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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 02
CONTENT
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
18 NEWS 04 10 10 14
DR. AJAY MATHUR Director General, International Solar Alliance
POLICY DEBRIEF THINK TANK TENDER TRACKER
IN CONVERSATION
PROJECT MONTHLY
INSIGHT 33 34
20
AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR MODULE CLEANING IN INDIA
Associate Director & Head - On-site Business Development, Amp Energy
INDIA SOLAR GROWTH STORY WHERE DO WE STAND CURRENTLY, PROGRESS SO FAR AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
23
CHAMPIONING A DECENTRALISED APPROACH ON INDIA’S PATH TO NET ZERO
24 Regional Manager – Operations & Maintenance (India), Cleantech Solar
FEATURING THE TOP SOLAR ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANIES OF 2021
27
SPECIAL FEATURE FEATURING THE TOP SOLAR DATA ANALYTICS COMPANIES OF 2021
COMPANY FEATURE 45 46 48 50 51 52 53 54 57
Head BD (West and East Region), Fourth Partner Energy
FEATURED TALKS
26 43
JAY KUMAR WAGHELA
WEBDYN’S CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS FOR ITS INDUSTRYLEADING PRODUCTS:
SPECIAL FEATURE 40
Senior VP & Head Institutional Relations, Amplus Solar
ROHIT JASWAL
SPECIAL FEATURE 38
MS. RITU LAL
SAURABH SOLANKI
PERSPECTIVE 36
22
ARCTECH CONTENDRE LONGi AVI SOLAR PIXON RP INFRA SHREE SOLAR Trina SOLAR SINENG
PRODUCT FEATURE 58 59 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 70
APOLLO BEPL CONTENDRE LONGi EnerMAN PV Diagnostics PIXON RP INFRA SINENG Trina SOLAR URON
ASHOKA D. M.
SANJEEV BANDARU
CEO and Managing Director, EnerMAN Technologies Pvt Ltd
Managing Director, Bandaru Energies
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30 DARSHAN N SHAH President - Sales & Marketing, Hitachi Hi-REL
SINGARAVELA NATARAJAN Service Head, Sungrow
31 TODD LI President, Trina Solar (Asia Pacific Region)
PUBLISHING
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CONTENT
DESIGNING
ADVERTISING
CIRCULATION
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Ashwini Chikkodi
Sadhana Raju Shenvekar
Radha Buddhadev
Smriti Charan
Sadhana Raju Shenvekar
Nikita Salkar
Twinkle Bhattacharya
Ventures Pvt. Ltd.
editorial@firstviewgroup.com publishing@firstviewgroup.com
Neha Barangali
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PRINTING Vaibhav Enterprises
POLICY DEBRIEF JANUARY 2022
CENTRAL NEWS MINISTRY OF POWER APPROVES NEW ISTS PROJECTS OF RS 15893 CRORE Union Minister of Power and MNRE has approved new 23 Inter-State Transmission System Projects (ISTS) with an estimated cost of Rs. 15893 crore. The new ISTS projects comprise 13 projects with an estimated cost of Rs 14766 to be developed under Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) and 10 projects with an estimated cost of Rs. 1127 crore to be developed under the Regulated Tariff Mechanism (RTM). The new transmission projects would inter-alia facilitate evacuation system for 14 GW of Renewable Projects in Rajasthan, 4.5 GW of RE projects in Gujarat, 1 GW Neemuch Solar Park, Madhya Pradesh, and feeding areas near Akhnoor and Jammu region by establishing Siot Substation in Jammu.
MNRE ISSUES ADVISORY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON ROOFTOP SOLAR SCHEME To generate solar power by installing solar panels on the roof of the houses, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India is implementing a Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Scheme (PhaseII). Under this scheme, Ministry is providing 40% subsidy for the first 3 kW and 20% subsidy beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW. The scheme is being implemented in the states by local Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs). The solar panels and other equipment to be installed by the empaneled vendors shall be as per the standard and specifications of the Ministry and also includes 5-year maintenance of the rooftop solar plant by the vendor. It has also been brought to the notice of the Ministry that some vendors are charging more prices than the rates decided by DISCOMs from domestic consumers. Consumers are advised to pay only according to the rates decided by DISCOMs. The DISCOMs have been instructed to identify and punish such vendors.
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VARIOUS MEASURES TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT FOR PROMOTION OF LOCAL MANUFACTURING OF SOLAR PANELS Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shri R.K. Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha informed that, in order to promote local manufacturing of solar panels, the Government has taken a number of steps, including that Govt has modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) Scheme of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology: The scheme mainly provides a subsidy for capital expenditure – 20% for investments in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and 25% in non-SEZs. The Scheme was open to receive applications till 31st December 2018.
MNRE REVIVES EMD & RISES BANK GUARANTEE FOR FUTURE CLEAN ENERGY TENDERS For forthcoming renewable energy tenders, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has reintroduced the earnest money deposit (EMD) requirement and set it at 2% of the expected project cost. It also instructed the implementing agencies, which include the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), NTPC, and NHPC, to set the performance bank guarantee for all upcoming tenders at 4% of the estimated project cost– when the procurer specifies the site and 5%– when the generator chooses the site. It also eliminated the EMD clause and allowed for a bid security statement in forthcoming tenders. In the event of unusually low bids, the implementing agencies were instructed not to need extra security deposits or bank guarantee clauses.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 04
INDIA ACHIEVES 40% NON-FOSSIL CAPACITY India has achieved a target of 40 % installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, said the official statement of the Ministry. At COP 21, as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), India had committed to achieving 40% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030. The country has achieved this target in November 2021 itself, it added. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), The country’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity stands at 150.05 GW while its nuclear energy-based installed electricity capacity stands at 6.78 GW.
GOVT REMOVES 4 CLAUSES FROM ELECTRICITY BILL DRAFT 2021 AMIDST CRITICISM According to senior officials in the power ministry, the Union government has removed at least four major clauses from the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 after gaining criticism from various stakeholders, including farmers, state-owned power distribution firms (discoms), and power utility staff associations under the flag of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE). The Centre has removed the provision of direct benefit transfer (DBT) on power subsidies from the proposed bill, provision of creating a new “Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority” that was presumed to adjudicate on contracts. The idea of distribution sub-licensee has also been forsaken. The Single-Selection Committee for the appointment of the Chairman and Members of the SERCs and CERCs has likewise been abolished. The selection procedure will continue in accordance with the Act’s current provisions. In accordance with senior authorities, the bill is unlikely to be introduced during the current session of Parliament. This is due to an agreement reached between the Centre and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), one of the key farmer unions, The government will now discuss the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 with farmers before it is presented in Parliament.
ASHWINI CHOUBEY: COUNTRY HAS EXPANDED 18% SOLAR CAPACITY AFTER 2014 Moving forward in the nation’s objective of employing green energy sources and lowering carbon emissions, the Union government informed the Lok Sabha that the country has expanded its installed solar capacity by 18% since 2014, with a target date of October 2021. Minister of State for Environment, Ashwini Choubey said that India’s present proportion of non-fossil sources-based installed capacity of power generation is greater than 40%. Choubey further stated that the total installed solar power in 2014 was just 2.63 gigatonnes (GW), which has expanded by 18 times to 47.66 GW by October 2021. Through the implementation of the energy efficiency, Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT), scheme in energy-intensive sectors, PAT Cycle II witnessed the aggregated saving of 13.28 million tonnes of oil equivalent to 61.34 million tonnes of CO2 avoided emission. Minister expressed that the country is making every effort to bring down the emissions by steadily decreasing its GDP’s emissions intensity over time. This maintains India’s GHG emissions below what they would have been otherwise.
DISCUSSION ON CLIMATE CHANGE HELD IN LOK SABHA UNDER RULE 193 Om Birla, Speaker of Lok Sabha said that we must focus on the conservation of the environment as it is important for all of us and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi also has initiated conservation on all international forums. Under Rule 193, the discussion took place on climate change. DMK’s Kanimozhi was referring to excessive floods which took place in southern India and badly affected Chennai. She said that government should focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Prime Minister has taken several steps and took part in the Glasglow summit focused on climate change. But we need to act locally and think globally. But Modi government has failed to do so on climate change. MPLAD funds must be used for establishing solar panels in the villages, hospitals and government must amend laws to allow this. Various members agreed that serious actions should be taken for climate change and to reduce carbon emissions.
WITH RE PRODUCERS’ MOUNTING DUES, EXPECT NO FUTURE INVESTMENT: POWER MINISTER
JITENDRA SINGH: OCEAN CAN SUPPLY MINERALS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES In order to combat the challenges developed due to climate change, the country is in the dire need of developing renewable energy technologies. Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh stated that marine minerals from coastal and ocean resources will be critical to India’s future economy and that metals such as nickel and cobalt play an important role in developing such technologies. To boost India’s blue economy progress and harness its ocean resources, steps are being taken to enhance the coordination and collaboration of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) with the Institute of Mineral and Minerals Technologies (IMMT), Singh said at the inauguration ceremony of a new building facility at CSIR-IMMT in Bhubaneswar. He also added that CSIR-IMMT has been tackling challenges of globalization by providing advanced and zero waste process know-how and consultancy services for commercial exploitation of natural resources through a public-private partnership (PPP) approach.
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Power Minister R K Singh voiced alarm over mounting dues owed by renewable energy (RE) producers that have yet to be paid by discoms (distribution companies), stating that no investment will be made in the industry if investors discover that power bills are not being paid. On the mounting dues of RE producers from discoms, the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the National Energy Conservation Day Function, “It is concerning because the amount is only Rs 15,000 crore or Rs 16,000 crore. However, it equates to 11 months of their invoicing.” The overall overdue amount of discoms towards renewable energy (RE) producers was at Rs 19,013 crore as of October 31, 2021, accounting for 20% of the total amount of overdue of Rs 93,906 crore, as per the latest status report of the power minister, which was finalized on November 29, 2021. Citing renewable energy producers to be salient in the context of India’s COP26 objective of 500GW RE by 2030, Singh expressed his concern over increasing overdue and stated, “No investment will come if they find that power is not paid for. This compels us to take more strict measures to ensure that energy bills are paid on time. If we don’t do that, no investment would come for RE… how will I achieve 500GW (RE by 2030) But I can’t have a rule just for RE.” As a result, the power ministry is developing a strong payment security framework for power providers to ensure that energy bills are paid on time.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 05
BCD ON SOLAR MODULES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED FROM 1ST APRIL: FM Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured that BCD (Basic Customs Duty) on solar modules will be implemented from the scheduled date of April 1, 2022, a move that will save domestic players from stiff price competition from imported modules, according to industry body NIMMA. A delegation comprising officials from NIMMA, Indian Solar Manufacturers Association, and All India Solar Industries Association met Sitharaman and flagged concerns regarding manufacturing units that are on the verge of closing owing to the current duty-free window on solar panels and cells from China and other countries. The finance minister assured them that the BCD will be implemented as per schedule from April 1, 2022, a NIMMA statement said. The delegation also appealed to her to exempt the module and cell line plant and machinery from import duty, it stated.
CABINET APPROVES INTRA-STATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM–GREEN ENERGY CORRIDOR PHASE-II The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, approved the scheme on Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase-II for Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) for the addition of approximately 10,750 circuit kilometers of transmission lines and approx. 27,500 Mega Volt-Amperes transformation capacity of substations. The scheme will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of Renewable Energy power projects in seven States namely, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. The scheme is targeted to be set up with a total estimated cost of Rs. 12,031.33 crore and Central Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 33 percent of the project cost i.e. Rs. 3970.34 crore. The transmission systems will be created over a period of five years from Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26. CFA will help in offsetting the Intra-State transmission charges and thus keep the power costs down. Thus, the Government support will ultimately benefit the end users — the citizens of India. The scheme will help in achieving the target of 450 GW installed RE capacity by 2030.
Government under section 63 of Electricity Act, 2003 and amendment thereof. The word “Government” shall include Central Government, State Governments, Central Public Sector Enterprises, State Public Sector Enterprises and, Central and State Organisations/ Autonomous bodies.” It is also clarified that “Projects under Government Schemes & Programmes” referred to above, include projects set up under Component ‘A’ of PM-KUSUM Scheme. The above amendment shall be applicable on RE projects which apply for open access or net metering facility from 1st April 2022.
CABINET APPROVES RS 1500 CR INFUSION IN IREDA The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, approved the equity infusion of Rs.1500 crore in the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA). This equity infusion will help in employment generation of approximately 10200 jobs-year and CO2 equivalent emission reduction of approximately 7.49 Million Tonnes CO2/year. Additional equity infusion of Rs.1500 crore by the Government of India will enable IREDA To lend Rs.12000 crore approximately to the RE sector, thus facilitating the debt requirement of RE of additional capacity of approximately 3500-4000 MW. To enhance its network which will help it in additional RE financing, thus contributing better to the Government of India targets for RE and to improving the capital-to-risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) to facilitate its lending and borrowing operations.
MNRE ISSUES AMENDMENTS TO ALMM ORDER, INCLUDES OPEN ACCESS AND KUSUM PROGRAM The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued amendments to the ‘Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) of Solar Modules (requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2019. As per the amendment, only the models and manufacturers included in the ALMM list would be eligible for use in government projects, government-assisted projects, projects under government programs, open access, and net metering projects installed in the country. In the new order, the ministry has made a specific change in a key provision of its original order, with provision 3 changed as under. “Accordingly, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has decided to enlist the eligible models and manufacturers of solar PV cells and modules complying with the BIS Standards and publish the same in a list called the “Approved List of Models and Manufacturers” (ALMM). Only the models and manufacturers included in this list will be eligible for use in Government Projects/ Government-assisted Projects/ Projects under Government Schemes & Programmes/ Open Access I NetMetering Projects, installed in the country, including Projects set up for sale of electricity to Government under the Guidelines issued by Central
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IREDA AND BVFCL SIGN MOU FOR GREEN ENERGY COLLABORATIONS Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL) for providing its techno-financial expertise in developing Renewable Energy projects and fundraising. The two companies are PSUs under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers respectively. The MoU was signed by Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), IREDA, and Dr. Siba Prasad Mohanty, CMD, BVFCL in the presence of Shri Chintan Shah, Director (Technical), IREDA, Dr. R. C. Sharma, CFO, IREDA, and other senior officials. Under the MoU, IREDA will undertake Techno-Financial due diligence of Renewable energy, Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Energy Efficiency & conservation projects for BVFCL. IREDA will assist BVFCL in developing an action plan to create and acquire Renewable Energy projects for the next 5 years.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 06
STATE NEWS CHANDIGARH SEEKS YEAR-WISE PLAN TO REACH 69 MW SOLAR POWER CAPACITY BY 2022
ODISHA WILL SOON HAVE 40 MW FLOATING SOLAR PLANT COSTING RS 200 CRORE
Dharam Pal, a UT advisor, has instructed the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (Crest) to produce a comprehensive year-by-year action plan to generate 69 megawatts (MW) of solar electricity. During a review meeting, it was discovered that many residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings, among others, had failed to comply with the order mandating the construction of solar power plants in Chandigarh. According to UT counsel Dharam Pal, orders have been issued requiring all such building owners to install solar panels in accordance with building ordinances immediately or face legal action. The government has petitioned the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for a review of the Resco (Renewable Energy Service Company) model for solar plant development in the city. However, the UT administration’s request to apply the Resco model was denied by the electricity regulatory commission. The Crest petitioned the JERC to deploy the Resco concept in the city. Crest’s nodal officer, recommended this plan after receiving consent from previous UT administrator V P Singh Badnore since people were concerned about the initial capital outlay. The city’s solar power generation target has been raised from 50 megawatts (MW) to 69 MW by 2022, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The UT has generated around 46 MW to date.
Hirakud Dam in Odisha will soon have a 40 MW floating solar power plant over one sq km area at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore. The project is not only seen as a step towards the production of green energy, but it will also meet the power requirements of the State to some extent. “Given the vast water mass Hirakud dam has, we can get renewable solar energy by installing solar panels,” said Anand Chandra Sahu, chief engineer of Hirakud Dam. He further informed that The agency which was engaged by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to conduct a survey and investigation for the proposed project has completed the same in the month of July-August this year and it will be submitting its pre-feasibility report soon. Sahu said that after the submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the agency work on the project is expected to start in the next financial year.
RAJASTHAN GOVT SIGNS MOUS FOR RS 69,000 CR PROJECTS The Rajasthan government has signed multiple memoranda of understandings (MoUs) attracting proposed investments worth around Rs 69,000 crore. Besides, various investors have submitted letters of intent (LoIs) for investments totaling worth Rs 10,099 crore. According to a document shared by a state government official, solar firm ReNew Power, cement companies J K Cement and J K Lakshmi Cement, omnichannel eyewear retailer Lenskart and Sports Goods Export Promotion Council, ALP Polymer, ASK Automobile, and Jindal Aluminium Ltd are among those who have signed the MoU with the Rajasthan government with an intention to invest in the state. A total of 145 MoUs and LoIs worth over Rs 79,000 crore have been signed, the minister said at the event organized by the Rajasthan government in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to showcase the business and growth opportunities present in the state.
SJVN PLANS TO SET UP MORE RE PROJECTS IN UP State-owned power producer SJVN urged the Uttar Pradesh government to allow the company more renewable power projects in the state, after bagging the 75 MW solar project in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh. “A K Singh, director (finance), met Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and briefed him about the progress being made in the allotted 75-MW solar project in Parasan Solar Park located at Jalaun,” the company said in a statement. Singh told the chief minister that SJVN has awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction of the project to Solarworld Energy Solutions Private Limited, it added. “The development of the project will involve an investment of around Rs 392 crore. The project is scheduled to be commissioned by July 2022. He also urged the CM to allocate more renewable power projects to the company,” the statement said.
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RAJASTHAN GETS RS 105000 CRORES INVESTMENTS DURING INVESTOR CONNECT PROGRAMME; JSW, GREENKO, ADANI ANNOUNCE COMMITMENTS Rajasthan gets Rs 105000 crores investments during ‘Investors Connect Programme’ which was held in Gujarat and next summit happening is ‘Invest Rajasthan’. The government signed around 12 MoUs of Rs 41590 crores and 28 letters of intent (LoIs) of Rs 64110 crores with several companies of the country. So far the state has managed to attract Rs 305000 crores worth of investment which includes an investment of 40000 crores from Dubai and Rs 105000 crores from Gujarat.
SOLAR LIFT IRRIGATION SYSTEM TO BE USED IN JHARKHAND According to a top official, in the field of agriculture, lift irrigation schemes that are based on renewable energy will be a game-changer in Jharkhand. In the lift irrigation process, water is transported against the gravity with pumps or by using surge pools and then is transported to the required location or at the place it will be used. The government has launched various schemes to boost lift irrigation systems and the field of agriculture. Lift irrigation is mainly focused on farmers who are unable to afford diesel pumps. Solar energy-based lift irrigation system is already developed and is assisting farmers in Simdega. 1 solar lift irrigation system can irrigate 10 acres of land. 250 plus solar-based irrigation schemes are currently implemented in the state and 175 schemes will be added soon.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 07
TN GOVT DIRECTS EACH DISTRICT COLLECTOR TO FIND SITES FOR SOLAR PARKS
63 FARMERS REGISTERS FOR USING LAND FOR SOLAR POWER IN NASHIK 63 farmers have registered to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) in Nashik allowing the use of farmer’s land for generating power with the help of solar panels. This comes under the Pradhan Mantri Kusum Yojana (PM-KUSUM scheme) of the central government to cut down the use and dependence on fossil fuels. The farmers of the gram panchayat, the Water Users’ Associations (WUAs), farmers’ cooperative societies, and Farmers Producers ‘Associations (FPOs) can develop solar energy power projects and use the electricity for their use or they can sell the power. Farmers can develop solar power through developers if they are not able to do so by any of the above due to financial constraints. An agreement between the farmers and the developer needs to be signed where farmers will get rent for their land. Solar power will be bought at Rs 3.10 per unit for the coming 25 years by the MSEDCL from the date of commencement of the scheme.
The Tamil Nadu government has asked all district collectors to locate property ranging in size from 20 to 200 acres suitable for the establishment of 5 MW to 50 MW solar parks in one or more places other than corporations and municipalities in order to become selfsufficient in energy generation and to boost the renewable energy sector. To carry out the initiative, certain government agencies, including the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments and the Salt Corporation, have also been enlisted. The state’s electricity minister, Senthil Balaji stated that the installation of solar energy power stations would aid in reducing reliance on high-cost electricity purchases from private power providers. Over the next ten years, the state aims to build 20,000 MW of solar energy power plants and 10,000 MW of battery storage systems, said the minister “It would assist the state in providing uninterrupted power to consumers,” The first phase of the plans consists of the establishment of 4,000 MW solar energy power plants and 2,000 MW battery storage systems. As of now, Tamil Nadu has 4,561 MW of installed solar power-producing capacity. According to Balaji, the government would make the majority of the capital investment in solar farms. Private solar power generators would also be encouraged to continue.
RAJASTHAN SIGNS MOUS FOR RS 36,820 CRORE WITH FOCUS ON SOLAR POWER The Rajasthan government inked six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) including one with Tata Power for Rs 15,000 crore and five letters of intent for a total investment of Rs 36,820 crore. The deal was inked in the presence of Rajasthan Industry and Commerce Minister Shakuntala Rawat and Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas at the end of discussions with Tamil Nadu and diaspora investors with the cooperation of national partner CII. Aside from solar energy generation, investment promises have been made in the textile park, electric car, pharma, tourism, steel, and gas sectors. Rajasthan, which is entering a new phase of industrial growth, has developed an investment-friendly policy and infrastructural environment, which has increased the business climate, according to Khachariyawas.
AP CM UNFOLDS INDUSTRIAL PARK IN YSR TO BOOST MSME & SOLAR OPERATIONS Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the YSR Jagananna Mega Industrial Hub and YSR Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Kopparthy, YSR (Kadapa) on Thursday, boosting the state’s industrial economy. The industrial cluster is preparing to open with all the necessary infrastructure, including ready-to-occupy, electricity, roads, sheds, and plots. Even various solar power firms, MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises), electronics manufacturing enterprises, and industrial associations participated in the event. Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister stated that the amenities will promote industrial expansion, encourage investment, and enhance the industrial infrastructure condition in Kadapa, adding to the state’s economic development. According to Reddy, in totality, all of the operations that the state has undertaken on the date would result in an investment of Rs 1,052 crore and the creation of nearly 14,803 jobs.
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HIMACHAL AIMS TO ADD 10GW OF GREEN ENERGY UNDER ITS NEW POWER POLICY Himachal Pradesh has set a target of creating 10,000 MW (10 GW) of additional green energy with the ratification of a new energy strategy, the Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy, by the state cabinet. The new energy strategy includes a number of provisions aimed at achieving the objective of harvesting and commissioning 10,000 MW of hydro energy by 2030, to achieve a total operational capacity of 20,948 MW. HP’s new power policy also aspires to build the state as a “water battery.” According to the plan, Himachal Pradesh will be developed as the country’s water batteries for Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) on a stand-alone basis, as well as to offer a policy framework in combination with components of existing or ongoing projects. Various incentives would be offered, such as free electricity royalty for pump storage projects, exemption from LADF and the registration fee for land purchase, and so on. A provision has been introduced to exclude open access costs on input and output energy for small projects up to 5 MW capacity. Furthermore, in order to assist the prepping and timely execution of hydro and solar projects, a Transmission Master Plan provision has also been introduced. Under the newly introduced policy, pump storage projects with a capacity of 10,000 MW will also be established, as well as investment in the green hydrogen sector will be made, and sites appropriate for hydroelectric projects will be identified and examined.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 08
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 09
THINK TANK OVER 90% OF INDIA’S RE PROJECTS RECEIVED INVESTMENT-GRADE RATINGS IN 2020: CEEW-CEF In 2020, more than 90 percent of the solar and wind energy projects evaluated received investment-grade ratings of BBB and above, according to an independent study released by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF). This is due to the significantly improved financial viability of India’s renewable energy projects over the last decade on account of favorable policy support from the central government. As recently as 2015, less than 50 percent of the projects in the sector enjoyed such favorable ratings from credit rating agencies on their debt issuances. The CEEW-CEF study, supported by Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, also highlighted that out of the 90 renewable energy projects evaluated by three credit rating agencies in 2020 and considered in the report, only 6 wind energy projects had belowinvestment-grade ratings. Of the 44 solar projects evaluated, 26 enjoyed an ‘A’ rating while 9 of them were rated as ‘AA’ – indicating an extremely low probability of default. Further, 5 solar projects received BBB ratings on their debt issuances. Similarly, of the 46 wind energy projects evaluated, 30 projects received an ‘A’ rating, while another 10 projects were given a ‘BBB’ rating by the credit rating firms.
