PROJECT UPDATES

SECI EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR MFG. LINKED TENDER The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced the extension in the bid submission deadline for its tender for selection of solar power developers for setting up 6 GW solar projects linked with 2 GW solar manufacturing (annual) plant anywhere in India. This is the third deadline extension for SECI’s flagship solar tender that it has been trying to award for nearly a year now.

Last month, SECI had extended the bid submission deadline from September 11, 2019, to October 11, 2019, with the techno-commercial bids expected to be opened on the same date.

However, after failing to secure any firm commitments for the project, the nodal agency has now decided to extend the deadline until October 31,

2019. The techno-commercial bids will also be opened on the same date. In June 2019, SECI had revamped and

reissued the manufacturing linked solar tender which it had initially floated in January 2019.

As per the provisions of the tender, the capacity for which any bidder can quote will be any capacity up to 1500 MW of solar projects capacity linked to 500 MW of solar manufacturing capacity corresponding to 1 Project. A total of 4 such projects are under the bidding process. However, any bidder would be free to bid for all the 4 projects.

Recently, the agency had extended the submission deadline for its other held up tender seeking to deploy 97.5 MW rooftop solar projects on government buildings under the Capex or RESCO modes.

The deadline for that tender has been extended until October 21, 2019.

AMPLUS SOLAR ENTERS RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOP SEGMENT

TENDERS FOR 150 ELECTRIC BUSES ISSUED IN RAJASTHAN

C&I rooftop solar solutions provider, Amplus Energy Solutions has announced that the company has diversified and expanded its services to offer solar solutions to residential customers, backed by a 25-year warranty. The company is launching HomeScape, its residential brand, this year in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat. The company has already installed solar plants in more than 300 locations in 24 states of India and maintains them with the help of their in-house operations team. This experience and network will help it by providing the same quality of services in their new business vertical.

HomeScape will specifically cater to residential customers, not only attending to their energy needs but also beautifying their home. HomeScape’s flagship product, ‘Atrium’, is a specially designed reinforced steel Pergola structure with wooden finished exterior suitable for farmhouses, villas and bungalows, and is only available through a special invite.

HomeScape also got empanelled under the 600 MW subsidy scheme of PGVCL (part of Gujarat UrjaVikas Nigam) and plans to start solarising 3,000 homes in Gujarat.

“We believe Indian residential consumers need to participate in the solar revolution and HomeScape, by Amplus Solar, takes pride in bringing a world-class product that will be backed by a unique long-term warranty and maintenance system in place, assuring our consumers full benefit of their investment,” said Sanjeev Aggarwal, Managing Director & CEO, Amplus Solar. The company believes that the new residential product will help cut down electricity bills by as much as 90 percent, paying for itself in as low as 4 years, and also gives as high as 30 percent return on investment.

The Rajasthan State Road Transport Co (RSRTC) and the Jaipur City Transport Services Ltd (JCTSL) have issued a request for proposals (RfP) inviting bids and proposals for the selection of operators for procurement and operation of a total of 150 electric buses in the state.

The RfP issued by the RSRTC is for the selection of bus operators for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of 50 AC electric-powered buses under the second phase of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME II) scheme.

The last date for bid submissions is October 21, 2019, and the selected bidders will be provided with the demand incentives under the FAME-II scheme by RSRTC. Interested bidders are required to pay a sum of Rs 50,000 towards the bid processing fee, and a sum of Rs1.5 crore as bid security amount.

According to the RfP, the buses must be 12 meters long and should have a minimum range of 300 km on a single charge with a full load. The buses will be operated on interstate and intercity routes.

The scope of work will include the manufacturing and supply of electric buses, carrying out preventive and breakdown maintenance of buses, and operation of the buses on the routes specified by RSRTC. The RfP issued by the JCTSL is seeking bids for the supply, operation, and maintenance of 100 fully built AC electric buses on build, own, operate, and transfer (BOOT) basis.

The last date for the submission of bids is October 24, 2019, and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 175 crore over ten years of operation.

48 OCTOBER 2019

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

PROJECT UPDATES

NLC COMPLETES 709 MW PV PROJECTS FOR TANGEDCO State-owned mining and power generating company, NLC India has announced that it has completed 709 megawatts (MW) solar PV projects in Tamil Nadu, which was awarded to it by state utility Tamil Nadu Generation a nd D i s t ri bu ti o n C or p or a t i on L t d (TANGEDCO).

