Smart Energy Nov-Dec 2017 Edition

SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

Volume IV, Issue VI

Pages 72

`200

ISSN 2348-5027

Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

From Dec 05-07, 2017 @ BEC, Mumbai - India.

MICROGRIDS Lighting The Indian Villages!

Rising Temperature Adversely Affecting the Performance of Solar Modules

Solar Energy - Paving the Way for a Brighter Future Residential Rooftop Solar : 3 A’s of Adoption

PRODUCT UPDATES DEIF, SMA, MECO, SU-KAM VIKRAM SOLAR, HUAWEI

Head-to-Head: PERC or Mono Half-Cell

visit www.supersmartenergy.com for latest updates

Visit us at

SmartEnergy Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

Editor Santosh Khadtare 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 Nov/ Dec 2017

Editor's Note Dear Readers, The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued its longawaited recommendations on trade action on imports of solar PV cells and modules that includes quotas, tariffs on crystalline silicon solar imports. Ultimately, these are only recommendations and it would be interesting to see what action the Trump Administration takes on this recommendations.

While the industry is divide over the impact the US trade restrictions, if any, will have on the PV markets globally. The optimist see the rapid decline in PV generating cost to trigger worldwide demand for solar panels and modules, enabling the global PV market sales to stay at the same level as recorded in 2017. While the pessimists believe that the global market demand would trend downward in 2018.

Back home, in a significant development India’s total renewable energy capacity crossed 60,000 MW in the September quarter. Out of this, wind power’s total capacity was 32,701 MW. Solar groundmounted segment’s capacity was 13,982 MW, while rooftop category had a capacity of 790 MW. With energy demand growing exponentially countries like India have experienced energy shortage and lack of energy for decades. Enter microgrids, which are essentially small, independent grids that can generate power, distribute it locally and control it, all without having to join a main power grid. Naturally, microgrids have opened up new opportunities for rural and even urban communities, providing cleaner energy at low costs because microgrids can be hooked up to energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and others.

Additionally, since the distance between power generation and areas of usage are smaller, less energy is wasted. The cover story accesses the demand for microgrids in India. The advantages, opportunities and constraints for their growth. The writer further elaborates on how India can set an example for the rest of the world in achieving access to affordable energy through microgrid solutions.

The 2017 Intersolar India Exhibition is running December 05-07 at the Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai highlighting key technological innovations and ongoing transformation of India’s solar firms.

So be ready and keep your day to visit the most awaited exhibition and yes don’t forget to drop at our stall.

Enjoy reading and yes don’t forget to give your feedback to me at info@supersmartenergy.com Santosh K Editor Santosh@supersmartenergy.com Like SmartEnergy on Facebook @

www.facebook.com/smartenergymagazine

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Content

30 EXPERT INSIGHT Avinash Hiranandani

50. COVER STORY Microgrids - Lighting The Indian Villages!

34. VIEW POINT Solar Energy - Paving the Way for a Brighter Future

Managing Director, RenewSys India Pvt. Ltd

38 FACE 2 FACE Manish Jivani Managing Director, Anand International

Authored By: Gajanan Nabar, CEO, CleanMax Solar

42. ROOFTOP SOLAR Residential Rooftop Solar: 3 A’s of Adoption

46 EXCLUSIVE Kenneth Feng Hsiao CEO, CGN-Dasheng

Authored By: Aniket Baheti & Erich Nussbaumer

56

59. TECH REVIEW Head-to-Head: PERC or Mono Half-Cell Contributed By: JinkoSolar

65. SPOTLIGHT Rising Temperature Adversely Affecting The Performance of Solar Modules Authored By: Prodyut Bagchi, Senior Vice President, Angelique International Limited

REGULARS 08. News & Views 18. To the Point 20. Products & Services Deif, SMA, MECO, Su-Kam, Vikram Solar, Huawei, GSola, Heraeus

6 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

IN CONVERSATION Prakash R Soni Chairman & MD, Sai CabTech P. Ltd.

60 MAVERICK Pratik Kothari Solar Business Head, Pearl Energy Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

62. CURTAIN RAISER: Intersolar 2017 66. SHOW REPORT: REI 2017 69. EVENTS WATCH 70. ADVERTISERS INDEX

 www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views PM launches `16,320-crore ‘power for all’ project The Narendra Modi government, which started its ‘power for all’ campaign in rural India with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), is continuing its campaign, with the Prime Minister launching the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana — Saubhagya.

holds. Access to energy is central to development and this initiative to expedite that access is strongly positive for growth.

Saubhagya is meant to ensure electrification of all willing households in rural and urban areas.

Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, the government had decided to electrify 18,452 unelectrified villages within 1,000 days, by May 1, 2018. Today, there are only 3,000 unelectrified villages left in the country, Modi said.

Launching Saubhagya scheme, Modi said: “There are over 4 crore households in the country without electricity. That means almost 20 per cent of all 25 crore households are devoid of a basic necessity like power.”

The government is targeting the completion of household electrification by December 2018. Industry observers believe that this represents a natural transition of government policy from electrification of villages to connecting house-

On Saubhagya scheme, Kameswara Rao, Leader - Energy, Utilities and Mining, PwC India, said, “The last-mile connectivity has always been a challenge, with households facing high con-

nections costs, and States facing higher supply costs. This attempt addresses both, by funding energy-efficient equipment.”

