Smart Energy March-April 2019

SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Volume VI, Issue II

Pages 60

`5/-

ISSN 2348-5027

Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

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April 26- 27, 2019 Hitex, Hyderabad, India.

April 04-05, 2019 BEC, Mumbai, India.

48

An Uneasy Relation Between DISCOMs and Rooftop Solar: Issues, Solutions and Way Forward

30

Growth Factors for Solar Tracker Market

46

Solar for Healthcare

PRODUCT UPDATES TRINAHOME, HITACHI, REC, SUNGROW, KACO, STEAG, REFOCUS INSTRUMENTS

visit www.supersmartenergy.com for latest updates

SmartEnergy Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

Editor Santosh Khadtare

Words from the

Editor

santosh@supersmartenergy.com

Associate Editor Anisha Ganguli EDITORIAL ADVISER Pragya Sharma Editorial Coordinator Varsha

Graphic Designer D. Vaidya Advertising & Marketing Head- Marketing & Business Development Sapna K sapna.smartenergy@gmail.com

Chief Executive Officer Rahul Raj Chandra Support Team Sunil Pawar Bharti Shetty

Disclaimer All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy and information in this magazine, opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the vies of the owner/ publisher and the editorial team. Genesis Info-Media shall not be liable for any consequences in the event such claims are found- not to be true Printed, published and edited by Santosh Khadtare on behalf of Genesis Info-Media, published at 509, Pushp Plaza, above Snehanjali Showroom, Manvelpada Road, Virar Dist Thane and printed at M B Graphics, B 28, 3rd Floor Shri Ram Industrial Estate,Wadala West, Mumbai.

4 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

India’s cumulative installed solar capacity has touched 28 GW, split between 24.2 GW of utility scale projects and 3.85 GW of PV rooftops.

By all measures it has been a spectacular decade for Indian solar starting 2009. During the past decade, capacities have soared and costs have plunged. In the 2009-2010 financial year, the cost of developing a solar project was Rs.17 crore/MW, and the current figure stands at roughly Rs. 4 crore/MW. According to the MNRE, the price of solar electricity has also seen a sharp decline over the decade - from Rs.11.80-17.91/kWh in 2015 to around Rs3/kWh mark. Globally, India ranks fifth for solar capacity and half of the world’s largest, under construction solar parks are based in the country.

Although, India has made great strides there are still challenges likesafeguard duty on SEZ based manufacturers, lack of clarity on GST, BIS standards, power evacuation issues and delays in getting solar parks ready, that have to be considered and actively solved to help the country in winning its place as a leading solar country.

There is continuous solar importing, lack of green energy distribution to the grid, drop in solar tariff, cancelation of projects that are limiting Indian solar growth each year. However, the recent policy deviations have made things even more challenging for Indian solar sector.

As global PV growth shows, there are new opportunities on technology, project, energy storage, and overall market growth in the PV market.

However, for India to utilize this scenario, alignment on policies is needed.

With global PV growth scenario, the opportunity is rising for developing countries to solarize their country, saving billions on importing million tonnes (MT) of crude oil. However, to realize the potential, India must focus on domestic capacity enhancement in this scenario and re-align policy in favor of solar growth. There is plenty of skepticism about whether India will achieve its 2022 target of 100 GW of solar capacity. However, if a jump from 9 MW to 28 GW is possible in 10 years, the PV dream might not be impossible.

Santosh K Editor santosh.smartenergy@gmail.com

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Content

28 EXPERT INSIGHT A.V Ramesh Director, Sri Savitr Solar Private Limited

38. COVER STORY 44

Trending: New Solar Panels and Panel Technologies

IN CONVERSATION Prakash R Soni Chairman & Managing Director, Sai Cabtech P. Limited

30. MARKETS & TRENDS Growth Factors for Solar Tracker Market Authored By:Niketan Arawade, Research Analyst, Adroit Market Research

34. WIND ENERGY Turning under-performer wind turbines into optimal performers Authored By: Ramesh Mistry & Manjul Pandey, Acoem Group

46. CORPORATE WORLD Solar for Healthcare Contributed By: SolarMaxx

52. ENERGY STORAGE Importance of Battery Management System(BMS) in LiFePO4 Battery Authored By: Shridhar Pandey, Managing Director, Elecorev Energy

53. SOLAR THERMAL HTVT Industrial Solar Thermal Collector Contributed By: Kontact Engineers

54. CURTAIN RAISER Intersolar India West

48. ROOFTOP SOLAR An Uneasy Relation Between DISCOMs and Rooftop Solar: Issues, Solutions and Way Forward Authored By: K.P.Dhawad, VP (Tech & Training), REEPA

57. EVENTS WATCH 58. ADVERTISERS INDEX

6 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

REGULARS 08. News & Views 18. To the Point 20. Products & Services Trinahome, Hitachi, REC, Sungrow, KACO, STEAG, Halo Energy, Refocus Instruments

 www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views

Tata Power Collaborates with AES and Mitsubishi Corporation to Power Up South Asia’s Largest Grid-Scale Energy Storage System in India Tata Power, The AES Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation today inaugurated India’s first grid-scale battery-based energy storage system in Rohini, Delhi. The 10 Megawatt MW grid-connected system, owned by AES and Mitsubishi Corporation will pave the path for wider adoption of gridscale energy storage technology across India. Fluence, a marketleading supplier of energy storage technology jointly owned by Siemens and AES, supplied its state of the art Advancion Technology for the project.

Battery-based energy storage enables electricity to be stored and then delivered within milliseconds, reducing instability of the electric grid and enabling more energy to be captured and delivered on demand. India has the ambitious vision of installing 225 GW of renewable energy generation by 2022. Battery-based energy storage provides the flexibility and agility to better integrate intermittent solar and wind energy resources into India’s electric grid and ensure high-quality power for consumers.

This 10 MW project is located at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd.’s (Tata Power-DDL) sub-station in Rohini, Delhi and will provide grid stabilization, better peak load management, add system flexibility, enhance reliability and protect critical facilities for 2 million consumers served by the company.

Fast-ramping energy storage like the Delhi system can be built in a matter of months to provide critical flexibility to wherever needed on India’s grid. In comparison, older technologies such as pumped hydroelectric energy

8 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Mr. PK Pujari, Chairman, CERC inaugurating South Asia's Largest Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at TATA Power-DDL's substation at Rohini, New Delhi today in the presence of Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & Managing Director, TATA Power, Mr. Andres Gluski, President and CEO, AES Corp, Mr. Yoji Taguchi, Chairman & MD, Mitsubishi Corporation India, Mr.TK Pandey, Principal Resident Commissioner of Odisha Government in New Delhi

storage can take years to build and are highly dependent on geographical locations. Battery-based energy storage also uses no water and produces no emissions.

“Tata Power’s collaboration with AES and Mitsubishi is one of the significant milestones in the Indian power sector,” said Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Power. “Grid-scale energy storage will pave the way for ancillary market services, power quality management, effective renewable integration and peak load management of Indian grids.”

“At Tata Power-DDL, we continually strive to integrate new technologies for strengthening our network to provide reliable and quality power supply to our consumers,” said Mr. Sanjay Banga, CEO of Tata Power-DDL. “This, India’s first grid scale battery based storage system, will address

our key challenges in the areas of peak load management, system flexibility, frequency regulation and reliability of the network.”

AES and Mitsubishi partnered together on the 10 MW system to accelerate the adoption of batterybased energy storage technology in India.

“We are honored to work alongside Tata Power, Tata Power-DDL, and AES in inaugurating this historic project,” said Mr. Tsunehiro Makabe, General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Environmental Energy Business Department. “As South Asia’s largest grid-scale energy storage system, we are confident that it will play a key role in enhancing the flexibility and reliability of India’s power grid.” 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Magenta Power, Mahindra Susten Join hands for Solar Projects in India Magenta Power, a pioneer in renewable energy solutions and EV charging infrastructure space in India announces its collaboration with “Mahindra Susten” a part of Mahindra Group and a reputed brand in sustainable infrastructure and Renewable Energy, to provide diversified services within the renewable energy and clean tech space in India.

The partnership aims to conceptualize solutions most suitable for the Indian market requirements.

Within the framework of this collaboration, Magenta Power and Mahindra Susten (CnI division) will jointly work towards developing technological solutions and rooftop solar power installations for clean energy adoption.

“We are absolutely delighted about the prospect of working with Mahindra Susten, which is a renowned solar power solutions provider. We believe that this will add tremendous value for our customers, resulting in unmatched product quality at very competitive costs. Overall, our association with the leading technology providers, reinforces our positioning in the Indian Solar Space” says Mr. Maxson Lewis, Managing Director-

Magenta Power Mr. Rakesh Singh, CEO of Solar business at Mahindra Susten said “Mahindra Susten has done projects in the Kilowatt, Megawatt scale with inbuilt capacity of more than 1 Gigawatts in India & KSA. However, we believe that rooftop solar is the growth driver in India with 2.7 Gigawatt of capacity planned purely in the rooftop segment.

To drive that growth initiative, we were looking for the right partners to improve our reach and our ability to serve our customers. We are happy to partner with Magenta Power whose business spirit and passion for clean energy solutions is synchronous with that of Mahindra Susten. We are jointly working on multiple initiatives with focus on key states in India which are in the forefront of Solar initiatives in India. We are sure this partnership is going to put in overdrive the adoption of rooftop solar not only for our respective companies but for our country as a whole.”

The team is jointly working on innovative solutions including

some ‘firsts in India’, trying to solve challenges unique to the solar power space in India and more announcements can be expected from this partnership.

Magenta Power aims at pushing the limits of technology by investing in allied innovations in the near future. Very recently under the Magenta EV business unit, the brand has set up EV Charging stations at HPCL Staff Colony (Mumbai) supporting green energy. Extending the same, Magenta has also outfitted EV Corridor between Mumbai – Pune Expressway, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Mahindra Susten has more than 1.7 Gigawatts of commissioned Solar projects with another 1.5 Gigawatt capacity addition already under progress. With innovative solution like India’s first Mobile PV Testing Lab, Mahindra Susten is pushing the case for easier adoption of renewable energy 

CCEA approves 2nd phase of rooftop solar programme The government approved the second phase of grid-connected rooftop solar programme for achieving cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from such projects by 2022. The programme will be implemented with total central financial support of Rs 11,814 crore, an official release said.

The Phase-II Programme Central Financial Assistance for the residential sector has been restructured with availability of 40 per

cent support for rooftop solar (RTS) systems up to 3 kW capacity and 20 per cent for RTS system capacity beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW. For Group Housing Societies/Residential Welfare Associations (GHS/RAW), the assistance will be limited to 20 per cent for RTS plants for supply of power to common facilities, however, the capacity eligible for support for GHS/RAW will be limited to 10 kW per house with maximum total capacity up to 500 kWp, inclusive

of RTS put in individual houses in the GHS/RWA. The CFA under residential category will be provided for 4000 MW capacity and the same will be provided on the basis of benchmark cost or tender cost, which is lower.

The financial support will not be available for other category i.e., institutional, educational, social, government, commercial, industrial, etc 

9

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

News & Views Siemens to Purchase String Inverter Business of KACO New Energy Gmbh Siemens has announced its plans to purchase the string inverter business of the KACO new energy GmbH, for an unrevealed amount. The project development and EPC activities are not part of the procurement.

The closing of the deal is subject to governing sanction and estimated in the first half of 2019.

KACO new energy has been managed since 1999 by Ralf Hofmann as executive manager. Since the end of 2016, the Mulfingenbased entrepreneur Gerhard Sturm joined as another associate. "With Siemens we are happy to have found a buyer where we see our technological know-how in good hands. Embedded in a strong corporate group, KACO new energy is well prepared for the challenges of the coming years”, say Ralf Hofmann, executive manager of KACO new energy, as well as Ralf Sturm

and Dr. Marc-Olaf Grumann, executive managers of the Sturm Family Office.

“With this acquisition, Siemens gains access to the latest technology, while KACO new energy will benefit from the resources required to scale up. Together, we will be able to apply the technology in exciting growth segments”, explains Cedrik Neike, Managing Board Member of Siemens AG. Distributed energy, renewable energy sources and eMobility are playing an increasingly important role in the energy value chain, requiring increasing intelligence via an open and flexible ecosystem of technology, solutions and services. Siemens is supporting its customers and the society in reaching their ambitious goals for climate protection. With the complementary power electronics portfolio of KACO new energy,

Siemens is strengthening its technological leadership in the high-growth fields of decentralized energy systems and is providing corresponding benefits to customers.

Jean-Christoph Heyne, Head of Siemens’ new Future Grids business, adds: “Siemens is in a strong position to succeed in technology that supports the energy and mobility transition.

The acquisition of KACO new energy enhances our portfolio in attractive growth segments at the grid edge. Our new Smart Infrastructure Operating Company comes into operation on April 1, 2019 where our strengths in electrification and buildings will enable us to thrive in the market and continue to expand in the areas of decentral energy, renewables, storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.” 

Sungrow crosses 3 GW of PV inverter sales in India, eyes 5 GW by 2020 The Chinese solar PV inverter manufacturer expects to touch 3.5-3.6 GW of sales by March 2019 in the country. Expanding its lineup, it plans to launch inverters for residential sector too in the second half of the current year.

On the occasion to mark this feat, Yukun Hu, director, Sungrow India said that “the company aims to make India an export hub for its international business,” catering primarily to the US and the Middle East market.

Sharing further plans for the Indian market, Sunil Badesra, head-business, Sungrow India said: “By March 2019, we will touch PV inverter sales to the tune of 3.5-3.6 GW in India. Going further, we have even bigger plans for

the country, and we aim to ship 5 GW by March 2020—which means addition of 2 GW in two years.”

