Empowering, Insightful, Engaging
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CONTENT NEWS
FEATURED INTERVIEW
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PROJECT MONTHLY
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POLICY DEBRIEF
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TENDER TRACKER
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THINK TANK
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VICE PRESIDENT, ENERMAN TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
INSIGHTS 18
P GURUPRASAD
OPTIMIZATION VS UNDER DESIGN –WALKING THE TIGHTROPE
"We are happy to share that we have achieved a prodigious milestone of 1GW across India and 5 world countries"
PERSPECTIVE 20
WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES & CONSIDERATIONS IN PROJECT PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
22
KEY PARAMETERS IN TECHNO-ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF CROSS-CUTTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COST REDUCTION AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN SOLAR POWER PLANTS
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WHAT ARE THE CURRENT TRENDS IN PROJECT ENGINEERING AND DESIGNING OF LARGE SCALE SOLAR PLANTS
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WHAT ARE LATEST INNOVATIONS AND FUTURE TRENDS IN SMART INVERTERS TECHNOLOGY?
PRODUCT FEATURE 34 MEGAMIC
PUBLISHING
COMPANY FEATURE 35
SOLIS
EDITING
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FIMER
CONTENT
IN CONVERSATION
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UMAKANT SHENDE COUNTRY HEAD, INDIA, CLEANTECH SOLAR "The solar sector has not been left untouched by this unprecedented crisis, but it is encouraging to see the robustness and resilience of demand from customers."
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PG 37
PROJECT MONTHLY GREENKO ENERGY TODEVELOP INR 30,000 CR SOLAR + PUMPED HYDRO STORAGE HYBRID PROJECT IN RAJASTHAN
Renewable energy firm Greenko Energy is all set to develop a Rs 30,000-crore hybrid project in Rajasthan of which one will be a pumped hydro storage project of 2,520 megawatt (MW) capacity estimated at Rs 11,882 crore. The facilities will store excess solar energy available in day time and the same can be availed even when there is a little or no sunshine. The state government under Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s leadership has been advancing to establish the first of its kind Hybrid Project that will have solar, wind to generate energy and pump hydro storage capacity for the storage of the energy. AC ENERGY ACHIEVES FINANCIAL CLOSURE FOR 100 MW RAJASTHAN SITARA SOLAR PROJECT
RENEW POWER BECOMES WORLD’S FIRST RENEWABLE COMPANY TO ENTER WEF’S GLOBAL LIGHTHOUSE NETWORK
ReNew Power, India’s leading renewable energy company, today announced that it has been named to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network, which recognizes companies using new technologies to achieve environmentally sustainable, community supportive, profitable growth. In announcing ReNew’s appointment, the WEF specifically noted the Company’s recent investments in digital analytics and machine learning to increase the power yield, and decrease the downtime, of its solar and wind generation assets, as factors in its appointment. ReNew is one of only two Indian companies to be recognized by the Global Lighthouse Network this year. | INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
AC Energy and Infrastructure Corp. of the Ayala Group and partner UPC Solar Asia Pacific announced that they reached financial closing on the 100-megawatt Sitara solar farm in India. The firm had won the project in SECI’s 750 MW solar auction just over a year back, by bidding at a price of Rs 2.48/KwH. The project was its first major investment in India. The other winners in the auction were ACME Solar, Fortum Solar, and Palimarwar Solar. This is a major milestone for UPC-AC Energy Solar, the joint venture of ACEIC and UPC Solar Asia Pacific, as it targets to achieve more than 1,000 MW (1 gigawatts) of solar energy portfolio across Asia.
ADANI GREEN ENERGY’S KAMUTHI SOLAR PLANT BECOMES WATER POSITIVE
Adani Green Energy Limited announced that its Kamuthi solar plant in Tamil Nadu has become water positive. This 648 MW project is the flagship project of Adani Green Energy Ltd. It has become the first plant of its class to turn water positive. Explaining the terminology ‘water positive’ the AGEL officials said that a plant becomes water positive when it harvests and recycles more water than what it consumes. DNV, an independent global assessment and certification agency, has issued the certification to AGEL following a rigorous audit conducted on the plant’s water management in 2020-21.
CLEANMAX SOLAR MOVES INTO THE WIND-SOLAR HYBRID SPACE
Leading rooftop solar developer Cleanmax Solar, backed by marquee investors has moved into the wind-solar hybrid projects space. The company has commissioned 110 MW of projects and has another 62 MW of such projects in the pipeline. Cleanmax Solar was prompted by new policies of the Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh state governments into taking this step. PG 7
LAUNCHED NEW EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATION for Energy Storage Industry
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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
PROJECT MONTHLY
ORIX COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF 21.8% SHARES OF GREENKO ENERGY
Simultaneous with acquiring issued shares in Greenko, ORIX also integrated its entire wind power generation business in India into Greenko in exchange for new additional shares of Greenko. Accordingly, ORIX has now acquired approximately 21.8% of Greenko for a total value of approximately 961 million U.S. dollars. FUSION FUEL GREEN PLC TO ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIP WITH BGR ENERGY TO DEVELOP GREEN HYDROGEN PROJECTS IN INDIA
TATA POWER-DDL ROLLS OUT LIVE PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) SOLAR ENERGY TRADING PROJECT
India’s rapid adoption of renewable energy has been bolstered with the rollout of the first live solar energy trading project in Delhi, spearheaded by Tata Power DDL, a leading power distribution utility serving a populace of 7 million in Delhi, and Australian technology company Power Ledger in collaboration with India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF). The landmark project involving Tata Power-DDL, a joint venture between Tata Power India’s largest integrated power company, and the Government of NCT of Delhi , uses Power Ledger’s blockchain-enabled technology to facilitate peer-topeer (P2P) trading of electricity from over 2 MW of solar PV between multiple consumers in its license area of North Delhi – part of the capital city of India.
Fusion Fuel Green PLC, a green hydrogen technology company, is pleased to announce that it has signed an MoU with BGR Energy Systems Limited, one of India’s leading EPC companies, to develop green hydrogen projects in India. The companies intend to establish an initial demonstrator plant in India in 2021 and thereafter develop larger-scale projects in the region for the supply of hydrogen for the production of green ammonia and bio-ethanol, and as a feedstock for other heavy industrial applications. MYSUN AIMS TO INVEST RS 600 CRORE ($85 MN) TO DEVELOP A 200 MW SOLAR PORTFOLIO IN NEXT 3 YEARS
With an aim to consolidate and service its large and rapidly growing customer base, MYSUN’s new venture will provide bespoke solar energy solutions to large corporate, industrial and commercial establishments on a built, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) or RESCO model. MYSUN+ will develop and own these solar projects either at the client’s building or at remote locations under the group captive mode selling solar energy under the open-access regime. With this new venture, MYSUN becomes a complete 360-degree solar company meeting vastly different financing needs of its diversified client base of the large, medium and small industry as well as homes, all under one roof.
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
PG 9
POLICY DEBRIEF FEBRUARY 2020
CENTRAL: POLICY UPDATES INDIA ANNOUNCES 40% BCD ON SOLAR MODULES, 25% ON SOLAR CELLS FROM APRIL 2022
MNRE ISSUES LIST OF APPROVED MODELS & MANUFACTURERS OF SOLAR MODULES
MNRE announced that it’s proposal to impose BCD on solar cells and modules (without grandfathering of bid-out projects) has been agreed to by the Ministry of Finance. BCD on Solar Modules wef 01.04.2022 is 40% and BCD on Solar Cells wef 01.04.2022 is 25%. The Ministry of Finance has also advised that the customs notification in this regard shall be issued at an appropriate time.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released the approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) to be used for its projects. The ALMM list includes 23 manufacturers and their vetted modules which will be eligible for use in Government projects, schemes, bids which are out on or after 10th April 2021 as per the notification.
MNRE ISSUES AMENDED DRAFT POLICY FOR DRE LIVELIHOOD APPLICATIONS
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a revised draft policy framework for Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) livelihood application to Scale-up the currently available DRE livelihood applications and to Support development of new DRE livelihood applications. DRE-powered livelihood solutions have the potential to reduce and eventually eliminate the reliance of livelihoods on diesel and can supplement the grid supply. Livelihood applications powered by mini/micro-grids would also form part of the scope of this policy, provided such livelihood appliances are energy efficient.
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
MINISTRY IMPOSES COUNTERVAILING DUTY ON IMPORTS OF TEXTURED TEMPERED GLASS FROM MALAYSIA
Ministry Notifies Countervailing Duty Imposition on Solar Glass Imported from Malaysia. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) announced that the levy will be imposed for five years on textured toughened/tempered glass with a minimum of 90.5% transmission, having a thickness of up to 4.2 mm and at least one dimension exceeding 1,500 mm, whether coated or not. The product is used in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal applications and is also known as solar glass. PG 10
PLI SCHEME FOR SOLAR PV TO SPUR ₹14,000-CR INVESTMENT
CABINET APPROVES MOU BETWEEN INDIA AND FRANCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY COOPERATION
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for highefficiency solar PV modules will spur investments of over ₹14,000 crore and build a manufacturing capacity of 10 GW. “We want to see our companies become global manufacturing champions, not just fulfil local demands,” Modi said at a webinar. The Government is committed to invest ₹4,500 crore in the scheme. “This is likely to increase demand for locally produced materials like EVA, solar glass, backsheet, and junction box,” he said.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and French Republic in the field of renewable energy cooperation. The objective of the MoU is to establish the basis for promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity. It covers technologies relating to solar, wind, hydrogen and biomass energy.
ITALY JOINS INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE
Italy joined International Solar Alliance (ISA) upgrading its partnership with India in a 12 months that coincided with G-20 Presidency and co-presidency of COP26 beneath Italy. “The framework agreement was signed by the Ambassador of the Italian Republic, Vincenzo De Luca. The signed copies of the agreement were received by Additional Secretary, as the representative of Ministry of External Affairs MEA) which is the depositary of ISA framework agreement,” tweeted Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson. MOP RECOMMENDS ADOPTION OF TARIFF BASED COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR INTRA-STATE TRANSMISSION PROJECTS
The Ministry of Power requests the state governments to adopt tariff-based competitive bidding to develop intrastate transmission systems. In a notification issued by the Ministry of Power (MoP) dated 15th March 2021, it says that as intra-state transmission systems has a major share in the transmission sector in the country, adoption of Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) in development of intra-state transmission system can effectively reduce burden on State Government’s finances as well as reduce tariff of intra-state transmission system, leading to consumers’ benefit.