The company announced that the balance 351 MW of solar power projects under implementation in the districts of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram, out of 709 MW solar power projects, awarded by TANGEDCO, have been completed. And have started commercial operation.

In a corporate announcement, the company also revealed that with the completion of the last round of the 351 MW solar projects, the entire 709 MW

solar power projects that were under implementation in Tamil Nadu have been fully completed. And the overall solar power generation capacity for the company has now increased to 1,350 MW. Earlier this month, the company had announced the successful commissioning a 95 MW solar plant

in Telangana. In its official filing, the company stated that 95 MW capacity of the 109 MW Solar PV power plant at Avathandai, Veppankulam, M. Pudukulam, and Kadamangalam villages, in the Ramanathapuram District, out of 709 MW solar power projects awarded by Tangedco have been commissioned.

In August, the company had announced the successful commissioning of a 100 MW solar PV plant in Tamil Nadu. “Pursuant to the confirmation received from TANGEDCO, vide letter dated 07.08.2019, it is informed that the 100 MW Solar PV Power Plant at Maranthai&Pudur Villages, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, out of 709 MW solar power projects awarded by Tangedco has been successfully commissioned.�

NTPC AWARDS 769 MW PV CAPACITY TO 4 DEVELOPERS

SECI SUCCESSFUL IN AWARDING 922 MW IN CPSU TENDER

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) had recently auctioned off 922.4 MW capacity from its 2 GW CPSU solar tender. NTPC Ltd. had emerged as the biggest winner in the auction, winning 769 MW capacity. And the state-owned power utility has since conducted its auction to award the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for the project to 4 developers.

According to market sources, the 4 developers which have won the contracts are Tata Power, Adani Infra, Refex Energy and Hild Energy. The projects were awarded based on the project costs quoted and via bucket-filling method.

Tata Power won 250 MW capacity after quoting the lowest bid amount of Rs 23.22 lakh per MU. Hild Energy won 100 MW capacity with its Rs 23.23 lakh bid. Refex Energy bid Rs 24.33 lakh and was awarded 100 MW capacity and finally, Adani Infra that bid Rs 25.15 lakh and was awarded 269 MW capacity after quitting for 300 MW capacity.

Recently, in the SECI auction, the nodal agency had conducted the reverse auction for the tender, and allocated projects through the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) route. The biggest winner in the project was NTPC ltd. which walked away from the auction with 769.4 MW capacity after having quoted the highest VGF of Rs 70 lakh/MW for setting up of 922.4 MW projects, which was also the maximum limit set by SECI. In June, NTPC had released a second tender for 1 GW of solar power under the CPSU program. Barely a week after the RfS request that the company had issued for 1 GW capacity a week earlier.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has successfully awarded projects worth 922.4 MW under its tender seeking solar power developers for setting up of 2 GW solar power projects (Tranche-1) under the second phase of the CPSU (Government Producers Scheme). 922 The nodal agency recently conducted the reverse auction for the tender, and the projects have been allocated through the Viability Gap Funding route, with bidders quoting VGF amounts (per MW).

SECI had issued the RfS document for the selection of Solar Power Developers (SPD) for the 2000 MW solar projects in March.

In total, 922.4 MW capacity was awarded to six bidders through the reverse auction process. State-owned NHDC Ltd. was awarded 25 MW capacity after quoted the lowest VGF amount of Rs 55 lakh/MW. The biggest winner in the project was NTPC ltd. which walked away from the auction with 769.4 MW capacity after having quoted the highest VGF of Rs 70 lakh/MW for setting up of 922.4 MW projects, which was also the maximum limit set by SECI. Other winners included, Delhi Metro (DMRC) which was awarded 3 MW (Rs 69.75 lakh), Singareni Collieries (SCCL) with 90 MW at VGF of Rs 60 lakh/MW, Assam Power Distribution Company with 30 MW for VGF Rs 68 lakh/MW, and Nalanda University with 5 MW capacity at 69.95 lakh/MW. All the projects will be developed on a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis. And as per the provision of the RfS, the usage charges cannot exceed Rs 3.50/kWh.