Currently, India contributes around 8-9 per cent of Sungrow’s global inverter sales. Of the 17 GW of Sungrow inverters sold globally last year, 1.5 GW were supplied in India.

Expanding its lineup in India, “Sungrow plans to launch inverters for residential sector too by the second half of the current year,” added Badesra. Right now, the company offers inverters starting from 10 KW and above in India.

As India becomes a core target in the PV market, last year Sungrow

10 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

established its first non-domestic fab in India to provide customers with timely, high-quality, and localized services. With this, Sungrow aims to lead the way of integrated solar solutions in India.

The 3 GW central and string inverter factory in Bengaluru, Karnataka caters to local as well as international demand   www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views JinkoSolar Refutes Allegations Made by Hanwa Q Cells JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., a reputable solar module manufacture in the world, announced that according to media reports, Hanwha Q Cells this week filed actions against Jinko in the US ITC, US District Court of Delaware, and Germany’s regional Düsseldorf court. The actions follow the rapid growth of solar energy in the US and German markets where Jinko has been successful.

Based on Jinko’s preliminary analysis of Hanwha’s complaints and the asserted patents, the Company believes that the complaints are without technical or legal merit. Jinko, therefore, categorically refutes Hanwha’s allegations.

Jinko is working closely with its legal counsel and technical advisors to vigorously defend against the claims made by Hanwha. The company is considering all legal avenues availa-

What are Hanwha Q CELLS Allegations Hanwha Q CELLS filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against JinkoSolar, LONGi Solar, and REC Group. The company also filed related patent infringement complaints with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against the same companies. In Germany, Hanwha Q CELLS filed patent infringement complaints with the Regional Court of Düsseldorf against JinkoSolar and REC Group.

The ITC complaint alleges that the three solar manufacturers are importing and selling solar cells and modules that infringe Hanwha Q CELLS’s patented passivation technology. Hanwha says that the companies have unlawfully incorporated this technology into the solar cells that they are using in their modules  ble, including petitioning for the invalidity of Hanwha’s alleged patents. Jinko looks forward to prevailing in court. Jinko fully respects intellectual property rights and encourages healthy competition, but it will take legal action to defend itself, its clients, and its partners.

Jinko does not expect any disruption to its normal opera-

tions arising from this matter.

JinkoSolar has been allocating substantial resources to R&D over many years, and has broken world records for cell efficiency. Jinko will strive to maintain its market leadership in solar module supply to the US and EU markets, providing its customers with high quality products and timely delivery 

Tata Power-DDL ties up with European firms for a smart grid pilot in Delhi Tata Power-DDL joined hands with European firms Enedis, Schneider Electric, Odit-e and VaasaETT to implement a 1-megawatt smart grid demonstration project in the national capital, which would be insulated from any blackout in the main grid.

This microgrid will cater to a specific area which could be connected to main grid or can be at an isolated place. It will help store and supply renewable energy generation in the area and insulate the area from any outage or fluctuation in the main grid.

The project is planned to start in May this year and is expected to be completed by October 2022.

"In common parlance, this microgrid is in a way islanding of spe-

cific area for power supply. After the grid failure in 2012, the government has been working on the islanding project for Delhi.

"However, this demonstrative project would be for specific area covering around 1000 households," Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (Tata Power-DDL) Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Kumar Banga said in a press release.

The project would either be implemented in Civil Lines or Pitampura in Delhi, the statement further added. "This (the project) is basically to harness renewable

12 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

sources."

The release further mentioned that the project would lead to maximisation of local consumption of renewable energy and support demand-side management through islanding capability of microgrid 

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News & Views Solar energy developers sentiment low, capacity addition slows down: CRISIL Report Inconsistent government actions cast a shadow over solar energy developers' sentiment and slowed down capacity addition momentum, according to a report by CRISIL Research.

India has set an ambitious target of having 175 GW of renewables including 100 GW of solar energy by 2022.

The outlook for solar energy development in the country is constrained as capacity additions get delayed, CRISIL Research said in a statement.

CRISIL Research expects solar power capacity additions of 48-50 GW between fiscals 2019 and 2023.

However, it said that developer sentiment has been negatively impacted by the lack of clarity on several policy issues and arbitrary bid cancellations, which is contrary to a supportive policy stance from the government.

Over fiscals 2017 to 2019, while

previously tendered capacities continued to be commissioned apace, certain risks to future project implementation manifested.

There were frequent bid cancellations, lack of clarity on GST procedures, and cost pressure from the imposition of the safeguard duty on imported cells/modules, it said.

While the GST (good and services tax) clarity was lacking for over a year with a final decision taken in December by the GST council, it ended with an increase in taxation compared to what was expected by the industry.

Similarly, the safeguard duty has turned out to be a double whammy of sorts, impacting costs of solar power projects and not resulting in any significant off take for the domestic manufacturing sector, the report said.

This was coupled by the cancellation of bids post auctions as state utilities / SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) found tariffs

to be higher than expectations.

Close to 4.7 GW was cancelled in such a manner over March December 2018.

In such a scenario, CRISIL Research's outlook factors in the prevailing market dynamics, where regulatory/policy support is itself emerging as a key risk.

The renewable energy domain is highly dependent on policy support and any uncertainty on that front can have strong negative consequences.

It stated that considering the current regulatory haze, the outlook has been revised downward. The CRISIL Research continued to monitor the same and remain aware of a possibility of upsides to our call, once regulatory risk is mitigated to an extent.

Further, it stated that adequate land availability, timely implementation of grid infrastructure, and the ability of players to raise low-cost funds will also be crucial enablers ■

6 GW Tender Plans Announced According to SECI website, the agency has issued notices for tender relating to more than 6 GW of projects within a period of 5 days. The flurry of procurement exercises – which have also occurred just a couple of months shy of national elections – related to floating solar and hybrid plants, grid-connected and inter-state transmission system-tied (ISTS) projects.

Following are the tenders as announced on the SECI Website: ii 1 GW of grid-connected PV in India’s northeastern states; ii 1.2 GW of wind and solar hybrid schemes; ii 1.2 GW of ISTS-connected solar projects;

ii 1.2 GW of ISTS projects alongside 3.6 GWh of storage; ii 14 MW of solar plant capacity with 42 MWh storage – split evenly between the Leh and Kargil districts; ii 750 MW of grid-connected solar in Rajasthan; ii 500 MW of grid-connected projects in Tamil Nadu; ii 150 MW of floating solar in Jharkand; and ii 250 MW of floating solar in Tamil Nadu.

As of Dec 2018 India’s cumulative installed solar capacity stood at 28.05 GW, with 17.65 GW of projects under implementation.

Going by the past experience tenders in themselvesmay not

14 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

guarantee delivery of the capacity sought. Last year, SECI’s procurement was marred by a lukewarm response and auction postponements and cancellations due to the high resulting power tariffs.

The agency’s hugely hyped 10 GW manufacturing-linked tender was postponed six times and finally attracted only one bidder; the country’s first wind-solar hybrid auction prompted only two bids, with 360 MW of the desired 1.2 GW of capacity having no takers at all.

Ratings agencies have voiced doubt about India’s ability to meet its ambitious 100 GW solar-175 GW renewable energy target 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views Slowdown, Safeguard Duty causes drop of 37% in solar panel imports in 2018 The Indian solar power sector imported solar modules and cells totalling nearly $2.59 billion (around Rs 184.57 billion) in 2018, a 37 per cent decline from the $4.12 billion (Rs 269 billion) recorded during the preceding year, mainly due to demand slowdown and imposition of safeguard duty.

“The slowdown in demand and the 25 per cent safeguard duty

have contributed to a reduction of solar cell and module imports in 2018. It is unclear how long this trend will last,” said Raj Prabhu, Chiefs Executive Officer (CEO) of consultancy firm Mercom.

Exports of solar cells and modules from India also slumped 19 per cent to $106.89 million (Rs 7.61 billion) last calendar year as compared to exports of $132.29 million (Rs 8.6 billion) in 2017, latest

SECI Elected as Renewable Energy Implementing Agency of India The Solar Energy Corporation of India has announced that with the sanction of the Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh, has been elected as the Renewable Energy Implementing Agency of India.

“With reference to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grant of Connectivity, Long-term Access and Medium-term Open Access in inter-State Transmission and related matters) (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2019, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is hereby designated as Renewable Energy Implementing Agency so as to facilitate the application of connectivity and L TA in ISTS network,” the official directive specified.

Lately, The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has released a

Notice Inviting Tenders (NIT) for setting up of 20 MW floating solar PV power plants with associated 60 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Lakshadweep.

SECI has also released a tender inviting bids for setting up of 1200 MW ISTS Connected Wind Power Projects (Tranche-VII) on a pan India basis. After it’s Tranche-VI Wind Energy Tender, for 1.2 GW, saw a total of nine developers make bids totaling 2325 MW for the 1200 MW tender.

SECI is also undertaking a fresh programme ROPE (Recycle of Old Paper for Education) – an environment friendly initiative to collect & donate used paper, so that it can be recycled into books and donated to underprivileged children across the nation 

India Jumps to 2nd Among Top RE Leaders India ranks second only to Chile among emerging economies to lead the transition to clean energy, according to a 2018 Climatescope report by energy researcher BloombergNEF. The ranking may not say very much on its own, but the jump from the fifth to the second spot on the list comes after dedicated efforts to increase the money spent, the number of clean energy installations around the country and playing host to the largest renewables auction market.

16 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

trade data shows.

In the calendar year 2017, the Indian solar power sector had imported modules and cells totalling $4.12 billion (Rs 269 billion), a 43 per cent increase from $2.88 billion (Rs 194 billion) recorded during the previous year.

Solar exports from India also grew in 2017 as cells and modules worth $132.29 million (Rs 8.6 billion) were exported, registering a growth of 16 per cent from 2016 when exports amounted to $114.3 million (Rs 7.7 billion), according to Mercom 

Vikram Solar commissions 200 MW solar power project for APGENCO Solar module manufacturer and EPC company Vikram Solar tannounced it has commissioned a 200 Megawatt (Mw) solar power project for Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO). The project, located in Anatapuramu district, is divided into 2 blocks of 100 Mw capacity each and is spread over 1,000 acres of land. The commissioning of the project involved dealing with multiple engineering hurdles including excavation of boulders and non-availability of natural earth material for back filling, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO)-EPC Kuldeep Jain said.

“On the other hand, confusion surrounding GST rate applicability impacted cash flows, and implementation of Safeguard delayed delivery of modules,” Jain added.

Under the contract, Vikram Solar will also carry out Operation and Maintenance of the plant for 5 years 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Inox Wind Licenses AMSC’s 3 MW Class Wind Turbine Design AMSC, a global energy solutions provider serving wind and power grid industry leaders, announced that it entered into an exclusive license agreement for a 3 megawatt (MW) class wind turbine design in India with Inox Wind Limited (Inox).

“Inox was among the first manufacturers to produce 2 MW turbines locally, in volume, and quickly established a leadership position in the market based on performance and cost,” said Devansh Jain, director of Inox Wind Limited.

Under the terms of the license agreement, AMSC and Inox have agreed that AMSC will be the exclusive supplier of electric control systems (ECS) for Inox’s 3 MW class wind turbine. The terms and conditions of the ECS will be set forth in a separate ECS supply agreement between the parties.

“Leveraging our vertical approach, which combines bestin-class manufacturing with project development, the production of larger, more efficient 3 MW class turbines will give us the means to augment our market leadership. We remain committed to helping India bridge its power gap with high-perfor-

Siemens Financial Services (SFS), the financing arm of Siemens AG, announced an equity investment in Greenko Group’s 200-MW Poovani Wind Power project being developed in Tamil Nadu and is backed by Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI).

According to the agreement signed between the companies, SFS has agreed to take a 46 per cent equity stake in the 200-MW wind power project. The project involves installation of 100 units of wind turbines manufactured

by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

Added Daniel P. McGahn, Chairman, President and CEO of AMSC, “This license agreement opens up the next chapter in our collaboration with Inox. Our 3MW turbine design extends Inox’s product line of 2 MW turbines to include 3 MW class turbines and enables the possibility of market expansion. We believe this will place Inox in a strategically competitive position.”

AMSC’s 3MW class wind turbine design is required to be certified as having a 3 MW power rating (according to GL2010 onshore guidelines). AMSC’s 3MW class wind turbine may operate up to 3.3 MW under certain grid conditions and certain ambient temperature conditions ■

Siemens Financial Services picks up 46% stake in Poovani wind power project According to Steffen Grosse, Chief Financial Officer of Energy Finance, SFS, the transaction with Greenko Group marks SFS’s first equity investment in the renewable space in Asia as well as further underscores the company’s commitment to bringing optimal energy solutions to India backed by Siemens Gamesa’s technology.

“Attracting an equity investment

Ajeet Agarwal is the new Chairman and Managing Director of REC State-owned power sector financier Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) announced that the government has assigned additional charge of the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company to Ajeet Agarwal with effect from March 6, 2019. He will replace

mance wind turbines.”

P V Ramesh who was appointed as the Director General of the National Archives of India earlier this month.

Agarwal has been the DirectorFinance of the company since August 2012. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Char-

from Siemens Financial Services demonstrates the evolution of the Indian energy market with inter-state transmission of renewable energy, confidence of international financial institutions on project and technical capabilities and the necessary regulatory frameworks to further support growth,” Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty, Chief Executive Officer and MD of Greenko Group, said ■ tered Accountants of India (ICAI) with 35-years of experience in Public Sector Undertakings. He is responsible for formulating financial strategies at REC. “He looks after financial management and operations of the organization including financial planning, formulation of financial policy, mobilization and management of resources,” the company said in a statement 

17

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

To the Point NATIONAL Large hydro projects get ‘renewable energy’ status The Union Cabinet approved a new hydroelectric policy aimed at boosting the sector, including according large hydro projects the status of renewable energy projects. According to the new policy, large hydro projects will also be designated as renewable energy projects. So far, only smaller projects of less than 25 MW in capacity were categorised as renewable energy.

