SolarQuarter- India June July Issue 2021 by SolarQuarter

Empowering, Insightful, Engaging

W W W . S O L A R Q U A R T E R . C O M

R N I

N O . -

M A H E N G / 2 0 1 8 / 7 7 3 7 9

V O L U M E

1 3

I S S U E

J U N E - J U L Y

2 0 2 1

CONTENT

IN CONVERSATION

NEWS 08

POLICY DEBRIEF

THINK TANK

TENDER TRACKER

PROJECT MONTHLY

22 SANDEEP KASHYAP PRESIDENT – ACME SOLAR

PERSPECTIVE

TRENDS IMPACTING THE SOLAR OUTLOOK IN 2021

WHAT ARE THE BIG CHALLENGES FACED WHILE INSTALLING SOLAR PROJECTS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES?

HOW THE MODULE SIZE CAN LOWER THE LCOE?

SOLAR PARK DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

EXTENSION OF WAIVER OF ISTS TRANSMISSION CHARGES TILL 30.6.2025: IMPACT ON RE SECTOR

CHARUKESH N R B MANAGER, RESIDENTIAL SOLAR, HOMESCAPE BY AMPLUS SOLAR,

FEATURED TALKS

INSIGHTS 27

RISE OF CORPORATE FUNDING IN THE INDIAN SOLAR SECTOR

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR LARGE FORMAT MODULE (LFM)

49 50 51

COMPANY FEATURE

PRODUCT FEATURE

LONGI SUNGROW TRINASOLAR

53 55

LI JIANFEI, CTO / VP, SINENG ELECTRIC

ENERMAN GOODWE

MURALI KRISHNA REDDY, SALES DIRECTOR, OTT HYDROMET

THE CHAMPIONS CORNER T H E

SOLAR

RETAIL

SHOW

SOUTH ASIA 2021

PUBLISHING

EDITING

SOLAR

PROJECT ENGINEERING WEEK INDIA 2021 AWARDS

CONTENT

DESIGNING Radha Buddhadev

Firstview Media

Sangita Shetty

Ashwini Chikkodi

Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

editorial@firstviewgroup.com

Sadhana Raju Shenvekar

Neha Barangali

Sanjana Kamble

design@firstviewgroup.com

publishing@firstviewgroup.com

ADVERTISING

CIRCULATION

PRINTING

SUBCRIPTION

Smriti Singh

Kunal Verma

Vaibhav Enterprises

subscribe@firstviewgroup.com

Meghna Sharma advertise@firstviewgroup.com

W W W . S O L A R Q U A R T E R . C O M

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 05

Steps for SolarQuarter India Subscription 1.

SCAN Scan the QR code below

SUBSCRIBE Subscribe To India Print Edition Magazine & get access to our Bi-Monthly SolarQuarter Issues.

Scan Here Happy Reading! India Print Edition Magazine

subscribe@firstviewgroup.com

POLICY DEBRIEF JULY 2021

POLICY NEWS MINISTRY OF POWER APPROVES NET METERING UPTO 500 KW ROOFTOP CAPACITY AFTER INITIAL PROPOSED 10 KW CAP Ministry Of Power (MoP) Has Finally Amended The Much Awaited Electricity (Right Of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2021 With Respect To Rooftop Solar Segment. The amendment clearly states “Provided that where the regulations does not provide net-metering, net-billing or net feed-in, the commission may allow net-metering to the prosumer for loads upto 500Kw or upto the sanctioned load, whichever is lower and net-billing or net feed-in for other loads”. The amendment further states that in case of prosumers availing net-billing or net feed-in, the commissions may introduce time-of-the-day (TOD) tariffs whereby prosumers are incentivised to install energy storage for utilization of stored solar energy by them or feeding into the grid during peak hours thus helping the grid by participating in demand response of the Discoms. Also in case of net-metering or net-billing or net feed-in, the distribution licensee may install a solar energy meter to measure the gross solar energy generated from the grid interactive rooftop solar systems for the purpose of RPO credit, if any. Provided also that the commission may permit gross-metering for prosumers who would like to sell all the generated solar energy to the distribution licensee instead of availing the net-metering, net-billing or net feed-in facility and the commission shall decide generic tariff for grossmetering as per tariff regulations.

| INDIA

MNRE GIVES TIME EXTENSION TO RE PROJECTS DUE TO COVID The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in its notification dated 29th June 2021 stated that it has given an extension of two-anda-half months for RE projects with commissioning dates between April 1 and June 15, 2021. This is amid the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. MNRE has notified the changes that will prevent developers from being charged a penalty for delaying commissioning of projects beyond the agreed timelines. With the second wave of the pandemic resulting in lockdowns in different parts of the country, work on several power projects also got suspended resulting in delays in commissioning. The power ministry has also granted an extension of three months to all interstate transmission projects under construction, with the scheduled commercial operation date (SCOD) falling after April 1, 2021, hit by the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

INDIA JUST TRANSITION CENTRE (IJTC), A IFOREST INITIATIVE LAUNCHED The India Just Transition Centre (IJTC), a iFOREST initiative, is being set-up as a platform to work comprehensively on just transition through multi-stakeholder engagement. At the launch of the initiative, the organisation suggested that workers and local communities dependent on the fossil-fuel industry for income and livelihood support should not bear the brunt of the transition to a low-carbon economy. ‘Just Transition’ ensures that the workers and the local communities dependent on fossil fuels like coal do not suffer due to the phase-out of coal to meet the climate change goals listed under the Paris Climate Agreement. It ensures decent work opportunities and social support systems for the people whose livelihood is likely to be affected by the energy transition. Coal India Limited (CIL) has also started investing in renewable energy. In April, the company had announced establishing two wholly-owned subsidiaries- CIL Solar PV and CIL Navikarniya Urja Ltd – for undertaking solar PV manufacturing and renewable energy projects.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 08

NTPC TO LIST ITS RE ARM, PLANS TO ADD 60 GW CAPACITY

INDIA EXTENDS $100 MILLION LINE OF CREDIT TO SRI LANKA FOR SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS

State-run NTPC intends to list its arm NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd to raise funds for achieving its ambitious target of 60 GW installed renewable energy capacity by 2032, a top company official said. NTPC has become India’s first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). NTPC looks to install 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032. The country’s largest power producer is also aiming for a 10 per cent reduction in net energy intensity by 2032. Taking part within the digital BloombergNEF (BNEF) Summit, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh mentioned, “We should always not concentrate on a technique of elevating funds. We need to quickly go to the public for elevating funds.” Singh was speaking about elevating funds for NTPC’s bold RE goal and harassed that the corporate would add 7-8 GW RE yearly, which might not be an uphill activity for it. He exuded confidence that NTPC would quite be exceeding its goal of 60GW of RE by 2032.

India has extended a USD 100 million Line of Credit (LOC) to Sri Lanka for various solar energy projects. This financial help will aid the Lankan government to boost their solar energy sector by ensuring the country’s 70 percent power requirements are fulfilled by renewable energy sources by 2030. The agreement was signed between the Sri Lankan government and the Export-Import Bank of India and exchanged by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay and Secretary to the Treasury S R Attygalle in the presence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This USD 100 million LOC will help finance various projects in the solar energy sector in Sri Lanka, including those announced during the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) held in March 2018, such as rooftop solar photo-voltaic systems for households and government buildings, the High Commission said in a statement. President Rajapaksa and the High Commissioner of India discussed the striking similarity in the national objectives outlined by India and Sri Lanka in connection with solar energy.

INDIA EXTENDS FAME-2 SCHEME TILL 2024 The Union government has extended FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) phase 2 scheme by two years till 31st March 2024. The Department of Heavy Industry had announced the extension of its ambitious scheme to promote electric mobility by two more years by issuing the notification in the Central government’s Gazette of India. The FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) phase 2 scheme dated 8th March 2019 was for the period of 3 years and is to end on 31st March 2022. As per the given new notification by the department, now the scheme has been extended for another 2 years i.e. till 31st March 2024. The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME-II) scheme, which has a financial outlay of Rs 10,000 crore to promote EVs by extending buyer subsidies, was first announced as a three-year program effective from April 2019. There was no change mentioned in the financial allocation to the scheme.

GOVT EXTENDS TIMELINE FOR TRANSMISSION CHARGES WAIVER FOR RE

INDIA NEEDS INNOVATIVE WAYS OF EXPANDING ENERGY ACCESS: R K SINGH India will finalize its energy compacts going forward based on its target of 450 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, focusing on solar, wind and bio-energy; storage systems, green hydrogen and international cooperation through the International Solar Alliance. He gave an overview of the nature of the Energy Compacts being prepared by India. One of the key outcomes of the High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 will be ‘Energy Compacts’. Energy Compacts are voluntary commitments from Member States and nonstate actors like companies, regional/local governments, NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and others. These stakeholders commit to an Energy Compact that includes the specific actions they commit to take to support progress on SDG-7 informed Shri R. K. Singh. Welcoming the convening of the dialogue by the UN Secretary General in September 2021 in New York , the Minister gave an overview of the activities already undertaken by India in its role of a Global Champion and the activities planned for the future, as part of its global advocacy efforts to promote the Energy Transition theme for the Dialogue.

The Ministry of Power has issued an order for extension of the waiver of Inter-State Transmission system (ISTS) charges on transmission of electricity generated from solar and wind sources for projects to be commissioned up to 30th June 2025. The waiver of Inter- State transmission system (ISTS) charges has also been allowed for Hydro Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects to be commissioned up 30th June 2025. This will promote the Hydro Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects for meeting the balancing requirement of the grid caused due to large scale integration of Renewables in the Electricity Grid i.e. around 450 GW by 2030. The waiver of transmission charges has also been allowed for trading of electricity generated/ supplied from Solar, wind, PSP and BESS in Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) and Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) for two years i.e. till 30th June 2023. This is expected to encourage the RE trade in the Power Exchanges. The volume of renewable energy trade in the power exchange is expected to increase further. An opportunity to minimise the curtailment of RE as the RE developers will also have the option to sell power in the power exchanges and get instantly paid on the day of delivery of power itself. The buyers of Renewable energy will also have an opportunity to sell their surplus power in the power exchanges or allow in advance the sellers to sell in the power exchange.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 10

GOVERNMENT PROPOSES TO REVAMP THE RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE (REC) MECHANISM The Ministry of Power has circulated a Discussion paper on redesigning the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism for comments of stakeholders in the power sector. Discussion paper on the requirement of redesigning the REC Mechanism has been prepared in order to align it with the emerging changes in power scenario and to promote new renewable technology. The REC validity period may be removed. Thus, the validity of REC would be perpetual ie till it is sold. As RECs are perpetually valid then the floor and forbearance prices are not required to be specified as RECs holders would have the complete freedom to decide the timings to sell. CERC will be required to have monitoring and the surveillance mechanism to ensure that there is no hoarding of the RECs and creation of artificial price rise in the REC market. CERC may intervene if such a case of malpractice is observed in the REC trading.

INDIA ORGANISED SUMMIT ON GREEN HYDROGEN INITIATIVES INVOLVING BRICS NATIONS The prestigious event offered a platform to share perspectives on Green Hydrogen initiatives and views on how to take it to the next level in their own countries. The event is anchored by India’s largest power producer and one of the global energy majors, NTPC Ltd, a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power. The virtual summit brought the best brains, policy makers and major stakeholders from the BRICS nations deliberating and discussing at length the future of Hydrogen in the energy mix. As the world rapidly moves to decarbonise the entire energy system, hydrogen is poised to play a vital role and build on the rapid scale-up of renewable resources across the world. Hydrogen when produced by electrolysis using renewable energy is known as Green Hydrogen which has no carbon footprint. This gives Hydrogen the edge over other fuels to unlock various avenues of green usage. However, challenges lie in terms of technology, efficiency, financial viability and scaling up which the summit addresses.

INDIA TO SET UP COMMITTEE ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LOW CARBON TECH Power and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said a committee will be set up having members from all relevant Ministries for implementation of the Roadmap on Energy Efficiency and low carbon technologies. Minister of State ( Independent Charge) for Power , New and Renewable Energy and Minister of State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship chaired a high level meeting to review the progress of various energy efficiency programmes and the preparedness for Climate Change Actions in the country through video conferencing. The purpose of this high level meeting was to discuss activities in the field of energy efficiency across all the sectors of the economy with the objective of reducing CO2 emissions. Shri Singh directed to keep focus on sectors with highest emissions intensity such as Transport, MSMEs and Power plants. He discussed the activities defined under the Mission document – ROSHANEE – which has been developed for implementing a series of Energy Conservation schemes across the country. He advised the Ministries to take appropriate measures on the demand side initiatives to ensure that the wastage of energy is minimized and said that the deployment of low carbon technologies need to be taken up on a massive scale, especially in the MSMEs, where it is highly essential. He instructed all the departments that Electric Mobility also should be more aggressively pushed.

POWER MARKET TRADES 6540 MU IN MAY’21 ACHIEVING 9% YOY GROWTH The Indian Energy Exchange traded 6540 MU of electricity volume in May ’21 achieving 9% YoY growth amidst continuation of the COVID19 lockdowns as well the cyclonic disturbances which affected the overall power demand in the country. The national peak demand at 169 GW recorded a 2% YoY growth while the energy consumption at ~111 BU saw 8% YoY growth on the weak base, as per the power demand data published by the National Load Dispatch Center. IEX endeavors to provide uninterrupted 24*7 access to its platform to facilitate the distribution utilities as well as industrial consumers buy electricity on demand in a sustainable and efficient manner. Driven by the state-of-the-art technology with customer centricity at its core and coupled with the virtues such as the most competitive power prices, flexibility of procurement in 15-minute time blocks and transparency, the Exchange is now positioned as the most preferred destination within the short-term power market.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 11

REC SUBSIDIARY RECPDCL HANDS OVER 2 SPVS TO POWER GRID REC Power Distribution Company Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited under Ministry of Power, has handed over two projects specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) ‘Fatehgarh Bhadla Transco Limited’ & ‘Sikar New Transmission Limited’ to Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. The selection of Power Grid Corporation was carried out through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) for selection of Transmission Developers in line with the Standard Bidding Documents and Guidelines thereof as notified by Ministry of Power, Government of India.

STATE NEWS

MASTER PLAN OF DELHI 2041: SHIFTING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY The Master Plan for Delhi is one of the key instruments that facilitates Delhi’s development by assessing the present condition and guiding how to achieve the desired development. The anchor agency for the master plan is the Delhi Development Authority. Implementation of the Plan is the collective responsibility of all agencies involved in the development of Delhi, including the Central Government, concerned departments of the Government of the NCT of Delhi, service providers, landowning agencies, regulators, and local bodies among others. The release of the Master Plan for Delhi- 2041 coincides with the 75th year of India’s Independence. India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world by 2050 and its growth trajectory is increasingly being defined by cities that contribute 60 percent of the GDP. The Government has increased the focus on urban development by embarking upon a comprehensive programme for planned urban development in 2014, designed to bring about a transformative change in the lives of people with inclusive, participative and sustainable approach

CESL AND LADAKH SIGN MOU TO MAKE THE UNION TERRITORY CARBON NEUTRAL Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) under Ministry of Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Administration of Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh, to make it a clean and green UT. Under the MoU, various clean energy and energy efficiency programmes will be implemented. Beginning with a pilot in the Zanskar valley area, CESL will take up solar mini and micro grid solutions, energy efficient lighting, energy storage-based solutions, efficient cooking stoves and electric mobility solutions in the UT. Shri R K Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh said that energy access for Ladakh is foremost. Sustainable solutions such as the decentralised energy efficient solutions that can be implemented in difficult terrains of Ladakh is needed.

GUJARAT CM LAUNCHES STATE ACTION PLAN ON CLIMATE CHANGE On the occasion of World Environment Day, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched a ‘State Action Plan on Climate Change’ (SAPCC). The Chief Minister released State Action Plan on Climate Change prepared by the State Climate Change Department in collaboration with experts from IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Gandhinagar and a report on the impact of Covid-19 on various sectors of the state. Gujarat State Action Plan on Climate Change includes climate change adaptation, planning and measures for mitigation in the state till 2030. Of the major climate change risks Gujarat faces are the rise in temperature, extreme rainfall and sea level rise. These risks affect agriculture, various economic sectors, infrastructure and population groups in different ways. "Gujarat has placed a special emphasis on the use of solar and wind energy and electric vehicles for environmental protection,” Rupani said in his address at the event. “The state government has decided not to allow new thermal power plants, and has instead realized the effort of green, clean energy by generating 9,000MW of wind and 5,000MW of solar energy.” In the coming days, the CM said, Gujarat will be a leader in this field by producing 30 gigawatt of solar and wind energy. He added that his government was also promoting CNG and electric vehicles for pollution-free transportation.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 12

LADAKH SIGNS PACT WITH CESL FOR 5 MW SOLAR POWER PROJECT The Union Territory of Ladakh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) for setting up of 5-MW Solar Power Plant at Zanskar in Kargil. The signing ceremony coinciding with world environment day was virtually held between Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil and CESL in the presence of Lt Governor R K Mathur. Addressing the event, Mathur shared that this is the first of many such projects in Ladakh’s endeavour to achieve carbon neutrality and thanked CESL for taking up the challenge of working in the harsh terrain of Zanskar.

GUJARAT DISCOMS SIGN PACTS FOR 3,979 SOLAR PROJECTS WITH 2,500 MW CAPACITY Gujarat’s four public-owned electricity distribution companies have signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 3,979 small-scale distributed solar projects with aggregate capacity of 2,500 MW. These small-scale distributed solar projects, to be commissioned within the next 18 months, will bring in an investment of over Rs 10,000 crore in the state for the development of green energy and allied sectors. State energy minister Saurabh Patel said that the development is a major boost towards the state’s commitment to promote renewable energy.

NITI AAYOG RELEASES SDG INDIA INDEX FOR 2020-21: KERALA ON TOP The third edition of the SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 was released by NITI Aayog. Since its inaugural launch in 2018, the index has been comprehensively documenting and ranking the progress made by States and Union Territories towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Now in its third year, the index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among the States and Union Territories. Kerala managed to retain the top spot followed by Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu this year in the SDG India Index. While Bihar was placed at the bottom. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “The report reflects on the partnerships we have built and strengthened during our SDG efforts. The narrative throws light on how collaborative initiatives can result in better outcomes and greater impacts.”

REGULATORY UPDATES

SMART GRID CELL TO BE ESTABLISH IN TELANGANA, SAYS TSERC The Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) has issued a notification for implementing the TSERC (Smart Grid) Regulation, 2021, to be enforced from the date of its publication in the Telangana Gazette. Last year TSERC had proposed smart grid regulations to improve the efficiency of the state’s power generation, transmission, and distribution networks. According to the Commission the smart grid technologies have considerable potential to promote demand response, reducing wholesale prices and price volatility. The Commission, in order to promote the development of Smart Grid in the State has identified several key priorities to address existing and emerging challenges to the operation of the transmission and distribution systems. These challenges include cyber security issues, large-scale changes in generation mix and capabilities, and large potential new load from electric vehicles. The fact that a Smart Grid would permit two-way communication between the traditionally regulated components of the electric system and a large number of smart grid devices expected to be located beyond the conventional boundaries of regulated entities suggests that cyber security standards require special attention.