COAL POWER’S SHARP REBOUND: A NEW RECORD IN 2021, THREATENING NET ZERO GOALS: IEA Rapid economic recovery is driving global coal power generation to a record this year and overall coal demand to a potential alltime high as soon as 2022, underlining urgent need for policy action. The amount of electricity generated worldwide from coal is surging towards a new annual record in 2021, undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potentially putting global coal demand on course for an all-time high next year, the International Energy Agency said in its latest annual market report. Overall coal demand worldwide – including uses beyond power generation, such as cement and steel production – is forecast to grow by 6% in 2021. That increase will not take it above the record levels it reached in 2013 and 2014. But, depending on weather patterns and economic growth, overall coal demand could reach new all-time highs as soon as 2022 and remain at that level for the following two years, underscoring the need for fast and strong policy action.
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ROOFTOP SOLAR FACILITY SURGES BY 189%, TRIPLES TO 1.3 GW TILL Q3 2021 According to Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report quarter 3 (Q3) 2021, India’s rooftop solar capacity installation tripled to 1.3 GW between January and September 2021, compared to the same period the previous year. The report says that the country added 448 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar in July-September this year, showing a 189% increment year-on-year (YoY), but a 14% drop quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) compared to 521 MW installed in April-June. It stated that the progress in installation is a 200% increase over the same period in 2020 and is at an all-time high in the 9 months of a year. In Q3 2021, the residential sector accounted for 54% of rooftop solar installations which is the highest, followed by the commercial & industrial, and government sectors, which accounted for 44% and 2%, respectively. For the second quarter in a row, residential installations were at an all-time high. As per the report, total rooftop solar installations reached 6.7 GW by the end of Q3 2021. Over 200 MW of rooftop solar projects were offered in Q3, representing a 62% QoQ and a 125% YoY upsurge. The Kerala State Electricity Board announced approximately 47% of the tenders, the highest.
TENDER TRACKER TENDERS ISSUED BY PSU
Authority
Tender Name
SAIL
SAIL Tenders For 4 MW Floating Solar System in West Bengal
NTPC
NTPC Issues Consultancy Tender for 105 MW and 220 MW of Solar Projects at Shajapur
CEL
CEL Issues 25 MW Solar System Tender For Varied Sites In Maharashtra
CEL
CEL Invites Bids For The Delivery Of 1 Million Solar Cells
REIL
REIL Issues Tender For 200,000 Multicrystalline Solar Cells
TENDERS ISSUED BY STATE AUTHORITIES
Authority
Tender Name
MSEDCL
MSEDCL Tenders for 500 MW of Solar Plants Under KUSUM Scheme
West Bengal
West Bengal Invites Bids For A 22.5 MW Floating Solar PV At 3 Thermal Power Stations
Maharashtra
MSRDC Issues EPC Tender for 5 MW Solar Project in Maharashtra
Rajasthan
JdVVNL Issues 2 Tenders For Solarization Of 17 Agricultural Feeders
Gujarat
GSECL Issues EPC Tender For 220 MW Solar Projects In Gujarat
Karnataka
BESCOM Floats Tender For 50 MW Of Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Projects
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GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS GOT 74% OF FUNDS, RANKS OVER COAL For the third year in a row, Indian lenders directed more funding to clean energy projects than to coal-fired ones in 2020, with more projected to flow into the renewables’ industry in the following years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined ambitious emissionscutting targets last month. According to a report by the New Delhibased research organizations Climate Trends and Centre for Financial Accountability, clean energy projects received 74% of total contributions from financial institutions last year, which sums to Rs. 243.8 billion ($3 billion). This is a 6% increase from 2019 approvals for renewable energy projects of approximately Rs. 229.71 billion. The report also shows that just Rs. 85.2 billion, or 26% of the 2020 money from Indian lenders, went to coal-fired facilities, which portrays an 86% drop in coal plant approvals since 2017 and is consistent with a global decline in the availability of funding for fossil-fuel projects. This trend is projected to continue following Modi’s announcement at COP26, increasing India’s 2030 objective for low-emission energy capacity from 450 GW to 500 GW, where 50% of the electricity is to be produced from renewable sources.
ACQUISITIONS IN INDIA’S RE SECTOR JUMP BY MORE THAN 300% IN VALUE TERMS IN 2021: CEEW-CEF & IEA The total value of acquisitions in India’s renewable energy sector surged by more than 300% to USD 6 billion in the first ten months of 2021 (till October) from less than USD 1.5 billion reported in 2020, according to an independent study released by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). This signals enhanced appetite from companies to invest in climate-friendly technologies, and opportunities for investors to book profits and re-invest proceeds in new projects, or even exit completely. The growth in acquisitions was supported by conducive global financial conditions and accommodative monetary policy maintained by the Reserve Bank of India. Adani Green’s takeover of SB Energy India, in October, at a reported enterprise value of USD 3.5 billion was the biggest deal in the sector. However, the ‘Clean Energy Investment Trends 2021’ study highlighted that solar PV capacity awarded in the first six months of 2021 fell sharply to just 2.6 GigaWatt from 15.3 GW (including 1.6 GW solar-wind hybrid capacity) reported in the corresponding period in 2020. This was large as a result of a backlog of unsigned power sales agreements (PSAs) amounting to around 20 GW with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at the end of 2020.
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INDIA ADDED 11.1 GW OF SOLAR CAPACITY FROM JANUARY TO NOVEMBER 2021: REPORT India added about 11.1 GW of solar capacity from January 2021 till November 2021, said a recently released report of JMK research. This is about 249% higher compared to the installations done in 2020, it added. In terms of cumulative installations, according to the data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), till November 2021, India’s RE installation capacity reached ~104 GW. Solar energy now contributes for approximately 47% share in the total RE segment now making it the largest contributor followed by wind energy (38%), Bio Power (10%), and Small Hydro (5%). According to the report, During Jan-Nov 2021 period, about 7 GW of utility-scale solar is added. Rajasthan added the highest utility-scale solar capacity of about 3,615 MW, followed by Gujarat (1,538 MW) and Uttar Pradesh (674 MW). In the rooftop solar segment, about 2605 MW of new capacity was added during January to November 2021 period. Gujarat ranks first among the states with capacity addition of 660 MW, accounting for nearly 25% of the total rooftop installations during the analysis period. Next to Gujarat, Maharashtra (597 MW), Haryana (266 MW) and Rajasthan (225 MW) are the leading states with the maximum rooftop solar capacity addition.
LBNL: INDIA CAN MEET 500 GW OF NON-FOSSIL ENERGY CAPACITY BY 2030 During a virtual launch, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) (Berkeley Lab) published in-depth research of India’s projected power system investments this week, claiming that renewables may cover India’s electricity needs affordably by 2030. The study discovered that significant cost reductions in energy sources like solar and flexible resources like battery storage over the last decade make it affordable for India to meet its burgeoning power requirements reliably over the next decade. It also estimates that if battery storage costs continue to fall, supply chain difficulties are handled, and appropriate funding is acquired, just 23 GW of net coal capacity will be required. From 2020 levels, this would reduce electricity costs by 8-10% and the emissions intensity of electricity delivery by 43-50%. India being the world’s third-largest energy consumer, these goals are influential to fulfilling global climate objectives, says ‘Least Cost Pathway for India’s Power System Investments’ publication.
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POWER DEMAND IMPROVEMENT SLOWED DOWN IN NOVEMBER: IND-RA The all-India energy demand increased just 1.7% YoY to 99.6 billion units (BU) in November 2021, after growing 12% YoY in 7MFY22 says the recently published report of India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). The slowdown in the improvement was led by the onset of the winter season, impacting the demand from the northern region (up 2% YoY) and southern region (down 5% YoY). Ind-Ra believes that the reduction in the energy demand in November 2021 is also attributable to lower generation, as reflected in an increase in the power outages at thermal power plants due to coal shortages. Additionally, the all-India energy demand for the first 25 days of December improved 3.5% YoY to 88.7BU. The total all-India generation increased marginally by 2% to 99.4BU in November 2021. The overall increase in a generation was however supported by a 16.4% YoY increase in the generation from renewable sources and a 16% YoY rise in generation from hydropower sources, whereas the generation from coal-based thermal power plants reduced by 0.3% YoY.
SOLAR OPEN ACCESS INSTALLATION RISES 85% TO 307MW FROM JUL TO SEP ‘21 According to Mercom India Research’s report, “India Solar Open Access Market Report Q3 2021”, solar open access installations in India increased by 85% to 307 megawatts (MW) between July and September 2021, while it was 166MW during the same quarter in 2020. The cumulative installed solar power in the open-access market has reached 4.8GW as of September 2021. The research firm claimed in its report that the country has shown a 143% rise in open access solar power installation from January to September 2021 which accounts for 935MW over the 385MW capacity installed during the same period in 2020. The pipeline of solar open access projects in progress or pre-construction is anticipated to be more than 1.1GW. The market of it has also been expanded to reach two new states, Punjab and Uttarakhand. Uttar Pradesh has the greatest installations, accounting for almost 35% of all projects established during the quarter, followed by Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka which account for 11%, 10%, and 7% of total installations, respectively. C&I (commercial and industrial) segment has been compelled to seek alternative energy sources, as power crises in the third quarter of 2021 due to decreased coal supplies in thermal power plants hit hard the country, said the report.
RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION CAPACITY ADDITION TO REACH AT 16GW IN FY23 The outlook for the capacity addition in the renewable energy (RE) sector remains strong with a large project pipeline of over 55GW and the highly competitive tariffs offered by these projects, says ICRA. The commitment to climate change goals announced by the Prime Minister at the recent COP26 summit, including increasing the non-fossil power capacity to 500GW and meeting 50% of energy requirement from renewable sources by 2030, further strengthen the investment prospects in the renewable energy sector. The capacity addition witnessed a strong recovery in the first eight months of FY2022 with 8.2GW added against 3.4GW added in 8M FY2021.
INDIA’S SOLAR MODULE MANUFACTURING CAPACITY TO GALLOP BY 400% HIGHER BY 2025, CRISIL India’s solar module manufacturing capacity is set to gallop by almost 400% higher by fiscal 2025, compared with fiscal 2021, with 30-35 GW of fresh module capacity set to be commissioned following strong demand, favorable policies, likely improvement in energy efficiency, and price competitiveness. A CRISIL Rating study of the CAPEX plans of the top 11 domestic module manufacturers, which account for ~80% of the current effective solar module installed capacity of 8GW, and some new entrants, indicates as much. The solar module manufacturing value chain starts with polysilicon and/or ingots, which are converted into wafers. These wafers are used to produce solar cells, which are then assembled to manufacture solar modules. As of March 31, 2021, India had 3 GW of solar cell capacity (mostly used for captive production of solar modules) and 8 GW of effective solar module capacity. However, there is no manufacturing capacity for polysilicon and wafers yet.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 12
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 13
PROJECT MONTHLY TATA POWER SOLAR AWARDED 100 MW SOLAR PLUS 120 MWH BESS FROM SECI Tata Power Solar Systems Limited (Tata Power Solar), India’s largest integrated solar company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, has received a Letter of Award (LoA) from Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) to build a 100 MW EPC Solar project along with 120 MWh Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The total contract value of the project is approximately ÌNR 945 crore. The project will be executed within 18 months. The Utility Scale EPC order book of Tata Power Solar now stands at ~4.4 GW (DC) capacity with an approximate value of INR 9,000 crore (without GST), thereby strengthening its position as India’s leading Solar EPC player. SECI project sites are located in Chhattisgarh. The order scope includes engineering, design, supply, construction, erection, testing, O&M, and commissioning of the projects.
L&T, RENEW PARTNER TO FOCUS ON GREEN HYDROGEN BUSINESS IN INDIA Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and ReNew Power have partnered to tap the emerging green hydrogen business in India. Under this agreement, L&T and ReNew will jointly develop, own, execute and operate green hydrogen projects in India. For countries like India, with its everincreasing energy import bill, it can also provide energy security by reducing the overall dependence on fossil fuels. It is also expected to provide a green alternative for “hard-to-abate” industries, like refineries, fertilizers, steel, and transport. It is anticipated that green hydrogen demand in India for applications such as refineries, fertilizers, and city gas grids will grow up to 2MMTPA by 2030 in line with the nation’s green hydrogen mission. This would call for investments upward of $60 billion. L&T, with its deep expertise and experience in engineering and construction of projects, and ReNew, with its experience in the development of renewable energy projects, are market leaders in their respective sectors, and this synergistic partnership is committed to tapping this emerging opportunity.
TATA POWER AND IIT MADRAS TO COLLABORATE ON R&D AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power companies and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), the country’s well-known technical and research university, will collaborate in areas of research and development (R&D), consultancy, policy advocacy, advisory, training, and commercialization of technologies and solutions, amongst others. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate this collaboration. Considering IIT Madras’ national and international excellence in technical education, basic and applied research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and industrial consultancy, and Tata Power’s team of in-house experts, there is an immense potential for this collaboration to have a high transformational impact. As a part of the MoU, Tata Power and IIT Madras will aim to pursue advanced research in areas of future technology. The agreement also includes campus recruitment opportunities for postgraduate students of IIT Madras.
HUL USING GREEN ENERGY TO FUEL OPERATIONS, ELIMINATES COAL Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced in a statement that it has abolished the use of coal in its operations and has replaced it with green alternatives such as biomass and biodiesel. The country’s largest consumer products maker has partnered with biomass providers and local farmers to secure a sustainable supply of green fuel and has made the required improvements in its coal-fired boilers for the renewable changeover. Since 2019, HUL’s manufacturing facilities have been using 100 percent renewable grid electricity from on-site solar generation, off-site solar and wind production, and hydrobased grid power procurement amidst which the company has also witnessed some savings in fuel supplies. HUL, for example, stated that in one of its home care units, it discovered methods to remove coal consumption, resulting in Rs 3.5 crore in fuel savings while reducing 4 million kgs of carbon dioxide emissions and resulting in enhanced fuel efficiency. Furthermore, in addition to the on-site solar Photovoltaic plant, the company’s food and beverage production operation in Nashik has onboarded three off-site wind turbine generators for captive use.
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$736 MILLION GREEN LOAN AIDS RIL’S TAKEOVER OF REC SOLAR Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) said that it had inked a $736 millionequivalent green loan to support its takeover of Norwegian solar panel producer REC Solar Holdings, establishing the Indian conglomerate’s first such financing. A $250 million six-year term loan, a $150 million working capital credit, and a $460 million five-year bank guarantee facility comprise the lending at an interest margin of around 120bps– 125bps over LIBOR. The loan was obtained by Singapore-based REC Solar and is secured through guarantees from Reliance New Energy Solar, a fully owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries.
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DFC TO FINANCE UP TO $500 MILLION TO FIRST SOLAR FOR 3.3 GW FACILITY IN TAMIL NADU
VIRESCENT ACQUIRES 55 MWP SOLAR ASSETS OF FOCAL ENERGY
The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced the approval of up to $500 million of debt financing to First Solar—an investment that will significantly boost the company’s solar panel manufacturing capacity while also generating momentum for ongoing U.S. efforts to develop global supply chains that are free from the use of forced labor. The loan announced represents the largest single debt financing transaction ever for the DFC and will support First Solar’s vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) solar module manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India, with a projected annual capacity of 3.3 gigawatts. Critically, First Solar produces “thin-film” solar panel modules, which do not use polysilicon. This financing will support First Solar in replicating its industry-leading transparency and traceability protocols in India, underscoring the importance of supply chain transparency throughout the renewable energy sector.
KKR-backed Virescent Infrastructure has announced the acquisition of 55 MWp of solar assets from Focal Energy. The acquired assets are spread across three states and have a mix of Central Government and State Government off-takers, the company said in a statement. The acquisition is in line with Virescent’s strategy to acquire operational renewable energy assets that have stable long-term cashflows with government counterparties across India. The agreement was also inked for an indirect acquisition of 66% in Focal Energy Solar Three India Pvt Ltd.
AYANA RENEWABLE COMMISSIONS 300 MW SOLAR PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN Ayana Renewable Power, located in Bengaluru, has announced the commissioning of a 300 MW interstate transmission system (ISTS) linked solar PV project at Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Ayana continues to add to its operational capacity and align its goals with India’s mighty clean energy ambitions. Earlier, Ayana Renewable had announced the commissioning of 150 MW of its 300 MW solar PV project. The company has already exceeded the operating capacity of 1 GW, with a total management and development portfolio of 2.94 GW. With 1.09 GW of operational capacity, the company provides clean energy to millions of Indian families. Ayana is continually trying to contribute to India’s Energy Transition by sharing several clean energy projects, according to the firm’s statement.
NTPC PLANS TO ROPE IN STRATEGIC INVESTOR FOR NREL
GREENKO FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH JOHN COCKERILL FOR GREEN H2 ELECTROLYSERS Hyderabad-based cleantech business, Greenko Group, and John Cockerill, a Belgian maker of alkaline electrolyzers, announced an exclusive partnership to jointly develop market efforts for green hydrogen electrolyzers in India. Greenko plans to build up to one metric tonne per year (mtpa) of green ammonia export plants in India by 2025, which will require around 2 GW of electrolyzer capacity. While John Cockerill is building the world’s greatest capacity electrolyzers with capacities of over 6 MW and production plants across the world. The statement added that GZC and John Cockerill will also work in all aspects of market expansion for green hydrogen electrolyzers, which transform clean energy into carbon-free hydrogen. Greenko is already constructing capacity to serve the worldwide green hydrogen market, with the goal of delivering internationally costcompetitive green hydrogen and associated green molecules. According to the joint press release, this collaboration would enable the delivery of electrolyzers at scale in India within the next year, facilitating the generation of the lowest-cost green hydrogen.
AYANA RENEWABLE POWER CAPS INSTALLATION OF 150 MW SOLAR PLANT IN RAJASTHAN Ayana Renewable Power, located in Bengaluru, has announced the commissioning of 150 MW of its 300 MW interstate transmission system (ISTS) linked solar PV project at Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The company has already exceeded the operating capacity of 1 GW, with a total management and development portfolio of 2.94 GW. With 1.09 GW of operational capacity, the company provides clean energy to millions of Indian families. Ayana is continually trying to contribute to India’s Energy Transition by sharing several clean energy projects.
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NTPC Ltd., India’s largest electricity producer, is seeking a strategic investor in its renewables business, NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NREL) prior to taking the unit public next year, according to a senior official with knowledge of the matter. The listing of NREL is part of the state-run power giant’s overall ₹15,000 crore divestment plan in the next three years. The divestment plan also includes a listing of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCdO) and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVNL) by March 2024. The plan also includes the sale of its stake in NTPC-SAIL Power Company Ltd (NSPCL). The official also stated that the company needs huge funds of ₹2.5 lakh crore approx for meeting its target of having 60GW renewable energy capacity mainly through NREL, which would be 45% of its total 130 GW installed generation capacity envisaged by 2032. The equity component of NREL would be around ₹50,000 crores and the rest of the requirement would be met through long-term loans, debentures, bonds, and other such modes.
COUNTRY’S AMBITIOUS PETROLEUM PIPELINE PROJECT ADOPTS RENEWABLE ENERGY Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a petroleum products pipeline built by Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) at a ceremony in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This pipeline, a prestigious project of the BPCL, Govt of India, running from Bina (Sagar, Madhya Pradesh) to Panki (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh), is touted to be the main artery of fuel supply in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It will potentially be fostering social and economic development in the region. Statcon Energiaa has successfully solarised the ‘Bina-Panki Multi-Product Pipeline’. Statcon Energiaa has designed and installed a total of 211.2 kWP ‘Hybrid Solar Solution’ along the 355 km-long pipeline – a 19.2 kWP at each SV Station. SV (Sectionalised Valve) stations are installations at regular intervals along the pipeline so as to isolate each pipeline section during emergencies like gas leakages. The solution includes the company’s indigenously manufactured Hybrid Solar Power Conditioning Units (PCU) that are essentially grid-tied plus battery storage. These are advanced bi-directional inverters that provide seamless power (less than 10 msec of changeover time in case of power cut). The battery bank is of 1200Ah 48V at each station along with its health monitoring.
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OCTOPUS ENERGY, STERLITE POWER TEAM UP TO DECARBONISE INDIAN INDUSTRY
STERLITE POWER ACQUIRES NANGALBIBRA – BONGAIGAON ISTS PROJECT FROM PFC Sterlite Power Transmission Limited, a leading private sector power transmission infrastructure developer and solutions provider, announced the acquisition of Nangalbibra Bongaigaon Transmission Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) from PFC Consulting Limited. The project involves the setting up of ~300 ckt km of transmission lines network and greenfield substation with 320 MVA transformation capacity across the North-Eastern terrain of Assam and Meghalaya. The project includes the following elements: 250 ckt km of 400kV D/c transmission line connecting Bongaigaon in Assam to a greenfield substation at Nangalbibra in Meghalaya, across the river Brahmaputra. 220/132 kV substation at Nangalbibra in Meghalaya. 50 ckt km of 132kV D/c line connecting Hatsinghmari in Assam to Ampati in Meghalaya.
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ITC COMMISSIONS FIRST OFFSITE SOLAR PLANT IN TAMIL NADU ITC Limited, one of India’s leading multi-business conglomerates and an acknowledged exemplar in sustainability, has commissioned its first offsite solar plant in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. The 14.9 MW solar plant, built at an investment of Rs 76 crores, will help reduce CO2 emissions over the course of its lifetime
AMP ENERGY INDIA COMMISSIONS ITS SECOND OPEN ACCESS SOLAR PROJECT IN MAHARASHTRA Amp Energy India, one of India’s leading renewable energy companies has recently commissioned a 13.5 MW solar power project for Orient Cement, one of the fastest-growing and leading cement manufacturers in India. The 13.5MW project will supply solar power to Orient Cement’s manufacturing facility in Maharashtra from Amp’s open access facility in Gourgaonvillage, district Osmanabad in the state. Orient Cement has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Amp Energy India for the procurement of solar power for 25 years. With this project, Orient Cement will benefit from a reduction in overall energy costs as well as mitigation of its carbon footprint. Through this partnership, Orient Cement will meet 50% of its annual energy needs and significantly reduce its energy bills. The project will also help Orient Cement reduce about 15,595 Metric tons of CO2 per annum.
Energy technology pioneer Octopus Energy Group and leading Indian power transmission player Sterlite Power have signed an agreement that aims to help decarbonize Indian industry and bring cheaper green power to consumers around the world. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at COP26, will see the two companies explore several joint retail ventures. It is the first UK-India energy partnership since the Green Grids announcement launched by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in November 2021. The tie-up will aim to apply Sterlite Power’s transmission expertise in the UK and bring more competition to the established grid monopoly. The agreement highlights Octopus Energy Group’s worldwide expansion which has seen it move into 13 different countries in just five years and may soon include the launch of a retail energy business in India.
AZURE POWER FULLY COMMISSIONS LARGEST, SINGLE SITE 600 MW SECI SOLAR PROJECT IN INDIA Azure Power, a leading independent sustainable energy solutions provider in India, announced the successful commissioning of its largest project- 600 MWs Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) connected solar project, allocated by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The project is in Bikaner, Rajasthan and the power generated from the project will be supplied to SECI at a tariff of INR 2.53 (~US 3.5 cents) per kWh for 25 years. This is the largest solar power project in India, owned and operated at a single location by any developer. Azure Power has commissioned this project in phases, with the last 100 MWs commissioned this month. Following this, Azure Power has 2510 MWs of high-performing operational solar assets spread across the country.