Gujarat announces separate policy for Solar Projects up to 4 MW According to the policy, private landowners who have waste and non-productive land will be able to set up solar power projects with a capacity between 500 kilo watts to 4 MW. This generated power will be purchased by power companies such as state-owned Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL). The power produced will be directly fed into the 11 KW line of Gujarat Energy Transmission Company Limited (GETCO).

SunSource Energy to develop 70 MW open access solar power project in UP SunSource Energy, a Noida-based distributed solar energy company, announced it will develop a 70 Megawatt (MW) solar power project under open access scheme in Uttar Pradesh. The power generated by this project will be sold through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to commercial and industrial customers.

"Once commissioned, it will be one of the largest open access solar power projects in Uttar Pradesh and will offset over 85,000 tons of carbon emissions every year," the company said in a statement.

CleanMax Solar installs 736-KW rooftop solar power plant in Mandoli Jail Mumbai-based solar power developer CleanMax Solar announced that it has installed a rooftop solar power plant with a capacity of 736 kilowatt (KW) in Mandoli Jail. The project is part of the company's 2.5-megawatt contract with Delhi government’s power generation arm Indraprastha Power Generation.

Fortum to build a 250-MW solar power plant in Rajasthan, India Fortum has won the right from Solar Energy Corporation of India to build a 250-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Rajasthan, India. Commissioning of the plant is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. The solar park will be entitled to a fixed tariff of 2.48 INR/ kWh for 25 years.

Urja Global to make electric cars and Lithium-ion batteries in Andhra Pradesh New Delhi based Urja Global has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Andhra Pradesh for development of an integrated plant for electric vehicles and Lithium-ion batteries including skilling in the state. The plant will be set up at an investment of Rs 200 crore.

APM Terminals offers logistics for solar energy in India’s hinterland APM Terminals’ (APMT) Inland Services has started to help set up solar power plants in deep pockets of India by offering end-to-end solutions for major solar projects.

The company’s solutions include receiving cargo at the sea-port, facilitating customs inspection and clearance, multi-modal transportation to reach isolated areas and destuffing at the site.

18 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Ajit Venkataraman, managing director of APMT Inland Services South Asia, said: “We realised that the solar sector needed a trusted logistics partner capable of understanding and addressing business complexities.

Adani starts solar panel retailing in Rajasthan The Adani Group's solar manufacturing arm has ventured into the retail business of solar panels in the state through channel partner Ahinsa Solar. Chief marketing officer of Adani Solar, Prashant Mathur, said the company plans to collaborate with a channel partner for every state to expand its retail footprint across the country.

Thyssenkrupp inks pact with Babcock & Wilcox for renewable energy tech Thyssenkrupp Industries India announced its pact with Babcock & Wilcox for renewable energy technology for India and neighbouring countries that would help reduce pollution. The agreement has been signed for B&W Enterprises Inc's water¬cooled vibrating grate technology for biomass boilers for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan, thyssenkrupp Industries said in a statement

Waaree Energies eyes Rs 400 cr revenue from rooftop solar in FY'20 Solar equipment maker Waaree Energies said it is eyeing Rs 400 crore turnover from rooftop solar in the next financial year. The company plans to add 100 MW of rooftop solar in 2019-20, it said in a statement. With a significant investment in the segment, the company is present through both CAPEX & OPEX models, Waaree Energies said ■

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Products & Services

TrinaHome- Your premium solar roof TrinaHome is India’s first ‘all-inone’ solar residential solution. The kit includes all the required solar rooftop components – modules, inverter, grid box and mounting system – and is backed by Trina Solar warranties, including a 25-year module performance warranty.

ii O n e - S t o p service, product selection+ installation + service

It is available in variations of 3 kW, 5 kW and 10 kW, with different mounting systems for different roof-types, and also has a dedicated app through which customers can monitor power generation.

Premium Components:

Features: ii Fully integrated, all in one PV solution kit ii Energy independence and electricity bill saving for house owner ii Stringent quality control process ii Higher system reliability with professional engineering and technical support ii I n d u s t r i a l standard certi¬fications for components

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ii Easy to Install Design

Hitachi's Presence in Indian Solar Domain The government of India recognizes the need of sustainable, ecofriendly and innovative recyclable

resource based energy solution and with nearly 300 sunny days in India, the government through

National Solar Mission is mobilizing infrastructure to create 100 Giga Watts of solar electricity generation capacity by 2022.

Hitachi Solar Inverter is a potent example, which being at the heart of Solar power generating system is bringing Social Innovation in the Indian power sector by providing the critical technological link which enabled conversion of DC to AC to help solar power distribute through the national grid.

Thus, promoting clean, renewable energy and reducing the dependency on polluting fossil fuel based power generation.

With over 3 GW installation base

20 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

 www.supersmartenergy.com

in India, Hitachi Grid Tied Solar Inverters are among the best available Grid Tied Solar Inverters which are high performance inverters, highly advanced & reliable, highly efficient, easy to install, safe, helping you achieve better ROI with higher yields and lower maintenance cost.

manufacturing of highly efficient power electronics products

through 20+ branch offices across the country

ii Commissioned >3 GW grid tied solar inverters in India and >5GW Globally

ii State of the art manufacturing facility in India at Sanand and Gandhinagar in Gujarat,

ii Comprehensive testing facility with 100% load test

Hitachi envisions a very green future, a future where by 2020, solar power can indeed form the backbone of India’s energy security and independence and we help light up millions of lives by progressively contributing to the renewable energy vision of ‘power for all’ vision of the Indian government 

ii Successful track record of more than 25 years in designing and

ii Generating unmatched energy yield through 3 level advance PWM technology

ii Prompt availability of spares and components locally in India ii Most acclaimed service support

Sneak Peek: REC Group’s new solar panel to change the game REC Group, the largest European brand for solar panels, is going to launch a trailblazing new solar panel at Intersolar Europe. Based on a revolutionary technology, REC is set to create the world’s most powerful solar panel for rooftop customers worldwide who seek the best. Emerging from REC’s leadership in half-cut cell technology, the new panel combines heterojunction cells (HJT) with advanced connection technology from the joint development partner Meyer Burger. The new product reinforces REC’s position as the solar industry’s global technology leader and most trusted brand.

The new product comes one year after the highly sought-after REC N-Peak solar panel out of REC’s innovation labs, and only a few months after the production start of monocrystalline panels based on REC’s multiple-award-winning TwinPeak technology. The new panel will leverage REC’s strength in process innovation. REC CEO Steve O’Neil explains: “Our new flagship product will deliver significantly better power density and will fundamentally change the competitive balance between REC and Tier 1 players, opening up a big power gap far beyond what is available today.”

Ground-breaking product with industry-beating power density

Cutting-edge technologies Reflecting its philosophy of working with the best in the business

CE Compliance

– be it solar distributors, installers or innovation partners – REC’s collaboration partner for this new solar panel is Swiss PV technology leader Meyer Burger. With HJT cell technology, pioneered

by German engineering experts, REC can combine the benefits of crystalline silicon solar cells with those of thin film technologies for much higher efficiency and electricity yield. Panels can be manufactured without the higher temperatures of other methods, which simplifies the process and reduces energy consumption.

Also, on board is Meyer Burger’s evolutionary SmartWire (SWCT™) cell connection technology, which maximizes the energy yield of HJT solar modules 

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21

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Products & Services

Sungrow Reveals New 1500V Energy Storage Systems at Energy Storage Europe As a global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, Sungrow showcases multiple solutions to visitors of this year's Energy Storage Europe that took place from 12-14 March. These solutions help plant owners utilize solar energy efficiently before and even after sunset. Systems on display include the Company's latest 1500V Energy Storage Systems (ESS) as well as residential hybrid inverters and lithium battery systems.

For utility-scale applications, Sungrow displayed its latest all-in-one 1500V energy storage system ST2740KWH-2500HV-MV. This containerized solution integrates energy storage inverters, lithiumion batteries and medium-voltage transformers, which significantly saves on initial investment and upcoming O&M costs. Featuring high efficiency and allowing for system expansion, the solution is applied to frequency regulation, demand response, peak-shaving, energy arbitrage as well as renewable energy ancillary services.

Focusing on fast growing residential and Commercial & Industrial energy systems, Sungrow presents its new residential hybrid inverter SH3k6/4k6 and power conversion system SC50HV for 1500 Vdc System, which is characterized by its compact design and weight only 22kg, easy to be installed by only one person.

Meanwhile, Sungrow's battery modules E2 and M2F are proven to be another state-of-the-art solution required from the industry. As the Company continuously pushes for innovation, these solutions do not only create a higher investment payback but also an industry leading life-cycle performance. The global energy storage industry is poised for takeoff. Storage applications in the field are set to proliferate as costs continue to

decline. Currently, the market is highly concentrated in countries like the United States, Germany, England, Japan, Korea and Australia. In Germany in 2018, 90,000 commercial and household operations invested in PV battery systems. Furthermore, only 8 percent of rooftop PV systems in Germany are equipped with an ESS today by 2030 it could be well over 80 percent. Renewable energy is a fundamental and growing part of the world's ongoing energy transformation. Governments all over the world are joining that consensus.

"Storage has arrived," says James Wu, Vice President of Sungrow PV & Energy Storage Division. "Over the years, Sungrow has been maintaining an industry-leading level of sustainable growth in international markets. We will continue to work pragmatically to build the products of the future - be it in power conversion or storage." Professor Cao Renxian, Chairman of Sungrow, deputy of National People's Congress told the Xinhua News Agency reporters interview during the CPPCC & NPC Sessions, said, "China's renewable energy development has entered a new historical period ahead of schedule, but still needs the sup-

22 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

ports from government policy."

"With multiple product units in terms of high efficient PV and energy storage solutions, Sungrow will keep contributing to the application and innovation of clean energy, to accelerate PV industry towards global grid parity and deliver the harmony of environment and humanity," he added.

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd is a global leading inverter solution supplier for renewable with over 79 GW installed worldwide as of December 2018. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 22-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%.

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Solar Solutions

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Thermax Advantages ® More than 30 MW of projects contracted

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Registered Office D-13, MIDC Industrial Area, R D Aga Road, Chinchwad, Pune 411019, India enquiry@thermaxglobal.com | Customer Care: 1800-209-0115 www.thermaxglobal.com

Products & Services

KACO New Energy releases Hybrid Inverter KACO new energy is now launching its first hybrid inverter onto the market and is offering it together with the battery and mains disconnector as a system from a single source.

KACO new energy presents its hybrid inverter for the first time at the Energy Storage Europe show in Düsseldorf. With the acquisition of the storage provider Energy Depot last autumn, the German PV pioneer secured the marketready technology. The inverter is now available as blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3. It is aimed at operators of residential and small commercial solar PV systems that want to combine the advantages of solar energy with power storage.

The blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 is the control center of the solarpowered energy storage system: It provides connections for battery, PV system and public power grid. Several batteries can be connected to the hybrid inverter — even as a retrofit. In this way, it can always be adapted to the energy demand. The new hybrid inverter provides three-phase grid feeding

and compensates for fluctuations in consumption within 100 milliseconds. When it feeds electricity into the grid, it achieves an efficiency of 98%, and a high 97% when charging and discharging the batteries. In addition, the inverter has excellent partial load characteristics.

KACO new energy offers the blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 together with battery and mains disconnector as a complete package under the name blueplanet hy-store. It is the only storage system on the market that can also set up a three-phase standalone grid with a full 10 kilowatts of power. The next development stage envisages automatic island switching to enable reliable emergency power operation.

This functionality is to be imple-

update.

mented by a software

The blueplanet hybrid 10.0 TL3 has an integrated energy management system. It enables the reliable compensation of consumers and the limitation of the maximum grid feed-in. These functions can be extended with the OpenEMS developed by Fenecon GmbH. This allows various functions to be implemented for monitoring or for controlling other components 

Hybrid solar container system launched for off-grid markets The hybrid solar PV system- developed by STEAG Energy Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of STEAG Energy Services GmbH, Germanycan be quickly set up and put into operation on remote sites that have no grid or very poor grid availability.

Built on a 20-feet standard marine container, it can work as a grid-tied system where power is available and as an off-grid system where the grid is unavailable. The panels are fitted atop the container, providing it shade and helping control the temperature inside.

Around 8.5 square metres of free

24 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

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Products & Services area is available inside the container, which can be used to set up facilities (like doctor’s clinic or cold storage) that would help the community.

The container initially serves as a transport container with which the entire equipment is delivered. At the destination, it will be placed on prepared platform/blocks, earthed and equipped with PV solar modules. The system can be connected to the grid as a portable plug-and-play solution.

The integrated renewable energy system is designed to lessen the energy burden in low-income areas. It will provide stable power that will fulfil basic needs and improve living conditions of people in rural and far-flung areas in India and other developing nations.

The system has been put on display near the TERI building at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi during the ongoing World Sustainable Development Summit. It will be marketed by STEAG in association with TERI.

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI, said, “The solar-based plug and play option provides for services such as primary healthcare centres and cold storage spaces that are needed locally in remote locations.”

Speaking on the occasion, Prof.

Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, said, “The PV container solution, as developed

by STEAG, is a proven template of innovative products being derived from joint know-how and competence, both from North Rhine-Westphalia and India. It would be my desire that further entrepreneurs from North RhineWestphalia would take the chance that the Indian market is offering them.”

Joachim Rumstadt, CEO, STEAG GmbH said, “The system is a perfect example of German engineering experience realised in India for countries needing these solutions, including India and African countries. STEAG has been present in India for 18 years and has been offering high-end engineering technology expertise for engineering consultancy assignments and for carrying out comprehensive operation and maintenance of a variety of power plants and also providing innovative software solutions.” 

Halo Energy Begins Manufacturing Shrouded Micro Wind Turbines Halo Energy, LLC, a micro wind turbine manufacturer, is now in production of its innovative, highefficiency shrouded wind turbines, with their first 10 commercial units scheduled for delivery in Q2 2019.

The HALO-6.0 turbine, designed to address the energy requirements of the expanding off-grid telecom tower market worldwide, has a rated capacity of 6 kW and is among the most efficient micro wind solutions in production.

"The HALO-6.0 can generate twice as much energy as any similarsized conventional, open-bladed wind turbine, while reducing diesel-fuel consumption and providing reliable, low-cost renewable electricity," said Halo Energy co-founder and CEO Vincent Loccisano.

The first commercial unit will be delivered to an Alaskan telecommunications company, whose growing network of remote cell

towers and desire to eliminate dependency on diesel generators align perfectly with the Halo Energy turbine.

Turbine performance has been validated using data collected in 2018 from Halo Energy's test wind turbine inMassachusetts.

"From an efficiency perspective,

26 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

our innovative shroud design outperforms anything we've seen on the market. The size, weight, and price make this an ideal solution for the telecom industry, particularly given the ease of installation and ability to mount directly onto existing cell towers," added Loccisano.

Derived from jet engine technol www.supersmartenergy.com

ogy, Halo Energy's proprietary design utilizes two closely-coupled, convex shrouds that encircle the turbine blades. The turbine acts as a passive pump, pulling air over the blades.

The HALO-6.0 wind turbine: ii 3.7-meter (12-foot) shroud diameter ii 6 kW rated capacity ii mounts directly to telecommunications towers – no cranes, no additional leased lands, no geotechnical studies, no separate towers or foundations

ii tower loading is similar to that of a 1.5-meter microwave antenna ii fewer turbine components increases turbine reliability, serviceability and lifespan ii contains only two moving parts ii blade pitch (angle) is fixed; turbine passively aligns itself into the prevailing wind without the need for complex subsystems ii manufactured from fiberglass and galvanized steel, both readily available ii designed to integrate seamlessly with solar energy and battery storage solutions

Halo Energy is in discussions with hybrid energy providers in Australia, Canada, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia who bundle solar energy, wind energy and battery storage for their telecommunications customers.

Halo Energy is in discussions with hybrid energy providers in Australia, Canada, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia who bundle solar energy, wind energy and battery storage for their telecommunications customers 

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27

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Expert Insight

 A.V Ramesh

Director, Sri Savitr Solar Private Limited

"Quality, Trust and Commitment have been our core beliefs, values and priorities over the years"

Q

.Savitr Solar is primarily a leading brand of solar panel manufacturer, how has the company evolved over since 2011? What are its core beliefs, values and priorities?

Since its establishment in 2011, Sri Savitr Solar Private Limited has been focusing on increasing its market footprint. With the humble beginning of about 10 MW, the company has been growing at an exponential proportion and has increased its capacity in leaps and bounds. Currently with our established capacity of 250 MW, we are able to cater to both domestic as well as international markets for their demand of solar panels (Mono as well as Poly) from 3 wp to 350 Wp.

Speaking of the company’s evolution, after we have established a foot hold in the panel market, since the year 2016, we have been aggressively pursuing EPC projects and have built a portfolio of about 10 MW till now and are constantly pursuing to increase the same in the coming years.

Quality, Trust and Commitment have been our core beliefs, values and priorities over the years. The firm belief that unless we give a quality product, we will not be able to gain the trust of the market is etched very much in the organizational objectives and it is followed to the T.

28 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Q

.In addition to solar panels what are the other products and solutions that Savitr Solar offers?

As I mentioned earlier, though the primary business of Sri Savitr Solar is the manufacture of solar panels, since the last couple of years we have ventured into EPC and are steadying that vertical as well. Apart from that we are also into provision of Street Lights, Water Pumping solutions, Water Heating Solutions and are willing to work with anyone with specific solar needs.

Among products we have supported our customers in designing and producing panels for their specific small appliance

 www.supersmartenergy.com

requirements.

Solar Kits have been something that we have been doing since 2017. Through this vertical, we are able to offer off-Grid and On-Grid Solar power packs ranging from 1 Kwp to 8 Kwp ( and other ranges if needed) to cater to the growing market for these products.

Q

.From the range of products and services that you offer, what are the products and services that are contributing to the current and the future growth of the company?

From what is seen as of now, the future seems to be in EPC and in the Solar power packs. With the boost that the government/s is providing towards solarization of the energy requirements, we think that this provides a good opportunity to penetrate further into the markets. This would be in turn pushing the requirements for solar panels and hopefully the trend would be upward.

Q

.Tell us more about Savitr Solar’s manufacturing facility? Current installed capacity and future growth plans?

As I mentioned earlier, we have an installed capacity of 250 MW. It has been a progressive growth in capacity over the years and we have been trying to balance investment to market trends.

Among the grand plan of things, there is a plan to extend our existing capacity by another 80-100% by the end of 2019. Come 2020, we intend to set up another 150 MW plant in Andhra Pradesh, the negotiations of which are underway as we speak.

Q

.How does Savitr Solar keep pace with the evolving market demands in terms of new products and technology?

In the volatile solar market, it has become very important that every player keeps pace with the changes in the products and tech-

nology. We at Savitr Solar are doing the same. Our In house R&D team is continuously engaged in looking at product improvements, exploring new components, testing new ideas and ensuring that what we produce is market relevant.

Right now among others, we are looking at perfecting our brand of glass-on-glass panels as a good majority of our customers have requested us to foray into that space to meet their requirements.

Q

.Your views on the, current state of solar manufacturing industry in India, the steps taken by the government to promote the industry and make it competitive? What more needs to be done?

While we certainly appreciate the efforts that the Government of India is doing towards increasing the quantum of solar power in India, there certainly is a lot that could probably done further to help the manufacturers.

Providing incentives, tax relief, enhanced export benefits are some of the ideas that could probably help in this direction. Indian exporters are not getting as much of incentive compared to the competition, which places us at a disadvantage in trying to spread the wings of Indian industry on the global front.

Q

.What according to you were the reasons for lukewarm response to manufacturinglinked tenders in India? Your views on the safeguard duties on modules and EVA sheets?

Well it is pretty obvious as to why the response is lukewarm isn’t it. Maybe it is because it is not encouraging the industry to the extent expected. That is because though the prices have gone up by 25% because of the SGD, there has not been a proportionate increase in the selling price. Also our global competitors are still trying to ship in their products and seem to be able to absorb the impact of SGD

as well. Thus the very purpose of imposing the SGD does not seem to be achieved.

Secondly, the duty should be on the panels alone and not on the panels and cells. This is because there is not enough quality manufacturing facilities within India to meet the cell requirements of all the manufacturers. But having the HSN code common to both the products it has become inevitable that what impacts one impacts the other as well.

If there is some way that this issue can be resolved that would be great news for the industry as well as the customers.

Q

.What differentiates Savitr solar from its competitors? What is your strategy in regards to offering best value to customer for the price, compared to similar offerings from competitors?

As I had earlier mentioned, we are not a fly by night company.

We are here to stay and in order to stay we need to prove that we are dependable and provide a good quality product. Hence we offer our customers a product that makes them ask for more.

We always mention to our customers that we may not be the most economical in the market, but the quality that they get for our product would make them convinced that they put their money in the right direction.

Q

.How would you define success for Savitr Solar and what do you want the company to accomplish in the next couple of years?

Our success is not defined just by what we have done or what we do but about what our customers do and achieve. Our philosophy of grow and let grow has in the past helped us gain the confidence of our customers and the market and we would like to continue going by that norm going forward as well 

29

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Markets Rooftop& Trends Solar

GROWTH FACTORS FOR

SOLAR TRACKER MARKET Authored By: Niketan Arawade Research Analyst, Adroit Market Research

G

lobal energy demand is experiencing consistent growth since last few years, registering a growth rate of 2.3% in 2017, almost double than the previous year. This surge in energy demand was primarily driven by Asian countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. The huge added demand was met by fossil fuels, followed by renewable energy sources which contributed around 25% of the added energy requirement. In the year 2017, the growth in renewable energy production was around 40% than the previous year, which accounted for 25% of the global electricity generation.

This unprecedented growth is primarily driven by newly developed generation capacities specifically in the solar and wind-based generation in Asian countries such as China, India, and Japan. The falling cost of solar and wind power

generation tech, ambitious climate conservation policies and the rising need for energy in such countries is driving the growth for renewable energy generation.

Since the invention of the first working solar or photovoltaic cell in 1954 by Bell laboratories, there have been significant innovations in solar technology till the date.

The solar cells are highly energy efficient now and less costly compared to earlier versions. The cost of overall solar technology is getting lower and the prices are continuously falling as the production and demand increases.

For instance, solar panels cost around USD 0.5 per watt in 2018 compared to USD 100 per watt in 1975. Such consistent innovations, price drops, increasing demand for clean energy have led to heavy installations of solar power systems across the world.

30 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

The solar power system com-

prised of multiple components such as PV cells, inverters, batteries, and panel holding equipment among others. Earlier, the solar panels were fixed, primarily used for residential and smallscale commercial applications.

However, with the establishment of utility-scale commercial solar plants, to ensure high efficiency and energy output there was a requirement of solar systems which are able to collect solar energy throughout the day. Hence, the solar trackers were introduced. Since then, Solar Trackers are widely used to keeping solar panels oriented directly towards the sun as it moves through the sky. Nowadays solar trackers are becoming an essential part of solar power plants and its adoption has exponentially increased since 2010. In 2017, more than 80% of new utility-scale solar projects used solar tracking systems to optimize the performance of

ďƒœ www.supersmartenergy.com

solar panels.

According to Adroit Market Research estimations, the market size of solar trackers will exceed USD 1.75 billion by 2025. The market will be primarily driven by accelerating demand for energy, rising environmental awareness, the falling cost of solar technology and the unremitting reduction in nonrenewable resources of fossil fuels. Further, favorable government’s initiatives in major countries will complement the growth for global solar tracker market. The consistent innovation in solar technology, rise of IoT and Artificial Intelligence will create offering new opportunities to the tracker manufacturers. The solar energy companies are focusing on centralizing the control of solar plants by using technologies such as IoT and cloud among others. Many manufacturers are strategically investing in new product development and launching the nextgeneration solar tracking system.

For instance, in 2017, NEXTracker Inc. launched TrueCapture on of the kind intelligent and a self-adjusting solar tracker. TrueCapture through its algorithm continuously refines the solar array angel according to the weather conditions and the output response from the existing sites.

TrueCapture is con-

nected through the Flex’s IoT platform (Flex the parent company of NEXTracker Inc), which is a secure, NERC-CIP compliant, industrialstrength connected intelligence platform.

The government initiatives and regulations are playing a very critical role in the growth of renewable energy industry and

eventually solar tracker market.

For instance, in 2015, the United States Department of Energy in association with the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

»

31

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Markets & Trends GLOBAL SOLAR TRACKER CAPACITY (GW) 2015- 25* 39.9 35.7 32.2

22.4

5.2 2015

11.6

2016

14.5

2017

25.6

27.9

28.9

2021

2022

16.5

2018

2019

2020

2023

2024

2025

*Source: Adroit Market Research

coupled with different non-profit organizations, states and communities announced the mission of National Community Solar Partnership. The National Community Solar Partnership aims to provide access to solar energy to nearly 50% of the businesses and households across the nation. Similarly, the Indian government is implementing key initiatives to become a leading solar power contributor by 2025. The most recent one that is projected to have a large impact was in 2018 when due to International Solar Alliance between France and India. One of the aims of the alliance is to offer a subsidy to reduce the financing required for solar power projects and the required technology to facilitate more solar infrastructure by 2030 in India.

There are multiple types of solar trackers, which are categorized into two primary categories; single axis, and dual axis. According to Adroit estimations, the market for single-axis trackers held the largest market share in the year 2017. The demand for dual axis trackers is expected to increase due to its ability to track in both vertical and horizontal axis. Most of the recently initiated utility solar projects are preferring dual axis solar trackers.

Amongst the application areas, Utility segment in 2017 accounted to more than 86% share in the global solar tracker market. The growing cost of electricity, the utility sector is now shifting to renewable sources such as solar are projected to increase the demand for solar trackers. Further government rules and regulation to reduce carbon emission coupled government initiatives to adapt to solar energy, utility sector is projected to widely adopt to solar trackers driving the growth of the global solar tracker market.

32 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Asia-pacific and Africa will be leading the growth for solar tracker market in comparison with other regions. North America and Europe solar tracker market will grow at a steady rate. The Asia market will be driven by strategic and ambitious government initiatives and stringent regulations in China, India, Japan, and many other South Asian countries.

China and India are expected to establish new and utility-scale solar power plants in the next few years which will further accelerate the market for solar trackers. The Indian government is targeting of 40% renewable power capacity by 2030, which is around 250 GW of solar and 100 GW of wind power.

India’s energy consumption is expected to grow by 4.2% which is faster than all major economies in the world. Similarly, renewables are estimated to become the second largest source of energy overtaking gas and then oil by 2020.