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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

PROJECT UPDATES

KERALA AWARDS 105 MW PROJECT TO TATA SOLAR Adding another feather in its cap, Tata Power’s solar arm has received a Letter of Award (LoA) to develop 105 MWp floating solar project in Kerala.

Bangalore-headquartered Tata Power Solar has won this project under the reverse bidding auction of 70MWac/105MWp floating solar project and is one of the most prominent floating solar projects in India.

Moreover, the venture will be executed on the reservoir of NTPC Kayamkulam District Allappuzha, Kerala.

Additionally, the said project is expected to be commissioned within the period of 21 months.

Ashish Khanna, MD & CEO, Tata Power Solar and President, Tata Power (Renewables), said “we are pleased with this achievement, as 70MWac/105MWp floating solar project will be another milestone in our company accomplishments and reinforce our

commitments to deliver complicated projects. Floating solar has immense potential in our country and we will ensure that this project will act as a benchmark for floating solar project.”

Recently, President of Mongolia KhaltmaagiinBattulga along with his delegates visited the Cell and Module manufacturing facility of the company which is located in Bangalore.

The company has an in-house module manufacturing line with a production

capacity of 400 MW for modules and 300MW for cells. It can process both mono and multi-crystalline wafers of 125mm and 156mm sizes.

It has completed more than 1.45 GW of ground-mount utility-scale and more than 220MW of rooftop and distributed generation projects across the country till date. It also offers a diverse line of solar solutions for both urban and rural markets – these include rooftop solutions, solar pumps and power packs among others.

GE FOR 3.6 GW DOGGER BANK OFFSHORE PROJECT Dogger Bank Wind Farms, which is developing what will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm when built, has unveiled GE Renewable Energy as its preferred turbine supplier.

Under the new deal, GE Renewable Energy will supply the project with its next generation of offshore technology, the Haliade-X turbines, bringing the world’s most powerful wind turbine to the world’s largest wind farm. The final number of turbines to be installed at Dogger Bank will be confirmed in due course.

Dogger Bank Wind Farms is a 50:50 joint venture between Equinor and SSE Renewables. The overall wind farm comprises three 1.2 GW projects located in the North Sea, approximately 130 km from the UK’s Yorkshire Coast. The projects were recently successful in the latest Contracts for Difference (CfDs) Allocation Round, the UK Government’s auction for renewable power.

SSE Renewables will lead the development and construction phases of Dogger Bank and Equinor will lead on operations once completed.

The projects will have a combined capacity of up to 3.6 GW, making it the largest wind farm in the world. It will be able to provide enough clean, lowcarbon energy to power over 4.5 million homes annually, equivalent to around 5 percent of the UK’s estimated electricity generation. The projects are expected to trigger approximately GBP 9 billion of

capital investment between 2020 and 2026 into much needed low carbon infrastructure and delivering substantial economic benefits to the UK. The projects will now progress towards a financial investment decision by the end of 2020 with onshore construction expected to commence in early 2020, and the first energy generation is expected in 2023.

VOL 4 l ISSUE 02 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

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MARKET UPDATES

ACME, ADANI IN TOP 10 SOLAR ASSET OWNERS LIST According to Wood Mackenzie’s inaugural global solar photovoltaic (PV) asset ownership ranking (excluding China), the world’s top 10 solar PV asset owners now hold over 22 gigawatts (GW) of cumulative solar capacity.

Collectively, the top 10 added around 2.5 GW of new capacity in 2018.

Leading the pack is NextEra Energy, a Fortune 200 energy company and the largest electric utility by market capitalisation on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), with 4.37 GW of cumulative solar capacity.

Next in line is NYSE-listed American utility Southern Company holding about 2.57 GW of solar capacity. Both companies sit in the Americas region which accounts for over 71 percent of the global top 10 capacity.

Representing the Asia Pacific excluding

China (APEC) region and ranking third is Indian utility ACME Group recording 2.30 GW of solar capacity on its books.

The other APEC company making the top 10 is also India-based.

Multinational conglomerate Adani holds 1.94 GW of cumulative solar capacity.

In the fourth position, Italian renewable company Enel Green Power is the only solar asset owner from the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in the top 10, at 2.21 GW of cumulative solar capacity, 83 percent of which reside in the Americas.

