SOLAR BOS TECH INNOVATION SPECIAL
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Volume 09. l Issue 9
September 2019
700MW+ Solar Projects
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Solar Quarter • September 2019 5
IN CONVERSATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS The next in our SUPER series – SUPER HJT!
Mr. Aman Mathur, Managing Director, Addwatt Power Solutions Pvt Ltd
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“We have been striving towards streamlining our internal processes to achieve efficiency & maintain the highest standards of quality delivery”
12
Mr. Pradeep Chauhan, Country Manager India, Solarpack India LLP “Our aim is to achieve excellence in all aspects of the Solar Business activities from development, design, engineering, construction to management of assets”
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Waste to energy - Limited scope Mr. Pinaki Bhattacharyya, CEO, AMP
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“AMP Energy India is the fastest growing integrated energy solution provider in India” 15
Perspective Considering India’s geographical and climatic conditions vary greatly, How can the quality of the solar structures be maintained?..........................................................................................19 Do We Need Stricter Product Certification Guidelines And Quality Standards For The Solar Sector?......................................20
Energy Efficiency - Why your best practices can lead to worst returns! 32
Solar + Storage: What Are The Key Emerging Business Trends In India?...................................................................................24 What Are The Latest Innovation Trends In Solar Sector In India?.................................................................................................26 Is Open-Access Key To Success Of Solar Sector Growth?.........28 Exploring Untapped Opportunities of Kerala Solar Rooftop Market...................................................................................36
Opinion Going Green: Best Practices adopted by the
Manufacturing Sector for Energy Efficiency” ...........................31
Product Feature Ginlong Solis - .............................................................................33
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Solar Quarter • September 2019 6
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India News
I
ndian Hydro Power Generator Floats 2 Gigawatt Solar Tender
India’s largest hydro power generation company has issued one of the largest-ever solar power tenders in the country’s history. NHPC Limited (formerly National Hydro Power Corporation) became the latest public sector company to issue a large-solar power tender. The company has called upon developers to set up 2 gigawatts of solar power projects across the country. Developers shall be free to set up the projects at the sites of their choosing. Power generated from the projects will be purchased by NHPC Limited, which will then sell it to interested distribution utilities. It is likely that NHPC itself would charge a nominal amount for being the intermediary, as is the case with NTPC Limited and the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
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Union Power Minister R K Singh said, that the Centre has finalised the sites for the solar project, alongside the implementation details of a crucial transmission link to ensure the viability of the project. Pang, about 117 km from Leh, has been finalised as the revised site for a major chunk of the 7,500 MW solar project after an earlier proposed site ran foul of environmental norms. The renewable energy ministry plans to eventually scale it up to a 23,000 MW gridconnected Ultra Mega Solar PV project in Ladakh, with the 7,500 MW package forming the first part of the larger project.
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ndia, China To Cooperate In Solar Cell R&D For Developing New Tech
India and China have agreed on cooperation in R&D for developing new technology for manufacturing solar cell from alternate material and improvement of efficiency of solar
PO Market Sees A Dry Spell This Year, Only 11 Companies Hit Bourses.
With just over three months to go for the year-end, only 11 companies have hit the capital markets so far in 2019 garnering over ₹10,000 crore through initial share sales, much lower than 24 firms raising ₹30,959 crore in entire 2018. So far this year, 11 firms have gone public collecting a total of ₹10,300 crore through IPOs, as compared to 24 companies that raised ₹30,959 crore in entire 2018, data available with the stock exchanges showed. Market experts attributed the lower fund raising through IPOs to several factors, including trade war between the US and China, poor market sentiments and depreciating Indian currency.
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ovt Plans To Develop 2,000 MW Clean Energy Parks For $2 bn.
In a renewed push to cut India’s dependence on fossil fuels, the central government wants state-run companies to build massive clean energy parks at a cost of around $2 billion
cells, Niti Aayog said on Monday.Both sides have also agreed on cooperation in the field of e-mobility and energy storage. This among issues was discussed during the sixth India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue. Under this dialogue, there are six standing joint working groups which are appointed by both sides to address economic and commercial issues across infrastructure, energy, hightech, resource conservation, pharmaceuticals and policy coordination in a structured and outcome-oriented manner. Rooftop Solar Subsidies Should be Transferred to Beneficiaries, Not System Integrators. The Uttar Pradesh Solar Energy Developer Association (UPSEDA) has written a letter to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the additional secretary of the cabinet secretariat highlighting its concerns regarding the second phase of the rooftop solar program. According to UPSEDA, the guidelines for the latest rooftop solar program only allow the transfer of subsidies granted under this program to empanelled vendors and system integrators instead of directly to the beneficiary account, which was the case in all previous programs of the MNRE.
each, with built-in incentives to ensure states and operators are invested in the success of the parks. The proposed ultra-mega renewable energy power parks (UMREPP) of 2,000 megawatts (MW) each will help developers achieve economies of scale and further bring down solar and wind power tariffs. Setting up such parks will bolster India’s image as a clean energy champion at a time the world is grappling with concerns related to climate change. Clean energy projects now account for more than a fifth of India’s installed power generation capacity. UP To Get First Floating Solar Park; Largest In The Country. Uttar Pradesh will soon see its first floating solar park. Earlier this week, the state cabinet led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved a 150MW floating solar park on the waters of the Rihand Dam. The dam, in Sonbhadra district, has the largest water storage capacity of all the state’s dams, making it ideal for the solar panel project. The project is expected to be completed in 21 months. The floating park will be the first in the state, and the biggest in the country.Reports say
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NRE Clarifies Residential Rooftop Solar Subsidy Applicability.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a clarification regarding the subsidy applicable for rooftop solar installations by individual residential households under phase-II of grid-connected rooftop solar program. In its official memorandum, the MNRE states that subsidy under Phase-II of the gridconnected rooftop solar program will be available to all eligible households for installation of rooftop solar as per regulations of respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) and provisions of program implementation guidelines. According to the MNRE statement, rooftop solar installations up to 3 kW will qualify for a subsidy of 40%. For rooftop solar installations above 3 kW, and up to 10kW will get a subsidy of 40% for the first 3 kW and 20% for the remaining capacity, and for installations above 10 kW, it is 40% for the first 3kW and 20% for the remaining 7 kW. However, there’s no subsidy beyond 10 kW capacity.
that the state will not make any investments in the Rs 750 crore project; it will be funded by private entities. The Solar Energy Corporation of India has reportedly finished the bidding process and has selected the companies that will generate solar power from the dam.
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ajasthan issues tender for 113.5MW of small-scale solar The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RRECL) has issued a competitive
tender for 113.5MW of small grid-connected solar projects in the desert state. The group, a ‘nodal agency’ of the Indian government’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is seeking developers to build, own and operate projects capable of producing between 0.5-2MW. The projects will be installed on the premises of a state-owned 33/11kV substation in Rajasthan, to which they would be interconnected.
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ndia Touches The Sky: First country in the world to install solar panels on top of UN Building in NYC.
The United Nations (UN) Building is now powered with green energy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Gandhi Solar Park on Sept 24, symbolising India’s fight against climate change. Symbolising New Delhi’s fight against Climate change, the United Nations building located in the heart of New York City went green when the Solar Park which was gifted by India got operationalized.There are 193 panels, representing each member country of the UN and it generates 50 kilowatts of electricity. Besides the Solar Park, India also donated another environmental gift — a Gandhi Peace Garden made up of 150 trees, which is located at a university campus in Old Westbury.
Rajasthan published a draft solar policy which sets out an aim of linking 25GW of gridconnected solar power capacity before the close of the 2021-2022 financial year, one quarter of India’s 100GW target.
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harat Electronics Seeks Bidders to Procure Monocrystalline Solar Cells.
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The government-owned electronics manufacturer and supplier, Bharat Electronics
The first package was to be set up in the areas tentatively identified in Zanskar sub-division
solar cells have to be manufactured in India.
and Taisuru block of Kargil district.
For this tender, the prospective bidders are expected to provide test certificates that
THE DECKS have been cleared for a Rs 50,000 crore grid-connected solar photo-voltaic
indicate the power output, voltage, current, fill factor, and temperature coefficient of the
project spread across Leh and Kargil districts — the single biggest investment proposal in
cells. According to the tender documents, BEL will carry out quality inspection of the cells
the region since Ladakh was designated as a Union Territory.
as well. Further, BEL has also set specific guidelines for packaging the solar cells.Bidders
ite Decided, Govt Clears Mega Solar Project In Leh and Kargil.
Limited (BEL) has issued a request for quotation (RfQ) for the procurement of 798,430 monocrystalline silicon solar cells.The government undertaking has mandated that these
will be selected based on the lowest cumulative cost quoted for the solar cells.
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Asia News
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E Asia’s ‘Lowest’ Solar Bid Of $0.0387/kWh In Cambodia. The 60 MW solar power tender in Cambodia has attracted a bid as low as $0.03877
per kWh, which is the ‘lowest power purchase tariff for a solar project so far recorded in Southeast Asia’, claimed the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that has been supporting the project. The 60 MW project is part of a 100 MW National Solar Park Project in the country for which ADB approved a $7.64 million loan to Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), the national electricity utility in May 2019.
The selected developers will also be required to build a 35/110 kV substation and a 110 kV overhead transmission line to connect to the nearby Myangad substation and will provide operations and maintenance services for three years after the solar project is commissioned.
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angladesh’s First State-owned Solar Plant Comes Online. Bangladesh’s first state owned solar project came online yesterday as prime minister
Sheikh Hasina Wazed inaugurated the 7.4 MW facility in Rangamati district, built on 23
With EDC facilitating land and transmission access for the solar park in Kampong Chhnang
acres near the Karnaphuli hydropower plant. The installation lowered the cost of solar
province, it will also purchase power from the facility under a long-term power purchase
power in Bangladesh – which has hovered at $0.0749-0.101/kWh – as it will supply
agreement (PPA) with the private companies.
electricity for $0.065. The prime minister used the occasion to pledge electricity would be supplied to all
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Bangladeshi citizens, either from the grid or from solar in off-grid areas.Project manager
The project is expected to generate 307,000 kWh of electricity per year and will help to
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he Indian Academy Dubai School Installs 192 kW Rooftop Solar System.
The Indian Academy, Dubai installed a 192 kW rooftop solar project in the school. cover 70% of the school’s electricity requirement, states the company’s press release. On days when the solar power project produces more electricity than the school can use, the school can supply the excess electricity back to DEWA’s grid which can then be used as credits against the school’s future electricity bills.
Abu Bakkar Siddique said 24,000 panels were used at the project, which is expected to supply electricity to the grid for 25 years.
0 MW Solar Park Comes Online In Malaysia. Chinese state-owned power producer Edra Power Holdings Sdn Bhd has announced
completion of the Kuala Ketil Solar Farm. The plant, which features JA Solar modules, is installed on a 104-hectare plot in the town of Kuala Ketil, northeast of Penang. According to Edra Power – which was acquired by China General Nuclear Power Corp
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orea’s South Jeolla Province Is Becoming A Solar Hub. According to Korean government, around 18,000 unlicensed projects up to 1 MW
in size are being developed in the area. Restrictions on such projects, which are driving this year’s strong solar growth in the country, are being introduced to reduce their environmental impact.
from Malaysian sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development for MYR9.83 billion ($2.36 billion) in 2015 – the project is the largest solar park providing clean energy to industrial and agricultural activity in the state of Kedah. The facility was built with 35% local content, said Edra in a press release. The developer added, Kuala Ketil is the country’s first large scale solar farm to be completed ahead of schedule.
South Jeolla province, in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula, is seeing blossoming development of small scale renewables projects. Such solar arrays and other installations, with a generation capacity of no more than 1 MW each, are exempt from permitting requirements under Korean law.
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apan’s Largest Floating PV Plant Catches Fire After Typhoon Faxai Impact
Kyocera’s 13.7 MW floating project at the Yamakura Dam was damaged by 120mph winds
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the typhoon brought to the coastal city of Chiba. Japanese media reported the wind tore
A 40 MW solar power project has received green light from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of
modules, creating the conditions for a fire.
Innovative Development to be built in Namangan region. The utility scale solar project will
Japanese media reported the wind tore several modules off the project and stacked
be developed by Helios Energy, an EPC company with Thai and Singaporean roots under
them. That contact between loose panels and those that remained moored to mounting
an agreement signed with the ministry.
structures, said firefighters, overheated the modules, creating the conditions for a fire.
hai Company To Develop 40 MW Solar Farm In Uzbekistan.
several modules off the project and stacked them. That contact between loose panels and those that remained moored to mounting structures, said firefighters, overheated the
It will procure, construct and oversee the installation of the 40 MW project in Namangan Free Economic Zone. Helios Energy CEO Jeremy Tan said his company will begin construction on site in October 2019 and will aim to complete the project by December 2020 to be managed by local management. The Namangan Free Economic Zone in Chust district was launched in September 2018 to host production facilities for a number of industry segments such as agriculture products, textile, shoe and leather goods, electrical industry and automobile manufacturing.
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ambodia Tender Secures Lowest Solar Power Price In Southeast Asia.
Cambodia’s first solar auction has set an electricity price the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says is a record low for Southeast Asia of $0.03877/kWh. The 60 MW tender was opened in February to secure generation capacity as part of the planned 100 MW National Solar Park launched in June 2017. “The record low prices show the power of competition,” said ADB office of public-private
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partnerships director Siddharta Shah, in a press release issued by the multilateral lender.
By 2022, Bangladesh will have 500 MW of renewable energy generation capacity coming
particularly for solar power generation. This is good news for EDC and the people of
from $500 million that China will invest in the Asian country. The China National Machinery
Cambodia. We believe more governments in the region will adopt auctions as a strategy
Import and Export Corporation (CMC) entered into a memorandum of understanding
to procure renewable energy generation capacity and this structure and tariff will serve as
(MoU) with the North-West Power Generation Company Limited of Bangladesh (NWPGCL)
a benchmark for future projects.”
hina To Help Bangladesh Develop 450 MW Solar.
“This is a new era for renewable energy development in Cambodia and the region, and
to this effect. While the official statement from CMC doesn’t go into details of the arrangement, Bangladesh’s local daily The Business Standard (TBS) reports this 500 MW comprises 450 MW of solar and 50 MW of wind power capacity. Solar parks will be developed in the northern districts of Pabna, Sirajganj and Gaibandha. For Pabna, the project capacity will
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apan’s Fourth Solar Auction Concludes With Lowest Bid Of $0.098/kWh.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has announced the results of the
be 60 MW and for Sirajganj it will be 100 MW.
summer’s 300 MW auction for solar projects with a generation capacity of more than 500
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The ministry said it had initially accepted 146 project proposals with a combined capacity
Mongolia’s Ministry of Energy is seeking contractors to develop and construct a 10
Successful projects in the latest tender included only four with more than 2 MW capacity,
MW solar power plant in Khovd, the capital of the province of the same name in the
the larger facilities ranging in size from 20-35 MW. The remaining projects were all small
westernmost part of the country.
solar parks. Japanese infrastructure company Japan Asia Group was among the successful
The project is backed by the World Bank’s International Development Association, which
developers, along with Toyota Motor Corporation; the First Solar Japan unit of the U.S.
offers concessional loans and grants to the world’s poorest countries.
module manufacturer; and Ciel et Terre Japan, the local subsidiary of the French floating
ongolia Tenders 10 MW Solar Plant.
kW. of 589.9 MW for review before procuring 63 projects with a total installed capacity of 195.8 MW.
PV specialist.
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Global News
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reece Launches 512.5 MW Solar PV Wind Tender. Greek energy regulatory authority RAE has announced another round of auctions for
solar and wind power capacity adding up to a total of 512.56 MW. For solar PV, it expects
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ithuania Proposes RE Auctions Till 2022. The Government of Lithuania is looking at holding renewable energy auctions to
further the development of these technologies. The Ministry of Energy led by Žygimantas
up to 287.11 MW to be established in the form of projects with 20 MW or less in category
Vaičiūnas has submitted a plan to the government to approve a schedule targeting 3
I. The exact capacity to be auctioned will be finalized post the completion of stage 1 of
renewable energy auctions, one for each year from 2020 to 2022.
the tender process.
Target capacity for each auction will be 0.7 TWh or 700 GWh of clean power annually.
For wind power, projects will need to be set up with 50 MW or less capacity to reach a total
To enable a seamless integration of renewable energy, the proposed plan of the Energy
of 225.45 MW.
Ministry recommends information on reserved and existing free grid capacity to be displayed by the transmission system operator in cooperation with the distribution
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system operator which will help plan for the reconstruction and development of electricity
The Government of Sweden has announced increasing the 2019 subsidies for solar
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EK 500 Million More For Solar Incentives In Sweden.
installations in residential and commercial segment by another SEK 500 million ($51.7 million) in the Budget Bill. This takes the total available for the current year to SEK 1.2 billion ($124 million) to be disbursed for applications received till December 2019.
networks.
imbabwe Bank Tender For PV & Mini-Hydro Plants.
The Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) is seeking to partner with
In April 2019, the government increased the budget for solar subsidies by SEK 300 million
investors to develop, finance and construct or install solar and mini-hydro power plants
($31 million) to a total of SEK 736 million ($76 million) for the year 2019. Now, with the
in the African country. It has issued an expression of interest (EOI) to establish a database
addition of SEK 500 million, the budget crosses SEK 1.2 billion.
for interested firms.Through partnerships, it wants to develop and finance 7 solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 285 MW, and 2 mini-hydro power plants.
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ew Research Calls For 162 GW PV For Germany By 2030.
If Germany wants to save itself from electricity shortfall in the future, it would need to triple its solar PV installed capacity by 2030 to 162 GW from 46 GW installed till 2018. By 2040, it should further increase solar capacities to a cumulative of 252 GW, according to a research paper titled Energy transition in the context of the nuclear and coal phase-out— prospects in the electricity market by 2040. Among renewables, it is only solar PV that the study sees as stepping up to provide secure
IDBZ said its thrust in the energy generation sub-sector is to also broaden the overall national energy mix with emphasis on renewable energy. The bank is currently working with various independent power producers to prepare projects to bankability. The same will also help the country save money on importing power from regional utilities.
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00 MW Solar Power Plant Proposed For Poland. A 600 MW solar PV project with Ean nergy storage component is in the offing for
Poland, proposed by Polish private equity fund NeoInvestments and Chinese power
and sustainable power supply significantly reducing or eliminating electricity shortfalls
engineering company, China Sinogy Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CSEEC). The two
in the medium term. However, it won’t be possible without energy storage which it
announced their plan to develop this project in the country by 2021 through special
recommends needs to be stepped up at least 30-fold by 2040—2 GWh by 2020, 15 GWh
purpose company Energia Przykona.
by 2030 and 59 GWh by 2040. What works for solar and storage is good market availability,
An official agreement was signed to this effect for what the companies called as the
lowest electricity generation costs, very high acceptable levels among local populace and short installation period.
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57 MW Solar Capacity Proposed In Croatia.
Seven new solar PV plant proposals with 257 MW capacity are seeking environmental clearance from the Croatian government. The Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy has received proposals from various companies to install 7 solar power plants with a combined capacity of 257 MW near the cities of Benkovac, Trilj, Novalja and the municipality of Klis.The current installed solar power capacity of Croatia is 61 MW.
country’s biggest photovoltaic power station,’ according to Reuters.The project is planned to come up on ‘low-class’ agricultural land degraded by mining activities in eastern Greater Poland and will be funded by NeoInvestments and Strategic Swiss Partners AG (SSP) while CSEEC and SSP will be responsible for technology, project construction and commissioning of the project.
A
ustralia All Set To Achieve 2020 RE Target.
Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has confirmed the country will achieve its 33,000 GWh goal of additional renewable energy in 2020 under its Large-Scale Renewable Energy Target (RET). It has now approved enough capacity for this. “It is now certain Australia will generate enough renewable energy to meet the 2020 Large-scale Renewable Energy
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lectricity Autarky Possible In Europe With PV & Wind.
Renewable electricity autarky is possible on all scales in Europe – for the entire continent as well as for each country there. This means there is enough wind and solar power in Europe for the region to meet its electricity demand entirely from renewable sources without depending on imported electricity. The technical potential for each of the four considered technologies—rooftop solar, ground mounted solar, onshore wind and offshore wind—
Target,” said CER Chair David Parker. The announcement came as the agency met the milestone on August 30, 2019 with the approval of four large-scale wind and solar power stations with a combined capacity of 406 MW. Between 2017 and 2019, Australia was supposed to have built 6.4 GW of this capacity for the 33,000 GWh target which has now been achieved. CER says it is currently tracking another 6.41 GW of renewable energy capacity to be built over the coming years.
alone is higher than current European demand. Rural regions as well as urban areas with extensive rural hinterlands could meet their electricity demand entirely from renewable sources with as many as 75% of municipalities at the local level able to access sufficient solar and wind resources to meet the demand.
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hree PV Projects With 110 MW Capacity Online In Hawaii.
Clearway Energy Group, California headquartered clean energy company, has completed and commissioned three solar PV plants with a cumulative capacity of 110 MW in Hawaii. They were connected to the grid on the island of Oahu with the help of EPC services
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oogle Signs Up For 1.6 GW Solar & Wind Power.
The cumulative renewable energy portfolio of Google has reached 5,475 MW after the US technology giant has signed up for the biggest chunk in the form of 18 new energy deals which will secure supply from 1.6 GW of wind and solar power. Google hailed this as the ‘biggest corporate purchase of renewable energy in history’ that will help it increase its existing renewable energy portfolio by over 40%.Of the new deals in the US, Google is opting for solar instead of wind as the costs for the technology declined by more than 80% in the past decade. In South America and Europe it will also use wind.
provider Moss Solar. The projects are the ‘largest’ block of grid scale solar power ever
Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared some details about the geographical placement of
developed in Hawaii, claimed Clearway and Hawaiian Electric Company.
some of these projects – 720 MW of solar farms in the US are made up of 155 MW in
Hawaii is pursuing 100% renewable energy to be achieved by 2045 while Hawaiian Electric
North Carolina, 75 MW in South Carolina and 490 MW in Texas. In South America, 125
is targeting its own 100% goal by 2040. The utility issued a request for proposals round for 900 MW renewable energy and grid services from customer-sited distributed energy resources in August 2019.
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MW of grid connected renewable energy capacity will supply clean power to its Chile data center.For Chile region, Google is going to buy power from a hybrid solar and wind power plant for the first time.
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In Conversation
“We have been striving towards streamlining our internal processes to achieve efficiency & maintain the highest standards of quality delivery” Mr. Aman Mathur, Managing Director, Addwatt Power Solutions Pvt Ltd
Addwatt started with 100 KWp, it has now successfully commissioned 500 MWp. How has your journey been so far?
be explored with scalability. Currently, the EV market has limited players like commercial
To be honest, I am not a great admirer of measuring success with the number of MWs of
will give the desired results. For a solar EPC company like us, EV Charging stations offer a
capacities installed. In fact, what matters more is the trust you create in the industry, the project execution strength of your team and the relationships you build with your vendors and all stakeholders. By keeping the above factors as yardstick for measuring success, I
fleet operators, E-rickshaws in shared mobility. It will take more time before mass adoption of Electric Passenger vehicles happens. Government interventions like FAME and other tax sops have stirred up the sentiments of the sector but only time will tell whether these new opportunity to diversify, where upon we are currently focusing ourselves via our new business vertical Addwatt Electric.
am glad to share that our journey so far has been quite successful. From bootstrapping a startup with a single employee and to make it an organization with global presence and about 100 team members in 6 years span is satisfying. At the same time, it offers a whole new set of challenges for which we strive to prepare ourselves every day.
What have been some of the recent developments at your organization? We have been striving towards streamlining our internal processes to achieve efficiency and maintain the highest standards of quality delivery. We have launched an internal project management software- Addpro and an online inventory management app- E-store in this pursuit. We have also started operations in Nairobi, Kenya and are keenly looking for projects in Africa.
What are the major challenges faced by you as an EPC while commissioning a project? How do you overcome those? In India, apart from the engineering, logistics and project timeline related challenges,
There is a misconception in the industry that EV sector is the natural progression for solar industry, that’s not true. E-mobility offers a whole new set of opportunities and challenges.As per our assessment, it will take some more time before a lucrative revenue model can be explored with scalability.
one has to be prepared to face hindrances in the form of local issues, slow Government departments and extreme weather conditions etc. For all such issues, our mantra is Prevention is better than cure. However, challenges are bound to come and involvement of top management as and when a major issue comes up is a must for stopping them in their tracks. Most of the time solution does not consists of any rocket science, but a good project company is one who remains vigilant and have short response time.
Tell us a bit about the recent technology advancements in the sector which are driving the industry forward? I feel that we have hit a plateau as far as major technological advancements in the sector are concerned. Some of the buzzwords like Mono and PERC,micro inverters, bi-axial trackers etc are still being evaluated both technically and commercially. Solar floaters is the one bright segment being explored by the industry which holds the particular significance in our country with so many wetlands, lakes and reservoirs.
How do you ensure that the safety and quality parameters are met at your project sites?
We have launched an internal project management software- Addpro and an online inventory management app- E-store in this pursuit. We have also started operations in Nairobi, Kenya and are keenly looking for projects in Africa.
We are adopting a zero-tolerance policy on safety and thankfully have avoided any major incident so far. Safety still remains a concern us primarily because of the fact that most of the farm scale projects are executed in the remote locations with local laborers doing much of the manual jobs. It is difficult to train them in a short span of 60-90 days which is the typical project cycle of a solar project. We are sensitizing our teams and have taken up QHS training programs at site.. One of the major challenges we face as an EPC contractor is the excessive pressure being exerted by the developers and the project owners to execute the project at an enormous pace. People need to understand that Quality and Safety comes when work is done at an optimum pace. I am glad that people are learning nowadays from their past mistakes.
I feel that we have hit a plateau as far as major technological advancements in the sector are concerned. Some of the buzzwords like Mono and PERC,micro inverters, bi-axial
Addwatt has stake in Electric Vehicle too, How do you foresee the synergy between solar industry and the EV sector?
trackers etc are still being evaluated both
There is a misconception in the industry that EV sector is the natural progression for solar
technically and commercially.
industry, that’s not true. E-mobility offers a whole new set of opportunities and challenges. As per our assessment, it will take some more time before a lucrative revenue model can
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 14
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Solar Quarter • September 2019 15 Solar Quarter • August 2019 85
In Conversation
“Our aim is to achieve excellence in all aspects of the Solar Business activities from development, design, engineering, construction to management of assets” Mr. Pradeep Chauhan, Country Manager-Indian Subcontinent, Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica, SA
Till Date Solarpack has commissioned 104 MWp in six sites in India. What are the future plans in India?
How different is Indian PV module market from the International market?
We, Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica, SA is having focus on building quality assets
International PV modules manufacturing in India has been quite sluggish compared to the
globally, our presence in India at present are in two states 1. Telangana with 104MWp
demand for domestic consumption and exports, while country has approx. 10GW of Solar
of Solar Assets at six locations and 2. Karnataka with 135MWp at five locations of grid
modules manufacturing capacity, yet effective Tier-1 & 2 level producers collectively can
connected utility scale Solar plants under development & different stages of construction.
produce about 3-4GW annually against the 8-9GW consumption. Pricing is another large
Further, Indian Power Sector has vast potential of Renewable Energy supply to Commercial
factor, which makes Chinees manufactured modules favourable to buyers.
& Industrial (C&I) segment under group captive and open access power sale, we have
India has made attempts to increase domestic production by offering PPA linked to
been evaluating opportunities in Utility market and C&I customers. In addition, we have identified opportunities for 450MW of projects in solar rich states in India, where we shall be participating in auctions and bi-lateral transactions. We also are keen to explore new technology areas into Solar with battery storage and floating solar systems. In my opinion, the next set of growth shall be coming in utility scale market from Battery Storage, as the Lithium Ion battery cost is expected to reduce quite fast due to the scale of deployment similar to PV prices. For India, the current PV deployment of 35GW doesn’t impose any threat to grid stability but the signs of grid stability have already been visible which is evident from the grid curtailments happening in many states in recent past. Hence, as we move closer to the 100GW target, there will be a higher focus on delivering power as per the requirement of the grid, which shall be the basis for programme having storage as part of Solar or wind PPA’s.
Solarpack has an integrated solar portfolio in the industry, how has the experience of each portfolio help the other portfolio? We are a multinational company specialized in the development, financing, construction, operation and management of utility scale solar photovoltaic power plants with presence in fast-growing markets in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Since 2005, we have been developing solar PV assets for customers as well as IPP, having all expertise as Integrated in-house portfolio helps us deliver sustainable high-quality projects for any other customer and our own development with consistency in the design & build quality. Our aim is to achieve excellence in all aspects of the Solar Business activities from development, design, engineering, construction to management of assets. As our business operations are spread over Asia, Africa, Europe, LATAM & USA, we always work with various functions within the group for optimising resources and update about new technological innovations happening in the industry.
manufacturing capacity of 10GW, which remains a non-starter despite various incentive and modification to the scheme. Looking at current pace of installations and manufacturing developments, India still would have to remain mostly dependent on the imports of solar cells & modules from China & Malaysia. Unfortunately, imposition of Safeguard Duty on Solar cells & modules imports from these two countries hasn’t been able to improve manufacturing industry situation in last 2years. Some of the more developed international markets have been quite cautious on price sensitivity Vs quality of modules, whereas Indian market is more price sensitive due to reverse auction tariff pressures for achieving cheapest electricity producing country. In my opinion, India has the potential to become the 2nd largest producer of solar modules considering pipeline towards the next decade of domestic consumption and exports to developing countries eg. Africa & MENA regions with higher acceptability of Indian produced goods.
What is your outlook for the Indian market by 2020? What have been some of your key learning from Indian projects so far? I am quite optimistic about the growth of Indian Solar Industry by 2020, country shall achieve a pipeline of 100GW and 50GW of installed capacity, yet there are show spoilers like safeguard duty, financial market liquidity crunch, cancellation of auction programmes, re-negotiation of PPA’s by some of the states. While there are large auctions being offered ranging from 1 to 3GW in recent times, which shall help in accelerating the growth, yet there are challenges eg. availability of solar parks has reduced which generally offer plug & play approach for large scale fast development, difficulty in Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) connectivity-based project not being able to find approvals on time.
What according to you is the biggest strength of your company in the solar industry and how do you plan to leverage this strength in the Indian Solar Sector.
In our experience, few of the factors makes Solar Assets exposed to risk, which varies
We always focus on people and quality standards, Solarpack team comprises of Best of
surcharges as part of monthly payments by utilities. These are the learning that shall help
the Industry professionals working with us, who possess vast experience in international
us in selecting our future participation for further investments.
from state to state or agency like payment security mechanism though L/C not being implemented even though the PPA obligation of purchaser mandates to establish L/C one month before project achieving COD, grid curtailment, non recognition of late payment
markets spread over Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Our team members are highly self-motivated professionals, keeps striving for excellence, getting versed with technological changes, exploring new markets, adapting to change in quality parameter/standards. With our experience in India so far, we have been building projects with third party EPC services, going forward, our developments will utilise more in-house capabilities of the global expertise that Solarpack group possess. Solarpack continues to be a preferred EPC service provider in Spain & other LATAM market and we would like to gain from the benefit of cross fertilisation of those strengths in India for our investments.
What has been your company’s role in enhancing technology knowledge sharing between India and Spain? Spain market has been more of consumers market for solar system related products, yet the experience in technical design & engineering of the overall solar farms adopted by Spain has been quite modest yet practical, that experience helps us improve the overall efficiency of the solar farms in India for maintaining higher uptime and achieve better LCOE.
We are very much a seamlessly connected effective workforce, which functions as a global unit and assists in all business functions for Indian activities on real time basis. While we have dedicated workforce for Indian business activities spread over New Delhi, Karnataka & Telangana, yet still our global experienced team participates quite actively in various areas of our Indian efforts to help us maintain global standards Solarpack intends to maintain. While people are any company’s biggest strength, process orientation plays a very big role in tapping the potential and conversion into results. We, Solarpack has clearly defined processes for channelizing the people energy/potential to achieve common corporate
In my opinion, the next set of growth shall be coming in utility scale market from Battery Storage, as the Lithium Ion battery cost is expected to reduce quite fast due to the scale of deployment similar to PV prices.
objectives.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 16
In Conversation
“AMP Energy India is the fastest growing integrated energy solution provider in India” Mr. Pinaki Bhattacharyya, CEO, AMP
Recently AMP celebrated its 10th Year Anniversary, How has the experience been till date? AMP Energy India is the Indian arm of the AMP Energy group that celebrated its 10th year anniversary. AMP Energy India is the fastest growing integrated energy solution provider in India and is focussed on delivering clean and green energy to C&I customers. Within a short span of 3 years, AMP has developed a portfolio of 450+ MW across 15 states and is providing bespoke solutions its 40+ customers under the open access and distribution generation mode. AMP Energy India is one of the few companies in India that provides sustainable energy solutions across different technologies such as solar, wind, hybrids, storage and energy management with guaranteed savings and lock in predictability in energy costs.
AMP Energy India has begun construction on UP’s 120MW open access solar project, It will be one of the largest open access solar energy projects in the state. What are your plans for the project? We are setting up one of the largest portfolios of projects across four districts in UP. With an approx. investment of Rs 5 billion, the project will bring with itself local development as well as lowering power costs for some major industries, which will make the state – a more attractive investment destination. Once completed, the project will have economic, social and environmental benefits- job creation for the local community; leased lands will provide long term income to farmers and reduction of CO2 emissions of approx. 41,40,000 MT which is equivalent to planting approx. 24 lakh trees over the complete lifecycle of the plant.
What do you believe is the strength of your organisation and how do you stand apart from your competitors? AMP Energy India’s core strength is its world class team with extensive and proven experience across the lifecycle of RE projects in India. In addition to this, AMP believes in the programmatic approach of building sustainable partnerships and engage with its
customers on a long-term basis through project types & geographies. This coupled with a strong support of institutional project level investors across US, Europe & Japan and a network of strong financial partners helps to reduce project turn-around time which is not the case with many developers in the country.