The government also plans to provide solar power packs of 200-300 Watt peak capacity with battery bank for unelectrified households in remote and inaccessible areas and also provide five LED lights, a DC fan, a DC power plug as well as maintenance for five years 

Small & medium Wrong classification leaves solar sized solar man- developers stranded ufacturers float A new interpretation of customs “It is a matter of wrong classificarules has jeopardised India’s solar tion,” said Anand Kumar, secretary industry body energy projects, with officials in the MNRE. “They are sorting out A group of small and mediumsized solar module manufactures have formed a new industry association by the name North India Module Manufacturer Association (NIMMA) in a bid to voice their concerns.

“We found that the existing solar associations in India are finding it difficult to cater to the needs of small and medium size solar modules manufacturers, who have some unique problems and issues. NIMMA is the end result of the same,” said Manish Gupta, President, NIMMA. NIMMA will work with government authorities and other national and international solar organizations the statement said 

8 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

demanding payment of import duties on crucial inputs that were previously always shipped in without any levy, leaving developers stranded as 90% of these modules are not produced in India.

This has held up about 1,000 containers of solar modules at the Chennai port, affecting almost all the leading developers because customs authorities have suddenly started classifying solar modules as “electrical motors and generators,” which attract a levy of 7.5%, plus 2% education cess and 1% secondary and higher education cess, industry executives said.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy is seized of the matter and has written to the finance ministry.

the matter. I’ve talked to the board member concerned.” Developers said they face severe harassment, which can hit loan repayment and make it difficult to achieve targets.

They said customs authorities in other ports have also misinterpreted rules for solar equipment in the past. “It is simple arm-twisting,” said a leading developer.

“At least $5-7 billion worth of solar modules must have been imported over all these years without attracting any import duty.

Suddenly, some spirited customs officials have decided to reinvent the wheel. We have Rs. 375 crore worth of goods which are stuck with a duty implication of over Rs. 30 crore. It is sheer harassment with ulterior motives.”   www.supersmartenergy.com

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News & Views Heraeus launches customer initiatives to boost Indian Photovoltaics Industry Heraeus Photovoltaics, a provider of technology solutions for the renewable energy industry launched major local customer initiatives to support an efficiency boost of the Indian Photovoltaic industry.

With the establishment of dedicated local sales team in India, Heraeus will intensify its customer relationship and provide secure supply chain to its customers. Heraeus will also establish dedicated resources in its engineering and technology center in Singapore, to better tailor and further speed up customization of silver pastes for Indian cell manufacturers.

Furthermore, Heraeus will offer its industry recognized cell optimization consulting to its Indian customers. The cell optimization consultancy aims to provide world class technical expertise to Indian manufacturers so that they can compete with the best in the world and turn the "Make In India" vision to reality.

Heraeus specializes in silver metallization paste production and offers products for all solar cell architectures and photovoltaic technologies, ranging from n-type, black silicon and PERC to double printing and knotless screen. Heraeus Photovoltaics holds several efficiency records in these technologies and is con-

Enphase, Waaree to jointly deliver Smart Solar in India Waaree will join forces with Enphase to produce an AC solar module (ACM) for the Indian market. Waaree will offer its high quality and high reliability monocrystalline solar PV modules with Enphase Microinverters attached to the back of Waaree’s modules.

This is the first ACM partnership that Enphase Energy has established in India. The Waaree Enphase AC modules will be assembled and shipped directly from Waaree’s PV module factory, located in Surat in a 500MW state of the art facility that is one of India’s largest PV module factories.

“Enphase Energy is the first global microinverter technology company to partner with Waaree to integrate our technology onto their solar modules,” said Nathan Dunn, managing director of Enphase Asia-Pacific. “This is a truly exciting opportunity as it will

10 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

allow us to extend our presence in India with a market leader in solar modules. Enphase and Waaree share the same philosophy of delivering solar solutions built on innovative technology and quality. Together, we will work toward delivering more affordable solar power to commercial and residential customers in India.”

Hitesh Doshi, chairman and managing director, Waaree Energies Limited said, "The attachment of Waaree solar PV modules with the Enphase microinverter system is a significant win for installers and customers. Not only will they enjoy the quality and performance of industry leading products, our AC solar modules will also be easier and faster to install. We are delighted to be working with Enphase Energy with its strong heritage in energy technology and continued development of quality microinverters that suit India’s unique climate and weather conditions.” ■

stantly increasing the efficiencies of its products with photovoltaic experts in its five R&D centers all around the world.

"Energy production from Photovoltaic is already the cheapest way to produce electricity in the world and the prices will continue to decrease. Photovoltaics, thus offers great opportunities for India to help solving the very strong growth in energy demand. This however requires a good and technologically leading partner for the Indian solar market. Heraeus is convinced that it can be this partner," said Andreas Liebheit, President of Heraeus Photovoltaics ■

Indian Railways launches it's first set of solar power plants in Delhi Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched the railways' first set of solar plants with a total capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp), an ambitious project aimed at reducing the national transporter's carbon footprint.

The project is part of the government's National Solar Mission in which Indian Railways plans to commission 1,000 MWp solar plants across its network.