“The global solar market remains highly fragmented, with the top 10 accounting for only 6.9 percent of global solar capacity. Fragmentation will continue as barriers to entry remain low and annual solar installations continue to grow,” said Wood Mackenzie solar analyst Rishab Shrestha.

The US, Australia, and Germany made up the top three countries with the largest solar capacity transacted in 2018.

58/100: INDIA’S LIKELY SCORE FINANCING COST BIGGEST ON RENEWABLES IN 2022 PART OF RE TARIFFS-CEEW

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A Crisil Note just predicted a shortfall of 42 percent on India’s renewable energy targets. However, don’t expect the government to react with much activity to this. For, besides election to two states that are coming up, it is becoming increasingly clear that the central government’s hands are tied, when it comes to sustaining the push it gave to the sector starting in 2015-16. The note from CRISIL, coming almost exactly after a similar note last year when it predicted a lower shortfall, simply shows that forget remedial action, the government has simply allowed matters to get worse. For the record, CRISIL has hardly been alone in predicting a shortfall, for well over a year now. As of now, not only is the sector in the midst of India's famous red tape, but along with that, every possible problem, from reluctant states, to cash strapped discoms, and investor fatigue have combined to draw this dire prognosis from CRISIL. Incredibly, this reality check comes even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi upped India’s pledge to take renewables to 450 GW by 2030. If the government is indeed serious about those numbers, it should be taking massive steps to ignite the solar and wind energy sectors, otherwise, the prospects of a renewed push for hydropower, with its attendant environmental issues and challenges, lurks.

Key highlights in the CRISIL note. Renewable energy capacity ‘on track’ for just a 40 GW increase to 104 GW in 2022 from 64.4 GW in 2019. Due mainly to policy uncertainty and tariff glitches. Just around 42 percent below the government’s renewable energy target of 175 GW. SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

New Delhi based Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) a Delhi based think tank focused on the energy transition among other issues, has identified a very high share of financing as one of the biggest components of renewable energy tariffs in India The findings from CEEW, a respected organisation in this space, serves to highlight just how poorly the issue of financing has been handled in India, besides many other developing countries. Quite simply, renewable energy financing in India suffers from three big issues.

One, the legacy issue of a traditionally inefficient market, where pass-through low rates simply are not as efficient as it can be. This is a challenge the industry shares with all other sectors in India.

A second issue is the issues specific to the sector, besides the power sector. Uncertainty on government policy has been flagged repeatedly, to which can be added the shaky financials of their biggest buyers, state discoms. In just the last 3 months, the shenanigans of state discoms and governments in just Andhra Pradesh and now, Uttar Pradesh have demonstrated just why financiers are likely to treat the sector with extra caution, if not a barge pole.

Finally, there is the issue of a sector with newcomers, versus legacy firms. Like any new sector, the renewables sector has attracted its fair share of entrepreneurs, in it for the business as well as the hope that they are getting into a sunrise sector.

However, two issues plague these newcomers.

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MARKET UPDATES

HYDROGEN KEY TO GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION: IRENA Hydrogen from renewable energy could play a central role in the global energy transformation, the latest report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) finds.

‘Hydrogen: a renewable energy perspective’ estimates that hydrogen from renewable power, so-called green hydrogen, could translate into 8 percent of global energy consumption by 2050. 16 percent of all generated electricity would be used to produce hydrogen by then. Green hydrogen could particularly offer ways to decarbonise a range of sectors where it is proving difficult to meaningfully reduce CO2 emissions.

According to the report, decarbonisation impacts depend on how hydrogen is produced. Current and future sourcing options can be divided into grey (fossil fuel-based), blue (fossil fuel-based production with carbon capture, utilisation and storage) and green (renewables-based) hydrogen. And it is the blue and green hydrogen that can play a key role in the transition and synergies exist.

With the falling cost of renewables, the potential of green hydrogen, particularly for the so-called ‘hard-to-decarbonise’ sectors and energy-intensive industries like iron and steel, chemicals, shipping, trucks and aviation, is rapidly becoming more compelling given the urgency to limit CO2 emissions.

This includes direct hydrogen use but also the production of

liquid and gaseous fuels such as ammonia, methanol and synthetic jet fuel from green hydrogen.