NHPC, GEDCOL TO FORM JOINT VENTURE FOR SETTING UP 500-MW FLOATING SOLAR PROJECTS IN ODISHA NHPC said it has signed a pact with Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd (GEDCOL) to form a joint venture (JV) for setting up a 500-megawatt (MW) floating solar power project in Odisha. According to a BSE filing, the Promoters agreement has been signed on January 4, 2022, between NHPC Limited and Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (GEDCOL) for the formation of a JV company for the development of 500 MW floating solar power projects in various water reservoirs in the state of Odisha. NHPC will hold a 74 percent equity stake, while GEDCOL will have 26 percent. It will have an authorized share capital of Rs 500 crore divided into 50 crore shares of Rs 10 each. The JV will have at least four directors on its board and not more than 15 with a ratio in proportion to equity participation (i.e. 74: 26 rounded to 3:1) for NHPC and GEDCOL, respectively, subject to a minimum of one director by each of the parties.
NTPC TO HAVE 35 GW OF RE CAPACITY BY 2027, PLANS TO GENERATE 10 BU GREEN ENERGY IN 2022-23 State-owned power giant NTPC has planned to have a total renewable energy (RE) capacity of 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2027 and is expected to generate 10 billion units (BU) of green energy in 2022-23, Parliament was informed. “The expected green energy generation by NTPC in the next fiscal year (2022-23) is 10 billion units (BU). NTPC intends to achieve up to 35 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity by 2027,” Union Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha. According to the reply, NTPC has entered into the arena of green energy generation apart from managing 70 power stations. NTPC has 2,095.5 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity, including solar, wind, and hydro energy. Its RE generation in April-November this year stands at 4,089.64 million units, Singh stated. The minister also told the House that NTPC has an under-construction green energy capacity of 3,880.5 MW, which includes solar, wind, and hydro energy.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 17
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
DR. AJAY MATHUR Director General, International Solar Alliance
THE GREEN GRID INITIATIVE – ONE SUN ONE WORLD ONE GRID IS TRYING TO MAKE THE LATTER POSSIBLE BY INTERCONNECTING REGIONAL GRIDS TO The Green Grid Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid is trying to FORM A TRANSMISSION NETWORK make the latter possible by interconnecting regional grids to form a SPANNING MULTIPLE TIME ZONES." transmission network spanning multiple time zones. In an exclusive interview with SolarQuarter India magazine, Dr. Ajay Mathur - Director General, International Solar Alliance spoke about the recent major developments at ISA. He gave us insights into how rooftop solar can be scaled up, the importance of combining storage with rooftop solar, and the likely development of the solar sector in India over the next 5 years.
Please give us an overview of what major developments happened at the International Solar Alliance in 2021 2021 has been a momentous year for the ISA as it continues to grow bigger and become more active since its founding a few years back. This has been a year of scaling up efforts to get solar projects moving in our member countries. The ISA has signed agreements with 8 member countries; agreements with 15 more countries are in the pipeline, for funding the development of solar energy demonstration projects in these underdeveloped and developing countries. These solar energy projects not only benefit their users but also help build the capacity of other stakeholders in those countries. The ISA is also assisting some of its member countries to develop largescale solar parks, with a cumulative capacity of 3 GW. Under its capacity-building initiatives, ISA has also been imparting training to professionals from across the world, including master trainers, policymakers, and bankers. The first batch of ISA Fellows obtained their M.Tech degrees from IIT Delhi during this year, and they have returned to their respective countries to join the workforce. We have also hosted several webinars during the year, such as the one on floating solar where NTPC shared their experience of setting up a
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floating solar power plant with our member countries. During 2021, the ISA has not only increased our membership base, with countries such as the USA, Germany, and Israel joining us, we have also strengthened our ties with our existing members through frequent outreach efforts where we are trying to address their needs in terms of energy access, energy security, and energy transition. ISA has also launched new programs on solar for green hydrogen and solar PV and battery waste management to help prepare our member countries for the implementation of these emerging technologies. COP26 has been a milestone event for the ISA with the launch of the Green Grid Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid under the joint leadership of India and the UK, and the forging of partnership agreements with agencies, such as the UNFCCC and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.
What are the main challenges facing the solar industry currently? How can they be tackled? Globally, solar energy has established itself as a credible source of energy, and the low prices have been a major role to play in this. It is estimated that more than half of the renewable energy capacity installed in the year 2021 would be based on solar PVs. Assuming that solar PV continues to have the cost advantage that it currently enjoys, the next challenge being faced would be establishing it as a reliable and cheap source of round-the-clock power. This would require energy storage systems to become cheaper and more accessible
around the world. The other option is of course connecting the region of the world where solar energy is being generated with the areas where the sun has set and there is a higher demand for energy. The Green Grid Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid is trying to make the latter possible by interconnecting regional grids to form a transmission network spanning multiple time zones. In many parts of the world, the lack of affordable financing options is inhibiting the development of solar energy projects. As a result, a large share of the global market potential for the solar industry is getting locked out. There is an urgent need to derisk these markets for solar energy deployment so that financing costs could be lowered, and investments could flow in. The ISA has been working on this, and we have secured the in-principle approval of our governing bodies to introduce a blended finance risk mitigation facility that is expected to attract investments and kick start projects in many of the member countries in the developing world. The end goal here is to have a much more equitable distribution of investments and solar energy deployment across all parts of the world. Meanwhile, there are other challenges too that are coming up on the horizon. Some of the earliest solar energy plants are approaching their end of life, and with no means effectively disposing of them, the solar PV equipment is expected to end up in landfills. The resulting issue of waste management along with the scarcity of many of the rare earth metals used in solar PV and battery manufacturing builds a strong case for recycling of batteries and the equipment used in solar power plants. It is high time to ramp up research and development to come up with a definitive solution for the management of solar PV waste.
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What is your view on the progress that rooftop solar has made in comparison to utility-scale solar in India? What needs to be done to scale it up even more? Even though the installed capacity of rooftop solar installations at approximately 7 GW is much smaller in comparison to the capacity of utility-scale solar (roughly 40 GW), both sectors have complemented each other’s growth in the country. Both the sectors have benefited from the policy decisions and incentives provided in the past and have grown significantly with the fall in equipment prices. However, India’s progress in the rooftop solar energy space has been particularly remarkable. Not only has the sector shown exuberant growth in terms of installed capacity, but it has also spurred several start-ups - even in Tier II and Tier III cities which has in turn provided employment and skill enhancement to a large number of people. For this reason, India’s success story is one of the many models that the ISA is trying to replicate in its member counties. At present, most rooftop solar installations are helping customers offset their electricity bills through net metering mechanisms. The next burst of growth in rooftop solar installations would come when consumers start seeing their solar installations as a business opportunity. These could come either in the form of a feed-in tariff implemented by utilities, implementation of peer-to-peer trading of solar energy, or incentives for use of stored solar energy in managing the peak demand. The common denominator among all these is the need for a smart grid that can manage these bi-directional power flows.
According to you, how important is the synergy required between Rooftop solar and storage? What potential can this combination offer? With the current level of technology, energy storage is an inevitable part of the puzzle for anyone looking to use solar energy beyond daylight hours. Although at present, the cost of energy from a rooftop solar installation with energy storage may seem prohibitive for most consumers, with the falling cost of batteries these are expected to become the norm in the future. Even at current costs, certain configurations of solar PV and battery energy storage (especially these
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complementing diesel gensets) can provide electricity to commercial and industrial consumers in India at prices similar to the price of existing power. Another application where rooftop installations could be paired up with energy storage is through electric vehicles – which can be seen as mobile energy storage units. Consumers could charge their vehicles at their workplace using the solar energy generated from the rooftop installations, and these vehicles could then be driven back home where it plugs into the wall and supply the house with the surplus energy it has stored in its batteries. The modular and versatile nature of solar PV and energy storage solutions (particularly batteries) renders itself extremely useful for the creation of a variety of operating models, such as the vehicle-to-home concept.
Which big changes do you see happening in the Indian solar industry in the next 5 years? The next 5 years seem extremely promising for the Indian solar industry. As the country’s solar PV installed capacity continues to be scaled up, we expect to see increased deployment of grid-scale energy storage systems and many more projects committing to supply round-the-clock electricity. In the distributed energy generation space, such as rooftops and mini-grids, solar growth will be driven by deeper penetration and grid- interactivity as more consumers opt to get solar installations for greater reliability and lower costs. While the projects side of the industry continues to grow, we are expecting to see a paradigm shift in terms of the solar PV manufacturing industry in India. The performance of Linked Incentive Programmes and the investments announced during the last year in the manufacturing space is expected to put India up on the global map and act as a beacon for foreign investments in solar PV manufacturing in the coming years. These 5 years are also crucial for India for the development of a strong base for future technologies powered by solar energy. Green hydrogen is definitely a direction where India would need to develop its capacity and lay the foundation to support future project developments. This would also be essential to lay the steppingstone for use of solar energy in forms other than electricity through power-to-x pathways that are essential for a successful energy transition.
What can we look forward to from the International Solar Alliance in 2022? These past years have laid the foundation for the International Solar Alliance; and as the Alliance continues to take root among the member countries, we are starting to see visible results on the ground. ISA’s plan is to continue doing this in the future at a much larger scale. For this, we are going ahead with a strategy where ISA will be working closely with the member countries and handholding the government agencies and other stakeholders in these countries to develop a vibrant business environment that could attract investments for solar energy deployment. We recognize that each ISA member country has a different set of needs that would allow it to grow a self-sustaining solar energy sector its within own economic context. For this very reason, the ISA is offering, customized approaches for supporting each of our member countries which are required for developing a national solar energy ecosystem. Programmatic support for developing countries would a one of the core focus areas where the ISA would assist the country in setting up projects, such as solar pumps, solar mini-grids, rooftop solar, and solar parks. These efforts would be reinforced by the capacity-building support where we would be imparting specialized training for the major stakeholders in the member countries, including technicians, policymakers, and bankers. ISA’s analytics and advocacy activities would help disseminate and share with the member countries all the data and knowledge gathered by the ISA through its experiences. While the ISA helps build the member countries up as attractive destinations for solar investment, we will also liaise with the global ecosystem of private sector developers and manufacturers, development banks, and private investors. The ISA is also putting in place a blended finance risk mitigation mechanism that would make it easier for the global investor community to invest in these countries. All these activities would continue to be aligned with the Towards 1,000 philosophy where our goal is to mobilize USD 1,000 billion in solar investments by the year 2030 which would result in 1,000 GW of solar capacity addition which would bring energy access and energy security to more than 1,000 million people in the developing world.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 19
IN CONVERSATION
SAURABH SOLANKI Associate Director & Head - On-site Business Development, Amp Energy
SolarQuarter India magazine had a chat with Saurabh Solanki - Associate Director & Head - On-site Business Development, Amp Energy and learned about the rooftop segment and the likely trends. He also gave us insights on distributed energy generation, solar+storage, and the synergy required between rooftop solar and storage.
How have things shaped up for the rooftop segment in India in the year 2021? What trends are we likely to see this year? Year 2021 was challenging for the overall solar industry including the rooftop segment. External factors like steep increase in the metal index and polysilicon price had impacted the overall capacity addition. The situation was worsened due to the 2nd pandemic wave which delayed project execution and the sudden steep change in the input project cost had been a double whammy for the developers. Also, on the regulatory front there were new changes proposed under MOP consumer rights amendment, which restricted the Net metering up to 500KWp and on other hand opened new avenues for Feed in tariff and net billing mechanism, which regrettably slowed down the overall capacity addition last year. However, this year we foresee that Industry is ready to adapt to the changing landscape and with the regulatory changes further growth of the segment is dependent on the positive and effective implementation by state regulators, so that an overall conducive ecosystem is created for the Roof-top Sector. Further Battery storage is also going to play a vital role in behind-the-meter roof-top projects and will be a key growth factor.
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Year 2021 was challenging for the overall solar industry including the rooftop segment. External factors like steep increase in the metal index and polysilicon price had impacted the overall capacity addition. What is your view on the current distributed energy generation in India? Do you think it will help India in reaching its ambitious targets?
How important is the synergy required between Rooftop solar and storage? What potential can this combination offer?
So far Distributed generation capacity addition was always restrictive in nature due to the overall regulatory framework. Although the market has evolved over the years but not on a consistent basis. There are some states which are more conducive, but there are other states that were more conservative in their approach. It is quite certain that Distributed Generation projects combined with On Site (Rooftop/Ground within premises) and Offsite (Open Access) projects can contribute towards the overall capacity addition to achieve the ambitious targets set out by the government given the fact that Distributed generation projects have a higher scalability potential and faster execution rate. In order to scale it to its true potential, the need of the segment is to have a more favourable regulatory and policy environment which should have incentives for all the stakeholders.
Storage is key to supplementing the growth of Rooftop Solar. Combined together it significantly enhances the overall value proposition to the consumer, improves application flexibility. and provides answers to the grid stability issues. With the increase of Rooftop capacity integration with the lowvoltage distribution grid, there was substantial stress on the already inadequate infrastructure. Energy storage systems will play a key role in providing this flexibility by acting as a load when there is a surplus generation, as well as generating a source when there is a supply shortage. It will, thereby, stabilize the grid and smoothen the output of the solar rooftop. Also, there is a vastly untapped market where large warehouses and industrial rooftops are available but due to lower consumption in the daytime and net metering restrictions, they have not yet adopted Solar Rooftop solution, and hence Solar + Storage present a great opportunity here.
How has the focus on solar+storage been at your company? Storage is one of Amp Energy India’s key product offerings and we have been actively working in this space. Globally, we have a pipeline of more than 2 GWh of storage projects. In India, we are executing a couple of storage projects that will come online this year or early next year. We are also working with our customers across diverse segments to assess their requirements and proposing the right storage solution to them.
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN PROVIDING THIS FLEXIBILITY BY ACTING AS A LOAD WHEN THERE IS A SURPLUS GENERATION, AS WELL AS GENERATING A SOURCE WHEN THERE IS A SUPPLY SHORTAGE."
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What is your view on the progress that rooftop solar has made in comparison to utility‑scale solar in India? What needs to be done to scale it up even more? With ~6GW capacity addition to date from ~600 MW in 2015, the growth of the Solar rooftop is impressive on a stand-alone basis but nowhere close to achieving the 40 GW by 2022 target. The 40 GW rooftop solar target is part of India’s aim of installing 100 GW by 2022. But as things stand today, only utilities are expected to be nearing the finish line target and not rooftop solar. There were multiple reasons for such slow growth in the solar rooftop sector. DISCOMS were no longer enthusiastic about Solar rooftop due to multiple factors like losing out on the quantum of power being bought by high-paying Commercial & Industrial consumers, variability of power, and the commercials in comparison to buying green power at a much lower tariff available. However, Rooftop solar currently occupies less than 3-4% of India’s total generation capacity and the losses to DISCOM from the rooftop were relatively marginal if other benefits to DISCOMs such as reductions in transmission and distribution losses, reductions in peak demands, and contributions to Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) have not been quantified or included in the assessment. In the present changing landscape of the Indian power sector, the dominance of DISCOM’s as the sole energy provider will go away and co-existence will be the mantra to move forward where all stakeholders like power producers, DISCOMS, financiers, and consumers will have to collaborate to create the right environment for the growth of the sector.
What have been some of the factors behind low tariffs? Do you think these tariffs are sustainable? The industry has seen lower tariffs due to a combination of multiple factors involving commercial and technical aspects of the overall project value chain. The Govt entities and international developers have access to very low-cost financing. Whereas on the technology front Developers are considering Bifacial modules with trackers for achieving higher CUF in Utility-scale projects. Also, there were a lot of forwarding calls on Module prices taken by Developers. Though prima-facie given the way commodity prices have changed in 2021, the tariff seems to be a bit aggressive. Additionally, a lot of policy-level changes including the push towards Make in India, BCD applicability and also change in GST rates on Solar Modules mid-year, have pushed developers on the edge to sustain the returns anticipated. Particularly, we have seen tariffs have increased in the C&I space and are likely to stabilize given the present policy and market scenario.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 21
IN CONVERSATION
MS. RITU LAL Senior VP & Head - Institutional Relations, Amplus Solar In an insightful interview with SolarQuarter India magazine, Ms. Ritu Lal - Senior VP & Head - Institutional Relations, Amplus Solar told us about how the rooftop segment has shaped up in 2021. She spoke about the focus on solar+storgae at their company and also gave us insights on India’s promotion of renewable energy procurement through open access which will resolve the current issues being faced by the industry.
How have things shaped up for the rooftop segment in India in the year 2021? What trends are we likely to see this year? In terms of capacity addition, 2021 has been an excellent year for rooftop solar in India. 1.3GW capacity was added during the Jan-Sep 2021 period, with residential installations highest for the second quarter in a row. The demand from the C&I segment remains very strong. We expect the demand trend to continue to rise this year as well, across all consumer categories. Corporates have set up ambitious net-zero targets. Additionally, the pandemic has pushed them to find ways to cut down on their operational expenses, making rooftop and distributed solar an ideal solution. The residential adoption of solar is also expected to rise with individuals trying to cut down their carbon footprint and reduce their electricity bills. There are several challenges too, coming from factors such as policy restrictions, supply chain disruptions, capacity constraints owing to ALMM, as well as the impact from the cost increase post-BCD. We hope that we can find lasting solutions to address some of these issues, in order to ensure that the overall growth in this sector is not impacted.
How has the focus on solar + storage been at your company? At Amplus, we have already executed a few projects in energy storage for our clients and we are working towards commissioning more such projects in the future. Solar plus storage is particularly
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Solar plus storage is particularly beneficial for customers who face high grid outages and rely heavily on Diesel Generators. Apart from being commercially viable, this also helps them cut down on diesel emissions. beneficial for customers who face high grid outages and rely heavily on Diesel Generators. Apart from being commercially viable, this also helps them cut down on diesel emissions. As the cost of storage continues to reduce, we expect to see higher adoption of solar-storage solutions. Higher adoption will also help bring storage costs down further, as economies of scale kick in. We believe that storage can be a real game-changer for the renewables sector in the next 3-5 years.
How will India’s promotion of renewable energy procurement through open access resolve the current issues being faced by the industry? Renewable energy procurement through Open Access is crucial to address the netzero targets of large industrial customers efficiently. Policy support from the government will play a massive role in the growth of this segment. The recent policy facilitating ISTS for Open Access is a step in this direction, but this needs to be backed by other measures at the state level, including rationalizing charges for wheeling and losses, along with banking.
How has your rooftop solar segment performed overall in the ongoing pandemic scenario? What have been some key takeaways from the situation? Despite the pandemic, Amplus has witnessed high demand from the rooftop solar segment and has experienced a very strong year in 2021. We also expect accelerated growth in 2022.
The biggest takeaway, in terms of sustainability goals, post the pandemic, is the universal acknowledgment of the need to build back better. That we are now in the midst of a state of climate emergency is no longer a matter of debate. Globally as well as locally – be it governments, industry, or individuals, this realization is helping accelerate the growth of renewables.
What have been the factors -policy, regulatory, technical, financial -- that have contributed to the solar growth in India? India has been committed to its clean energy transition and has already undertaken various large-scale sustainable power projects in 2021, promoting renewable energy growth. The surge in solar rooftop adoption is directly proportional to favorable policies, and thus the growth has been witnessed more in some states than others. One cannot overstate the importance of policy in shaping the future of the sector. On the technical front, there is a shift toward higher capacity modules, while string inverters have found wider use in utility projects as well. There still is an issue with financing, especially for the rooftop sector. Though companies like Amplus have do not face major challenges, access to high-quality financing for rooftop solar is required on priority. Other policy developments, such as the sale of RE via the energy exchanges, proposals facilitating Open Access, proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, etc will continue to lead to solid growth for the solar sector.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 22
IN CONVERSATION
ROHIT JASWAL Regional Manager – Operations & Maintenance (India), Cleantech Solar
In an interesting conversation with SolarQuarter India, Mr. Rohit Jaswal - Regional Manager– Operations & Maintenance (India) at Cleantech Solar spoke about the challenges faced as a rooftop developer and new technologies adopted by the company to improve asset performance. Moreover, he shared his inputs on what initiatives the company would like to see from the government to develop the rooftop solar market in India.
How have things been at your company overall in the pandemic scenario? Overall, I think the impact of the pandemic has been felt by the entire industry. However, as far as Cleantech Solar is concerned, we have seen a lower impact owing to our diversified portfolio across 7 countries. Most of our systems in Southeast Asia were not impacted much. In India, we had an impact on revenue during the first lockdown. However, it was covered under force majeure events and net metering. After the first lockdown, the situation has improved.
What changes/initiatives would you like to see from the government front to higher impetus to rooftop solar? I think one of the major obstructions to the uptake of rooftop solar is the policy. Policy makers should modify the regulations pertaining to net-metering. An example of the modification could be the removal of capacity limit, which would attract not only existing customers but also encourage new customers to switch to rooftop solar power. Ideally, all states should have the same policy for rooftop solar. However, if that is not possible, there should be a single platform for the entire process of obtaining approvals for rooftop solar, which would not only ease the burden on regulatory bodies but will also ease the process of building rooftop solar projects for developers.
However, as far as Cleantech Solar is concerned, we have seen a lower impact owing to our diversified portfolio across 7 countries. Most of our systems in Southeast Asia were not impacted much.
What have been some new technologies that your company has been working on recently? At Cleantech Solar, we focus on providing best-in-class service to our customers by employing latest technology and industry best practices. Accordingly, we have developed an in-house data analytics team, which gathers data from third party providers and uses it to extract important information to check the performance of PV systems quickly and efficiently. We have been working on live alarms from the sites in case of a breakdown and these alerts can be sent via email, phones or groups on messaging applications etc. Further, we have developed our own ticket management system, wherein data from our entire portfolio is refined to generate meaningful information. Cleantech Solar has a live dashboard that helps in identifying issues with one glance, improving the efficiency of asset managers. To add to this, we have also been working on the deployment of bifacial modules in one of our solar parks, which will help us in evaluating the difference between the efficiency of bifacial and monofacial modules.
What are some challenges being faced by you as a rooftop developer? I think managing a distributed portfolio of rooftop PV systems well can be quite challenging. Below are a few of the challenges we face as developers: One of the key challenges is resource management since it is not economically viable to place a dedicated resource for
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each solar plant. We must apply a clusterbased approach, wherein a cluster of projects is managed by one team. We have identified different clusters in all the states and thus far, the cluster-based approach has been effective. Obtaining a skilled workforce in remote areas is a challenge since working at heights is a high-risk activity requiring specific ‘work at height’ training. We have developed skill development programs and every worker who joins us for any project undergoes mandatory work at height training and safety induction. Monitoring of hundreds of rooftops requires a robust monitoring platform. Cleantech Solar uses one of the best hardware systems to ensure the longevity of monitoring systems and in a few areas where the network connectivity is not optimal, we have implemented the M2M solution as it can work in remote areas with 2G availability as well. With the weather patterns being uncertain for the last few years, it is imperative to build high-quality PV systems to avoid issues related to poor workmanship, equipment failure, and the like, which are bound to crop up during operations, thereby affecting the rate of return adversely. Cleantech Solar has been working towards ensuring the delivery of high-quality systems to our customers by using only Tier-1 equipment and maintaining high standards of workmanship through continuous supervision and process improvement.
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IN CONVERSATION
JAY KUMAR WAGHELA Head BD (West and East Region), Fourth Partner Energy In an exclusive conversation with SolarQuarter India, Jay Kumar Waghela Head BD (West and East Region), Fourth Partner Energy spoke about the performance of the rooftop segment and likely trends, the company’s current portfolio size, and upcoming projects. He also told us about how the present situation is with respect to rooftop financing.