The plants on the roof tops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Anand Vihar and Delhi railway stations will generate 76.5 lakh units of solar power cumulatively per year, and shall meet about 30 per cent of the energy requirement of these stations. Through the project, the railways will save Rs. 421.4 lakh annually   www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views India’s largest floating solar plant completed withstanding huge water level variations The largest floating solar plant in India, standing at 500kW capacity, has been completed in the state of Kerala. The project for Kerala State Electricity Board (KESB) was built by Trivandrumbased firm Adtech Systems at the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad.

M.R. Narayanan, chairman, Adtech Systems, said in a statement that the main challenge for the project was a water level variation of 21 metres between summer and monsoon seasons, so the firm had to design special anchoring systems to ride the variations as well as high speed wind conditions.

Rays Power inks PPA for 100MW solar energy with TANGENDCO Rays Power Infra announced a power purchase agreement with TANGEDCO for development of 100 MW project through solar power solutions in Tamil Nadu.

This project will provide power at an attractive rate of Rs. 3.47/- per unit to TANGEDCO, a Rays Power Infra statement said. According to the statement, this is part of the 15,000 MW, Rs 11,369 crore interstate power corridor promoted by the Government of India. It is expected to be ready by May 2019.

Commenting on the PPA, Ketan Mehta, Chief Executive Officer, Rays Power Infra said, "Signing this PPA is a watershed moment for us, as it will help us tap into the existing solar potential of the state, while making use of the best of our innovative technology and our skilled manpower. We look forward to executing this project on time" 

12 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

He further said that the project used modules from Telanganabased manufacturer Radiant Solar. It also used 32kW sting inverters made by ABB.

Since the project was completed Adtech has received enquiries for more than 50MW of other floating PV projects, Narayanan added.

The floats were designed with ferrocement, which involves applying reinforced mortar or plaster over layers of metal to create a hollow structure.

Narayanan said ferrocement makes the project very stable.

Floating solar projects can often generate more power than ground-mount solar systems due to the water body’s cooling effect on the modules. They can also preserve water levels through shading.

He added: “Our company has been specialised in making ferrocement platforms and floating structures for the last 20 years.

The ferrocement platforms are guaranteed for 50 years life.”

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is also planning two 10MW floating PV projects in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh with the floating structure and anchoring designed by Arka ■

Jakson Group to increase its solar manufacturing capacity to 1.5 GW The Noida-based Jakson group plans to increase its solar manufacturing capacity to 1.5 gigawatts by 2020 in line with the government's objective of achieving 175 GW renewable power generation by 2022. The company, that has a railway contract for equipping trains with solar panels, did a successful pilot recently for a DEMU in Delhi. With the increase in its module capacity and a foray into solar cell manufacturing, the company wants to position itself as an energy and engineering company, said Sameer Gupta, chairman and managing director, Jakson group. Though the company diversified into solar business in 2010, power backups and diesel gensets still comprise a large part of its revenue.

About 40 per cent of its Rs 2,700 crore revenue comes from PowerGen and distribution business where it is a leading player.

The company is making an investment of Rs 700 crore in the new solar module manufactur-

ing plant in Gujarat. According to Gupta, the investment would be made in two phases. In the first phase, the capacity of 500 MW of solar modules would be set up. In the second phase, another 500MW of solar module manufacturing and 250MW of the solar cell would be set up. The total capacity would be 1GW of modules and 250MW of cells. It currently has 70 MW of capacity at its Noida plant for manufacturing mono and polycrystalline modules besides an installed capacity of 500 MW of module mounting structures.

Gupta said they were also targeting the export market, which includes countries in the West Asia and Africa for EPC business.

They have already appointed 12 dealers for selling modules and offer retail solutions in the export market. The group also owns and operates three solar IPP with a total installed capacity of 60 MW ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

News & Views Azure M-Power Forays into Rural Electrification through Mini and Micro Grids Azure Power announced its foray into rural electrification through mini and micro grids in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

According to the Ministry of Power, more than three million households in Jharkhand are unelectrified. In an effort to electrify these households, Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA) has awarded projects for design, supply, installation, commissioning and operation for 5 years of decentralised distributed solar PV power plants along with power distribution networks to the unelectrified households.

Azure Power has won a project to

electrify 320 households across 11 villages through development of mini and micro grids.

The Government of India recently announced ‘Saubhagya’ scheme which sanctioned INR 160 billion to help achieve the electrification of 30 million households across the country by March 2019. Mini and micro grid development across India is likely to be core to achieving targets under this program.

With the foray into micro and mini grids for rural electrification, Azure M-Power will offer reliable and affordable electrification solutions in villages across

India that enables sustainable economic development, inclusive growth and resilience against climate change.

Speaking on this occasion, Inderpreet Wadhwa, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Azure Power said “Azure Power aims to bridge the energy access gap in India through its low-cost and reliable solar power solutions. With the launch of Azure M-Power for electrification of villages across India, we are delighted to make a contribution towards the realization of our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s commitment towards 24x7 power for all” ■

Light India International 2018: Largest business platform for the Lighting Industry in India A major lighting exhibition under the banner Light India International 2018 (Lii 2018) is to be held in Mumbai. The exhibition will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre during 19-21 January 2018.

This ‘mega event’ which is configured to address the smart city electrification concepts in India through seminars and product display is organised by the Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (ISLE) with event management by i ads & events.

Organizing Technical Conferences and Trade Shows has been a very important part of ISLE's activities.