Large-scale adoption of hydrogen could also fuel an increase in demand for renewable power generation, the report finds. In total, IRENA sees a global economic potential for 19 exajoule (EJ) of hydrogen from renewable electricity in total final energy consumption by 2050. This translates into around 4-16 terawatts (TW) of solar and wind generation capacity to be deployed to produce renewable hydrogen and hydrogenbased products in 2050.

COAL WELL AHEAD OF RE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

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According to a new report by Wood Mackenzie, coal will continue to be the dominant fuel source in power generation of Southeast Asia, peaking at 2027 before slowing down and accounting for 36 percent of the region’s generation mix in 2040.

By then, total power demand in Southeast Asia is expected to double from 1.05 petawatts per hour (PWh) in 2018 to 2.46 PWh. To meet the rapidly increasing power demand, Southeast Asia will have to invest an average of USD 17 billion annually in power capacity. Coal should account for most of this investment in the medium term, before being overtaken by spending on gas-fired generation.

By 2034, investments in solar and wind power plants should surpass that of gas power plants.

“The narrative surrounding coal has been pessimistic across the world. This will result in the gradual slowdown of new coal-fired capacity in Southeast Asia. However, the reality of rising power demand and affordability issues in the SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

region means that we will only start to see coal’s capacity plateau post-2030,” said Jacqueline Tao, research associate, Wood Mackenzie.

Incremental coal will decline over time as the cost of renewables decreases and pressure on environmental grounds increases. By 2040, solar and wind power plants will lead in the region’s power capacity mix at 35 percent or

205 gigawatts (GW).

The author further added that driven by strong economic growth, burgeoning population and developing middleclass, power demand in Indonesia and Vietnam, could rise three-fold to 1.44 PWh in 2040. And that together, these two markets will account for almost 60 percent of Southeast Asia’s power demand.

MARKET UPDATES

UNPLANNED PV PLANT REPAIRS WORTH $16 BN BY 2024 According to a new report, annual solar plant operations and maintenance (O&M) costs will grow from nearly USD 4.5 billion in 2019 to just over USD 9 billion in 2024.

The report by research agency Wood Mackenzie predicted that the increase in the O&M costs will be due to the future demand growth and current installed capacity. And that unplanned repairs alone can cost owners up to USD 3,000/ MW/year, based on an average-sized solar power system of 50 MW capacity.

After a modest decline in 2018, the global cumulative solar PV installations are expected to grow from ~500 GW in 2018 to 1,243 GW by 2024. China, India and the US concentrate more than 50 percent of global solar PV installations to 2024, making both APAC and North America the most attractive regions within the solar O&M segment.

Solar installations nearing inverter end of life will reach 21 GW by the end of 2019, representing 3.4 percent of the global market. This increases to more than 14 percent of the total cumulative capacity over the following five years. By 2024, the

report expects the solar industry to have 176 GW of projects with inverters older than ten years.

Despite being the most significant and major component of a solar project, the replacement of a solar inverter represents only 12-13 percent of the average O&M cost of a ~50 MW solar power system. By

2024, inverter replacement costs alone will reach nearly USD 1.2 billion out of a total O&M opportunity of USD 9.4 billion.

Other areas that have a significant impact on costs are regular preventative maintenance and corrective repairs, representing 35 percent and 24 percent respectively.

CORPORATE BUYS KEY TO MEETING EUROPE’S RE TARGET Europe has set a target that 32 percent of its energy should come from renewables by 2030, up from 17.5 percent at present. And, corporates are and can play an even bigger role in meeting this target.

The last weeks have seen an abundance of significant solar and wind sourcing agreements from major corporates around the world. Google announced its largest corporate renewable purchase in history, including nearly 800 MW of new renewable energy in Europe. Amazon recently unveiled plans to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Corporate sourcing of renewables has risen rapidly in Europe, with 7.5 GW of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) deals signed over the past five years and 1.6 GW worth of deals in 2019 alone. More European countries are engaging in PPA deals: 13 countries have inked PPAs in 2019 so far.

Industrial and commercial consumers account for more than half of Europe’s energy consumption today. Powering these corporate consumers with renewable energy could deliver both significant reductions in CO2 emissions and make European industries more competitive due to the rapidly falling cost of renewables.