RERC RELAXES NEW ROOFTOP SOLAR NORMS TILL SEPT 15 Rajasthan state electricity regulator (RERC), in its order dated June 30, has extended the implementation date of new net metering norms for solar rooftop projects that restricts the benefits only to the household consumers and bars commercial projects having more than 10 kilowatt capacity. The new norms were to kick off from July 1. As per the new order issued, the new norms will be effective from September 15. In the meantime, the Union ministry of power on Wednesday increased the threshold for rooftop solar projects up to 500 KW instead of 10 KW for net metering benefits. RERC said that it has received representations from the stakeholders that due to the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the implementation of the projects under the different execution stages have come to a halt. They have requested the commission to extend the date June 30, 2021 at least by another three months, it added.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 13

THINK TANK NEW ENERGY NARRATIVE FOR A NET ZERO WORLD “Energy transformation will drive economic transformation,” said IRENA’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera. "Energy transition is a daunting task but can bring unprecedented new possibilities to revitalise economies and lift people out of poverty. IRENA’s Outlook brings unique value as it also outlines the policy frameworks and financing structures necessary to advance a transition that is just and inclusive. Each country will define what is the best for them, but collectively, we must ensure that all countries and regions can realise the benefits of the global energy transition for a resilient and more equitable world. We have the know-how, we have the tools, we need to act, and do so now." he added IRENA’s Outlook sees energy transition as a big business opportunity for multiple stakeholders including the private sector, shifting funding from equity to private debt capital. The latter will grow from 44 per cent in 2019 to 57 per cent in 2050, an increase of almost 20 per cent over planned policies. Energy transition technologies will find it easier to obtain affordable long-term debt financing in the coming years, while fossil fuel assets will increasingly be avoided by private financiers and therefore forced to rely on equity financing from retained earnings and new equity issues.

68.9% OF EFFICIENCY FOR GAAS THIN FILM PV CELL UNDER LASER LIGHT At the 48th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE recently presented how they were able to achieve a record conversion efficiency of 68.9% with a photovoltaic cell under monochromatic laser light. Researchers at Fraunhofer ISE have achieved a record conversion efficiency of 68.9 % for a III-V semiconductor photovoltaic cell based on gallium arsenide exposed to laser light of 858 nanometers. This is the highest efficiency achieved to date for the conversion of light into electricity. This success was made possible with a special thin film technology in which the solar cell layers are first grown on a gallium arsenide substrate which is then subsequently removed. A conductive, highly reflective mirror is applied to the back surface of the remaining semiconductor structure, which is only a few micrometers thick.

TENDER TRACKER TENDERS ISSUED BY CENTRAL AUTHORITIES

Authority Central Central

But public financing will remain crucial for a swift, just and inclusive energy transition and to catalyse private finance. In 2019, the public sector provided some USD 450 billion through public equity and lending by development finance institutions. In IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario, these investments will almost double to some USD 780 billion. Public debt financing will be an important facilitator for other lenders, especially in developing markets.

Central Central Central

Tender Name SECI Invites EOI for Selection of Consultancy Firm For 100 MW PV Project at Chhattisgarh IREDA Invites Bids for Rs. 4500 Crore Solar PLI Scheme NPCIL Tenders for Grid Connected Solar Roof Top PV Power Plant IREDA Extends Bid Submission Date For 12000 MW CPSU Phase-II Solar Scheme SECI Tenders for Setting Up of 500 MW Solar PV Projects in Maharashtra

TENDERS ISSUED BY PSU'S

Authority

Tender Name

PSU

NTPC Invites Tenders For Deploying Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses in Delhi, Leh

PSU

NTPC Invite Bids For EPC Works of 500 MW of Solar Project

PSU

NTPC Tenders For 1 GW of Grid Scale Battery Storage

PSU

GAIL to Bid For Solar Foray with 400 MW Capacity

TENDERS ISSUED BY PSU'S

| INDIA

Authority

Tender Name

PSU

PGVCL Issues Tender for 68245 Bidirectional Meters for Rooftop Solar

PSU

MEDA Invites 3 KW Grid Connected Solar Tender at Nagpur

PSU

Uttarakhand Tenders for 50 KW Solar PV Plant at Rudraprayag

PSU

MSEDCL Issues EOI For 500 MW of Solar Project

PSU

REMCL Invites Bids for Setting up 15 MW Solar Project with Battery Storage System

PSU

PGVCL Issues Tender for 68245 Bidirectional Meters for Rooftop Solar

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 14

HIGH MODULE PRICES MAY LOWER RETURNS FOR 12 GW SOLAR PROJECTS As per CRISIL Ratings’ estimates, ~12 GW of projects were bid at low tariffs of less than Rs 2.5 per unit since March 2020. These projects had factored in the price trend of solar modules which had fallen by more than 10% compounded on-year over the 5 year period ending March 2020. However as these projects are nearing the module procurement phase, a reverse price trend is visible with module prices spiking to USD 0.24/watt in June 2021 – a good 10% increase since January 2021. Remaining components of project cost being land and other electrical equipment, have been fairly stable. Solar modules form over 50% of the total project cost and bulk of them are imported. Thus material variations in their price and exchange rates from expectations at the time of bidding can pose viability risks on the projects. Developers typically buy the modules 9-12 months after they win the auction. This wide gap exposes projects to risk of fluctuations in solar panel prices and currency exchange rates. More so because these variables remain unhedged and are also not a pass-through as per agreements. Further, if the module prices remain high at over USD 0.25 per watt, the future solar bids are also likely to become relatively expensive compared to the low tariffs of around Rs 2 per unit seen around January 2021. Tariffs could jump by Rs 10 – 15 paise per unit to factor higher module costs and to maintain returns of 10-12%.” This is in addition to the impact of 25 – 30 paise per unit because of imposition of basic customs duty applicable on import of solar modules. This is an impressive result that shows the potential of photovoltaics for industrial applications beyond solar power generation,” says a delighted Prof. Andreas Bett, institute director of Fraunhofer ISE.

INDIA NEEDS TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVE REVENUE SOURCES TERI suggests diversification of revenue sources for coal-bearing states to prepare for just transitions. As India plans to transition away from coal for its energy demand, it needs to look for alternative revenue and livelihood sources for those associated with the industry, especially states for whom coal forms a major part of their revenues. The diversification of revenue sources for such states and their workforce can be undertaken by establishing industrial parks, solar parks, and battery energy storage projects. These are some of the conclusions from The Energy and Research Institute’s (TERI) working papers, launched at a webinar on ‘Just Transition – Planning for a PostCoal Future’. Highlighting the need for skilling the workforce to avail diversified livelihood opportunities, Mohit Bhargava, Executive Director, Renewable Energy, NTPC Limited, called for a focus on training in new technologies related to floating solar, EV charging, rooftop solar, biomass etc. However, he added that skilling also needs to focus on developing entrepreneurship, vendors, and promoting manufacturing hubs that can create lots of jobs.

| INDIA

SOLAR TO OVERTAKE COAL BY 2030: STUDY SAYS India’s largest power generator, NTPC Ltd., has long been a major player in coal-fired electricity. But it has lately stepped into the renewables business, as have many other major power and industrial players in India, with a commitment last year to build 32 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2032. Recently, it doubled up that commitment, raising its target to 60 gigawatts. NTPC hasn’t said what its future renewable asset mix will be, but most of India’s renewables expansion will come from solar. Were it to be entirely solar, 60 gigawatts of total capacity by 2032 would be approximately a fifth of India’s expected solar installations to that date. That’s not far off NTPC’s current power market share of 17%, more than 90% of which is fossil fuel-fired. Any additional renewable power is good for India’s carbon intensity, but NTPC’s move also raises questions about the future of the nation’s coal fleet, which just might peak in the next decade. At the moment, solar is a pale shadow to India’s King Coal, which has about six times the installed capacity. However government projections and BloombergNEF analysis suggest that solar will overtake coal by the end of 2030. Solar capacity will expand 700% in the next 10 years; coal will expand, too, but only by 30%.

REGULATORY CONSTRAINTS AFFECTING OPEN ACCESS RE PROJECTS Regulatory constraints are posing headwinds for open access-based renewable energy projects, said ICRA. Independent Power Producers in the renewable power sector selling power in the open access route are faced with increasing regulatory constraints in the form of upward revision of open access charges, denial of open access approvals and tightening of energy banking norms. Further, with improving tariff competitiveness of renewables particularly in the solar and wind power segments, the renewable power policies in several states have been amended over the last 3-4 year period. States have either completely withdrawn or reduced the concessions / incentives on open access charges, in respect of procuring power from solar and wind power projects under the open access route. Mr. Girishkumar Kadam, Senior Vice President & Co-Group HeadCorporate ratings, ICRA, said, “The overall open access charges for third party based IPPs vary widely across the key states ranging between Rs. 2 – 5 per unit and have shown an increasing trend over the period, given the limited progress in tariff rationalisation for the grid tariffs set by the SERCs for the state-owned distribution utilities (discoms). Further, state owned discoms in most cases show a passive resistance, due to apprehensions of losing cross-subsidising / high tariff paying commercial & industrial (C&I) customers. This poses regulatory headwinds for capacity addition in the open access segment for renewables over the medium term. However, demand for such PPAs with C&I customers is favourable, supported by tariff attractiveness, given the extent of discount offered in such PPAs against the applicable grid tariffs as well as growing voluntary sustainability initiatives of corporate customers, as seen recently.”

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 15

SOLAR PLI SCHEME TO BENEFIT 8%-13% OF INCREMENTAL PANELS DEMAND TILL FY30; CONSOLIDATION IN THE OFFING India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) estimates the allocation of INR45 billion towards the solar modules manufacturing industry by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) can benefit the sales of 20GW from the capacity developed under the under production linked incentive (PLI) scheme across the five-year implementation period, assuming 100% localisation (up to 30GW in case of 65% localisation). It also means sanction of the PLI facility which will benefit 4-6GW of sales annually over five years from commissioning of the beneficiary manufacturing facilities. The scheme can facilitate additional 8-12GW annual solar cell/module manufacturing capacity in India. Sales up to 50% of the manufacturing capacity set up by the winning bidder will benefit from PLI. This estimate assumes the base PLI rate of INR 2.25 per watt power and entirely greenfield expansion.

COST COMPETITIVENESS OF PV TO FURTHER INCREASE DUE TO RISING CO2 PRICES Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have presented the newest edition of their study on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of renewable power plants. The fifth edition of the study analyzes the current costs and forecasts the future cost development up to 2040 based on technology-specific learning rates and market scenarios. “Wind and solar power plants in Germany have significantly lower LCOE costs than conventional power plants. Due to the rising price of CO2 certificates, the cost competitiveness of even existing coal and gas-fired plants will further decrease in the coming years,” says project head Dr. Christoph Kost.Due to the intensified actions taken to protect the climate, the operating costs of conventional power plants are rising. At the same time, the levelized costs of electricity, particularly for photovoltaic plants, have continued to fall since the results of the last study were released in 2018. Currently, the LCOE of photovoltaics ranges from 3.12 to 11.01 €Cent /kWh, depending on the type of plant and the solar irradiation, and the specific plant costs range from 530 to 1600 €/kWp, depending on the plant type.

IEA WELCOMES G7 LEADERS’ COMMITMENT TO REACH NET ZERO BY 2050 IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol congratulated the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations for their landmark Summit at which they committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and made a series of other significant energy and climate pledges. G7 leaders concluded the closely watched Summit, issuing a communique in which they set out their net zero commitments and called on all countries, in particular major emitting economies, “to join us in these goals as part of a global effort.” In this context, the leaders noted the IEA’s “clear roadmap” for achieving net zero globally by 2050.

The capacity to benefit under the scheme may further reduce from the stated 20 GW level in case the plants achieve better module efficiency and temperature coefficient than the minimum requirement defined in the notification. India has set a target to install 280GW of solar power plants by FY30 out of which about 240GW is under pipeline or yet to be implemented, which means just 8%-13% of this planned requirement is going to benefit directly from this PLI scheme till FY30 (assuming localisation to be in between 65% and 100%), apart from improving the domestic manufacturing capacity.

POWERING UP SOLAR IRRIGATION EFFORT WILL SUPPORT INDIA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS India’s mission to deploy some 2 million off-grid solar-powered irrigation pumps is making sluggish progress, with only one-eighth of the target achieved so far, according to a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) which urges the central and state governments to remove bottlenecks in the installation of solar pumps. “Solar-powered irrigation is a huge opportunity for India,” says author Kashish Shah, IEEFA Research Analyst. “But despite the clear multiple commercial benefits, the rollout of solar pumps has been much slower than anticipated.” The report calls for a renewed push on installation of solar-powered pumps under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Rs34,422 crore (US$4.7 billion) PM-KUSUM scheme, which has a 2022 target of 30.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, including about 2 million off-grid pumps. The scheme should have accelerated solar pump deployment, but at the end of financial year 2019/20 a total of around 246,000 solar pumps were deployed and only 8,900 of these were installed in the 12 months after the scheme was launched in 2019. By comparison the number of fossil-fuel-powered water pumps in India totals more than 8.8 million.

The IEA Roadmap to Net Zero by 20250 was released on 18 May. It is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system globally by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth. In the pathway laid out in the IEA Roadmap, strong and credible policy actions by governments around the world drive a historic surge in clean energy investment and deployment, thereby reducing demand for fossil fuels, creating millions of new jobs and lifting global economic growth.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 16

THE ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR PUMPS OVER FOSSIL FUEL AND MANUAL PUMPS

MAHARASHTRA’S ENERGY TRANSITION A 75,000 CRORE SAVINGS OPPORTUNITY The report “Maharashtra’s Energy Transition – A ₹75,000 cr. opportunity” by research group Climate Risk Horizons suggests that the state government can save thousands of crores through certain measures. Surplus electricity generation capacity, air pollution regulations and cheap renewable energy offer Maharashtra an opportunity to save Rs.16,000 cr. in 5 years, and over Rs.75,000 cr. in the coming decade, says the report. As one of India’s most advanced industrial states, Maharashtra has been making steady progress towards a clean energy transition through solar agricultural feeders, solarisation of diesel pumps and procurement of new solar power through competitive bidding processes. However, as this analysis will show, there are several winwin measures that the state government and the state discom MSEDCL can take to accelerate the energy transition while delivering public benefits in terms of lower priced electricity and reduced air pollution. Maharashtra, like the rest of India, is already facing the financial impacts of a changing climate. Maharashtra also has one of the largest coal power fleets in the country, with 9.75 GW of coal power operated by the state-owned Mahagenco, in addition to 11.58 GW of privately owned coal plants and 3.64 GW operated by NTPC. Retiring 4,020 MW of coal power units over 20 years of age and replacing their scheduled generation with new renewable energy would save over Rs. 10,000 crores over five years. This can be achieved in two ways suggested in the report.

ELECTRICITY DERIVATIVES WILL OFFER MORE CERTAINTY OF POWER OFFTAKE FOR RENEWABLE INVESTORS The introduction of derivatives to India’s short-term power market will make it easier for renewable project developers to enter into offtake arrangements with state-owned distribution companies (discoms), finds a new briefing from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). "The launch of new financial instruments will enable developers to hedge their offtaker risk without signing long-term contracts with discoms for the financial closure of projects,” says author Vibhuti Garg, Energy Economist, Lead India at IEEFA.

Well, when it comes to agricultural use, the advantages associated with solar pumps are close to none. The biggest benefit of the pumps is that they can be used anywhere. Provided, one does have a well in their property, all they need is solar panels and the sun to make the system work properly. This simply gives way to the fact that one doesn’t need to spend unnecessarily trying to avail a source of power, which otherwise could have been very costly and might require a huge maintenance haul. Lower operating cost is probably the most notable benefit provided by solar pump systems. The fact that the energy is coming directly from the sun makes one’s utility bill get reduced to a considerable extent. As they get fueled up naturally by the sun, solar pumps do not really come up with a hefty operating cost. One doesn’t need to count a huge utility bill everytime they turn the pump on. On the contrary, with solar pump systems on board, one can just save huge money and continue pumping water for a more reasonable price! In a nutshell, a solar water pump can be defined as a wise investment that will help one make money down the line.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS SOLD 17.6 MILLION RE SHARES IN Q1 As per S&P Global Market Intelligence, the institutional investors dumped shares of North American renewable energy companies during the first quarter of 2021 amid fears that the sector had become dangerously overvalued. Professional investors sold a net 17.6 million shares of 10 renewable energy companies tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence during the first three months of the year. Michael Copley, in his blog said that the sell-off marked the largest decrease in institutional ownership in the group in more than a year and was a sharp reversal from the prior quarter, when professional investors added a net 65.4 million shares to their portfolios. Investors of all types have backed away from the renewable energy sector during the first quarter of this year despite growing tailwinds as governments and businesses step up efforts to limit climate change. The iShares Global Clean Energy ETF, for instance, a BlackRock Inc. fund with $5.9 billion in assets, is down about 20% year to date compared to an increase of 12% in the value of the S&P 500.

“The sale of power in the futures market will provide flexibility and certainty of supply for both discoms and developers. It will also help develop the price signal needed to incentivise supply into peak demand periods, which is the key to enabling battery deployments and demand response management,” says Garg. IEEFA’s note makes recommendations for the design of the financial market including determining a reference price that gives signals to investors for new renewables capacity and storage infrastructure; creating simple, stable and standardised financial products; and a realtime surveillance mechanism to prevent collusion and influencing of price.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 17

PROJECT MONTHLY FOURTH PARTNER ENERGY RAISES $125 MILLION FROM NORFUND AND TPG CAPITAL’S RISE FUND Norway’s state-owned Norfund and TPG Capital’s RISE Fund have invested $100 million and $25 million respectively in Hyderabadbased Fourth Partner Energy. Norfund (Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries) is an investment company intended to develop and establish profitable and sustainable enterprises in poor countries. The objective is to promote business development and contribute to economic growth. Fourth Partner Energy had raised $125 Mn in equity funding from Norwegian Investment Fund – Norfund and existing shareholder The Rise Fund, TPG’s global impact investing platform. This $100 Million marks Norfund’s maiden investment into India’s leading solar energy company, while The Rise Fund is investing an additional $25 Mn into Fourth Partner, following its $70 Mn investment in July 2018,” the companies said in a joint statement.

NTPC TO LIST ITS RE ARM, PLANS TO ADD 60 GW CAPACITY State-run NTPC intends to list its arm NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd to raise funds for achieving its ambitious target of 60 GW installed renewable energy capacity by 2032, a top company official said. NTPC has become India’s first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). NTPC looks to install 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032. The country’s largest power producer is also aiming for a 10 per cent reduction in net energy intensity by 2032. Taking part within the digital BloombergNEF (BNEF) Summit, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh mentioned, “We should always not concentrate on a technique of elevating funds. We need to quickly go to the public for elevating funds.” Singh was speaking about elevating funds for NTPC’s bold RE goal and claimed that the corporate would add 7-8 GW RE yearly, which might not be an uphill activity for it. He exuded confidence that NTPC would quite be exceeding its goal of 60GW of RE by 2032.