How have things shaped up for the rooftop segment in India in the year 2021? What trends are we likely to see this year? 2021 is a landmark year as India crossed 100GW of installed capacity of renewable energy. As per the market research reports, the installed rooftop solar capacity in CY 2021, will be close to 2 GW which is better than the peak of 1.8GW achieved in 2018, thereby reversing the slowing down trend of rooftop market despite the challenges faced due to Covid-19 in last 2 years. High module prices due to supply chain constraints at module OEMs end and Uncertainties in Net Metering policies at State level were some of the factors which impacted the rooftop market negatively, however driven by sustainability mandates and cost reduction goals, the C&I customers has shown more interest and intent to adopt renewables both rooftop and open access. In our view CY2022 will continue to witness similar trends – module prices will remain high and volatile due to implementation of BCD from 1st Apr 2022 and the recent announcement of using modules approved under ALMM for Open Access and Net Metering projects, C&I segment will continue to push for increasing their share of renewables. We could also see an increase in the absolute number of solar + storage projects especially in states where commercial tariffs are higher than Rs 10-12/kWh.
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Solar plus storage is particularly beneficial for customers who face high grid outages and rely heavily on Diesel Generators. Apart from being commercially viable, this also helps them cut down on diesel emissions. How has your rooftop solar segment performed overall in the ongoing pandemic scenario? What have been some key takeaways from the situation?
What is the current project portfolio size of your company? What new projects are you coming up with in the near future?
At FPE, rooftop segment continues to remain resilient. Since we have our presence across pan India with offices/warehouses across 10 states, working relationships with I&C contractors across 25 states the impact due to lockdowns and supply chain disruptions were limited.
The overall portfolio of FPE is close to 800 MW with rooftop comprising approx. 500MW and Open Access being close to 300 MW. We have operating assets in 5 countries - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. In India we would be having the largest asset base in rooftop segment.
Sufficient provisions in the contracts to protect the developer/EPC contractor in case of delays in execution and obtaining statutory approvals from Discoms/Govt Authorities due to Force Majeure like situations caused by Pandemic/Local Lockdowns etc, having multiple suppliers/contractors across major geographies, increasing use of technology to communicate and collaborate with the team members, using advanced analytics to schedule preventive maintenance, providing employees and their managers the flexibility to decide work from home/office schedule – were some of the key takeaways from the pandemic which can help us going forward too.
In 2021 we implemented few Floating and Solar + Storage projects for some of the C&I customers in addition to the regular rooftop/ground mounted behind the meter projects. In 2022 we would like to increase the number/size of floating and Solar + Storage projects. We also aim to implement Solar + EV charging projects for some of our C&I customers. As far as large-scale open access projects are concerned, in CY 2022, FPE will be commissioning multiple solar projects in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh and initiate construction of Wind Solar Hybrid projects in Gujarat and some other states.
WE WILL CONSTRUCT WIND SOLAR HYBRID PROJECTS IN GUJARAT AND A COUPLE OF MORE STATES. WE ARE WORKING ON DEVELOPING ISTS AND RTC RE PROJECTS IN CY 2022."
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How is the present situation with respect to financing rooftop solar projects in India? How can it be improved according to you? In CY2021 most of the major developers raised equity including us, which is a very encouraging sign. It’s a reflection of investors’ interest in India’s green economy. Developers have adopted innovative methods to access cheaper funds via green bonds, foreign listing, etc. The sector is poised to attract large investments from Indian corporate giants like Reliance, Adani, Vedanta, etc., and attract a lot of foreign funding too. Looking at the target of 450GW by 2030 set by Govt of India, the renewable energy sector will need $35 Bn per year, which is 60% higher than the current rate of $14 Bn per year. This gap will need to be filled in by cheaper and longer tenure loans provided by multilateral organizations like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc and financial institutions of developed countries in the form of climate financing.
What are the new capacity addition plans you have for this year? FPE is well poised to cross 1GW of operational assets across rooftop and open access portfolios in CY2022. We will continue to expand our footprints in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh in the Open Access segment. We will construct Wind Solar Hybrid projects in Gujarat and a couple of more states. We are working on developing ISTS and RTC RE projects in CY 2022. On the Rooftop segment, we would like to retain our leadership position in the market and expand the portfolio to solar + storage and solar + EV charging projects in CY2022.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 25
FEATUREDTALKS
We provide all types of products and solutions to Solar PV plants/rooftops for Performance Monitoring, Controlling, Analysis and Reporting at an affordable price using in-house developed Hardware, Firmware and Software. Our Software product is hardware agnostic; it can work with 3 rd party Datalogger. ASHOKA D. M. CEO and Managing Director, EnerMAN Technologies Pvt Ltd
What have been some key business highlights for EnerMAN Technologies in the past year? Despite COVID-19’s impact on our business, we have successfully installed our IoT SCADA (ETi-SOL) products in the countries –Sri Lanka, Nepal, Dubai, Rwanda and Poland through online support. We have also installed our IoT SCADA product in some of the prestigious Govt organizations like BHEL, BEL, NTPC, HAL, MES, NFC, AIIMS & IISc. ETi-SOL is deployed over 250+MWp capacity in 45+ PV Plants/rooftops in 2021. The total deployment to date crossed 1,200MWp (1.2GWp).
Please tell us how important is real time remote monitoring of solar plants? The performance of Solar Power Plants needs to be monitored in real time to ensure the maximum yield of the Solar PV Plant and notify the breakdown of equipment. To ensure that all the equipment at Solar Plant is performing as per the design, to get energy generation as expected to achieve the desired ROI. Real time Remote Monitoring is essential to maximise the plant performance, which provides equipment ranking, performance reports and guidelines to the onsite O&M team to schedule maintenance activities, spare parts management, and module cleaning activities.
How important is IoT as a technology in the solar industry? Could you explain your IoT-based monitoring solutions offerings in brief? IoT technologies help in digitizing Solar PV plants (Digital Twin) and get real time data to cloud platforms or Servers at HQ. The
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expert team at HQ can analyse the Solar plant and equipment performance data and come up with guidelines to improve the plant performance, reduce the breakdowns, spare management, Energy scheduling and inputs to new plant design for optimal performance of Solar PV plants. We provide all types of products and solutions to Solar PV plants/rooftops for Performance Monitoring, Controlling, Analysis and Reporting at an affordable price using in-house developed Hardware, Firmware and Software. Our Software product is hardware agnostic; it can work with 3 rd party Datalogger. ETi-SOL is a cloud-based software product that collects data from the field IoT devices for Monitoring, Controlling, Analysis and Reporting of Solar PV plants/rooftops. ETi- EDGE is a software product that can be installed in Local PCs/Servers at PV plants/Rooftops and can collect data from the data loggers connected to the PV Plant equipment to Monitor, Control, Analyse and Report the Solar PV plant’s performance. ETi-PPC is a Power Plant Controller Software product that can be installed in Local PCs/Servers at PV plants/Rooftops. Interfaces with Solar plants equipment and controls active and reactive power and power output based on the set rules/SLDC guidelines.
What are some of the recent technology advancements EnerMAN Technologies have made? We have developed a software product, ETi-SLDC, which can be installed on local PCs/Servers to collect data from the Solar PV plant’s equipment and can send important processed clean data to SLDC in a few seconds as per SLDC guidelines. We have developed another software product, ETi-ZES, which will ensure Zero exports from Solar PV plants / Rooftops to Grid, as per DISCOM policy guidelines, to avoid penalty. This product collects the data from Solar PV plants’ end-equipment and controls/limits the out-power of Solar Inverters based on its load/consumption.
What are your business development and growth plans for 2022? We are planning to expand the entry of our products to more countries in Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, and increase our product deployment by 100% in 2022.
ETi-CONNECT is a CMS Software product that can interface ETi-SOL/ETi-EDGE and with a third-party Plant, SCADA using REST API or FTP data access. ETi-LOG is an IIoT Datalogger, which collects the data through RS 485 (RTU/TCP) from PV plants’ end equipment and sends data to Local PC/Servers or to the cloud Servers through RS485 (RTU/TCP) or RF or Wi-Fi. We will ensure that there is no data loss through local storage in our ETi-LOG IoT data logger during any communication issues at the plant.
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FEATUREDTALKS
We are proud to say BEPL has left no stone unturned. You name it and we have it. We at BEPL are one of the leading and Government approved Solar Power Plant Integrators in both Rooftop and Ground Mounted Projects. SANJEEV BANDARU Managing Director, Bandaru Energies
Please give us a brief introduction to your esteemed company and the services it provides. BEPL aims to provide you with Free Electricity for Life and is happy to encourage green energy and reduce carbon footprints. Let us join hands to make the world a cleaner greener place to live. Think Green and Clean. We are proud to say BEPL has left no stone unturned. You name it and we have it. We at BEPL are one of the leading and Government approved Solar Power Plant Integrators in both Rooftop and Ground Mounted Projects. We are expertise in executing several Solar projects across Andhra Pradesh & Telangana since 2013. BEPL has certifications of TSREDCO, NSIC, NREDCAP etc.
MSME,
We at BEPL have end-to-end solutions to set up solar power plants with various methods of structuring, designing and executing rooftop and ground mounted plants complying with statutory requirements. BEPL has executed projects varying from 1 KWp and 10,000 KWp on Turn Key Basis at various locations. BEPL has executed one of the biggest rooftop Solar Power Plant at a Single location in South India. Our customers segment is Industrial / Residential / Commercial.
Tell us about some of the certifications you have received. Best Rooftop Solar EPC Company in the State Commercial Segment by Solar Quarter (20/02/2020) Best EPC by Polycab India Limited – 2020 & 2021. Bharat World Record – 45 days completion of 5MW Industrial segment. Indian Book of Records – Fastest Installation Commissioning 5 MWp Ground Mount Solar Power Plant. ISO 9001-2015 QMS Certificate. NSIC Certificate no.0036936 dt.09.06.2021
We have an ambitious target of adding 25MWp in the financial year 2022 – 2023 to our portfolio, cumulative of Rooftop and Ground Mounted Projects.
Solar Robotic cleaning equipment. E-mobility will play a major role with a great future ahead in this segment. BEPL is very much keen on expanding its arms to Emobility via DC Charging infrastructures.
What are the types of projects you have executed? Please tell us about some of the major projects as well. One of the biggest Rooftop Solar Plant in South India. Biggest Rooftop Plant in Hyderabad city. 5MW utility Project commissioned in 45 days.
What is your view on the Indian O&M industry in the near future? Total Commercial & Industrial segment Solar installations stand at 11.5GW value, and hardly only very few of the installations are under O&M. (O&M is very critical, leading to higher generation yields) which is of utmost importance to do justice to the environment and viabilities of solar plants in commercial perspective. At BEPL, we not only focus on preventive measures but also focus on optimum yield, by Robotic cleaning, anti-dust coating and string level-based monitoring to attain record high yields. Technology Adaption & Automation are the key factors to update in the Solar O&M Industry for effective operation and maintenance.
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What are your plans for the year 2022?
WE AT BEPL HAVE END-TO-END SOLUTIONS TO SET UP SOLAR POWER PLANTS WITH VARIOUS METHODS OF STRUCTURING, DESIGNING AND EXECUTING ROOFTOP AND GROUND MOUNTED PLANTS COMPLYING WITH STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS."
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FEATUREDTALKS
We have recently developed the most advanced & next generation 2.5 MW Solar Central Inverter which is outdoor type & suitable for 1500 V DC Solar PV system: Darshan N Shah, President - Sales & Marketing, Hitachi Hi-REL DARSHAN N SHAH President - Sales & Marketing, Hitachi Hi-REL SolarQuarter had an exclusive conversation with Mr. Darshan N Shah, President - Sales & Marketing, Hitachi Hi-REL and got great insights into the company’s recent business developments. He spoke about the USPs of Hitachi’s grid tied inverters along with inverter capacity the company has supplied till now and their future targets. He also gave us insights into their newly developed Solar Central Inverter and their high level R&D focus.
Please tell us how has the business been this year for your company? Any major developments? A very pertinent question to begin with. As we know the whole world is experiencing the most unprecedented times of this era & almost every business across the globe is significantly affected due to disruption in their operation caused by widespread of contagious Coronavirus disease. On the brighter side, India as a country has been dealing very well with the situation both in terms of timely evasive actions to restrict the widespread of the virus & also in terms of facilitating the businesses to improve operation continuity to produce in turn the improved results qtr on qtr. It is my pleasure to share with you that We as Hitachi Hirel are also truly in synch with the country & have produced good results in terms of both top-line as well as bottomline in last year as well as in this financial year, till now. Key factors besides our success are our recognition as one of the pioneers in the power electronics domain with an operational overall experience of almost 4 decades, our brand Hitachi which as the group is amongst Global fortune 500 companies & our diversified product range in terms of industrial UPS, IT & Infra UPS, medium & low voltage variable frequency drives, grid tied solar inverters, air compressors and railway inverters which helps us to remain present with diversified business segments & ensure the business sustainability. In this financial year, we had major breakthrough in terms of acquiring new customers across our product segments & which has really helped us to consolidate our market share in product groups like Variable frequency drives, industrial UPS & also in Solar.
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What are some of the main highlights and USPs of your grid tied solar inverters? The solar inverter is one of the extremely important components in a solar power plant that convert the DC power obtained from the Array of PV panels into AC power to be fed to the grid for onward transmission. These inverters should also essentially ensure that the maximum possible power is being fed to the grid at any given time & for that, it is important to accurately track the maximum Powerpoint as being generated by the array of PV panels & efficiently invert the same to AC power. This is where the Hitachi Solar inverters score over the competition with the help of technology which we inherited from our principle in Japan which offers a very wide MPPT range. This technology also offers the other USPs Like output current harmonics less than 3%, high efficiency levels above 98%, Compatibility to a wider ambient temperature range of -25 degrees to + 60degree Celsius & many more. Our wider product basket both for Central Inverters as well as for String Inverters is also one of our USPs. We have Central Inverters which range from 250 kW to 2.5 MW and String Inverters which range from 1.1 kW to 255 kW. Another important factor from the perspective of the customer is the uptime of the inverter & with the Quality & reliability of our product supported by strong after sales service support, we have been able to maintain an uptime of more than 99.5%.
What is the inverter capacity you have supplied in India till now? What is the target for the next year? We started the solar inverter business in 2012 here in India and so far we have supplied & installed more than 3 GW grid tied central and string solar inverters. We are targeting to leverage our existing installation base by almost 50% to 4.5 GW (from the existing level of 3 GW) in the span of the next 2 years.
How has the performance of your inverters been in terms of customer feedback and satisfaction? How do you strive for constant improvement? Today Hitachi Hi-Rel is being viewed as one of the most trustworthy partners for Solar Inverter Solutions as they are delivering considerably high output & also consolidate the reliability of the plant operations with an uptime of more than 99.5%. With respect to the customer feedback, there are plentiful positive responses from the renowned power generating companies, Solar developers & EPCs of India acknowledging that they are fully satisfied with the product & prompt service support being offered by the Hitachi Team. We have a mechanism to seek constant feedback from the customers & also to measure their satisfaction index which is being reviewed at the highest level.
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Innovation through research & development has been rooted in Hitachi Hi-REL’s DNA. Tell us about some of the recent initiatives taken under R&D. Yes, R&D has always been our prime focus & we always intend to leverage it to drive both Innovation and Growth. As a part of continuous technical advancement, we have recently developed the most advanced & next generation 2.5 MW Solar Central Inverter which is outdoor type & suitable for 1500 V DC Solar PV system, This product offers the considerably maximum power generation & lowest ever footprint in this segment. it also offers unique heat dissipation & management system which leads to negligible auxiliary power consumption. This product also offers a wider MPPT range. key benefits to the customer are 25 Years’ service reliability huge benefit in both CAPAX and OPEX during the complete life cycle of inverter & advanced remote operation features to help operators to control overall power management.
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How do you see inverters and related technology evolving in the coming years in India? How is Hitachi planning to evolve with the same? Inverter & related Technologies seem to be ever changing. Just before a decade, we had 250kW – 750kW inverters with a very large footprint significantly affecting the cost & progressively in last one decade, we have transited in terms of power rating > 750kW, voltage rating up to 1500V DC & also towards significantly lower footprints, facilitating significant per KW cost reduction. The market is expected to move to still higher ratings in terms of both Power & Voltage & we are gearing up ourselves to meet this market requirement which is likely to emerge in the next 2 or 3 years. We shall also be working on integrating AI technology as one of the inbuilt features with our inverters. Also, we are looking at adding battery PCS and hybrid inverters to our product family. Hence, we are continuously on innovation drive in solar inverter technology to meet the present and upcoming demands of the Global Solar market.
WE STARTED THE SOLAR INVERTER BUSINESS IN 2012 HERE IN INDIA AND SO FAR WE HAVE SUPPLIED & INSTALLED MORE THAN 3 GW GRID TIED CENTRAL AND STRING SOLAR INVERTERS."
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FEATUREDTALKS
To provide high-quality services we have 2 bonded warehouses in Chennai and Mumbai it will equip with ready inverters. Along with this we also have 8 warehouses across India equipped with ready inverters and a complete set of spare parts. SINGARAVELAN NATARAJAN Service Head, Sungrow Tell us how has the year 2021 been for Sungrow in terms of business, service, and support?
What are some of the types of Sungrow’s inverter solutions? And what are some service facilities provided with them?
In 2021 related business 3GW supplied in India and we are placing no1 position in terms of PV business.
For the utility, we have products from 200kW to 8.8MW, for the C&I market we have from 33kW to 100kW and for the residential ranges from 3kW to 20kW.
Related to services we are the biggest service team in the PV inverter in India. We received the best quality services OEM in India 2021 organised by SolarQuarter. We have 40+ service engineers including offrole employees. Related to support we have been placed onsite local engineers according to installed base in which customers are getting benefited on energy generation loss due to less downtime with immediate support and we keep increasing our manpower’s as our sales been getting added nearly 3gwGW every recent year and we also have dedicated hotline services for the telephonic support to resolve the minor issues if the fault severe we will arrange the engineer immediately.
To provide high-quality services we have 2 bonded warehouses in Chennai and Mumbai it will equip with ready inverters. Along with this we also have 8 warehouses across India equipped with ready inverters and a complete set of spare parts. Adding to this onsite service engineer also have equipped with some critical spare parts so that we can ensure the uptime as much as possible. We also providing some critical parts along with the supply based on the location and service criticality. SUNGROW HAS GOT ITS OWN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CUSTOMERS ON A LONG-TERM
Sungrow has been the World’s Most Bankable Inverter Brand for 3 consecutive years now. What have been the contributing factors for this achievement and what has been the role of good quality service in it? The product quality, onsite product performance, customer acceptance, adhering to the timeline and commitments and the service support provided to the customer. Based on the above parameters the company is growing big and getting customer trust which is making most bankable inverter brands across the globe.
What is Sungrow looking forward to in 2022? Keep customers happy by providing reliable products with the service support as expected and try to keep the customer services at topmost priority not only in service including all the product-oriented processes from manufacturing to commissioning of the product and service.
BUSINESS TO ESTABLISH A
With 17 years of experience in service, how has your experience been in Sungrow? What are the differentiating factors of Sungrow’s services?
DEDICATED SERVICE NETWORK WITH ALL THE SPARES."
With 17 years of experience, I could see that the company’s motto is providing service to customers without losing any generation irrespective of any fault related to the product's internal or external cause as a priority. Sungrow has got its own strategic partnership with customers on a long-term business to establish a dedicated service network with all the spares.
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FEATUREDTALKS
Trina Solar has been in business for more than 20 years and has developed enormous production capacity at our factories. Developers in India also choose Trina Solar because they know that we have the production capacity to deliver the large volumes of modules required. TODD LI President, Trina Solar (Asia Pacific Region) How is the Indian PV module market different as compared to other countries? India is a very large and fast-growing market for solar, especially in the utility as well as the commercial and industrial segments. In the first nine months of 2021, India added 7.4GW of solar as compared to 1.73GW in the same period last year, representing a 335% increase. This is according to research by Mercom India Research. The growth in the market has all been in the utility, industrial and commercial segments. The residential rooftop segment is very small by comparison and has yet to take off despite the fact there are residential rooftop solutions out there in the market. In other markets, such as Australia, the residential rooftop is a very big market segment.
How are Trina Solar modules best suited to tackle Indian requirements and dynamics? Trina Solar has been very successful in India because our modules are at the cutting edge of technology, so we can provide high-power modules with high efficiency. Our latest technology, the Vertex module series, is based on 210mm diameter wafers, a larger size solar cell than earlier generation cells that are 166mm and 182mm in diameter. The larger cell delivers higher power coupled with high efficiency.
Our modules also use multi-busbar to increase light absorption as well as high density interconnection technology to reduce the space between each cell.
What have been some recent trends in the module industry in India? How has Trina Solar adapted to the same?
We have already sold large volumes of 550W Vertex modules in India and now our 670W Vertex modules have been approved for sale in India. We are taking customer orders now.
The 670W Vertex modules, like others in the Vertex range, have a choice of mono-facial and bifacial.
Vertex’s high power and high efficiency mean developers need fewer modules to achieve the total power output earmarked for the project. Fewer modules in turn mean less land, trenching, cabling, wiring, etc required for the project; delivering a lower balance of system (BOS) cost. Each modules’ high power output and efficiency, meanwhile, translates to a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Trina Solar has been in business for more than 20 years and has developed enormous production capacity at our factories. Developers in India also choose Trina Solar because they know that we have the production capacity to deliver the large volumes of modules required. This is an issue for some of our competitors. They simply don’t have the production capacity to deliver the large volumes of modules required and are also unable to meet the tight delivery deadline. One of the unique dynamics of doing business in India is you need to be flexible enough to meet the customer’s tight deadline.
Bifacial modules coupled with trackers are now very popular among those developing utility-scale projects in southern and western India. Trina Solar is unique because it is the only solar module manufacturer in the industry that also provides a truly compatible module and tracker solution. Besides the growing popularity of trackers, another trend we have seen is that Vertex 550W, and now Vertex 670W modules, are proving very popular with developers of commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop projects. When we first introduced the Vertex series to India, we pitched it primarily to developers of utility-scale projects seeking modules with the higher power. But developers of C&I rooftop projects also want high power modules, so they can maximize the power output from the limited roof space available.
TRINA SOLAR HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS AND HAS DEVELOPED ENORMOUS PRODUCTION CAPACITY AT OUR FACTORIES."
Vertex modules also incorporate other leading technologies, such as nondestructive cutting, so each cell has smooth edges and maintains similar mechanical loading properties as non-cut cells.
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How important is technology at Trina Solar? What are some strong technological features embedded in your modules that make them unique? Trina Solar invests heavily each year in research and development, so as to maintain our competitive advantage. We were the pioneers of 210mm diameter wafers used in the solar industry and now this size wafer is the new industry standard globally. We helped make 210mm wafers the new industry standard by establishing the 600W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance. The alliance has attracted companies and organizations from upstream and downstream of the industry chain, leading the industry to move toward a new era of high-efficiency 210 modules. In February 2020, we released our 500W Vertex Series of ultra-high-power modules to the world and then quickly upgraded the power of the Vertex Series to 600W+ within a few months. In the era of parity, the end market is focusing more on cost and return on investment. TrinaTracker product represents an important area of technology too. We have optimized the trackers’ performance in terms of the longer string length. We can accommodate these longer strings on longer and wider tracker structures and
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TRINA SOLAR HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN INDIA BECAUSE OUR MODULES ARE AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY, SO WE CAN PROVIDE HIGH-POWER MODULES WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY."
this means we can have up to 40 modules in a string, unlocking savings not only on the tracker cost on motors and piles but also savings on downstream electrical BOS costs with fewer string cables, combiner boxes, trenches and so on. Everybody in India wants to increase the energy output of their projects to achieve a lower LCOE. The combination of trackers and bifacial PV typically deliver a 15-20% boost to yield and accordingly unlock a reduction of 5-8% for LCOE as compared to fixed-tilt. Customers in India have always been very price-conscious. They need to maximize their return on investment.