STATE: POLICY UPDATES MEPDCL COLLECTED RS 19.22 CRORE IN POWER DUES UNDER SPECIAL SCHEME
Meghalaya Power Minister James PK Sangma said Rs 19.22 crore has been collected under the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (MePDCL). The total dues of MePDCL customers under various categories is Rs 548.62 crore. The OTS launched in November last year will end on the last day of this month and consumers can avail a waiver of 30 percent of the delay payment charges or 30 per cent of total dues whichever is more beneficial to the consumer. Among those who availed of the OTS were industrial units, whose total dues amount is Rs 135.09 crore and have paid Rs 14.46 crore. According to the statistics made available, the dues of BPL families across the state is over Rs 65 crore of which Rs 49.66 lakh payment has been received.
WORLD BANK TO LAUNCH $100 MILLION GUARANTEE SCHEME FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR PROJECTS
The World Bank is planning to introduce a $100-million credit guarantee scheme to boost the rooftop solar programme in India for MSMEs. The scheme will enable micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail concessional debt financing for setting up rooftop solar units. To implement the scheme, the World Bank will collaborate with the State Bank of India (SBI) and the MSME ministry. The scheme will be beneficial for those firms that do not meet banks and other financial institutions’ lending criteria. The World Bank has been associated with India’s green economy finance and in 2016 had launched a $625 million lending programme with SBI for rooftop solar units for the commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors. The loans helped develop India’s commercial and industrial solar segment. | INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
BESCOM TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SOLAR ENERGY AT INR 4.11/UNIT FROM WALWHAN RENEWABLES, SAYS KERC
Recently Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) had filed a petition for relief from purchasing extra power from a 50MW solar project. BESCOM had suggested two options a) Redetermine the tariff for purchase of additional energy at Rs. 2.36 per unit; or b) Relief from its obligation to purchase additional energy beyond the contracted capacity specified in the PPA’s dated 14.01.2015. As per an earlier case for the same project, the Commission partly allowed the petition and directed BESCOM to purchase the additional energy injected at a tariff of Rs. 4.11 per unit via a supplemental PPA. PG 11
PGCIL OWNS 100 PERCENT EQUITY IN RAMGARH NEW TRANSMISSION LIMITED
MERC REJECTS ACME’S CASE FOR REPLACING 300 MW SOLAR PROJECT BANK GUARANTEE
Power Grid Corporation (PGCIL) acquires Ramgarh New Transmission Ltd (RNTL). The entity was acquired for an aggregate value of about Rs 5.61 crore including 50,000 equity shares at par at Rs 10 each along with assets and liabilities of the Company as on the acquisition. State-run Power Grid Corporation said it has acquired Ramgarh New Transmission Limited, which it has won in tariff-based competitive bidding.
MERC rejected the case filed by ACME Solar for replacing the Bank Guarantee of 300 MW solar project in Maharashtra. Acme’s subsidiaries, AHPPL and ASHL, requested MSEDCL to replace the PBG of Rs. 42 Crores, as submitted by AHPPL, with alternative options of either a Corporate Guarantee of Parent Company (or) Bonds for the amount equivalent. However, in the present case, the commission stated that the PPA clearly provides submission of PBG and conditions under which it can be returned. Under such circumstances, this Commission cannot go beyond the provisions of PPAs and direct return of PBG.
ITALY JOINS INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE
Italy joined International Solar Alliance (ISA) upgrading its partnership with India in a 12 months that coincided with G-20 Presidency and co-presidency of COP26 beneath Italy. “The framework agreement was signed by the Ambassador of the Italian Republic, Vincenzo De Luca. The signed copies of the agreement were received by Additional Secretary, as the representative of Ministry of External Affairs MEA) which is the depositary of ISA framework agreement,” tweeted Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson.
INDIGRID TO ACQUIRE NER-II FROM STERLITE POWER FOR ₹4,625 CRORE
India Grid Trust (IndiGrid), a power infrastructure investment trust (InvIT), has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire NER-II Transmission Ltd (NER-II) from Sterlite Power for ₹4,625 crore. The sale of the transmission asset from Sterlite Grid, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sterlite Power will be completed upon the receipt of unit-holders’ consent, regulatory and other relevant approvals which is being anticipated to be by Q4 of the current fiscal.
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
TATA POWER’S 150 MW MAHARASHTRA SOLAR PROJECT GETS SAFEGUARD DUTY RELIEF FROM MERC
MERC ruled that the project qualified for a Change in Law event for the Ministry of Finance notification dated 29 July 2020 extending the imposition of Safeguard Duty. The additional expenditure and another consequential impact shall be considered on an actual basis for reimbursement under Change in Law after Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. files its Petition with all the details in accordance with the provisions of the Power Purchase Agreement. TPREL had entered into a PPA with TPCD for supply of 150 MW solar power at a tariff of Rs. 2.83/kWh generated from the Solar PV Project.
TENDER TRACKER
PG 12
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
PG 13
THINK TANK RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY ADDITION FIVEYEAR LOW IN 2020 SAYS REPORT
Renewable energy capacity addition was at a five-year low in 2020, with 2,620MW and 1,309MW of solar and wind capacity installed respectively in the calendar year reports renewable energy consultancy firm Bridge to India. In 2019, added installed capacity for solar was 5013 MW and for wind it was 1879 MW. It indicates the steep drop in solar installation. Due to extended lockdown and consequent effect on movement of people and goods the sector faced major operational and financial challenges. Covid-19 pandemic attributed the slowdown to delays in government approvals and financial decisions says the report.
INCREASING SHARE OF VARIABLE RENEWABLES IN TOTAL ENERGY GENERATION MIX IS COST EFFECTIVE FOR INDIA EVEN IN THE SHORT-TERM
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) released a report on ‘A Model-Based Assessment of Variable Renewable Grid Integration Costs in India’ today. The report provides a technological and economic analysis of the costs of integrating renewable energy (RE) into the Indian electricity grid. In the context of the already weak finances of power distribution companies, the report provides an analysis of the costs of integrating RE to the electricity grid.
INDIA’S SOLAR POWER TO EQUAL COAL MARKET SHARE BY 2040
Solar power is set for explosive growth in India, matching coal’s share in the Indian power generation mix within two decades or even sooner in the Sustainable Development Scenario. This was mentioned in the recently released India Energy Outlook 2021 report by IEA which explores the opportunities and challenges ahead for India as it seeks to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to a growing population. The report examines pathways out of the crisis that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as longer-term trends, exploring how India’s energy sector might evolve to 2040 under a range of scenarios.
INDIA’S SOLAR OUTPUT TO MATCH COALFIRED POWER BY 2040: IEA
The share of solar energy in India’s power generation could equal coalfired output by 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its India Energy Outlook 2021. It's driven by the falling renewable tariffs and a government push to increase green energy use. Solar power is set for explosive growth in India, matching coal’s share in the Indian power generation mix within two decades the report says. Coal currently dominates India’s electricity sector, accounting for over 70% of overall generation with only about 4% produced through solar. India was on track to exceed its commitments as a part of the 2015 Paris agreement. CORPORATE RENEWABLE ENERGY MARKET REACHES 23.7 GW, SOLAR LEADS THE PACK
Corporations purchased a record of 23.7GW of clean energy in 2020, up from 20.1GW in 2019 and 13.6GW in 2018, according to new research published by BloombergNEF (BNEF). The increase came despite a year devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a global recession and uncertainty about U.S. energy policy ahead of the presidential election. BNEF finds in its 1H 2021 Corporate Energy Market Outlook that clean energy contracts were signed by more than 130 companies in sectors ranging from oil & gas to big tech. PG 14
FEATUREDTALKS
P GURUPRASAD VICE PRESIDENT, ENERMAN TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
Please tell us how the business has been in the past year 2020 for EnerMAN Technologies. The need for remote monitoring was felt by our customers like never before. ( Because of travel restrictions etc ) hence we are upbeat for the future business. We at EnerMAN made sure we were in touch with all our customers during this time and provide the solutions. We at EnerMAN believe that Speed and Agility in our communication and execution for Customer Centric Solutions.
Could you brief our readers about your unique products like the SCADA/IoT/Remote Monitoring Solutions? The USP of our solution is that we offer a complete solution, from acquiring data from the PV equipment to pushing the data to the cloud & then providing easily to a user web interface for customers to get insights onwhat is happening at the Solar PV plant. Once customers have the data at their fingertips, they can manage the PV plant better by improving performance & reducing OPEX. We acquire Solar PV plant equipment’s data with our IIOT data logger ETi-LOG and the data is available to the customer through our Cloud based monitoring platform ETiSOL.
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
"WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED A PRODIGIOUS MILESTONE OF 1GW ACROSS INDIA AND 5 WORLD COUNTRIES"
IoT as technology has humungous scope to connect multiple devices and send the data to the cloud from the solar power plants. IoT provides you the intelligence to identify the faults and create alerts, that energy generated is monitored in real time and minimize the energy loss by rectifying the errors on time. IoT as technology enables automation and also controls the devices remotely.
What are some latest technology trends being adopted by your esteemed company in the current year? The convergence of AI and IoT is going to change the future of the Solar PV industry. The PV plants are built to last for over 25 years. Year on year the data collected from the plants will be massive & analysing manually might not be possible. Our futuristic products will be AI enabled and shall give useful decisions & directions to the O&M team that will help them to reduce manpower & improve efficiency.
Please give our readers a brief understanding of your ETi-SOL IoT platform ETi-SOL – Be Connected Always. One Integrated platform for Solar Energy Management. Single Login to get a quick insight and summary of all your solar power plant performance. Portfolio Management, Customizable Platform, Notifications and Alerts. Connect multiple SCADA to one Central Dashboard. ETi-SOL meets all the requirements Comprehensively, be it an Investor, IPP, EPC Partners, O&M fraternity.
What have been some recent company updates that you would like to highlight? We are happy to share that we have achieved a prodigious milestone of 1GW across India and 5 world countries with the successful deployment of our IoT SCADA and effective monitoring of Solar Power Plants and Assets. To increase our Global Footprint this year will EnerMAN prime focus.