The first such major event was held in the year 1991, under the name of PRAKASH '91. Since then, such events were held once every 3 to 4 years and in the year 2002 it was re-christened as Light India International in 2008 and Lii-2008 was held in New Delhi in February 2008. The subsequent Lii 2011 and 2013 were held in Chennai and Lii 2015 in Kolkata.

Lii 2018 will cover all segments

14 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

“Our intention is that Lii 2018 will not only highlight the latest, but also present the futuristic trends in all segments of lighting.”

Dilip Kumbhat National President, Indian Society of Lighting Engineers

of lighting. The two billion dollar lighting Industry in India is witnessing a double digit growth with the new LED technology , thanks to the emphasis being given on infrastructure development by the Central and State Governments.

The theme of the event is LED & SOLAR- A sustainable Development and Lii 2018 will be different from the previous ones because

of the expected emphasis planned for the participation of leaders in these areas in the exhibition of their products and sharing their expertise during the technical seminars Kindly visit the website www. isleind.org for further details of layout etc 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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News & Views RE Share Hits All-Time High in India - 13.2% of Electricity In July 2017, the share of renewable energy generation among India’s total electricity generation and imports touched 13.2%, the highest ever in the country.

Total electricity generation and imports in India during July 2017 totalled 98.1 billion kilowatthours, while total renewable energy generation was 12.9 billion kilowatt-hours.

The reason for this sharp jump in July was the large wind capacity exposed to high-speed monsoon winds. Of the 12.9 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy generation in July, 76.2% (or 9.8

SBI extends Rs 2,317 crore credit facility for RT solar power projects The State Bank of India (SBI) announced sanction of Rs 2,317crore credit facilities to JSW Energy, Hinduja Renewables, Tata Renewable Energy, Adani Group, Azure Power, Cleantech Solar, and Hero Solar Energy, for executing rooftop solar projects with aggregate capacity of 575 Mw. The sanction is towards financing grid-connected rooftop solar projects under the SBI-World Bank (WB) Programme. SBI has availed a line of credit of $625 million from World Bank for lending to viable grid-connected rooftop solar projects undertaken by photovolatic (PV) developers and end-users, an official statement said. SBI has so far sanctioned 43 projects with aggregate credit facilities of Rs 2,766 crore under the programme.

This would add 695 Mw of solar rooftop capacity to the grid, and is a significant step towards meeting the government’s target of 40 Gw of solar rooftop installations 

16 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

billion kilowatt-hours) were generated by wind energy projects, again the highest ever.

Due to the high wind energy generation this financial year, India seems on track to meet the nonsolar renewable purchase obligation target. For the period of April to August 2017, wind energy generation in India is up 28% in 2017 compared to the previous year.

Solar power, on the other hand, lagged significantly during the first 5 months, with a share of just 1.58% compared to the full year target of 4.75% ■

ABB India extends technology support to power e-rickshaws ABB India is providing critical technology through its solar inverters for solar powered charging stations for e-rickshaws at four locations in Jabalpur. As the sun hits the solar panels at the charging station, generating the direct current (DC) energy, the ABB inverters convert that power to the alternating current (AC) used in charging the e-rickshaws. The solar powered charging stations are part of a RE project initiated by the Jabalpur Smart City Corporation 

ISA to be a legal entity, to tap 1000 GW solar energy by 2030 The International Solar Alliance (ISA), jointly launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande on the first day of COP21 UN Climate Change Conference in 2015, is set to become a legal entity, an official release announced this recently.

As of date, 44 out of 121 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement. Sixteen nations have submitted the formal Instrument of Ratification. They include Bangladesh, Fiji, France, Ghana, Guinea, India, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia and South Sudan.

"The ISA is going to a

legal entity on December 6," Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, was quoted in the release.

The release further mentioned that the ISA is working for tapping 1,000 GW of solar energy by 2030 in its partner countries.

With the postponement of the first ISA summit in India, a new date is likely to be announced soon.

Likewise, the second edition of Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo -- RE-INVEST 2017, scheduled next month in Greater Noida in India has been postponed to April 19-21 next year.

France is India's partner in both the

ISA summit and REINVEST 2017.

ISA is the first international intergovernmental treatybased organisation headquartered in India. The ISA's main objective is to undertake the joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology and mobilise more than $1,000 billion of investments needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of solar energy.

India's draft "Ten Year Electricity Plan" calls for a staggering 275 GW of renewable energy by 2027, in addition to 72 GW of hydro and 15 GW of nuclear energy 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Sembcorp bags 2nd wind power project in India Singapore-based Sembcorp announced in a release that it has won a 250 MW project in the country's second nationwide wind power tender.

"This makes Sembcorp the utility player which has won the largest combined capacity in India's two national wind power tenders so far," the company statement said.

The new project will expand Sembcorp's presence in India's power market. It has over 4,000 megawatts of power capacity in operation and under development in the country, comprising both thermal and renewable energy assets.

The project is expected

to be developed in phases and targeted to be fully commissioned by the first half of 2019.

Sembcorp India CEO & Country Head Vipul Tuli said the new project is in line with the firm's strategy to make energy business in the country stronger and more sustainable.

Sunil Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Sembcorp Green Infra, said the back-to-back wins in both national wind power tenders held to date demonstrates Sembcorp's strong renewable energy capabilities.