LNJ BHILWARA GROUP ANNOUNCES JV WITH REPLUS ENGITECH TO SET UP 1 GWH FACILITY IN PUNE LNJ Bhilwara Group, a multi-diversified conglomerate, today announced its entry into the lithium-ion battery business through its private promoter entities. The group has entered into a joint venture with Replus Engitech Pvt Ltd, a Pune-based company pioneering advanced energy storage products and solutions to establish a 1GWh plant for Lithium-Ion Battery Modules & Packs, Battery Management Systems (BMS), Energy Management Systems (EMS), and Containerized Battery Energy Solutions (BESS). These products will cater to large Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for Renewable Integration, Micro Grid, Utility support, Railways, Telecom, Data centers, Transmission & Distribution Demand Management, Power Walls for Commercial, and Residential Applications. Battery Packs for 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers (both Swappable and Charge & Drive), Electric-buses, and 4-wheelers are among the E-mobility Products.

BRIGHTNIGHT TO SET FOOT IN INDIAN ELECTRICITY MARKET BrightNight announced its entrance into India’s energy market with two key hires based in New Delhi. Sajay KV has joined as India CEO and Naveen Khandelwal has joined as India COO and CFO. Combined, BrightNight’s new India management team members have contributed to the delivery of 10 GW of renewable projects across India, and raised more than $2.5 billion in capital for energy projects. Naveen Khandelwal, BrightNight India COO & CFO has been a leader in Indian energy markets for more than 18 years. Naveen was a founding member of two large and reputed Indian renewable energy IPPs with GW-size wind and solar portfolios. Naveen has worked extensively in the areas of corporate development, corporate finance, technocommercials, growth strategy, capital allocation, and general management. Naveen has also led capital raises for more than $2.5B USD over the last 10 years, across equity and debt, for renewable energy platforms.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 18

RIL TO SET UP 100 GW OF SOLAR POWER GENERATING CAPACITY BY 2030 Mukesh Ambani announced a Rs 75,000 crore investment in setting up four factories to make solar photovoltaic cells, green hydrogen, batteries and fuel cells over the next three years. Reliance will set up 100 GW of solar power generating capacity he said while addressing the company’s annual shareholder meeting. “We plan to build four Giga Factories to manufacture and integrate all critical components of the new energy ecosystem: solar photovoltaic module factory, energy storage battery factory, electrolyser factory, fuel cell factory. These four factories will involve an investment of Rs 60,000 crore” Ambani said. Last year, Reliance had announced a 15-year commitment to become net carbon zero by 2035. “We will invest an additional Rs 15,000 crore in the value chain, partnerships and future technologies, including upstream and downstream industries. Thus, our overall investment in the new energy business will be Rs 75,000 crore in 3 years. The age of fossil fuels, which powered economic growth globally for nearly three centuries, cannot continue much longer,” he said.

FORTUM TO DIVEST 500 MW OF INDIAN SOLAR PROJECTS TO ACTIS Fortum has signed an agreement to divest the 250-MW Pavagada II and the 250-MW Rajasthan solar power plants in India to Actis, a global infrastructure investment firm. The total consideration from the divestment on a debt and cash-free basis, including the effect of deconsolidating of the net debt, is expected to be approximately EUR 280 million, most of which will be recorded during 2021. The divestment is expected to have a positive impact of approximately EUR 20 million on the City Solutions segment’s results. The divestment will be completed and the capital gain recorded in three tranches; during the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022. The parties have also signed a comprehensive agreement targeting further investments in solar power plants in India.

ACME, BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE TO BUILD 450 MW PV PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN ACME, India’s leading solar IPP, announced closure of a deal with Brookfield Renewable, a global owner and operator of renewable power assets, to build a 450MWp Solar Project in Rajasthan. This solar project includes a 25-year power purchase agreement with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, the largest electricity distribution utility in India and the 2nd largest in the World. Through this project, they will provide clean & green electricity to over a million households. It is also expected that the project will provide jobs for over 450 people during its construction phase and 150 people while its operating.

| INDIA

ADANI POWER TO ACQUIRE 1,200 MW ESSAR POWER’S MAHAN PROJECT IN SINGRAULI The country’s largest power producer in the private sector, Adani Power Limited (APL), will acquire the 1,200 megawatt (MW) Essar Power’s Mahan Project located at Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh. Resolution Professional of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) issued a Letter of Intent to Adani Power. Essar Power’s Mahan power plant supplies power through the Mahan-Sipat transmission line and is also connected with a railway siding 18 km away from the plant for the supply of coal and other raw materials. According to industry sources, Adani Power will shell out close to Rs 3,000 crore for the Mahan Project. Adani Group has been on an acquisition spree for power generation assets across the country. Last month, Adani Group’s renewable energy arm Adani Green Energy acquired SB Energy’s solar and wind power portfolio from Softbank and Bharti Group.

TATA MOTORS & TATA POWER INAUGURATE INDIA’S LARGEST SOLAR CARPORT In line with Tata Group’s philosophy to promote green manufacturing, Tata Motors and Tata Power jointly inaugurated India’s largest gridsynchronized, behind-the-meter solar carport at the Tata Motors car plant in Chikhali, Pune. The 6.2 MWp solar carport deployed by Tata Power will generate 86.4 lakh kWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 7,000 tons of carbon emissions annually and 1.6 lakh tons over its lifecycle. Spanning over 30,000 square meters, this carport will not only generate green power, but will also provide covered parking for finished cars in the plant. Being a signatory of the RE100, Tata Motors is committed to use 100% renewable power and has taken several strides towards achieving this goal by progressively increasing the proportion of renewable energy used in its operations. In FY20, the company generated 88.71 million kWh of renewable electricity which is over 21% of its total power consumption (up from 16% in FY19). This helped prevent the equivalent of 72,739 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The company further intends to source renewable energy more rigorously to meet its aspiration of sourcing 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 19

CIEL & TERRE INDIA COMPLETED INDIA’S ONE OF THE LARGEST FLOATING SOLAR POWER PLANT IN WEST BENGAL

ACME JOINS HAND WITH IFU AND UN’S S3I FOR 250 MW SOLAR PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN ACME signed a shareholders’ agreement with UNOPS S3i and IFU for developing a 250 MW solar power plant located in the Rajasthan state of India. The total value of the project will be equivalent to just under USD 200 million and a quarter of the amount will be financed through equity contributions by the three co-investors. UNOPS Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i) has made equity investment in renewable energy. The deal supports India’s ambitious renewable targets and will provide clean electricity to half a million families. S3i helps structure deals and invests in sustainable infrastructure, and boosts impactful innovation, aiming to bring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) closer to reality. Once operational, the solar plant will provide clean electricity to the equivalent of 500,000 households. It is also estimated that the project will create some 225 jobs in the construction phase, and 75 jobs while the plant is in operation.

SEMBCORP ON PROWL FOR RENEWABLE PROJECTS ACQUISITIONS IN INDIA Singapore-based Sembcorp is looking at acquisitions of solar and wind energy projects in India as it chases a strategic goal to shift its portfolio from brown to green by quadrupling renewable energy capacity. Sembcorp, which has invested about Singapore dollar 6.5 billion (about Rs 35,000 crore) in electricity-generating projects in India, is open to buying under-construction as well as completed solar and wind projects, said India head, Vipul Tuli. “We have decided to move the portfolio from brown to green,” he added. The firm was targeting 70 per cent of profit from sustainable solutions portfolio in 2025, up from 40 per cent in 2020. The strategic plan calls for shifting its portfolio from ”brown to green” that includes quadrupling renewable energy capacity to 10 GW by 2025 from 2.6 GW in 2020.

CIEL & TERRE India, Subsidiary of CIEL & TERRE INTERNATIONAL, Global leader in floating solar, has successfully completed the plant engineering, float supply, anchoring and mooring, and supervision of the 5.4 MWp floating solar plant at Sagardighi Thermal Power Plant by West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) and BHEL is the EPC partner for this project. WBPDC floating plant now gets the unique distinction of being the world’s first FPV that is commissioned in a thermal coal reservoir, it is a positive way to switch from fuel to green energy. Hydrelio® patent Equato floats, locally manufactured under “Make in India '' campaign mounted 16,880 photovoltaic panels with 320 Wp capacity BHEL make, over an area of 10.22 hectares. This plant will produce competitive electricity to supply around 1000 homes and avoid more than 5838 tons of CO2 emissions. With the 5.4MWp plant, WBPDCL can save over 48 million liters of water from evaporation, which can be used during the cooling water requirement in summers.

IKEA TO HELP SUPPLIERS IN INDIA TRANSIT TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY Swedish home furnishing retailing major IKEA said it will launch a programme in India, Poland and China this year, helping suppliers there transit to 100 per cent renewable electricity. Under this initiative, the company would invest and support nearly 1,600 direct suppliers. IKEA is striving for 100 % renewable energy throughout the entire value chain. By switching to renewable electricity, these suppliers will save 670,000 tonne of emissions per year, which is equivalent to approximately 3 percent of the total climate footprint of the IKEA value chain, it added. “The programme will be introduced in 2021 for suppliers in Poland, China and India, who represent three of IKEA’s largest purchasing countries, followed by a stepwise global rollout,” it said. IKEA has around 50 suppliers in India and is one of the largest purchasing countries.

TATA POWER: FIRST TO INSTALL SMART METERS IN MUMBAI Tata Power is the FIRST Distribution Utility in Mumbai to initiate Smart metering for its consumers with more than 7000 smart meters installation already so far for its customers. With the installation of smart meters, Tata Power has also enabled its customers with valuable data analytics tools. Customers can now view and optimise their electricity consumption in near real time through the customer portal and mobile app. Smart Meters are a Smart choice – both for Customers as well as the energy provider which offers complete transparency regarding their energy consumption patterns and billing. The smart meter rollout has witnessed positive support from customers who are appreciating this effort by Tata Power. It allows them easy access to monitor their near real time consumption in just a few clicks and enables them to monitor it on an hourly, daily or on monthly basis.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 20

TATA POWER OFFERS 100 % GREEN POWER TO MUMBAI CUSTOMERS Tata Power, India’s largest integrated power utility, announced that over 37 consumers with a consumption of more than 19 MUs have opted for ‘Green Power’, this includes some of the leading IT firms, Banks and Consumer Business Group situated in Mumbai. In line with its commitment and the basis of the permission granted by the honourable MERC to provide 100 percent ‘Green Power’ in March’21,Tata Power initiated the process of empowering its customers with sustainable ‘Green’ growth from April’21. Consumers who wish to receive ‘Green Power’ are paying ‘Green tariff’ as approved by the honourable MERC. These customers have been sent their first ‘Green Bill’ for consumption of 100 percent ‘Green Power’ for the past month. The company endeavors to provide 100 percent Green Power to commercial & industrial organisations as well as residential customers who are committed towards the cause of sustainability and are keen to reduce their carbon footprint. The initiative of the company has received overwhelming responses from its customers, it has been receiving many queries regarding the new services.

HDFC TO CONVERT 50% OF ITS TOTAL SOURCED ELECTRICITY TO RENEWABLE ENERGY As part of its ESG strategy, the Bank will also focus on offering loans for green products like electric vehicles at lower interest rates and incorporating ESG scores in its credit decisions. The Bank is also working on a framework for issuing green bonds. As a part of this strategy it is planning the following initiatives, amongst others: Decrease absolute emissions and energy consumed in line from current level of 315,583 MT CO2 emissions. Increase Rooftop Solar capacity in large offices. Convert 50% of our total sourced electricity to renewable energy. Create single use plastic free corporate offices. Plant 25 Lakh trees. Reduce water consumption by 30%.

NORWAY’S SCATEC ENTERS INDIAN MARKET; PARTNERS ACME BY SIGNING 900 MW SOLAR DEAL

TATA POWER SOLAR RECEIVES EPC ORDERS FOR INR 686 CRORES FROM NTPC TO SET UP SOLAR PV PROJECTS Tata Power Solar, India’s largest integrated solar company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, has received “Letter of Award” (LoA) to build 210MWp of Solar PV projects for NTPC. The total order value of the projects is approximately ÌNR 686 crores. The commissioning date for NTPC is set for November, 2022. With this addition, the order pipeline of Tata Power Solar stands at approximately 2.8GW with an approximate value of INR 13,000 crores, thereby cementing its position as India’s leading Solar EPC player. The scope of work includes land, transmission, engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning of the solar projects. The NTPC project site is located in Gujarat.

SINGARENI COMMISSIONS ONE MORE SOLAR PLANT, TAKES CAPACITY TO 162 MW Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has commissioned another 10 MW plant at Bhupalapalli, Telangana. With this plant, the company's total solar power generation capacity has reached 162 MW. Giving the details of area-wise solar plants and the energy generated by them the SCCL officials said the six plants of 152 MW capacity at Manuguru, Pegadapalli, Yellandu, Ramagundam and Mandamarri. The solar plants of the company have generated about 65 million units (MU) of energy saving ₹34.12 crore to the company on its energy bills so far. The solar plants commissioned so far are part of the 300 MW capacity being developed by the company in the first phase.

Scatec has entered a partnership with ACME, a leading solar developer in India, to realise a 900 MW solar power plant in the state of Rajasthan, India. The project holds a 25-year PPA with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) secured in a tender in 2018. The project has an estimated total capex of USD 400 million, with 75% debt financing from an Indian state-owned lender. Scatec will hold a 50% economic interest in the project, while ACME will retain 50%. ACME will be the turn-key EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) provider for the project. Scatec will ensure delivery according to international standards, HSSE and E&S, as well as optimisation of engineering, procurement and operations of the plants. The annual production from the plant is expected to be 1,600 GWh. “Scatec targets 15 GW capacity by the end of 2025 and expects India to be a key market in the years to come. This transaction is an important milestone to position Scatec for future growth in the Indian market. We see opportunities to offer various large-scale solutions across technologies in India, both based on federal and state tenders, as well as through entering into direct PPAs with corporate off-takers. Our proven track record from renewables in emerging markets and solid partnerships will support our entry into the Indian market”, says Carlsen.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 21

IN CONVERSATION

SANDEEP KASHYAP PRESIDENT – ACME SOLAR

SolarQuarter India magazine interviewed Mr. Sandeep Kashyap, President at ACME Solar. He spoke about his company’s future plans, technology trends and challenges faced by the industry.

As a Clean Energy Developer, has the year 2020 been for ACME overall? Any key learnings? While the whole world got affected due to Pandemic during this time, we utilized this time effectively for raising equity capital and organizing skill enhancement sessions for our employees. Amidst all the challenges, we were able to successfully execute deals with marquee investors like Petronas and Actis for our 450 MW of solar assets during this time.

Please tell our readers about the current installed capacity of the company and what are your future plants for next 2 years? ACME has a portfolio of 2.2 GWp of commissioned projects which are spread across 13 states and a pipeline of 3.25 GWp projects under construction and development in India which we plan to commission within the next two years.

What are the current and potential challenges faced by the Solar Utility Sector? COVID 19 has been the biggest challenge for the industry in terms of on ground execution of the projects and global supply chain disruption which led to the rise in commodity pricing for Steel, Aluminium, Copper, poly silicon to their lifetime high in the last 3- 6 month time. This has resulted in the delay of projects by at least 8-10 months and also led to reduced returns on projects being commissioned during this time.

MR. SANDEEP HAS MORE THAN 27 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, CORPORATE AFFAIRS, TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND P&L MANAGEMENT IN DIVERSE INDUSTRIES INCLUDING SOLAR, INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION AND TELECOM. SINCE 2012, HE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN INCUBATING BUSINESSES WITH A FOCUS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY. HE HAS ALSO PRESENTED AT VARIOUS NATIONAL FORUMS ADVOCATING SOLAR ENERGY. Your views on: Latest worldwide innovation trends. Has India been able to keep pace with the same?

What pipeline of projects do you currently own; kindly specify the size, location, timeline of the projects?

The automation clubbed with AI will be driving operational excellence in many crucial areas including renewable. Green hydrogen is still clawing its way into the mainstream and here comes yet another powerful new decarbonisation trend: green ammonia. Green ammonia and Green Hydrogen were a big mystery just two years ago and now it’s the Next Big Thing. New Innovative ways of energy storage by converting it into hydrogen and re-electrifying whenever needed is another game changer. With that being said, India is actually leading in implementing and taking advantage of these advancements in the near future.

Currently we have over 3.25GWp capacity under construction and development in India and 2.5 GWp capacity under development for production of Green Ammonia in Oman. Overall, we plan to build a pipeline of 2-2.5 GW of projects every year with a vision to create a portfolio of 25 GW by 2030.

GREEN AMMONIA AND GREEN HYDROGEN WERE A BIG MYSTERY JUST TWO YEARS AGO AND NOW IT’S THE NEXT BIG THING."

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 22

IN CONVERSATION

CHARUKESH NRB MANAGER, RESIDENTIAL SOLAR, HOMESCAPE BY AMPLUS SOLAR

In an exclusive interview with SolarQuarter India Magazine, Mr. Charukesh N R B, Manager - Residential Solar, HomeScape speaks about the brand HomeScape and the innovative residential solar solutions they are offering.

How has the year 2020 been for HomeScape, especially considering that it was the pandemic year? Any key learnings? The pandemic forced everyone to stay at their homes for long periods. This made many people realise the importance of home décor and beautiful work spaces in their vicinity, leading to an increased investment in home improvement. People realised an elevated solar on their rooftop could provide an additional space and also help cut down on electricity bills. HomeScape was quick to respond by introducing contactless site survey and installation to instil confidence among our customers. The year saw good business growth, leading to expansion in new geographies as well.

According to you, how has the growth been for the residential segment in the past few years and what will be the demand trend for the next fiscal year? As per Bridge to India reports, the residential segment has added 359 MW in 2020. The percentage share of residential solar in the total rooftop solar capacity added in a year has been almost steady at 10-15% for the past few years. The raw material costs have witnessed a slight increase in 2021 and with the imposition of BCD on solar modules import from 2022, the prices of rooftop solar solutions is expected to rise. In spite of increasing input costs, the demand is expected to improve considering enhanced awareness and availability of subsidies for the residential segment.

| INDIA

MR. CHARUKESH, IS PASSIONATE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND IS A STRONG BELIEVER THAT BUSINESSES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN LEADING THE SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY THROUGH RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES.

How is HomeScape by Amplus Solar different from its competitors? Could you please brief our readers on this? Amplus Solar, a member of the PETRONAS group, has the expertise of being in the solar industry and has proved to be a leading player consistently. Amplus is backed by the trust of 250+ renowned Commercial and Industrial clients and HomeScape is backed by the trust of 700+ Residential Clients. Our commitment to provide quality solutions has always been the priority. HomeScape offers innovative residential solar solutions which are aesthetically pleasing. Atrium, our flagship product, is an elevated solar plant with Wood-Clad Pergola structure. The never-seen-before innovative solution, Atrium is custom designed to enhance the beauty of the roof with its premium finish. Our unique solution, focus on customisation and design, prioritising quality and safety, distinguish us from our competitors.