What is Trina Solar’s growth plan for 2022? In the future larger wafers, more efficient cells and durable and reliable modules will be the direction of all PV technology. Thanks to the rapid development in recent years of large wafer-based solar cell technology, this has become a clear trend. Since 2020, Trina Solar has taken the lead in developing the innovative 210 series ultra-high power modules, a new generation of PV products that combine high reliability, high power generation and high value. With its outstanding brand value and product reliability, Trina Solar has scored 100% in the BloombergNEF bankability survey for six consecutive years so far. It is important to note that carbon neutrality is the most important driving force for the development of the renewable energy industry. Trina Solar will continue to maintain vigorous growth through innovation. Trina Solar has put in place a 1+3+N multi-tiered business ecosystem that provides vertical solutions including products, systems and smart energy to help achieve carbon neutrality and the development of clean energy worldwide. As of June 30, 2021, Trina Solar’s photovoltaic modules shipped worldwide can produce 103.95 billion-kilowatt hours of clean energy over their lifetime, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by a total of 103.64 million tons, equivalent to planting 5.7 billion trees.
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INSIGHT
AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR
MODULE CLEANING IN INDIA
Solar power generation is one of the most reliable, cost-effective, and preferred renewable energy sources. Indian government wants to increase the share of solar power generation capacity to 40% by 2030 to meet its increasing energy demands. As per the study conducted by NREL, it was found that dust accumulation on the solar panel surface reduces its power output by up to 7% in the US.
Constraints to Module Cleaning The efficiency of solar panels directly affects the overall system efficiency. Solar cell efficiency depends on various parameters as follows: Material of construction, Manufacturing process, Design, Encapsulation Material, Mounting system, and environment. The module surface must be regularly cleaned to improve its performance and extend its service life. Dust particles deposited on the surface increase resistance, reduce light absorption, and decrease module output. These dust particles also act as insulators which reduce the amount of heat that can be dissipated from the modules, thus increasing their temperature above the maximum operating temperature threshold and reducing their life span. Moreover, dust particles may accelerate the degradation of PV cells by blocking UV radiation from reaching the cells and causing short circuits.
Methods for Increasing Solar PV Performance Most of the solar panel cleaning methods are manual, so they're limited to certain areas. These manual cleaning processes may include spraying water on the panels, sweeping them off, or even scrubbing them with brushes which is time-consuming and requires manpower. These methods can be effective in some cases, but they're not feasible for large-scale projects that have a lot of panels. Hence there is a need for an effortless automated system that can help solar developers streamline the process of cleaning panels and facilitate the conservation of water and energy. Linear Piezoelectric System - A linear piezoelectric system is made up of two sets of piezoelectric flippers that are integrated face-to-face onto a shaft. Two identical trajectories are formed by the flippers at the driving tips when the operating frequency is applied.
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Fuzzy Logic Control based Solar Panel Cleaning - If sunlight exposure has been within a predetermined range, ensuring that panel cleaning is required, drive motors can move panels into position for cleaning. Fuzzy logic algorithms are used to control motor-driver circuits, using values from irradiance and cell current as input variables. Gekko Solar and Gekko Solar Farm - Gekko Solar uses a rotating brush and demineralized water to clean solar panels. It is designed for places that are difficult to access and can easily be transported from one place to another. The GEKKO Solar Farm robot is capable of operating in large utility-scale solar farms and can clear up to 2,000 m2 per hour. Solar Wash Protect by ChemiTek - SWP is a detergent that removes all kinds of organic dirt, such as bird droppings, sand, pollen, and dust. It helps reduce water consumption by about 50% and increases energy production by up to 5%. Solar Brush - Solar Brush is a robotic cleaning system for solar photovoltaic panels. It can scan and clean a solar panel up to an incline of 350 degrees, and is rechargeable, lightweight, and wireless. PLC-based Cleaning System - A PLC-based cleaning system utilizes both mechanical and electrical components for the removal of dust and bird droppings on PV panels. This method is effective for offshore applications where a source of electrical power is readily available. Automatic Solar Panel Cleaning System - A solar panel cleaning system provides automated washing and rinsing. It attaches nozzles to solar panels, cleans the panels with a soap concentrate in a reservoir, and then rinses them using water softened by water softening media in an anti-siphon valve. The controller initiates these actions as needed. Electrostatic Charge System - An electrostatic charge system has been used for lifting and transporting insulating, charged particles of material over long distances. For example, in the case of a standing wave-type electric curtain, an electrostatic charge is characterized by a definite direction and amplitude that oscillates at a particular frequency. In conclusion, cleaning solar modules is a crucial activity that needs to be done regularly for the performance of solar panels. With the current rate of power demand in India, it's no surprise that solar power is becoming a viable solution for many households.
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INSIGHT
INDIA SOLAR GROWTH STORY WHERE DO WE STAND CURRENTLY, PROGRESS SO FAR AND FUTURE OUTLOOK
India Solar Growth Story Solar power is a rapidly growing industry in India, as part of the country's renewable energy economy. In terms of solar power deployment, India is ranked fifth in the world. In the last eight years, India's installed solar energy capacity has expanded 18 times, with the country's solar energy capacity standing at around 45 gigawatts. During the previous years, solar energy has had a noticeable impact on the Indian energy landscape. Millions of people in Indian communities have profited from solar energy-based decentralized and distributed applications that meet their cooking, lighting, and other energy demands in an environmentally friendly manner. The social and economic benefits include a reduction in drudgery among rural women and girls who collect fuel wood over long distances and cook in smoky kitchens, a reduction in the risk of contracting lung and eye diseases, the creation of employment at the village level, and, ultimately, an improvement in the standard of living and the creation of economic opportunities at the village level. In addition, India's solar energy sector has grown to become a prominent player in grid-connected power generation capacity over time. It advances the government's long-term prosperity objective while simultaneously positioning itself as a vital contributor to satisfying the country's energy needs and guaranteeing energy security.
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THE ACHIEVEMENT IS SIGNIFICANT IN INDIA'S GREEN PORTFOLIO, BUT IT IS NOT AN ENCOURAGING SIGN THAT THE COUNTRY WILL MEET ITS 2022 TARGET OF 175 GW INSTALLATION. THE CENTER ANNOUNCED IN 2015-16 THAT IT PLANNED TO INSTALL 175 GW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2022."
Where do we stand currently and progress so far? The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced on August 12, 2021, that the country had installed 100 gigatonnes (GW) of renewable energy capacity. The achievement is significant in India's green portfolio, but it is not an encouraging sign that the country will meet its 2022 target of 175 GW installation. The Center announced in 2015-16 that it planned to install 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. Given that the government was referring to the fiscal year 2022-23, this means the country only has a few months to install the remaining 75 GW.
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According to energy experts, based on past performance, the sector will need to make unprecedented progress in the coming months to meet the target. This apprehension is explained by an examination of monthly installed capacity in the first six months of 2021, following the first wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Only 1GW of renewable energy capacity was installed between January and June. Furthermore, the installed solar energy capacity target is 100 GW by March 2023, with 40 GW rooftop solar and 60 GW ground-mounted utility-scale. According to CEA data, the country has installed only 43.94 GW until July 31, 2021. According to Bridge to India, a renewable energy consultancy, rooftop solar installation has been particularly dismal at 7GW until December 2020. To meet its target within the time frame, India must quadruple its monthly installation rate. Until July 31, 2021, CEA reports that capacity increase has been concentrated in Karnataka (15.6 GW), Tamil Nadu (15.5 GW), Gujarat (14 GW), Rajasthan (11.4 GW), and Maharashtra (10.4 GW). In the eastern (1.7 GW) and northeastern (0.4 GW) regions, as well as on the islands, the installation has been minimal (38 MW).
Market Overview of the Solar Energy Market in India. The declining cost of solar power technology, the flexibility of these systems, and a greener method of power generation are major factors driving the Indian solar energy market. However, the solar energy market is hampered by issues such as T&D losses (Transmission & Distribution losses) and unpredictability in power supply continuity.
Some of them are the basic Customs duty on imported solar cells and modules, which will go into effect on April 1, 2022, and the mandatory registration for manufacturers of the same under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, he added. Wind energy development has slowed in the last five years as solar energy has gained a competitive advantage due to changes in feed-in tariff policy, according to Sengupta. According to the researcher, the entry of competitive storage technology players in the Indian market by 2025 could boost renewable energy capacity development. The country has also increased its goal of installing 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Conclusion Solar energy is a clean, pollution-free, and renewable energy source. The development of this source of energy necessitates an accurate detailed long-term knowledge of the potential, taking seasonal variations into account. It is the most important source of energy for all living things. It is a renewable energy source, as opposed to nonrenewable sources such as fossil fuels. It has clearly been very effective and has a lot of potential in the future.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN INDIAN COMMUNITIES HAVE PROFITED FROM SOLAR ENERGY-BASED DECENTRALIZED AND DISTRIBUTED APPLICATIONS THAT
Future Outlook Expert predictions, on the other hand, are relatively modest. "Our capacity prediction is 150 GW by 2025 and 400 GW by 2030," said Samrat Sengupta, program director of climate change and renewable energy at the Center for Science and Environment, a non-profit based in Delhi.
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MEET THEIR COOKING, LIGHTING, AND OTHER ENERGY DEMANDS IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MANNER."
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PERSPECTIVE
CHAMPIONING A DECENTRALISED APPROACH ON INDIA’S PATH TO NET ZERO
VARUN AGGARWAL ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS, WWF INDIA
APOORVA SANTHOSH SENIOR EXPERT – CLIMATE AND RENEWABLES POLICY, WWF INDIA.
India’s recent commitments at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) made front-page news, with the goals of 500 GW by 2030 and the target of Net-Zero by 2070 being widely lauded across the globe. This has given rise to an animated discussion about the best path to achieve these targets. In India, most of the successes in the Solar sector have come from the large-scale ground-mounted sector, with over 41 GW of installation by the end of November 2021. While this is undoubtedly a positive outcome, it has also raised some questions about the impact of Renewable Energy (RE) on land rights and biodiversity. The recent supreme court ruling for conserving the Great Indian Bustard(GIB) has thrown into chaos several planned solar installations in Gujarat and
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Rajasthan. Further, if India is to go net Zero by 2050, it has been estimated that up to 2.5% of India’s land needs to be allocated for clean energy installations. This creates the possibility of an unanticipated impact on the country’s ecology. As a result, a difference of opinion between Renewable Energy proponents and conservationists has been brought into the limelight. Decentralised solar provides the answer to this problem. The impact of RE on surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity, such as the case with GIB, could be averted if a significant share of electricity comes from decentralised solar instead of large solar farms. Rooftop Solar can gradually help India transition away from fossil fuels, limiting coal mining and its impacts on the environment like erosion, pollution, and destruction of local ecosystems. At the same time, it does not entail any social or environmental costs like large solar farms. While most solar farms have been built in areas officially designated wastelands, there have nevertheless been instances of local communities being impacted, excessive water usage for cleaning of solar panels, and unintended impacts on the surrounding ecosystem. Further, a recent global study found that India is the most cost-effective country for generating rooftop solar energy, faring better than countries including The United Kingdom, The United States, and even China. The study also projects a total rooftop potential of 1.7 petawatt-hour (PWh) per year. The gross electricity generated by utilities in India in the year 2019-20 was around 1.3 PWh, which means that India can meet its energy requirements largely through Rooftop Solar. Rooftop solar could also strengthen the national grid and reduce costs associated with transmission. It could also have positive social impacts by allowing the benefits of solar to be distributed equitably, providing energy savings and secondary sources of income directly to homeowners, farmers, etc.
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Despite these advantages, rooftop solar installations have seen a slow pickup within India. The target set for 2022 was 40 GW, but only around 6 GW of capacity has been added as of November 2021. This can be attributed to several issues, but policy instability and inconsistency across states have been primary factors. Net metering policies are critical because they allow consumers to sell their excess generation into the grid without onsite storage. A favorable policy ecosystem decides whether or not solar rooftop provides a beneficial solution for commercial and residential consumers. Distribution companies in some states have withdrawn beneficial policies in rooftop solar due to a fear of losing high-paying consumers to RE. Several factors associated with net metering, such as capacity limitations, the ability to integrate into the grid with ease, and the viability of the tariffs on a short-term basis, have hindered the growth of rooftop solar in recent years. The Electricity Rules, 2020 further threw the solar rooftop system into chaos by limiting the provision of net-metering to loads up to 10 kW. Fortunately, this was later revised under the amendment. The new rules permit net metering to the prosumer for loads up to 500 kilowatts (kW) or up to the sanctioned load, whichever is lower and offer gross metering for loads over 500 kW. It is encouraging that the Government has been receptive to the needs of rooftop consumers, and C&I consumers have welcomed this decision. Under the current scenario, there is still a long way to make solar rooftops competitive with large-scale solar installations. One of the major tasks would be to garner the active participation of DISCOMS towards this goal. Phase 2 of the grid-connected rooftop solar scheme by MNRE is a good step in this direction, offering central financial assistance for installing residential rooftop systems up to a capacity of 10 kW. Local Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) will primarily implement this scheme in the states. MNRE has also incentivized DISCOMs to achieve the initial 18000 MW of gridconnected rooftop solar plants targeted under this scheme.
Commercial and Industrial (C&I) consumers will also play a significant part in the uptake of Rooftop Solar. Most of the C&I consumers are capable of installing rooftop solar to meet a part of their electricity needs without additional direct subsidies from the government. C&I consumers require policy stability and visibility over the long term, relaxation of restrictions on maximum capacities, single-window clearances for approval, and grid infrastructure improvement to better integrate rooftop solar capacity additions. There is also a need to explore new procurement avenues like Peer to Peer trading, which allow customers with solar generation (prosumers) to sell their excess energy to other residential and commercial sites. It is undeniable that Renewable Energy, particularly solar, needs to be advanced to achieve India’s climate change goals. However, for this to be possible, there is a need to rethink the current approach and actively support the decentralized system, as current circumstances have exposed some of the weaknesses of focusing solely on large-scale capacity addition.
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL (C&I) CONSUMERS WILL ALSO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT PART IN THE UPTAKE OF ROOFTOP SOLAR. MOST OF THE C&I CONSUMERS ARE CAPABLE OF INSTALLING ROOFTOP SOLAR TO MEET A PART OF THEIR ELECTRICITY NEEDS WITHOUT ADDITIONAL DIRECT SUBSIDIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT."
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SPECIAL FEATURE
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL
Webdyn’s customer testimonials for its industry-leading products:
Webdyn (Global leader in designing & development of most reliable M2M communication / Data logging solutions) for over 21 years has been catering to the Global market’s IIoT, Remote Monitoring, Weather Monitoring Stations & SCADA needs via Wired & Wireless protocolbased technologies. Webdyn India Pvt. Ltd. Is a WSD of Webdyn France & has proudly catered to over 2.5GW of Solar PV Rooftop’s RMS, WMS & Power Management requirements for Indian, Middle East, SEA & African markets since 2016. Webdyn is a Proud member of G3-PLC & LoRA Alliance as one of the eminent OEM of Embedded Hardware & Firmware solutions, Webdyn has on offer 1) On the Shelf & 2) Off the shelf products with specific design possibilities having R&D facility based in France.
WebdynSun Similar to WebdynModbus with added Interfaces for Analog, Dry Inputs & outputs, and inbuilt battery to alert for device Power Failures.
WebdynSun PM The Most advanced, Powerful & in-demand Power Controller (DG-PV | Grid – PV | DG-PV-Grid Sync.) with inbuilt Data Logger functionality.
Email: gurdeep.juneja@webdyn.com Web: www.webdyn.com Contact: 011-41519011
Smart Cities, Renewable Energy, Smart Metering, Building Management System, Machine Management System – Industry 4.0 are the few application areas Webdyn caters to. For Solar PV Segment, Webdyn comes up with 3 main Data concentrator range today that serves the complete requirement of an Efficient & Most Reliable Centralized Plant Monitoring Cum Hybrid (Grid – DG – Battery – Solar PV) Power Controlling.
WebdynModbus
WEBDYN INDIA PVT. LTD. IS A WSD OF WEBDYN FRANCE & HAS PROUDLY CATERED TO OVER 2.5GW OF SOLAR PV ROOFTOP’S RMS,
The most flexible yet durable Data Logger with Smart Firmware, 4G compatible Modem & advanced processor for Modbus communication from Slave devices.
WMS & POWER MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIAN, MIDDLE EAST, SEA & AFRICAN MARKETS SINCE 2016."
WebdynSun PM
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WebdynSun
WebdynModbus
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SPECIAL FEATURE | CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - WEBDYN
HARISH KUMAR MANAGER (DESIGN & ENGINEERING) We have deployed Webdyn’s RMS Solutions on our Solar Rooftop Projects (both CAPEX &OPEX) and are very happy with Webdyn Team’s Technical expertise, Product Performance, and Support. It’s been 12 months since we are utilizing Webdyn Solutions to fulfill our Remote Monitoring, DGPV with Zero export to Grid controlling Projects. We are a very happy customer and are satisfied with their performance
MR. SOHIL MANSURI O&M - LEAD We have deployed Webdyn’s Remote Monitoring Solutions on all of our prestigious Solar Rooftop projects like Alstom India Pvt Ltd, Mahindra CIE Kanhe, LGB Karur, Aditya Arka Energy, and many more projects. We are really happy with the Webdyn Team’s Technical expertise, Product performance & Service Support, its been almost 3 years since we are utilizing Webdyn solutions to fulfill our Remote monitoring & DG-PV cum Zero Power Export to Grid Controlling projects & are very satisfied with the performance.
ANURAG JAIN MANAGING DIRECTOR We M/s Uneecops Technologies Limited have deployed Webdyn’s Remote Monitoring Solutions on all of our prestigious Solar Rooftop projects like NDMC, BPCL, & IOCL are really happy with the Webdyn Team’s Technical expertise, Product’s performance & Service Support, it’s been almost 3 years since we are utilizing Webdyn solutions to fulfill our Remote monitoring & DG-PV cum Zero Power Export to Grid Controlling projects & are very satisfied with the performance.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 39
SPECIAL FEATURE
SOLAR ASSET MANAGEMENT
Featuring The Top Solar Asset Management Companies of 2021
INTRODUCTION GSE Renewables (GSER) is a subsidiary of the GSE Group of Companies, which has a 100-year history. GSER is committed to encouraging businesses to invest in clean and sustainable renewable energy. Through an end-to-end turnkey approach, GSER is committed to strengthening the offtaker investor ecosystem and addressing existing industry challenges. With over 100 years of experience and successful management of 30 MW solar energy projects, GSER offers the most efficient solution. GSER was founded in 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra as a niche consulting and investment banking company. Since its inception, GSER has evolved into a complete turnkey solution provider to support its customers.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
FINANCING & IB MANDATE
TECHNO COMMERCIAL DUE DILIGENCE
OPERATION & MAINTENANCE
ASSET MANAGEMENT
ASSET MANAGEMENT — THE GSER WAY We provide you with a hassle-free experience in managing your assets by being a one-stop solution for asset management
O&M services control
Investor reporting
Commercial management
Accountancy/pay ent control
Optimized best practices resources in IT/knowledge talent pool
Proprietary solution
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 40
SPECIAL FEATURE | SOLAR ASSET MANAGEMENT - GSE RENEWABLES
OUR APPROACH Initial Assessment Techno-commercial due diligence Financial statements and reconciliation Owner’s engineer Review Review of past maintenance activities Contractual Risk Review Offtaker Relationship development
Plant Health Check up Component and Plant health check up Thermal imaging and EL testing through Drones Recommendations for plant improvements Performance Improvement Plans implementation
Asset Management Technical asset management Financial asset management Engineering services Operations management
WHY GSE RENEWABLES? We provide you with a hassle-free experience in managing your assets by being a one-stop solution for asset management
We think like a long-term asset owner
We develop ideas by running a business not operating a plant
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We consider every asset, as every asset is important to us
We bring operational expertise from other sectors We have designed ourselves to easily provide services to all geographies.
We have a plan for every asset to maximize profitability
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 41
SPECIAL FEATURE
SOLAR ASSET MANAGEMENT
Featuring The Top Solar Asset Management Companies of 2021
Volga Solar Solutions Private Limited was founded in 2018 by a passionate team of professionals who bring in years of experience in solar. Volga Solar Solutions is independent solar asset management, operations, and maintenance service, provider. Our head office is based out of Hyderabad, Telangana. We currently offer our series of services across India and are expanding our operations across APAC and EMEA. Volga Solar Solutions provides a range of solar asset management, operations, and maintenance services. Our key offerings include Administration: Billing & Collections, Warranty Administration, Insurance Management, Financial Reports, Tax prep & compliance. Monitor & Report: 24/7 Alert Response, Monthly production reports, Web-based portal access, Email alerts, multiple levels of monitoring, component monitoring, security. Maintenance: Preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, Predictive maintenance, Extraordinary maintenance, Module Cleaning, Vegetation management, damage reduction. Advanced Tools: Robotic Cleaning, Water Reclamation, Thermal imaging, IV-Curve trace, Aerial Drones Troubleshoot, Repair & E-Waste Management: Repair inverter components, Tracker drive re-calibration, In-field electrical service, System removal & replacement, Dedicated NOC staffed 24/7, Solar EWaste management, revamping, and repowering.
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We offer our services with a commitment to plant performance and plant uptime and follow our in-house and clients' QSHE procedures. As a result, we have maintained a safe working environment with zero accidents since the company's inception. We have adopted a futarchy organizational structure, and this has been helping us deliver our commitments to our clients in an effective manner. This adoption has helped us keep our overall plant uptime above 99% while we parallelly strive to improve our plant performance.
Our plant performance monitoring system is helping us in delivering information generated throughout O&M to our clients through our technical reporting process. Our total operations capacity is around 150MWp. We want to take this opportunity to thank our esteemed clients who have trusted us and offered us a chance to deliver our services. Our clients Include Mytrah Energy, Larsen & Toubro, Amplus Solar, and Solarig. We are currently expanding our team. We are focused on growing our portfolio. We are offering best-in-class solar O&M services at the best prices. Feel free to contact Mr. Karthik Guduru at karthik.g@volgasolar.co.in to know more about the services. Volga Solar Solutions is open to collaborating with robotics companies that specialize in vegetation management, module cleaning systems, IoT, and also PV Monitoring-Imagery Data fusion startups.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 42
SPECIAL FEATURE
SOLAR DATA ANALYTICS
Featuring The Top Solar Data Analytics Companies of 2021 SmartHelio is a fast-growing Big Data Energy Intelligence company based out of Switzerland, backed by the prestigious investor- Y Combinator and the winner of 15+ global awards. SmartHelio is the doctor for solar plants: remotely diagnoses existing problems, predicts faults, and prescribes solutions in real-time using its proprietary advanced algorithms. The company believes that the Indian solar industry has to move fast to meet the targets in a profitable manner. Their software is designed to focus on increasing revenue and minimizing costs.
THE IMPACT CREATED IN THE PAST ONE-YEAR: 1. Up to 3% performance increment for utility-scale solar assets. 2. Up to 10% performance increment for rooftop solar assets. 3. Upto 30% reduced O&M expenses.
SOLUTION HELIOCLOUD- REAL-TIME ANALYTICS PLATFORM
SmartHelio’s intelligent software and IoT hardware have become an increasingly popular solution among the leading solar developers in India, Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. Only in India, the company has assessed a portfolio of 2.5+ GW and 30 billion data points analyzed.
TECHNOLOGY SmartHelio’s technology has been developed with 10 years of R&D using live solar plant data from 7 different countries located in 4 different continents. In the past 2 years, since the company’s inception, their analytics has been used and validated by 40+ leading solar developers around the world. This R&D driven company is continuously developing solutions for the future and they are currently involved in multi-million dollar R&D on blockchain, data security, advanced algorithms, edgecomputing for clean energy assets (solar, wind, storage, etc)
HelioCloud: Seamlessly integrate your data and receive unforeseen insights This unique solution is developed on the understanding of the physics behind the Solar PV systems. The electrical patterns exhibited by solar plants have a significant impact on voltage and current, and HelioCloud detects these signatures in real-time. HelioCloud creates API access to your existing IT/monitoring platform to provide you with real-time analytics and on-demand analysis.
SmartHelio’s physics and machine learning-based algorithms take into account the data from solar plants (current, voltage, temperature, etc) and combine them with multiple third-party data sources (weather stations, satellites, microclimate, OEM specification, R&D data, etc.)