The project will be connected to central transmission utility and supply power to multiple states ■

Orange Renewable Awarded 200 MW Wind Project in the State of TN Orange Renewable, a 100% subsidiary of Singapore-based AT Holdings Pte. Ltd, has secured a 200 MW Wind Power project in the State of Tamil Nadu under an intensely competitive global bid floated by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

The company's bid of a highly competitive rate of Rs. 2.64 / unit (4.1 US cents / unit) is the lowest tariff in India and one of the lowest in the world, establishing Orange Renewable as one of the most competitive wind power producers in the world.

Speaking on the development, Sudhir Nunes, CEO, Wind Business, Orange Renewable

KERC directive on tariff, a setback to the wind industry Karnataka’s electricity regulator has refused to approve the power purchase agreements (PPAs) for wind power projects that were commissioned before March 31, 2017, without a fresh tariff reduction of 17% to Rs 3.74/ unit. The decision would impact 242.5 MW of wind power plants with a capital cost of about Rs 1,350 crore in the state. Apart from Indian companies such as Suzlon and Inox, the decision would adversely affect projects of foreign companies such as Siemens Gamesa and Green Infra.

The decision comes shortly after the Solar Energy Corporation of India managed to get bids as low

as Rs 2.64 a unit in the second competitive bidding for wind energy of 1,000 MW. After the first such auction held in February, where wind tariffs dropped to Rs 3.46/unit, there were a series of issues across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan where state-owned discoms wanted to renegotiate previously agreed prices.

“While the IPPs have already signed PPA’s for these projects with the state’s discoms, the recent tariff revision by KERC, has hurt the investor confidence in the state,” said Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and MD, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Power ■

said, " We were able to achieve our targeted returns at such a low tariff through a combination of factors, including: ownership of critical development assets in a site with strong wind resource, strong relationships with global suppliers of lowest cost of energy technology, cost economy of scale associated with a single 200MW project, efficient sourcing of capital, sophisticated and innovative contracts and low off take risks in terms of PPA and evacuation. We attribute this success to our disciplined focus on building project development, financing, construction management and asset management capabilities." ■

India gets its first LiDAR for offshore wind assessment LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, uses light from a pulsed laser to measure ranges. It has been commissioned for the National Institute of Wind Energy’s offshore platform. The data found will support India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s efforts towards exploring the full potential of offshore wind along coastline. This is another contribution from the consortium, led

by GWEC, towards ensuring that the offshore wind sector in India is supported by strong technical data 

17

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

To the Point NATIONAL Maharashtra launches project to connect farmlands with solar power Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis laid foundation stone for a pilot project under which farmlands in the state could get up to 12 hours uninterrupted power tapping solar energy.

The pilot project will come up at Ralegan-Siddhi, the famed model village created by social crusader Anna Hazare, under the state government's 'Mukhyamantri Agricultural Solar Feeder Scheme'.

"With this Agricultural Solar Feeder Scheme, we will be able to provide electricity to our farmers during daytime. This is a clean and green energy, is environment friendly and I am confident that in three years it will change the entire scenario of the agricultural sector," Fadnavis said.

He added that the scheme has earned laurels from the NITI Aayog, which has asked other states to emulate it.

GCPF and Cleantech Solar join forces to increase momentum of rooftop solar energy adoption in South-East Asia and India GCPF and Cleantech Solar are joining forces to help pan-Asian companies tackle soaring energy costs and in parallel implement sustainable business practices through the adoption of solar energy.

India, Britain collaborate to make next-gen solar cells A team of researchers from Britain and India has kicked off a project to develop the next-generation photovoltaics (PV) in the country with the aim to have mobile labs that can manufacture these devices at a lower cost.

The 8 million pound Strategic Uni-

18 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

versity Network to Revolutionise Indian Solar Energy (SUNRISE) project is powered by the Global Challenges Research Fund to rapidly accelerate and prove low cost printed PV and tandem solar cells for use in off grid Indian communities within the lifetime of the project (October 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021).

Tata Power Solar bags Dun & Bradstreet award Tata Power Solar has won ‘Dun & Bradstreet - Everest Infra Awards 2017’ under Infrastructure Project category for commissioning India's largest solar project under Domestic Content Requirement for NTPC at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.

NISE Celebrates its 4th Foundation Day Veer Energy and Infrastructure announced in a statement released that it has received a letter of interest from Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), Pune, opinion on the installation of a solar or hybrid project at its existing wind projects.

NSEF seeks more time for solar projects in UP Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh, presided over the 4th Foundation Day celebrations of National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), at its campus in Gurugram, Haryana.

Solar costs further-IRENA

to

fall

Solar power costs will fall by another 60 percent over the next decade giving an already booming market another boost, said the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Solar power is in the midst of

boom because of sharp drops in costs and efficiency improvements, pushing global capacity from virtually zero at the start of the century to 300 gigawatt (GW) by the end of 2016, a figure expected to rise again by 2020.

GCL and MYSUN partner to launch high quality Solar Kits for Indian Homes MYSUN, India’s leading rooftop solar platform focused on providing end to end solar solutions, and GCL System Integration Technology Co. Ltd., a group company of Golden Concord Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong, a USD 20 billion enterprise engaged in manufacturing of PV material and clean energy equipment, announced a strategic partnership.

World’s first floating wind farm opens in Scotland Statoil has installed a 30 MW wind farm of the North East coast of Scotland. It comprises five 6 MW Siemens turbines installed on floating structures at Buchan Deep, 25 km off Peterhead. The “Hywind Scotland” wind farm is expected to power around 20,000 households. According to Statoil, the project will demonstrate the feasibility of future commercial floating wind farms “that could be more than four times the size”.