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IN CONVERSATION
"The solar sector has not been left untouched by this unprecedented crisis, but it is encouraging to see the robustness and resilience of demand from customers." Umakant Shende Country Head, India, Cleantech Solar
SolarQuarter India magazine interviewed Mr. Umakant Shende, Country Head, India at Cleantech Solar. He spoke about how the current budget would help the solar sector, policy implementation and requirements to ease financing and bright future of solar in India. He also shared key learnings from the year 2020.
As a developer how has the year 2020 been for you overall? Any key learnings? Undoubt edl y , a l l bus i nes s es t a bl i s hment s , i r r es pect i v e of t hei r s t r engt h a nd t y pe of i ndus t r y , hav e been a f f ect ed by t he cor ona v i r us pa ndemi c. The l ock downs a nd r es t r i ct i ons i n t he wak e of t he pa ndemi c ha v e ha d a n ef f ect on economi es a cr os s t he gl obe, s uch a s di s r upt i ng s uppl y chai ns , del a y i ng pr oj ect s , a nd cr ea t i ng a s hor t a ge of l a bour . The s ol ar s ect or ha s not been l ef t unt ouched by t hi s unpr ecedent ed cr i s i s , but i t i s encour a gi ng t o s ee t he r obus t nes s a nd r es i l i ence of dema nd f r om cus t omer s . At pr es ent , t he s ol ar i ndus t r y i mpor t s 80 per cent of i t s pr i ma r y s ol ar v al ue chai n s uppl i es f r om Chi na. The pandemi c ha s dr as t i cal l y af f ect ed t he s ol a r s uppl y chai n. The av a i l a bi l i t y of s hi ppi ng l i nes and cont a i ner s ha s been a cons t r ai nt , i ncr ea s i ng s hi ppi ng cos t s . We bel i ev e t ha t t he cur r ent s i t uat i on i s ex pect ed t o f ur t her i mpact capaci t y a nd f ut ur e bi ds . Fur t her mor e, i t wi l l become di f f i cul t f or dev el oper s t o cont r ol
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
price surges, as the cost of supplies from other sourcing nations has gone up by 15-20 percent. As this pandemic has made work from home the new normal, IT has played and will continue to play a major role in documentation and virtual meetings. In the absence of personal meetings and co-working, collaborating with various stakeholders effectively through virtual platforms has been a key learning experience.
What is your take on the current budget? How do you think the budget would help in improving the Solar game in India? As per the current budget, customs duty on solar inverters has increased to 20 percent. Although inverters have a much smaller share in overall project costs, it is likely to lead to a net 2-2.5% increase in overall project costs. The budget is focused on realizing the goal of ’ Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ . This push for self-reliance will not only promote indigenous manufacturing of inverters but will also lead to job creation in the manufacturing sector.
According to you, what more needs to be done on the policy front to ease financing for solar energy projects in India? India has immense potential for producing solar energy and this provides a clean and attainable
replacement for the harmful, polluting and rapidly depleting conventional sources of energy. Development of policies for the practical utilization of solar energy can help India emerge as a leader in the global arena. Policy implementation must be easy, straightforward and stable, without frequent changes. The government should implement ’ One Solar + One India + One Policy = One India Solar Policy’ . This will enable investment in solar projects in India. In the case of rooftop solar projects, there should be more clarity towards the requirements of net metering, net billing, behind the meter and gross metering for commercial and industrial segments, as the policies vary across states. The choice of behind the meter for captive rooftop solar projects should be left to the consumer. I strongly believe that rooftop / distributed solar is good for the grid and consumers in the long term. Rooftop solar allows consumers to convert unused roof assets into green electricity generating power plants. The consumers are then able to utilise the same amount of electricity that is generated on-site, thereby diminishing the transmission and distribution loss. In this sense, rooftop solar is not only better for the environment, but it also reduces grid stress during peak hours and results in electricity cost savings.
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The lack of solar-friendly policies and their inconsistencies have also had an impact on solar industry investments. The industry wants consistent solar-friendly policies for a few years at least. Abruptly changing or discontinuing policies like net metering or imposing surcharges have a negative impact on industry sentiment. All state and central agencies responsible for the implementation of renewable energy programs, along with the state distribution companies, should come under one common consensus and finalise targets in line with Government of India’s renewable energy targets.
What according to you has been the biggest milestone on your path in the Solar journey? Des pi t e v ar i ous chal l enges i n s ol a r pol i cy and f i nanci ng, I ndi a ha s been abl e t o achi ev e compet i t i v e s ol ar t ar i f f s , whi ch ha v e i n t ur n pr ov i ded a cheaper , cl ea ner a nd gr eener power r es our ce t o t he count r y .
| INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
How do you think the solar sector is going to progress in India in the next few years? How do you see Cleantech Solar contributing towards the same? The s ol ar s ect or has enor mous pot ent i al i n I ndi a. I ndi a i s bl es s ed wi t h abundant s unl i ght i n a l l s eas ons and we mus t us e t he s ame j udi ci ous l y . Cl ea nt ech Sol a r i s commi t t ed t o cont i nui ng t he i nv es t ment and dev el opment of mor e s ol ar pr oj ect s a cr os s t he count r y , t her eby enabl i ng gr ea t er adopt i on of s ol ar power a nd cont r i but i ng t o nat i on- bui l di ng.
Lastly, please tell us what we can look forward to from Cleantech Solar in 2021? Cleantech Solar is well capitalized and focused on the C&I sector. We continue to deliver the best value to our customers in meeting their carbon reduction goals whilst achieving maximum savings on power costs.
As per the current budget, customs duty on solar inverters has increased to 20 percent. Although inverters have a much smaller share in overall project costs, it is likely to lead to a net 2-2.5% increase in overall project costs. The budget is focused on realizing the goal of ’Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. This push for selfreliance will not only promote indigenous manufacturing of inverters but will also lead to job creation in the manufacturing sector.
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INSIGHTS OPTIMIZATION VS UNDER DESIGN –WALKING THE TIGHTROPE
With the applauding that solar power tariff gets for hitting a new low and among the collective joy of our industry beating every other source in terms of cost of electricity generation, there is one team always found shaking their heads in disbelief. Once again, they begin collecting thoughts quickly and framing them lucidly in “English” as expected to be asked from their bosses & business counterparts in the upcoming review. Meet the first responders to these new lows in tariffs, the Engineering Team. Irrespective of the size & stature of an organization in the Solar Industry, if you’ve worked in an engineering team of one, odds are high of having faced the moral dilemma of complying with well-established global standards vs skimming the specs for bare minimum compliance or worse, an unsafe design. Your Engineering teams may have been or still are, walking the tightrope of Optimization vs Under Design. THE OBVIOUS COST OF UNDER DOWNTIMES & REPLACEMENT
DESIGN
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Social media is full of videos and images of solar panels succumbing to strong winds and field teams scrambling to put off the electrical fires and so on. Many of these horrifying outcomes find their root cause in the compromised design of these components owing to the relentless pursuit of low costs. Let’s look at three distinct issues here: Issues in downstream components such as String Combiner Boxes, String & PV Connectors etc are hard to track due to limited sensor data availability, hence equipment downtimes owing to under design can go undetected for long before getting fixed. Although the energy lost per day of downtime is less, it accumulates to considerable amounts if not fixed in time.
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An upstream component failure like Transformers, HT Switchgear etc. can wreak havoc on project revenues as small downtimes can also take an entire plant or a significant portion offline. Although these components have very strong engineering standards, designers have been lured into twisting the writings of the codes to spec these components to near zero tolerance limits which are appalling. Non generation components such as Civil Works & Steel Structures have been the largest casualty of cost cutting exercises. They have witnessed the highest twisting and misinterpretation of engineering standards which are age old and not written for Solar plant use cases specifically. To make matters worse, certain important utilities like drainages & road access are completely discounted by placing reliance on highly skewed third-party reports. A common t heme wor t h obs er v i ng her e i s t ha t t he abov e r eper cus s i ons of under - des i gn emer ge ov er t i me and t he t eam t hat dea l s wi t h t hem i s Oper a t i on & Mai nt enance whi ch ul t i ma t el y not onl y ends up s pendi ng r ecur r i ng cos t s on f i x i ng t hes e i s s ues but al s o f ai l s t o mai nt ai n t he ex pect ed gener a t i on f r om t hes e power pl ant s due t o downt i mes . Thus , I t ’ s not cos t s aved, I t ’ s cos t def er r ed. I t ’ s t he bal l j us t put i n s omeone el s e’ s cour t .
Thi nk of i t as r educi ng Pl a nt Av a i l a bi l i t y i n PVSYST s i mul at i ons by 0. 1% ev er y t i me a component ( of a ny k i nd) i s des i gned wi t h t ol er a nces l es s er t ha n pr es cr i bed s t andar ds . I ’ m s ur e t he r ea l i t y wi l l hi t s hor t l y . THE HI DDEN COST OF UNDER DESI GN - ASSET VALUATI ON
The s t or y t ak es a bi g t wi s t when t he a s s et s a r e put on t he bl ock . Pl at f or ms ( ba ck ed by f unds ha v i ng bi l l i ons of as s et s under mana gement ) a s s i s t ed by t echni ca l cons ul t ant s l ook at t he engi neer i ng, per f or ma nce, a nd as - bui l t condi t i on of t hes e a s s et s v er y obj ect i v el y .
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Many assets performing well in line with the energy yield predictions have seen their deals called off due to aftereffects of under design in Civil & Structural works; putting the asset extremely low on the sustainability matrix. For something that was seen to be having the highest scope in cost cutting during the engineering phase. Deals going through either attract an unexpected haircut on asset valuations (as buyer factors in replacement cost for components susceptible to failure in near future) or comes with a long list of CPs (condition precedent) with a heavy bias towards rectification or replacement works. Thus, It’s Cost Saved, but Value Destroyed. RE-IMAGINE WALKING THIS TIGHTROPE
There are some steps that asset developers should take to help their Engineering teams walking the tight rope and err on the side of optimization. Develop a comprehensive matrix of components and the weighted downtime risk they carry on plant performance. Fostering an ecosystem where Engineering, O&M, SCM and Finance can champion their short term & long-term concerns and can take some critical component level risk calls unanimously. This shall eventually lead to a risk matrix that will be unique to each developer. Have razor sharp focus on the rapid adoption of technological advancements. Take it a step ahead by facilitating OEMs in research by making field & equipment performance data accessible to them under exclusivity agreements. Help supply ecosystem to help you. “Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them”. Clichéd but true.