What challenges does the company face on the business front & how does it plan to counter threats? The challenges in the non-utility space include lack of scalability, policy uncertainty and lack of an established debt financing framework. However, we at AMP have designed our strategy to insulate our business from these issues. We concentrate on addressing the energy requirement needs of C&I consumers across policy stable geographies. In this manner, we have been able to build a balanced portfolio of projects with long term PPAs focussed on delivering affordable solar power to commercial & industrial customers with guaranteed savings on their energy costs. As a result, we have been able to create and build lasting relationships with lenders as well as investors which AMP Energy India is able to leverage to meet all our funding requirements.
What can be done to increase performance of the project while improving the life of the project? AMP Energy India is one of the few companies that focuses on system quality and plant efficiency at all stages of the project lifecycle (be it development, implementation or operation). We follow industry best practices to ensure high levels of system reliability and safety. We believe that this not only ensures robust plant performance it also extends project life. Towards this goal AMP has established an experienced technical team with an aggregate industry experience of more than ~90 years of executing RE projects and delivering more than 1000MW. Additionally, we utilise a state-of-the-art technology solution for centralised monitoring of our installations across India.
Solar Structures you can count on
Light Weight
500+ MW Experience
High Strength
Corrosion Free
2000 Tonnes/ month Production Capacity
PAN-India Delivery
ISO: 9001 | ISO: 14001 | OHSAS 18001
MIGHTY AVENGERS SOLAR PVT. LTD. Call: 0141-4600-500 | +91-989-928-4350 | info@mapl.xyz Address: G1/79, Road No. 14, Badarna EXT, VKI, Jaipur-302013 w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 17
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
The next in our SUPER series – SUPER HJT!
PV module market around the world have been cost driven and it is no wonder that the
Figure 2: Comparison of superior technologies existing in PV market
crystalline technology has been the chalk horse of the industry. Further, with the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from solar plants have started breaching grid parity, the focus now is to extract maximum kWh from the plant in order to ensure the investors have maximized returns. The technology upgradation in conjunction with module design upgradation has played a significant role in such shift. Utilization of bifacial module which are capable of generating power from both sides has been gaining traction, given the fact that enhanced energy output could be expected under right designing considerations. However, the currently available bifacial module utilizes PERC/PERT crystalline solar cells which have limited bifaciality coupled with other inherent issues like LID, PID, LeTID, etc. It was hence necessary to bank upon a pragmatic solution. Silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cell which has been introduced in the mid-19th century, utilizes both crystalline and thin film technology. The cell has a crystalline silicon (n-type) sandwiched between amorphous (thin film) layers of silicon on both the sides, giving the
Sr No.
Module properties
p-PERC
n-PERC
n-HJT
1
Bifaciality
70%
80%
>90%
2
Micro crack resistant
No
No
Yes
3
Initial power degradation
2%
2%
Nil
4
Long term power degradation rate
0.70%
0.70%
0.50%
5
LeTID
Yes
Yes
No
6
Low light performance
Good
Good
Better
N type HJT module outperform the best in class PV modules available in the market.
cell its bifacial nature. The mono crystalline technology in the cell has better absorption of light whereas the amorphous has superior passivation (which enables high electron collection) characteristics. The cells are thinner (~120 μm) compared to crystalline silicon
cell making it slightly flexible and further also making them highly resistant to microcracks. The n-type silicon present in HJT does not have Boron, which makes these cells LID free. Further the mitigation of electron from solar cell which are responsible for PID are also reduced to zero in HJT cells, thanks to the presence of highly conductive oxide
Figure 1: SUPER HJT module from Waaree energies (on left) and (on right) cross sectional view of a Heterojunction cell (Source: Meyer Burger)
layer (ITO) which protects the cell electrically. Additionally the cell has a lower temperature coefficient (almost half of the crystalline technology based cells). All the above factors when coupled together enables HJT based module to have lower degradation rates throughout its lifetime. Since these cells have high bifaciality, micro-crack resistance, no LID, PID & LeTID and lower temperature coefficient it is a perfect technology for Indian conditions. Waaree Energies recently in REI-2019 launched their SUPER HJT module which utilizes HJT solar cells. Available next year, this module have already started gaining popularity among the local and international markets. Further with the detailed scrutiny happening for each and every module we manufacture, the end customer can be rest assured that their plant would be up and running for 25+ years ensuring more than desired return. Let us all pledge to make solar energy the primary source of energy in the near future.
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MR. SUNIL RATHI Director- Sales & Marketing Waaree Energies ltd
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 18
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Renewable Energy : Communities And Cooperative In recent years, the number of community energy projects using solar PV and other renewable sources has increased steeply in various parts of the world. Although community energy frequently is associated with northern European countries such as Denmark and Germany, such projects are emerging in other parts of the world including Canada, Japan, Thailand and the United States.Historically, community energy has been more prevalent in rural areas, but the number of urban projects is increasing, driven in part by environmental awareness as well as by a desire for greater ownership of local energy infrastructure. In Europe, around 3,000 community energy projects have been registered as Renewable Energy Cooperatives (RESCOOPs). Approximately half of them are organised in REScoop. eu, investing EUR 2 billion (USD 2.3 billion) in renewable energy installations with a combined capacity of around 1,250 MW. Their annual turnover is EUR 750 million (USD 858 million), and the co-ops have created around 1,100 direct jobs. More than 100 community energy projects are active in Australia, and Japan was home to some 200 community energy projects as of 2016. In the United States, hundreds of communities spanning 43 states had successfully developed community solar and socalled shared solar projects by the end of 2018, totalling 1,387 MW of installed capacity. Community solar projects draw on individual contributions from hundreds or even thousands of households to finance solar power projects larger than households could
More than 100 community energy projects are active in Australia, and Japan was home to some 200 community energy projects as of 2016. In the United States, hundreds of communities spanning 43 states had successfully developed community solar and so-called shared solar projects by the end of 2018, totalling 1,387 MW of installed capacity.
finance on their own, and are often driven by national, state/provincial or local net metering policies.
Community
solar
projects
in hundreds of communities are now helping customers, local businesses as well as low-income residents save money. City
administrations
can
support
community energy projects in different ways, for example by allocating a certain quota for local ownership of new renewable energy projects. This approach is widespread in Denmark, where local residents as a collective have the preferential right to buy up to 20% of shares in wind farms before shares are sold to external investors.
In recent years, the number of community energy projects using solar PV and other renewable sources has increased steeply in various parts of the world. Although community energy frequently is associated with northern European countries such as Denmark and Germany, such projects are emerging in other parts of the world including Canada, Japan, Thailand and the United States.
RENEWABLES IN CITIES • 2019 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 19
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Global Renewable Overview
Progress in renewables remains concentrated in the power sector, while far less growth has
accounted for around half of total final energy demand, policy attention in this area is still
occurred in heating, cooling and transport.
lacking. In 2018, only 47 countries have targets for renewable heating and cooling, while
The year 2018 saw a relatively stable market for renewable energy technologies. A total of
the number of countries with regulatory policies in the sector fell from 21 to 20.
181 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power was added, a consistent pace compared to 2017,
Effective policies for the heating and cooling sector (such as building energy codes) exist
and the number of countries integrating high shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) keeps rising. Progress once again was concentrated in the power sector, as renewable energy became increasingly cost-competitive compared to conventional thermal generation. Renewables provided an estimated more than 26% of global electricity generation by year’s end. Uptake has been driven by targets and stable policies. As in previous years, renewables saw far less growth in the heating, cooling and transport sectors, with progress constrained by a lack of strong policy support and by slow developments in new technologies. Decarbonisation pathways and frameworks were developed further during 2018. At the sub-national level, a growing number of governments in many regions became leaders,
mainly at a local level, and subnational governments are beginning to acknowledge the urgency of increasing renewable energy shares in the sector. Sector integration is a key opportunity to boost renewables in buildings and industry. Policy approaches that integrate renewable energy and energy efficiency are needed both to curtail the growth in heat demand and to increase the uptake of modern renewable technologies.
Transport Renewable energy penetration in the transport sector remains low. Although biofuels dominate the renewables contribution, the market for EVs is growing significantly.
setting more ambitious targets than their national counterparts. Developing and emerging
The renewable energy share of transport increased slightly from the previous year to reach
economies continued to increase their deployment of renewables, and distributed
3.3%. The majority of this is provided by liquid biofuels; however, the sector is increasingly
renewable energy systems further helped to spread energy access to households in
open to electrification, presenting opportunities to further integrate renewable energy.
remote areas.
Despite increases in ethanol and biodiesel production in 2018, growth in the use of biofuels
The private sector is playing a key role in driving renewable energy deployment through
for transport remains constrained by policy uncertainties and by the slow progress in
its procurement and investment decisions. Corporate sourcing of renewables more than
developing renewable fuels for markets such as aviation. There were some positive signs
doubled during 2018, and renewable energy has spread in significant amounts around
during the year from rail, aviation and maritime transport, with new targets, partnerships
the world. While global investment in renewables decreased from the previous year,
and initiatives to support renewables and decarbonisation.
developing and emerging economies again provided over half of all investment in 2018. The renewable energy sector overall employed (directly and indirectly) around 11 million people worldwide in 2018. As of 2017, renewable energy accounted for an estimated 18.1% of total final energy consumption (TFEC). Modern renewables supplied 10.6% of TFEC, with an estimated 4.4% growth in demand compared to 2016. Opportunities continue to grow for increased use of renewable electricity in end-user sectors. Sector integration attracted the attention of
The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) on the world’s roads increased in 2018, driven largely by efforts to reduce air pollution. The global number of electric passenger cars increased 63% compared with 2017, and more cities are moving to electric bus fleets.
Power Renewable energy is expanding in the power sector, with 181 GW newly installed in 2018.
policy makers, and the markets for enabling technologies (such as battery storage, heat
However, the rate of new capacity additions levelled off, following years of growth.
pumps and electric vehicles) grew. However, meaningful action to directly support the
Global renewable power capacity grew to around 2,378 GW in 2018. For the fourth year
interconnection of power, heating and cooling, and transport is still lacking.
in a row, additions of renewable power generation capacity outpaced net installations of
Despite progress in renewables uptake, energy efficiency and energy access, the world is
fossil fuel and nuclear power combined. Around 100 GW of solar photovoltaics (PV) was
not on track to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement or of Sustainable Development
installed – accounting for 55% of renewable capacity additions – followed by wind power
Goal. Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions grew an estimated 1.7%
(28%) and hydropower (11%). Overall, renewable energy has grown to account for more
in 2018 due to increased fossil fuel consumption. Global subsidies for fossil fuel use
than 33% of the world’s total installed power generating capacity.
increased 11% from 2017, and fossil fuel companies continued to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbying to delay, control or block climate change policies and on advertisements to influence public opinion.
Heating And Cooling Uptake of renewables in heating and cooling remains slow due to a lack of policy support. Modern renewable energy met around 10% of worldwide heating and cooling demand in
Renewable energy has established itself on a global scale. In 2018, more than 90 countries had installed at least 1 GW of generating capacity, while at least 30 countries exceeded 10 GW of capacity. Wind power and solar PV further increased their shares in some locations, and a growing number of countries now have more than 20% variable renewables in their electricity mixes. RENEWABLES 2019 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
2016, but its growth in the sector continues to be minor. Even though heating and cooling
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 20
Perspective
Considering India’s geographical and climatic conditions vary greatly, How can the quality of the solar structures be maintained? “Mr. Amitabh Verma, President-Operations and Technology, Aditya Birla Renewables Limited
India’s competitive solar tariffs call for design optimization by
There are several assumptions in the FEM which need closer examination. For instance,
trading off cost, reliability and durability. Module mounting
because of poor alignment in field the purlins are found not to sit squarely on rafter.
structure is one of the important components of Balance of
Similarly, if there are four clamps holding the module all are not tightened to same
System (BoS). India is a vast country and has varied atmospheric
torque levels do not have the same overlap with the module frames and hence the joints
and soil conditions. In view of this single design of structure
assumed to be rigid in FEM are no longer valid. The wind pattern inside the solar field
for different geographies is neither cost-effective nor advisable. Hot dipped galvanized
is altered because of the array layout and minor details such as gap between Finished
steel having appropriate coating thickness, depending on the environment corrosivity of the region, as column post and pre-galvanized steel/Al-Zn coated steel sheets for Rafter and Purlins have de facto become industry standards. The forces acting on the Module Mounting Structure (MMS) are the module and structure dead load and wind load. There is no separate Indian design code for MMS. IS 875 Part III- 1987 revised in 2015 is used for estimating the wind load. The wind speed in India varies from 33-50 m/s depending on the plant location. The various loads are input to the stress analysis Finite Element Model (FEM) of a basic building block of a MMS. Assumptions are intrinsic to all finite element analysis. The loads and displacements at different locations of structure are valid so long as the assumptions hold. Based on the calculated values of stress and displacement, the safety of the designed structures is ascertained using IS 800-
Ground Level (FGL) and lowest point of module and gap between two modules have a bearing on the wind load which does not remain uniform as per the initial assumption. This may, therefore, call for coupled analysis involving Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Stress Analysis which need to be validated by the wind tunnel test. However, given the time constraints, expenses involved and the fact that it does not cause fatality such elaborate study and analyses are seldom done. The design does not take Gust into account but always considers average wind speed. A 3 sec gust may not impact a large structure or building as it will not be able to load all parts of building simultaneously but solar structures being small will be impacted by the short duration gust and are vulnerable to such loads. Also, we treat structures to be dynamically rigid which they are not and hence the resonance effects have to be considered. Solar structure is not considered to be a streamlined body and hence there is a pressure difference on the top and rear sides of
2007 code meant for Hot Rolled Steel Structures and 801-1975 for Cold Rolled Steel
modules which leads to vortex shedding. Vortex shedding is an oscillating flow and in case
Structures. MMS have been reported to fail in field despite being design code compliant.
its frequency matches with the natural frequency of the structure then resonance may lead
Failures are more prevalent in the recent structures ever since the tonnage per MW has
to dynamic excitation. It has been shown and also observed that interior rows of panels
been optimized. Interestingly, structural failures have occurred at wind speeds much
are more susceptible to damage than the perimeter rows of panels. Given these design
lower than what they were designed for.
nuances structures have been observed to fail at lower wind speed despite meeting the design codes.
Mr. Animesh P Manek, Director, Avishakti Solar Indian climate challenges solar power plant installers to design plants which can withstand the force of nature for decades. The module mounting structure of a solar power plant has to be designed keeping in mind the expected climate conditions and also the extreme weather conditions. For example, module mounting structure in places with very high temperatures has to be designed in such a way that the metal expansion caused by high temperature can be accommodated. Clearances must be given in the structure so that stresses such as bending stress, tensile stress etc can be relieved by itself. Corrosion is a common denominator in every climate and biggest enemy of module mounting structure. Using hot dipped galvanized structure with 80-120 micron galvanization is a proven way to ensure a corrosion free structure. The installer needs to ensure that galvanizing coating is intact during the transportation and erection of the structure. Visual inspection of the structure should be carried out post installation to ensure no tears in the coating. Zinc sprays can be used to cover small spots of coating tears. The nut bolts used in the structure should also be stainless steel to ensure maximum strength and corrosion resistance. SS316 grade nuts, washers and bolts offer corrosion resistance for years to come. Extreme weather conditions should always be taken into consideration while designing the solar power plants. For example, Rooftop solar power plants are installed on high rises and wind loads are considerably high at such altitudes. Rooftops have a lot of structures such as tanks, walls etc which obstruct wind. A rooftop solar power plant can create conditions which can obstruct the wind, trapping the air under the panels. If the module mounting structure is not designed to allow the trapped air to escape, an uplift can be created on the structure. Normal wind conditions don’t affect the structure but during extreme winds the uplift can be considerable enough to damage the structure. Designing proper counter weights, distributing load equally on all supports and leaving enough space to allow the winds to pass on are some of the factors that can be incorporated into the structure design.
Extreme weather conditions should always be taken into consideration while designing the solar power plants. For example, Rooftop solar power plants are installed on high rises and wind loads are considerably high at such altitudes. w w w w w w .. ss oo ll aa rr qq uu aa rr tt ee rr .. cc oo m m
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 21 21
Perspective
Do We Need Stricter Product Certification Guidelines & Quality Standards For TheSolar Sector? Mr. Mohammed Fayaz Salam, CEO & Director - Operations, Moopens Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd India is one of the largest markets for Solar Energy worldwide.
respected labs such as UL and TUV based on global solar and electrical standards (IEC), are
With cut throat price competition for tariff based and EPC
retested in India to almost similar standards for BIS. With limited number of approved test
projects, developers are often forced to aggressively seek out
labs, this contributes to waiting times and higher costs per model. For instance, a cutting
for the cheapest products in the market; thereby compromising quality which adversely affects investor’s return. Over the years, quality issues have been rampant, not just in Solar Panels and inverters, but also for DC Cables, Module Mounting Structures and other BoS. (Remember, safety and energy yield is as good as the weakest link). Therefore it is imperative for the government of India
edge, Innovative Solar Panel model newly launched across the globe, now takes 5 to 6 months to be commercially available in India, with added higher testing costs. Much more than government led compulsory testing and certifications, the need of the hour is to self-correct as an industry. We must educate the project investors, EPCs and end
(MNRE) to look at stricter product quality certification guidelines in the solar sector.
customers for the need for quality for solar components, thereby ensuring optimal Return
Government, with good intent, has taken a welcome proactive step towards bringing quality
on Investments for their projects. It is a matter of sustainability and long term survival for
into focus by insisting on compulsory BIS certification for Solar Modules starting from this
all the stakeholders. When all we ask for is “price”, “price”, and “price”, it is unrealistic to
year. However, Solar Modules and Inverters, which are already tested in internationally
expect the government to solve quality standards issues!