And, according to a recent study from the European Commission, if EU-based corporate buyers committed to

sourcing renewable electricity to meet 30 percent of their total electricity demand by 2030, the EU renewable energy sector would generate more than EUR 750 billion in gross added value and over 220,000 new jobs.

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said that industry and businesses consume more than half of Europe’s electricity at present.

And that they’re increasingly looking to power their operations with renewable electricity.

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MARKET UPDATES

RECYCLING LI BATTERIES A $1BN OPPORTUNITY IN INDIA The lithium-ion batteries market is expected to grow exponentially in the next five years in India. Some of the important initiatives by the Government of India that will accelerate the growth of lithium-ion batteries market in India are the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020, with a projection of getting 6-7 million electric vehicles on Indian roads by 2020, and the ambitious target of installation of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022.

As per a new analysis by JMK Research, the lithium-ion battery market in India is expected to increase from 2.9 GWh in 2018 to about 132 GWh by 2030 (CAGR of 35.5 percent). The increasing volume of lithium-ion batteries would, in turn, lead to a growing capacity of ‘spent’ batteries in the ecosystem which if left untreated would lead to health and environmental hazards. Also, the precious

metals comprising these batteries would be lost forever. Therefore, managing this lithium-ion battery waste through recycling is a necessity.

The report highlights that the recycling market in India would start picking up from the year 2022 onwards when lithium-ion batteries which are presently in use in electric vehicles would reach their end of

life. In the year 2030, the recycling market is estimated to be around 22 – 23 GWh, which is a USD 1,000 million opportunity.

Although there is awareness around the recyclability and reusability of batteries, this market would pick momentum only when the Indian government brings in a well-defined regulatory and policy framework.

OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY IN UNCERTAINTY OVER GROWTH INDIA READY TO BE EXPLORED OF WIND ENERGY IN EUROPE

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OCTOBER 2019

A new study by JMK Research and Analytics takes a look at the offshore wind energy sector in India, the challenges and the opportunities. Offshore wind turbines harness sea winds to generate power. They work in the same way as an onshore wind turbine, the only difference being that in offshore wind, turbines can be either installed on a permanent foundation attached to the seabed or on a floating base anchored to the seabed. Offshore wind has several benefits, including- high wind speeds, no land requirement, high energy production, lesser transmission costs. In India, offshore wind is still at its infancy, both from a technological point of view and in terms of capacities of relevant stakeholders. However, given India’s coastline of 7,600 km, the country has a massive potential of about 127 GW of offshore wind power. The Government has identified coasts of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra as potential destinations for offshore wind projects in the country.

In June 2018, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced medium and long-term offshore wind energy targets of 5 GW by 2022 and 30 GW by 2030, respectively.

MNRE also released an Expression of Interest (EOI) to set up a 1 GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Gujarat. The response was overwhelming, with 34 Indian and International players submitting the EOI. Although the market potential of offshore wind energy looks promising, the offshore wind deployment for countries like India is yet to take off. It is critical to understand all the associated technical, regulatory, and operational challenges.

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

A new report has revealed that there is significant uncertainty over how much wind energy capacity will grow in Europe over the next five years.

WindEurope’s latest ‘Wind Energy Outlook to 2023’ states that if Governments end up producing clear and ambitious National Energy & Climate Plans (NECPs) and they improve the permitting arrangements for wind farms and they keep investing in new grid capacity, then Europe’s wind energy capacity would grow by 88 GW to 277 GW by 2023. But that’s a big if. Alternatively, if the NECPs are unambitious and permitting issues to persist, then Europe will install much less new wind power: only 67 GW. Permitting issues are already leading to undersubscribed auctions (notably in Germany) and lower installation rates than expected.

Conversely, if permitting improves significantly and the NECPs are super ambitious, then Europe could install 112 GW over the next 5 years. So, the annual volumes of new wind capacity up to 2023 could be anything between 13 and 22 GW. This uncertainty weighs heavily on the supply chain and could impact the significant cost reductions achieved in recent years.

Under all the scenarios over three-quarters of the new installations will be onshore wind. Spain, Sweden and Norway are currently leading the growth in onshore wind. Germany is installing much less this year than it traditionally has, and its outlook remains uncertain for the rest of the period, not least given recent policy decisions. We expect France to show continued steady growth in onshore wind.