As a customized offering, the company also offers to integrate and host their HelioCloud algorithms directly on your platform (existing remote monitoring dashboard) so you can have access to their analytics services on the same dashboard.
which make them evolutive, smarter, faster and significantly accurate. SmartHelio’s clients can easily integrate these algorithms into their existing IT platform and/or can use this as a stand-alone system.
In addition to a very convenient software solution, the company also provides their proprietary edge-computing- based IoT sensors- HelioHealth. If the clients’ data has errors or due to connectivity issues some data is lost, they offer this plug & play smart sensors which record data with 99.8% accuracy.
HOW DOES SMARTHELIO HELP YOU?
LAUNCHING SPECIAL MODULAR PACKAGES FOR LEADING INDIAN CLIENTS
Forecasting & Asset Due Diligence: get a realistic future assessment of your asset’s performance. Predictive Analytics: using the company’s physicsbased pattern recognition technology, predict faults and avoid system failures. Unknown Reasons for Underperformance: detect, categorize and quantify losses of your system that you might not even be aware of. Recover Missing Data: with over 98% accuracy using SmartHelio’s Machine/Deep Learning models. Panel-level Analytics: track the performance of your plant at the panel level, know precisely your modules’ health status and increase their life expectancy by 1.5 times.
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Since its recent funding, the company has been launching products to increase customers’ convenience and automation. After a successful launch in Europe, on Feb 15th, 2022, the company is launching products custom-tailored to the Indian market and selecting its early adopters: Deep Analytics: You can connect your data to the HelioCloud platform to diagnose and predict faults in your solar plant with just one click, in real-time. Dynamic Cleaning Analytics: As a unique feature for Indian clients, the company is launching a “Dynamic Cleaning Schedule” tool that, tells you when and where to clean to optimize production, minimize the cost of cleaning and water usage. Forecasting: Having achieved over 98% accuracy for Indian solar plants, resource forecasting is being launched as a tool for solar companies in India. Hypervisor Ecosystem: For companies who want a complete ecosystem from data acquisition, monitoring, deep analytics to forecasting, and more.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 43
SPECIAL FEATURE
SOLAR DATA ANALYTICS
Featuring The Top Solar Data Analytics Companies of 2021
DNV’s 2021 Energy Transition Outlook report forecasts that by 2050, solar and wind will represent 69% of grid-connected power generation, and fossil power just 13%. Connectivity, storage, and demand response will be critical assets in the decarbonized power system. The world’s commitment to speeding up the energy transition is increasing, and digitalization is going to play a key role. The path that GreenPowerMonitor (GPM) has designed will be shaped by advanced analytics, with greater emphasis on the future growth of its digital twins, WindGEMINI and SolarGEMINI, management, monitoring, and control solutions for renewable energy assets. Recently, GPM acquired PEAK, a PV analytics technology platform from Alteso, to reinforce its strategy. PEAK’s special algorithm, including machine learning for exploring big data, will be integrated into GPM’s platform. According to CEO, Juan Carlos Arévalo “Fact-based insights are needed to accelerate the much-needed green energy transition and realize deep decarbonization of the energy industry”. Moreover, GPM has created a renewables optimization team, a brandnew unit focusing on digitalization and innovation. This unit will be closely liaising with DNV advisory energy experts and customers to create digital solutions that will become part of GPM’s future software offering. The aim of GPM is to combine its deep domain expertise in wind, solar, storage, and grid integration, with the unlimited potential of digitalization and machine learning to produce trustworthy actionable insights, enabling the best-in-class operational performance of its customers’ assets. Furthermore, it is worthy to stress that is key to having a reliable, flexible, and robust control and monitoring system onsite (SCADA & PPC) to ensure data quality and avoid data gaps. GPM offers complete
one-central-solution for Solar PV, Wind Power, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and RE hybrid assets providing the following solutions: Data acquisition SCADA in-Plant Controller + Remote monitoring Power Plant Controller + Grid Integration (models & simulation) Central Monitoring and Asset Management Systems (CMAMS) + Advanced Analytics Overall, GPM provides data-driven digital solutions for control, monitoring, and data management for different players in the renewable energy industry. Its customer-centricity mindset is key to developing cutting-edge monitoring solutions designed for current and future customer demands.
Fact-based insights are needed to accelerate the much-needed green energy transition and realize deep decarbonization of the energy industry"
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 44
COMPANY FEATURE
Arctech in India: Think Globally, Act Locally “India is like the second home base for Arctech,” said Gail Chen the General Manager of East Asia and India at Arctech. The team is celebrating its fifth anniversary and its success of being the top Solar Tracker Supplier regarding cumulative shipments in India as of June 2021, reported by The Market Share Leaderboard of Mercom. India is under the spotlight as one of the largest and most ambitious renewable capacity expansion programs in the world. In 2019 at UN Climate Summit, the country announced that it will be more than doubling its renewable energy target from 175GW to 450GW by 2022. The company built its India office 5 years ago as it anticipated an immense growth in solar development in the country. Now the team of 30 has provided engineering and manufacturing support for Arctech’s local operation, with a possibility of supporting the global supply chain, as an extension of the manufacturing bases in China. To deepen its localization strategy, the company also intends to source materials for its tracking systems from within India in the foreseeable future. Leveraging the rich experience in international projects and the solid local market knowledge, the Arctech Indian team members are capable to provide a white-glove solution from project solution customizing, installation and debugging to after sales service. The company had its first Indian project in 2015. The delivery of its 420MW solar structure to Tamil Nadu, India, the 780MW DC project marked the company’s first success in the country. It was followed by the 172 MWp Solar Power Plant in the state of Telangana, India. Now Arctech has developed a solid customer base with International wellacclaimed partners including Renew Power, O2 Power, NTPC, Ayana, L&T, SWL, Vikram among others. Last year, despite the pandemic disruption in India, Arctech struck a deal with one leading Indian developer to supply 1.7 GW of 1P SkyLine trackers to two projects in Rajasthan. In particular, the 860MW AEML solar power plant is the largest bifacial tracker power generation project in India.
Wood Mackenzie’s new report shows that Arctech maintained strong momentum in India 2020. According to the report, Arctech topped the ranking in the Asian Pacific region with a 35% market share, aided by the unparalleled leadership in the Indian solar market. The company maintained the position as the number 1 tracker supplier in the region for three consecutive years. As the company launched SkyLine II, the latest offering of the famous “Sky series” tracker, the team is gear up to unleash the potential of the untapped market.
NOW THE TEAM OF 30 HAS PROVIDED ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING SUPPORT FOR ARCTECH’S LOCAL OPERATION, WITH A POSSIBILITY OF SUPPORTING THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN, AS AN EXTENSION OF THE MANUFACTURING BASES IN CHINA."
“The Indian government had an initial target of 20 GW solar capacity for 2022, which was achieved four years ahead of schedule, so we are pretty much catching the wave here. The Indian solar market landscape is gradually shifting from purely price-orientated to LCOE-focused. The market sentiment is becoming increasingly rational and that’s a good thing for us who have been dedicated to introduce the most advanced mounted structure solution to this market for years. We will continuously be enhancing our presence and help expediting the energy transformation for this nation.” Remarked by Gail.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 45
COMPANY FEATURE
Further to serving as a leading manufacturer of solar PV modules, we also provide forward integration with our solar solutions across the value chain. Contendre Greenergy Pvt. Ltd. also known as Contendre Solar is an ISO Certified Solar Manufacturing and Solutions Company with a State-of-the-Art, MNRE Approved (ALMM) fully automated solar module manufacturing facility located at Bhiwandi in the state of Maharashtra, is the next-gen venture of Contendre Group. Established in 1984, Contendre Group commenced its journey with the textile sector in Bhiwandi. In 2010, as a part of its diversification plan, the Group forayed into the construction and real estate sector. With the next generation jumping in and being passionate about promoting the idea of a clean and green energy future, the group launched ‘Contendre Solar’ in 2019, announcing their entry into the renewable energy sector with Solar as an initiation point. Contendre Solar has been established with the idea of providing nonpolluting renewable energy to all. We strongly believe that every responsible individual or a corporate body who strives to minimise their carbon footprint should have easy access to cost-effective, highquality and high-performance solutions. Increasing global awareness towards sustainability has intensified our commitment towards our ultimate goal for a cleaner, greener and better tomorrow. Our pursuits led us to set up the most advanced solar photovoltaic modules manufacturing unit at Bhiwandi, Thane, from where we cater to the
solar needs of our clients across the world. With our state-of-the-art production facility, advanced European machinery & equipment and our experienced and very well-motivated workforce, we can offer our clients the best in class, the full spectrum of photovoltaic solar products ‘Made in India’. Further to serving as a leading manufacturer of solar PV modules, we also provide forward integration with our solar solutions across the value chain. We provide tailor-made power solutions to satisfy the specific requirements of each and every customer. For us quality is not just the quantitative measure of perfection, it includes customer satisfaction too. All our services and products are constantly fine-tuned to make them prompt and professional.
OUR PURSUITS LED US TO SET UP THE MOST ADVANCED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES MANUFACTURING UNIT AT BHIWANDI, THANE, FROM WHERE WE CATER TO THE SOLAR NEEDS OF OUR CLIENTS ACROSS THE WORLD."
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 46
COMPANY FEATURE
Business Concept
Customers & Projects
Contendre Solar has always believed in providing a seamless and hassle-free buying experience to our customers. Serving to which, we offer a wide range of products for the customers to choose from as per their requirements.
Contendre solar has been fortunate enough to supply its products and services across the globe and that too in all the different scales and sectors. Be it power plants, government projects, private industries, or domestic residences, Contendre has served all. Catering to the demand for Contendre Solar products and services in the market and to the government’s initiative towards ‘Make in India’ we are executing an expansion of our company in all the aspects, be it our production capacity, our team size, our product range or anything and everything of our company. Contendre Solar will grow 3 folds by the end of the next financial year.
Contendre Solar manufactures highly reliable & efficient solar PV modules based on both polycrystalline as well as Monocrystalline silicon technology, currently ranging from 40Wp upto 415Wp. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing unit merged with stringent quality standards better than the industry standards guarantee the quality and long durability of our products. Though Solar Modules are our primary product, our product range does not limit to them. We also provide our customers with a supporting range of products like Inverters, Solar Kits with the entire system BOS, etc for an easy single point purchase. Apart from our B-toB product selling we also extend a wide range of services to the end consumers. Our services include solar installation, solar system design, solar equipment supply, solar consulting services, long term operation and maintenance, etc and with us having the in-house manufacturing for most of the critical components needed in solar installations, we can provide our clients with a single point responsibility allowing them to have a hassle-free project installation and life. Quality has always been the first and topmost priority for Contendre Solar. Adhering to which the company has been ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certified and all our products certified as per the latest IEC and BIS standards. Contendre Greenergy Pvt. Ltd. is a family-owned next-gen startup company co-founded by two brothers Mr. Yash Sheth and Mr. Dharmin Sheth and backed by Contendre Group. Contendre Solar follows a unique organizational structure keeping its customers in mind and at the topmost priority. Contendre follows a flat organization structure rather than going for a standard multilevel corporate structure making it easy for the customer to reach us and to provide a quick response to our customer’s feedback and queries giving us a competitive edge over other companies and helping us grow much faster.
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IN 2010, AS A PART OF ITS DIVERSIFICATION PLAN, THE GROUP FORAYED INTO THE CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE SECTOR. WITH THE NEXT GENERATION JUMPING IN AND BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT PROMOTING THE IDEA OF A CLEAN AND GREEN ENERGY FUTURE, THE GROUP LAUNCHED ‘CONTENDRE SOLAR’ IN 2019, ANNOUNCING THEIR ENTRY INTO THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR WITH SOLAR AS AN INITIATION POINT."
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 47
COMPANY FEATURE
LONGi leads the solar PV industry to new heights with product innovations and optimized LCOE with breakthrough monocrystalline technologies. LONGi, founded in 2000, is a world-leading solar technology company. The company has had a long-term, unswerving commitment to monocrystalline technology. LONGi has more than 60,000 employees, 30 branches, and 15 manufacturing bases around the world. LONGi produces monocrystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules, delivering solutions for distributed and ground mount power station systems, promoting the development of the global PV industry and driving energy transformation. On March 31, 2021, LONGi established the Hydrogen BU, promoting hydrogen energy industrialization. Business branches have been set up in countries including the USA, Japan, Germany, India, Australia, UAE and Thailand etc. with its business covering more than 150 countries. In 2020, LONGi’s annual production capacity was 85 GW for wafers and 50 GW for modules. In 2021, LONGi plans to increase the capacity for wafers and modules to 105 GW and 65 GW.
Hi-MO N, Propelling the Transformation with N-type Energy HPC cell technology Optimal module size Smart soldering without cracks
Business Competitiveness The World Leading Mono Silicon Wafer Manufacturer. LONGi took the industry lead in standardizing wafer size and achieving 100% diamond wire cutting of mono silicon wafer Leading Capacity and Shipment. In 2020, LONGi became the 1st solar technology company to ship more than 20GW of modules in one year. LONGi Innovation set up the Benchmark For The Entire Industry LONGi Lifecycle QualityRuns Through Every Stage
In 2020, LONGi ranked first in terms of the shipment of both wafers and modules. The annual shipment was 58.15GW for monocrystalline wafers and 24.53 GW for modules, and the global market share of modules is 19% in the year.
Vision: The World's Most Valuable Solar Technology Company
Mission: Utilizing Solar Energy Powering into Green World LONGi leads the solar PV industry to new heights with product innovations and optimized LCOE with breakthrough monocrystalline technologies. LONGi is recognized as the world's leading solar technology company with the highest market value. Innovation and sustainable development are two of LONGi’s core values.
Company’s Products & Services LONGi Hi-MO series modules, Unlock More Application Scenarios.
Hi-MO4, Higher Power, Lower LCOE Backside power generation gain Good electrical performance under shaded conditions Resistant to hot spots Optimized for high temperature and high radiation environments
Hi-MO 4m, Maximize Power Density and Flexibility M6 gallium doped silicon wafer Standard size, flexible applications Symmetric design, aesthetic outlook
Hi-MO 5, Delivering True Value M10 wafer with gallium-doped technology P-mono PERC cell technology Half-cut cell with multi-busbars
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SPECIFICALLY, LONGI HAS INTRODUCED SEVERAL ADVANCED DIGITAL MANAGEMENT PLATFORMS THAT ARE PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS, MAKING THE IMPLEMENTATION AND TRACEABILITY OF MANAGEMENT STANDARDS MORE EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT."
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 48
Quality Policy Of The Company:
Service Pledge:
Reliable manufacturing: comprehensive quality control ensuring lean manufacturing
During SNEC 2021, LONGi launched LONGi Lifecycle Quality, the first such standard for the solar PV industry, aiming to provide global customers with access to the highest levels of quality and reliability throughout the lifecycle of the company’s product portfolio. From module design, through mass production to post-sales support, LONGi adheres to its core concept of 'Customer Value First' and ensures that quality practices are incorporated at every stage of production and application.
Quality control systems, including ISO9001, ISO45001, ISO14000 and IEC TS 62941, are observed to comprehensively control LONGi’s manufacturing quality. The company has also established a comprehensive quality control system covering raw material control, manufacturing process and end-product reliability monitoring. Specifically, LONGi has introduced several advanced digital management platforms that are present throughout the whole quality control process, making the implementation and traceability of management standards more efficient and transparent. With LONGi module factories being based around the world, the process has allowed consistent control of materials, quality and testing standards to ensure that all modules are manufactured to the same standard and quality, regardless of location. In LONGi's automated and intelligent workshops, by delicacy management, there are 22 manufacturing procedures, 153 items under quality inspection to ensure standardization of the production process, ensuring that every module produced by the company is of the same excellent quality.
LONGI IS RECOGNIZED AS THE WORLD'S LEADING SOLAR TECHNOLOGY COMPANY WITH THE HIGHEST MARKET VALUE. INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ARE TWO OF LONGI’S CORE VALUES."
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We have about 20 people supporting India & Srilanka Business and which is headed by Managing Director – Mr. Pradeepkumar M.
Customers & Projects. All major developers including Adani, Renew, Tata Power Solar, Juniper, Amplus, Hero Future energies, Azure Power, Mahindra Susten, Fourth partner, Dexler Energy , Harsha Abakus , Gensol, and other leading C&I and Roof top customer for their group captive projects. Many of Bifacial module based projects with leading and largest Indian Developers and EPCs.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 49
COMPANY FEATURE
Performance Assessment of Solar Plants from O&M perspective Avi Solar Energy Pvt Limited was founded in 2010 with its headquarters in Bangalore and with a vision to contribute to Environment and Society by harvesting energy from sunlight. Avi Solar entered into solar O&M services as well as into solar EPC business in 2015 and in its last 5 years journey, Avi Solar has provided its O&M services to more than 2.2GW solar power plants (both Ground Mounted and Roof Top) cumulatively, successfully executed 22+MW of EPC works and also provided its project management consultancy to 21MW Solar power plants.
6.0 hours The PR value can be realistic if all the measurements are accurate. However, this may not be the case over the years as plants age and the instruments have drift and the Solar panels' health is under question too.
With 2.2GW Solar O&M Asset Management experience, we have observed that among many performance indicators the Performance Ratio (PR) as a Key performance Indicator of Solar Plant performance is well understood. PR is the ratio of the Actual Energy generated to the theoretical energy output for the available plant capacity.
While environmental factors cannot be controlled all along and can impact the PRs, the following Maintenance aspects, if overlooked, can have bearing on the PRs Calibration of the meters, instruments are the key to accurate measurements of the energy generated, Irradiance etc. and thereby a true PR. The aggregated line losses between the Inverter and ABT meter are to be monitored daily to be sure that they are below a reasonable threshold, usually 2%. The energy generated /recorded will be lower than expected if line losses are more. Modules degrade over the years; Based on degradation rate Solar Plant Developers normalize the target PRs, year on year. However, energy leaks due to unfixed Junction box issues, allowing damaged modules, melted MC4 connectors on the field can be detrimental to plant performance and impact the PRs. Usage of handheld Thermal guns to locate hot spots – these can be complementary to drone thermography done once yearly to map all modules which are having single or multiple hotspots – mostly, a point of failure later. Periodical visual checks of the front & rear of the module are necessary. Pyranometer mounting and tilt angle alignment to the module tilt angle. While cleaning the pyranometer, care should be taken not to scratch the dome or disturb the tilt angle. Any scratches to the dome affect the path of direct sunlight or tilt angle disturbance can affect irradiance measurements and thereby impact the true PR of the plant.
The nominal or theoretical energy output is a product of incident solar irradiation on the entire generator surface and the Module efficiencies as per the manufacturer datasheet. Alternatively, PR = Energy generated in kWh / [ Peak Sun hours available(hours)* DC Capacity of the Plant in kWp ] Energy generated is measured at the Availability Based Tariff (ABT) meter, the point where the Energy generated is recorded, while transmitting to the grid. The Peak Sun hours daily represents the summation of the Irradiance available minute-wise against a maximum normal surface Irradiance of 1000W/m^2 available at sea level on a sunny day. The irradiance is measured by a pyranometer of high sensitivity. As an example, if 360,000W/m^2 is the summed-up irradiance value measured by the pyranometer for the working hours of the plant then the Peak Sun hours for the day is 360000(W/m^2) / (1000W/m^2*60)
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From an O&M perspective, the performance monitoring must be continuous and accurately assessed as there are factors affecting the performance daily viz. Soiling, Weather parameters (temperature, humidity), and the quality of maintenance.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 50
COMPANY FEATURE
PIXON envisions to globally provide efficient solar energy products and solutions.
Company History:
Company’s Products & Services
The organization is outfitted with the cutting edge turnkey producing capacity of 400 MW limit. The organization is also likewise supported with a solid monetary foundation of its parent organization – the Marwadi Shares and Finance Limited. The mix of a youthful group, under the direction of experienced players, makes PIXON flexible for inventive activities and advanced developments. PIXON envisions to globally provide efficient solar energy products and solutions. Thus, contributing to and enhancing Global Climate Sustainability.
The products are categorized majorly into 3 categories:-
PIXON manifests into solar products and creating quality solutions for the customers. The organization is very exceptional with the best-inclass turnkey manufacturing facility of 400MW limit. The Modules radiate excellence through quality and high return. PIXON offers exceptionally productive modules tried in our in-house PV Module Test Lab. The top-notch scope of solar modules is designed in India utilizing European innovation and technology.
Vision Statement: To be a global leader in Solar Industry by providing efficient Solar Energy Solutions.
Mission Statement: To contribute and enhance Global Climate Sustainability, by promoting and providing solar energy solutions. To promote the transition towards solar energy and thus reduce carbon footprint globally, fostering the betterment of our Earth’s ecosystem. To constantly improvise and explore new technologies and their economical deployment to harness solar energy.
Business Goals & Objectives: PIXON anticipates further developments in their supply chain across India through their upcoming production lines for aluminum strips, junction boxes, back sheets, and so forth. PIXON is additionally anticipating the arrangement of a certified Quality research center for stability and certification purposes.
Solar Modules PIXON’s premium range of solar modules is engineered in India using European technology. The modules exude excellence through quality high yield. PIXON also offers highly efficient modules tested in our inhouse PV Module Test Lab which are as follows:Mono-Crystalline Perc Modules. Poly- Crystalline Modules. Poly- Crystalline DCR Modules. Poly- Crystalline Half-Cut Cell Modules. Mono-Crystalline Perc Half-Cut Cell Modules.
EVA Films EVA Films are divided into two sub-categories which are as follows:PIX FAST CURE:PIXON PIX Fast Cure EVA films ensure that the solar cells are protected and solar modules provide a better performance, even while facing the utmost harsh weather conditions. PIX ULTRA-FAST CURE:PIXON’s PID-free EVA films are suitable for all of the types of solar cells and back sheets with a cycling time of fewer than 10 minutes that speeds up your module production to provide increased yield.
EPC Solutions PIXON provides turnkey Engineering, Procurement Construction Services for the installation of solar projects. They have an in-house, well-trained, and dedicated EPC team for the execution of solar projects – from small solar projects to large-scale utility-based projects. Ground Mounted Solar Solutions Rooftop Solar Solutions Floating Solar Solutions
Quality Policy Of The Company: PIXON has a varied range of products and services for which they have different certifications and standards which ensures the organization’s capabilities and effectiveness to complete the specific work assignments and obligations. The following is a rundown of accreditations that PIXON contains which are as follows:IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) BIS: Bureau of Indian Standards US Certification ISO Certification CE Mark Testing Certification CLASS II
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 51
COMPANY FEATURE
RP Infra Services – The Next Generation Contingent Workforce For Your Solar Projects Introduction Based in Chennai, RP Infra Services (RPIS) is a boutique solar staffing company serving the bay area since 2018. Set up by Mr. Ramesh Kathiresan it is run by an all-women team. RPIS focuses on providing an exclusive and high-quality solar contingent workforce- PAN India. We focus on serving the needs of clients, bringing the finest professional staffing in the areas of Construction Engineers, Project Executors, the labour workforce and so on, the best in the renewable industry. We take care of PF, ESI, Professional tax and all other Government Statutory. We Train and conduct induction programs for all staff before joining the company which helps in getting on to their job from the first day. With us, you can Hire 2X Faster Hire Experienced Best Solar Talent Hire on Project Based Deputation Training PAN India Presence
Resource Surge /Peak Assistance: Sudden increase in resource demand will be dealt with utmost care. Cost-efficient Solutions: Since RPIS takes care of the employee’s salary and other backend processes the client can enjoy cost-efficiency Wide Resource Spectrum: Wide Array of resources from an internal database and other platforms.
Company’s Products & Services Contract Hires One Time Placements Temp to permanent Freelancers
Business Competitiveness RPIS has a highly skilled set of talents. Our recruiters are skilled in identifying top talent and matching them with the client’s needs. The Contract renewal rate for our consultant is 90%. 60% of our consultants are converted to full-time employees. Deputation Training PAN India Presence
Quality Policy Of The Company:
Vision Statement: RPIS aspires to become India’s leading hub of manpower sourcing in the renewable energy sector.