Mr. Mohamed Shaffeeq N, CEO, Illumine Energy Energy of the sustainable future – solar, has always been in the
Now the real question is “Do We Need Stricter Product Certification Guidelines And
news in India. We are looking forward to solar as future energy
Quality Standards For The Solar Sector?” I think for many reasons yes. This can encourage
and as a field that creates immense job opportunities. India has
domestic manufacturers to bring in quality solar equipment instead of resorting to
set an ambitious target of 100 GW of solar capacity across the
importing inferior quality Chinese solar equipment.
country by 2022.
The lack of regulations for product quality certification, intense competition, and absence
Going forward, the government has brought strict quality norms for solar equipment and
of requisite awareness have only emboldened the problem.
components, allowing its sale only if registered and approved by the Bureau of Indian
The increasingly fierce competition in the solar industry has resulted in low prices for PV
Standards (BIS).
installers. Installers are now offering extremely aggressive tariffs as low as ₹2.5-3.9)/kWh.
As per the norms, the equipment that does not carry the “Standard Mark” of BIS can
At these low rates, the use of poor quality materials has become widespread. This also
be destroyed. According to the renewable energy ministry’s Solar Photovoltaic, Systems,
needs to be tackled.
Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017,
The compromise in quality can be seen in installations across the country. For example,
“No person shall by himself or through any person on his behalf manufacture or store for
the cables used in rooftop solar systems can often be found to be thin in diameter and of
sale, import, sell or distribute goods which do not conform to the Specified Standard and
poor quality.
do not bear the Standard Mark as notified by the Bureau for such goods from time-to-
Earlier, the domestic manufacturers used to complain about how they are being priced out
time after obtaining registration from the Bureau,” the order said.
by cheap Chinese imports and have also sought anti-dumping duties to Chinese imports.
The order excludes the export goods manufactured from India.
We should encourage foreign firms to set up their factories in India, in order to strengthen
Authorities can seek information, inspect the work premises of the manufacturer or seller,
our economy and to become one of the biggest markets for solar equipment.
confiscate goods, collect samples from the factory to ensure that the equipment is being
BIS certification process has to be made easier, so that international Tier-1 products can
tested in a laboratory established or recognized by BIS.
easily pitch in to the market and sell their products. Government should also make sure
“No manufacturer shall refuse to give any information lawfully demanded from him...
that it is not a mere money making activity. Government should be keen in implementation
or conceal, destroy, mutilate or deface any book or document relating thereto in his
too by setting international standard laboratories and make sure process of testing and
possession or control,” it said.
labeling to be inline with international standards.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter• •September September2019 2019 22 22
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Policy landscape for renewables globally Policy frameworks are still far from the ambition level required to reach international goals.
Despite the shift to auctions in many countries, feed-in tariff (FIT) policies, in place in
Targets are increasingly ambitious for power, but those for heating, cooling and transport
111 jurisdictions at the national, state or provincial levels by the end of 2018, continue
lag behind.
to play an important role. Many FITs have been revised in recent years to keep pace with
Renewable energy support policies and targets were present in nearly all countries
changing market conditions, particularly for large-scale installations, which have seen rate
worldwide by the end of 2018 and are found at all levels of government. Policy makers have
reductions or the elimination of FIT support in favour of auctions. Other policies, including
the opportunity to design an effective mix of support policies tailored to their respective
renewable portfolio standards, net metering and fiscal incentives, also remain key for
jurisdictions. As the costs for renewable technologies fall, these measures continue to
promoting renewable energy development and deployment.
evolve and adapt. The diverse benefits of renewable energy – such as improved public health through reduced pollution, increased reliability and resilience, and job creation –
Policies to integrate variable renewable energy
are driving policy action around the world. However, renewable energy policy frameworks
Policy makers are expanding support to further integrate VRE, while encouraging sector
vary greatly in scope and comprehensiveness, and most remain far from the ambition level
integration and deployment of enabling technologies.
required to reach international climate goals.
Policy makers also have focused on the development and deployment of enabling
By 2018, renewable energy targets had been adopted in 169 countries at the national
technologies to facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy. Policies to integrate
or state/provincial level. New and revised targets have become increasingly ambitious,
VRE can address both supply and demand to increase the flexibility of the overall system.
particularly in the power sector, but far fewer countries had renewable energy targets
This can focus on sector integration, the deployment of technologies offering ancillary grid
specifically for the heating, cooling and transport sectors, and targets for economy-wide
services, or new and emerging technologies such as battery storage. An emerging trend
energy transformation remain rare. Sub-national governments are often the first movers
is policies encouraging the joint installation of renewables and energy storage systems.
in establishing innovative and ambitious mechanisms, including 100% renewable energy or power targets.
Heating and Cooling Policy coverage for renewables and energy efficiency in buildings and industry is far from global. The number of countries with heating and cooling mandates fell in 2018.
Climate policy and renewables Carbon pricing policies can stimulate interest in renewables to meet climate goals. Although such policies are expanding, they currently cover just 13% of global emissions. Renewable energy technologies have received both direct and indirect support through policies targeting climate change mitigation and adaptation. Carbon taxes and emissions
Policies supporting renewable energy uptake for heating and cooling in buildings and
trading systems are among the policy mechanisms that can stimulate interest in renewables
industry have advanced slowly, and the number of countries, states and provinces with
to meet climate goals. At least 54 carbon pricing initiatives had been implemented by the end
renewable heating and cooling regulatory policies fell to just 20 in 2018. Building energy
of 2018 (up from 46 in 2017), including 27 emissions trading systems and 27 carbon taxes.
codes are a primary mechanism for promoting renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. However, less than a third of all countries worldwide had mandatory building energy codes in place for all or part of the sector, while 60% of the total energy used in
RENEWABLES 2019 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
buildings in 2018 occurred in jurisdictions that lacked energy efficiency policies. Europe has been one of the most fervent supporters of renewable heat technologies. In 2018, the European Union (EU) established its first binding renewable heating and cooling target to be implemented at the national level, while simultaneously working towards the region-wide goal of a decarbonised buildings sector by 2050. Cities and local governments are at the forefront of policy trends for energy use in buildings, and many of the world’s largest municipalities pledged in 2018 to reach net-zero carbon operating emissions in their buildings sector by 2050.
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In contrast, renewable energy support policies focused on the industrial sector are more limited, and new or revised policies for the promotion of renewable energy in industry were scarce in 2018. Standards and targets for energy efficiency of industrial processes covered only 25% of total industrial energy use in 2016.
Transport Biofuels are a central component of policy frameworks, although no new countries added mandates in 2018. Direct policy support linking EVs to renewables remains limited. Policies for renewable energy in the transport sector still focus largely on road transport;
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renewable transport policy frameworks, with blending mandates existing in 70 countries at the national or state/provincial level by the end of 2018. No new countries introduced blending mandates during the year, but some countries that had mandates in place added new ones, and several existing mandates were strengthened. Conversely, fuel economy policies for light-duty vehicles existed in only 40 countries by year’s end and have been largely offset by trends towards larger vehicles. EVs are becoming an important component of the road transport mix, but direct policy support linking their
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This hot spot within one solar cell indicates physical damage within the cell.
Power The use of auctions is spreading to an increasing number of countries, but FIT policies and other incentives are still important for advancing renewable power. The power sector again received most of the renewable energy focused policy attention in 2018. Policy makers continued to turn to competitive auctions in lieu of traditional fixed-price policies, and auctions were held in at least 48 countries (up from 29 the year
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before), including many in Africa. At least one of the auctions in 2018 was technology-
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08/08/18 5:51 PM
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 23
Technology News
T
N
he Ballooning Potential Of Curved Solar Cells.
ew Efficiency Record For Flexible Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS).
Solar cells based on copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) have attracted plenty of attention in
A research team from the universities of Houston and Colorado Boulder has used a balloon
recent years thanks to their reliance on cheap, abundant, non-toxic materials and potential
as an electronics-printing stamp to develop a manufacturing process that could be used
for low cost production.
to make curved electronics.
Now, a group of scientists at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
The method, dubbed conformal additive stamp printing (CAS), can deliver curved lenses
(DGIST) in South Korea have achieved 11.4% efficiency with a flexible CZTS cell measuring
with embedded electronics or curved solar cells, the scientists said in their paper Three-
0.5cm². Though that fell to just over 8% efficiency when the cell was scaled up to 2cm², the researchers noted their cell design offered improvements in uniformity and provided possibilities to further enlarge the cell size. The group worked with a novel seven-layer thin film structure which they found offered superior performance to a more standard, three-layer film in terms of efficiency and large area uniformity. “Our research achievement has presented ways to secure the uniformity of large-area process, which can cause issues in commercialization,” said the paper’s lead author KeeJeong Yang. “We will be able to advance the commercialization of next-generation solar cell which is applicable in various fields, such as building outer walls.” DGIST’s results represent world record efficiencies for CZTS cells based on a flexible substrate, both at 0.5cm² and 2cm² cell size. The cells were fabricated using a sputtering
dimensional curvy electronics created using conformal additive stamp printing, published in Nature. The process involves using an elastomeric latex balloon coated with commercially available urethane rubber, as a printing tool. The device is stamped on a prefabricated electronic device to collect the electronics and can then print them onto curved surfaces. The process enables the production of curved electronic devices including hemispherical solar cells, the scientists claimed, as well as silicon pellets, photodetector arrays, small antennae and smart contact lenses.
Curvy cells The authors of the paper say they created a hemispherical solar cell that can gather more
process to apply the cell layers to a molybdenum foil substrate.
light than a flat equivalent.
The efficiency record for a (non flexible) CZTS cell was set at 12.6% in 2013 by Japanese
It is unclear whether the method could be applied to produce flexible PV devices or
thin film specialist Solar Frontier. A group at the University of New South Wales has also
building-integrated PV (BIPV) modules but efficiency gains are being recorded in both
made significant achievements with the technology. DGIST’s work with flexible substrates,
branches of the solar industry. Thinner silicon wafers, produced with diamond wire sawing
however, could open up new use cases in lightweight and building-integrated PV
and new flexible encapsulants, for example, are enabling the production of silicon PV
applications if the efficiency can be scaled up further.
modules in curved variations to more effectively meet BIPV project requirements.
L
T
ive Fast, Die Young: MIT Study Proposes Use Of 10-Year Panels.
uning Titanium In Perovskite Cells.
Research has found even short-lived, 10 to 15-year solar panels could provide enough
A paper by scientists at Russia’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS)
return for bankable projects. The researchers believe panel costs, coupled with an industry
and Rome’s Tor Vergata University has outlined how MXene, a two-dimensional titanium
mindset now fixed on the final solar energy price rather than costs per kilowatt installed,
carbide, can provide a performance boost of as much as 25% in perovskite solar cells.
may open opportunities for PV products currently snubbed because of a short lifecycle.
The scientists said the MXene reduces losses as electrons move between the absorber
The key change which may open the door for shorter-lived panels is the reduction in
and electrode layers in a cell. “We discover that MXenes, owing to their unique two-
panel prices which has ensured balance of system costs now make up most of the expense
dimensional structure, can be used to tune surface properties of perovskite, permitting a
of solar projects. “That means that, as long as newer solar panels are electrically and
new optimization strategy for this III-generation solar cell,” said Aldo di Carlo, professor of
physically compatible with the racking and electrical systems it can make economic sense
optoelectronics and nanoelectronics at the University of Rome.
to replace the panels with newer, better ones as they become available, while reusing the
The experiments, described in the paper Titanium-carbide MXenes for work function and
rest of the system,” stated the study.
interface engineering in perovskite solar cells, published in Nature Materials, tested several
In the paper Accelerating Photovoltaic Market Entry with Module Replacement, published
different device structures incorporating MXenes in different parts of the cell. When the
in Joule, the researchers presented a module replacement strategy enabling project
devices were measured against reference cells without MXene the group found the most
owners to achieve a profitable levelized cost of energy (LCOE) with PV modules with an
efficient configuration had the materials integrated into all layers and at the interface
expected life cycle of less than 15 years.
between them.
According to the study, panel replacement could help shorter-lived PV technologies currently excluded from the market enter the mainstream as long as they will last at
Efficiency gain
least ten years, have a conversion efficiency above 20% and cost no more than $0.30/W.
“To enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells we need to optimize the device structure
“Emerging PV technologies with [a less-than] 15-year initial life can reach a competitive
and master interface and bulk properties of each single layer to improve the process of charge
LCOE,” stated the report.
extraction to the electrodes,” said NUST MISIS researcher Danila Saranin. “Together with our
The researchers analyzed a 100 MW solar park built with a tracker system, a 200 kW
Italian colleagues we performed a series of experiments by incorporating a microscopic
commercial rooftop system and a 6 kW residential array. For the analysis they relied on
amount of MXenes in the perovskite solar cell. As a result, we achieved an increase of the
benchmark parameters from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy
efficiency for devices by more than 25% compared to the original prototypes.”
Laboratory; assumptions about the future development of PV technology, financing and
The researchers say they will now work on stabilizing the MXene perovskite devices and
module recycling; and four independent tools for calculating LCOE.
further increasing performance. They are confident the devices can be scaled up for
“In all three installation types they found – depending on the particulars of local conditions –
commercial application. “The main result of this work is identification of changes in the
replacement with new modules after 10 to 15 years could in many cases provide economic
electrical properties of semiconductors caused by [the] introduction of MXenes,” said Anna
advantages while maintaining the many environmental and emissions-reduction benefits
Pazniak, a NUST MISIS scientist who worked on the paper. “Hence, this new nanomaterial
of solar power,” the research team said.
possesses great potential for … use in large scale production.”
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter• •September September2019 2019 24 24
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Waste to energy - Limited scope
Waste to energy, or WTE, is an option of energy recovery from waste that cannot be recycled or composted — simply put, it means the generation of energy from high-calorific value rejects. Energy can be harnessed from municipal solid waste (MSW) either by directly incinerating it (thermal) or by converting it into a fuel (thermo-chemical/biochemical). In several scenarios, given that most WTE plants worldwide run on incineration-based technology, the terms ‘incineration’ and ‘WTE’ are used interchangeably. WTE emerged as a topic of discussion in India way back in the 1980s, at a time when municipal authorities had started grappling with the problem of disposal of the gargantuan mounds of solid waste in cities: as cities continued expanding, huge dump sites or landfills began making their appearance. Burning this waste seemed the most appropriate way of getting rid of it. The first WTE plant came up in Timarpur in Delhi in 1987. It was designed to incinerate 300 tonne per day (TPD) of waste and produce 3.75 megawatt (MW) of electricity. The plant failed and was shut down. The commonly cited reason for the failure was a mismatch between the plant’s waste input requirements and the quality of waste it received in terms of calorific value, moisture content and physical composition. In 1995, a High Powered Committee Report of the Planning Commission stated that Indian waste has a low calorific value, is usually not suitable for self-sustained combustion, and hence, incineration-based technologies in most cases might be uneconomical for the country. In June 2013, the Planning Commission appointed a task force to assess the feasibility of WTE technologies. The report of the task force, submitted in May 2014, recommended stand-alone WTE facilities for large cities with populations above two million, and pooled or regional facilities for smaller cities it estimated that India could support 88 WTE facilities in the next five to seven years, 215 by 2031, and 556 by 2050.3 In October 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide campaign to clean India — the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). One of the components of this Mission was to improve solid waste management WTE as a source of renewable energy WTE, as indicated by evidence from across the world, has been a popular choice of waste disposal in industrialised countries for the last 50 years. It is also considered a renewable source of energy. However, when a comparison between renewable and non-renewable sources of power generation based on various parameters is drawn, it is clear that the energy produced by WTE is minuscule in comparison to other sources, and much more cost-intensive. In fact, the cost of power generation from WTE is the highest among all renewable sources of electricity. Also, each WTE plant uses around 25-30 percent of the power generated by it as auxiliary power in-house to run its own machines. Most of India’s WTE plants burn mixed waste, and need auxiliary fuel for their operations. This is one of the reasons behind the expensive power they produce. A unit of electricity produced in thermal or coal plants costs Rs 3-4, while that produced in thermalbased WTE plants costs about Rs 7. Also, India will have surplus energy by 2019, and the little contribution from WTE will not add value — WTE, thus, can be considered as a technology for waste management, not for generating energy. THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 25
Perspective
SOLAR + STORAGE: What Are The Key Emerging Business Trends In India? Mr. K.R. Harinarayan, Founder and CEO, U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Solar is definitely a great solution as there are innovative ways
batteries is taking form. Li-ion batteries are starting to come into the market in a modest
to transfer the energy from peak-hours to non-peak hours
scale and in a couple of years there will become more main-stream. It is expected that
using this technology. The only disadvantage of solar is that it
Li-ion batteries will slowly replace the use of Lead-Acid batteries as a result of is superior
is a fluctuating source of energy, due to various deterrents. As
technology and longer lifetime, although they are more expensive. We also observed
batteries are becoming cheaper it plays a more holistic role with
that under the present market conditions solar + storage solutions can be an effective
respect to energy security and power quality assurance when integrated with solar. The
substitute for the use of a diesel generator, in off-grid location.
trend in solar + storage adoption is increasing as a result of technology advancement and
U-Solar is implementing quite a few projects for such facilities, where they see the benefit
steady decrease in battery costs. Additionally solar + storage solutions overcome the grid-
is translated directly as they reduce their fuel costs. The implementation of these projects
penetration issues in transmission corridors by creating distributed energy sources and by
(solar + storage with diesel generators as back-up only) in offices, small factories and
matching energy generation requirement.
warehousing facilities has given us an insight into the operation of such power plants. The
The general trend in battery technologies is also changing as solar + storage solutions popularity increase. The transition from the Lead-Acid battery technology to Li-ion
owners of these facilities note that this transition makes business sense as the technology is reliable, easy-to-use and cost-effective.