Alfen launches the first storage solution for self-healing power grids in the world The new Cellular Smart Grid Platform (CSGriP) developed by Alfen divides the central grid into many small cells that have the ability to function autonomously. In case of a central grid power outage, these local cells take over control.

They automatically start restoring all local sources of energy supply, such as solar and wind, and distribute this energy amongst local consumers ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Products & Services

DEIF’s Solar Solutions

A

cross the world, the need to make the energy portfolio environmental friendly is a pressing need. Among the renewable sources, Solar power is gaining momentum in India with the push given by government and the abundant solar potential in India. The increasing demand is driving down the cost of solar energy which is attracting more and more investment in this sector.

Remote Gateway

Local monitoring AGI 400

Remote monitoring

Display Mains Mains

Mains breaker

SunSpec/ DEIF proprietary AGC-4 Display 2

Display 2

Busbar CANbus

While the investment and increasing of Solar share in the energy sources is fully justified, it is also equally important to have efficient controls that will enable solar penetration to maximum possible extent including the possibility of exporting the excess power back to the grid.

Challenge with solar In a contemporary system, solar power can only be utilised as long as the utility supply is available. In the absence of utility, solar power can no longer deliver the power and the diesel generators come in to deliver the backup power.

The Solar systems are not geared up to supply power along with the diesel or gas genset as the load sharing between the two groups is a challenge. This leads to burning the fuel (diesel/gas) for the genset to take the entire load for the duration for which the utility is absent, in spite of solar power

DEIF’s Automatic Sustainable Controller

20 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

Genset breaker 2

Busbar

CANbus

AGC-4 Genset breaker 1

ASC Display

Display 3

AGC-4

AGC-4

Genset breaker 3

Inverter breaker 4

Automatic Sustainable Controller, ASC Modbus RTU

Solar Inverter Diesel Genset 1

Diesel Genset 2

Diesel Genset 3

source being available.

DEIF’s answer challenge

to

the

DEIF with its experience and expertise in the field of power generation control solutions; has come up with an innovative solution to this challenge. DEIF introduces the Automatic Sustainable Controller (ASC), a solution that provides integrated solution for systems with utility, diesel and solar power source.

The system provides an interface between the diesel/gas genset and solar, with or without presence of utility power - a solution that enables you to share the load between solar PV cell and diesel/ gas genset with maximum solar penetration, thus resulting in maximised savings even during utility failure. DEIF solutions being costeffective balance your economy and conserve the environment as they are highly efficient.

A solar system consists of series of PV cells connected to their respective inverters.

DEIF’s solar controller is connected to the master inverter or central control point of the group of inverters and interconnected among Utility and Genset Controllers through CAN

bus communication. DEIF’s solar controller serves as an interface between Solar source and the diesel genset controllers/Utility Power, namely Advanced Genset Controllers (AGC), over the CAN bus to adjust power output to meet the load requirement with solar system taking the maximum load share. When the utility fails, Genset start up to provide the reference and provide minimum load that will let it run efficiently and let the solar meet the rest of the demand. If the solar power output decreases due to bad sunlight, the deficit will be met by diesel/gas genset through the intelligent interface, thus ensuring reliable supply of power in all conditions. If the export of power from Solar is not demanded then the Automatic Sustainable Controller will restrict the solar generation to the desired limit.

How much can you save?

To get a glimpse of what you would be your minimal saving after installing DEIF’s solution, let us consider a simple real life example.

On an average, considering power loss of up to 20 hours per week implies that in a year you can have almost 1000 hours of lack of util-

 www.supersmartenergy.com

ity power. Considering that the diesel consumption normally is of 125 litres per hour (500 KW at full load) and assuming 1.5 $/litre as cost of diesel, for 1000 hours of no utility power, 187.5 $/hour is the cost for running a diesel genset for one hour. For 1000 hours you would spend 1, 87,500 $ and for running 2 genset, the total spending will be 3, 75,000 $ on fuel cost alone. In addition to this, the cost for handling the fuel, managing resources, maintenance of genset, gas emissions, and environmental

setbacks add to the overheads.

On the other hand, DEIF’s solar solution enables you to use solar power even in the absence of utility with high solar penetration.

Say with a 60 % solar penetration you can run just one genset and save on fuel cost of the other in the period of utility failure which implies a saving of 1, 87,500 $.

Using solar for the additional period of the year can make that period also further green and help maximize the project’s over-

all return on investment. DEIF’s solar solution will thus prove to be a boon to India’s evolving solar sector ■ Contact us: For further information or any other questions you may have, don’t hesitate to contact us on (+91) 22 4245 2000 or please feel free to write us at India@ deif.com. We look forward to working with you.

SMA Introduces new Inverter for Commercial PV Solutions

W

SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) has expanded its portfolio with the SOLID-Q 50 PV inverter. The new string-inverter offers unmatched performance to price ratio and maximum design flexibility for commercial PV applications even under demanding environmental conditions. Visitors had an opportunity to witness the SOLID-Q 50 inverter at Renewable Energy India Expo in Greater Noida.