Mission Statement: Empowering solar projects across India with the finest workforce at the right time with efficient recruitment solutions
Business Goals & Objectives: RPIS has been immensely successful in creating a global network of a highly adept and smart workforce that can help a company achieve its mission-critical projects and goals. Keeping pace with projects and being on the lookout for extremely talented individuals has become ever more challenging. Here is where RP Infra Services comes into play to bring the best-suited talent for your company d. Business Strategy: Project Resource Curve Compatibility: Distribution of resource units according to the requirement at apt stages of the project from start till end.
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ISO 9001:2015 Certified & AIAO- BAR Accredited.
Service Pledge Consultative Approach Ready to Go On Payroll Staff Sourcing and Training Consistent Service Performance Improvement Plan On Ground Problem Solvers
Customers & Projects Our Clientele includes esteemed customers like L&T, Juniper Green Energy, Kanoda Energy, Game Change Solar, Solar Square amongst many others.
Ambitious projects We are proud to supply manpower to more than 750 + MW solar and wind projects.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 52
COMPANY FEATURE
World’s First Solar Rooftop Integrator Providing Assured Buy Back Value For Its Solar Rooftop Systems According to research, India is one of the top ten countries in the world that uses solar energy to its maximum potential. The country has made tremendous progress toward alternative energy sources such as solar and has set a lofty goal of installing 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and increasing commercialization has resulted in a higher carbon footprint for the country. Adopting alternative energy sources such as solar appears to be the only solution. According to a new analysis by Bridge to India, India is on track to meet its solar objective in 2019, with 14 GW estimated to be installed. Shree Solar Rooftop Solution is India’s newest solar rooftop systems integrator and a Premium Quality Rooftop Solar Panels Supplier, designing and delivering home technology solutions around the country. It has a substantial position in the solar power market and delivers end-to-end solar power generation on rooftops for a variety of domains, including residential, commercial, and industrial. Rooftop solar plants are a good alternative because a 1 KW rooftop framework may generate roughly 1500-1600 units of electricity per year, and the investment can be repaid in as little as 5-6 years. Shree Solar Rooftop, as one of India’s greatest firms, tries to give the highest level of customer satisfaction while also providing ongoing support and maintenance. Their objective is to create high-quality solar products that achieve maximum efficiency and product longevity while maintaining high reliability. Shree Solar Rooftop’s team of young and dynamic professionals works in close collaboration to provide tailored solutions to their customers, with a delivery-focused approach and excellence at the forefront of their endeavor. Residential solar rooftop solutions, Industrial solar rooftop systems, and Business solar rooftop systems are all available.
Shree Solar Rooftop offers a wide range of services, including site surveys, PV design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance. The factors of differentiation that set Shree Solar Rooftop apart from the competition begin with the following Top-notch quality products, which are certified and ensure longterm viability. Shree Solar Rooftop has a large network of technicians who can help consumers right at their homes. Starting with surveys, they provide transparent services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and keep clients informed of progress and accomplishments until the installation is completed. They are distinguished from other solar rooftop system companies by their legal assurances, and they have an in-house legal staff to ensure that all documentation and contractual agreements, and warranties are mutually agreed upon and enforceable on both parties. The installation procedure is facilitated together with educating the end-user on his rights and ownership, ensuring that he is never tricked or duped. As a result, they have a win-win situation. Because solar on the roof consumes less electricity from the grid, it helps you save a lot of money on your energy costs. Because the cost of electricity from the grid is likely to climb in the next years, your savings should rise as well. With a linear power warranty, you may expect long-term cost savings by avoiding the cost of pricey grid electricity. Aside from that, the cost of fuel is rising, as is pollution from automobiles, therefore electric vehicles appear to be the way of the future, with solar charging and lower electricity bills.
Visit to learn more – https://www.shreesolarrooftops.com/ Contact – info@shreesolarrooftopsolutions.com
SHREE SOLAR ROOFTOP’S TEAM OF YOUNG AND DYNAMIC PROFESSIONALS WORKS IN CLOSE COLLABORATION TO PROVIDE TAILORED SOLUTIONS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS, WITH A DELIVERY-FOCUSED APPROACH AND EXCELLENCE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR ENDEAVOR."
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 53
COMPANY FEATURE
Trina Solar - The Shining Star Of The Global Solar Industry Trina Solar, which was founded in 1997, is the world-leading PV and smart energy total solutions provider. The company engages in PV products R&D, manufacture and sales; PV projects development, EPC, O&M, smart micro-grid, and multi-energy complementary systems development and sales, as well as energy cloud-platform operation. The company promotes global sustainable development, for which it delivers PV products, applications, and services. In 2018, Trina Solar first launched the Energy IoT brand and is now aiming to be a global leader in smart energy. As of June 30 2021, Trina Solar delivered more than 77 GW of solar modules worldwide and ranked on the list of "Top 500 Private Enterprises in China”. In addition, Trina's downstream business includes solar PV project development, financing, design, construction, operations and management, and one-stop system integration solutions for customers. Trina Solar has connected over 5.5GW of solar power plants to the grid worldwide. The year 2021 has been a very successful one at Trina Solar with some remarkable and noteworthy achievements. The amalgamation of operating excellence with innovation: Trina Solar has set a total of 22 world records in terms of photovoltaic (PV) cell conversion efficiency and module output power. The company achieved a historical breakthrough by winning the "State Technological Invention Award" for its "Key Technology and Application of High-efficiency and Low-cost Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Surface Interface Manufacturing" program. The highlight is that this award is the first state science and technology award won by China's PV industry. Extraordinary shipments and worldwide applications of Trina Solar’s modules: Trina Solar has put its best foot forward and expedited China’s progress towards achieving national carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. Within China itself, the company has made shipments of 210 mm 670 W Vertex ultra-high power modules with the special train “Vertex 670”, the first of its kind, to help develop large wind power and PV bases in China. The company launched the “Zero-Carbon Wharf” Demonstration Project for the Expo 2025 Osaka, the world’s largest inland floating power plant project in Singapore, and administered Trina Solar technology across rooftops in different countries like Belgium, India, Sri Lanka, and many others, thus winning accolades from various country heads! Establishing further advancements through comprehensive strategic cooperation agreements: Trina Solar has signed multiple comprehensive strategic cooperation agreements with many leading partners in the industry. The company has accomplished win-win results by signing such agreements with companies like Sinopec, Maersk, COSCO Shipping, and CET (China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co., Ltd.), to name a few. Trina Solar truly believes that together with its industry chain partners, the company can make its commitment stronger towards achieving carbon neutrality. These agreements clearly indicate that each party’s strengths can be leveraged towards progressing and reconstructing new business and building a new ecology with a model where competition and cooperation can coexist and prosper! Forward is the way to go:
Other initiatives taken by Trina Solar are:
1. 2. The company worked selflessly and assisted the flood-affected 1. areas g in Henan, China. 2. f 3. The company jointly launched the Global Sustainable Energy Alliance to establish a new model of sustainable development, to promote China’s progress in building a PV-empowered moderately prosperous society in all respects, and to build a global home with PV solutions. In the year 2021, Trina Solar has been awarded as bankable by all survey respondents in the 2021 PV Module and Inverter Bankability report issued by BloombergNEF. With the release of this report, Trina Solar is now the only module manufacturer to be rated as bankable for six consecutive years by 100% of the industry respondents participating in the annual BloombergNEF survey.
The BloombergNEF report has researched Trina Solar’s financial health, a record of its modules in the field, and manufacturer warranties while awarding the company. The BloombergNEF 2021 Module and Inverter Bankability Report also cited the annual photovoltaic module reliability scorecard report issued by the internationally authoritative certification body PV Evolution Labs. The PVEL report affirmed the outstanding performance of Trina Solar’s modules in terms of reliability and power generation capacity. The 2021 scorecard marked the 7th consecutive recognition for Trina as "Top Performer" among global module manufacturers. In 2022, Trina Solar will be celebrating its 25th year of entrepreneurship and will endeavor to move forward by continuing to build a world-class leading enterprise that integrates solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen energy, and intelligent energy internet to create a world of carbon-free new energy. For more information, please visit www.trinasolar.com.
Vision Leading global energy transformation with standardized and highvalue PV smart energy solutions
Mission: Solar energy for all
Business Goals & Objectives: Trina Solar believes in constant innovation and always strives to push the PV industry forward by creating greater grid parity of PV power and popularizing renewable energy. The company’s mission and aim are to boost global renewable energy development around the world for the benefit of all of humanity.
Business Strategy: Trina Solar has always adhered to the six strategies of Innovation, Branding, Globalization, Platformization, Intellectualization, and Industry-Finance Synergy, leading development in terms of innovation level, economic benefits, product quality, and environmental safety. With its outstanding technological innovation capability and leading globalization level, it has accumulated excellent brand reputation and public praise and won numerous domestic and international awards.
1. The company joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to contribute towards limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 54
Company’s Products & Services: As a global leading provider for PV modules and smart energy solutions, Trina Solar delivers PV products, applications, and services to promote global sustainable development.
Ultra-high power modules significantly reduce project costs Trina’s Vertex module series, using 210 mm silicon wafers, boasts high power, high efficiency, high reliability, and high power generation. The modules can be used in any setting, such as residential or industrial and commercial rooftops, or large-scale power stations. Whether in terms of the supply chain at the manufacturing end, inverter and tracker compatibility at the system’s end, or even in terms of customer value aspects such as BOS or LCOE performance, Trina’s Vertex series of ultra-high-power modules is ahead of the game: the non-destructive cutting + high-density interconnection + MBB(multi-Bus bar) combination forms a high-efficiency, high-reliability foundation, while low voltage and high string power boost single-string power by over 40%. With clear product value and hugely reduced BOS costs, customers get greater value, and our 600W+ ultra-high-power modules come with mature technical specifications and industry approval. The production capacity of 210 mm Vertex modules is expected to exceed 40 GW in 2021.
High-reliability tracker system solutions TrinaTracker is Trina Solar’s tracker brand, which offers four key advantages—high reliability, low O&M costs, greater yield, and unified module-tracker channels, contributing to the core component of our smart energy integrated solutions. Globally, PV power generation is currently in the final mile towards grid parity. TrinaTracker's Vanguard 600W+ series trackers perfectly match the mainstream 210 ultra-highpower modules up to 600W+ and 550W, massively increasing the energy yield, reducing LCOE, and improving the returns of the PV power station. TrinaTracker's global installation has now exceeded 5 GW with production capacity up to 7 GW in 2021.
Utility projects & EPCM Trina Solar has been positioned as a world-leading provider of integrated smart PV energy solutions, and it continues to strengthen
our business systems, especially core products such as PV cells and modules; Trina Solar is also furthering the expansion of integrated solutions toward the whole PV system, in order to provide higherquality services to end-users. Following two decades of hard work, Trina Solar is now a leading global developer of PV power station projects, offering customers one-stop system-integrated solutions comprising development, financing, design, works, and O&M. As of December 2020, the company’s global projects had a cumulative ongrid capacity of over 5 GW, with over 7 GW of top-quality project reserves.
Leading the energy transition through storage Trina Storage, a business unit of Trina Solar, is a global energy storage solution provider dedicated to enabling governments, corporates, societies, and communities to achieve a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable world. Using a sophisticated and advanced solution platform, Trina Storage is ready to solve today's complex renewable energy integration challenges. As the world's leading provider of PV smart energy and energy solutions, Trina Solar is committed to accelerating the global application of smart energy to create a new world of carbon-free energy.
Business Competitiveness: In 2014, Trina Solar realized the milestone of shipping over 1GW in one quarter. The company also broke the solar cell efficiency world record 7 times that year. To date, Trina Solar’s State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology has broken 21 world records on solar cell efficiency and module power. Trina Solar continues to set industry standards and benchmarks for performance and sustainability. The company boasts of robust and rigorous R&D, which facilitates Trina Solar's rapid rate of innovation and has led to over 2000 patent applications, including over 1000 invention patents. With world records of 23.22% with n-type i-TOPCon Solar Cell on Cast-mono substrate in Nov. 2019 and aperture module efficiency of 23.03% for larger-area industrial silicon p-type modules in June 2021, Trina continues to set the standard for solar efficiency. The unmatched level of innovation and technological capabilities of Trina Solar has allowed the company to become a global leader by setting industry benchmarks for both quality and efficiency.
TRINA SOLAR’S FACTORY IN CHANGZHOU, CHINA
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 55
MR. JIFAN GAO, CHAIRMAN AND GENERAL MANAGER OF TRINA SOLAR
Quality Policy Of The Company: Photovoltaic projects rely on high quality products that stand the test of time for inputs ranging from engineering design to financing and more. Trina Solar’s products have always maintained high reliability and solid performance based on its commitment to the quality-first policy. In the company’s upstream business model, Trina Solar tightly controls quality over every step of the manufacturing process, from silicon crystallization to module deployment in the field. The company guarantees the quality of its products with an industry-leading 25-year lifetime warranty. In its downstream business model ,Trina Solar follows strict compliance with national regulations and industry standards, including Chinese National Standards GB 50797 “Photovoltaic Power Station Design Specifications,” GB 50794 “Photovoltaic Power Plant Construction Specifications,” GBT 50866 “Design Code for Photovoltaic Power Station Connection to Power System” and GBT 19939 “Photovoltaic system Grid technology requirements,” among others. With an innovative solar design team, rigorous procurement procedures and experienced construction and operation team, Trina Solar has more than 15 years’ worth of hands-on expertise in PV project development.
Service Pledge: Trina Solar ensures the highest quality standards for its PV products across the entire supply chain. This mitigates risks and increases return on investment. Because of the company’s dedication to delivering high-quality PV products, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) named Trina Solar as a top bankable module supplier, five times in a row since 2016. Trina Solar is the only module manufacturer to be rated as fully bankable for five consecutive years by 100% of the experts participating in the BNEF survey.
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As part of Trina Solar’s commitment to quality and reliability in its own products and across the solar industry, Trina Solar has partnered with third-party testing groups, including TUV Rheinland Group, China General Certification Center, China Quality Certification Center and UL. In 2012, Trina Solar became the first solar PV company to obtain UL’s Client Test Data Program certification after undergoing a rigorous inspection and audit process. In 2017, Trina Solar received the first CQC’s witnessed Manufacturer’s Testing certification in the Solar Industry.
Ownership Structure: As a solar pioneer, Trina Solar helped change this solar industry, rapidly growing from one of the first PV enterprises in China to become a world leader in solar technology and manufacture. Trina Solar reached a milestone in 2020 when it was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Mr. Jifan Gao, Chairman and General Manager of Trina Solar, founded the company in 1997. At Trina Solar, the team is tackling the world’s energy challenges. The global community at Trina works passionately to bring smarter solar energy solutions to the world, ranging from modules to balance systems to full power plants for its partners. Trina Solar has regional headquarters in Switzerland, United States, Japan, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. It has also set up offices and branches in Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, South Korea, India etc. It has also set up production and manufacturing bases in Thailand and Vietnam, with operations in more than 100 countries and regions. The company is committed to working with installers, distributors, utilities and project developers worldwide to build a sustainable solar energy industry, constantly leading the industry in technological innovation, product quality, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility, bringing clean and reliable solar clean energy to households and to commercial and large public facilities.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 56
COMPANY FEATURE
Sineng Electric is pledged to the concept of market oriented and innovation driven product development. Sineng Electric Co., Ltd. (stock code: 300827) is a leading global hightech enterprise specialized in power electronic products R&D, manufacturing, marketing and maintenance, covering its business in PV inverter, energy storage system, power quality control, plant development and other fields, committed to promoting the construction of a cleaner, safer and better future on the basis of cutting-edge green technology solutions. Sineng Electric is pledged to the concept of market oriented and innovation driven product development. With comprehensive construction of the production, education and research system, now the company has 3 R&D centers in Shenzhen, Wuxi and Chengdu, China, as well as 3 manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, China, Wuzhong, China, and Bangalore, India, reaching a total of 30GW annual production capacity. Meanwhile, Sineng Electric has successively established a CNAS National Laboratory, an Enterprise Academician Workstation and a Post-Doctoral Research Workstation. Over the years, Sineng Electric has always been adhering to Endless Energy for Limitless Green, deeply engaged in power electronics energy conversion and control, empowering global sustainable development with innovative technologies, excellent products and solutions. In the field of PV, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario power generation solutions, covering 8kW~6800kW central, string and central distributed inverters, which are widely adopted in ground mounted, water mounted, complex terrain, C&I rooftop and residential projects to meet the diverse demands of customers. In the field of energy storage, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario ESS solutions, including 1000V/1500V central and string PCS as well as system integration products, applicable to multiple scenarios such as power generation side, power grid side, user side and micro-grid. In the field of power quality control, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario power quality management solutions, including a full range of active power filters, static var generators, smart power quality correction devices and other products, which are employed in various industries like communications, medical, rail transit, petroleum and petrochemical, metallurgy, tobacco, etc.
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Adhering to the philosophy of “Sincerity, Unity and Progress”, Sineng Electric has been working relentlessly to ensure state-of-the-art power electronics products and solutions. Being a product-focused company, Sineng Electric is always committed to providing the world with green energy and advanced power electronics products, thus leading the market of power electronics and renewable energy products. Centered around enhancing customer values, Sineng Electric insists on product and technology innovation, constantly improving the internationalization strategy. With the business covering Asia-pacific, Middle East, South America, Europe and other markets, Sineng Electric plays an active role in global competition, striving to build a world-class green technology enterprise and make more contributions towards a better earth.
IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY STORAGE, SINENG ELECTRIC PROVIDES ALL-SCENARIO ESS SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING 1000V/1500V CENTRAL AND STRING PCS AS WELL AS SYSTEM INTEGRATION PRODUCTS, APPLICABLE TO MULTIPLE SCENARIOS SUCH AS POWER GENERATION SIDE, POWER GRID SIDE, USER SIDE AND MICROGRID."
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 57
PRODUCT FEATURE
Apollo™ is a performance intelligence and health analytics solution Apollo™ is a performance intelligence and health analytics solution owned by Helios IoT Systems Pvt Ltd. Helios developed Apollo, an IoTbased energy analytics platform for the renewable energy sector with a focus on improving the solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant operations and performance via next-generation data analytics products. We are passionate and concerned about our planet’s health and we believe renewable energy will be the savior to climate change and sustainable energy demand’s problems. We deliver actionable and energy loss insights using an analytics platform to solve complex business problems in the renewable energy sector. 2.1GW Global Portfolio Under Apollo, 12600+ Assets Optimised Daily, 100k+ Insights Generated Daily Recent Achievements: Awarded as NextGen Product of the year by Nasscom. Technology Partnership with AVEVA: https://www.apolloenergyanalytics.com/knowledge-centre/
Product Introduction: Apollo™ is a suite of enterprise applications specifically designed to generate actionable closed-loop insights for the renewable energy industry. The applications enable all the eco-systems stakeholders to improve productivity in the O&M and asset management empowered by our patented digital twin technology & industryleading IoT technology to solve business-critical and complex problems. Apollo™ has 10 different modules such as Plant Configurator, Remote Operations Center (ROC), Event Analytics, Performance Analytics, Health Insights, Energy Loss Analysis, Operations & Maintenance, Custom Analysis, Power Forecast & Library designed & developed to address wide problems of a solar power plant. :
Technology Specifications
Apollo Energy Analytics solution is powered by: Apollo’s Patented Digital Twin Technology, Proven Machine learning models, IoTbased KPI’s and event discovery, advanced decision-making engine provides closed-loop insights
Technology Advancements:
i
WE ARE PASSIONATE AND CONCERNED ABOUT OUR PLANET’S HEALTH AND WE BELIEVE RENEWABLE ENERGY WILL BE THE SAVIOR TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEMAND’S PROBLEMS."
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Apollo Energy Analytics solution will be extended to other renewable energy technology such as BESS & Wind Power to provide a hybrid solution to all our customers. Three will be an adaptation of novel drone & thermography-related technologies to provide end-to-end solutions for the O&M and Asset Management services to the industry. AI/ML-based models for fault failure predictions will be enhanced for critical assets like solar inverters transformers.
Targeted/ Benefitted Customer Segment: Target Customers: IPP/ Developer, EPC, Investor / Bank, O&M service providers, Solar Asset management Organisations, Government Agency.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 58
PRODUCT FEATURE
BEPL aim to provide you with Free Electricity for Life and are happy to encourage green energy and reduce the carbon footprints. Bandaru Energies Pvt Ltd.(BEPL) successfully installed & commissioned a 5 Mega Watt (MWp) Solar Power Plant in the shortest time of 45 days at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
Project Introduction The recent 5 MW Solar Power Plant executed by BEPL is Ground Mounted which is spread over 10 acres of land. BEPL Scope includes land leveling, removal of shrubs (bushes) and power evacuation for in-house captive consumption for our client M/s. Sree Rayalaseema Hi-Strength Hypo Limited. BEPL aim to provide you with Free Electricity for Life and are happy to encourage green energy and reduce the carbon footprints. Let us join hands to make the world a cleaner & greener place to live. Think Green and Clean. We are proud to say BEPL has left no stone unturned. You name it and we have it. We at BEPL are one of the leading Government approved Solar Power Plant Integrators in both Rooftop and Ground Mounted Projects.
The total Units generation per year is 15.25 lakhs Units /MWp/Year For the above 5 MWp Project: 76.25 lakhs units per year. Carbon reduction / year : 42,30,000 lbs of CO2 per year. No. of tress protected in lieu of 5 MWp solar Project: 2,46,000 trees.
CMD Message The great strength lies, not only in installation but the performance of the plant at its full potential for its entire plant life. Sri Sanjeev Bandaru, CMD, BEPL
Client message We are happy to get this Project executed by the BEPL team, we are very satisfied with the Plant's performance and very much delighted for completion in 45 days. Shri TGV Bharath, CMD of SRHHL
We are expertise in executing several Solar projects across Andhra i Pradesh & Telangana since 2013. BEPL has certifications of MSME, TSREDCO, NSIC, NREDCAP etc. We at BEPL have end-to-end solutions to set up solar power plants with various methods of structuring, designing and executing rooftop and ground mounted plants complying with statutory requirements. BEPL has executed projects varying from 1 KWp and 10,000 KWp on Turn Key Basis at various Locations. BEPL has executed one of the biggest rooftop Solar Power Plant at a Single location in South India. Our customers segment is Industrial / Residential / Commercial.
Technology Specifications The important equipment of the Projects PV Solar Panels and Inverters. BEPL has used the renowned brand of TRINA to make Solar Panels and Polycab (Solis) make Inverters for this project.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 59
PRODUCT FEATURE
The high quality of Contendre panels is further supported by the very low claims rate and comparatively higher power generation compared to the other modules available in the market. Contendre Solar is incorporated with the idea of serving each and everyone, be it a government body looking for power supply; installation companies looking for good quality product supply; institutes looking to create a positive impact on the environment; industries looking to save their energy cost or small residences trying to save their electricity cost. We strive hard to serve them all through our wide categories of solar products and services making us a one stop shop for all your solar needs. Talking particularly about our Solar Modules which is the primary product and for which we are known, they are manufactured based on the 4 base principles that we follow for producing the best quality products.
Consistency: Contendre’s state-of-the-art fully automated production facility ensures production accuracy and efficiency leading to a consistently high-quality product. The high quality of Contendre panels is further supported by the very low claims rate and i comparatively higher power generation compared to the other modules available in the market.
Demonstrated Quality: Our products are manufactured from the highest quality raw materials selected carefully from across the globe and exceed International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) quality standards and are certified for the same by Third Party Laboratories.
Latest Technology: We are already up with the advancements in Module technology being proven by our varied range of products like High Wattage modules (PERC technology), High System Voltage modules (1500V), Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE), BIPV Products, etc. But we do not stop here. With our plans to expand 3-fold by the end of next financial year, we will not only be focused on volumetric expansion but also on expansion of our product range by infusing new and better technologies, providing more options to our customers to select their products from.