Mr. James V Abraham, Founder and Director, SolarArise Today, solar power generation is limited to daytime, when the
All this is changing. Prices are dropping, efficiency is improving, and so is lifespan. At a
sun shines. And even during the day, the power is at the mercy
total installed cost of US$150 per kWh, the industry could deliver tariffs that would rival
of the season, cloud cover, pollution and a host of environmental
most large installed conventional plants. That target is just a few years away.
factors. Batteries can change all that.
Along with batteries, we also need new deep data analytics. It’s not enough to simply
With batteries, small, unpredictable fluctuations can be smoothed
deploy batteries in a plant. Analytics will help determine when to store, when to dispatch,
out. Batteries can also ‘time-shift’ power, storing it during the day and delivering it at night, eliminating the need for conventional power plants. But batteries are still too expensive. The installation cost itself is high, efficiency is low, and they last half-as-long as a solar power plant.
and when to let the batteries drain. Analytics will also show that some batteries are best at the plant, some in the grid, and some at the consumer site. This is an opportunity for new new technologies in data science and control systems. There is much work to be done, but we finally stand at the brink of being able to shutdown every polluting coal plant.
Mr. Alnishan Shahul, CEO, Almiya Engineering Consultant Pvt Ltd Solar, an immense form of energy, is nowadays a great market in
solar systems will emerge with maximum utilisation of solar power, with the storage cost
a country like India ,which is the world’s third largest consumer of
being reduced .Standalone systems will be more efficient with the decrease in cost of
crude oil..Entry of Electric Vehicles make Energy storage Booming.
solar storage devices.Less maintenance and large lifespan makes it more acceptable with
Earlier off grid systems ,which allows customers to store a part of
middle class sector as well.
energy was declining due to worst ROI and battery Lifespan. Now
Lookout for new Tesla batteries (power wall), FIMER hybrid inverter with inbuilt battery,
a days Lithium Ion batteries with greater Life span are introduced ,Lithium iron phosphate batteries are now trending due to its larger life span in the coming days, more hybrid
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those can power domestic homes with ease plug and play protocol.
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter• •September September2019 2019 26 26
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Drivers For Renewables In Cities Environmental Drivers
Energy Security And Governance
In their efforts to advance renewable energy, cities are driven by a wide range of objectives,
Cities have advanced the local production and use of renewable energy to address
including environmental (such as reducing air pollution and carbon emissions), socio-
energy security challenges and to improve urban governance. The lack of energy security,
economic (such as reducing energy costs, providing energy access and creating local jobs)
referring to the absence of reliable access to affordable energy resources, can take a
and energy security and governance goals. Renewables have the potential to achieve all
number of forms and results from wide-ranging factors including geopolitical instability,
of these objectives, and most cities pursue renewable energy for more than one of these
climate change impacts, fuel shortages and price fluctuations. Many cities see a transition
reasons.
to renewables as a way to insulate their residents and economies from the risks associated
Cities are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Sea-level rise and the increased frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms can affect city infrastructure, livelihoods and health.The more than 1 billion people worldwide who live in urban slums and informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts, as they often live close to waterfronts and along river banks.In 2017, 70% of the 96 cities that belonged to the C40 network (which represents a total of 700 million people worldwide) reported that they had experienced negative effects linked to climate change. At the same time, cities are significant contributors to climate change, accounting for twothirds of total energy demand and for around 75% of global CO2 emissions. Globally, the electricity and heating sectors (combined) and the transport sector account for a majority of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion – contributing 42% and 24%, respectively – or 66% together – in 2016. A large share of these emissions occur in cities: in 2018, onefifth of global CO2 emissions came from only 100 cities, including Guangzhou (China), London (United Kingdom), New Delhi (India) and Seoul (Republic of Korea). Thus, cities must play a key role in reducing emissions, including by integrating renewable energy in their decarbonisation strategies.
with dependence on imported fossil fuels. For example, energy security was a key factor behind the Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr’s decision to adopt a target for 100% renewable energy by 2050. Cities also are advancing renewables in an effort to improve the governance of their energy systems. In Germany, Japan and the United States, the desire for more direct citizen or municipal ownership of key energy infrastructure is playing an increasing role in city action. A growing number of municipalities in these countries have taken ownership of infrastructure such as district heating systems, local power grids and generation assets – often as part of efforts to increase the share of renewables in the mix – and this trend is expanding elsewhere. For example, the municipal government of Hamburg (Germany) used the results of a 2013 local referendum to purchase the city’s electricity and gas distribution grids in 2014, and the city’s district heating system in 2018. At the same time, cities are using renewable energy to provide civil society with the opportunity to participate in municipal initiatives, particularly in light of growing public demand for more ambitious climate action. The participation of local residents, organisations and others in renewable energy can take a variety of forms, including supporting the development of community energy projects. For example, as part of its
In addition, worldwide increases in road transport, industrial activity and power generation,
plan to generate 20% of electricity demand locally by 2050, Paris (France) is making public
as well as the open burning of waste in many cities contribute to elevated levels of
spaces and rooftops available to a local co-operative for the installation of solar PV plants,
urban air pollution. In many developing countries, the use of charcoal and fuelwood for
which also allows residents to invest in the co-op.
heating and cooking in urban areas also contributes to poor indoor air quality. In 2016, an estimated 91% of the global urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter
RENEWABLES IN CITIES • 2019 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
(PM 2.5) levels exceeding World Health Organization guidelines, and more than half of the urban population was exposed to air pollution levels at least 2.5 times above the safety standard. High levels of ambient air pollution contributed to the deaths of some 4.2 million people worldwide in 2016. Reducing CO2 and other harmful emissions and addressing public health concerns is a priority for local governments, and the deployment of renewables has become integral to
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city efforts in this context. Beijing (China) has been replacing coal-fired power generation with renewable energy since 2013, and in 2018, in a push to improve urban air quality, the city announced a target to achieve an 8% renewable energy share in its total final energy consumption by 2020. Overall, the deployment of renewable energy in Chinese cities, along with energy efficiency measures, contributed to an estimated 12% reduction in average PM 2.5 concentrations in surveyed cities between 2017 and 2018.
Socio-Economic Drivers Cities are attracted to renewable energy solutions because of the many socio-economic
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benefits renewables offer. These include the potential to create new local industries and businesses as well as associated jobs. In developing and emerging economies in particular, cities are deploying renewables as a means to meet rising energy demand and to provide energy access to populations that previously were without electricity and/or lacked clean energy for cooking. Significant reductions in renewable energy costs in recent years (particularly for wind power and solar PV, where module prices have fallen 80% since 2009) have only increased interest in renewables, providing cities with opportunities to reduce and more easily control municipal energy expenses. In light of drastic cost reductions in renewables, municipal governments have been replacing imported fuels with local renewable energy as an opportunity to retain and attract local industries and businesses, thereby keeping revenue local and spurring urban development. Worldwide, the number of jobs in renewable energy – for example, in research and development, project development, engineering, installation, and operation and maintenance – is increasing (to a total of 10.3 million in 2017). In cities, the creation of employment opportunities is an important driver of policy implementation for renewables. Increasingly, cities in the developing world are adopting renewable energy policies and targets to advance energy access, particularly in suburban and peri-urban areas as well as in urban slums and informal settlements. Overall, energy access in cities is expanding, despite rapidly rising energy demand. Also many cities have embraced distributed
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renewable energy systems as cost-effective options for providing access to modern energy services – including for electricity, space and water heating, and cooking fuel.
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Solar Solar Quarter Quarter •• September September 2019 2019 27
Perspective
What Are The Latest Innovation Trends In Solar Sector In India? Mr. Vamsi Gaddam, Joint Managing Director, Visaka Industries “In the last decade, Solar Energy in India has come a long way from
facility so that clean electricity is available for use, especially in remote areas of the country
a few MW installations to a GW scale. Latest trends in the Indian
that have a dearth of electricity.”
solar sector are moving towards manufacturing high efficiency Solar PV modules using Mono PERC cells with efficiencies as high as 21 to 23%. This improves the module efficiencies to 18 to 19% from the present 16 to 17%. The Indian government had announced Solar Policy to generate 100GW of Solar power by the year 2022, out of which 40GW is to come from Rooftop Solar. Though groundmounted systems have contributed significantly over 35GW till now, rooftop solar is yet to pick up pace and reach the GW scale. Reasons for the slower growth in rooftop solar can be attributed to rooftop space being wasted by conventional solar installations on residential and commercial rooftops. To fill this gap, innovative products have come up in the market which do not waste rooftop space and instead create more space for the residents with a leak proof solar roof. With solar energy being available only during the day without a stable supply of energy, latest innovations are looking to bridge this issue. Technologies are evolving to store solar energy on a MW scale in Lithium Ion Battery banks, and innovations are centred around
With solar energy being available only during the day without a stable supply of energy, latest innovations are looking to bridge this issue. Technologies are evolving to store solar energy on a MW scale in Lithium Ion Battery banks, and innovations are centered around stabilizing the electric grid, supplying the stored power during peak demand from 7pm to 11pm.
stabilizing the electric grid, supplying the stored power during peak demand from 7pm to 11pm. Going forward, India will be looking at Solar Micro grids with a battery banking
Mr. Thejas Babu, Director, Thapas Energy In 2019, solar power is in a constant state of innovation. In the
modules are much discussed as there were many catastrophic events lately due to the
past year alone, there have been milestones in solar efficiency,
poor design or products used in this sector. Nowadays you can find many companies
solar energy storage, solar design tech etc. Indian Solar industry
offering highly designed mounting solutions for various solar applications.
is drastically changing. Most welcoming of them is the latest
Solar Business is changing as the ROI has become interesting over the years and has
strive to move from the lowest to quality.
overtaken many traditional business models. One of the reasons for this achievement is
In a tropical country like India, Solar energy is available in abundance. Hence, it is in the
the international technological boost along with more indigenous manufacturing facilities
goodwill of all of us that we strive to efficiently utilize this precious natural resource. I believe
under the make in India campaign.
that Make in India campaign will trigger investments for indigenous solar manufacturing plants & thus contribute to the development of products that are more suitable for the country’s conditions and at a reasonable price. Latest technological breakthroughs in photovoltaic cell technologies are more than overwhelming as they were almost untouched for more than a decade. New-generation Photovoltaic module technologies will offer increased performance and unit-cost reductions. It is expected that 41% of global module manufacturing capacity will be MONOPERC production this year. This year will also be the first where we will see substantial installations of bifacial modules. Solar inverters become more intelligent than ever before and this allows expanding the application of solar in to vast different areas. Solar mounting solutions has gained such importance over the years that anchoring of
It is expected that 41% of global module manufacturing capacity will be MONOPERC production this year. This year will also be the first where we will see substantial installations of bifacial modules.
Mr. Brijesh Prajapati Managing Director, Sofarsolar
The Indian solar energy sector has been growing rapidly in the
It also takes the driving forces, challenges, prominent trends, opportunities, and various
past few years, primarily due to Government’s intervention. Indian
other factors that influence the growth of this market in consideration to discover the
Government is adopting productive steps towards implementing
market’s scope in the years to come.
large-scale solar power projects and is determined to position
SOFARSOLAR is currently focused on increasing its core technology R & D investment in
itself as one of the world’s leading solar producers. Through
Grid connected inverters, Energy storage inverters and it’s charging pile. With this in mind,
various initiatives such as incentive schemes, tax exemptions and subsidies, the government
they aim to improve the competitive advantages of their core product range and provide
is trying to create demand and boost investments in the sector. The Government’s focus
further valuable service to their customer base.
on achieving ‘Power for all’ has fast-tracked capacity addition in the country. Solar power systems are currently available in various forms such as off-grid solar power system, grid intertied solar power system with battery backup, and grid intertied solar power system without battery backup. According to their requirements, consumers can easily choose from these varieties and install the system in their houses or office buildings. On a geographical front, Telangana represents the leading market for solar power inverters, followed by Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka. According to a new study, the market for Solar Hybrid Inverter is witnessing a noticeable surge across the world. The research report, titled “Global Solar Hybrid Inverter Market 2019 Industry Research Report,” explores the past and current appearance of this market
SOFARSOLAR is currently focused on increasing its core technology R & D investment in Grid connected inverters, Energy storage inverters and it’s charging pile.
in a bid to earn a clear insight into its future potentials.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter• •September September2019 2019 28 28
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Innovation And Technologies in Renewables India is emerging as a world leader in installing solar power. But the growth has little to show in terms of manufacturing expertise, development of new technology or innovative ideas. If India is to benefit from the global demand for solar installation, it needs to offer state-of-the-art solutions.
Look beyond land and roof Utility-scale solar power is land-intensive, while rooftop plants use up valuable space in cities. It is time, therefore, to look beyond the conventional. Floating solar power plants are already a reality in India. Some countries like France, the Netherlands and China have experimented with solar roads or highways. The US is testing a new solar technology for pavements. All this may revolutionise the way we build and design our roads, which can now have lots of functionalities — for instance signages, emergency warning systems, and charging stations to plug in electric cars, which are poised to be the future of transportation. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is an innovation in solar cell development. Companies are experimenting with products like solar-skin that enhances or personalize the look of buildings and roofs without interfering in the efficiency of the solar panels. Another innovative product is the frameless panel with strong adhesives at back that can be installed on roofs in a few hours with minimal effort. Space solar, another out-of-the-box idea, has the potential to replace all other sources of power. Japan is developing a system for capturing solar energy from space in the form of laser beams or microwaves. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is also researching a similar system, and hopes to have a prototype ready by 2025.
Look beyond silicon India has been largely dependent on imported silicon-based solar PV components.
Apart from solar cells, storage solutions are also receiving a lot of attention. High capacity, long lasting and cost-effective batteries will play a big role in the future of renewable energy. In early 2018, the MIT discovered a low-cost, effective way of reviving an old battery through a steel mesh technique to make it more durable. The USbased company NantEnergy has developed a rechargeable battery operating on zinc and air that can store power at a lower cost compared to lithium-ion batteries.
Currently, crystalline silicon technology is the backbone of the solar industry. But it has a fundamental limitation: it has an efficiency of only 32 per cent. Therefore, researchers are working on next generation solar cells that would be more efficient. Examples include gallium arsenide-based solar PV developed at London’s Imperial College, which will be
THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT
nearly three times more efficient than existing products. The US-based Massachusetts
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generation disruptive technology: they are cheap and simple to manufacture. Lightsensitive nanoparticles called colloidal quantum dots and polymer-based thin films are being developed as solar paints. These technologies have the potential to change the market.
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Apart from solar cells, storage solutions are also receiving a lot of attention. High capacity, energy. In early 2018, the MIT discovered a low-cost, effective way of reviving an old battery through a steel mesh technique to make it more durable. The US-based company
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An R&D challenge for India India seems to be almost absent in this innovation race. Even India’s ‘Mission Innovation’ in clean energy does not capture solar PV adequately. The reasons behind this dearth in R&D could be summarised under three heads — budget crunch, lack of vision and lack of research partnerships. The MNRE’s budget for R&D in solar averaged less than Rs 70 crore (about US $10 million) per annum for the period 2012-16.1 A company like First Solar invested more — about US $130 million per year — in the same period.2 The US spent $1.5 billion on solar dominated renewable energy R&D projects in 2015-16. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the US budgeted $134 million for FY18 — this covered research on renewable generation and manufacturing technologies. Unlike China, which has clear Solar Innovation Goals in its Five-Year Plans, India lacks strategic planning. The Clean Energy Research Initiative set up by the government is supporting solar-oriented fundamental research on an ad hoc basis. Other research institutions are not keeping up with global developments — in fact, very few of them (such as the Indian Space Research Organisation and a few IITs) are driving innovation in solar. India requires more collaborations with global leaders of technologies: there is a huge
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Perspective
Is Open-Access Key To Success Of Solar Sector Growth? Mr. Hardik Patil, Engineer-Technology, Hinduja Renewables Open Access for Solar sector has definitely been beneficial for the consumers as it allows them access to cheaper and clean solar energy to run their daily operations. The addition of Renewables under open access to fulfil RPOs turned out to be a big boon for the renewable industry as it allowed the RE power developers to work directly with the consumer. The consumers were also benefited significantly as they had access to cheaper renewable power and the ability to fulfil their RPOs and obtain associated benefits. This allowed for new players to enter the market and provided great growth in the solar industry. However, consumers shifting from State Discoms to RE power developers due to tariff economics was a direct loss to Discoms as they started losing commercial and industrial consumers. Without storage RE is not a firm power and it has all the uncertainties connected to the solar energy reaching earth. This has led to uncertainty for Discoms in maintaining the grid. To allow for stability in the grid, Discoms have now started introducing Forecasting and Scheduling Regulations so as to gauge the RE generation.