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APPLICATION: Outdoor Power Bank PRODUCT BENEFITS: The power bank is built for outdoor use with a rugged design and build which is dust proof, shock proof and water proof. The system also features a built in led flashlight. The device which is capable of 2.5A output fo charging can also automatically detect a devices' current to pair the optimal output.

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Spowdi 1.0: a Zero Emission Water Distribution System PRODUCT BRIEF: Sweden-based tech startup Spowdi recently unveiled its creation, the zero-emission water distribution system the Spowdi 1.0, at the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2019.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The system consists of a Power Management Box (PMB), which is the heart of the system and powered by the foldable solar panel provided in the system, generating compressed air that is fed to the pump. The pump is rated at just 0.1 HP (70 W) is ultra-light but capable of pumping up to 25,000 liters of water on a sunny day.

APPLICATION: Water Distribution and Pumping PRODUCT BENEFITS: The system can be completely powered by solar panels (150 W) which the firm claims is enough for the system for up to 10 hours of operation per day. The system does not break down when the pump is dry and is functional even if mud, gravel or other particles run through the system, also saving approximately 80 percent of water used for irrigation.

AVAILABILITY: The full unit, including the submersible pump, 150 W foldable solar panel, and the PMB will retail for Rs 47,000 (+GST).

Haier Solar Refrigerator PRODUCT BRIEF: The Haier solar refrigerator has been designed with the key purpose to meet the needs of on the road medical aid teams for storing vaccines and medicines in a cold storage.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The direct cooling refrigerator comes with a CFC free rating and generates minimum noise during operation. The 100 L capacity of the refrigerator is divided into a cooling section and a freezing section. The temperature is indicated on the solar LED temperature display on the system.

APPLICATION: Solar-Powered Vaccine Refrigerator PRODUCT BENEFITS: The fridge which can be operated using off-grid solar energy is capable of cooling between 2 and 80C in the refrigerator and under -50C in the freezer. Weighing at 160 kg the system is portable and built to last impacts.

AVAILABILITY: The product is available through select e-commerce websites and retails for Rs 1.8 lakh.

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SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

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PRODUCTS

Casio G-Rescue Solar Atomic Watch PRODUCT BRIEF: The solar-powered Casio G-Rescue sport watch is designed for those who like to go on frequent adventures. Featuring atomic time keeping and a rugged build the watch offers many essential features for use as an adventure or sports watch.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The watch features a world clock with 48 cities, tide/moon graphs and a digital display with Japanese quartz movement.

APPLICATION: Multi Purpose Watch PRODUCT BENEFITS: The watch comes with high specifications for shock, dust/ mud and water resistance (up to 200 m), and is completely powered by solar power/illumination which the watch panel converts to power up the battery system. The watch can stay fully functional anywhere from 5-23 months without exposure to any light on one single charge.

AVAILABILITY: The watch is available on select e-commerce websites and retails for USD 100. (~Rs 7100)

Nocca Robotics S100 Autonomous Solar Plant Cleaning Robot PRODUCT BRIEF: The S100 by Nocca Robotics is an innovative and autonomous water-less solar plant cleaning robot for utility scale solar plants. And has been designed after a thorough study and analysis of the problems which exists on ground, which makes the robot easy to operate and simple to maintain.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The system is wirelessly controlled and lightweight making its installation very simple and efficient. The system also does not use any water and is automatic which brings down operational costs.

APPLICATION: Solar Plant Cleaning Robot PRODUCT BENEFITS: Considering the common problem of row sizes which can vary from few meters to kms in the same plant, the robot is designed in a way that it can be operated both as a dedicated and a shareable system. And comes equipped with a system which allows the robot to overcome high levels of irregularities and undulations and compatible with fixed tilt, seasonal tilt and Horizontal single axis trackers.

AVAILABILITY: The product can be procured by getting in touch with the company through their website.

6. Renogy Off-Grid Portable Solar Panel System

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PRODUCT BRIEF: The Renogy Foldable Solar Suitcase is an portable 100 W solar panel system that consists of two 50 W panels which are retrofitted to form a suitcase when closed making it ideal for off-grid usage. The system also consists of a 10 A Voyager charge controller.

PRODUCT FEATURES: The product consists of solar suitcase which includes two monocrystalline panels, one 10 Amp waterproof controller with an LCD screen for power regulation, one 10 feet tray cable with alligator clips for easy connection to the battery, and protective casing for safe portability.