GURPREET SINGH WALIA Vice President, Gensol Group
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PG 19
PERSPECTIVE WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES & CONSIDERATIONS IN PROJECT PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Secure, timely and cost effective supply of raw materials is the backbone of any industry as it not only increases the efficiency of the production process but rationalizes raw material inventory and finally overall product cost. Sustainability issues within global supply chains are being recognized as being vital for global supply chain integration efforts. By and large, Indian solar industry has been dependent on imports of critical raw materials such as EVA, backsheet, reflective glass, balance of system (BOS) for Solar Thermal and PV as also core machinery. With regard to the PV industry, till recently, it has exported a major part of its finished products to developed markets. Majority of the Renewable Energy Projects fail due to lack of supply chain analysis. Hence Supply Chain analysis of Renewable Energy Projects is the need of the hour. To avoid challenges in implementing responsible supply chain management, it is needed to follow best practices in project procurement. The managerial tools, techniques, process design, sourcing and logistics are important in environmentally responsible practices. The key elements in the solar energy supply chain framework consists of raw material/component suppliers to solar photovoltaic module and solar thermal system manufacturing, balance of system which includes inverters, connecting wires, trackers etc. and the integration of the different components. It is important to have different equipment and components integrated with proper specification and compatibility, as in some cases even slight variation results in failure or loss of final output. Let's read more on the Best Practices & Considerations in Project Procurement and Supply Chain Management
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Logistics: Movement of Raw Material
VIBHOR MAHENDRU Head – Procurement, Fourth Partner Energy
Project Procurement in the Solar Industry – Best Practices
Utility scale solar projects on a megawatt scale are executed by EPC companies, which at the design or engineering stage, may decide about purchasing components such as PV modules, inverters, structures and balance of supplies by identifying, mitigating associated risks. This is done by evaluating supplier credentials through suitable inspections and qualification mechanisms. This process involves checking the supplier’s reputation in the market, supplier onboarding, related inspections and tests until the end of the procurement process. The procurement team’s clock starts ticking the moment the approved BOM (Bill of Material) is uploaded into an ERP system (process tool/platform) – this is seen as a formal go-ahead to begin the process of arranging raw material for a specific project. The procurement team should typically study the BOM & raise queries immediately – in case information like the specification or rating or brand preferred, is missing. A comprehensive BOM forms the backbone on which the procurement team executes activities. It is often the output of a detailed site survey by the projects team or I&C (installation & commissioning) party – the BOM is made after the customer shares the preference for particular brands PV for modules & inverters, post a detailed site survey. In case of approximations made on the balance of supplies – a budgetary buffer is provisioned for, in advance.
For a Solar PV project – panels, inverters, structures, HT Panels, LT Panels & transformers make up about 90% of the material cost. Hence, post the pre-dispatch inspection, these products are sent directly to the project site, instead of routing to the central warehouse of the EPC. This helps save transport costs as well as transit time. The balance of supplies like cables, hardware, walkways, lightning arrestors and earthing material on the other hand, are part of the inventory in the central warehouse and dispatched to the different site or project locations, as per the requirement. Supply Control
Usually, for solar projects, large quantities are procured within certain deadlines. Hence it is important to access the supplier’s production capacity and whether that can meet the deadlines. The commitment for the available capacity should be a part of the contractual terms. In the pre-production stage, it is better to evaluate the availability of the BOM parts, especially long lead items which would be imported. Importance of thorough documentation
The documentation process often directly reflects the superiority of the solar developer or EPC player. Maintaining thorough documentation is a top priority and a matter of pride at Fourth Partner Energy. Goods Receipt Note (GRN): Against the Invoice and on the acknowledgment from the project site against the received material – a GRN is created, and bills are booked. This is a critical milestone in accounting. This quantity captured in the GRN is considered as the inventory.
Once the suppliers are identified, the procurement team gets into commercial negotiations –which include the cost offered for the product, payment terms, delivery timelines, agreed QAP (Quality Acceptance Parameters), datasheets, product manuals, certificates, warranties & spares.
Remember, a GRN entry and the subsequent acknowledgment of a Delivery Challan (DC) is critical to record the material received. Any delays, lapses or errors in these result in a mismatch of inventory and general accounting issues, which is always avoidable. At 4PEL, we follow a thorough tracking mechanism and system of processes using our ERP platform to monitor and tackle these issues.
Supplier Selection – a breakdown of the processes involved in Solar PV Project Procurement
Importance of Best Practices in Solar PV Project Procurement
Delivery of Goods
It is important that agreed upon terms for postproduction (prior to material dispatch) are in place for accessing the fulfillment of quality parameters. These should be implemented before commencing the construction of the solar PV project and needs to be verified in the pre-dispatch inspection. Ideally, this process should consist of visual inspection, power verification, other tests and a fit-for-shipment verification. The critical tests are ideally performed on random samples taken from the production lot, which is ready for shipment.
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Similar to any business, following best practices is imperative for solar players – irrespective of the scale of execution. Often any large solar EPC player or developer has multiple projects being executed simultaneously across different geographies. These are often in different stages of execution – initiation, construction, nearing completion and others. In this scenario, there can never be a dull moment and hence it becomes imperative to have effective processes and systems in place, along with regular reviews. Open collaboration and timely communication across stakeholders is the mantra for any successful project execution. PG 21
PERSPECTIVE
KEY PARAMETERS IN TECHNO-ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF CROSS-CUTTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COST REDUCTION AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN SOLAR POWER PLANTS The assessment of a particular energy system for its techno-economic feasibility is of utmost importance if the system has to function satisfactorily at a given location. The techno-economic feasibility assessment of a particular technology begins with evaluating the technological appropriateness, economic viability and other financial incentives of a technology for it to get successfully disseminated at a given location. The different economic and financial aspects have also been calculated for different financial scenarios and concluded that the use of solar-energy supply systems imply no compromise for users in terms of reliability of operation and facilities compared with conventional lodging and renewable systems are mature
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technologies and provide alternative solutions to the increasing global energy demand problem. Total cost of investment, life cycle of solar modules, inverters, solar structures, fixed operational cost, maintenance, repairing and maintenance costs, and increasing energy costs were considered while calculating the economic viability of the system. Thus, the costs and benefits of a solar PV system which will generate electricity are analyzed and assessed. Let us read more on Key Parameters in Technoeconomic evaluation of cross-cutting technologies for cost reduction and improved performance in solar power plants
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CHAITANAYA RAHUL Founder and Director, Surjaa Solar Solutions
Each Solar project today is designed on its own merit; merit which is largely governed by the technical and economic evaluation at the fore. Solar projects require significant upfront investment and the ROI is largely spread over a few years. Since this ROI is directly tied to the generation of power, it is the bottom-line and top-line of any income statement that has to prevail over a due course of 25+ years or the estimated ‘generative plant lifetime’ in general. For project developers and even mid to large sized EPC developers, solar projects hence require long term visibility and most of the financial calculations are based on profits, margins, and other obligations. These lead us to projections; projections are mostly driven by some credible historical data, lots of assumptions, and finally, returns promised to investors. It hence becomes imperative to look and constantly explore opportunities to reduce costs; both; CapEx and OpEx. We as an organization try to keep the customer interfaced with real-time feed on planned or estimated power generation (including losses) versus observed or tracked generation. This in turn draws a direct correlation to the projected cash flow and ROI we provide upfront during our sell process. With the advent of far and advanced reaching technologies, it has been observed to have shortened installation times and continuous monitoring and robotics doing the upkeep. According to us, the most commonly identified cross cutting technologies which greatly and largely impact the costs and performance can be categorized under a) Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and b) Least Cost of Energy (LCoE). Total Cost of Ownership or TCO is largely governed by direct and indirect EPC costs and the obligations that an EPC is expected to fulfill for the customer. Backward integration on JIT: Our organization works backward to integrate the supply chain from our vendors to ensure prompt payments for shipments and managing timely delivery. The communication is tracked at a single point for easier and smoother updates to the customer. This is crucial to managing delays in production which could be outside the purview of the EPC if for example the structure is being sourced through a vendor which is undergoing a revamp of its galvanizing unit or the labor in their factory is on strike due to delays in salary payments. This can heavily impact timelines due to the unknown ‘x’ factor and can subsequently have a ripple effect on project timelines. The JIT or ‘Just in Time’ theory borrowed from Toyota which we try to employ at our sites ensures availability of what is required at just the right time securing our investments from unwanted additional soft costs eroding into our margins. Using New and Advanced cell technology: Like it or not, we all want profits to hit our accounting books soon. Some of the EPC companies on mid to large scale projects have off late started deploying higher wattage and increased efficiency solar panels. But not too long ago, we always saw the cheaper and outdated panels making it to the project designs. With manually done seasonal tilting still in use, single axis or bidirectional trackers still
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outweighing the upfront costs in spite of an average 9-11% increased generation in power, EPC players would rely on the older 330w panels as an example when 400+ watts were ready for commercial use. Higher generation panels far outrun the costs of erection of the solar plants and require less space, Balance of System (BOS), and manpower. The shift has been witnessed in some new projects but costs still continue to have an impact that could easily allow for small sized panels to be replaced with far and better performing panels and inverters. The least Cost of Energy is the next main driver that has a far and outreaching impact once the EPC activities on a project are completed. Monitoring: This part of technology for solar power plants has seen a huge boost in the last few years with more and more III party software and services providers being able to provide a seamless and integrated SaaS platform to monitor the overall health of your solar power plant. Today, we monitor our solar power plants across only 5-6 key parameters that a customer understands and over 30 additional technical data being polled every 5 minutes which could be used for any kind of analytical deep dive by the tech team. Monitoring has been a key factor to our success in upselling panels and inverters by having comparative data and extrapolating the losses across a common denominator. Tie that with the ROI we provide, the customer understands the breakeven costs and timelines better than someone who has been sold a solar power plant at just a cheaper price. SCADA or IoT based monitoring is key and especially for large power plants where a deputed team might not be available to minimize losses due to downtime and which might otherwise go unnoticed till the next billing cycle wherever FIT (net-metering) is available. Upkeep using Robotics: Most of the solar power plants after a couple of years start suffering huge breakdowns, not in terms of generation but in terms of functional losses. To continuously provide the least cost of energy, proper upkeep of each and individual component is of great importance and not just solar panels. The new and advanced technology of drones and UAVs running IR (Infra-Red) surveys, distribution boxes communicating with centralized monitoring rooms, even at string levels has become key to ensure solar power is generated, transmitted, and is distributed beyond the meters. Drones have been shown to perform very well in this segment where not just hotspots on panels but breakages in wires and cables or junction boxes have been identified and helped reduce the Mean Time to Repair (MTR) hence, hugely impacting the MTF (Mean time to Failure). We, as an organization today, stand at the cusp of where reduced generation below a certain threshold can trigger robotized cleaning systems and sprinkler systems for smaller and mid-sized plants where generation of solar power or the ROI generally goes unmonitored and unchecked after any EPC company exits, it being a CapEx project. It is time that we as an industry started paying attention to these assistive technologies that are cutting grounds and barriers and becoming the coherent layer that communicates to us on behalf of not just a structure, BOS, panel and inverter making a solar plant. Solar power has more to offer. It is renewable, it is unending, and it should be utilized to the maximum benefit of mankind in the best possible way without causing pollution and other harmful effects to the universe. The sun has been here but solar has to stay! PG 23
SUDHIR PATHAK Head of Central Design & Engineering, Hero Future Energies
There lies a huge value in adopting a holistic approach for transforming through technology and achieve project cost optimization The trend of solar tariffs below INR 2 and the growing popularity of bifacial modules with the tracker, has got almost every design & engineering and investment team in the renewable sector put on their thinking caps to analyze the costs, benefits, risks, uncertainties, and timeframes to evaluate the attributes of this phenomenon. With tariffs plummeting compounded with fierce competition on account of access to cheap finance, whether equity (foreign investors) or debt (PSUs), alluding technology advancements which hypothetically presumes to fetch handsome returns even at RE 1.99 tariff, appear attractive to developers. But it is evident by now that utility scale project bids won at INR 2 or sub-INR 2 tariffs are being conceived with plain vanilla mono facial with fixed tilts. Those project costs do not consider the cost of implementing advanced bifacial modules and trackers. My experience of fixing trackers in domestic solar projects has not been remarkable. Trackers only prove beneficial if it is procured from OEMs with a proven track record, coupled with guaranteed uptime, MTTR, MTBF and spare management throughout the product lifecycle. And all of these are available at a premium rate, which is not enforced in OEM contracts from CAPEX perspective, leading to a gap in expectation and outcome of mounting trackers.