As depicted in the Figure 2, India’s renewable energy landscape will be primarily dominated by solar energy due to increasing solar installations. In the year 2018, 80% of installations were large-scale utility projects, which will grow further with an average of 1 MW solar PV capacity added per hour. Such new installations  www.supersmartenergy.com

Figure 2: Indian Renewable Energy Capacity Potential (GW)* Energy Sources

2022 Total (GW)

Potential Capacity

Potential (%)

Solar

100

749

73%

Wind

62

230

11%

Small Hydro

7

20

2%

180

1,022

100%

Total

*Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (India)

will further expand the market opportunities for solar tracker vendors.

The leading players in the solar tracker market include notable vendors such as NEXTracker, Array Technologies, SunPower, Abengoa, Mecasolar, Powerway, GRUPO CLAVIJO, Hao solar, SOITEC, Smarttrak, Scorpius Trackers, Wuxi Hao Solar Technology, AllEarth Renewables, DEGERenergie, Grupo Clavijo, and Titan Tracker. The market is highly crowded, however, 90% market share is contributed by top 20 vendors only. The leading vendors are primarily investing in R&D and strategic partnerships to offer innovating products in the market. The market will be dominated by vendors which are able to provide the highest and long term reliability and cost-effectiveness through their tracking systems ď Ž

About the Author: Niketan holds more than 4 years’ of experience in market research and consulting industry. He was part of multiple consulting and market research projects in technology, electronics, automotive and energy domain. He enjoys writing about new technologies, innovation, and developing markets across the industries.

Currently he is working with Adroit Market Research as Research Analyst.

Wind Energy comes to wind turbines – scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. These two components are critical and efforts are needed to minimise both operational and maintenance costs. The owners make provision for scheduled maintenance (twice a year). It is the unscheduled maintenance cost that ends up denting the operational cost.

Say for example a component failure takes place in the wind mill plant. This is leads to unexpected downtime or stoppage. This unexpected shutdown ultimately disrupts energy production which directly impacts the electricity sales.

Authored By:

Turning under-performer wind turbines into optimal performers Ramesh Mistry Product Manager, India & Middle East, FIXTURLASER & MEAX, Acoem Group

W

ind turbines are designed to have 20 to 25 years life span but it has been discovered that the actual lifespan of the turbine is more likely ranging from 10 to 15 years only. This under-performance is mainly due to the premature wear and fatigue of components. Moreover, after the warranty period the related maintenance costs also tends to be much higher than expected, thereby altering the original return on investment calculations.

Developers, owners and operators of Wind Mills are introspecting on the cost of operating the wind mill projects. There is a

&

Manjul Pandey Product Manager India & Middle East OneProd, Acoem Group

renewed thought process with regards to preventive and regular maintenance schedule in order to prevent untimely shutdowns due to turbine failures. The owners of Wind Mills are looking for various technological intervention to arrest possible problems beforehand instead of waiting for the turbines to either break or stop working unexpectedly.

Let’s look at the operational and maintenance challenges.

It is imperative that wind mill owners or operators strike a balance between planned and unplanned maintenance.

Remote Location Wind turbines are isolated machines that are not readily accessible and this entail significant maintenance challenges.

Condition-based maintenance of such equipment is essential so as to achieve annual production objectives. Such maintenance is also a powerful tool in improving the management of spare parts.

Wind mill plants are usually located in rural areas or remote locations. It is practically impossible to be stationed at the plant location to monitor the day-to-day operation or address unexpected failures.

Thanks to technological advancement, owners have to their disposal instruments that help in detecting faults via seamless monitoring devices equipped with advanced technology.

Shaft alignment

Maintenance

A wind turbines power plant consists of these three major components:

There are two vital components with regards to cost of operation as well as maintenance when it

ii A rotor, to which blades are attached, used to convert the kinetic energy of the wind to rota-

34 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

 www.supersmartenergy.com

tional energy to turn the shaft. ii A gearbox, which takes the relatively slow speed of a wind turbines rotor, and increases this to rotate the generator. ii A generator, which is coupled to the output shaft of the gearbox. The generator’s stator rotates thus changes the wind energy to electricity.

ii Given their often remote locations, high speeds, lack of frequent operator and maintenance interaction, and the general danger of mounting heavy, high speed machinery on a mast several hundred feet in the air, proper shaft alignment is one of the crucial components of wind turbine operation.

Proper shaft alignment of a wind turbine is critical for these reasons: Wind Turbine Alignment is norii Wind turbines are attached to the tops of tall masts, often several hundred feet in the air. They must be engineered to withstand the effects of weather, and should not create any excessive detrimental forces due to improper assembly. ii The high speed of the generator requires precise shaft alignment to minimize unwanted radial and axial forces exerted upon the bearings and gears of the machine assembly.

mally done by treating the gearbox as the stationary machine, and the generator as the moveable machine. The misalignment is measured almost exclusively with a laser shaft alignment tool. The generator is shimmed vertically to achieve the proper elevation, and to correct for both vertical parallel and angular misalignment. The generator is moved horizontally to achieve proper horizontal positioning, and to correct for both

horizontal parallel and angular misalignment. Both vertical and horizontal movement of the generator is done by the use of engineered jacking bolts. These can accurately position the generator, when used in conjunction with a laser shaft alignment tool.

Proper wind turbine alignment can minimize wasted energy, increase component life of the machines, and help reduce the possibility of catastrophic failure.

»

Manufacturer of All Type of Solar Power Plant Related Materials.

35

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Wind Energy A FEW SMALL INCIDENTS CAN TAKE OUT AS MANY DAYS AS A MAJOR FAILURE Failure rates and outage times of wind turbine components Incidents/ 10 machine years Electrics

Days out per failure

5,51

Control unit

1.5

3,71

Sensors

2.5

Brakes

2

Gearbox

1 .3

Generator

1.3

Structure

1.2

Drive Train

1 0

0.67

1.6

2.7

Yaw system

0.83

1.8

2.8

Hyrdaullics

Total days out/ year (days)

0.45

1.3

0.35 2.5

+

0.62

=

3 6.3

0.6 0.82

5.8

0.75

4

0.48 6

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Incidents

0 Days

1

2

3

4

5

0.6 6

7

00 0.1

ACOEM India, a subsidiary of ACOEM Group France recently began its operation in the country. The French multinational brings its unrivalled diagnostic capabilities for wind turbines to the Indian market. They offer innovative solutions that leads to sustainable development. Wind turbines usually need preventative maintenance check-ups twice

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Days

Source: ISET, 2008

Best ways to address or thrice per year. The global these challenges brands like Fixturlaser and OneThe pressing problems of maintenance, monitoring, alignment and keeping costs under control can be best achieved by using appropriate technological intervention.

There are host of instruments that can help in addressing all the concerns that subsequently help in minimising operational and maintenance cost. This would directly have a positive impact on revenue.

0.2

Prod come with a host of features that address the pain points of wind mind owners, developers and operators.

By monitoring a wind turbine with appropriate instruments, the owner stand to get following advantages: ii Faults can be detected months before they actually happens and any action can be carried out without critical break down.

ii Production uptime can be increased, thanks to scheduled and targeted maintenance. ii Operating lifetime of the turbine can be extended by preventing catastrophic and costly damages. ii The accuracy and the diagnostic capabilities of the ONEPROD KITE also allows for maintenance process optimization with:  B e t t e r spare parts management Pooling of replacement operations Removing systematic maintenance controls and

36 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

their related costs ONEPROD Wind System is a DNV GL-certified solution dedicated to wind turbine monitoring. The return on investment is achieved as early as from the first fault detection, based solely on the downtime avoided. It offers innovative capabilities, such as: ii Reliable monitoring that takes into account operating conditions such as rotation speed, wind speed and pitch ii Early fault detection on lowspeed shafts with the shock finder algorithm ii Centralized analysis capabilities and worldwide access to reports with NEST software ii Potential performance commitments (e.g. number of downtime hours avoided) with the flexible LIVEPROD services offer.

The Fixturlaser shaft alignment instruments are custom made with firmware features that ensure high measurement accuracy and with mounting hardware that is ideally suited for optimal alignment of the gearbox and generator shafts in wind turbines.

No matter the manufacturer, coupling or turbine type, Fixturlaser’s shaft alignment instruments make generator­to­gearbox alignment inside any nacelle easy.

 www.supersmartenergy.com

This safeguards reliability and optimizes the energy efficiency of the wind turbine.

Shaft alignment benefits offer several advantages for wind power industry. These are as follows: ii A short learning curve ii High precision measuring ii Many mounting options for different kinds of turbines ii Several solutions for non­ rotating shafts

The functions that ACOEM India’s product offers are: Machine Defined Data User Defined Configuration Templates: The Machine Defined Data function allows the user to create configuration templates for all kinds of manu-

facturing models, where data like distances, target values, and tolerances can be saved.

This function is particularly useful for service organizations that maintain several turbine models.

About the Authors :

Ramesh Mistry Product Manager, India & Middle East, FIXTURLASER & MEAX, Acoem Group

Specific Machine Data – Predefined User Configuration Templates: The Specific Machine Data function allows for preloading the shaft alignment instruments with predefined machine configuration templates, where data such as distances, target values, and tolerances can be saved.

Manjul Pandey Product Manager, India & Middle East - OneProd, Acoem Group

These templates are not editable and safeguard a homogenous alignment configuration of a manufacturer’s different models 

PAN INDIA SERIES OF CONFERENCE ON ROOFTOP SOALAR

6 STATES 7 CITIES

630+ COMPANIES

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16% CEOS // 21% DIRECTORS // 24% MANAGERS // 23% EXECUTIVES // 11% PROFESSIONALS SolarGenX prides itself on providing delegates with a quality event that meets and exceeeds expectations in terms of the information shared and networking opportunities available.

37

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Cover Story

TRENDING

NEW SOLAR PANELS AND PANEL TECHNOLOGIES

Q.PEAK DUO-G5: PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF HALF-CELL TECHNOLOGY. Q.PEAK DUO-G5 is a monocrystalline 120 half-cell solar module.

Based on Q.ANTUM DUO Technology, it combines the innovations of Six bus bar design, round wire interconnection and improved performance and durability of half cell to reach the lowest LCOE: The product won Intersolar Award 2018 in Photovoltaics category.

38 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

 www.supersmartenergy.com

The solar market is witnessing a shift driven by demand for quality solar modules. On technology front demand for more efficient solar cell has begun. With the recent developments we can definitely say that the solar market is at tipping point. The technology is on verge of serious transformation. A series

O

ver the last 15 years, the production volume of solar PV has increased with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 40 %, which makes the industry one of the fastest growing ones in the world.

Until 2006, the solar cell production was dominated by Japan and Europe. After the rapid increase of the annual production in China and Taiwan since 2006, a new trend emerged in 2014 to rapidly increase production capacities in other Asian countries like India, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines or Vietnam.

Market development for solar PV systems did not follow the production at the same pace, which led to overcapacities and massive price pressure along the production value chain. This development triggered a consolidation of the manufacturing industry, which is still ongoing.

R&D spending slightly increased due to a 14% increase in global industrial spending.

The trend that the developing economies invest more in renewable energy capacity than the developed ones continued for the third year. China, India and Brazil invested almost the same amount in 2017 than in the record year 2015. On the other side, investments in developed countries have declined by 30% compared to 2015.

of new modules have been introduced with various possibilities. This article sheds light on the current trending technologies and new solar panels. Although many of these technologies are new and are likely to see market adoption in the year 2019.

The PV industry has changed dramatically over the last few years. China has become the major manufacturing country for solar cells and modules, followed

by Taiwan and Malaysia. Amongst the 20 biggest cell/thin-film PV manufacturers in 2017, no European company was listed.

Between 2008 and 2014, PV module prices have decreased rapidly by more than 80 %, then 2015 saw a short levelling out due to industry consolidation and increasing markets, mainly in China and Japan. However, since the beginning of 2016 module prices have again seen a sharp decrease in prices, which put all solar companies along the value chain under enormous pressure.

Despite the continuing problems of individual companies, the fundamental industry as a whole remains strong and the overall PV sector will continue to experience significant long-term growth.

The need to drive down manufacturing and project development costs and also to differentiate themselves from the competitors and to meet customers demand for increased functionality panel manufacturers continued their focus on performance, efficiency and innovation.

The drive to increase efficiencies and lower LCOEs has pushed module manufacturers to develop advanced module technologies.

Amongst the advances Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) technology has become the new

standard for the monocrystalline silicon solar cell variety because it increases efficiencies with modest investment. Other technologies like multi-busbar and half-cut cells continued to achieve further improvements in stabilisation and efficiency.

As the solar industry grows fast and expands opening new opportunities, a growing number of technology brands have entered the market. There are hundreds of panel models and designs that are available in the market leaving the installers and consumers baffled and confused. Here we look at the current and future technology developments in the solar module industry that is likely to drive the future growth of the industry.

Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) Technology: PERC, which stands for Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell or Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact, is a new technology aimed to achieve higher energy conversion efficiency by adding a dielectric passivation layer on the rear of the cell. With this technology the cell’s front side receives direct sunlight while the rear side soaks up scattered and reflected light.

Panles that use PERC technology have higher solar efficiency, which translates to faster ROI and more savings for end users.

From a manufacturer’s point of view, the investment to move to

» 39

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Cover Story  CSEM Photovoltaic facade winner of the “beauty of solar power europe” photo competition. The photovoltaic modules that make up the facade are composed of high-efficiency bifacial solar cells, also known as solar cells based on heterojunction technology (HJT), a forwardlooking technology developed entirely in Neuchâtel by EPFL's PV Lab and CSEM's PV-center.

a PERC technology is minimal and requires fewer modifications to existing cell manufacturing lines.