Also, some Discoms have restricted the open access transactions on export of power when there is a shortage and import of power in case of oversupply. Open Access in some states has simply become uneconomical due to high regulatory charges and in some states, it is a challenge because of surplus capacity in that state. Despite this, open access will continue to be lucrative for customers in certain states, and in other states open access (group captive) model will pave the way for consumers who will reap the benefit of cheaper solar power. Consumer having high power consumption but not enough roof or ground space to build captive solar plants within their facilities will always require power from grid to meet their demand. Number of such consumers are very high. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the global climate summit exhorted the world to bring about behavioral change and pledged to double India’s RE target from existing 175 gigawatts (GW) to 450 GW. In order to achieve this target India will need to build many solar plants under open access model and will eventually turn out to be the key to success of solar sector growth.
Mr. Arun Rao, Executive Director, Magenta Power In a nutshell, the answer is YES, but with a lot of provisos. Open
consume the power from such a plant. They see such plants as something that distracts
Access enables large users with more than 1 MW connected load
them away from their core competency.
to buy cheap power from the open market. The concept is to allow customers to choose from a number of competitive power companies, rather than having no choice but to buy power from the local utility. Open access helps consumers meet their Renewable Purchase Obligations as well. On paper, the open access solar looks like an attractive source of power for large consumers.
Now developers have started to look at group captive power projects as a business model to expand operations in the open access market. Unlike an individual captive or third party sale power project, group captive is an arrangement through which a developer sets up a power project for the collective use of multiple industrial or commercial consumers who have 26% equity in the project and must consume 51% of the power produced.
However, the open access market is fraught with restrictive policies and a bunch of charges
The primary advantage of a group captive model is that cross-subsidy, and additional
for consumers, which makes it unattractive.
surcharges are not levied on the power procured. Typically, in a group captive setup, a
The few models under which large consumers can buy open access power are third party
developer will build the project under a special purpose vehicle (SPV) company and offer
sale, captive projects, and group captive projects.
26% equity to the consumer. Further, an agreement is entered into to buy back the shares
Third Party is simply the purchase of power from a solar power developer under a PPA.
on the termination of the procurement contract.
However, a third party sale can attract charges between Rs. 2-4/kWh. These charges are
Moreover, for industrial consumers, captive solar projects make sense as most projects or
state specific and generally comprise wheeling, cross-subsidy and other charges. These charges end up making this proposition unattractive. Karnataka has been a leader in the third party solar power development by having some friendly policies such as zero wheeling and cross subsidy charges for the first 10 years of a project. Other states have however not followed suit.
manufacturing units have poor quality or small roofs, which may only allow them to meet 10-15% of their energy consumption, whereas renewable purchase obligations for these companies are much higher. Besides, the consumers having to fund a certain percentage of the project gives the developer a sense of comfort as well.
Large power consumers see captive projects as a big risk. Not only do they have to invest
Land acquisition and development approvals remain to be the most significant challenges
huge capital in setting up such plants, they are also obliged to operate, maintain and
for group captive projects.
Mr. Sharat Ranjan, DGM – Business Development, Ayana Renewable Power Private Limited Open access in distribution is key to the healthy competitiveness in the energy sector. Presently, the open access is allowed for the load of 1 MW and above. The electricity charges are a key cost item for commercial and industrial establishments. In some of the heavy industries, it is sometimes equivalent to the raw material cost. It is very important for these heavy industries to procure the electricity at a cheaper
What is beneficial for the industry that if Discom lower down the aggregate technical
cost. Now that the solar sector can provide the energy at cheaper tariff as the cost of generation has significantly come down, it is important for the state and the regulatory authorities to promote the segment so that the industries and the solar developers are both benefited with the cheaper tariff. It is upsetting to see that the solar developers are discouraged to do the transaction under
and commercial losses which is hovering around 25 to 30%. If that is being reduced,
open access due to higher cross subsidy surcharge and additional surcharge which makes them commercially unviable to perform the transaction. The small solar projects which can act as a distributed generation are discouraged due to these charges. Ideally, the cross-subsidy surcharge should be waived off completely in the coming future so that there is a healthy competition in the market. What is beneficial for the industry that if Discom lower down the aggregate technical and commercial losses which is hovering around 25 to 30%. If that is being reduced, then the weaker segment of the Electricity
then the weaker segment of the Electricity value chain which is the distribution companies would be benefitted and the
value chain which is the distribution companies would be benefitted and the cross subsidy charges would be subsided. Higher participation of solar projects generating at distributed location would facilitate in grid stabilisation and a competitive tariff would add value to
cross subsidy charges would be subsided.
the industrial and commercial establishments.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter• •September September2019 2019 30 30
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
India’s Electrification Gap India’s rural areas bear the brunt of its energy access problem. Though the divide between electrification of rural and urban areas has reduced over time, it still remains considerable. As per SAUBHAGYA, 96 per cent of the un-electrified households were in rural areas, only 4 per cent were in the urban areas. Further, the vast majority of the un-electrified households is concentrated in just a few states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. In theory, India has sufficient installed capacity to meet its discom demand. According to the Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA), power supply is in surplus in the country. For example, the peak demand in October 2018 was 172.9 GW against a national power supply position of 346 GW, at a time when thermal power plants operated at less than 60 per cent capacity. However, the deficits presented by the CEA do not reflect the true picture: they are merely the mathematical difference between energy demanded by the distribution companies and supplied by the generating companies, which understates the real deficit. Since many distribution companies are financially stressed, their electricity off-take is driven by their ability to pay — the discom demand does not reflect the expected end-consumer demand. Besides this, the potential demand of households that are not connected to the grid is
The goal of universal energy access — 24hour, affordable electricity to all — has bedeviled Indian policymakers over the past several decades. Grid-based supply has been and will remain the core strategy to expand access to electricity. The SAUB HAGYA scheme, which aims to connect all households to the grid, is a worthy initiative.
not accounted for. Essentially, the relatively small energy deficits reported by the CEA are largely on account of grid congestion.
It will significantly improve energy access;
The way ahead
however, it may not be sufficient to ensure
The goal of universal energy access — 24-hour, affordable electricity to all — has bedeviled Indian policymakers over the past several decades.
regular electricity supply.
Grid-based supply has been and will remain the core strategy to expand access to electricity. The SAUBHAGYA scheme, which aims to connect all households to the grid, is a worthy initiative. It will significantly improve energy access; however, it may not be sufficient to ensure regular electricity supply. Discoms remain financially stressed due to
THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT
their poor operating performance and political interference regarding tariff-setting and subsidies to various interest groups. The government’s latest attempt to reform the discom sector, the UDAY scheme, also looks likely to fail. Weak discoms will not supply adequate power to many recently-connected poor consumers who are not profitable for disoms. In fact, SAUBHAGYA will further weaken discoms if it is not accompanied by reforms such as an increase in tariffs for certain consumers and caps on subsidised supply. A one-size-fits-all strategy will fall short. Mini-grids do have a potential over the short to medium term — both consumers and regulators appear to agree on the benefits of the system. Indeed, mini-grids continue to operate in even connected villages which are plagued by irregular supply. A well designed set of policies, some of which have been detailed above, can ensure that mini-grids fill the gap by supplying affordable power to energy deprived households; at the same time, they also have a viable business model when the grid becomes the reliable and predominant source of power in their markets.
Grid integration of mini-grids — some possible scenarios � Tail-end generation for grid or open access consumers: Mini-grid developers will operate as independent power producers (IPP) after integration with the national grid. The generated power will be sold to the grid under a power purchase agreement (PPA) or to an open access consumer at a mutually agreed upon price. In both cases, the minigrid distribution network will be abandoned or sold off to the local discom, depending on its condition. � Distribution franchisee with a generation asset: The mini-grid developer will operate as a distribution franchisee, buying power from the local discom and selling it to rural consumers at the prevalent tariff rate. The mini-grid distribution network will be purchased (and upgraded, if needed) by the discom, and the franchisee will be allowed to access it. The generation asset will continue operations as an IPP feeding power into the grid. � Grid integration with net metering: The mini-grid developer will continue to own and operate generation and distribution assets, while the entire system could be interconnected to the grid with bi-directional metering. The mini-grid system will export power to the grid in case of surplus and import power in case of deficits, with the balance settled on a net metering basis. Thus, the mini-grid continues to generate and supply power while interacting with the grid to balance demand and supply. � Back-up power supplier: Mini-grids will act as a source of back-up when the grid fails to supply (basically, act as a flexible generation source). These generators will be adequately compensated with high per unit generation tariffs for providing these services. The mini-grid operator will retain the generation asset, while the distribution network will be taken over by the discom.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 31
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
The Road To 175 Gigawatt
THE ROAD TO 175 GIGAWATT THE ROAD TO 175 GIGAWATT
Graph 1: Installed capacity by source in India
The renewable energy sector in India has come into its own in the last few years, with the
Renewables now account for 20 per cent of the total electricity capacity 100
sector received a major boost after 2015 following the government’s decision to create
90 100
175 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity in the country by 2022. The new target redefined the scale and scope of the sector, especially for wind and solar which comprise 60 GW and 100 GW,, respectively, of the goal. Over the last few years, the government has launched a series of supportive policies and schemes to encourage the building up of renewable capacity in the country. The dramatic fall in the prices of Chinese-made solar PV modules (by over 35 per cent between 2015 and 2017) has helped further boost the sector.
Installed Installed capacity capacity (in percentage) (in percentage)
country now home to some of the largest solar and wind installations in the world. The
Graph 1: Installed capacity by source in India
Renewables12% now account for 20 per cent of the total electricity capacity 20% 70.6 GW
29.4 GW
12% 17% 29.4 GW 40.5 GW
80 90 70 80
20% 70.613% GW 45.4 GW
17% 40.5 GW
60 70
13% 45.4 GW
50 60 40 50 30 40
60% 145.2 GW
57% 196.9 GW
20 30
60% 145.2 GW
57% 196.9 GW
March 2014
June 2018
10 20 0 10
As a result of all this, renewable capacity in India has registered a sharp growth, and stands
0
Renewable
Diesel March 2014
Nuclear
Hydro
Gas 2018 June
at 74.8 GW as of November 2018, up from 36.5 GW in March 2014; it now contributes 20
Source: Compiled from Central Electricity Authority’s installed capacity reports, http://www.cea.nic.in/monthlyarchive.html
percent of the country’s total electricity capacity. India currently has the world’s third and
Source: Compiled from Central Electricity Authority’s installed capacity reports, http://www.cea.nic.in/monthlyarchive.html
Renewable
sixth largest wind and solar installed capacities, respectively.
capacity; since these plants run at high capacity utilisation, the share of thermal generation is a very high 80 per cent.
Reaching the 175-GW target The 175-GW renewable capacity target by 2021-22 is an ambitious goal. It implies increasing the share of the capacity from around 20 per cent currently to over one-third by March 2022 — as per the estimates of the National Electricity Plan (NEP) 2018, prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The NEP projects that renewable energy capacity
100 Generation Generation mix (inmix percentage) (in percentage)
plants continue to dominate the country’s energy mix with a 57 per cent share of the
Hydro
Gas
Coal
Thermal plants dominate
— the low capacity utilisation factors (CUF) of wind and solar plants have meant the share
per cent of the total generation in 2014 to a mere 7.8 per cent in 2018. Coal-fired power
Nuclear
Graph 2: Generation mix over the years
However, renewable energy still makes up only a small portion of the total generation mix
of generation from renewables has remained very small. This share has increased from 5.6
Diesel
Coal
90 100 80 90 70 80 60 70 50 60 40 50 30 40 20 30 10 20 0 10 0
5.6% 61.7 BU
Graph 2: Generation mix over6.6% the years 5.6% Thermal 65.7 BU plants dominate81.5 BU
7.8% 101.8 BU
5.6% 61.7 BU
5.6% 65.7 BU
6.6% 81.5 BU
7.8% 101.8 BU
79.4% 878.3 BU
80.8% 943.7 BU
80.4% 994.2 BU
79.5% 1,037 BU
79.4% 878.3 BU
80.8% 943.7 BU
80.4% 994.2 BU
79.5% 1,037 BU
2014-15
2015-16 Renewable
2014-15
Hydro 2015-16
2016-17 Nuclear
2017-18 Thermal
2016-17
2017-18
Source: Compiled from Central ElectricityRenewable Authority’s generation reports, http://www.cea.nic.in/monthlyarchive.html Hydro Nuclear Thermal Source: Compiled from Central Electricity Authority’s generation reports, http://www.cea.nic.in/monthlyarchive.html
12 12
will increase to 275 GW by March 2027 with a share of almost 45 per cent; its share of
01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 12
16/01/19 4:1
generation is projected to be 25 per cent in 2026-27.
01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 12
16/01/19 4:1
Solar capacity has increased sharply from 3 to 22 GW between 2015 and 2018 and
Trends in renewable capacity addition
is expected to contribute the bulk of the
Are the NEP’s projections supported by past trends? The growth of renewable energy
capacity addition. However, till July 2018, it
capacity in India between 2014 and 2018 is attributed to grid-connected solar and, to a lesser extent, wind. While the annual renewable capacity additions have been impressive,
had achieved less than 50 per cent of the
especially between 2015 and 2017, the shortfall has increased since 2017-18 as annual
March 2019 target of 48 GW. The rooftop
targets have also climbed up.
PV sector has been faring particularly badly,
Solar capacity has increased sharply from 3 to 22 GW between 2015 and 2018 and is
with only 2.1 GW installed by December
expected to contribute the bulk of the capacity addition. However, till July 2018, it had achieved less than 50 per cent of the March 2019 target of 48 GW. The rooftop PV sector
2018 against a target of 40 GW.5
has been faring particularly badly, with only 2.1 GW installed by December 2018 against a target of 40 GW.5 As the targets in the next few years climb further, annual new capacity additions have to grow even more to reach 100 GW. Based on the performance so far and the outlook, it seems unlikely that they will. One of the main impediments to utility-scale solar is the poor health of the discoms. Many discoms appear to be slowing down on new purchase commitments — the better ones may have already sourced sufficient renewable capacity. Meanwhile, solar rooftop continues to struggle due to lack of financing available to households and because developers find the
Over the last few years, the government has launched a series of supportive policies and schemes to encourage the building
residential and small business sector unattractive.
up of renewable capacity in the country.
The wind sector presents a better picture. As of July 2018, wind capacity totaled 34.4 GW
The dramatic fall in the prices of Chinese-
against the March 2019 target of 40 GW. In fact, the likely shortfall would be partly due to the sudden introduction of an auction scheme for wind projects, which slowed down installations in 2017. After December 2017, the sector has been picking up again with auctions totaling 6.9 GW, according to data compiled by CSE. It is, therefore, conceivable that the wind sector might achieve a significant share of the 60-GW goal by 2022, especially
made solar PV modules (by over 35 per cent between 2015 and 2017) has helped further boost the sector.
if the government manages to jump-start repowering and hybrid projects.
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 32
totaled 34.4 GW against the March 2019 target of 40 GW (see Graph 6: Wind installation — achievements vs targets).6 In fact, the likely shortfall would be partly due to the sudden introduction of an auction scheme for wind projects, which slowed down installations in 2017. After December 2017, the sector has been picking up again with auctions totaling 6.9 GW, according to data compiled by CSE. It is, therefore, conceivable that the wind sector might achieve a significant share of the 60-GW goal by 2022, especially if the government manages to jump-start repowering and hybrid projects.