Secondly, Indian desert albedo and GHI is 50% and 35% lower respectively than that of the Middle East & North African (MENA) desert region. Adding the advantageous positioning of MENA w.r.t. latitude, the bifacial gain and tracker transposition gain is offset by the premium that developers pay for bifacial modules as well as trackers in India. (Please note: Applicable only for Tier 1 bankable trackers). While discussing the trends in solar modules, we cannot help but mention monoperc, which is a norm now. Monoperc technology is intrinsically bifacial with a minor tweak. In near future, all modules in domestic solar projects would primarily use bifacial technology. More efficient modules like heterojunction and tandem may also come to be the new normal, but it is subject to investment by domestic OEMs on R&D in module technology including pervo-skites, post 40% & 25% BCD regime on modules and cells respectively. With inherent bifaciality in the modules, smart string inverters are likely to gain more traction. For “Make in India” to be a success, the Indian Government, as well as the industry, should come together for innovative means to incentivize investment in R&D. After the experience during the pandemic, there is a huge focus by developers on making their operating assets robust, smart, automated and intelligent. String inverters are proving to be one of the smartest IoTs, through their evolving AI and ML. The technology of today has enabled the detection of individual module characteristics, its soiling level, degradation etc. In near future through Big Data Analytics and AI/ML based algorithms, prescriptive based maintenance will be the new normal, wherein all the devices, be it, module, inverter, transformer, switchgear, drone, robots, cloud cover sensors, early streamers, PPCs, etc., will adopt IoT. I strongly believe that every component involved in a solar plant will be digitized as well as digitized. The system diagnostic tools will not only pre-emptively predict the component failure 1 or 2 weeks in advance, but also prescribe the remedy. This approach is likely to result in huge savings in opex at the same time to ensure high uptime. Such budding technologies bring in operational excellence through Big Data Analytics and close monitoring of several parameters allow assets to operate at the best possible and predictive throughput. In addition, these tools will enable extremely accurate forecasting, thus facilitating robust modeling and integration with storage, Peak power, RTC, Green hydrogen production models. In my opinion, developers must approach cautiously before adopting new technology trends in order to have reliable assets and a sustainable revenue stream.
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K. R. HARINARAYAN the Founder and CEO, U-Solar Clean Energy
One of the key emerging technologies are higher wattage modules, in fact, now we have modules above 500-550 W. Now although the higher wattage module will cost more, one needs to look at the overall system cost and the BOS costs go down by increasing module wattage for a said capacity. As well as the reduction of maintenance costs involved for said capacity will go down, as the number of modules and other components will reduce. Another cross-cutting technology is in the inverter space, micro-inverters are now able to monitor module level generation and optimize them at module level instead of string levels. Let's say we have an installation with 500 W panels with a single optimizer or inverter integrated to it here the overall cost of the system is managed by using fewer inverters but multiple large value modules are optimized on each string. System performance and generation are not stretched as much as the modules are capable of. Whereas with micro-inverters on each 500 W panel the performance and generation over time will be a lot better, by pushing the delivery of energy on each module instead of string for the entire system. For larger installations, especially for ground-mounted solar projects, it is becoming easier to integrate tracking to improve daily generation. The inclusion of robotic cleaning technologies for O&M of the plant will enable savings of labor and also water. As imaging technologies and the use of drones get better, it is also easier to maintain the generation of such large
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assets while also focusing on understanding data better to develop metrics to improve the performance of the asset. It is possible to analyze an entire 25 100 MWp asset with a drone and pick out where the problem areas are, focus on those for redressal quickly bringing down the time involved in data analysis from SCADA or monitoring portals to assess causes for generation reduction. There seems to be an emerging trend of these O&M technologies to improve plant performance, and it will be interesting to see how they add value to assets over time. In the rooftop space, where increasing capacity and generation value locally is more crucial the improvement of micro-inverter economics and optimizer technologies will be key players as module capacities increase. U-Solar feels that as the wattage of modules increase, this benefit in improved generation more locally will positively serve the increase in system cost from installing microinverters better over the lifetime of 25 years of a solar plant. The economics of these micro-inverters and optimizers improves dramatically as module sizes increase. Lastly, as Li-ion batteries get cheaper it will be very nice to see more adoption of solar + storage technologies to increase generation in the rooftop segment. It is projected to become even cheaper in the next few years. Giving us the opportunity in the future to generate clean energy in the day, bank it and use it whenever required.
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PERSPECTIVE
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT TRENDS IN PROJECT ENGINEERING AND DESIGNING OF LARGE SCALE SOLAR PLANTS
Initially, the PV plant design is developed at the stage of feasibility assessment which includes estimation of solar resource and expected yield. Then, the plant design is further improved taking into consideration other local limitations and constraints. The feasibility stage also includes site identification, site measurements, topography mapping, environmental setting assessment, and social impacts. Key design features include such technical information as PV module type, tilting angle, mounting and tracking systems, module arrangement, and balance of system (BOS) components - inverters, connections, switches, and storage solutions. Further optimization of plant design would deal with such issues as shading, performance degradation, and economic trade-offs between increased complexity and energy yield.
and options for optimizing performance, it is important to strike a balance between cost savings and quality. Engineering decisions require significant technical expertise based on both optimization models and practical experience.
The design of a utility scale PV plant is a complex endeavor. With many available choices of components
Let's see what are the experts view on Current Trends In Project Engineering And Designing of Large Scale Solar Plant
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The phases of a large-scale PV solar power plant project are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Site identification or PV project opportunity Pre-feasibility study Feasibility study Permitting, financing and contracts Detailed design Construction Commissioning
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RABINDRAN SUNDERSINGH Director Design & Engineering, SB Energy
We live in exciting times! Though many do not realise it, the RE fraternity is currently on the steepest part of the Solar industry’s growth curve. Module and Inverter technologies have taken us on this upward spiral. The Economies of scale have driven down tariffs. The plant capacities have grown correspondingly. The Connectivities have been scaled up from the humble single-phase LT to 11kV, then 33kV and now 220 / 400kV. And along with this growth have come new challenges, all demanding new solutions. The following are some of the areas in which Design teams are transforming themselves as well! Grid Conformance: As Solar Plants grew in size, and increasingly got connected to the ISTS, the Grid regulators and operators began to take notice. They are now actively enforcing good behaviour! Solar Plants are expected to remain connected during grid disturbances, participate in frequency & voltage control, contribute Reactive power during steady-state and during faults, regulate the ramp-rates and so on. The transient behaviour of the plant is checked by RLDCs through PSSE and PSCAD modeling. Design teams now deliver these models routinely. Plants are also to be designed to deliver or absorb adequate quantities of Reactive power on demand. EHV design: PSS and EHV Line are very much a part of PV plant design now. The design standards are timetested over several decades. For example, redundancy in relays and control supplies is essential. Attention is required to ensure that transformer fire protection systems are robust and fail-safe. EHV lines need to withstand static and dynamic forces. And so on. Designing for this is a balancing act, in an industry which is notoriously cost sensitive. Regulators are now stepping in, for example: draft specifications for PSS transformer are in circulation.