“The new SOLID-Q 50 inverter is designed to return highest yields in commercial PV applications”, said Nick Morbach, Executive Vice President Residential and Commercial business unit at SMA. “Customers will benefit from SMA reliability and high design flexibility in applications ranging from large rooftop installations to mountainous regions or shaded systems and therefore get the highest Return-On-Invest. All components of the SOLID-Q 50 inverter are designed and tested to excellently meet the environmental conditions in India. With this inverter, SMA is once again making a valuable contribution to a future-proof, renewable energy supply.”

“We have already received multiple inquiries about the SOLID-Q 50 inverter for various projects and

our customers show great interest in this new SMA product,” said Rakesh Khanna, Managing Director of SMA Solar India Pvt Ltd. Focus on reliability

safety

and

Thanks to its standard DC surge arrester (type II) and patented Riso and RCD protection, the SOLID-Q 50 proves to be a safe and reliable string inverter. By adopting high quality components, SOLID-Q 50 ensures highest product performance. Considering the high temperature in India, the new inverter is also designed with excellent thermal behaviour. 3 MPP trackers with up to 10 input strings, lightweight with only 63

Kg and allowing mounting angels from 0 to 90 degree enables the inverter to provide the highest flexibility. Innovative features including smart string monitoring and integrated PID offset module are also available with this new PV inverter.

The SMA Group with sales of around €1 billion in 2016 is the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. SMA offers a wide range of products and solutions that allow for high energy yields for residential and commercial PV systems and large-scale PV power plants 

21

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Products & Services

MECO “Solar System Analyzer Model 9018BT”

T

he MECO Solar System Analyzer is a portable analyzer used for testing, monitoring, measuring, analyzing and troubleshooting various parameters of Solar System.

Analyzer draws I-V curve with parameters such as Voc, Isc, Vpm, Ipm with efficiency (%) calculation for solar system. This analyzer comes with Remote Solar Detector for measuring and monitoring solar irradiance and temperature.

The Analyzer and Remote Solar Detector is connected by Bluetooth Wireless technology (Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Class 1).

Solar analyzer has Intelligent Test Logic with no personal attendance required. Solar System Analyzer waits and tests the system until appropriate sun light Irradiance is detected. The system continuously monitors DC output of Solar System and AC power output of inverter; calculate Efficiency of DC to AC power conversion and maximum output power. The analyzer can be used for quality control at production line, warehouse or site of installation, maintenance of solar panels, identify requirement of solar power system, verify

best angle of installation and for Research and Development.

Analyzer is supplied with user friendly software for Data Storing and Analysis. Users can store data (.CSV/.TXT) that can be read in MS Excel and print Waveform / Graph via printer. Users can generate test report with testing data and curves of information. This report can be viewed by browser and printed out. Report can be varied according to the selected curve items (OPC, STC, OPC and STC).

Other features: Max. Solar Panel Power (Pmax) search by Auto-Scan : 1000V & 12A (12\KW capability), Memory Size 512KB (3980Mod, 320 REC, 3980 PWR or 3980 IRR files), Series Resistance of solar

panels, with Data logging/ Open function the I-V curves of the solar system can be analyzed/ recorded for period of time (eg.60min.), conversion of I-V curve under OPC to data under Standard Test Condition (STC) based upon IEC standard, users can setup series number of solar panels so that parameters of many panels can be measured in single measurement, irradiance and temperature of the solar panels can be continuously measured, monitored and recorded, provide OPC and STC test reports for verification of solar panels performance (OK or NO OK), Large LCD backlight, AC Adaptor & Rechargeable Lithium Battery, I-V Curve with Cursor to Display each Data Point 

MECO “Solar Power Meter Model 936”

M

ECO Solar Power Meter is a portable meter used for measuring Solar Power or Solar Irradiance. It uses High sensitivity Silicon Photodiode to measure solar power. Solar Meter can also detect Solar Tilt Angle with Orientation.

This instrument is designed to measure solar power in the range from 400 to 1100 nanometers. It Measures the solar power and transmission up to 2000 W/ m2. Solar Power Meter has Max / Min / Avg and data hold func-

22 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

tions to indenlocations with maximum or minimum power. The good spectral range, orientation and angular detection of meter allow users to conduct the most prec i s e quan-

tify

titative measurements of Solar Power Radiation.

Features: ii Solar power measurement with Orientation and Tilt angle ii E a s y measurement for rate of daylight penetration

»  www.supersmartenergy.com

unik power LIGHT YOUR LIFE

Products & Services ii Auto change for measuring range ii Auto power off with disable function ii Instantaneous display Ave/Min/ Max values ii 20 points memory ii Socket of tripod mounting

ii Magnetic mount ii Backlit LCD and 4 digits triple display Applications: ii Solar radiation measurements ii Solar power research for location of the solar panels or solar

water heater ii Physics and optical laboratories ii Meteorology ii Agriculture ii Windows performance – calculation and verification of the heating or heat reduction caused by direct sunlight 

For details please visit our website: www.mecoinst.com You can also contact: Mr. Prashant Thakkar (Manager – Battery & Solar Product) Email Id: prashant.thakkar@mecoinst.com/ Mobile No: +91 9867 266 639

Su-Kam launches Solar Grid-tie Inverter that can work even on low voltage!