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS THE ROAD TO 175 GIGAWATT
THE ROAD TO 175 GIGAWATT
Graph 5: Solar installation — achievements vs targets
Graph 3: Share in total capacity and generation mix
Capacity has increased, but targets remain out of reach
The National Electricity Plan projects substantial jumps in share of renewable energy capacity
Graph 3: Share in total capacity and generation mix
The National Electricity Plan projects substantial jumps in share of renewable energy capacity
120,000 Cumulative annual target
45 50
Installed capacity
100,000
40 45
Solar installation (MW)
Renewable energy capacity (in percentage) Renewable energy capacity (in percentage)
50
35 40 30 35 25 30 20 25
80,000
60,000
40,000
15 20 10 15 10 5
20,000
5
0
0 2017-18
2021-22*
0 2017-18 % of RE in total generation mix
2015-16
2025-26*
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19*
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
Source: Compiled from MNRE Annual Reports, https://mnre.gov.in/annual-report*, November 2018
2021-22*% of RE in total electricity capacity 2025-26*installed
% of RE in total generation mix % of RE in total electricity capacity installed Source: National Electricity Plan, CEA, http://erpc.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NEP_slides_200418.pdf
THE ROAD TO 175 GIGAWATT
15
Source: National Electricity Plan, CEA, http://erpc.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NEP_slides_200418.pdf
Graph 4: Annual renewable capacity addition vs yearly targets Higher targets have meant more shortfalls
Graph 6: Wind installation — achievements versus vs targets (MW)
01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 15
30
70,000
3025
Cumulative annual target 60,000
2015
50,000
Wind installation (MW)
2520
1510 10 5
Source: MNRE* as of November 2018, https://mnre.gov.in/physical-progress-achievements
Small hydro
Biomass & waste to energy
Solar
Wind
2021-22 Target 2021-22 Target
2020-21 Target 2020-21 Target
Solar
2019-20 Target 2019-20 Target
Biomass & waste to energy
2018-19 Target 2018-19 Target
2018-19* 2018-19*
2017-18 Target 2017-18 Target
2017-18 2017-18
2016-17 Target 2016-17 Target
Small hydro
2016-17 2016-17
2015-16 Target 2015-16 Target
50 0
16/01/19 4:19 PM
The sector looks set to achieve a significant portion of its target
Higher targets have meant more shortfalls
2015-16 2015-16
Renewable capacity addition (GW) Renewable capacity addition (GW)
Graph 4: Annual renewable capacity addition vs yearly targets
40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 2015-16
Wind
Source: MNRE* as of November 2018, https://mnre.gov.in/physical-progress-achievements
Installed capacity
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19*
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
Sources: Compiled from MNRE reports; annual targets obtained from Prayas, http://www.prayaspune.org/peg/publications/item/ download/813_72f650b395383a796d4b5b898a61a10e.html*, November 2018
14 THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT 14
Auctions with reverse bidding — the driving mechanism
One of the notable drivers of renewable success in the country has been the introduction of auctions with reverse bidding. In these, bids which offer the lowest tariffs are declared the winners. The success of these auctions 01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 14 16/01/19 4:19 PM can be measured by the fact that the bids made in them by developers have been consistently below the tariff benchmarks set by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) — in fact, by 2017, this allowed the CERC to stop publishing its benchmark tariffs altogether. The mechanism has helped foster competition by driving down prices which, in turn, has incentivised discoms to sign up for ever increasing capacity contracts. In the last few years, wind and solar have gone from being expensive sources of power that needed subsidy support to becoming cheaper than conventional power (see Graph 7: Lowest solar tariffs achieved in FY 2010-18). In the initial years, wind tariffs were determined by feed-in tariffs (FiTs), with price demarcation across zones based on favourable wind conditions. Mahindra & Mahindra always believe in philosophy of Building enduring business and 6.3 MW of wind has The beenFiT installed to reduce which has theRegulatory potential was reviewed over carbon the yearsemission by the State Electricity Commissions (SERCs). Occasionally, it showed an upward trend, by rejuvenating the environment and enabling stakeholders to Rise. Today , we are to save 13008 Tons of CO2 per year. Mahindra’s Igatpuri Plant becomes India’s first ranging Carbon between Rs 4 to 6.5 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). However, the success of the fundamentally different company with perhaps the broadest portfolio in our Industry , Neutral Facility, reaffirming the Group’s commitment to go Carbon Neutral by 2040. solar auctions led to the adoption of the same mechanism for wind from 2016 onwards. This ended the wind developers’ complacency with regard from two wheelers to truck and being the world’s largest tractor company by volume . Our Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. is also the first Indian signatory to EP100 (Energy Productivity to tariffs — the auctions began receiving bids that were at par with those in 01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 14
16/01/19 4:19 PM
Opinion
Going Green: Best Practices adopted by the Manufacturing Sector for Energy Efficiency
vision is to become a top 10 global brands & making farm tech prosperity.
100%) by 2030 with base year 2009, a program promoted by ‘The Climate Group’. Also,
Under rejuvenating the environment , our interventions are focussed on two approaches
the Company has committed to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2040, and in April 2019
- increasing energy productivity and growing the green energy ratio in the total mix. We
announced its commitment to set Science Based Target to Decarbonize its growth, thus
follow ISO 500001 Standard , whose purpose is to enable an organisation to follow a
contributing to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius as per Paris
systematic approach in achieving continual improvement of energy performance, including
16
Accord 2015. A robust roadmap has been prepared for achieving targets for improving
01The Road to 175 Gigawatt(11-22).indd 16
energy efficiency, energy use and consumption.
energy efficiency and adoption of renewable energy. Mahindra continues to invest in
Some of these include heat recovery systems , major programs in association with
various energy efficiency programs abiding by its commitment towards internal carbon
EESL(Govt of India undertaking ) like LED lighting , Efficient Inverter AC’S, Efficient Motors.
price of USD 10 per ton of carbon emitted.
We also undertake Green building certifications, thrust on renewable like solar and wind
We also promote these similar programs with all our stakeholders like Dealers , Suppliers
power capacities. With all these interventions on energy efficiency improvement, M & M
& Employees to enable them to Rise , taking a step towards sustainable lifestyle .
could save 49,726 GJ of energy in year 2018-19. On renewable energy front , 9 MW of solar
So, let’s go together to conserve natural resources for our future generations.
Under rejuvenating the environment , our interventions are focussed on two approaches - increasing energy productivity and growing the green energy ratio in the total mix. We follow ISO 500001 Standard , whose purpose is to enable an organisation to follow a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement of energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption. w w w w w w .. ss oo ll aa rr qq uu aa rr tt ee rr .. cc oo m m
MR. UMESH JOSHI Head : M & M Sustainability Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 33 33
16/01/19 4:19
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Energy Efficiency - Why Your Best Practices Can Lead To Worst Returns!
Energy efficiency best practices, earlier pushed as a tool to mitigate climate change or carbon
notorious, often causing Low PF, inducing high THD (v) and Inrush Currents. This affects
emission reduction, have come to play a crucial role in improving the competitiveness of
the reliability of the network leading to tripping, overheating of power distribution devices
manufacturing sector. Design and selection of energy efficient equipment, role of Energy
and transformers thereby reducing the overall energy efficiency. LED revolution also have
Audits, and use of renewable energy have been the cornerstones of best practices to
brought in market revolution with products floating at extreme range of large bandwidth.
improve energy efficiency or energy productivity in manufacturing. But what’s not
An ignorant customer, chasing lowest cost dream, ends up procuring a product from market
understood well in the industry today, is how these best practices can backfire at times
with very low input power factor or high harmonic content. Result either the electrical
and lead to higher energy consumption.
equipment starts failing or the kVA demand goes up and one makes a permanent hole in
Many of the equipment deployed to improve energy efficiency are a non-linear load and
their pocket to pay those enhanced energy bill.
therefore lead to Power Quality (PQ) issues. Either they cause PQ issues, or they fall victim
Transformers can account to 4%-5% of power distribution losses across itself. Improving
to bad PQ environment. The impact is high when energy is a major raw material for the
energy efficiency of Transformers is still not on the radar of consumers and utilities. Simple
production under consideration. Power Quality phenomena in the electrical network have a strong influence on the efficiency of energy utilisation for various processes, equipment and devices. Clean power means clean production and poor PQ leads to energy losses. So, in other words “Good power quality means Good Business”. But for lack of understanding at CEO /CFO level in many Indian Industries PQ impact on business is not understood rather it is simply considered as another O&M transgression impacting energy productivity or causing safety breach.
How Poor Power Quality can erode investments in energy efficiency? � Events such as Low Voltage Profile, Dips, Harmonic Current or Current Unbalance observed in the electrical network adversely affect the energy efficiency in the short and long run. � Distorted currents also affect the voltage quality which in turn reduce the energy efficiency in several indirect ways. � Situations such as low Power Factor, Harmonic Distortions etc. reduce the energy use
measures such as use of copper winding, instead of aluminum, can ensure guaranteed energy savings, with high reliability for better PQ in electrical network and longer life for transformers. The life cycle cost of transformer is yet to be taken in account while purchasing a transformer by many MSME industries. First cost outweighs buy decision and running cost become 25 years burden on the industry user. HVAC Optimisation efforts to improve energy efficiency mostly focus on the mechanical aspects such as ducting and air flow etc. However, use of copper rotor motors, condenser tubes, compressor coils etc. are found to have a huge positive impact on energy efficiency and overall power quality. Solar PV Panels use inverters to convert DC power to AC. While Solar PV is an environment friendly energy with much lower operational costs it has been found to create harmonic and radio frequency noise because of the high-speed switching, which can get worst in case of improper earthing. These disturbances affect the electrical network. Here again dream of chasing lower cost makes the user to choose a cable that consumes itself precious part of renewable energy generated while transporting the power to end use. Fire and failure often put brake on energy productivity in such cases.
efficiency. � Other events such as Transient Voltage or Flicker can cause potential risk or failure of critical assets
Given the adverse PQ implications of these and several other widely adopted energy saving best practices
Best practices are great, only if you have taken into consideration their side effects. Here
one may conclude that planning with a focus on the
are some common examples.
energy savings alone is not advisable. To truly achieve
VFDs or Variable Speed Drives - Used in Elevators, Motors, Process Automation, HVAC
and sustain the energy efficiency goals in the long-
Equipment etc. help reduce the energy. However, with the popular configuration of
term calls for investments to address and solve the
converters in use, the typical THD (Total Harmonic Distortion in current) in VFDs is around
adverse side effects of energy efficient technologies
30%. Without the filter inductance, it can be as high as 70% to 120% leading to energy
on the PQ of electrical network. After all a healthy
losses, overheating and other problems in the upstream electrical network. Many a times
human can live happily, even after contracting a
even for constant speed need VSDs are deployed just with approach of “Neighbors’ Envy
lifestyle disease like diabetes, only if he observes
– Owners Pride”. Application engineering is given a go by under sales target. Result is user
right regimen for healthy living. Same dictum applies
adding an equipment, with inherent energy loss, for which there is no need.
to manufacturing sector; one has to be Power Quality
LED Lights can help save 25%-80% less energy on the lighting load when compared to
conscious first to become Energy Efficient or Energy
traditional fluorescent or high mast lamps. But LED lights have now been found to be
Productive later.
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MR. MANAS KUNDU India Coordinator Asia Power Quality Initiative (APQI)
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 34
Product Feature
Solis 5G Three Phase Inverters Solis-(80-100)K-5G, Solis-(100-110)K-HV-5GV-5G Features: � Over 99% Max. euciency
� Type II surge arrester for both DC and AC, type I surge arrestor optional � Intelligent redundancy fan � Leakage current repression technology � Volt-watt work mode integrated
� Wide voltage range and low startup voltage
� DC input reverse alarm
� 9/10 MPPT design with precise MPPT algorithm
� Optional anti-PID function integrated
� THDi<3%, low harmonic distortion against grid
� Integrated AC & DC disconnect switches
� Anti-resonance, single transformer can connect 6M+ in parallel
Model:
� Perfect commercial site monitoring solution
400V: Solis-80K-5G
� Intelligent redundancy fan
480V: Solis-100K-HV-5G
� Strings intelligent monitoring, Smart I-V Curve Dignosis supported
540V: Solis-110K-HV-5G
Solis-100K-5G
� Fuse free design to avoid fire hazard
Industry Insights
Integrating RE: Preparing for the future Integrating renewable energy into existing power grid networks is widely, and mistakenly,
Regulatory Commission (CERC) has put regulatory frameworks in place for forecasting and
perceived to be a major challenge. Since wind and solar energy generation is variable and
scheduling of RE and flexible operations of thermal power plants and auxiliary services
unpredictable, it is commonly assumed that any efforts to integrate them into the grid —
— all of which support higher RE penetration; however, implementation at the state-level
even if their share in the total energy mix is small — would require significant investments
has been unsatisfactory. Discoms, on their part, hold sizable contracted supplies under
in evacuation network and grid management systems.
power purchase agreements (PPAs) with a two-part tariff that pays thermal power plants
However, the experience from many countries indicates otherwise: it shows grid networks are capable of accommodating a high share of renewable energy through improvements
even when they are not generating, thus ensuring availability of back-up capacity for renewables.
in power system operations and reforms in regulatory frameworks and markets. Ireland,
However, achieving a higher level of renewable penetration — beyond 175 GW — would
for instance, is currently managing the world’s highest renewable generation penetration
require additional measures such as an increase in the balancing capability of the grid
of over 35 per cent despite being a small island power system. Similarly, countries like
and enhancement of transmission networks. A key area of concern is the limited network
Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain are successfully managing RE shares of over 20-
augmentation by discoms — which involves smart metering, augmentation in transformer
25 per cent in their networks.
capacity etc — to support distributed renewable energy.
In India, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates the share of renewable energy in power grid networks would reach around 17.5 per cent by 2022, based on the 160-GW capacity in solar and wind. Grid integration is far easier at these penetration levels of 15-20 per cent. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) study of best practices in managing RE integration indicates that gradual technical and economic grid management measures are sufficient for reliable and cost-effective operation of power systems in a high renewable scenario. The IEA also estimates only a 15-20 per cent increase in system cost even at a very high RE penetration of 45 per cent. India’s grid is well positioned to efficiently integrate the level of RE share projected for 2022. The planned transmission capacity in the country is adequate. India already has a vast 83 GW of inter-regional transmission capacity which provides grid operators with a
Ireland, for instance, is currently managing the world’s highest renewable generation penetration of over 35 per cent despite being a small island power system. Similarly, countries like Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain are successfully managing RE shares of over 20-25 per cent in their networks.
wide balancing area. The work on Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMC) for real-time monitoring is in its advanced stages. On the policy front, the Central Electricity
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THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT
SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 35 35 Solar
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS
Solar manufacturing: Moving out of the doldrums
While solar installations have grown in number and spread in India, they have largely
Graph 1: Indigenous solar cell production Does not match capacity
done so on the back of imports — domestic manufacturers of solar modules and panels have fared badly and have had little role to play in this growth. During the period 201417, local manufacturers in India had ramped up their capacities, as both targets and installation of solar PV saw a rise. According to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), manufacturing capacity of cells and modules jumped by 160 per cent and 258 per cent to 3.1 GW and 8.4 GW respectively. But production has failed to keep pace with this hike (see Graph 1: Indigenous solar cell production) resulting in the under-utilisation of installed capacity (see Graph 2: Capacity utilisation). To add to that, cheap imports, mainly from China, have put domestic manufacturers at a severe disadvantage. Compared to Chinese manufacturers, Indian firms suffer from smaller scale, operations that are not fully integrated, and high costs of energy and finance. The price difference between domestic and imported modules is, broadly, 10-25 per cent. Unable to compete on the price, domestic manufacturers’ capacity utilisation has remained quite low. An import-driven market has its own pitfalls. The question before India, therefore, is whether to continue to rely on a cheap-imports and low-tariff model, or to create conditions in which domestic manufacturers might grow and prosper.
Graph 2: Capacity utilisation* Under-utilised
The import conundrum India’s dependence on imported, especially Chinese, modules has existed since the days of the National Solar Mission’s first phase. This dependence has magnified over the years, and imports have grown faster than the rate of solar installations. In 2017, the share of domestic manufacturers in the Indian market stood at 10 per cent. The cheap imports have propelled a relentless fall in tariffs and triggered a rise in solar capacity. The phenomenon of falling prices was disrupted in 2017 — spot prices went up due to a spike in demand from the USA in anticipation of safeguard tariffs by the US administration. But the disruption was brief. There are legitimate concerns about India’s almost total dependence on imported components — supplies can be affected by changes in the exporting countries’ strategic priorities or due to international trade disputes. Imports are also vulnerable to abrupt changes in domestic trade policies and exchange rate risks. Recently, imports were disrupted on account of ‘new’ import duties. Solar PV components have been exempt from customs duty since 2010. However, in September 2016, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued a notification saying solar PV components are electricity generation components and should attract a customs duty of 7.5 to 10 per
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*Five major manufacturers who have 72% share in total installed capacity in 2017-18. Source: 2018, Directorate General of Safeguards Duties, http://dgsafeguards.gov.in/DataFiles/Tender/ NWM77Preliminary%20Findings%20Solar%20Cells%2005.01.18-Final.pdf
Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 36
INDUSTRY Industry Insights INSIGHTS cent. The ruling, enforced in mid-2017, held up trade in PV components worth millions
Vertically integrated operations:
of dollars. In April 2018, the CBIC finally issued a clarification that solar panels can be
Backward integration up till the manufacturing of ingots should also be backed up
classified as diodes and will not be charged a duty.
with a parallel industry that produces machines for photovoltaic manufacturing. It may
India needs to nurture its domestic manufacturing sector, growth in which is desirable
require further analysis on viability. The Indian manufacturing sector should explore
for many reasons — for employment generation, encouragement to indigenous R&D,
technological ties with countries like Germany, Italy, China and the USA to leverage from
earning foreign exchange and ensuring long-term stable supply. However, the country’s
their experiences.
policies to support the domestic sector have been ad hoc and muddled (such as the hike in import duty that was later withdrawn). A strategic vision is required that can carefully balance the benefits of cheap electricity from imports against the costs of supporting
Research and development: The time has come to invest in R&D for storage solutions. The solar manufacturing
local manufacturers.
sector provides unique opportunities to cut down on material costs and take a leap into
Policy moves
research institutes — this will help narrow the gaps in technology and scale.