Proven Reliability: Our modules receive multiple quality checks throughout the entire process and are subject to stringent quality and reliability testing. Each product exceeds industry standards and is backed by an independent 25-year performance warranty and a 10-year product warranty.
INSTALLATION COMPANIES LOOKING FOR GOOD QUALITY PRODUCT SUPPLY; INSTITUTES LOOKING TO CREATE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 60
PRODUCT FEATURE
LONGi's smart soldering’ technology uses integrated segmented ribbons.
LONGi closely monitors PV industry technology trends and market demand, taking customer value as the overriding criterion. The company actively carries out research into and development of innovations, patent applications and process improvements, while promoting product quality optimization and continuous cost reduction, all with a view to accelerating the development of new efficient product technologies in order to maintain its technology leadership position. Mono PERC Technology. LONGi’s commitment to the promotion of mono PERC technology successfully opened the door to the PV 3.0 era. Since then, the industry trend has undergone significant change, with monocrystalline now dominating with a market share of 90%. It also promoted the industrialization application of mono PERC technology, rapidly improved product efficiency, greatly reduced LCOE. The shipment of mono PERC modules has been the TOP1 for many years. Gallium-doped Technology. Compared with the boron-doped option, PERC cells adopting gallium-doped silicon wafers have improved efficiency and performance in anti-LID and LeTID, reducing investment in process and equipment. LONGi promotes the benefit of gallium-doped wafers to the whole industry, contributing to a reduction in degradation. Smart Soldering. LONGi's smart soldering’ technology uses integrated segmented ribbons. The triangular section maximizes light capture, while the flat section connects cells with a reduced gap. Smart soldering technology reduces the tensile stress of the cell, enabling higher efficiency, reliability. Diamond Wire Cutting of Mono Silicon. In 2015, LONGi took the industry lead in achieving 100% diamond wire cutting of mono silicon, increasing cutting speed by 90% and saving the industry over $4 billion each year, the monetary equivalent of the annual construction of 5 Beijing Olympic Stadiums and National Aquatic Centers.
accepted by global customers. Until now, over 20GW bifacial modules have been shipped to global customers. Bifacial modules account for 30-40% of the global market share now. A bifacial module can utilize the backside light and generate more power and the double glass structure is more reliable, thus can deliver more value to our customers. We can see this year more and more Indian customers begin to choose bifacial modules. Another key innovation is LONGi’s Hi-MO 5 based on M10(182mm) wafer, which also got the 2021 Intersolar award. It is also powerful evidence of technology innovation. Hi-MO5 adopts unique smart soldering technology, which can increase module efficiency by 0.3% and also reduce the stress applied on the cells resulting in better reliability. Over the past few years, we have seen a rapid advancement in technology. I think this trend will continue for the next few years and as the technology improves we will see higher reliability and efficiency. We are constantly working on new technologies such as P and N-type, mono HIT, BIPV solutions etc – we believe our job is to bring the best product which can be produced on a large scale to satisfy our customer’s needs.
Hi MO5 Series – Mono facial and Bifacial with Power bin from 530 Wp to 545Wp. In terms of technology innovations, LONGi's technological innovation will quickly be transformed to mass production and be promoted and applied on the consumer side, promoting the continuous reduction of the cost of PV power. From the monocrystalline technology, PERC cell, Bifacial PERC, Half-cut, M6 standard wafer and M10 ultimate size, we all did a great contribution to the PV industry by improving the quality and reliability of solar PV systems. For example, Diamond-wire slicing was introduced into mass production to the PV industry by LONGi, which saved almost 4 billion dollars every year in the PV industry. It can increase production capacity significantly and also reduce the wafer manufacturing cost. Also, LONGi’s bifacial module has been well
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 61
PRODUCT FEATURE
ETi-SOL® - IoT SCADA – A Robust Solar PV Monitoring Solution EnerMAN achieved a remarkable milestone of 1.2GWp (1200MWp) across the world in deploying IoT SCADA ETi-SOL® in the countries – Sri Lanka, Nepal, Dubai, Rwanda, and Poland apart from India with our Team with thorough knowledge of the industry and product with proficient tech support. ETi-SOL® is an end-to-end solution, Hardware – Firmware – Software, an inhouse made in India product to cater to the global market at an affordable price
ETi-SOL® Solar PV Monitoring Solutions: The Home page:
Bird’s Eye View of all your plants in a single Dashboard that can provide plant-wise and portfolio-level KPIs like Generation, PR, Plant Status etc.
Single Line Diagrams (SLD): The SLD diagrams provide live monitoring and take quick action if a device turns red due to a fault.
The Device dashboards: All major devices like Inverter, SCB, Weather Station, MFM of a plant have their own dashboards and can be accessed from this page.
The Analytics Page: The user can pick and choose any primary parameters across different devices and analyze trends and performances in a graph or table view.
The Report page: The user can download pre-defined daily, monthly, and yearly reports by the click of a button.
The Plant Overview page:
The Alarm Page:
This dashboard gives a heads up on plant performance. Some of the performance metrics are generation, insolation, peak power, total power, PR, CUF, Yield etc.
ETi-SOL® works closely with edge device (ETi-LOG) to provide realtime, robust, and accurate alarms and events
The Map view page: Geo-tagging helps locating and fast identification of faults by reducing down-time and minimizing generation loss.
i
| INDIA
ETi-SOL® Edge: EnerMAN has introduced ETi-SOL® Edge which is a local monitoring solution. One-time investment to the system which does not require internet & cloud storage.
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 62
ETi-SOL® Android/iOS App: Know your plant performance with the new mobile app version of our SCADA.
Presenting our product portfolio ETi-SLDC: A software product, which can be installed in local PCs/Servers to collect data from the Solar PV plant’s equipment and can send the required data to SLDC in an interval of a few seconds as per SLDC guidelines.
ETi-ZES (Zero Export System): We have developed another software product, ETi-ZES, which will ensure Zero Export from Solar PV plants / Rooftops to electricity Grid, as per DISCOM policy guidelines, to avoid penalty. This product collects the data from Solar PV plants' end-equipment and controls/limits the out-power of Solar Inverters based on its load/consumption.
ETi-PPC (Power plant controller): Power plant controller is a reliable and flexible solution that can control different parameters present in Solar PV plants to achieve Utility grid requirements at POI (Point of interconnection). EnerMAN’s Power Plant Controller (ETi PPC) is a control system that can manage active power, reactive power, and power factor from Solar Inverter (On-Grid/Off-grid Solar Plant, Solar Hybrid Plants).
ETi-LMS: Load Management System: An IoT Solution for DG-Sync which is a universal Solution for all Inverter brands (Supports Heterogenous Make) Controls Active Power of Inverters.
ETi-CAST: Energy Generation & Forecasting solution which is a cloudbased forecasting tool for solar power plants. EnerMAN has a proven track record in providing solutions for Remote Monitoring, Local Monitoring, and Integration with third-party Scada using REST APIs or FTP servers.
For more information, email sales@enerman.in or login to www.enerman.in AUTHOR: ENERMAN TECHNICAL TEAM
WE HAVE DEVELOPED ANOTHER SOFTWARE PRODUCT, ETI-ZES, WHICH WILL ENSURE ZERO EXPORT FROM SOLAR PV PLANTS / ROOFTOPS TO ELECTRICITY GRID, AS PER DISCOM POLICY GUIDELINES, TO AVOID PENALTY."
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 63
PRODUCT FEATURE
PV Diagnostics is a solar-tech consultancy expertising in diagnostics of solar power plants and quality control across the value chain. Diagnostics Dashboard PVD is now integrating plant health check-ups into an online diagnostics dashboard to track the plant’s performance. The dashboard is an add-on which represents the on-site testing, their results, observations and our recommendations strategically to benefit site, technical, management and executive teams in drawing meaningful inferences for further planning. This dashboard can be integrated with any existing CMS or monitoring platform.
About PV Diagnostics PV Diagnostics is a solar-tech consultancy expertising in diagnostics of solar power plants and quality control across the value chain. Starting off as a diagnostics company focussing on performance improvement of solar power plants, we are now working with almost all the major stakeholders in the solar value chain. We have evaluated more than 6 GW of solar assets across the country. We are constantly working towards automation products for plant diagnostics and enabling developers with in-house diagnostics of solar power plants. From a technical standpoint, the target is setting up industry standards for field testing of solar power plants.
WE ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING TOWARDS AUTOMATION PRODUCTS FOR PLANT DIAGNOSTICS AND ENABLING DEVELOPERS WITH INHOUSE DIAGNOSTICS OF SOLAR POWER PLANTS. FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT, THE TARGET IS SETTING UP INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR FIELD TESTING OF SOLAR POWER PLANTS."
| INDIA
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 64
PRODUCT FEATURE
PIXON manifests into solar products and creating quality solutions for the customers Introduction
Poly Crystalline PV Module:
PIXON manifests into solar products and creating quality solutions for the customers. The modules radiate excellence through quality and high return. PIXON offers exceptionally productive modules tried in our in-house PV Module Test Lab. The top-notch scope of solar modules is designed in India utilizing European innovation and technology. We essentially produce 5 distinct sorts of Solar modules:Mono-Crystalline PERC Modules. Poly-Crystalline Modules Poly-Crystalline DCR Modules Poly-Crystalline Half-Cut Cell Modules Mono-Crystalline PERC Half-Cut Cell Modules.
PIXON has unveiled Poly Crystalline PV modules with a yield going from 315-340 Wp. This module can be put to good use for the installations of residential, commercial, industrial, off-grid, and utilitybased projects.
PIXON also gives turnkey Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Services for the installation activities. They additionally also provide Ground Mounted Solar solutions, Rooftop Solar solutions, and Floating Solar solutions. Lastly, they are also into assembling EVA films. The significant utilization of EVA films is to keep out dampness and different gases.
PIXON exhibits Mono Crystalline Perc PV Module with a power range of 370-400Wp. The module is ideal for installations at residential, commercial, industrial, utility, and off-grid-based projects.
Featured Products Mono-Perc Half-Cut cell modules: PIXON has divulged Mono PERC half-cut-cell modules with yield going from 375Wp to 410 Wp. This module can be utilized in all types of installations like off-grid, residential, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale. Mono-Perc Half-cut PERC modules offer an efficiency of up to 20.4%. The panel can be utilized in PV frameworks with the greatest voltage of 1,500 V and a working temperature between - 40 degrees Celsius and 85 degrees Celsius. It can withstand a load of snow up to 5,400 Pa and a load of breeze up to 2,400 Pa. Power resilience is +4.99Wp. The solar panel is BIS, IEC, and UL guaranteed. It accompanies a 10-year item guarantee and a 25-year power yield guarantee.
Poly-crystalline PV module also provides an efficiency of up to 17.43%. These panels can be useful in PV frameworks with a voltage of 1500V DC. These modules also can withstand the snow load of up to 5400 Pa and wind load of up to 2400 Pa. Power resilience is +4.99Wp. The solar module is BIS, IEC guaranteed.
Mono-Crystalline Perc Modules:
Mono-crystalline Perc PV module also has an efficiency of up to 20.16%. The maximum system voltage of this module is 1500 V DC. The withstand capacity of snow load is 5400 Pa. and for wind, the load is 2400 Pa. Power resilience is +4.99Wp. These modules are BIS and IEC certified.
Poly-Crystalline DCR Modules: PIXON unfolds a Poly- Crystalline DCR module along with the power range of 305-335Wp. This module is considered suitable for the installations projects like residential, commercial, industrial, and utilitybased, and off-grid. Poly-Crystalline DCR module range in efficiency up to 16.90%. The highest system voltage is 1500 V DC. It can withstand the snow load up to 5400 Pa. and wind load up to Pa. Power Tolerance is +4.99Wp. The modules are BIS and IEC guaranteed.
Poly-Crystalline Half-Cut Cell Module: PIXON imparts Poly-Crystalline Half-Cut Cell Module with the module power range of 325-360WP. This module is efficient enough for many installations projects such as residential, industrial, commercial, utilitybased, and off-grid. Poly- Crystalline half-Cut Cell Modules have an efficiency of up to 18.30%. The maximum system voltage is considered to be 1500 V DC. The withstand capacity for the snow load ranges up to 5400 Pa. and wind load up to 2400 Pa. Power Tolerance is +4.99Wp. The modules are BIS and IEC guaranteed.
PIXON OFFERS EXCEPTIONALLY PRODUCTIVE MODULES TRIED IN THEIR IN-HOUSE PV MODULE TEST LAB. THE TOP-NOTCH SCOPE OF SOLAR MODULES IS DESIGNED IN INDIA UTILIZING EUROPEAN INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY."
| INDIA
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 65
PRODUCT FEATURE
RP Infra Services - Peak Solar Resource Assistance Our USP: RPIS provides customized resources based on the project’s needs and requirements. We ensure that the candidates are well experienced /trained based on the client’s needs, we also suggest ideal candidates and offer tailor-made solutions that make our clients happy.
Featured Service: All of our resources are multifaceted and come with years of commended performance. The project completion rate of our consultants is 97%, 3% is attributed to unforeseen situations like project shutdown, health issues, relocation, etc. We appreciate the experience that our candidates bring from various industries and we like to leverage it for the mutual benefit of both clients and candidates. We specialize in Civil Construction, Solar Projects, Retail, and Startup hiring.
Consulting services Whether it’s building attractive websites, designing business cards, company swag, stationery, or some market research project that needs to be done, our freelancers can get it done for you. All candidates have Rich exposure in Solar Ground Mount Projects/ Rooftop Projects.
What We Have
Our Services-A Brief RP Infra Services provides top consulting talent quickly and at no additional cost. We take care of all the hassles like pf, payroll, taxes, time tracking, and workman compensation policy. Each candidate of ours is well screened and referenced for our client's satisfaction.
Full-time employees We provide the best possible talent for your full-time hiring needs without leaving your pockets empty. We beat all the competition fees and guarantee the best talent.
Temp-to-permanent hires You need to fill a role but before that, you want to be doubly sure that it’s the right fit. No problem at all, we provide temp-to-hire resources who can work for you on a short-term contract. If everything goes well they can be hired as a full-time resource.
Industry Experience Experienced/Hands-on people strength Robust training and talent acquisition Classroom & On-ground training Interactive Approach Fulfilled Regulatory Compliances Domain-based talent basket Training Infrastructure & eminent learning faculty Global Reach Resource gap analysis & OPEX
What We Offer Project Resource Curve Compatibility Resource Surge/Peak assistance Resource Levelling Cost-Effective Solution Best in Class Talent Quick Response Time Nil Benched Staffing Wide Resource Spectrum
Why Us Cost-Effective Resource Levelling Consultative Approach Sourcing and Training Consistent Service Performance Improvement Plan
Targeted/ Benefitted Customer Segment RPIS serves the renewable industry especially the Solar EPC Companies and has served clients such as L&T, Juniper Green, GameChange Solar, Solar Square, Kanoda Energy and so on.
RP INFRA SERVICES PROVIDES TOP CONSULTING TALENT QUICKLY AND AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. WE TAKE CARE OF ALL THE HASSLES LIKE PF, PAYROLL, TAXES, TIME TRACKING, AND WORKMAN COMPENSATION POLICY."
| INDIA
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 66
PRODUCT FEATURE
Sineng Electric is one of the few companies who manufactures both central and string inverters for utility projects.
Sineng Electric offers a wide range of smart inverter solutions tailored for customers worldwide, committed to a cleaner future for all. Sineng Electric is a leading global high-tech enterprise specialized in power electronics products covering its business in power generation, power supply, distribution and power utilization. With advanced R&D, manufacturing, marketing, maintenance and service departments, it provides customers with a full range of solar inverters, energy storage systems and power quality control solutions. Constant innovation and optimization at each level is the only way to exist in the present competitive environment. In recent years, the market has shifted from small block size to 6.5/12.5MW block size and 1000V to 1500V. Presently, our R&D team is working on a higher voltage solution than 1500V for the future. Storage is also going to happen at a big scale in near future. We have been providing DC/AC and DC/DC coupled PCS and integrated solutions in China and the global market. Sineng Electric is one of the few companies who manufactures both central and string inverters for utility projects. We launched a wide range of string inverters in order to satisfy the growing demands of global customers. Now the company’s string inverter technology is already mature and has been extensively adopted by many customers.
String PCS Solution (EH-0200-HA-M) Max. 220kW; IP66 + C5 protection; Pack level management; Independent charging and discharging etc. DC-DC Converter (EH-0182-HA-M ) Max. 200kW; IP66 + C5 protection; Pack level management; Independent charging and discharging etc. Battery Container Outdoor design; Smaller footprint; Liquid cooling system; Three level BMS protection etc.
As a technology-driven company, Sineng strives to bring innovative solutions that can offer more competitive advantages in the form of more power generation and BOS saving. Sineng has been and will always be holding on to its mission “high quality is low cost”, thus coping with the demands of the evolving market.
Our string inverters are able to turn customers’ attention and that’s why we have set up production lines for string inverters in India manufacturing base this year. In 2020, we have added a new string model (SP-275K-INH) in our string inverter product line which gives an ease-to-design array with the larger wafer 210 mm high power module. The maximum current for each string input of this inverter is 20A.On the other side, Sineng is also working to come up with higher capacity compact central inverter solutions in near future. Central PCS Solution (EH-2.5/3.15/3.45-HA-UD) Max. efficiency 99.0%; IP65 protection; PQ, VF, SVG, VSG and other functions; Off-grid operation and black start etc.
| INDIA
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 67
PRODUCT FEATURE
TRINA SOLAR’S 210MM VERTEX MODULES ACHIEVE EXCELLENT TEST RESULTS IN THE PVEL PRODUCT QUALIFICATION PROGRAM At the BloombergNEF Summit held in early December, PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), a world-renowned third-party reliability testing laboratory, shared excellent reliability and performance test results for Trina Solar’s 210mm Vertex modules. The selection of ultra-high power Vertex modules that were evaluated by PVEL represent specific bills of materials (BOMs) that were independently witnessed during production. In particular, the tested BOMs showed superior performance in PVEL’s Mechanical Stress Sequence (MSS) and Thermal Cycling 600 (TC600) tests, which directly relate to the changes in module sizes. Testing did not produce micro-cracks in the 550W and 670W dual-glass BOMs evaluated by PVEL. The power degradation rates after testing was less than 2%, which meets the Top Performer criteria defined by PVEL for its 2021 PV Module Reliability Scorecard.
TRINA SOLAR’S VERTEX ULTRAHIGH-POWER MODULES OF LARGER FORMATS MAINTAIN EXCELLENT MECHANICAL LOAD PERFORMANCE AGAINST MICRO-CRACK."
PVEL-PQP conducts more stringent test over Trina’s Vertex PVEL is the world’s leading PV module reliability testing laboratory, which provides independent performance data for solar project developers, financiers, and asset owners and operators around the world. In 2012, PVEL launched the PQP for stringent testing of PV modules on reliability & quality parameters, that are significantly more rigorous than the IEC standards. All BOMs submitted to PQP for tests must undergo inspection during production and be sealed by PVEL auditors at the factory to ensure that the test results objectively reflect the level of mass-produced modules with the same BOM. With over ten years of experience and accumulated data, PVEL conducts testing as a key reference for a brand’s bankability level, enabling efficient solar project development and financing.
MSS test: No micro-cracks occurred in ultra-high power Vertex modules! When PV modules are exposed to mechanical loads in the field such as heavy snow or forces caused by strong winds, hail, etc., their components will be pressed and break as a result, which may cause a number of degradation issues that reduce module performance. PVEL’s Mechanical Stress Sequence (MSS) simulates this process. MSS combines tests for static mechanical load (SML), dynamic mechanical load (DML), thermal cycling (TC) and humidity freeze (HF). It is one of the most stringent PQP sequences and PVEL has multiple examples of modules breaking during the test.
Mechanical Stress Sequence (MSS) Test results demonstrate no micro-cracks occurred in the BOMs tested for Trina Solar’s 210mm Vertex dual-glass 550W modules, and the power degradation was only 1.07%. As for the 670W dual-glass module BOM, the SML and DML testing phases have been completed and the interim data again show that the modules have excellent performance, with no micro-cracks and close to zero (-0.08%) power degradation. Trina Solar’s Vertex ultra-highpower modules of larger formats maintain excellent mechanical load performance against micro-crack.
A comparison of EL before and after MSS | INDIA
DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 68
damage modules and weaken system performance. In the PQP test sequence, modules are placed in an environmental chamber at extreme temperatures, lowered to -40°C, then increased to 85°C with maximum power current flowing through. This cycle is repeated 200 times over three periods, to a total of 600 cycles, which is three times the IEC standard requirement.
TC600 test: Vertex 550W+ modules suffer nearly zero power degradation During the 25-year life cycle of a solar power station, the material components of PV modules expand and contract thousands of times. The TC (thermal cycling) test sequence is intended to find out whether temperature cycling can cause excessive interface stress, which may
TC600 test The results show that the BOMs tested for Trina Solar’s Vertex ultra-high-power modules have excellent resistance to external temperature variations, and have a robust and reliable structure.
No micro-cracks occurred in the 550W dualglass model BOM tested by PVEL, and the power degradation was only 0.67%. As for the test of the 670W dual-glass model BOM, 200 cycles have been completed so far, with interim data of no micro-cracks and close to zero (-0.06%) power degradation. In summary, the mechanical stress sequence and thermal cycling test results for the PVEL-tested BOMs of Trina Solar’s Vertex ultra-high power modules suggest that they are not impaired after thermal cycling and mechanical stress due to their larger formats, instead of maintaining top performance and ensuring mechanical reliability.
A comparison of EL before and after TC600
Precisely because of the strong performance of its products in reliability tests, Trina Solar has been awarded as Top Performer in PVEL’s Scorecard for seven consecutive years.
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 69
PRODUCT FEATURE
URON ENERGY DOES IT AGAIN – INSTALLS INDIA’S LARGEST SOLAR ROOFTOP BIFACIAL PLANT ON AN INDUSTRIAL ROOF !
In its Third year from the inception, URON energy has been keeping the goals simple – build a project that lasts a lifetime & set quality benchmark that will be Owner’s pride & Neighbors Envy” One of their recently commissioned projects has a lot to offer as a “First” for not just URON but for India as well. The project is one of the first & the Largest Solar PV Bifacial Plant installed on an Industrial Roof & one of the first of its kind in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Chosen from an exhaustive list of crème de la crème EPCs, URON not only delivered more than the commitment but the project is one of the most successful & marquee ones that will speak for itself. Set amidst the Covid 19 lockdowns & multiple challenges on module availability & transportation issues, the project kept going & was executed well within the timelines thanks to URON Energy project team. The project envisages itself as highest generating project in Central India as a Solar Rooftop PV project on Industrial shade & complies to the Stringent UL Certification for IEC 62446. Undoubtedly, a project
to provide a quality snacking experience across all age groups. Our client is technology agnostic & we ensured we deliver them with the latest technology adoption that creates not just unique value but sets a quality benchmark in terms of highest generation & higher savings as well.” The module mounting system and provision for this plant is extremely unique the material and equipment’s adhering and certified to UL, IEC, ASCE, EN, TUV and CE. The plant complies with the Fire, pressure and hazard tested mounting systems complying with the UL2703 and UL1703 standards. The project is not only the largest but is the only project in India to deploy third generation MLPE technology that houses the latest optimisers for individual & highest capacity solar modules currently available in India.
One of the biggest features for the plant is the hassle-free O&M thanks to Cutting edge technology Robots which not only saves water but makes the entire plant very smart and efficient in generating & producing the green electrons.
that speaks about great workmanship & adherence to stringent Quality Assurance, Material Quality Plans & Standard Operating Procedures. URON Energy takes pride on how the project became an instant success after its commissioning as it followed the same success pattern as the Client for whom the project is set up. Mr.Urvish Dave stated, “ Our client is one of India’s Leading Snack food Manufacturer whose success in the food Industry has been a phenomenal one. A Tough competitor for multinational companies in this segment, their aim has always been to improve quality & hygiene
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DEC-JAN ISSUE 2022 | PG 70
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