MMS design: Earlier, the tonnage per Wp was of prime concern. Now, the focus is more on reliability for 25 years to withstand environmental events. Design verification through Wind-tunnel study is on the rise. Attention is being given to associated areas like Hydrology. Plant design: Now, a huge choice of module ratings, technologies and characteristics is available. The trend is very much to consider Trackers, Bifacial modules and String Inverters. There are literally hundreds of design options available, and the ultimate selection of module and mounting arrangement is through the evaluation of LCOE. Given the large size of plants, a hybrid of multiple designs selections within the same plant is also feasible. Inverters are expected to undergo a transformation in this decade, especially in terms of grid compliance in areas like Grid-forming capability and Reactive power. Manufacturers are already adapting to the current clutch of module types even to the extent of customising for each distinct type. They are also preparing for the next explosive change driven by BESS. One area which requires the attention of designers is Disaster mitigation. Examples could be fire-barriers to prevent a fire from devastating the whole plant, an Emergency restoration system for EHV Line, and Judicious sizing of PSS transformers to mitigate the impact of one transformer failure. The designer is expected to deliver a reliable low LCOE plant that can be constructed and stabilised in the shortest possible time. Design Innovation plays a key role in achieving this. Ultimately change is the only constant.
Automation: Within the plant itself, the trend is definitely towards Automation and reduction of manpower. The business case for waterless cleaning robots is very much established. However, robots can be used for many more ancillary functions! Similarly, the use of drones for design (survey), for construction (progress and quality monitoring) and for O&M (condition monitoring) are on the rise. Data analysis through AI and ML will definitely reduce human intervention in O&M. | INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
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SUBHASH SETHI, Chairman, SPML Infra Limited
Solar Power for a Cleaner World
The project engineering and management landscape in the world is rapidly changing with evolving technologies, tools, and the latest trends. This change which was envisaged earlier at the beginning of this century is maturing now and there seems to be no slow down. Technology is impacting every part of our life and the construction industry is not left behind and experiencing it like never before. From cloudbased collaboration and the development of digital twins to robots, super-materials, wearable tech, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, advanced project management tools & solutions, remote controlling, to pollution-eating buildings etc., there are an incredible array of developments helping to improve the construction engineering sector. This sector was considered least digitized till last year but the scenario has entirely changed with the COVID-19 outbreak and widespread disruptions that followed by lockdowns and loss of lives and economy. The assessment suggests that the next three to five years will be perfect for the integration of digital technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, BIM, Machine Learning, 3D Printing and Robotics in its workflows. In today’s highly competitive world, companies are expected to deliver high quality engineering projects on time and provide world class solutions for the requirement. The majority of companies in the engineering and construction field have now recognized the importance and evaluation of how non-digitization of systems and processes are affecting every part of their businesses. India, the second most populous country on the globe with 1380 million habitants, is seeing the escalation of energy demands exponentially. The growth of India’s energy consumption will be the fastest among all major economies by 2040, with traditionally coal generated energy meeting most of this demand followed by renewable energy. Renewables have become the second most significant source of domestic power production, overtaking gas and oil. The current energy generation from all sources as of March 2021 in the country is 379.13 GW, out of which thermal sources command around 61.5% whereas renewable energy generation has reached 24.5% with a healthy growth of 17.33% CAGR between the years 20162020. India’s energy demand is expected to reach 15,820 TW by 2040, renewable energy, especially solar, is set to play an important role. The government is aiming to achieve 227 GW of renewable energy capacity (including 114 GW of
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solar capacity addition and 67 GW of wind power capacity) by 2022, more than its 175 GW target as per the Paris Agreement. The ambitious plan is to scale up the renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. It is also expected that by 2040, around 49% of the total energy will be generated by renewable sources as more efficient batteries will be used to store electricity, which will further cut the solar energy cost by almost 66% as compared to the current cost. The use of renewables in place of coal will save India an estimated Rs. 54,000 crore (US$ 8.43 billion) annually. As per the Central Electricity Authority estimate, by 2029-30, the share of renewable energy generation would increase from 24% to 44%, while that of thermal and others is expected to reduce from 78% to 52%. With about 300 clear and sunny days, India gets more than 3,000 hours of sunshine equivalent to 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year of solar energy. It is India’s trump card to achieve its developmental goals having good economic value as the generation of solar energy coincides with the normal peak demand during daylight hours in most places, thus mitigating peak energy costs, reducing energy bills, and averts the need to build as much additional generation and transmission capacity as would be the case without PV. India has a number of large solar energy generation plants. Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan is claimed to be the largest in the world spread over 14,000 acres with an installed capacity of nearly 2,250 MW. Some of the country's biggest solar power plants are located in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. India has established a number of solar plants over the country’s canals thus saving on land spaces and water evaporation turning the country’s canals into glittering trails of solar panels. A number of such projects have been commissioned including a 100 MW solar power project atop the branch canals off the Narmada River stretching to the distance of 40 kilometers. While the water get benefit from the solar panels above and so the panels from the water below it. The running water helps the panels to remain cool, which increases their efficiency by at least 2.5-5% The government is taking very active steps to increase the solar capacity by providing incentives to farmers to install solar irrigation pumps on their land so that they can save the cost of buying fuel while they can sell excess energy directly to the government. Apart from it, smaller rooftop solar plants help housing societies, institutions, commercial buildings and even individual houses to save on electricity consumption and subsequent bills. The Indian government is committed to clean energy sources and is already undertaking various large-scale sustainable power projects and promoting green energy. With a focused approach and dedicated budget allocations, India’s renewable energy sector is expected to attract foreign investment worth USD 80 billion in the next three-four years. PG 28
DR. SANJAY VASHISHTHA, CEO, Firstgreen Consulting Private Limited
Current trends in designing the large scale solar plants
India has witnessed extreme competition in solar power bids and developers are compelled to adopt innovative strategies to manage the LCOE. While we are reaching the solar tariffs to the tune of Rs. 2/kWh, it becomes important to adopt advancements in solar project design and developments. One of the recent trends in the solar industry is the increasing module wattages. Most of the solar companies are now offering PV modules over 500 W+ to 600 W+ PV modules. This increase in PV module wattages along with a 1500 volt DC system puts challenges to the solar inverter suppliers to meet the changing dynamics. While the industry is moving from central inverters to the string inverter design in large solar projects, a higher DC /AC ratio has become an important consideration in the solar PV design strategy to optimize the LCOE. Higher DC/AC ratio to the tune of over 1.5 are very well accepted by the solar inverter suppliers. With increasing solar string sizes to the tune of 30 modules per string, the inverters are typically available in the sizes of 250 W+, which can handle a large amount of DC power. While higher wattage modules come with half cut mono perc cell technology, the PV modules are available with bi-facial modules. The cell sizes are increasing to the tune of M12 (210 mm), which has increased the typical module size from 2 m2 to about 2.25 m2. The increased module size has led to reduced land requirements. Now you can install a 1 MW solar plant in 2.5 acre land. Hence the land cost and other BoS have reduced. In traditional designs of 330 W modules, the typical BoS cost considerations have been of the order of about Rs. 10/Wp, now as the PV wattage has increased close to double, this reduces the BoS cost to the tune of about Rs. 6/Wp in a large scale solar plant. The higher power PV modules reduce the DC cable requirements and other BoS system costs. The reduced DC cabling in the solar plant also reduces the overall DC losses in the solar plant. As the net metering is being withdrawn, the solar inverter suppliers are moving towards the energy storage interface to accommodate the surplus power in the Li-Ion batteries. For example, Solis has come up with a 255 KW inverter with a 125 KWp energy storage compatibility to charge and discharge power. The
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project cost is constituted mainly by module, inverter, BOS (Balance of System), EPC( Engineering, procurement and construction) and other costs. In the Indian market, the project cost was about INR 1.56 billion per MW in 2010 and INR 0.27 billion per MW in 2020 mentioned in table 1. While the solar tariff in India has been in declining mode and tariff has declined from INR 12.48/kWh in 2010 to INR 2.46/kWh in 2020, this decline is mainly because of the project cost, interest cost, land requirement and project sizes. In order to assess the reasonability of tariffs coated by bidders in the state and central government. An analysis has been carried out in terms of LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy). LCOE is evaluated based on the following method. The LCOE estimate includes profit to the developer to the tune of 14%. The factor which affects the LCOE is mainly a project cost, O & M cost and interest rate.
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PERSPECTIVE
WHAT ARE LATEST INNOVATIONS AND FUTURE TRENDS IN SMART INVERTERS TECHNOLOGY?
Due to the high penetration level of DER (Distributed Energy Resources) the grid is posing a great amount of complex challenges on the functioning of inverters. As a solution for these common problems the smart inverters come into play by solving most of the problems of the traditional system. Since smart inverters work autonomously, they have a positive impact on the implemented residential sector as well as the national power grid. The traditional grid requires constant maintenance due to the stress, but smart inverters could help to address these localized challenges and grow the flexibility of the system. Smart inverters let two-way communication with utility control centers. In addition, advanced capabilities such as voltage and frequency sensors allow smart inverters to detect grid abnormalities and
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send the feedback to utility operators. The necessity of the smart solar inverter has been increasing day by day. SMART inverter technology provides some advantages to residential, commercial and utility-scale solar. This includes high redundancy through a distributed AC architecture that reduces system cost and improves operations and maintenance aspects. Functioning as the brain of the PV system, advanced inverter solutions are now responsible for communications, monitoring, smart energy management, storage, grid interaction, safety and more. Let's see what the experts have to say on Latest Innovations and Future Trends in Smart Inverters Technology.
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NIKHIL GUPTA Business Head for PVI, Delta Electronics India Pvt. Ltd.