APPLICATION: Off-Grid Power Generation System PRODUCT BENEFITS: The10A built-in solar charge controller provides overcharge protection, reducing fire risk, and the negative-ground charge controller provides compatibility with an RV, boat, trailer, etc. The system is compatible with gel, sealed, lithium, and flooded batteries. The system also comes with a 25-year power output warranty of 80 percent rated output by the end of its lifetime.

AVAILABILITY: Th product is available on the company website and few select e-commerce websites and retails for USD 252-280.

SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL | VOL 4 l ISSUE 02

OPPORTUNITIES

Head of Power–Shell Energy India (SEI) Shell Energy India is part of Shell Energy Asia (SEA) and has offices across Surat, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai and is run jointly by Integrated Gas (IG) focusing on asset operations and maintenance.

SEI is looking for a Head of Power who will report to the General Manager (SEI) and be responsible for delivering the company’s strategic agenda in the growing power sector starting with strategic market assessment and developing a market entry strategy to identifying, evaluating and progressing potential opportunities.

No. of positions: 1 Last date to apply: October 31, 2019 Eligibility Criterion: • Bachelor’s Degree (Engineering / Science / Commerce); Post Graduate in Management (Commercial, Business Management, Finance, Economics, Engineering) preferred.

• Experienced in management of complex projects in the power value chain and/or development of new segments and markets in India.

• Proven track record of managing a new business development portfolio, originating and successfully executing new projects and value delivery through full life cycle.

Job Description: • Identify and assess new business opportunities aligned with SEI’s strategy, plan and ambitions.

• Conduct economic and commercial feasibility of selected opportunities both on standalone as well as on value chain basis.

• Work closely with other businesses and functions to develop inputs for building requisite economic / financial models • Ensure projects are appropriately resourced and structured in a timely manner.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/33sYjA8 Sales and Marketing – Raijin Solar Energy LLP Raijin Solar Energy was set up with a focus on developing solar as sustainable energy alternative in India. It is an EPC and O&M contractor for medium and large scale solar power projects. It is currently required marketing executive for Ahmedabad location.

Eligibility Criterion: • Proven experience as marketing executive or relevant role.

• Good communication and presentation skills.

• Proficiency in MS office.

• Thorough understanding of marketing and negotiating techniques.

• Fast learner and passion for Sales.

• Self-motivated with a result-driven approach.

• Experience in solarproject marketing is an added advantage.

• Qualified MBA in marketing is a plus.

Job Description: • Managing the sales & marketing operations to achieve the profit & business.

• To promote organization in particular segments where there is potential of business which is matching with company ability and product range.

• Get approval from national as well as international Consultants and OEMsby complete documentation process as per their requirement.

• Managing online portal and websites of company to keep it updated withthe latest trends and promoting new launches.

• Technical, commercial discussion &costing after getting inquiry from lead generation process.

• Conceive and develop efficient and intuitive marketing strategies.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2pq6Dlq

Sr. Renewable Energy Environmental Project Manager - Permitting and Compliance – ERM ERM is seeking a Senior Renewable Energy Environmental Project Manager - Permitting and Compliance for its Minneapolis, MN office to assist with environmental impact assessment and regulatory compliance for energy facilities and energy-related development projects in the upper Midwestern and Midwestern United States. This position will focus on renewable energy projects, including wind and solar projects.

Eligibility Criterion: • Bachelors or Master’s degree in environmental studies, planning, geography, civil or environmental engineering or related natural resources science field of study.

• At least 10 to 15 years of environmental impact assessment and natural resources permitting experience on renewable energy projects, including consulting for private-sector clients.

• Strong working knowledge of MS office suite software.

Job Description: • Manage large and complex projects, either single or multisite, on time and to budget.

• Act as client relationship owner for project cycle and support, related to key client initiatives.

• Generate technical proposals, and participate in business development with existing clients and identify new leads.

Maintain client relationships to support repeat business.

• Contribute technical, subject matter or project management expertise on due diligence reviews, environmental critical issues assessments, phase 1 site assessments, impact assessment deliverables, and overall quality control review.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/2MGpTDs VOL 4 l ISSUE 02 | SAUR ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

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OCTOBER 2019

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