Making it easy for the manufacturer to produce superior quality product with minimum capital outlay.

bifacial modules are installed on a highly reflective surface like a white TPO roof, some bifacial module manufacturers claim up to a 30% increase in production just from the extra power generated from the rear.

Panels incorporating PERC technology give more freedom to developers and designers, especially when dealing with unorthodox spaces or locations that were once thought to be less than desirable for solar. It empowers designers to be more flexible and responsive to project objectives/

Bifacial modules come in many designs. Some are framed while others are frameless. Some are dual-glass, and others use clear backsheets. Most use monocrystalline cells, but there are polycrystalline designs. The one thing that is constant is that power is produced from both sides. There are frameless, dual-glass modules that expose the backside of cells but are not bifacial. True bifacial modules have contacts/busbars on both the front and back sides of their cells.

The Indian solar market which is dominated by multicrystalline modules is expected to follow the global trend and shift to Mono PERC, given its several advantages, in the near future.

Bifacial Modules Bifacial modules produce solar power from both sides of the panel. Whereas traditional opaque-back sheeted panels are monofacial, bifacial modules expose both the front and backside of the solar cells. When

Some companies with bifacial modules currently on the market include LG, LONGi, Lumos Solar, Prism Solar, Silfab, Sunpreme, Trina Solar and Yingli Solar. As more manufacturers begin production, bifacial modules look to be a niche product entering the mainstream

40 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Multi Busbar The busbars are the metal lines you see going down the individual squares, or cells, of the solar panel. They are the wires that connect each cell to the other, allowing the current to flow. Since each cell is generally just over a half a volt, the bus bars wire them together in series to create the higher voltages needed to be a usable solar panel. For a typical 60 cell, 20V nominal solar panel, that equals around 32Vmp (maximum power point voltage). Additional busbars creates lower resistance between cells and as resistance go down, the current (amps) goes up and when current goes up for the same voltage, power goes up. The result of the additional busbars is that the solar panels are more efficient.

The most common solar cell design involves three busbars (3BB) printed onto the cell. Going by the current trends solar modules with 5 BB and more busbars are also available in the market.

Trina Solar, SolarWorld, and CSUN, increasingly focus their manufacturing on PV solar panels

 www.supersmartenergy.com

using PERC solar cells with 5BB busbars.

RenewSys, India’s first & only integrated manufacturer of Solar PV Modules & its components i.e.

Encapsulants, Backsheets and PV Solar Cells, is the first Indian company to launch the production of five Bus Bar (BB) Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Cells. The 5BB cells, part of RenewSys’ RESERV range of solar PV cells, are manufactured using world class European PV cell equipment.

Indian Module manufacturer Gold Green Technology, Vikram Solar and Sova Solar have their own brand of 4BB/ 5BB series modules available in Indian Market.

Split Cell/ Half-Cut Cell Just as bifacial solar panels and PERC solar cells provide increase in efficiencies of silicon solar panels, implementing half-cut cells in solar panels can help improve the power output of a solar panel system. Half-cut solar cells are exactly what their name suggests – they are traditional silicon solar cells that have been cut in half using a laser cutter.

Cut cells provide several benefits over traditional solar cells.

Most importantly, half-cut solar cells offer improved performance and durability. Performancewise, half-cut cells can increase panel efficiencies, they are more physically durable and have more resistant to cracking.

The first half-cut cell solar panels were introduced in 2014

by REC Solar, and they have since been transferring much of their module manufacturing to be equipped for half-cut cell production. Aside from REC, many manufacturers have introduced half-cell modules. Trina Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS, JinkoSolar, and LONGi Solar are just some of the large solar panel manufacturers who produce half-cell panel options.

From manufacturers point the half-cut cell production lines are not much different from traditional solar cell lines, and any panel manufacturer looking to begin making half-cut cells doesn’t need to completely overhaul existing factories or production processes. There are two additional steps needed when making halfcut cells: a cell cutting step and a stringing step.

Clear/ Transparent Solar Panels Imagine a world where we could generate electricity using the surface of our windows, smartphones, our car’s sun roof or the glass roof of our office building. What sounds like a far-away dream, is on its way to become reality thanks to transparent solar panels. Current researchers have come up with two innovative developments in transparent solar panels- Partially transparent and fully transparent solar panels.

Partially Transparent Solar Panles absorb 60% of the sunlight they receive. Office buildings with large south-facing glass areas are already employing tinted glass to reduce the transmitted sunlight.

The partially transparent solar panels have a high commercial potential for situations like these.

The fully transparent solar panel use organic salts that absorb specific invisible wavelengths of light, such as ultraviolet light. This light is then transformed and the material of the panel moves it to its edges, where stripes of photovoltaic solar cells convert it into electricity.

parent solar panels can be integrated into windows in buildings; it means that the lower efficiency is overcompensated by the potential areas of employment.

Solar Roof Tiles Solar Roof Tiles are Built Integrated Photovoltaic Solutions. The Solar Roof Tile generates power and also doubles up as a roof.

The Solar Roof Tile is an Architects delight and customers pride. Solar Roof Tile can be used for all types of Solar Power Applications. The cost of these tiles are comparable to the cost of conventional panels so that there is not much of an incremental cost to switch over to Solar Roof Tile. Eco-conscious home and building owners might find Solar Roof tile especially attractive when they are re-laying the tiles anyway since the solar roof tiles also double as functional, protective and weatherproof roof tile in their own right. Also it allows for light to pass through it to give a very vibrant feel inside the home.

Solar Cell Optimizer Modules Conventional solar systems are limited in performance by the series connectivity of modules: forcing the string current to equal that of the least illuminated or weakest cells. Solar Cell Optimizer works by boosting the current of the weak cells to match those of

»

The efficiency of the transparent solar panels is quiet low, as trans-

41

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Cover Story the stronger, eliminating the corresponding performance penalty of the conventional system. The solar cell optimizer’s MPPT function works alongside the inverter MPPT, to ensure that the system output is optimal under any environmental conditions.

Modules with solar cell optimizers provide the following benefits not available from other types of PV modules: ii Increased energy harvest ii Reduced power degradation ii Expanded system size ii Flexibility in design ii Minimize soiling losses ii High-reliability solution ii Simple, low cost installation, with conventional system architecture

Heterojunction panel product Silicon-based heterojunction solar cells (Si-HJT) are a hot topic within crystalline silicon photovoltaic as it allows for solar cells with recordefficiency energy conversion up to 26.6%.

To produce the electric structures of heterojunction cells, it is necessary to apply thin layers

of doped and intrinsic amorphous silicon on both sides of n-type silicon wafers as well as transparent, conductive oxide layers (TCO) to absorb the generated power. As a result of the high light yield and outstanding passivation characteristics of amorphous silicon, it is possible to reach efficiency rates of more than 24%. Moreover, heterojunction cells show a considerably lower temperature coefficient than conventional silicon solar cells.

Frameless Solar Panels

More cost advantages result from the relatively easy low temperature production concept, which is therefore economically attractive, as it is saving energy and requires fewer production steps.

For installations on pitchedroofs, frameless clamps with rubber guards have been designed to protect the glass and allow a traditional installation without a frame. Torque limiters should be used to prevent over tightening.

Solar Panel Inverter

with

A new innovation seen across the industry is the concept of a solar panel plus inverter. For solar installers, inverter installation and connection can add significant time to a typical rooftop installation. To solve this problem, innovative manufacturer Enphase is making inverters easily attachable to the back of the panel. The U.S. inverter specialist has announced partnerships with a number of leading panel manufacturers in the past few months in an effort to create a module that does not require the installation of an inverter. Instead, the modules will be manufactured with small inverters already in place on the back of the panel. For the solar market as a whole, this seemingly minor technical innovation will contribute to significant reductions in installation time, which results in reduced installation costs. To date, Enphase’s major partnerships in the panel-inverter integration effort have been with SolarWorld, LG and Jinko Solar.

42

A major factor in the critique of solar’s aesthetic is the solar panel frame, which many find to be the least attractive part of a PV panel.

To solve that problem, major manufacturers such as SolarWorld, Canadian Solar, and Trina are producing frameless solar modules. The main hindrance for these aesthetic panels is the lack of suitable mounting equipment that can work without a frame.

For ballasted and groundmount based systems, adhesivebased solutions have been developed, which eliminate the need for a clamp. Adhesives have been used for years in the construction industry for glass skyscrapers, and they are produced by well-known manufacturers.

In addition to the above installation methods manufacturers are producing specialized mounting apparatus to match their frameless panels.

The above technologies are just scratching the surface. Also, many of the products with module technology discussed above are not currently readily or easily available in the Indian market. But, with huge targeted capacity addition the market in India is already experiencing exponential growth and these technologies are likely to be introduced in the Indian market sooner than later.

In addition there is a lot of research work going on technology like Solar Thermophotovoltaics, perovskite solar cells, thin film solar cells technology and truly game-changing changing technologies, like the nanotechnology quantum dot solar cells currently being studied by the U.S. government 

SmartEnergy March/ April 2019 www.supersmartenergy.com



Read. anytime, anywhere, any device

Your Favourite Magazine on your smart devices. visit www.supersmartenergy.com for latest updates from the solar and renewable energy industry.

Call +91 8830 606798 for editorial and advertising opportunities.

43 

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy 

In Conversation

 Prakash R Soni

Chairman & Managing Director, Sai Cabtech P. Limited

"Our Customer Satisfaction Index has led us to the Prestigious Award of ‘Best Brand’ in Solar Industry"

Q

.Prakash ji, let’s begin the interview with an unusual but related question, While all speak about the opportunities in solar business, can you throw insight on what challenges companies face to do grow their business?

There is a huge opportunities in the solar business, sky is the opportunity. However huge capital investments are required to execute the projects. Procedure for various government approvals, PPA etc, needs to be more minimalised and simplified. Thirdly load allowed should be increased.

To go up to the sanctioned load to encourage more and more people

to adopt solar. Essentially, less capital intensiveness will lead to more capital inflow.

Q

.What should be the main focus of solar companies when they are dealing with customers?

Main focus should be optimum power generation. Because ultimately this is the production house and will give effective return on investments over a period of time. More power, more profits.

Our focus should be to minimize the transmission losses. Companies should not miss-sell, or undersell for one time purchase

44 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

but look for long-term relation.

Q

.Your company recently received an award for ‘Best Brand’ in Solar from the Energy Minister of the Government of Gujarat, to what do you attribute your success to?

We are already working as an electrical system designer for voltage level up to 66KV and along with, a technical experience of 23 years and more. We are keen into minimizing generation and transmission losses, which only happens after laying special focus on system designing, proper installation and commissioning. Would  www.supersmartenergy.com

counting wrongly on prices, it will always be short-lived and spiral back in being a bad customer experience. Because finally, as also mentioned earlier, quality precedes quantity and a true balance can only be achieved by giving maximum output. We have been in this industry for quite some time now, to understand that, profitability and sustainability is a subset of giving performance over a period in time, rather than treat it just as a onetime sale closure achievement. Those who are following the rules have been able to sustain and do well. Those who got tempted by short-term vision have and will continue to fade away.

Q P R Soni, Chairman & MD, Sai CabTech P. Limited receiving the prestigious award for 'Best Brand' in Solar from the Energy Minister of Government of Gujarat. like to believe, that our customer satisfaction index therefore, has led to be the important factor chosen for the prestigious award.

Q

.How do you see the next 510 years for the solar industry in our country?

India is a fantastic opportunity for both customers, and businessmen. With the support of the Indian government, we can only foresee a bright future in this industry. As we say it in our company, “the opportunity is as big as the sun itself”. Government of India has taken a target of 100+ GW, by 2022, which by itself is the reflection of the opportunities that lie ahead.

Q

.What’s the room for innovation and new ideas in the solar industry?

Innovation is the second most exciting factor in this industry.

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) cuts the numerous steps, which presently are required to generate power. This technology is enough to bring several large plants into commercial services. Solar in a spray can be a disruptor in this space. Though its early days, but one can envisage its true potential by reading more about it. Apart from this, innovation pertaining to photovoltaic industry is continuous and limitless making it exciting.

Q

.How much value should be placed on technical and qualitative aspects of the business? Do you think, it can be justified considering the competition and price war, which seems to have started in this sector as well?

The true measurement of the project is “Earning per Kwh” generation. Therefore while some companies might benefit by dis-

.What recommendations and suggestions would you give to entrepreneurs who are looking to be a part of this industry?

Having technical knowledge is of paramount importance. One need not necessarily be into manufacturing, but having technological knowledge will cut one above the rest. Otherwise all the basic attributes such as passion, integrity and resilience will continues to be the key factors like in any other business. Room for innovation is huge and hence the quality of inquisitiveness holds an added value.

Q

.How can people get empanelled with your company, which is known for quality and growth? What are the various ways they can partner?

Entrepreneurs can empanel themselves with us as dealers for their given market. The leaning cycle is quick and the investment required in this model is also less. Therefore giving them the flexibility to grow their business. As time passes , and the knowledge sharing is satisfactory enough , they can take the next leap of becoming our channel partner and reap even better benefits of being a part of our company 

45

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Corporate World

Solar for Healthcare

120 KW Solar Panel (Carport) Installation at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital, Jaipur. The project uses world-class high quality, durable panels manufactured by SolarMaxx. Always insist on SolarMaxx solar panels and benefit with the perks that come along.

S

olar power is a fundamental choice for healthcare sector — not only because solar energy helps reduce air pollution and make the world a cleaner, healthier and better place. Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, testing laboratories all use a large amount of electricity.