Due to the high penetration level of DER (Distributed Energy Resources), the grid is posing a great number of complex challenges on the functioning of inverters. As a solution for these common problems, the smart inverters come into play by solving most of the problems of the traditional system. Since smart inverters work autonomously, they have a positive impact on the implemented residential sector as well as the national power grid. The traditional grid requires constant maintenance due to the stress, but smart inverters could help to address these localized challenges and grow the flexibility of the system. Smart inverters let two-way communication with utility control centers. In addition, advanced capabilities such as voltage and frequency sensors allow smart inverters to detect grid abnormalities and send feedback to utility operators. Delta’s smart solar inverter solutions enable smart and cost-effective designs for industrial and small utility-scale PV power plants by maximizing energy yields even in challenging landscapes and locations. The smart Inverter will have more DC overloading options, flexible MPPT channels, fuse-less or in-line fuse options, wireless communication systems, mobile friendly APPs etc. With the mentioned features systems will have reduced clipping losses and provide extra generation (kWh) than the conventional PCUs. Some of the key features of Delta smart solar Inverters are : Built-in String/Zone monitoring option with SCADA and Mobile communications through wired/ wireless network SCADA and PPCC Control via MODBUS communication with Multi-master support Built-in Arc fault circuit interrupter in string inverters for fire safety PSSE modeling support to communicate with SLDC/RLDC GPRS/Ethernet/direct communication options Built-in Auxiliary Power supply and DC UPS systems with battery for Inverter operations (in central inverter range) An insulation Monitoring device with digital measurement of insulation value Ground Fault detector and Indicator with adjustable pre-warning alarm and trip level + Negative Grounding Fuse protection
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IV Curve monitoring at string level for individual DC inputs Delta developed Highly reliable and stable Sub-1G wireless communications systems with the coverage area of 100+ meters By implementing the right product with the right design options, customers can have better performance in system efficiency and earn better yield. The necessity of the smart solar inverter has been increasing day by day. SMART inverter technology provides some advantages to residential, commercial and utility-scale solar. This includes high redundancy through a distributed AC architecture that reduces system cost and improves operations and maintenance aspects. The stability of the transmission system can be maintained and strengthened through the active contributions of DELTA smart inverters. Grid operators across the globe benefit from new technologies such as the ability to supply reactive power both night and day, intelligent and flexible PV plant regulation with the Power Plant Controller and communication interfaces integrated into the inverter Delta smart inverters have proven as a perfect choice for Grid management services like dynamic reactive power feed & Output power throttling capabilities and compliance to complex HVRT, LVRT requirements of large scale PV plants. The shade-tolerant solution for string inverters lies within the string inverter’s MPPT tracking algorithm which requires scanning of the IV curve quite frequently in a short period of time. The MPPT algorithm must take into account the entire MPPT voltage window to act on the presence of a global maximum. DELTA’s shade tolerant Hill Climbing MPPT algorithm technology allows for tracking of dynamically changing global power peaks with no significant decrease in traditional static and dynamic tracking result in maximum efficiency, in turn, maximize output power generation, DELTA’s smart IV curve diagnosis technology allows the inverter to export IV curves, deploys algorithms on the management system, and analyzes data. It also identifies modes to scan all PV strings of a PV plant and identify hidden PV module faults. DELTA’s Smart I – V Curve Diagnosis is able to carry out online I – V curve analysis on entire strings with an advanced diagnosis algorithm. The scanning helps to find out and identify the strings with low performance or faults, which enables proactive maintenance which results in higher O&M efficiency and lower operation cost.
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SUNSPEC & MODBUS is the industry standard communication protocols designed to achieve interoperability between Distributed Energy Resource (DER) components and smart grid applications. Alongside Wired based MODBUS & SUNSPEC protocols, Wi-Fi-based Communication is also available with which users can monitor the solar system working situation through either computer or APP using their smartphone. The User can check today, monthly & total energy harvest along with many more parameters etc. The constantly declining cost of solar modules globally encourages developers and IPPs to invest more in DC installation to get maximum AC generation. This DC overloading of inverters yields more generation through the day, however increases the duty cycle of the inverter which mandates the inverter to operate at almost rated capacity throughout the day. DELTA’s SMART inverters with their robust design offer maximum flexibility for project-specific oversizing. Thus, the inverter’s full load hours can be maximized throughout the total project duration— without any component degradation. To meet the green energy commitments, India is on the right track and adding more and more renewable energy (Wind and Solar). Due to an increased RE penetration
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grid is becoming more and more volatile and unstable. So solar inverters are required to act more smartly and contribute to grid stability. Apart from this, to make the grid more stable, storage is being added. Hence the environment in which solar inverters operate is becoming more and more complex. Considering these complexities, there is a great need for inverters to be smarter. i.e., smart inverters. Solar has already become an attractive energy source compared to any other sources of power generation on account of the lowest cost of generation. Delta is well placed to meet the market needs with its current range and expected launches in coming quarters. Certification and qualification of inverters to meet stringent grid codes is a challenge. Though there are IEC/IEEE/CEA standards for the inverter’s behavior under complex situations like LVRT/HVRT/ Frequency control etc. there are not enough facilities for testing and certification to ensure whether the so called smart inverters are really “smart” or not. The absence of such checks will result in deep penetration of cheap quality inverters into the market which puts cost pressure on the suppliers which meet the requirements in the true sense.
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SANJEEV JHA Head of Operations, U-Solar Clean Energy
For smaller installations such as apartments and residences (and even commercial installations below 500kWp), we are seeing Enphase's micro-inverters taking over mainly because they are providing better optimization on generation due to its ability to monitor solar power at the module levels. In addition to superior technology, the modularity of this inverter is attractive for those installations that will be increased in phases (let's say 20kWp now, 20kWp in 6 months and so on), due to the ease of adding an extension of the system. It has many benefits even on the generation side, in research it has been said to generate 10% more if Enphase microinverters are used vs a String inverter but we will have to see this on site from our 1MWp Enphase installations going live in the next 6-10 months. This is mainly because the conversion happens on the module level, in regions with moving shadows the day-time generation can be improved with the microinverter. Additionally, installers save on BOS costs since the wiring is lesser in projects with complex layouts. They also provide better safety by converting DC (high current - planar) to AC (low current - sinusoidal) on module level which can prevent fire and other hazards on site. In addition to these in-built features, Enphase provides a monitoring system called Envoy which can be an add-on integration to the solar system using its microinverters. Envoy comes with much great monitoring and reporting features, that can be accessed by both the installer as well as the user based on their contract for O&M. Since it is integrated on the powerline an additional communication cable may not be necessary for data-collection & notifications. Considering all of this, micro-inverters are better even than string inverters with optimisers because the loss of a generation of failure is very less (considering only reliable brands where the probability of failure is low and due to external reasons). Also under the normal situation, SolarEdge with optimizers provides module level monitoring at two modules per optimizer level while Enphase provides it at each module level - but it will still perform as a string inverter.
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Moving above 500 kWp these benefits breakdown due to the increase in cost (since each module comes with an inverter, but the BOS cost saving from cables and other parts is not enough to make it viable), so here we are seeing better features in string inverters for Commercial and Industrial installations. Among the string inverters, at a higher capacity, we have not seen visible benefits with SolarEdge with optimizers over Sungrow without optimizers - especially if the design takes into consideration shadows & other factors (because SolarEdge is priced quite higher for similar output). However, we need to still evaluate this and we are working on the R&D of generation and cost benefits of string inverters with optimizers. Within this market, Sungrow and Delta are the leading inverter players - moreover, with Sungrow developing manufacturing facilities in India they will become more competitive in cost while also supporting local Make In India via. economy & employment. The inverter manufacturers are constantly upgrading their efficiency and protection levels of SPDs or fuse integrated or fuse-less technology, all to improve the safety and performance of the inverter. All of them even come with their own monitoring system, which has become an industry standard. The integration of these monitoring systems into the SCADA portal is easier than ever, to ensure that the asset is managed effectively over time to give good PR values. However, for C&I clients just the system is sufficient if they do not want the complexity of a SCADA system. Cost saving metrics are also being included in the industry where we can now connect 2-strings into an MPPT connector, thereby saving DC cables length. Earlier the fuse capacity was not sufficient to handle this current value at the connection point, so we have seen great advances in improvements from all manufacturers. Overall we estimate that inverters will get more standardized as better technology takes over the market, the more reliable and efficient will become the new standard. OEMs in this space work on 3-4 new features per year to keep up with the trend of decreasing system cost while also ensuring increased performance over time. Better warranties can be put out in the future if the technology continues on this upward trend of continuous improvement.
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PRODUCT FEATURE MEGAMIC SOLARNXT PROVIDES MONITORING, ANALYTICS, DIAGNOSTICS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES TO O&M TEAMS AND ASSET OWNERS TO IMPROVE ROI. Megamic has a portfolio of field proven products and solutions designed specifically for performance monitoring, diagnostics and asset management of large scale distributed solar PV Plants. Starting from electronic devices such as string monitoring cards, data loggers, Zero Export Controllers, DG sync controllers and RS485-wireless transceivers to our cloud based platforms with data analytics, loss breakup analysis and digitalized O&M tools including determination of cleaning cycles, soiling and shading losses etc. of a solar plant, we have it all. SolarNxt is Megamic's flagship product for AI based performance analytics of PV plants. The primary intent is to improve ROI by identifying struggling assets in a portfolio and pinpointing reasons for their underperformance so that corrective and preventive actions could be taken up in a timely manner. SolarNxt can be deployed for a large fleet of distributed energy resources such as Solar Street lights, Solar Water Pumps, Rooftops as well as Ground mount projects. SolarNxt provides a waterfall diagram of actual and expected generation along with a complete breakup of all the losses in various buckets. Common issues such as shading losses due to seasonal changes can be easily identified by SolarNxt. It is common to have multiple Inverters in a single project, SolarNxt's Inverter Analysis feature enables detailed comparison reports
on each Inverter including heatmaps, inverter level uptime/downtime, normalized generation, efficiency etc. Another important feature of SolarNxt is its integration of PVsyst design expectations. Throughout the lifetime of the plant, its performance is gauged against the original PVsyst assumptions including aging factor and considering real-time irradiance and temperature. In a nutshell, SolarNxt provides Monitoring, Analytics, Diagnostics and Asset Management capabilities to O&M teams and asset owners to improve ROI. SolarNxt-AMP enables digital lifecycle management for solar PV Plants. Right from the PV plant design phase with the engineering teams, procurement activities with SCM, then the project execution phase with the projects team and then followed by the Operations & Maintenance Teams (O&M), all the documentation including engineering drawings, PVsyst design files, vendor proposals, purchase orders, invoices, warranty certificates, serial numbers of all equipments, as-built drawings, HOTO (HandOver-TakeOver exercise) documents between projects and O&M teams, can be digitally managed on SolarNxt-AMP. It enables different teams to exchange and collaborate on various documents and drawings. It also serves as a digital repository for such important documentation. After the O&M team takes over the plant, it serves as a platform for them to manage the plant efficiently using its Ticketing system, Workflow, Warranty, Insurance claims management interfaces. In summary, SolarNxt-AMP provides a digitalized platform for O&M teams and asset developers/owners, enabling them to efficiently build and manage a large portfolio of PV assets thereby lowering their LCOE.