What is the biggest challenge in the adoption of solar by the residential segment?

Throw some light on the availability of subsidies. Subsidies are currently provided as part of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) by MNRE for Grid Connected Rooftop (GCRT) solar systems. As part of the GCRT Phase-2 programme, the subsidy is available for residential connections which is set at 40% for systems up to 3kW and 20% for systems from 3-10kW. The subsidy is based on the benchmark price set by MNRE or the price discovered in the tender, whichever is lower. Vendors empanelled with the DISCOM/state regulatory authorities are eligible to provide the subsidies to end customers.

THE MAJOR CHALLENGE IN ADOPTION OF SOLAR IS THE AFFORDABILITY FOR A MAJOR SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION."

The awareness of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar System and its advantages is low amongst the residential segment. However, this concern is being addressed actively by various stakeholders and the awareness levels are improving. The major challenge in adoption of solar is the affordability for a major segment of the population. Subsidies and innovative financing mechanisms such as EMIs at low interest rates and long repayment tenures help alleviate this concern.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 23

FEATUREDTALKS

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 larger wafer 210 mm high power modules. Li Jianfei, CTO / VP, SINENG ELECTRIC

Kindly provide details of your inverter supplies to India till date. What are your targets for the upcoming years? We have supplied more than 3GW inverters as of 2021.Though 2020 was a bit slower than the predictions made by industry specialists due to the pandemic, Sineng is expecting a large pipeline of projects to spur the return to growth. We have shipped over 500MW inverters in the first quarter of 2021 and more than 1 GW projects contract have been signed.

SINENG HAS SERVED ALL-ROUND THE SOLAR INDUSTRY BY ASSOCIATING WITH ALMOST ALL MAJOR KEY PLAYERS IN THE MARKET NAMELY SOFTBANK, TATA POWER, AVAADA, SPRNG STERLING&WILSON, MAHINDRA, ACME, AZURE, L&T, ENRICH, VIKRAM, JSW ETC."

| INDIA

Please tell our readers in brief about your specialised inverters. What have been some striking features of the same? Are you coming up with any new product in the near future? Constant innovation and optimization at product level is the only way to exist in the present competitive environment. Market has seen some stability in solar tariffs. We are expecting the same in inverter price. At the moment, the prices have reached a level where if further drop happens it will be a threat for the industry. However, we are committed to bring out the solutions which can optimize the project cost for the customers. In recent years, we have seen that market moved 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 the China and Korea market. Sineng is one of the few companies who manufactures both central and string inverters for utility projects. We launched the portfolio of string inverters in order to satisfy the growing demands of global customers. Now Our string inverter technology is already mature and has been extensively adopted by Chinese customers. We have started to promote it worldwide. Expectedly, our string inverter has been able to turn customer’s attention and that’s why, we are going to set up production lines for string inverters by the Q3, 2021 in India manufacturing base. 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 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.

Kindly tell us about the presence of your inverters in different geographies within India. Sineng has served all-round the solar industry by associating with almost all major key players in the market Namely Softbank, Tata Power, Avaada, Sprng, Sterling&Wilson, Mahindra, ACME, Azure, L&T, Enrich, Vikram, JSW etc. We have a total of 3 GW+ supply records in India. Clients have adopted Sineng 1500V outdoor central inverter solutions in all geographic locations such as Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab etc.

Kindly shed some light on the current manufacturing facility of Sineng across the Globe. What are your future expansion plans? By virtue of cutting edge high-quality products, better performance and competitive price, Sineng Electric has achieved recognition in the capital market in the last successive years. Consequently, it has been listed as a public company on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) in April, 2020. At present, the annual production capacity of China's manufacturing base is 12GW and India's manufacturing base is 3GW. To meet exponentially increased demand due to the vigorous development of the global PV market, we will increase the production capacity of China and India

SINENG IS ONE OF THE FEW COMPANIES WHO MANUFACTURES BOTH CENTRAL AND STRING INVERTERS."

MAY ISSUE 2021 | PG 24

manufacturing base to 20GW and 10 GW in Q3 of 2021, respectively. At the same time, Sineng Electric will continuously expand the international market and beef up its core business in coming years. As a part of the expansion plan, Spain branch for Europe market and Dubai branch for MNEA market will start its full operation in September, 2021 to better serve the customers in the respective areas in terms of spare parts and after-sales services along with collaboration, cooperation and communication etc.

Do you think PV+ESS is a game changer? What are your views on the Energy Storage technology, cost, trends etc..?

STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES WILL ALLOW FOR MORE RELIABLE AND FLEXIBLE OPERATION OF THE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION GRIDS, ENHANCING ELECTRIC POWER QUALITY AND MAKING RENEWABLE ENERGY USERFRIENDLY."

There is great potential in the storage segment and that is why so many inverter players have entered this field. Storage options have now been applied to many different scenarios including groundmounted PV stations, C&I projects and rooftop residential PV. For large-scale PV stations, storage can help shave peaks and improve power quality. For C&I projects, it can improve off-grid utilization. Storage technologies will allow for more reliable and flexible operation of the electricity distribution and transmission grids, enhancing electric power quality and making renewable energy user-friendly. The prices of lithium-ion batteries have fallen from $1,000 /kWh in the year 2010 to approx. $209/kWh in 2020. Bloomberg projections state that prices are set to decline to $100/kWh by 2025 and $75/kWh by 2030. So, there is still lots of potential and we expect the market to boom in the next few years. We saw the turning point coming last year and we know it’s just the beginning. Sineng has been offering its DC/AC and DC/DC coupled energy storage solution with various rating PCS. Our energy storage solutions have been extensively adopted in various application scenarios.

Kindly brief on your products & technologies along with the features and distinctive advantages. Sineng is a technology driven company and therefore we strive to bring innovative solutions that can offer more competitive advantages in the form of more generation and BOS saving. Sineng has a wide range of central inverters, string inverter and energy storage solutions. Sineng product portfolio have below mentioned solutions for India market. 1500V 3125/2500 kW Central Inverter Higher DC/AC ratio; Grid friendly; Low BOS cost. 1500V 250kW/275kW High Power String Inverter- 20A/Input which suitably adopts 210mm wafer; 12 MPPT, high yield; Smart O&M; Cost effective. Battery Storage PCS and Integrated Solution- Highly integrated; Smart and friendly; Efficient and flexible.

FOR LARGE-SCALE PV STATIONS, STORAGE CAN HELP SHAVE PEAKS AND IMPROVE POWER QUALITY."

| INDIA

MAY ISSUE 2021 | PG 25

FEATUREDTALKS

Our class-leading instruments for measuring solar radiation and atmospheric properties are in a range of small-scale, rooftopmounted, and large-scale solar power plants. Murali Krishna Reddy, Sales Director, OTT HydroMet

Please brief our readers on OTT Solar and its offerings in the field of Clean Energy? OTT Solar has been a pioneer in providing Weather Monitoring Solutions (WMS) for over a century. Through our brands Kipp &amp; Zonen, Lufft, and Sutron, our focus is to bring conscious practices into the consumption of solar energy. With extensive technological research, performance monitoring adhering to strict quality control, we understand the criticality of measuring solar radiation with precision and accuracy. For this purpose, 30GW+ Kipp &amp; Zonen Pyranometers are used in India to monitor and measure solar irradiance. Our innovative solutions for measuring generation loss due to soiling are a benchmark in the solar energy sector. The performance database allows accurate forecasting of future energy yield and even financial returns.

Highlight your strength and expertise in the field of Renewable Energy and Solar Radiations. OTT is a global innovator when it comes to solar and meteorological instrumentation. Our class-leading instruments for measuring solar radiation and atmospheric properties are in a range of small-scale, rooftopmounted, and large-scale solar power plants. We are also the only organization that designs, manufactures, and offers complete Weather Monitoring System solutions. Close to 3000 Kipp & Zonen Pyranometers are installed and operated in across almost all the solar power plants in India. More than 1000 dataloggers function in solar and meteorological sites in extreme temperatures ranging from -50°C to +60°C. We are the only organization with a local service center and onsite service support ensuring very high uptime to our customers.

| INDIA

What are the technology innovations done by your company in the field of PV weather monitoring systems? Kipp & Zonen pyranometers have set a standard in measuring irradiance in solar plants and solar research centers. Our recent innovations include the easy-to-use soiling measurement device, Dust IQ, now used across many plants. The soil on the panel glass is one of the many problems in the rapidly expanding solar energy market, with the attendant loss of efficiency and reduction in performance ratios. DustIQ helps plants to determine the time and location for cleaning and enables them to increase power generation by cleaning panels at the right time. Our low-cost, high-accuracy radiation instruments for Rooftop plants are preferred strongly by the developers. We continuously strive to create innovative solutions for the solar sector.

What are your business development and expansion plans for the Indian market in the near future? All key products in WMS are imported. We identified repair and onsite services as customer requirements and, we set up a full-fledged service bench in India over the last six months. Plans of expanding this cover to most of our products in the next 12 months are also in the pipeline. Onsite service is a big ask from the plants and we are looking to ensure customers get high uptime from our products. Customer education is the other key aspect we are focused on. It is an impactful add-on to customers as they can do more than usual by collecting and using more data from WMS. We are also expanding our customer-facing team in service and sales to ensure we provide the best possible support in customer growth.

Anything else you would like to add? As per MNRE reports, India has achieved the 5th position globally in solar power deployment by surpassing Italy. Solar power capacity has increased by more than 11 times in the last five years. We are optimistic about our growth in the country, are strongly invested in people and capability building to support this capacity addition. India is our key focus and among the top 3 priority markets globally for OTT in the solar segment.

OUR LOW-COST, HIGH-ACCURACY RADIATION INSTRUMENTS FOR ROOFTOP PLANTS ARE PREFERRED STRONGLY BY THE DEVELOPERS.

MAY ISSUE 2021 | PG 26

INSIGHT RISE OF CORPORATE FUNDING IN THE

INDIAN SOLAR SECTOR The solar sector is growing and glowing! With abundant opportunities and innovations, people across industries are identifying the potential of solar. With the enhanced recognized potential, there has been a steep rise in corporate funding in the solar sector, globally. India too is not left untouched from this pattern of increase in the investment. With the increase in demand for solar assets, there has been a subsequent increase in the funds. The following section of the article discusses certain numbers which will make it evident that there has been a subsequent hike in solar assets and investments.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS As of April 2021, there were five securitization deals for $1.4 billion in a single quarter. In the first quarter of 2021, global corporate finance for the solar sector totaled $8.1 billion in 36 deals, up 21% from $6.7 billion in 43 deals in the fourth quarter of 2020. These recorded numbers covered almost 340 investors and companies. One can think of various reasons for this hike in the funds. But the obvious reason behind the same is increased debt financing in the first quarter of 2021. Different companies contribute differently to this activity of increased funding. For an economy that had been hit so badly with the pandemic, it was strange to record such enhanced numbers so soon. Overall fundraising totals were boosted by a large IPO and record securitization activity while the state was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a pandemic year, solar asset acquisitions were at an all-time high, and the industry has become increasingly more sought-after as an investment refuge, particularly in the COVID-19 economy. Solar stocks saw a rough start in the first quarter of 2020 but with the increase in demand, they picked up pretty quickly. And since then, solar assets have been constantly in demand. In Q1 2021, global venture capital funding for the solar sector totaled $1 billion, up 33% from $773 million raised in Q4 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, almost 15 GW of projects were acquired. Investors from across industries started investing in solar assets and the increase in solar projects seen was dynamic. The $2.2 billion raised by Shoals Technologies Group through an IPO, the $1.1 billion raised by Enphase Energy, Loanpal's $800 million raise, Intersect Power's $482 million raise accompanied by Loanpal's $390 million securitization deal, and Sunrun's $389 million raise were among the top corporate-funded deals of the quarter. These are some of the deals that greatly contributed to the increase in corporate funding.

THE GLOBAL SOLAR OUTLOOK From $11.7 billion in 2019, global corporate funding into the solar business, including venture capital, private equity, debt financing, and public market financing climbed by 24% to $14.5 billion in 2020. Solar project acquisitions were dispersed across 26 nations in the first quarter of 2021. Spain led the way in terms of acquisitions with 5.5 GW, followed by the US with 4.8 GW and Greece with 1.6 GW.

INDIA’S RENEWABLE FUTURE India is recently working on its world commitments to rethink and rework its energy mix and its dependence on carbon powered energy sources. For the same, the Indian government is also providing various subsidies and is planning different strategies and policies to encourage investment in renewables. The above-mentioned details about the increase in solar investment come as good news. Renewable energy can help India's electrical industry decarbonize while also providing a source of electricity that is cheaper or at least competitive with fossil fuel-based alternatives. Solar seems to be the leader when one thinks about renewables for India. This is particularly because of the abundant sunlight available in the region. Solar energy has emerged as the most viable and environmentally beneficial choice for India to meet all of its energy needs, including the 50% of its rural residents who still lack access to electricity. This has significant policy implications for India's electrical sector in terms of preparing for a lowcarbon future.

CONCLUSION The increased funding in the Indian solar sector makes it evident that Indian investors and companies understand the improved benefit that the solar sector could bring to the Indian subcontinent, both environmentally and economically. The startling conclusion that today's renewable energy investments could play a significant influence in lowering India's overall energy dependence and prices in the future.

Credits:

RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN HELP INDIA'S ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY DECARBONIZE WHILE ALSO PROVIDING A SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY THAT IS CHEAPER OR AT LEAST COMPETITIVE WITH FOSSIL FUEL-BASED ALTERNATIVES."

| INDIA

MAY ISSUE 2021 | PG 27

PERSPECTIVE

TRENDS IMPACTING THE

SOLAR OUTLOOK IN 2021 Prelude The International Energy Agency forecasts a 43 % increase in the capacity for renewable electricity before 2022. The prediction shows that there will be a growth of more than 920 GW. Solar power production and deployment have been on a significant rise for the last few years, with different energy projects ongoing. These solar energy trends are as a result of decrease in cost of solar panel installation. Global pandemic also boosted creativity, technology, and digitization in the solar industry to utilize cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions. Today, there is the emergence of new technologies. Easy accessibility, Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Grid parity and Climate change are some of the global solar trends that will define the solar industry in the upcoming year.

Let’s look at some of the Trends Impacting Solar Outlook in 2021

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 28

Manoj Gupta VP-Solar and Waste to Energy Business, Fortum India

Deconstructing the trends behind India’s solar outlook in 2021 India seeks to reduce its carbon consumption by a third from its 2005 levels by 2030. It also aims to install 175 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2022. These are ambitious goals. Solar power holds the key to achieving these targets and has been at the core of India’s renewable energy efforts. In fact, in the targeted 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, 100GW is estimated to come from just solar projects. Solar power has firmly taken on the mantle of being the energy source of the future and has already become a reliable and sustained avenue of clean, renewable energy to propel India’s growth story. The Climate Action Tracker rated India’s climate action to be ‘2 degree compatible’. India is the world’s only major economy to be rated this highly, helped chiefly by the rapidly scaling market for solar energy. This proliferation of solar energy has multiple tailwinds. One, the rapidly falling prices of battery storage, which has made renewable integration more seamless. Two, high-efficiency monocrystalline technology has come of age in the country and seen rapid scale up of the production of mono PERC modules. This prevalence of mono PERC modules is mainly due to their higher efficiency, especially compared to the polycrystalline modules. And three, the rise of floating solar photovoltaic (FSPVs) plants. It is estimated that the global annual capacity addition from floating solar may rise from 1.314 GWp in 2018 to 4.6 GWp by 2022. This surge has been due to the gamut of advantages provided by floating solar, ranging from zero land requirement to superior power production.

costs. The COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on the roseate outlook for India’s renewable ambitions, with disruption in supply of solar panels and delays in solar projects. An IEA report says that the impact of COVID-19 on energy demand in 2020 was more than seven times larger than the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on global energy demand. The demand for conventional fuel sources such as oil, fuel, coal and gas saw a sharp decline. Interestingly, renewable energy was the sole outlier, with an upward trajectory, despite the disruptions. Thus, the future for solar power looks optimistic and will be bolstered further by the emerging technological solutions, especially the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The integration of AI and Big Data analytics will enable accurate predictions on weather and load patterns, leading to an improvement of grid efficiency and better safety and reliability of the system. Blockchain too holds significant potential, as it enables companies in buying and selling energy from others directly, obviating the need for intermediary energy suppliers. Better energy storage systems, enabled by technology also have a key role to play, as the rising share of renewables, while desirable and imperative, has also given rise to new challenges. Renewable energy, by its nature, is sporadic and intermittent. Here, energy storage systems can be used to balance the grid, as renewable power can be stored in advance and used subsequently during periods of intermittency. In fact, the outlook for battery storage seems highly optimistic, with a report on storage published for the 11th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES 2017) stating that “100 % renewable energy penetration is possible in India, subject to low-cost support of batteries.” The government has also displayed commitment towards increasing the share of renewable power in India, with ambitious targets, conducive policymaking and establishment of an array of large-scale sustainable power projects. The investment on solar PVs has been higher than in all fossil fuel sources of electricity generation together. This focus on development of renewable power in India by the government is poised to give a strong push to the country’s solar market. The above trends are behind the rapid rise of solar energy in the country and are set to be the cornerstone of India’s optimistic solar outlook in 2021 as well. I have just tapped a fraction of solar energy’s true potential and the current trends herald a clear shift towards solar power in India’s energy mix.

These drivers have been behind the relatively swift propagation of solar energy in India. They have made solar an attractive value proposition, offering higher productivity and efficiency, along with lower costs and ecological benefits. However, there is still significant untapped potential for solar power in the country. Herein, technology can be a great enabler. We are already witnessing considerable innovation in the energy efficiency software technologies, as organisations feel the need for adopting cost-effective forms of sustainable energy solutions. The monocrystalline technology too has benefited from technological improvements, leading to a drop in

THESE ARE AMBITIOUS GOALS. SOLAR POWER HOLDS THE KEY TO ACHIEVING THESE TARGETS AND HAS BEEN AT THE CORE OF INDIA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY EFFORTS. IN FACT, IN THE TARGETED 175GW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY BY 2022, 100GW IS ESTIMATED TO COME FROM JUST SOLAR PROJECTS

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 29

Jayant Prasad Executive Director, cKers Finance

Introduction India is a global leader in solar with cumulative solar installations at over 40 of which over 5 GW were from distributed rooftop solar installations. Utility solar deployment is largely government auction led and hence this piece focuses on trends impacting distributed solar in the current year. There is a significant potential to increase penetration of rooftop and behind the meter solar installations in the country. There is already a widespread awareness amongst consumers today. The cost benefit is favorable for most end-consumers mainly based on the enormous price compression done by the industry for balance of system costs. The industry has also created a significant capacity for execution of projects, so consumers have plenty of choice of implementation partners. Furthermore, generating power at consumer roofs avoids land use conflicts and reduces transmission and distribution losses. There is a lot for one to be bullish about for an industry which is just about 10 years old. However, the outlook for 2021 for the distributed solar sector seems uncertain due to the following factors : 1. Pandemic related delays and uptick in raw material costs– Module costs have increased during the year due to global factors and are expected to remain elevated. Further, due to the disruption caused by pandemic related precautionary lockdowns, project signing and project execution are both getting delayed. This has a sharper impact on the distributed solar segment as compared to the utility solar segment, since the execution cycles are shorter and the buffers to absorb cost and time delays are limited in smaller distributed projects.