Running medical equipment such as scanners etc uses a large amount of electricity and some of these facilities run 24×7 with air conditioning making their utility bills touch the sky. For such reasons installing a solar energy system is a great way to reduce electricity bills and improve their overall efficiencies. Most of these centres are also eligible for subsi-

dies or tax benefits.

Once a solar PV panel system is installed, you will start saving money that would otherwise be spent on electric bills, while protecting your facility from utility price fluctuations. Depending on your location and how you choose to fund your solar project, you can lock in low electricity rates for over 25 years or more and possibly eliminate your entire electric bill too. Your savings from solar in return can be used to make operational improvements, purchase new equipment or simply operate more efficiently. Hospitals that utilize renewable energy stand out from their peers for their commitment to community health

46 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

and environmental stewardship.

Choosing alternate energy can reduce a hospital’s carbon emissions and have a positive effect on environmental health. Solar also helps you in achieving green building certifications and an enhanced reputation. More and more hospitals are going solar today than ever before because of the affordable costs and huge benefits.

We are extremely proud of our new project at Mahaveer Cancer Hospital, Jaipur. Healthcare is an energy-intensive industry and hospitals have large spaces such as rooftop, parking lot canopies etc to install solar panels. And healthcare buildings are only growing and likely to meet the needs of  www.supersmartenergy.com

an aging population with a growing average life expectancy. We have converted the boring car parking shade into a tech looking canopy called carport. Going solar the cool way, providing enormous benefits to the hospital and the environment.

While a typical carport or patio cover provides shading and is undoubtedly a value-add for a home or automobile owner, its one-dimensional simplicity is a missed opportunity. If you’re a PV fanatic following emerging technologies in the solar industry, you may have already spotted the solar industry’s solution: solar canopies, also known as solar carports .

Solar carports are overhead canopies built to cover parking areas, and are distinct from panels installed onto a pre existing carport structure. Solar carports have many things in common with ground mount solar panels, which are angled panel modules installed on the ground rather than on a rooftop.

With the 120KW Solar panel (Carport) installation the hospital is going to save upto 13 lacs annually on their electricity bills, which in turn give them an enormous amount of savings to progress and facilitate better qualities, contribute better than ever in the health care sector.

At SolarMaxx, we make solar panels that are designed, built, and proven to perform. But most top-tier, large-scale solar panel manufacturers – including us – operate on very similar production lines. So, what makes one company’s panel better or worse than all the rest?

It’s all about the raw material used. And the quality of panels with their structural integrity and rigidity. Our frames go through a comprehensive qualification process known as “static and dynamic mechanical load testing” where we bend our modules in every direction. We ensure to protect

the panel from environmental elements and maintain structural integrity in adverse conditions.

Coming to the right inverter our ABB solar inverters provide the best support system.

Theses inverters have a life of 25 years. The ABB solar inverter utilizes over 40 years of experience and advances in inverter and power converter technology. Their one-stop-shop, sun-to-socket portfolio gives you the widest choice in the industry.

And it’s backed by a comprehensive package of communication, monitoring and control solutions and comprehensive services.

The commitment to economic efficiency gives you and your customers better value. It also produces higher power output and optimized Levelized Costs of Electricity and plant productivity.

Having a proper solar power output from your system requires efficient equipment and a number of other factors to support your systems effectiveness. Too much shade, dirt, damaged parts etc can cause a system to generate less electricity than it is capable of. Therefore, it is important to carefully watch your solar panel production closely so that you can identify issues as and when your system is not performing as its best.

A Remote Solar Monitoring System is capable of analysing energy consumption and generation, optimising energy usage, various performance parameters, supervise the functioning and progress of the components of a solar power plant. Apart from showing energy consumption and generation data, monitoring systems also offer many tools to help you understand your solar setup.

Remote monitoring software can also help detect problems and defects with panel strings, and recommend repairs to your setup.

Our solar panel manufacturing process is defined by world-class technology and professional workmanship. We utilize the highestquality materials to ensure that our solar panels will generate value for decades to come. Going solar can reduce your company’s energy costs, and have a major impact on your bottom line. We manufacture high-quality, reliable solar panels for homes, large commercial buildings and power plants. SolarMaxx solar panels are sealed, weatherproof and highly durable. Our PV modules come with the ability to withstand high levels of ultraviolet radiations & moisture.

Our manufacturing unit at Jaipur is capable of producing both mono and polycrystalline modules from 40Wp to 325Wp and above.

SolarMaxx Solar PV panels offer enhanced performance and produce more than 80% of rated power under STC even after 25 years of operation. Our PV modules deliver efficient performance in high temperature conditions in the desert due to the improved temperature coefficient. They are compact in size and have been designed to deliver enhanced output and efficiency. Highly durable with its new reinforced frame design, SolarMaxx Solar PV modules can endure a front load of up to 5400 Pa, and a rear load of up to 2400 Pa. Our automated quality manufacturing makes them resistant to sand dust too. SolarMaxx as a company provides you quality solar solutions right from the product to do the services and hence, Always insist on SolarMaxx solar panels and benefit with the perks that come along 

47

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Rooftop Solar

An Uneasy Relation Between DISCOMs and Rooftop Solar: Issues, Solutions and Way Forward Authored By: K.P.Dhawad, VP (Tech & Training), REEPA

F

ar from being a threat, the rooftop solar revolution is a big opportunity for society and DISCOMs to help Employment Generation, which is a major challenge today.

Unfortunately Government as well as concerned departments are not exhibiting any wisdom towards the hidden benefits of developing entrepreneurship among middleclass of Indian Society, which would be a boon for youth of today and the future.

DISCOM’s illogical worries likely to wash out gains of Solar Revolution?

Every knowledgeable citizen would appreciate the benefits of Renewable Energy and more so of Solar Power. It’s an ultimate source of power for future generations to come. No body can deny it. Why then not think of sustainable remedies than punishing those consumers who are helping reduce carbon footprints and make ecology and environment sustainable.

Roof Top Solar is in fact going to help reduce national loss of electricity, which gets generated at thermal plants and about 20-30 % gets lost during transmission and distribution. It is a general belief; nurtured by DISCOMs that Rooftop Solar power is going to affect their revenues. It is this belief that has ultimately boiled downed to confronting attitude of the DISCOMs towards the National Solar

Mission and particularly to rooftop solar projects. It is this attitude that finally leads to harassment of consumers interested in rooftop solar, service providers and entrepreneurs.

are investing, out of pocket, on rooftop solar, managing by themselves and contributing to reduction of distribution losses as well as maintenance to some extent.

This is unethical practice.

Issues with DISCOMs

How can DISCOMs turn troubled revenues to sustainable model?

DISCOMs are not supplying Net Meters, disobeying CERC/MERC, and are also trying to avoid/delay work of net metering. Also many of the DISCOM officials are not aware of MNRE regulations for giving permission to rooftop solar installations. This callous situation needs to be improved by providing training to field and supervisory staff of Discoms. Instead of thinking on these lines DISCOMs are simply trying to thrust unjust regulations and throwing burden on the individual consumers who

48 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

DISCOMs with the support of their department and their Engineers can find ways to overcome the problems and implement innovative ideas such as owning/ integrating storage systems in the distribution areas and selling night time power. They can still take up this; they have got land in the form of substations and their distribution center offices. What they require is to invest in converting available extra exported  www.supersmartenergy.com

power in the grid in daytime to store energy in battery banks and sell it in nighttime as per prevailing barter methods. This will reduce transmission & distribution losses and thus would recover the cost of investment partly. They can even request MNRE for funding for developing such storage plants.

They can involve even private entrepreneurs in this program.

MNRE can support this idea and provide necessary funding to the DISCOMs to build storage stations. After all storage is the ultimate which every country needs for expansion of solar power. It is very important for DISCOMs to build storage so that they can reap the benefits of cheap solar power. DISCOM’s power tariffs in any case are going to go up, but solar power tariffs are likely to go down or remain at current level.

Once they establish Storage of power, they can perhaps impose gross metering with exported power, buying at the rate 15 % below the average selling rate.

Consumers would be happy to install 25 % extra RTS and earn cash by using their terrace space, which otherwise may not be of any use. This would help in Promotion of RTS (Roof top Solar) and also it would provide solution to the lacuna in Solar Power (having only day time availability).

10 years down the line, SEB coal power is going to go down steeply as the circumstances suggest today. Coal power stations may not get sufficient coal and water and if at all they get, it would cost a lot more than that at present. So the SEBs need to start thinking of building up their own alternate resources like buying renewable power under PPA from utility based plants and from Rooftop installations. However the margins may not suffice the overheads of DISCOMs, and working efficiency needs to be improved a lot by incorporating technology and manpower training. However, faster reduction in solar prices is going to help DISCOMs to com-

pensate for their losses if they continue to buy more solar power under PPA.

The Case of Subsidy

installations.

In fist instance the benchmark cost of RTS should have been decided by MNRE since it cannot be different from state to state.

Secondly most of RTS integrators are non-technical persons, merely businessmen. They can’t do justice to quality aspects of solar rooftop.

They even did not understand that the tender exercise was merely for arriving at Benchmark Cost.

They merely quoted lowest with whatever intensions. We are sure that, with reference to the time the tender was floated, the benchmark cost at was at least 15-20 % lower than the market cost. Under these conditions, how can small integrators survive?

As is the case with many other policies, the policy makers are more concerned with satisfying and appeasing top leadership rather than framing policies for welfare of the society. Subsidy in solar is so far availed by millionaires and billionaires and not by lower middle class or poor. Those availing subsidy on RTS are doing it merely for economic benefits and not at all for welfare of mankind or to reduce the carbon footprints. Extending subsidy to such class of people is not less than a social injustice being committed

by Government. Already economic disparity is creating lot of social problems and has been a main hindrance to create encouraging atmosphere for new SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR/ generation entrepreBOILER/ GENERATOR/ HEATER neurs.

»

FIRST TIME IN INDIA

B ench mark cost of Rooftop Solar: MNRE has made a blunder by asking SNAs to float tenders (perhaps in all states) to get minimum price of RTS. 90 % of SNA staff doesn’t understand all aspects of solar rooftop. We have seen some SNA officers certifying poor RTS

Temperature upto 2000C @Peak Direct Steam Generates upto 10 Kg/cm Direct Hot Air upto1800C @ Peak RoI 3 to 4 Years (Diesel, LPG, Electricity & Furnace Oil) For Details Contact

5/7, F-Type, 4th Main Road, SIDCO Nagar, Villivakkam, Chennai 600049 E: vinodbomb@gmail.com // M: 9382345470/ 9840052556

49

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Rooftop Solar Can any solar Integrator/ service provider offer 2 kw RTS @ Rs 42 per watt?

Now after announcement of Benchmark Cost, all solar integrators tried to bring down their cost by compromising on quality aspects! Let us try to understand this: ii The integrators who were using Hot Dip GI structures started using GP and galvanized material. ii Earthing which is most important safety aspect is being done by a PVC flexible wire of 1.5 -2.5 sq mm size just hanging from rooftop and attaching anywhere on ground as they feel fit . ii Solar cables are hardly used in DC wiring. Also many times they don’t use proper casing of DC wires on the roof. ii Many integrators don’t understand full technical specs of Solar panels and solar inverters thoroughly. So they won’t hesitate to use substandard quality, cheaper versions of modules and inverters, mostly of imported origin thinking that imported is the best thus killing the Make in India movement of the country.

Way Forward: All the above issues that we have discussed are all result of poor governance. However, the field of solar power being so aggressively executed with lot of public funds deployment, it is painful to see such poor policy making and executions happening around. MNRE is far better equipped to do the job but SNA’s are pulling the RTS down. Perhaps MNRE have recognized these aspects and hence came up with SRISTI scheme.

MNRE has prepared a new scheme named SRISTI in which the responsibility of RTS execution including CFA would rest with DISCOMS. SNA may be redundant in as far as RTS & subsidy is considered. MNRE plans to give financial aid, rewards, and awards to

DISCOMs and their employees.

The proposed Rs.14,400-crore incentive fund under the scheme would compensate DISCOMs for their revenue losses.

In order to maximize the benefits for DISCOMs, we propose the following idea that could accelerate rooftop solar deployment.

DISCOMS may demand a share of CFA (say 15 %) from MNRE so as to get compensated for loss of revenues. 30 % CFA can be deposited with consumers account first, DISCOMs should provide Net Metaers on priority and then recover 15% of subsidy from consumers (who receive subsidy @ 1 % per month) so that consumers would also be happy to accept that. That would suffice to mitigate their problem and simultaneously help them come up with some innovative ways to fully compensate for revenue losses. But then DISCOMs must improve their working efficiency to cut down overheads and achieve profitability.

Another idea is to give subsiy only for small rooftop systems or allow small nonpaying consumers (defaulters) to install off-grid solar systems with 80 % subsidy if they pay all outstanding and create regular record of payments for next 6 months.

Rooftop Solar: Employment and Entrepreneurship potential As per estimates by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the deployment of rooftop solar creates 24.7 full-time equivalent jobs per MW, significantly higher than the corresponding figure of 3.5 jobs per MW for utility-scale solar. Realizing 40 GW target would provide employment to 2,38,000 people. Many may find opportunities abroad for installation support and export of skilled manpower since major part of the world is still trying to adopt Solar power and gradually the employ-

50 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

ment in this field is likely to keep pace with overall development.

We, in India, more than anything else need employment for our youths and all Government departments need to work in that direction, failing which we would be reduced to most chaotic country in future besides increasing poverty level. However most of the Government policies and the Governance is killing whatever efforts the youth are trying to put.

Conclusion: SNA have done enough of damage and injustice so far to RTS and that is why they are lagging behind in meeting the national target.