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COMPANY FEATURE GINLONG SOLIS HONOURED WITH THE TOP BRAND PV 2021 AWARD FOR INVERTER MANUFACTURERS
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Ginlong Solis) Technologies (Stock Code: 300763.SZ), a global leader in photovoltaic string inverter manufacturer has been awarded with the Top Brand PV 2021 seal in the Netherlands. This is based on a survey of Dutch PV installers by EUPD Research, a market- and economic research institution based in Bonn.
Ginlong Solis has successfully established itself amongst the most important market intermediaries, as the repeated awarding of the Top Brand Seal in the Dutch market proves.” Mark. A.W. Hoehner, Founder and CEO of EUPD Research, explains.
Throughout the survey phase for the “Global PV InstallerMonitor 2020/2021” in nine European countries and Australia, EUPD Research interviewed around 1,200 PV installation companies on their buying behavior, the brands they carry in their portfolios and many more. As a result, Chinese inverter manufacturer Ginlong Solis reached excellent results in terms of customers’ choice, unaided brand awareness, satisfaction and recommendation. Therefore, they reached the status as Top Brand PV company in 2021.
The ‘Top Brand PV’ and ‘Top PV Supplier Award is the most recognized and prestigious certification in the international PV industry and stands for reliability and trust in the eyes of target groups and business partners. The award highlights the best-in-class companies out of the eyes of installers and end customers on the country and regional level.
The landscape in the European PV markets is highly competitive and therefore the Top Brand Seal helps intermediaries identify the right brands to offer to their customers. The Netherlands has been at the forefront of the PV industry in Europe for many years now and has benefitted from a strong residential segment and shows increasing promise for the years to come. Therefore, it is even more impressive that Ginlong Solis has managed to achieve such great results in the installer survey, and rightfully has been awarded with the prestigious Top Brand PV Seal for inverter brands in 2021. “Solis has a well established reputation across Europe and we are delighted to be recognised for this award for the 6th year running with EUPD Research. For over 15 years Solis has been focused on designing and producing high quality string inverters, and the fact that installers are voting for our brand year after year
About the Top Brand PV Award
The award is based on the “Global PV InstallerMonitor”, an annual survey of PV installers in the core European PV markets and Australia, and is an award to module-, inverter- and storage manufacturers, as well as wholesalers. About Ginlong Solis:
Established in 2005, Ginlong (Solis) Technologies (Stock Code: 300763.SZ) is one of the experienced and largest manufacturers of PV string inverters. Presented under the Solis brand, the company’s portfolio uses innovative string inverter technology to deliver firstclass reliability that has been validated under the most stringent international certifications. Armed with a global supply chain, world-class R&D and manufacturing capabilities, Ginlong optimizes its inverters for each regional market, servicing and supporting its customers with its team of local experts, visit http://www.solisinverters.com
reinforces our product quality and service level. Offering string inverters from 0.7kW to 255kW, as well as single phase and three phase hybrid inverters for battery storage, we are looking forward to the future of solar energy across Europe.” says Sandy Woodward, Sales Director, Europe at Ginlong Technologies. "Over the past few years, the Netherlands has developed into one of the most important European photovoltaic markets. In this growth environment, it is essential to position yourself correctly within the key target group of installers. | INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
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COMPANY FEATURE FIMER TODAY IS A COMPANY THAT IS 100 PERCENT INVOLVED IN SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMITTED TO INNOVATION AND CUSTOMER CENTRICITY.
FIMER is a global leader in Solar Inverter Technology for solar systems and E-mobility solutions. With one of the broadest portfolios of solar and storage solutions for all solar applications, we shape the future of renewable energy. For us investing and working in the solar and e-mobility sectors is a strategic choice for building a better world to leave to future generations. We are committed to leveraging the energy playing field to serve growing demands with clean, affordable energy which truly benefits people and places. FIMER is proudly “Made in Italy” with its headquarter and production plants located in Italy (for Global products) and India (for the local market). At FIMER, commitment to sustainability is our mission. We are working at zero impact global headquarter in Vimercate (Italy), with an installation of 1MW systems, highly sustainable materials and the best technologies in the field of geothermal energy have been our practice so far.
History of Growth:
The evolution of our brand reflects a history of growth. Ambition for continuous growth, passion for innovation, and foresight is part of our tradition and so the small business founded in 1942 has become a leading global company in the future -oriented business. In 2020 our identity has been significantly renewed, in line with an extraordinary moment of transformation. Our DNA and our values are the same, but with the acquisition of ABB’s solar inverter business, FIMER has evolved into a new dimension and celebrates this occasion with a new visual brand appearance. Under the umbrella of our FIMER corporate brand, the newly acquired solar inverter portfolio continues to carry the ABB brand under trademark licenses agreement to ensure a smooth brand transition.
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Global repair centers: 12 in 5 continents Active in EV charging: since 2017 Production, R@D based in Italy, Production sites based in out of Italy & India.
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A.Vision Our vision is to shape a new and powerful energy model that uses the power of the sun to drive progress and prosperity for a cleaner and sustainable world. B. Mission As a global leader in solar inverter technology, we have the energy to make positive change happen. We are committed to leveraging the energy playing field to serve growing demands with clean, affordable energy which truly benefits people and places. C Business Goals & objectives: FIMER is the right partner, with the advanced solar and EVC solutions that can help drive your business forward. The powerful combination of agility and experience allows you to expand your offering, and deliver bigger and better solar installations. With a high future focus on investment in particular in R&D, service experience and company brand recognition, FIMER, as a European brand, will take a leading role in the solar inverter business and will help you make your business more successful and profitable.
FIMER today is a company that is 100 percent involved in sustainability and committed to Innovation and Customer centricity. We are now a strong player in the energy transition market with an ambition to come the solar sector’s technology leader. With our work, we want to enable our customers to successfully provide greener and smarter energy solutions leading the way. We work every day to improve our solutions, providing
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customer support and developing new technologies that respond better and better to the challenges of the future. Thanks to the continuous evolution of our offer, our inverters guarantee such high yields that they produce more energy than the market average. Preserving our leading position in the market, with an innovative approach, we offer highly reliable solutions, thanks to the continuous technological development of our portfolio carried out in R&D centers. We place customers at the heart of our day-to-day work creating a unique collaborative relationship with unrivaled post-sales assistance. In the e-mobility sector, our research and development activities assure cutting edge technologies to offer reliable and innovative solutions, that meet the growing needs of the market. We are shaking up the future of mobility, leading the way to a New electric Era. In the next year, we expect to see a strong increase in storage solutions and miniaturization of products, in response to trends for solutions to become smaller and smaller. In general, we will see a strong distinction between distributed energy and the centralized model and storage will be one of the stronger players in the market in the next year or so.
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Business Concept
FIMER has one of the widest portfolios of solar inverters ranging from single and three-phase string inverters up to megawatt-sized central inverters, to meet the needs of any PV application. The offering is complemented by a series of AC and DC EV charging stations and advanced monitoring solutions Our solutions are suitable for the following applications: Residential: Product offering includes UNO- DM-PlusQ String Inverter and REACT2 (Hybrid inverter PV+ Storage). Special 10 year warranty available in selected regions. Usually projects below 10kW All about rooftop, typically single phase, one or very few inverters High value to connectivity, user friendly Commercial: Product offering includes PVS 10/33-TL, PVS 50/60-TL, PVS 100/120-TL string inverters. The offering includes a powerful line of three-phase string inverters for photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in C&I applications, as well as a series of AC and DC EV chargers. The products guarantee high total efficiency and reliability while optimizing the total cost of ownership in PV projects. The solutions are complemented by a series of cloud based advanced communication services which simplify the integration in smart environments. Between 10 to 5000kW C&I roofs, all three phases, some or many inverters Flexibility, compactness and performances the keys Utility: Product offering includes PVS 175-TL in String inverter. In Central inverter available PVS980-58 up to 5MVA and PVS -980-Cs up to 5MVA (with skid solution). FIMER’s offering for utility-scale applications includes best-in-class indoor and outdoor central inverters supplemented with stations for indoor inverters as well as medium voltage stations suitable for a variety of site conditions and local requirements. Above 5000kW Massively ground mounted From LV to MV, always big and many units $/W, performances and O&M on top Microgrids: product offering MGS100, Suitable for On/Off-grid projects From kw up to MW Rural installations primarily in Emerging countries E-mobility. Over 35,000+ EV charging stations installed worldwide. We have developed two lines of charging stations (both DC and AC) taking advantage | INDIA | MARCH ISSUE 2021
of our experience in the development of inverters. ACEVC is a charging station line able to recharge up to two electric vehicles in alternating current, each up to 22kW. As to DC stations, we have conceived, designed and built Ultra Fast stations, available from 25kW -150kW. (both AC and DC) for residential and commercial and public applications: FIMER FLEXA and FIMER ELECTRA. FIMER FLEXA AC line includes AC Station, the charging unit which simultaneously recharges up to two electric vehicles, and AC Wallbox, the EV charging device installed on the wall or on a dedicated FIMER FLEXA Stand. FIMER ELECTRA DC station, available in different power configurations, is the best solution where fast charging is required. Team & Management
FIMER headquarters are based out of Vimercate, Italy. The organization is headed by Filippo Carzaniga, Chairman (BoD). Alessio Facondo is the Group Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. India operations are headed by KN Sreevatsa, Country Managing Director, based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka. Customers & Projects
FIMER has an installed base of > 46GW+ worldwide, spread across 100 countries. Last year, FIMER installed the first ever 5MVA inverter for a textile mill in India. FIMER recently supplied its REACT2 Hybrid inverter and EV AC type charging station to the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) for a prestigious India-UK partnership under the Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA) program by Energy System Catapult, UK. From powering India’s biggest 750MW Solar REWA park to electrifying over 400 villas in Dubai, from solarizing airports in Africa to powering up energy projects in cold regions like Antarctica and Finland; from bringing in easy access to energy in smaller countries like Nepal to revolutionizing entertainment places like breweries in Australia--FIMER has touched the lives of a billion people across the world!
PRESERVING OUR LEADING POSITION IN THE MARKET, WITH AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH, WE OFFER HIGHLY RELIABLE SOLUTIONS, THANKS TO THE CONTINUOUS TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PORTFOLIO CARRIED OUT IN R&D CENTERS."
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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