3. Policy & Regulatory headwinds– Net Metering is a vital component of payback for many consumers. It has faced pushback in several states with discoms trying to protect potential revenue loss from high tariff paying customers due to the presence of an outdated cross subsidisation regime and high operating losses. This mindset ignores the fact that surplus generation on rooftop systems in urban or industrial clusters is usually consumed in the vicinity. While the guidance for the limit for net metering has been increased to 500 kW from 10kW announced earlier, the ripple effect is likely to be longlasting and encourage informal opposition to distributed solar. This move is likely to reduce the attractiveness of solar to customers not

SOLAR DEPLOYMENT IS LARGELY GOVERNMENT AUCTION LED AND HENCE THIS PIECE FOCUSES ON TRENDS IMPACTING DISTRIBUTED SOLAR IN THE CURRENT YEAR."

Conclusion Indian Solar industry is standing at a crossroads as far as distributed solar is concerned. While the industry has created a pathway to project costs and implementation capability that are among the best in the world and which would normally herald exponential growth, pandemic led delays coupled with protectionist measures like upcoming steep duties on modules and restrictions on net metering are holding back this growth.

2. Upcoming duty regime– With a significant sized customs duty regime coming up from April 2022 for imported modules and cells, it is likely that developers and customers would rush to lock-in projects in the current year, especially if there is a safeguard duty free period from Aug 2021 – March 2022. However, in the long run, protectionist measures generally reduce access to global technology advancements as incumbents entrench and actively defend their investments in outdated technology. models like customers committed to 100% renewable pathways wanting to use third party roofs to meet their renewable energy requirements, as open access implementation continues to be restricted to a few states. running operations 7 days a week. Further, this also withholds business

GENERATING POWER AT CONSUMER ROOFS AVOIDS LAND USE CONFLICTS AND REDUCES TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION LOSSES. HENCE, THERE IS A LOT FOR ONE TO BE BULLISH ABOUT FOR AN INDUSTRY WHICH IS JUST ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 30

LAUNCHED NEW EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATION for ASEAN Solar Industry

EMPOWERING HIGH GROWTH ASEAN MARKET

For Advertising Opportunities, Contact: Smriti Singh, M: +91 7718877514, e: smriti@firstviewgroup.com For Editorial Participation, Contact: Sangita Shetty, M: +91 88505 69133, e: editorial@firstviewgroup.com

PERSPECTIVE WHAT ARE THE BIG CHALLENGES FACED WHILE INSTALLING SOLAR PROJECTS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES?

Prelude Solar power is rapidly becoming mainstream alternative energy sources in the world. As a business that uses lots of electricity to power equipment and interior and exterior lights, the best way to control the costs is to find alternative energy sources, like solar energy. Today many business owners are looking at it as an affordable and reliable source of energy for their business. Reduced electricity bills, Reduced carbon emission, Increased value of energy-efficiency, Easier monitoring of your ROI are some of the advantages that industrial companies can get by going for a solar PV installation. Many industrial business owners have already installed solar energy and are enjoying the benefits of free energy from the sun. There are few challenges installing solar projects in industries. However these challenges can be overcome by designing creative engineering solutions, or structuring financing and tax incentives. Let us read what the industry experts have to say on big challenges faced while installing solar projects in Manufacturing Industries?

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 32

SHREYANS JAIN Climate Finance Analyst, Climate Policy Initiative

Like millions of other textile manufacturers in Ahmedabad, Hemangbhai Patel was supposed to benefit from India’s decision to open its economy to foreign trade and investment in the 1990s. for a time, he did. As western brands boosted purchases from Indian factories and outsourced apparel making jobs to low-skilled workers in Asian countries, Patel’s business nearly doubled in 2001. Then foreign competition from places like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and China intensified. Laser engraving and cutting machines replaced manual sewing machines. “I have a fight in front of me trying to find orders”, he would lament as high electricity tariffs further impinged upon his meager profits and increased his cost of production. Today he is faced with a Hobson’s choice–whether to invest his scarce resources in the installation of a rooftop solar system and improve his finances in the long run or sustain his ailing enterprise by purchasing new machines.

Despite government’s push for decarbonizing India’s energy systems and rooftop solar becoming an attractive commercial proposition in most states due to lower equipment costs and soaring grid tariffs, its uptake has not gathered the desired momentum. This can largely be attributed to policy and regulatory uncertainty, implementation challenges, and concerns surrounding safety and performance of solar installations. Low barriers for market entry have resulted in the proliferation of a large number of engineering, procurement and construction players and solar entrepreneurs who compete on the cost of project instead of long-term system performance and levelized cost of energy. Within the manufacturing sector, market expansion does not extend to the micro, small, and medium enterprises due to their perceived lack of credit worthiness. Apprehensions regarding their ability to service debt under CAPEX model which requires high upfront capital investment or honor long-term power purchase agreements under RESCO model make financial institutions averse to lending for rooftop solar projects. Lack of awareness among financiers about the technical aspects, commercial feasibility and bankability of solar projects further discourages innovation in the development of new lending products. Ultimately, high cost of debt makes industries reluctant to lock-in their capital in what is arguably a non-business and non-core activity. At the consumers’ premise, implementation becomes a challenge due to structural weakness of the available rooftop and inadequate insolation in congested industrial areas. Often power distribution companies are hesitant to promote rooftop solar in their license area, anticipating substantive revenue loss from decreased energy sales and increased outflow to ‘prosumers’ for excess energy generated and injected into the grid.

The way forward India has set an ambitious target of installing 40 GW distributed solar capacity by 2022. Bridging the gap between the current installed capacity and the envisaged target would require integrated efforts from all the participants in the solar ecosystem, including consumers, developers, policymakers, lenders, and regulators. The manufacturing sector offers tremendous potential for adoption of energy-efficient processes and clean energy solutions. A more enabling business scenario can help the market realize this potential and address barriers to solar adoption.

Meeting the challenge The Government of India has set a target of installing 100 GW of solar capacity in the country by 2022. Of this, 40 GW is expected to be achieved through deployment of distributed solar projects. As of December 2020, the country’s operational rooftop solar capacity is estimated to have reached merely 6,792 MW, with the commercial and industrial sector accounting for 4,842 MW of these installations.

Exhibit: Segment wise installed rooftop solar capacity (MW) in India, December 2020 (Source: Bridge to India)

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 33

Shreyas Garg Consultant, CEEW-CEF

How can India power its manufacturing industries through solar? With the ‘net-zero’ debate gaining traction over the last few months, the Indian industry has seen rising interest in emission reduction targets. Large industrial players like Reliance, ITC, Mahindra, and Dalmia Cement have announced net-zero targets in recent years. Solar power is a promising route for industries to decarbonise their electricity consumption, a key emissions source. While rooftop solar options are popular, these are constrained by onsite space availability. Industries have been turning to open access to deliver a higher share of green power. Under the open access mechanism, a consumer can directly purchase power from off site renewable energy plants through existing utility transmission systems. As per December 2020 estimates, solar open access stood at 4 GW with industrial rooftop solar at 3.5 GW. However, solar contributes only a minor share of industrial power consumption which is dominated by state utilities and captive coal plants.

Regulatory and operational challenges have stymied growth. Frequently changing policies and a plethora of additional charges levied on industrial customers are the most significant challenges for open access and rooftop solar plants. Many states have scaled back incentives for the sector under pressure from utilities, which view industrial customers as highly profitable. These include energy banking and net metering policies, which are crucial for the operational and financial viability of such installations. The CEEW-CEF open access tool reveals that the plummeting cost of solar can help industrial customers save up to INR 3/kWh over their high utility tariffs. However, this cost advantage is increasingly being offset through the imposition of additional charges by utilities. Further, manufacturers must share demand patterns and the breakup between open access, grid power, and other sources, with utilities to successfully integrate large-scale solar into operations.The intermittency of solar and low industry expertise in optimising power procurement across sources makes this a key barrier to scaling up.

THE CEEW-CEF OPEN ACCESS TOOL REVEALS THAT THE PLUMMETING COST OF SOLAR CAN HELP INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMERS SAVE UP TO INR 3/KWH OVER THEIR HIGH UTILITY TARIFFS

The way forward First, State Governments must notify long-term policies covering key topics such as net metering, energy banking and fiscal incentives to remove the uncertainty that shrouds the sector. They must also review the proliferation of additional open access charges that have disincentive solar. Second, building confidence among factory floor managers is critical to ensure acceptance of solar in the industry. Technological solutions that improve forecasting and scheduling and help manufacturers optimise power procurement across sources must be prioritised by developers as part of their sales efforts. Third, hybridisation of renewable energy by complementing solar with wind and storage, can help generation match demand patterns. However, only a few states (Gujarat and Rajasthan) have notified policies for hybrid open access projects. States with favourable solar and wind resources, such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, must notify hybrid policies to support RE uptake. Fourth, industrial solar installations can help states meet their renewable purchase obligations, which are likely to be strengthened as per the Draft Electricity Bill 2020. States must engage with industries to achieve mutual benefits and drive expansion of solar.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 34

Atul Kumar Jain COO and Co-founder, PV Diagnostics

Design & Engineering phase

Manufacturing industries usually have metal sheds which have some added challenges from concrete roof installation. The major challenges faced during installation are listed below.

The tin roofs found on the manufacturing roofs have low load bearing capacity which decreases the speed of installation on these roofs. Roof refurbishment may also be required to increase the strength of the roof. This increases the cost of the project. Wrong assumption of thermal losses: If the space between roof and the module is lesser, module temperature can be higher than expected leading to increased thermal losses.

I&C phase The roof access is a very big challenge during the installation of solar plants on a manufacturing roof since they do not have any amenities for roof access. There are few specific safety concerns related to man and materials collapsing from the roof. The lifelines are not provided which can prove fatal if the workers slip or are not able to balance themselves on the roof. Due to significant space constraints, material movement becomes a challenge during loading and unloading of material. This also increases the percentage of micro-cracks due to moving the modules from ground to roof. If there are concrete floors or lack in space, digging activities for earth pits may become challenging Due to unavailability of space, proper storage of spares is sometimes a challenge. Therefore, materials are available in less quantity which significantly decreases the speed of installation At the time of commissioning, the shut down of the plant sometimes becomes a minor challenge since manufacturing is a 24 hour activity in the majority of manufacturing units.

| INDIA

Industrial solar plants are prone to higher soiling loss. At times, the soiling loss during the designing stage is assumed less and in reality these losses are higher impacting the overall IRR of the project. Since there is negligible space between modules and metal roofs, the installation becomes a challenge. Additionally, if the installation is not planned diligently, there can be added challenges during maintenance and debugging of issues. Workers also might need to walk on the roof to maintain these plants. Since heavy components cannot be set on the roof, cable routing has to be done on the ground by canopying the cables from the roof to the ground. Determining PR is often a challenge as pyranometers are not installed or not properly managed specially for smaller sites where WMS is not installed. For lightning the manufacturing facility, fibre reinforced or glassreinforced lightning vents are installed on the roof which normally has low load bearing capacity. If workers step on these areas, these vents might not be able to bear the load and break, harming the workers in the process.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 35

INSIGHT

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR LARGE FORMAT MODULE (LFM)

From 2019, an interesting trend started to appear in PV market, in which the increase of module peak power was not driven by improved cell efficiency , rather by bigger size module with larger wafer sizes, over the course of 2019 and 2020 modules of over 400W started to appear which evolve to more than 600W by 2021. Today the Solar industry is rapidly shifting toward new Solar Panel technologies like N-Type, HJT, TOPCon, Ga-doped P-type Cell, Triple Cut Cell, Half Cut Cell with larger format PV modules with power ratings more than 500Wp. These new technologies promise higher efficiency, better performance in varied operating temperatures and reduced impact from shading, resulting in lower LCOE and higher ROI. Here we will discuss recent trends in large format modules and technology roadmap for Large Format Module manufacturers. Large Format Wafer Size : M2- 158.75mm2, M4- 161.75mm2, M6- 166mm2, M10- 182mm2, M12- 210mm2. As per ITRPV 2021 version it is expected that M2 version of Mono-Si wafer will disappear after 2025. M6 will gain market share and appears to be a transition format from 2021. M10 and M12 format will be dominating the market from 2025 onwards. It is not clear yet which of the two formats will be dominating in future as both have advantages and disadvantages. We will later analyse recent trends in Cell manufacturing in terms of M10 or M12 wafer production.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 36

RECENTLY LAUNCHED NEW PRODUCTS IN SNEC 2021 VERSION IS GIVEN IN THE BELOW LIST Source : Firstview Research, PVTech. Company

Product

Output (W)

LONGi

Hi-MON

JA Solar

Cell Size

Conversion eff (%)

Technology Route

Notes

570

22.3

TOPCon

182mm

HPC Cell technology, 72 Cell

DeepBlue 3.0 Pro

605

21.70%

Zero Spacing, 11BB HC Cell

182mm

Single Glass, 78Cell, Ga-doped

JA Solar

HJT

580

22.40%

HJT, HC Cell, MBB

182mm

72Cell, bifacial ratio >85%

JA Solar

N-Type

620

22.10%

N-type, HC Cell, MBB

182mm

78Cell

Jinko Solar

Tiger Pro n-type 78 TRTV

625

22.86%

N-type, HC Cell, MBB

182mm

Transparent Backsheet

Jinko Solar

Tiger Pro 54HC

415

21.25%

MBB, HC Cell

182mm

54Cell, Suitable for residential project

Trina Solar

HJT

710

22.55%

HJT, HC Cell, MBB Small Spacing

210mm

Non Destructive Cutting

Trina Solar

N-type i-TOPCon

700

22.30%

N-type, i-TOPCon, MBB

210mm

Trina Solar

Vertex

670

21.60%

HC Cell, MBB

210mm

High density encapsulation

Jolywood

Niwa Max JW-HD132

700

22.53%

HC Cell, MBB

210mm

Bifacial G-G, mass production expected in Q2 2022

GCL-Poly

M12 bifi G-G

670

21.60%

HC Cell, MBB

210mm

Seraphim

S-Vsense bifi HC

670

21.57%

MBB, HC Cell bifi

210mm

Seraphim

S-IV sense bifi HC

550

21.57%

MBB, HC

182mm

Seraphim

S-III HC Module

460

21.16%

MBB, HC

166mm

Sunport Power

C10 Pro MWT + HJT

700

22.80%

MWT, HJT, HC

Sunport Power

M7 bifacial G-G

460

21.10%

MWT, PERC, HC Cell

166mm

Bifacial G-G, 182mm and 210mm Cell

Tongwei

Shingled G-G HJT

705

Shingled Module, HJT

210mm

G-G

Tongwei

Shingled G-G TOPCon

695

Shingled Module, TOPCon

210mm

G-G

Suntech

Ultra V

550

21.30%

MBB, HC Cell

210mm

72 Cell

Suntech

Ultra Plus

650

21.20%

HC Cell, 12BB

210mm

66 Cell

Canadian Solar

HiKu7

670

21.60%

MBB, HC Cell, Small Spacing

210mm

Canadian solar

BiHiKu7

600

21.20%

HC Cell, 12BB

210mm

Canadian Solar

HiHero

430

22%

HJT,MBB, HC

182mm

Jinergy

JNHM156-50

510

HJT, HC MBB

166mm

Risen

NewT@N

700

22.50%

N-type, MBB, HC Cell

210mm

Chint

ASTRO6 Semi

670

21.75%

MBB, HC Cell

210mm

Chint

ASTRO6 Twins

660

21.57%

MBB, HC Cell

210mm

Yingli

Aerospace PRO Series

540

Talesun

BIPRO TD 8

675

21.40%

HC Cell, MBB

Akcome

HJT

700

22.53%

HJT, 9BB, HC

HT-SAAE

HT78-18X

600

22%

HC Cell, 10BB

182mm

CECEP Solar

650

21%

HC, MBB

210mm

Znshine

600

21.40%

HC Cell, 10BB

182mm

High density encapsulation

Suitable for super thin wafer

MBB, HC Cell

Bifi, G-G

Bifi rato > 85% High density packaging ga-doped wafer bifacial G-G Single Glass

210mm

Bifi G-G

78Cell, 1.5KV 60Cell 78Cell, bifacial

From the above list of recently launched Large Format modules by top manufacturers it is evident that we are in a transition period from P-type Mono to N-type mono, HJT, TOPCon etc. N type module comes with its greater reliability with respect to LID, LeTid, PID etc.

WAFER SIZE % SHARE M6 7.7%

M12 43.6%

M10 48.7%

From the above chart it is evident that the Large Format Module power output range is going to be around 500W to 710W.

From the list of new products it is evident that out of total 30 manufacturers, 43.6% are using M12 size of Cell , 48.7% are using M10 size of Cell and only 7.7% are using M6 size of Cell. This trend is in line with ITRPV 2021 prediction.

From the above chart it is evident that the Large Format Module efficiency range is going to be around 21% to 22.86%.