If DISCOMs encourage RTS and execute their part of work efficiently, entrepreneurs will save 5 % cost of operations. A 10 kw installation takes hardly 4-5 days to finish installation but Net metering, permission from DISCOMs etc takes minimum of 20 days to complete. This lethargic execution discourages young entrepreneurs and kills the efficiency of entrepreneurs.

In India, it seems most unlikely that our youth have patience to fight out the social cause and can withstand most unethical attitude of DISCOMs and SNA’s. Therefore the young entrepreneurs immediately fall prey to unethical and corrupt practices easily that is detrimental to the growth of the sector and the Nation.

The idea of startup was good step but slowly the way our bureaucracy everywhere is pulling us down is also killing it. We have abundant young and enthusiastic population and we need to encourage them at any cost by offering very clean and ethical governance 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Mersen India Pvt. Ltd. #19, 4th Cross, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Bangalore - 560 099, INDIA. March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy  Tel: +91 80 27834001/5/6 I E-mail: sales.ep.india@mersen.com

51 

Energy Storage

Importance of Battery Management System(BMS) in LiFePO4 Battery Authored By: Shridhar Pandey, Managing Director, Elecorev Energy

L

ithium iron phosphate batteries come in a single package with a lot of power and value. This chemistry of lithium offers superior performance.

But all reputed commercial batteries which include another vital component along with Lithium phosphate batteries i.e. carefully planned and designed Battery Management system (BMS).

A cautiously designed Battery management system (BMS) protects, increase lifetime, monitor, balance and communicate with different modules which ensures safe operation over a wide range of conditions.

At Elecorev, all our lithium iron phosphate batteries come along with BMS integrated inside or outside. Let’s have a closer look at how Elecorev battery management system (BMS) optimizes the life of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Over and Under Voltage Lithium iron phosphate cells are operated safely over the range of voltages ranging typically from 2.0V to 4.2V. Lithium Phosphate cells are more tolerant compared with other lithium chemistries. But significant overvoltage for an extended period at the time of charging can cause plating of metallic lithium on the anode of the battery, which can permanently degrade the life of a battery’s performance. Meanwhile, oxidation may happen on the cathode material and the cell becomes less stable and can produce CO2, which may lead to building pressure in the cell. All Elecorev Battery management sys-

tems limit the maximum voltage of the battery and the cell.

Under voltage in the course of battery, discharge is also a concern because discharging LiFePO4 cells below 2.0V may lead to a breakdown of the electrode materials.

Lithium Phosphate battery recommends minimum operational voltage. The BMS disconnects the battery if its voltage goes below 2.0V.

Over current and Short Circuit Protection Each battery is designated with the maximum specified current of its smooth and safe operations.

When the load is connected to the battery, which is drawing a higher current than the designated currents, it can result in overheating of the battery. So it very important to keep the drawing current below the maximum specifications. The BMS of the battery again acts a backstop against overcurrent conditions and disconnects the battery from its operations.

The BMS disconnects the battery from the circuit if the draws the higher current. The short circuit in the battery is the most serious form of overcurrent conditions. The short circuit generally happens because of accidental connection of its terminals to the piece of metal. The BMS quickly detects the short-circuit currents and drawing of massive currents overheats the battery and creates the catastrophic damage to the battery.

Over Temperature Unlike other chemistries of the

52 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

battery such as Lead acid or lithium cobalt oxide batteries, Lithium iron phosphate batteries operates at coherently and safely at temperatures up to 600C or more. But at higher operating and storage temperatures the electrode material begins to degrade. The BMS of the battery consists of thermistors, which actively monitor the temperature of the battery during operation, and it will disconnect the battery over the specified temperature.

Cell Imbalance Lithium iron phosphate batteries find major differences from easily available lead-acid batteries when it leads to balance the voltage in each individual cells during charging. Because of minor differences in operating or manufacturing conditions each cell of the battery charges at the different rate.

Meanwhile in lead acid battery, if the one cell of the battery charges at a faster rate and reaches to its full voltage, the typically other cells which are charging slowly can be accompanied and self-balancing will happen and others cells will also get fully charged.

But in the case of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, when a cell is fully charged the voltage of the cell begins to rise further which will lead to damage in the electrode.

The entire charge of the battery will stop when only one cell is fully charged state and remaining cells will not reach full charge and the battery will operate at low peak capacity. An Elecorev BMS ensures that each cell charges fully and safely before the entire process of charging is complete.

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Summary Lithium iron phosphate batteries constructed of more than single cells connected together. It also consists of Battery management system (BMS), which is not visible

to the end user, which ensures that each cell of the battery remains within the safe limits. At Elecorev, all our lithium iron phosphate batteries come along with BMS integrated inside or outside

which protects, increase lifetime, monitor, balance and communicate with different modules which ensures safe operation over wide range of conditions 

HTVT INDUSTRIAL SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR

H

igh Temeprature Vacuum Tube or HTVT as its known is a system that gives temperature up to 2000C with various transfer mediums like water, air and Thermic fluid. This revolutionary first-of-its-kind system is a result of years of passionate Research and continuous Development, the heart of this innovative breakthrough system is a patented heat absorber tube which efficiently transfer heat from glass to medium upto 95 %,

HTVT SOLAR COLLECTOR ›› No Cleaning required, even after years of deployment, efficiencies and temperature will be same. ›› Temperatures output of medium around 1500C at morning 10am with peak temperature output of 200°C. ›› No tracking, no gear box, no motor, no mechanical parts, no repair, no maintenance is required, direct hot air generation. No thermic fluid, steam or is required temperature upto 1900C ›› Light weight and can be mounted on any roof top. ›› No reinforcement is required (50 kg bearable load roof top).

Can generate significant output even in diffused sunlight, 30 % more energy output compared to concentrated or fresnel solar collector .

KEY FEATURES ADVANTAGES ›› Designed to operate up to 200 0 C in large scale application. ›› Direct heating of Air / Water / Thermic Fluid. ›› Direct steam generation hence minimal conversion heat loss. ›› No reflector - hence no performance degradation over time. ›› High Vacuum insulated aperture area - hence minimal heat loss. ›› Delivers high temperature even in diffused sun light. ›› Return on investment (ROl) around 3 to 4 years ( Diesel, LPG, electricity And other fossil fuel)

Physical Characteristics ›› Each module aperture area is 3 sq mt. which gives 1200 kcal / hr @ peak, per / day 7500 kcal (or 1.5 KWH thermal ) ›› Dimensions ›› Size 2.2 x 3.0 m2 ›› unit gross area 6.6m2 ›› Aperture area 3.0 m2 ›› Weight 60 kg ›› Fluid volume 12 Itrs ›› max. operating pressure 16 bar (Note we can supply hybrid system and also integrate with your existing system.)

›› Degreasing/ Phospating Electroplating ›› Textile Industry, Laundry & Dyeing ›› Pigment Manufacturing ›› Adhesive & Sealant Manufacturing Process Pre-heating ›› Efficient water evaporation ›› Powder Coating, Paint Booth ›› Paper & Leather Industries ›› Distillation (DM Water) ›› Salt Manufacturing ›› Drying Tea leaves ›› Pharma Industry ›› Corrugated box ›› Sugar syrup ›› Dairy Industries ›› Starch lndustries,etc ›› Any other industries where air – steam - thermic fulid - pressurised hot water required  For Details Contact: KONTACT ENGINEERS SS-2, 1st Main Road, SIDCO, Ambattur, Industrial Estate, Chennai - 6000058.

M: +91-7358040733 ,9840052556 +91- 9042949091 T: +91-44-26170553 F: +91- 44 - 26171773 W: http://www.kontactengineers. com U:http://youtube/Ge_Mparews

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS ›› Steam upto 10 bar Pressure ›› Food Processing ›› Rubber and Tyre Vulcanizing

53

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Curtain Raiser

Intersolar India West to showcase latest developments and opportunities for the solar industry in the booming markets of Western India growth and reach as close to the 100 GW goal as possible.

Inter Solar India 2018 was held from 11th -13th December 2018 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bangalore. Intersolar India West is going to take place from April 4- 5 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.

M

aharashtra is the growth engine of India's economy taking strident steps to be among the top PV states in India. Leading with its solar rooftop market and being the capital for India's financial industry Mumbai is the best place for doing solar business in India's western regions.

Intersolar India West will open its doors on April 4-5, 2019 in the Bombay Exhibition Centre with a focus on photovoltaics, PV production, solar thermal technologies and India's western solar market.

75+ exhibitors will present their product innovations to 5000+ business professionals.

India's total PV installed capac-

ity crossed 28 GW by the end of 2018 and the original National Solar Target of 20 GW was crossed three years in advance clearly affirming that the decision to upwardly revise the target in 2015 was the right one. However, the year on year positive growth, seen over the last four years, dropped in 2018. The capacity addition in 2018 fell to about 8GW from 10 GW in 2017. Nevertheless, the flurry of tenders released towards the end of the year and in January and February 2019 has led to a healthy order pipeline. With a new federal government taking over in May, analysts expect the regulatory environment to be improved and greater clarity in policies provided to speed up

54 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

Year 2018 turned out to be the year when the state of Maharashtra, the third largest in India and with the highest GDP among all the states showed for greater interest in developing solar than before. The state has one of the highest urban populations and has the highest electricity generation capacity of 42 GW. After Karnataka, Maharashtra has the highest RE generation capacity of 9.3 GW. It ranks third in wind capacity but ranked much lower at No.9 in ground mounted solar capacity.

Maharashtra is the undisputed leader in the C&I rooftop solar segment and this market is fast growing. Maharashtra will also soon have the distinction of setting up the largest floating solar system of 1000MW capacity at the Ujani Dam on Bhima River.

In January 2019 the Maharashtra Government announced its intention to set up 3200 MW of solar in the next two years. Western India comprising in addition to Maharashtra, the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Chattisgarh have exceptionally rich RE resources both wind and solar. As per the latest MNRE report, these states together have an installed PV capacity of 8200 MW with Rajasthan alone accounting for 3045 MW. In the background of the growth environment showing signs of improvement in the country and Maharashtra, the engine of growth of India's economy also

ďƒœ www.supersmartenergy.com

It unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply.

Intersolar India West is the exhibition and conference for the India's western solar industry. It takes place at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Mumbai on April 4-5, 2019.

taking strident steps to be among the top PV states, Intersolar India West Exhibition and Conference is being organized in Mumbai at the Bombay Exhibition Centre on April 4-5, 2019. The conference to be held on 4th April has been structured with four sessions addressing four key topics. Besides the session on India's PV Market Development 2019, three other sessions will be held: Financing and Business Models, Enhancing Profitability and Safety through O&M and Improving Rural Economy - Mini & Micro-Grids. Experts with years of rich professional experience from the industry,

from market research firms and government will be speaking in these sessions on the first day.

On 5th April, an exclusive session titled "Bridging the Sustainability Gap - Skills, Entrepreneurship and Technology" will be conducted by Skill Council for Green Jobs.

For more information and program details, please visit: www. intersolar.in and www.thesmartere.in About Intersolar With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners.

The event's exhibition and conference both focus on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies, and solar thermal technologies. Since being founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners in the global solar industry.

With more than 27 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across the world's most influential markets. Intersolar exhibitions and conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Dubai. These global events are complemented by the Intersolar Summits, which take place in emerging and growing markets worldwide.

For more information on Intersolar India, please visit: www. intersolar.in 

55

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

Read. anytime, anywhere, any device

Your Favourite Magazine on your smart devices. visit www.supersmartenergy.com for latest updates from the solar and renewable energy industry.

Call +91 8830 606798 for editorial and advertising opportunities.

2019 20 EVENTS WATCH APRIL

04-05 2019 Event: Intersolar India West Mumbai Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

APRIL

01-05 2019

APRIL

19-20 2019 Event: RenewX Hitex Exhibition Center, Hyderabad

MAY

15-17 2019

Event: Hannover Messe 2019

Event: Intersolar Europe 2019

Hannover, Germany

Munich, Germany

JUNE

MAY

22-24 2019 Event: 4th Solar India 2019 Expo Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

MAY

15-17 2019 Event: Europe Energy Storage 2019 Munich, Germany

03-06 2019

AUGUST

16-18 2019

27-29 2019

Event: SNEC PV EXPO

Event: 11th Guangzhou International Solar PV Exhibition

Event: Intersolar South America 2019

Guangzhou, China

São Paulo, Brazil

Shanghai, China

SEPT

09-13 2019 Event: EU PVSEC 2019 Marseille, France

SEPT

18-20 2019

AUGUST

NOV

27-29 2019

Event: Renewable Energy India Expo 2019

Event: Intersolar India

Greater Noida, India

Bangalore, India

57

March/ April 2019 SmartEnergy

ADVERTISERS INDEX Aarvi Encon Ltd.

03

Anand International

05

Anushree Greentech India Pvt. Ltd.

07

Bright Solar Ltd.

13

Giraffa

21

Gravin Earthing

31

Illusion4Real

15

Intersolar India 2019

IFC

Kontact Engineers

49

Mersen India Pvt. Ltd.

51

Refocus Instruments

19

RenewX 2019

BC

Sai Cabtech Pvt. Ltd.

33

Sri Savitr Solar Pvt. Ltd.

11

Swapnil Electricals Pvt. Ltd.

35

Thermax India Ltd.

23

58 SmartEnergy March/ April 2019

 www.supersmartenergy.com

A Pan India Series of Conference on Rooftop Solar

120+ Delegates 10+ Speakers 9+ Sponsors 3+ Supporting Associations For upcoming editions of SolarGenX, Various Sponsorship, speaking and branding opportunities contact +91 9820716970 for details.