The government has taken some tentative steps. In the initial phase of the NSM, a
Developing skilled human-power:
substantial portion of the auction capacity was reserved for domestic manufacturers
Skill development in solar module repairing can help create jobs; additionally, this kind
under domestic content requirement (DCR). The DCR auctions were supported by a
of auxiliary service can support an already existing market with millions of modules
higher level of capital subsidisation by commanding higher viability gap funding (VGF).
deployed each year. It will save on the material costs for manufacturing, and reduce the
In 2013, the US complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the DCR scheme
quantum of waste created by discarding old and malfunctioning modules.
the next phase of the technology. Domestic R&D can be developed in association with
was a violation of the WTO’s rules. In 2016, the WTO ruled against India and asked it to stop DCR allocations by September 2017. However, the ruling permitted a loophole — entities that were generating power for their own consumption were not bound by it.This has allowed the Indian government to continue with DCR auctions for PSUs and government offices.
Economies of scale will play a big role
There has been action on anti-dumping as well. Faced with the domestic manufacturers’
in making the solar manufacturing
precarious condition, the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) had filed a petition with the Directorate General of AntiDumping & Allied Duties (DGAD) in July 2017, alleging dumping of PV cells and modules by China, Taiwan and Malaysia. China’s solar module manufacturing capacity has increased sharply over the years, and prices have consistently climbed down. India is particularly vulnerable, having replaced Europe as the largest market for Chinese PV. In July 2018, therefore, the Union Ministry of Finance imposed a safeguard duty of 25 per cent on solar panels from China and Malaysia, followed by 20 per cent for the next six months and 15 per cent for another six. Developers, however, have claimed the duty would increase tariffs and jeopardise the 100-GW solar target.
industry competitive. Hence, large-scale manufacturing should be supported by the government through stable policy. Cheap finance is required to support and nurture a new industry till market forces take over.
In December 2017, the MNRE rolled out a new scheme to support fully backward integrated manufacturing capacity for solar PV modules, cells, wafers/ingots and polysilicon. The scheme proposes a financial assistance of Rs 11,000 crore along with several incentives — a 12,000-MW CPSU (Central Public Sector Unit) scheme with an assured DCR component, capital subsidy for capacity addition, and interest subvention for upgradation or expansion. Separately, the government has announced an expression of interest (EOI) for a scheme that would auction 20,000 MW of solar capacity to integrated manufacturers — however, no further public information is available on its progress. In May 2018, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) floated an RfS for the development of 5 GW of solar manufacturing capacity and 10 GW of solar projects under the ISTS scheme.This has now been reduced to 3 GW (per annum) of solar manufacturing capacity. The tender has been floated four times till November 2018, with each iteration containing changes to attract manufacturers — but it has failed to attract even a single
Skill development in solar module repairing can help create jobs; additionally, this kind of auxiliary service can support an already existing market with millions of modules
bid.
deployed each year. It will save on the
The solar market is still perceived as a high risk sector and needs huge investments to
material costs for manufacturing, and
execute such programmes. Therefore, not many manufacturers are enthusiastic about building the facilities. The SECI must take note of this and come up with clarifications to queries from manufacturers about the challenges they face.
reduce the quantum of waste created by discarding old and malfunctioning modules.
The way forward So far, the government has employed short-term ideas — a combination of incentives and protections (import duties) — to support the sector. But if the cost gap in domestic manufacturing is not narrowed, India will have no option but to continue relying on cheap imports that drive low tariffs. The longer term solution lies in making Indian manufacturers globally competitive. This would require a broad range of initiatives: Policy support: Concerted efforts are required to address the apprehensions of manufacturers and make the sector lucrative for them. There is a sizable market in India and new entrepreneurs will be willing to be part of it — but only if they get sufficient support from policies that are conducive to the growth of market and that can enable them to sell.
Scaling up: Economies of scale will play a big role in making the solar manufacturing industry competitive. Hence, large-scale manufacturing should be supported by the government through stable policy. Cheap finance is required to support and nurture a new industry till market forces take over. Also, the availability of raw material for ingots and power for wafer production has to be guaranteed for long-term viability of solar manufacturing
China’s solar module manufacturing capacity has increased sharply over the years, and prices have consistently climbed down. India is particularly vulnerable, having replaced Europe as the largest market for Chinese PV.
in India. In parallel, increasing the number of testing facilities is required to ensure the quality and reliability of the products. THE STATE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN INDIA 2019 A CITIZEN'S REPORT
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 37
Perspective
Exploring Untapped Opportunities of Kerala Solar Rooftop Market DR. R Harikumar (M.Tech, Ph.D), Joint Director, Energy Management Centre, Govt of Kerala From 150 MW of solar there is a long way to reach the target of 1870 MW for Kerala by 2022. Repeating the same programs with minor changes in subsidies cannot yield desirable results. ANERT, the SNA, during my tenure (2016-18) has attempted the following programs, aimed at creating an enabling ecosystem for RE promotion in Kerala, almost all of them attempted for the first time in the country. Through our persistent intervention, KSEBL has come forward with the target of achieving a total of 1000 MW solar in next 3 years (announced by Hon. CM); 500 MW RTS, with KSEBL venturing into take up RESCO mode implementation also. 1817 numbers of field functionaries of KSEBL trained in grid connected solar system through 56 numbers of 2-day training programs, by ANERT in 2017-18. a) e-marketplace to purchase quality products (vetted by ANERT) – www.buymysun.com, launched on 5th June 2018 by Hon. CM; eligible subsidy to customers through DBT; 10% discount for the first Rs 20 crore business [(a) to (e) - aligned with Digital India]
b) m-ANERT – mobile app for feasibility investigation & inspections (provision for all stakeholders to login – CEIG, KSEBL, ANERT & vendors) c) Programme Management System – online portal for processing grid connected systems; seamless integration with digital platforms of KSEBL & CEIG in progress d) Souraveedhi – mobile app to gather geo-tagged details of RE systems already installed e) Free one year insurance to such systems and RE technicians f) Steps initiated to train/accredit technicians and inspectors (QP & certification by Skill Council for Green Jobs) g) Urja Mithra – repair & service centres set up in all 140 assembly constituencies with CRM & ticketing [(f) & (g) - aligned with Skilling India] h) Local self-governments providing subsidy to the needy i) New technology demonstration programmes - solar-wind hybrid with storage solutions initiated, with indigenous inverter [Make in India]
Mr. Sijo Varghese, CEO, “Greenroof Solar Pvt Ltd Solar Rooftop is considered as the most efficient power plant
end amenities to attract their consumers which take their power bills to a considerable
proposal mainly because of three reasons; it is renewable energy,
expense head. The buildings owned by government departments have already started
reduces the transmission losses to the bare minimum level as
installing solar rooftops under the policy decision but still this market has a huge potential
the power production and major part of the consumption are
to explore.
in the same premises, can avoid the requirement of bare land.
Though the market opportunity available is interestingly lucrative, the rooftops industry
Kerala being a small state with high population, can be termed as a semi-urban area
was moving in slow pace till first quarter of last FY due various issues including statutory
which indicates the number of households and buildings are more and the vacant land is
approvals. However since then the industry has gained its momentum and is posting
minimal. This is a hurdle to increase its solar capacity through MW scale plants and at the
substantial growth rate now contributed by upward movement in electricity bills, end-to-
same time an opportunity for the Solar Rooftop market.
end project propositions and affordable pricing from EPC players. The efforts of ANERT
Travelling across the state, we can find the numbers of residential buildings are large in count and decent in size. The medium sized commercial spaces are very frequent compared to any other parts of the country. The living standard of people is in line with semi-urbanised community with good in-house facilities which demands the electricity consumption of an average household to 10-25 units per day. The Retail, Hospitality and Healthcare industries consuming major part of the commercial space need to provide high
and KREEPA (Kerala Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs and Promoters Association) have helped in creating the awareness on availability of quality products and responsible service to the general public. With the given conditions, the solar rooftop market of Kerala seems very promising and a comprehensive approach with quality products and reliable service provisions can tap this potential to the best level.
Mr. Anand R.M, Project Administrator, REECCO Energy India Pvt. Ltd. The national renewable energy target for 2022 has allocated
further discussions with stakeholders on overcoming the challenges of land scarcity, high
a target of 800 MW solar rooftop to Kerala but the state has
labour, high cost of balance of system components, rapid climate change with increased
achieved a cumulative capacity of only 41.36 MW at the end of
rainy days and flood threats, and zero financing. Once we tackle these challenges, RESCO
August 2019 which is just 5 % of the target to be achieved. Kerala
models can thrive in the market.
being a consumer state with high willingness to pay for quality power, it is a potential market for rooftop solar which has been hitherto unexplored by the state DISCOM for various reasons. Recent developments with the Kerala DISCOM’s ambitious ‘Soura’ project which targets 200 MW of rooftop solar by the end of the current financial year has created a mixed wave in the market of both scepticism and enthusiasm. In the past years, subsidised roof top programs with a sanctioned capacity of 10 MW per year run by the state nodal agency ANERT has failed to incentivise the market to supply beyond the limits of the subsidy scheme but the revised CFA program, for which the state DISCOM has been made the responsible agency for the implementation of rooftop solar projects, has also not cleared up doubts about the potential for market expansion outside
Kerala being a consumer state with high willingness to pay for quality power, it is a potential market for rooftop solar which has been hitherto unexplored by the
the spectrum of registered customers under the ‘Soura’ scheme.
state DISCOM for various reasons. Recent
The present ‘Soura’ project of the DISCOM needs to be restricted to government buildings
developments with the Kerala DISCOM’s
and to allow private sector players to tap into the huge potential of commercial, industrial and domestic customers who can afford Capex model projects. Since the state has the lowest AT&C losses, the DISCOM can assure investors and bankers on the ease of doing business and through a single window framework. To further explore solar rooftop potential, Kerala’s state regulatory commission must allow commercial and industrial consumers to invest in rooftop solar on third party premises with standard wheeling charges. Kerala being a state with scarcity of land, it can tackle this limitation by allowing third party buildings to install solar energy. Further, group solar installations at larger marketplaces can allow small scale commercial customers to derive the benefit of solar energy at lower
ambitious ‘Soura’ project which targets 200 MW of rooftop solar by the end of the current financial year has created a mixed wave in the market of both scepticism and enthusiasm.
tariff with less upfront capital cost. With the move towards the RESCO model, Kerala needs
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Solar SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 38 38
Company News
S
S
ungrow Debuts A 1500 Vdc Outdoor Central Inverter With IP65 Protection Level At Renewable Energy India Expo
ofarsolar Attended REI And Showed The Newest Product, Improve Brand Recognition
Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, unveiled a
Renewable Energy India Expo,was held in New Delhi, India which is a good platform
comprehensive product portfolio, in particular an impressive 1500 Vdc outdoor central
discussion between user & developer for business strategy, future business scope &
inverter SG5000UD and the world’s most powerful 1500 Vdc string inverter SG250HX-IN,
transparently meet with organization people.It’s a one-stop solution for Solar systems
at Renewable Energy India, demonstrating the Company’s continued efforts on addressing
products. Sofarsolar attended this exhibition and showed the bestselling products
local demand and aiding India’s green mission by promoting competitive solutions.
including new inverter ranges such as the single-phase inverter (1-7.5kW), three-phase
The SG5000UD turnkey station for 1500 Vdc systems features an optimal protection level of IP65, maximum efficiency of 99% and can work without derating at 50 degree
inverter (4-70kW), hybrid inverter (3-6kW), battery and AC charger. During the expo, Sofarsolar achieved complete success and laid a solid foundation for
Celsius, making it ideal for India by reducing O&M cost and enabling sustained power
accelerating the pace of the Indian market in the next step.
yields despite the typical scorching heat and sand corrosion found in the Indian desert.
Indian PV market plays an important part for Sofarsolar international market expansion,
Developed for large-scale utility plants, the 5 MW product also characterizes a high DC/AC
since then Sofarsolar system has been installed on the buildings of prestigious Business
ratio of up to 1.7 and flexible 5 MW or 10 MW block design, ensuring an optimized LCOE.
buildings, Industrial’s Slanted roofs, Local houses under guidance of Rooftop Policy and
Another flagship product on display was SG250HX-IN. Known to be the world’s most powerful 1500 Vdc string inverter, the high-profile product characterizes 12 MPPTs and a maximum efficiency of 99%; it also enables designs with 6.3 MW blocks, making it a perfect solution for hilly utility-scale applications. Products focusing on commercial and industrial rooftops showcased range from 10 kW to 110 kW. They come with multiple MPPTs and compact design and can maximize yields under complicated conditions. Sungrow introduced its residential rooftop solutions at REI for the very first time due to the great potential in the residential segment in India. Residential solutions utilizing string inverters from 3 kW to 8 kW of volume are designed with easy installation and smart monitoring, and timely service support and excellent performance for investment are guaranteed.
Commercial Projects in India. Sofarsolar is continuously winning most selling Inverters in Gujarat under GEDA rooftop policy & other states also good quantum installation database with prompt service support. We well positioned to become a major player in commercial roof-top vs utility-scale PV installations. SOFAR inverters are installed in the farms under SKY PROJECT (Surya Kisan Yojana) initiative of GUJARAT Government at different Feeders covering GUJARAT region. For example, Sofarsolar has provided more than 28MW inverters to SKY PROJECT-GUJARAT. And SOFAR SOLAR has another projection which is more than 50MW for SKY PROJECT. In this Project SO FAR 6.6KW to 70KW three Phase models installed with the compatibility of synchronizing with Three-phase motors, communicating with data loggers via RS-485 and various grid voltage ranges. Now, Sofarsolar has earned an important position in the field of PV inverter in India. With
“We are particularly excited by the progress we made in expanding our product portfolio
the continuous growth of the power demand, Sofarsolar will seize the market development
and strengthening our partnerships,” said Mr. Hu Yukun, Country Manager of Sungrow
opportunity, launching more solar inverters to suit market demand, deepen service, further
India. “And we are delighted that our solutions were highly appreciated by clean energy
expand the Indian market, and increase the share of the Indian market, to improve brand
professionals at the show and beyond,” he added.
recognition.
G
W
rowatt Continues to Be the Highlight of REI
aaree Energies expands their module manufacturing capacity to 2 GW
It’s the biggest annual gathering of the Indian solar industry at REI. Solar manufacturers
Reinforces its position as the largest solar module manufacturer in India,Creates 550
around the world join the event with their latest PV solutions on 18-20 September at
direct and 350 indirect jobs in the sector
India Expo Centre in Greater Noida. New solar inverter models at Growatt booth are catching the eyes of visitors from the solar industry. “We’ve just launched a couple of new inverters in India, MIN 2500-6000TL-X for residential systems, MAC 50-60KTL-X for commercial and industrial projects, and the smart and powerful MAX 200KTL3 HV for utility scale solar plants. So with the wide range of capacity of new series inverters, Growatt is really your one-stop solar inverter manufacturer,” said Rucas Wang, Growatt Regional Director. Built with powerful quad-core architecture, MAX has excellent performance in system
Waaree Energies, India’s largest solar module manufacturer and a leader in the EPC segment, recently announced the expansion of their module manufacturing capacity to 2 GW from 1.5 GW. With the manufacturing facility based in Gujarat, the company has now upgraded the production capacity to 5.7 MW per day. The demand for solar energy has seen an uptake in recent years with the current requirement holding strong at 25 GW. However, due to various policy driven and geo-political factors, the Indian solar manufacturing segment is equipped only to produce module equivalent to 3 GW.
protection, monitoring, one-click diagnosis and other smart functions. The 200kW MAX
Waaree aims to bridge this demand – supply gap and inch towards a viable indigenous
has 12 MPPTs and can meet the demand of flexible system design in complex scenarios.
ecosystem.
Its efficiency can reach up to 99% and produce higher yields for investments.
Sunil Rathi, Director Sales & Marketing, Waaree Energies Ltd says, “Waaree Energies
Visitors also showed great interest in commercial and industrial inverter MAC. This newly
continues to be the premier solar power manufacturer helping in the solar transformation
launched inverter has 3 MPPTs that would fit commercial and industrial rooftop solar
in India, and therefore is always exploring new opportunities to boost its capabilities to
plants. It has a compact design and it’s lighter compared with other C&I inverters. Its OLED display and touch button make it more appealing to end users, providing better experience. Looking forward, Wang is confident and optimistic, “We have a wide range of inverter offerings and brand new up-to-date inverters have been introduced into India. In
make solar power accessible to all. We have already supplied over 2.5 GW of solar panels till date, and commissioned over 600 MW of solar EPC projects in India.” “With the recent expansion touching 2 GW, we foresee creating jobs in the surrounding villages, largely employing the blue-collar workforce,’’ he added
addition, we have a big team in India. By far we have over 15 local service engineers with
Located across 300+ locations in India, through its offices as well as franchises, and
support from senior service engineers from headquarters in Shenzhen, and thus our
68 countries globally, the company has maintained its position as Tier 1 module
service capability has been significantly improved. With such a strong foundation, in the
manufacturer for the last three years. Waaree Energies is planning to further expand its
near future we are looking for exponential growth in India!”
footprint with 1000 franchises by the end of 2020.
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SolarQuarter Quarter••September September2019 2019 39 Solar
4th Annual ASEAN Solar + Energy Storage Congress & Expo 2019 has made its name as the largest congress focusing on solar and energy storage market in ASEAN region.
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