RECENTLY LAUNCHED NEW PRODUCTS IN SNEC 2021 VERSION IS GIVEN IN THE BELOW LIST. PV Cell Supplier

Plant Capacity (MW)

Cell Size

Aiko Solar

22000

M12 (210mm) p-type mono PERC, M6(166mm) bifi mono PERC, M3 (161.7mm) mono PERC, M2 (158.75mm) mono PERC

Tong Wei (TW) Solar

35000

M12 (210mm) (9BB), M6,Shingled (166mm)(9BB), G2 mono (9BB), M2 SHJ (HJT) (9BB)

Jinko Solar

11000

M6 (166mm) P-type mono PERC, N-type Poly Cell, N-type TOPCon mono

Longi Solar

30000

M6 (166mm) P-type mono PERC, N-type Poly Cell, N-type TOPCon Mono

Longi Solar

30000

M10 (182mm), M6 (166mm)

Hanwa Q-Cell

10000

Canadian Solar

REC Solar

9600

M10 (182mm) mono PERC, M6 (166mm) mono PERC

1800

HJT (P-type)

Credits:

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 38

PERSPECTIVE

HOW THE

MODULE SIZE CAN LOWER THE LCOE

Dr. Sanjay Vashishtha CEO, Firstgreen

Traditionally, solar modules are made by solar cells with 78*156 mm size. The solar cells are interconnected with ribbons and create strings within the module. Typically, standard PV cells are of 2 W with 8 Amp. current and 0.5 V voltage. It produces about 4 W power. Introduction of the half cut cell has reduced the current flow in a standard solar cell by half, in tandem the resistive losses in the cells have also reduced. Less resistance between cells and strings due to introduction of Half Cut cell and lower ampere current flow in the cells has increased the overall power output of the modules. Typically, introduction of Half Cut cell technology has increased power output by 5 to 8 W per module depending upon design. Half Cut cell technology integrated with PERC technology and use of backside of solar cells through introduction of bi-facial technology makes the overall solar panel highly cost effective as compared to

| INDIA

the traditional solar modules. Half Cut solar technology with PERC technology and Mono Crystalline cells increase the solar cell efficiency as high as 22%, which is a significant gain in the solar panel efficiency. If the solar module is bi-facial the power generation further increases by 10% and the comprehensive efficiency of bi-facial, Mono Crystalline, Half Cut cell, PERC technology based solar panel reaches to as high as 24%. Many companies have introduced the double glass bi-facial Half Cut cell PERC Modules in recent years and the market share of this technology is expected to increase significantly. Many companies have tested these modules and as per field test conditions bi-facial, Half Cut, PERC Modules can increase energy yield by 5-30% depending on the application environment. One additional advantage of the Half Cut solar cell module is that typically the Half Cut cell modules use split or dual junction boxes. The advantages of a split junction box over a standard junction box is that it leads to lesser metallization than a standard panel and a lesser internal resistance as compared to a standard panel. The space saved as a result of this configuration helps to create space between cells, thereby increasing internal reflection of light from the backseat into the cell surface which increases efficiency of the panel.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 40

Advantages of the Half Cut solar modules: Higher Power Output: The increased efficiency of Half Cut cells leads to the higher power output and increased energy yield of your solar power system. Less Space Requirement: With an increased power output per module the solar PV installation with Half Cut cell technology requires lesser space specially in case of rooftop solar system and you can do more panels installations on your rooftop. Lesser Capital Cost: Using Half Cut Mono PERC PV Module, use less balance of system cost. The structure cost also reduced significantly which leads to the overall project capital cost expenditure reduction and the payback period of the solar PV system also increases. Early Payback Period: With lesser capital cost and higher energy yield, adopting Half Cut Mono Crystalline solar PV PERC technology panels makes your payback period shorter and yields the early return of your capital invested in the solar project. Following table shows the typical cost break up of a 10 MW project. In the range of 10+ MW projects the typical project cost is about Rs. 3.5 Crore per MW and the cost break up is as follows for considering 330Wp as well as 660 Wp modules. While 660Wp modules are typically three rupees per watt higher, this cost is compensated due to reduced DC wiring cost, module mounting structure

S.N.

Item Description

Project Cost (INR Crore) (PV Module-330Wp)

Project Cost (INR Crore) (PV Module-660Wp)

cost as well as land and BOS cost. As we progress towards higher capacity modules, it is expected that the market will be predominantly moving towards higher capacity modules as it does not impact the overall project cost. In fact due to reduced land size and DC cabling the overall maintenance cost and generation loss is also expected to be reduced. The typical LCOE of a solar plant, considering Rs.3.5 crore per MWp as project cost, 9% interest rate and 19% CUF, varies in the range of Rs. 2.6 to Rs. 2.9 per unit. In case of larger projects in the range of 100+MW, the project cost can be reduced in the range of 3 crore per megawatt and the project viability is at the LCOE of Rs. 2.4 – 2.5 per kWH. We have seen very aggressive bidding in recent years, it is expected that the market will stabilise in the tariff range of INR 2.5 - 3 per unit and many of the aggressive bids targeting INR 2 per unit tariff may not find the real implementation. It is expected that companies will be universally moving towards monoperc half cut cell technologies and opt for modules in the range of 600+ Wp. There are some companies such as JA Solar which have already launched modules in the range of 800 W plus and we will find very soon the PV modules with 1 kWp category in a short-term period. We hope Sun will be signing brighter and developers will be making reasonable margins in the solar industry.

STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES WILL ALLOW FOR MORE RELIABLE AND

Land Cost

3.35

2.10

Solar Modules

20.00

23.00

Solar Inverter

1.75

Module Mounting Structure

3.40

1.85

TRANSMISSION GRIDS, ENHANCING

DC System

0.45

0.25

ELECTRIC POWER QUALITY AND MAKING

AC System

3.35

2.95

RENEWABLE ENERGY USER-FRIENDLY."

BoS

2.80

2.50

Total Cost

35.10

34.40

LCOE

2.98

2.85

| INDIA

FLEXIBLE OPERATION OF THE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION AND

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 41

PERSPECTIVE

SOLAR PARK DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

Prelude Solar power projects can be set up anywhere in the country, however the scattering of solar power projects leads to higher project cost per MW and higher transmission losses. Individual projects of smaller capacity incur significant expenses in site development, drawing separate transmission lines to nearest substation, procuring water and in creation of other necessary infrastructure. It also takes a long time for project developers to acquire land, get change of land use and various permissions, etc. which delays the project. To overcome these challenges, the scheme was lauchedfor “Development of Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects” was rolled out in December, 2014 with an objective to facilitate the solar project developers to set up projects in a plug and play model. The park developers are designated as Solar Power Park Developer (SPPD). The SPPDs for these solar parks are state government designated agency or JVC between the state government designated agency and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) or JVC between the state governments designated agency and private agency or fully private agency. However, operational progress has been constrained by lack of planning, extensive delays, poor infrastructure and high cost.

Get the industry experts views on the solar park development in India

Praveen Kumar Agarwal Former Director & CISO, POSOCO Ltd

Under its international climate change commitments, India had promised to cut down its emissions intensity by 33-35 percent by 2030 and have 40 percent of its power, around 350,000 MW installed capacity, from renewable energy. Subsequently, in 2016, the Indian government set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 to transform the power sector from polluting fossil-fuels-based systems into a low-emission system based on renewable energy. India has placed high hopes on solar power, delivering a significant portion of its further 450-gigawatt renewable energy target by 2030. To achieve its solar power target, India

| INDIA

adopted the model of a utility-scale solar park. India now houses multiple ultra-mega solar parks with a capacity of more than 1GW, and two of them are the largest commissioned in the world to date. The solar parks in India continue to attract global capital and some of the most renowned domestic and international renewable energy developers. Recently, the government in Gujarat cleared land allotment of about 60,000 hectares in the Kutch region to develop a 41,500 MW mega solar and wind energy park estimated to attract investment of around Rs. 1.35 trillion.

INDIA NOW HOUSES MULTIPLE ULTRA-MEGA SOLAR PARKS WITH A CAPACITY OF MORE THAN 1GW, AND TWO OF THEM ARE THE LARGEST COMMISSIONED IN THE WORLD TO DATE."

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 42

India is pushing for huge solar parks to achieve its target of 100,000 MW solar power by 2022

The development of utility-scale ultra mega solar parks have some inherent risks, but with the all-around efforts, India has successfully overcome the significant risks as detailed below

Policy Risk Stable and enduring policies improve the achievability of targets of solar projects. Through its ministry, MNRE, the Indian government has come out with guidelines and clarification on the roles of various government arms. This clarity has created certainty in policies and an environment of trust in government.

Financial Risks The central Government of India and the state governments offer a wide range of incentives, such as generation incentives, renewable purchase obligations (RPO), national and state capital subsidies, waiver of transmission charge. India’s land acquisition process is one of the most critical roadblocks to infrastructure projects. But state government renewable development energy agencies have helped in acquiring large-scale government and privately-owned land for the solar parks.

Technical Risks The inadequate accessibility of the appropriate infrastructure to connect to the grid is a significant risk in exploiting solar power sources. But the development of green energy transmission corridors could overcome such risk.

Off-taker Risk State government-owned power distribution companies (Discoms) continue to be a significant concern for the Indian power sector, with overdue payments of more than Rs 88,765 crore owed to generation companies from 12 months to January 2020. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and NTPC Ltd, both government-backed power companies, were brought in to underwrite power supply agreements (PSA) with the new solar parks. SECI and NTPC further signed power purchase agreements (PPA) with state-owned discoms, which improved the quality of the contracts as SECI and NTPC take the risk on their balance sheets, which are much more robust than those of most state-owned discoms. With such a conducive environment, India is progressing in developing many solar parks. Table below shows five major solar parks that are successfully operating in India.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 43

Susheem Pandey Head Solar Power, VishWind Infrastructure LLP

Renewable energy has been an important component of India’s energy planning process for quite some time, especially since India seeks to make significant contributions towards climate change mitigation and emerge as a responsible global powerhouse. Solar energy has rapidly emerged as a reliable, affordable, and clean solution for meeting India’s fast-growing energy demand and supplying power to all. Thus, it is crucial for India to promote largescale mega solar projects, like solar parks, in order to promote ecologically sustainable growth and to meet the challenges of climate change, with technology and investment flow from around the globe, as one of the national goals. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, is already implementing a scheme for development of solar parks which was launched in December 2014. The capacity of the solar park scheme was enhanced in February 2017 from 20,000 MW to 40,000 MW after considering the demand for additional solar parks from the states. All the solar parks are targeted for completion by 2019/20. As of August 2017, 36 solar parks in 21 states with an aggregate capacity around 21,000 MW have been approved which are at various stages of development. Solar projects of aggregate capacity 2,151 MW have already been commissioned in 5 Solar Parks up to August 31, 2017 The total capacity when operational will generate 64 billion units of electricity per year which will lead to abatement of around 55 million tonnes of CO2 per year over its life cycle. It would also contribute to the long-term energy security of the country and promote ecologically sustainable growth by a reduction in carbon emissions and carbon footprint, as well as generate large direct and indirect employment opportunities in solar and allied industries, such as glass, metals, heavy industrial equipment, etc. Case study of some major solar parks; The Rewa Solar Park was developed by Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL); a Joint Venture Company (JVC ) of SECI and MPUVNL. In a recent bid for 750 MW Solar Power Project at Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh, a levelized tariff of `3.30/kWh was achieved, the tariff so discovered would depend inter alia on the cost of long-term debt and prices of solar modules. Further, the tariff of Rewa project has been lower on account of effective mitigation of risks under the PPAs, bankability, and robust project preparation process. The tariff of Rewa Project is not unviable; rather it is low on account of its better project structure, bankability, balanced risk allocation, pre-identified available land, the readiness of internal and external evaluation structure, and a soft loan from the

World Bank. The projects (three units each of 250 MW) were awarded to the three successful bidders. The tariff of `2.97, `2.974, and `2.979 per kWh discovered for the three 250 MW units each of Rewa project is the first-year tariff with 5 paise per year increase for 15 years. The levelized tariff for 25 years of Rewa Solar Park projects would be around `3.30/kWh. The Kadapa Solar Park in Andhra Pradesh (1,000 MW) developed by Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (APSPCL); a JVC of SECI, APGENCO, and NREDCAP have also set a new record after the success of Rewa Solar Park. Solairedirect emerged as the lowest bidder with a tariff `3.15 a unit, a new low, for the 250 MW capacity. The winning bid at the Kadapa Solar Park being set up by NTPC is the levelized tariff for 25 years with no escalation. This is lower than the lowest bid received for the 750 MW Rewa Solar Park. The reason is the falling prices of solar panels. Another reason for the aggressive bidding is the number of solar power projects offered by states is declining. The Bhadla Phase III Solar Park in Rajasthan (1,000 MW) was developed by Surya Urja Rajasthan Ltd: a JVC of Surya Urja and State Government of Rajasthan. In the bidding process of Bhadla III, SECI invited bids for 500 MW and set up a new era of the solar tariff with the new lowest in Indian solar sector beating the previous record of `2.62 per unit. In a reverse auction, ACME at a tariff of `2.44 per unit won the contracts for 200 MW. SBG won the remaining 300 MW at `2.46. It helps in the vision of clean affordable power for all at very low prices. The Bhadla Phase IV Solar Park in Rajasthan (500 MW) was developed by Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan Limited (AREPRL): a JVC of Adani Renewable and State Government of Rajasthan. In the bidding process of Bhadla IV, SECI has been invited to bid for 250 MW. In a reverse auction Phelan Energy Group and Avaada Power at a tariff of `2.62 per unit won the contracts for 100 MW each. SBG Cleantech won the remaining 50 MW at `2.63. The Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka (2,000 MW) was developed by the Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd (KSPDCL); a JVC of KREDL and SECI, which is also one of the first projects of its kind in the world. Here, 200 MW grid connected solar photovoltaic power projects along with large scale with 15 min battery energy storage facilities are to be set by SECI.

THE PROJECTS (THREE UNITS EACH OF 250 MW) WERE AWARDED TO THE THREE SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS. THE TARIFF OF `2.97, `2.974, AND `2.979 PER KWH DISCOVERED FOR THE THREE 250 MW UNITS EACH OF REWA PROJECT IS THE FIRST-YEAR TARIFF WITH 5 PAISE PER YEAR INCREASE FOR 15 YEARS. THE LEVELIZED TARIFF FOR 25 YEARS OF REWA SOLAR PARK PROJECTS WOULD BE AROUND `3.30/KWH.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 44

Majesh Nayak Director/CFO, Oorjan Cleantech

Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), through an Official Memorandum (OM) dated 15 th June 2020 announced significant modifications to the Scheme for development of solar parks and ultra mega solar power projects issued in 2014. This OM introduces a new mode of implementation of solar parks to the existing seven modes of implementation. Originally, MNRE had rolled out a scheme in December of 2014, for development of Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects. It proposed to set up at least 25 solar parks and Ultra Mega solar power projects across the country. India has built a few ultra-mega solar parks with installed capacities over one gigawatt (GW). The notable ones are the ones built in Bhadla in Rajasthan and in Pavagada in Karnataka. These are one of the largest solar parks commissioned in the world. These Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects have been key in highlighting and uplifting not just the solar sector but the renewable (RE) sector as well. India has been able to attract foreign investments into the RE sector due to the reduced cost of setting up such huge parks. Of late there has been a renewed interest in the Ultra Large RE projects. Ranging from a 2 GW in Uttar Pradesh to a 25 GW announced in Gujarat & Rajasthan there is a list of such huge parks being planned by various states and nodal agencies. With an eye on the 175 GW target by 2022 and the larger target of 450 GW by 2030, these large parks will be key to India’s transition to Clean Green energy. The June 2020 OM announced a new 8 th mode of implementation of the 2014 solar park scheme, called the Ultra-Mega Renewable Energy Power Parks (UMREPPs) has been introduced with the following features:

| INDIA

The state government or any agency designated for the work will be paid a facilitation charge of INR 0.05/kWh of power generated from the projects for the entire period of the power purchase agreement (PPA). Further, the land allotted under this mode by the State Government to the developer is subject to the condition that the development must be completed within 2 years (limited extension in select conditions), failing to which the land would be taken back in consultation with the ministry. The developer will also be entitled to Central Financial Assistance of Rs.20 Lakh/MW or 30% of the cost of development of UMREP whichever is lower for the development of internal infrastructure. If the developer has a trading license, they will be entitled to claim a margin of Rs. 0.07/kWh, however not in case of EPC projects. The solar power park developer can be any Central Public Sector Undertaking/State PSU/State government organization or their subsidiaries. A Joint venture between the two is also possible. Further, CPSUs are free to set up RE projects in EPC mode under CPSU schemes in any of the UMREPPs. The UMREPPs are not to be considered profit-making activities and a maximum of 16% return on equity may be allowed. This OM coupled with other supplementary steps like the recently announced extension of the Inter state transmission charges waiver will go a long way in fuelling the Indian RE landscape. This would be key for India to realise its ambitious RE target.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 45

PERSPECTIVE

EXTENSION OF WAIVER

OF ISTS TRANSMISSION CHARGES TILL 30.6.2025: IMPACT ON RE SECTOR

Prelude The Ministry of Power issued an order for extension of waiver of InterState Transmission system (ISTS) charges on transmission of electricity generated from solar and wind sources for projects to be commissioned up to 30th June 2025. Further, the order promotes the development of solar, wind, Hydro Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), trading of RE in the power exchanges and seamless transmission of RE power across the states. The waiver of transmission charges has also been allowed for trading of electricity generated/ supplied from Solar, wind, PSP and BESS in Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) and Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) for two years i.e. till 30th June 2023. The order is futuristic as it also allows the waiver of transmission charges for RE trade in the Green Day Ahead Market (as part of the integrated Day ahead market). CERC, POSOCO and the power exchanges are working on it in mission mode to operationalise this product in the power exchanges by end of August 2021. It has also been clarified that an intra-State

| INDIA

transmission system which is used for the conveyance of electricity across the territory of an intervening State as well as conveyance within the State which is incidental to such inter-State transmission of electricity, shall be included for sharing of interstate transmission charges. Any waiver of inter-state transmission charges that applies to Inter-state transmission systems shall also be applicable to such parts of the Intrastate transmission. The transmission charges of such Intra-state transmission system shall be reimbursed by the CTU as is being done for ISTS system. Concerned Regional Power Committee may through studies identify such lines. Thus, India paves way for energy transition from Fossil fuel to Non-fossil fuel by giving incentive for power trade from Renewable, Hydro PSP and Energy Storage. This amendment order will be a boost to renewable energy and also a step forward to achieve the targets of the Government of India in meeting the international obligations towards climate change. Let's read what the experts think!

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 46

Majesh Nayak Director/CFO, Oorjan Cleantech

TO SET A BACKGROUND, INDIA HAS BUILT OVER 95 GW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

On 21 st June 2021, the Indian Power Ministry issued an order extending the waiver of the Inter-state Transmission System (ISTS) charges on transmission of electricity generated from solar or wind sources for projects to be commissioned up to 30 th June 2025 from the erstwhile deadline of 30th June 2023. It also clarified that the waiver would include those parts of the Intra-state Transmission Systems which would be incidental to such Inter-state Transmission Systems. This order has also waived the ISTS charges for Hydro Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects to be commissioned up to 30th

(RE) CAPACITY AS OF 31 ST MARCH 2021 AND RANKS 5 TH GLOBALLY FOR OVERALL INSTALLED RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY."

June 2025. The waiver of transmission charges has also been allowed for trading of electricity generated/ supplied from Solar, wind, PSP and BESS in Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) and Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) for two years i.e., till 30th June 2023.

for the granting renewables immunity from the pandemic induced lockdown to fast tracking and launching multiple tenders for new renewable energy projects. These tenders not only saw good response but also set record low tariff bids.

This is a positive move aimed to boost installation of Large-Scale Power Plants and Ultra Mega Solar Power Plants. ISTS charges add up to Rs 0.50 per unit to every unit of conventional power and a waiver of these charges for solar, wind, PSP and BESS adds to the viability of RE power vis-à-vis the conventional sources of power.

The 21 st June order is also a right step in this direction. However, this has to be supplementary to a slew of other measures which the Government should come up with. These measures have to be larger, impactful and direct in nature and could range from firm clarification and commitment to resolve the backlogs in signing of DISCOM PPAs, incentivising and fuelling the solar module and hardware manufacturing ecosystem and fast-tracking land allocation for Ultra Mega Solar Power Plants. All said, the extension of ISTS charges waiver along with inclusion of PSP and BESS projects for this waiver is a welcome move and we have to watch for more positive policy moves from the Government.

To set a background, India has built over 95 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) capacity as of 31 st March 2021 and ranks 5 th globally for overall installed renewable energy capacity. However, we stand way short of the 2022 RE target of 175 GW set by the Government of India. To achieve the target, the Government has taken various steps ranging

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 47

Manoj Gupta VP-Solar and Waste to Energy Business, Fortum India

The Ministry of Power has issued a directive extending the waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) tariffs on the transmission of electricity generated from solar and wind sources for projects that are scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2025. This is a positive step for renewable energy stakeholders who are experiencing delays in project completion. Pumped hydro storage projects and battery energy storage systems (BESS) commissioned by June 30, 2025 are also eligible for the waiver, provided they meet the requirements. This revised order would strengthen renewable energy projects that were delayed owing to Covid-19 pandemic and take India one step closer to reaching its international climate change commitments. In response to solar energy stakeholders' request to extend the deadline

Saptak Ghosh Research Scientist, Energy and Power sector at CSTEP

The Ministry of Power recently extended the waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges for renewable energy (RE) projects until 2025. The extension will assuage concerns of large-scale solar and wind project developers who have been affected by the ongoing pandemic and associated supply chain disruptions. Projects that were envisaged to be connected to the ISTS have been delayed, which might affect long-term financial structures. For example, Karnataka had planned three ultra-mega solar parks in Koppal, Gadag, and Bidar. At 2.5 GW each, these parks were to be developed with the help of Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and connected to the southern ISTS. SECI initiated bidding processes for Koppal in April 2020, but COVID-19 has caused delays. Developers of these projects will be given a boost with the extension of the waiver.

electricity transfer from one state to another and to industrial/commercial consumers, this move will allow for such transmission without further financial hardship. The decision is forwardthinking since it permits the Green Day Ahead Market to waive transmission charges for renewable energy trading. CERC, POSOCO, and the power exchanges are now all working on it to have it operational by the end of August 2021. As a result, India facilitates the transition from fossil fuel to non-fossil fuel energy sources by providing incentives for electricity trading from renewables, hydropower, and energy storage. This revised order would strengthen renewable energy projects that were delayed owing to Covid-19 pandemic and take India one step closer to reaching its international climate change commitments. In response to solar energy stakeholders' request to extend the deadline to allow for electricity transfer from one state to another and to industrial/commercial consumers, this move will allow for such transmission without further financial hardship. The decision is forwardthinking since it permits the Green Day Ahead Market to waive transmission charges for renewable energy trading. CERC, POSOCO, and the power exchanges are now all working on it to have it operational by the end of August 2021. As a result, India facilitates the transition from fossil fuel to non-fossil fuel energy sources by providing incentives for electricity trading from renewables, hydropower, and energy storage.

Power plants using pumped hydro or battery storage will need to generate 70% from solar/wind annually to qualify for this exemption until 2025. This means that developers bidding for SECI’s 24/7 RE projects will also benefit from this arrangement. ReNew Power, which won the 400 MW of round-the-clock RE power with storage tender for New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, will utilise the ISTS network for power evacuation. Other developers in the space will also be looking for similar advantages. With a 450 GW RE target for 2030, ISTS will play a vital role in power transmission from large RE parks. Developers and companies with renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) in states with low RE feasibility will rely heavily on ISTS to source clean electricity from afar. Continued access to the network will encourage further RE growth with storage because of reduced costs, even with minimal charges being levied beyond 2025.

Pinaki Bhattacharyya MD & CEO, Amp Energy India

Waiver on ISTS charges is a positive move taking into account the delays caused by the pandemic in the last 1-2 years but not waiving off ISTS losses would result in a slight increase in the landed tariff for discoms. Ideally, the government should have waived off the losses as well till June’25 and that would have encouraged the discoms to procure more renewable energy from ISTS projects. to allow for

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 48

COMPANY FEATURE

LONGi guarantees the quality of its product, which helps customers secure the total lifecycle performance of their PV plants With technological and industrial expertise accumulated over the past two decades, LONGi released at SNEC 2021 the industry’s first “Lifecycle Quality” standard. Based on the concept of “customer value first”, “LONGi Lifecycle Quality” will ensure that LONGi products will perform reliably throughout the lifespan and help our customers realize the high returns on investment throughout the entire lifecycle of their PV power plants. Under its brand concept of “Steadfast and Reliable Technology Leadership”, LONGi is committed to helping customers secure the value of their power plant throughout its lifecycle through technology and product quality. During SNEC 2021, LONGi demonstrated its technology, management and customer values are above and beyond industrial baseline standards. Customers will be able to access the quality guarantee and reliable services throughout the lifecycle of their PV power plants. In terms of technical standards, LONGi is consolidating its leading role through multidimensional technical benchmarking. On managerial standards, LONGi’s standard BOM and stringent reliability monitoring will cover the entire lifecycle management of its products. LONGi is the forerunner in applying wind tunnel testing to validate module design. Maximum wind speed of 60m/s has been tested on LONGi modules, equivalent to a Category 17 hurricane. In the hail test, LONGi even enlarged the test size of the pallets to more than 35mm to validate the high reliability of the module design. LONGi guarantees the quality of its products throughout the entire lifecycle of our customer’s PV power plants. With that, LONGi hopes to continuously build strong customer

| INDIA

affiliation and promote the company as a quality brand. During the design stage of PV power plants, customers are mostly focused on reducing system costs and improving system electricity generation capacity and safety performance. LONGi can offer customers highefficiency products that can be adapted to various condition and provide a comprehensive analysis of the optimal module selection for different applications, so as to maximize investment income from the PV power plants. When the power plants enter the construction phase, LONGi’s global module production capacity of more than 50GW can eliminate customer concerns regarding product delivery. In addition, LONGi’s product quality standard system - which leads the industrial baseline requirements - will fully guarantee the reliability of the product for efficient and stable electricity generation. In the operation phase of the power plants, customers shift their focus to product quality assurance, stable income stream from the electricity generation, system O & M and power plant optimization. As an important outdoor operational asset with 30-year warranty, the robustness and reliability of PV power plants throughout the entire lifecycle are vital to customers. In this regard, LONGi’s stable and excellent financial and operating performance are the best long-term worry-free warranty for customers in the long run. From the launch of Hi-MO N to the first release of “LONGi Lifecycle Quality” standard for power plants in solar industry, LONGi has once again won the world’s attention for its commitment of “Customer value first” and its efforts in propelling the global energy transition.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 49

COMPANY FEATURE

Sungrow awarded in the category of “After Sales Service Quality OEM” Sungrow is the world’s most bankable inverter brand with over 182+ GW installations worldwide as of June 2021. Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial and residential applications as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. The company’s global annual production capacity reaches 90 GW, including 10 GW of India factories. Sungrow took bold decisions in supporting India’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” mission. As the annual production of the India manufacturing base will expand to 10 GW, the value addition in terms of local content will also gradually be increased while maintaining the highest standard of the quality. With this, Sungrow aims to be listed under Class-I supplier as per Government’s recent notification.

The Solar Retail Show Awards India 2021 The Solar Retail Show Awards held on 30th June. We got the message late to nominate ourselves two days prior to the event. We had little time to confirm the category, so we shared a detailed presentation on why Sungrow should be awarded in the category i.e. After Sales Service Quality:OEM. Quickly and did what is necessary to nominate ourselves first in this category where Companies from different countries in the region were already there with their stakes. But we finally did receive the award based on Sungrow's achievement in this category.

Sungrow’s customers are not only equipped with highly optimized and advanced PV and energy storage technology but are also getting equally complemented with a highly versatile local sales and service team with sound experience. Sungrow’s root in India goes deeper and stays firm to meet the huge demand of local products and thereby consolidate its position further in the industry. “We are not only committed to provide the best in class product from our India factory, we are also striving hard to increase our loyal customer base through our local package (inclusive of warehouses, repair and spare centres, service team),” said Mr. Sunil Badesra, Country Head, Sungrow India.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 50

COMPANY FEATURE

Trina Solar - The Shining Star Of The Global Solar Industry Committed with a mission to benefit all mankind with solar energy’, a fight for lower LCOE and the greater goal of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality, Trina Solar is today the world leading PV and smart energy total solution provider developing proprietary smart PV solutions for large power stations, as well as commercial and residential solutions, energy storage systems, photovoltaic modules and energy IoT (internet of things).

Leading Through Innovation & Technology Founded in 1997, Trina has come a long way in terms of its technology offerings to the industry. 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. The unmatched level of innovation and technological capabilities of Trina Solar have led the company to become global leaders by setting industry benchmarks for both quality and efficiency. The Trina Solar State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology is one of the first state key laboratories accredited by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Trina Solar has established a technology innovation team made up of top researchers and experts from across China and around the world. Trina Solar’s State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology has set 20 world records in PV cell efficiency and module output and holds the highest number of patents in the PV industry. In 2018, Trina Solar launched its Energy IoT brand, established the Trina Energy IoT Industrial Development Alliance together with leading enterprises and research institutes in China and around the world, and founded the New Energy IoT Industrial Innovation Center. With these actions, Trina Solar is committed to working with its partners to build the energy IoT ecosystem and develop an innovation platform to explore New Energy IoT, as it strives to be a leader in global intelligent energy. Among the many highlights of Trina Solar in 2020, the most dazzling was the launch of the industry-leading 210mm ultra-high power module series Vertex and the establishment of the 600W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance, which 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.

TRINA SOLAR STATE KEY LABORATORY OF PV SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 51

TRINA SOLAR HEADQUARTER IN CHANG ZHOU, CHINA

Achieving New Milestones - Year On Year In 2020, Trina Solar was rated the World’s Top “Bankable” PV Module Manufacturer by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the fifth consecutive year. Trina Solar won the China Industry Awards in 2018, becoming the first PV company to receive this honor. Trina Solar highly values and invests in environment, health, and safety. The Company has been ranked as one of the top 3 PV module manufacturing companies in the world. Trina Solar was awarded two successive Gold Level ratings in the Corporate Social Responsibility performance survey conducted by EcoVadis, an independent rating agency in Europe, due to its outstanding record of protecting the environment and employee rights. In 2019, Trina Solar was recognized as the National Center for Enterprise Technology by the five ministries and commissions. This facility, which in fact comprises one laboratory and two centers (the State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology, the National Enterprise Technology Center and the New Energy IoT Industrial Innovation Center), has enabled the company to step up its investment in operational R&D, raise and broaden its innovation platform, and attract more high-end talent.

Committed To Growth & Collaborations Trina Solar’s total module capacity reached 22GW in 2020, and module shipments reached 15.915GW, ranking third in the world, tallying to the 2020 annual shipment guidance published in Q3 2020 by IHS Markit. By the end of 2021 Trina Solar's total cell production capacity is expected to reach 35GW (of which 210mm cells will account for more than 70%) and it is expected to accomplish total module production capacity of 50GW, further consolidating its position as the 210mm module leader. The global PV industry has

| INDIA

experienced shortages and price increases of silicon, glass and other raw and auxiliary materials in the second half of the year. Despite this, the company had stable operations across the year, which highlights its strong ability in supply chain risk control. Trina Solar has always been committed to promoting industrial synergy. In addition to continuously optimizing its own module material technology and processes and improving product performance, Trina Solar is also engaged in in-depth strategic joint ventures and collaboration with upstream suppliers to reduce costs, stabilize supply and achieve controllable risks. In addition, in 2020 Trina Solar deepened its diversified operations and opened up multiple business units such as for modules, trackers and system integration, further enhancing the company's comprehensive strength and anti-risk capability.

The Future Looking to the future, Trina’s people will continue to be guided by the company’s core corporate values, focus on the customer, persist in open innovation, persevere through dedication and hard work, strive for excellence, and share the responsibility, create and share value together, while also pursuing the company’s mission of Solar for All Mankind. Harnessing the strength of all parties in a spirit of openness and collaboration, Trina will lead the development of the industry to play its part in global energy saving, emissions reduction and sustainable development. Today, Trina Solar is actively accelerating its pace of globalization and the development of its global management team. Trina Solar’s business footprint extends to more than 100 countries and regions. Trina Solar has always been committed to a cleaner and greener future and will continue to contribute to the development of a clean, lowcarbon, safe and efficient energy system and the development of renewable energy to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 52

PRODUCT FEATURE

ETi-SOL®: IoT Solar PV Monitoring from EnerMAN 1.1GW (1100MW) OF SOLAR PV PLANTS ACROSS THE WORLD & ENERMAN IS WORKING WITH PARTNERS IN US, AUSTRALIA, POLAND, AFRICA TO DEPLOY ITS ETI-SOL® REMOTE MONITORING SCADA SOLUTION FOR THE GLOBAL PV PLANTS. EnerMAN is glad to announce that, our IoT based PV SCADA ETi-SOL® is monitoring/controlling over 1.1GW (1100MW) of Solar PV Plants across the world & EnerMAN is working with partners in US, Australia, Poland, Africa to deploy its ETi-SOL® Remote Monitoring SCADA solution for the global PV plants. The ETi-SOL® is an end-to-end solution, made in India product to deliver accurate and real-time operational analytics of PV plants at an attractive price. We take pride in “Vocal For Local” to Go Global transformation currently happening in India. This remarkable milestone itself is a testimonial for the ever-increasing demand for Remote monitoring & control systems as the large-scale solar power industry continues to mature in India. EnerMAN’s accomplishment is rooted in its proven cutting-edge technology, reliable performance, and an exceptional level of service support and most importantly trust, confidence of the customers.

Here are some of the salient features of ETiSOL® SCADA:

The Home Page: This is the dashboard that can provide plant and portfolio level KPIs like Generation, PR, Plant Status etc. Multi Plant View Homepage gives a comprehensive view of the health of a complete portfolio. This data is very useful for the plant owner as well as O&M Manager to know how their plants are performing on a day. The SCADA transforms generation data into carbon footprint knowledge so that owner can take pride in how he is contributing to a healthier planet.

The Plant Overview Page: Based on the customer requests, this dashboard is designed to get complete knowledge about how his plant is operating. Some of the performance metrics are generation, insolation, peak power, total power, PR, CUF, yield etc. Some of the components in this page are customizable to the specific needs of a customer. If a key performance indicator is outside the expected range, there is a provision for the technician to share the incident knowledge to the managers at HQ by adding a Bulletin message.

The Map view page:

This remarkable milestone itself is a testimonial for the everincreasing demand for Remote monitoring & control systems as the large-scale solar power industry continues to mature in India.

| INDIA

This displays all Inverters and SCBs on a Google Map with exact geo coordinates of the plant and the colour of Inverters and SCBs become red if there is a device fault. Geo-tagging helps locating and fast identification of faulty SCB’s in larger power plants reducing down-time and thereby minimizing generation loss.

Single Line Diagrams (SLD): The SLD diagrams are very important for an electrical engineer or technician to do live monitoring and take quick action if a device turns red due to a fault. This page is custom built for each plant based on how the plant is designed by referring to its schematic diagrams.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 53

The Device level 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 Inverter dashboard displays hourly, daily, and monthly generation and insolation in a Graph. The users of SCADA can drill down from Plant->Block-> Inverter Room ->Inverter level to get the generation information. As part of EnerMAN Technology efforts to deliver Knowledge not just data, Inverter dashboard has a unique feature called “Dip Reason”. The Dip Reason window automatically displays if there is a dip in energy generation due to Grid Outage and/or Inverter faults. There is also a provision for technicians to manually enter any other reason which is not automatically inferred by the SCADA system. The SCB dashboard displays any underperforming strings so that the technician can take actions just by looking at color coded information.

The Analytics Page:

ETi-SOL® Edge: For the customers who do not want to pay annual cloud server charges to view their plant data, EnerMAN has introduced ETiSOL®Edge which is a local monitoring solution. One time investment to the system which does not require internet & cloud storage. 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 server. For more information regarding our solutions email

S A L E S @ E N E R M A N . I N or login to W W W . E N E R M A N . I N

The user can pick and choose any primary parameters across different devices and analyze trends and performances in a graph or table view. ETI-SOL®’s analytics tab enables users to choose the parameters to be compared across the plants in different geographic locations in a couple of clicks. In addition to primary data, the user can also analyze and download computed KPIs like PR, Yield, Insolation, and DGR (Daily Generation Reports).

Report module: The user can download pre-defined daily, monthly, and yearly reports by click of a button. The user can configure his report module & save it as a template after which with a few clicks, one can download Plant level, Block level or Device level reports. ETi-SOL® supports Customizable ‘Daily Generation Report in your Inbox’ feature relieving the load of O&M engineers to download & email DGRs.

The Alarm Page: Alert module plays a pivotal role in any SCADA. The ETi-SOL® works closely with edge devices (ETi-LOG) to provide real-time, robust, and accurate alarms and events. It has two levels of Alarms detection logic, the primary logic deployed in the edge device (ETi-LOG) and the secondary logic deployed in the SCADA (ETi-SOL®). This extra layer of alert logic ensures that the user will not miss an Alarm. The alert module supports both Email as well as SMS notifications to users and has an inbuilt escalation matrix. The O&M manager and the plant owner will receive an email notification if there is an unresolved alert.

AS PART OF ENERMAN TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS TO DELIVER KNOWLEDGE NOT JUST DATA, INVERTER DASHBOARD HAS A UNIQUE FEATURE CALLED “DIP REASON”.

| INDIA

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 54

PRODUCT FEATURE

GoodWe inverters offer reliable operation and excellent performance and are well recognized by customers worldwide. GoodWe is a leading, strategically-thinking enterprise which focuses on research and manufacturing of PV inverters and energy storage solutions. With an accumulative installation of 16 GW installed in more than 80 countries, GoodWe solar inverters have been largely used in residential and commercial rooftops, industrial and utility scale systems, ranging from 0.7kW to 250kW. GoodWe inverters offer reliable operation and excellent performance and are well recognized by customers worldwide. GoodWe’s philosophy is to always create win-win partnerships with customers by identifying and integrating the most advanced components and techniques available while offering an unparalleled after-sales service.

3. Utility-scale Solution: 225-250kW HT Series

Technological innovation is GoodWe’s main core competence. With an in-house R&D team of approx. 500 employees in two R&D centres, GoodWe can offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale PV and storage systems, ensuring that performance and quality go hand-in-hand across the entire range.

Utility-scale Solution 225-250kW Compatible with High-power Modules Power Line Communication 2.0 I-V Curve Diagnosis Internal Humidity Detection SVG Function Available

GoodWe has set up an integrated service system for pre-sales, in-sales and after-sales and has established service centres worldwide, aiming to offer global support to all customers including project consulting, technical training, on-site support and after-sales service.

Technology Advancements – Production Capacity

Product Portfolio: 1 . R es i d e n t i a l S o l u t i o n : 0 . 7 - 1 5 k W XS Series MS Series 2. Commercial and Industrial Solution: 17-136kW MT Series SMT Series

| INDIA

4. PV + Storage Solution: 3-50kW EH Series ET Series 5. Lithium Batteries Lynx Home S Series Lynx Home U Series Technology Specifications

GoodWe’s manufacturing integrates the latest and most sophisticated processes and the most advanced automation solutions to deliver unparalleled quality and maximum efficiency. 25 GW Solar Inverters Capacity 40 MWh Battery Capacity GoodWe listed as most efficient APAC manufacturer in the 2021 SPI test - The renowned University of Applied Sciences (HTW) in Berlin recently examined the most efficient home storage systems for PV systems. In this year’s PV storage test, GoodWe’s hybrid inverters and high-voltage batteries stole the spotlight once again and were recognised as most efficient.

JUNE-JULY ISSUE 2021 | PG 55

The ceremony intended to recognize and celebrate the success and achievements of the companies and their teams that have contributed outstandingly to promoting and advancing the use of Solar Energy across Sri Lanka in its full diversity. The Proud Winners of the ‘Sri Lanka Solar Week Awards' are:

Business Excellence Awards: Solar Company of the Year : Developer (15MW) - Panasian Power PLC The company is one of Sri Lanka’s leading suppliers of clean, renewable energy to the Sri Lankan national energy grid. As a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy generation the company has set a benchmark. The Total installed capacity of its solar projects is 15MW.

Solar Company of the Year:Developer (20 MW) Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The winning company is a leading provider of European solar solutions in Sri Lanka and a leading developer in the country.The company undertakes project as full turn key from consultancy, design, engineering, installation upto the O&M. It has commissioned total projects of 20 MWs and has many more in the pipeline.

Solar Company of the Year : Module - Trina Solar The company is a global leading provider of PV modules and smart energy solutions. It has delivered more than 66 GW of solar modules worldwide.The co’s leading multi-busbar technology,the Vertex modules adopt the 210mm silicon wafer, nondestructive cutting and high-density interconnect technologies making them ultra high power, high efficiency and high reliability modules.

Solar Company of the Year : Module - LONGi Solar The winning company is world’s leading mono-crystalline solar module manufacturer for achieving best LCOE solutions with a shipment scale of 24.53 GW as well as the module capacity of 50 GW worldwide.It is recognized as the world’s most valuable solar technology company with the highest market value.

Solar Channel Partner of the Year - Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The company has gone around the world to get the best quality products to match the best prices for their customers.They have been the channel partners for REC & Huawei. They introduced Huawei to Sri lanka and are the highest contributors to REC & Huawei both.

Solar Company of the Year: Solar String Inverters - Goodwe Power Supply Tech Co. Ltd. The winning company is a world-leading PV inverter and energy storage solutions manufacturer. It has an accumulative delivery of more than two million inverters and installation of 23GW in more than 100 countries and regions. The company’s solar inverters have been used in residential and commercial rooftops, industrial and utility scale systems and range from 0.7kW to 250kW. The company has set up an integrated service system aiming to offer global support to all it’s customers.

Best Consulting Company of the Year: Business - Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The company was successful in creating business opportunities in the field of solar energy when the customers did not have any idea or interest in investing in renewables. They have promoted parties to bid for ground mounted tenders and made them successful.The company introduced the Roof Rental Model to Customers which was very beneficial to them.

Best Solar Project of the Year - CBL Foods International (Pvt) Ltd. The solar project was for one of the fastest growing and largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka - CBL Foods. The solar project was a rooftop installation of a 1.1 MW solar panel system.

Best Company of the Year: Finance - Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The winning company is the leading provider of tier 1 solar solutions in Sri Lanka.The company offers solutions that give a payback between 4 to 5 years and have promoted their own investments.

Service & Technology Excellence Awards: Solar Service Provider of the Year: O&M - Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The company has been operating since 2012 and is one of the best after sales companies in the country. They have gained credibility over the period and are very successful in getting repeat orders from the previous customers. This proves the customer satisfaction on the project and the after sales service.

Solar Service Provider of the Year: EPC (Turnkey Solutions) - Fentons Ltd (Hayleys Solar)

Solar Service Provider of the Year:EPC (Record Time Completion) - Panasian Power PLC

The winning company has a history of 100 years of trust and excellence, and is widely considered one of the most competent and trusted engineering companies in Sri Lanka. They combine the value of engineering and innovation to offer a wide array of services such as solar power systems, UPSs, CCTV cameras and complete security and surveillance systems, facilities management services, and much more.

The winning company has a team of inhouse engineers and designers who have huge experience in the solar sector. The company uses most advanced PV monitoring systems to increase plant uptime. They have been doing great engineering innovations, which has helped them in commissioning the projects ahead of the schedule.

Smart Technology Innovation of the Year - Trina Solar Co., Ltd Driven by module development trends, the company has employed a comprehensive and integrated approach when designing new tracker products. Based on the updated dimensions, weight and electrical characteristics of modules, this company has made corresponding adjustments for structural reinforcement and innovative improvement for optimal tracker design, ensuring all products' impeccable compatibility with latest modules.

Solar Service Provider of the Year EPC (Engineering & Designing) Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The winning company has been working as EPC for different top developers in the nation. Some of its clients are Fourth Partner, Visa Power, Lakdarani Ventures, Capital Standards to name a few.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Solar Solution Provider of the Year - Hienergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The winning company is a part of the Aberdeen Group, a Sri Lankan conglomerate in diverse industries for over 50 years, with operations across the globe. They have Completed around 500 projects. The companies installed and in progress projects have capacity of over 30 MW.It has provided engineering consultancy to many customers as well as have proven themselves in the field of Engineering Design too.

T H E

SOLAR

RETAIL

SHOW AWARDS SOUTH ASIA 2021

Solar Retailers play a very critical role in the solar industry by helping the right solar solution get to the right installer at the right time. This award ceremony was one such platform that focused on the best in sales, network, quality products and comprehensive services offered by the South Asian distribution companies and their teams. The Proud Winners of the ‘Solar Retail Show South Asia Awards 2021' are:

DISTRIBUTOR/CHANNEL PARTNER AWARDS: Solar Channel Partner of the Year (India) - Axis Power The company is one of the most trusted photovoltaic product distributors and strategic partner for solar EPC’s in India. They’ve partnered with the best-in-class brands from across the globe and gained tremendous mileage to deliver the latest technologies to their customers. The home of strong brands offers solar modules, inverters, storage solutions, mounting systems and other BOS components.

Solar Channel Partner of the Year (Sri Lanka) - HiEnergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The winning company is a leading provider of solar solutions in Sri Lanka. It has done above 10 MW of projects for the Huawei inverters in under a year.Huawei has so far done 33 MW of projects and in that 1/3rd being just our winning company’s contribution with another 15MW in the pipeline.

Solar Distributor of the Year (West India) - MECPower Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The company is an authorized distributor of waaree for PAN Gujarat. It is a prominent name in the solar industry with 100% customer satisfaction. Because of their premier BOS and after sales services, they have achieved a place in top 3 solar companies in Gujarat within 4 years. The company has sold 23,650 Inverters, 1,25,095 Pcs of Modules and has a Turnover of 100Crs.

Solar Distributor of the Year (India) - HYGRID SOLAR PVT LTD

Best Solution Provider of the Year Oriana Power

The winning company is amongst the top distributors of India and has tied up with various Tier-1 brands. The company also manufactures and supplies balance of solar system with its own brand name. They have local warehouses in most of the States of India and have catered for 30 MW solar modules in the last year.

The company has optimized and innovative Solar Solutions for Commercial & Industrial clients with multiple options like RESCO, Open Access, Group Captive & CAPEX Models. It has provided technical Consultancy to USICEF (United States India Clean Energy Finance) for Multiple Projects and has delivered more than 55 MW, more than 25 MW Under Construction and more than 70 MW in the Pipeline.

Solar Dealer of the Year (West India) - Rahul Enterprises Our winning company entered the solar industry in 2017. It has been an authorized dealer for Ornate solar for Nagpur region. They have been achieving greater success with their expertise and have completed almost 2.5 MW projects in 2021. The company believes in best quality product sales and offers world class solar products.

Best Solar Dealer of the Year (South India) - Axis Power The company is one of the most trusted photovoltaic product distributors and strategic partners for solar EPC’s in India. They have partnered with the best-in-class brands from across the globe and gained tremendous mileage to deliver the latest technologies to their customers. The company is well networked across the southern region with warehouses at strategic locations in Kerala for quick availability of products and to minimize the logistic costs.

Best In Client Satisfaction: Distributor (South India) enPossibilities Pvt. Ltd. The winning company has more than 300 satisfied customers with a great number of repeated customers. The company has supplied more than 80MW of solar string inverters to the rooftop EPC industry and more than 10MW of Solar modules. It is proud to state that its Year on Year growth of sales is increasing by ~300%.

Best In Client Satisfaction: Distributor (West India) MECPower Solutions Pvt. Ltd The winning company has completed 5352 rooftop projects and 84 commercial projects. The company has been getting its repeated orders from 260 Clients for inverters and 376 Clients for modules. They also provide the best quality and after installation services to their customers. The company achieved revenue growth of 288.8% in 2019 and has achieved 350% of customer growth with 100% customer satisfaction.

Best Turnkey Service Provider of the Year - MITTAL DISTRIBUTORS

Best Technical Support Provider of the Year (Nepal) - Promentute, Inc.

Customer's Choice Award: Distributor - Heyday Ventures

The company was established with the vision to enhance and stimulate the use of sustainable sources of energy. They are recognised as one of the leading Solar PV distributors & turnkey suppliers of Solar PV project materials – PV Modules, Inverters and BOS for the EPC players for smooth execution of the onsite project. The company is the authorized distributor of Vikram Solar as well as Fronius System Partners.

The company provides expert engineering consulting and construction services.Detailed survey, pre-feasibility study and feasibility study, detailed design, technical specification preparation, construction, testing and commissioning services are a part of their offerings.The company is one of the top technical support providers in Nepal.

The company is known as India’s largest player in the renewable sector for bankable solar radiation & weather measurements. The company not only supplies turnkey weather stations solutions but also provides one of the most consistent after sales services for its fleet of weather stations. The company has a prime focus of offering longer warranties for end clients, on time delivery and the most competitively priced products for all its customers year-round.

TECHNOLOGY/SERVICE PROVIDER AWARDS: After Sales Service Quality:OEM Sungrow The company is the world’s most bankable inverter brand with 100%reliability score and over 154 GW installed worldwide .The company's core product photovoltaic inverter has passed the certification and test of many international authoritative certification agencies.It has installed over 4 GW of inverter capacity, making it one of the largest players in the market.In India the co’s service has more than 6500MW commissioned product base, 0 commissioning delay, 36 Hrs TAT, more than 95% Customer Satisfaction, 0.1% Repetitive failure, 99% TAT(response).

Best Sales Initiative Of The Year (India) - Rahul Enterprises

Our winning company believes in best quality products sales. It has supplied 2.5 Megawatt panels in Tamil Nadu by offering the best price to the customers. This made an easy sale for the company as well as the customer benefitted from their offer price.

Best Technical Support Provider of the Year (India) - AJA TECHNOLOGIES Private Limited The company impressively responds to the widest range of needs in the Solar sector, proposing the most effective and innovative EPC and I & C solutions available in the world today.It has end to end solutions and offerings in Solar EPC and Installation and Commissioning Domain. The company has experience of successful execution of more than 35 MegaWatt Solar power plants as well as having executed 120+ Solar Water Pump Projects all over India.

Best Distributor Engagement Initiative Of The Year - HiEnergy Services Pvt. Ltd. The company is a leading solar solution provider in Sri Lanka.It has introduced Huawei to Brandix garments and DSI which are the leading apparel brands. The brands were earlier using Solar edge and SMA for all their projects. The new engagement initiative brought by our winning company has introduced Huawei to these high brands. To know more about at:https://solarquarter.com/studio/ our awards

SOLAR

PROJECT ENGINEERING WEEK INDIA 2021 AWARDS

Excellence In Solar Engineering, Retail & Projects Honored & Awarded RECOGNIZING THE BEST IN SOUTH ASIAN SOLAR INDUSTRY Awards do not only acknowledge success; they recognise many other qualities: ability, struggle, effort and, above all, excellence. It is an acknowledgement of appreciation for your Team's hard work and dedication to achieve the milestone. SolarQuarter set the stage to honor and award some of the finest achievers in the South Asian Solar Industry. Introducing below some of our most prestigious Solar Industry Awards:

A platform that celebrates the achievements of exceptional talents in engineering, projects, technologies and innovations in the Indian Solar Industry which have made their mark not only Nationally but Globally too. The Proud Winners of the ‘Solar Project Engineering Week India 2021 Awards' are:

Solar Energy Project Engineering Awards: Project Performance Engineering & Design Innovation - R & D Solar Enterprise It is the first company to manufacture Surya Jyoti MICRO SOLAR DOME. This product was developed further by the company for an effective use during the day as well as the night even with solar PV. The company’s innovation saw a huge demand mainly from rural benefitters.

Project Performance Engineering & Design Innovation - Ilios Power Private Limited The company provides complete solutions in Solar Energy through Advisory, EPC activities, Technology Consulting and Operations & Maintenance of the solar plants. It has commissioned "One of India's First" ground mount systems with seasonal tilt with Bifacial PV module technology.The tie ups with well-established enterprises positions them to offer energy guarantees and comprehensive performance guarantees to secure the investment and cash flows.

High Yield Return Engineering Innovation - Evolve Energy Group The company is one of the fastest growing Solar EPC (Manufacturing, Procurement and Distribution) for Rooftop Solar Power Plants with existence in five countries and spreading into many others globally. It has done a turnkey project of 915kW DC / 770kW AC Rooftop Solar Power Plant and has Deployed TIGO Rapid Shutdown system for fire safety which has been very beneficial for the projects in event of AC grid loss.

Solar Project Design Innovation ReNew Power The company is one of India’s leading renewable energy IPPs in terms of total energy generation capacity. The company has been instrumental in developing various design innovations for its projects. Some of the innovations include: Structure & foundation Design Optimization using wind force coefficient, Exothermic earthing welding for PV array field earth grid,Robotic cleaning instead of manual cleaning,Reduction in Inverter Duty Transformer overall size and EHouse system to replace the civil type Main Control Room to save time and civil cost.

Best Project EHS Management Initiatives - Engie Solar

The winning company is a Developer of MW scale ground mounted Solar Power Projects with expertise in Project Management, EPC and Operation & Maintenance. The company’s robust EHS system is set & implemented with an effective monitoring mechanism. They have PDCA (Plan, Do, Check & Act) approach where all EHS requirements are signed off with all the stakeholders / contractors first and then monitored at various phases of projects - award of contract, site EHS feasibility & review, deployment of resources, training & development, reviews, inspections, audits and motivational programs, rewards & recognition. The company has a dedicated EHS team at office, Site and contractors EHSE team.

Engineering Initiative (Pandemic Response) - ReNew Power The company has done a remarkable job even during the challenging times of Pandemic. It has commissioned 105 MW project in Gujarat and 110MW project in Rajasthan, which had started during the pandemic and was completed within 6 month time. With most of the employees working from home, the coordination between the teams helped the company to progress further and complete their projects in time. The company has also madeTechnical closers for all supply items for timely procurement activity.

Best Project Site Management Initiatives - Engie Solar The winning company is the world's largest power company with around 110GW in operation globally. It has taken various site management initiatives such as HSE training to each and every person on site, defensive driving training to all drivers, one dedicated safety officer per 50 labourers, safety audits, rewards and recognition, etc. including strict quality control and supervision, Health and CSR initiatives as well as progress monitoring.

Solar Engineer's Choice Quality Awards: Product Technology Innovation Agami Engineering Consultants LLP The company is an innovation driven structural and civil consulting firm with over 1 GW of solar assets. A company truly with a cutting edge expertise of structural engineering in solar has made a remarkable innovation- a rapid MMS health evaluation with use of a smartphone app to gauge dynamic response of a solar MMS.

Smart Engineering Solution Provider - ILIOS Power Pvt.Ltd

Solar Project Design Consultancy Varistor Solar

The winning company is No. 1 Solar company in South India. It boasts a portfolio of over 4000 MW in Solar. The company has commissioned "One of India's Largest Capacity Rooftop Plant" in Andhra Pradesh. It is a rooftop project with a total capacity of 2.76 MWp. The Plant was designed to be developed in such a way that none of the existing Shed structure would be disturbed and also the base fixing or mounting of every equipment to be designed to house only on the Shed Purlin.

The winning company is a growing startup working in solar plant detailed designing and planning services with a wide range of solar plant drawings, reports, designs and calculations to reduce the overall project cost. They have helped many small start –up companies to grow their solar business.

Smart Engineering Solution Provider - Evolve Energy Group The company has executed 50+ MW of Solar Rooftop Projects for leading MNCs across the world. Their end-to-end solutions, from design to maintenance, powered by cost effective and streamlined commissioning processes bring the power of solar within reach. With smart engineering solutions such as Proper overloading of inverters, reducing the distance of DC Cable with proper routing,and Proper AC Cable Sizing to reduce losses has helped the projects in high yield return.

Solar Project Engineering Consultancy - SunPower & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. The company is an acclaimed Design & Engineering consultant. Their team has executed more than 70 solar projects depicting their high expertise and state of art engineering innovation & optimization techniques using software tools like PVSyst & Homer.

Solar Project Leadership & Team Awards: Solar Project Engineering Team of the Year - Engie Solar The very dedicated of this company team has completed design and engineering for 200MW project located in Gujarat within 3 months.The team has been involved in rigorous technical evaluation of all equipments and components leading to selection of string inverters, higher Wp modules, right MMS material suitable for the corrosion category of the site, etc. It is an excellent engineering team which believes in hard work and co-ordination amongst all members to achieve the desired results.

Solar Project Design Team of the Year - ReNew Power The winning company’s very hard working design team has worked with equal zeal and dedication even during the pandemic.They have managed to design and engineer 105 MW and 110 MW projects during these testing times. Based on engineering optimization and initiative the team has managed project cost within project budget.

Solar Project Engineering Head of the Year - Kirankumar ,Engineering Manager ,Engie Solar The winning leader has 12 Years of experience in Design Engineering, Testing & Commissioning of Wind, Solar PV Plants and Switchyards. Under his leadership the company has commissioned various major projects in record time. He has helped his company in implementing standardization of design engineering tools for various sizing calculations resulting in higher productivity and efficiency.

GET YOURSELF REGISTERED for the Upcoming E-Mobility+ Events

2-3 SEP

SOLAR

PROJECT ENGINEERING

WEEK ASEAN 2021

BANGLADES

21-22 SEP

SOLAR WEEK

MODULE WEEK INDIA 2021

07-08 OCT

CONFERENCE & AWARDS

For Speaking & Sponsorship Opportunities, contact: events@firstviewgroup.com