S

u-Kam, a leading company in power back- up and solar solutions, has launched the Solar GridTie Inverter. The newly launched product can be powered by mains as well as solar energy. It can work even voltage as low as 80 to 450 volts in DC and 150 to 280 volts in AC and is able to generate solar power even during low periods of sunshine. With an efficiency of almost 100%, the IEC- certified product can withstand dust and heavy rains. Low voltage along with erratic power supply is one of the major problems India faces with many states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar reporting the problem.

The inverter can also be connected to GSM Remote Monitoring application. This helps a customer to monitor the system from anywhere in the world. A customer can not only monitor the performance of the solar energy but also keep a record of up to 25 years. The inverter is equipped with an LCD screen which regularly monitors units of electricity being made, input and output voltage and the like. The inverter is priced in the range of Rs 52000 to Rs 86000 depending upon the capacity.

On the occasion, Mr. Kunwer Sachdev, Managing Director, Su-Kam

24 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

said: “Su-Kam has always endeavoured to move a step ahead in solar innovation. The solar gridtie inverter is designed to be highly efficient, yielding Return of Investment within a short span of three y e a r s .

Equipped with state- of the art technology, the product is a viable option not only for commercial establishments but also for home- owners if their state has an active net-metering policy and pays a good price to residents for feeding excess solar electricity back to the grid.”

Powered by highly advanced Dual Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technology, the product is able to operate and adjust to the different intensity of light on a solar panel to extract the maximum solar power available. Being light –weight and transformer

less, the grid tieinverter can be even mounted on the wall. As it is a battery-less system, a customer is saved from the hassle of regular maintenance. The product can be connected to a bi-directional metre.

This enables the user to monitor units of electricity being fed back into the grid if there is an active net-metering policy in his state.

For working of the Solar Gridtie inverter, photo-voltaic solar panels are installed on rooftops that generate DC electricity as the sunlight falls on them. This DC electricity goes to the grid-tie inverter where it gets converted into usable AC electricity. Subsequently, it enters the main supply inlet and powers all connected load through solar power. If there is not ample sunshine, the system runs the load through the main power supply 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Products & Services

Vikram Solar launches new monocrystalline product line SOMERA

V

ikram Solar, one of the largest module manufacturer in India, launched a new line of high-efficiency modules, ‘SOMERA’ at this year’s REI Expo held in September.

The SOMERA series uses PERC mono-crystalline solar cells, which is a new addition to the company’s product portfolio.

Vikram claims that its products can achieve high module area efficiency up to 19.05% (for 60 cells) and up to 18.45% (for 72 cells).

Explaining the product, Ivan Saha, CTO and BU head solar manufacturing at Vikram Solar, said: “The new modules are suitable for operation under higher system voltage up to 1500 V. They are constructed with high efficiency PERC cells, having extremely low LID and lower temperature coefficients leading to higher energy yield,

compared to other modules”.

The new monocrystalline modules are conditioned to withstand 2,400 Pascal Wind load, 5400 Pascal Snow load and Dynamic Wind load, making them the best option even for harsh geographical conditions. “Tests have revealed that SOMERA line can offer 5 – 10% higher energy generation output than that of any industry average polycrystalline modules,” Saha added.

Vikram Solar has named the module series differently according to the market. It has launched, SOMERA Grand Series (72 cell modules ranging from 340 to 365Wp) and SOMERA Prime Series (60 cell modules ranging from 280310Wp), for the Indian market.

Whereas, SOMERA Grand Ultima Silver Series (72 cell modules

ranging from 340 to 365Wp), SOMERA Ultima Silver Series and SOMERA Ultima All Black Series (60 cell modules ranging from 280310Wp) will soon be available for the international market 

ALL NEW 72 CELLS MONO SOMERA GRAND 1500V SERIES

Huawei Showcases New “95KTL” 1500 VDC Inverter at SPI

H

uawei unveiled its latest utilityscale solar inverter, SUN200095KTL-US (referred as “95KTL” as follows) at Solar Power International in Las Vegas.

The 95 KTL 1500 VDC smart interactive string inverter has the highest power-to-weight ratio in the

26 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

industry, said the company in a release. In addition, it uses an 800 VAC output stage to minimize AC losses and includes six MPPTs and twelve directly connected string inputs.

The release further mentioned that 95 KTL builds on the Huawei

45 KTL string inverter with simplified installation and reduced O&M cost and inverter replacement reserves. The 45 KTL is the most installed 1500 VDC in the US, powering the largest utility scale string inverter in the country, according to Huawei 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Products & Services

Gsola XJCM-11 Solar Cell Tester

G

Sola Power has brought its AAA class Solar Cell Tester XJCM-11 in India. The product was introduced during REI 2017 Expo.

It is suitable for testing all kinds of solar cells, such as crystalline silicon solar cells, thin film solar cells, HIT solar cells and all the other high efficiency solar cells.

Product Feature The XJCM-11Solar Cell Tester uses LEDS as light generator instead of xenon lamp. Available in A+A+A+ class, it offers spectrum wavelength of 300 to 1100nm. The device is compatible for 2/3/5 BB solar cells and can be customized for more bus-bar solar cells. It sup-

ports reverse current test.

Application Used for crystalline, thin-film, PERC, HIT, N-type, IBC, CIGS and other capacitance cells Benefits The solar cell tester uses different LEDS whose colors are chosen to match the spectrum and intensity of visible sunlight. The flasher is able to do freely defined light pulses ranging from 10ms to 200ms based on the solar cells.

Machine performance is fourth better than the IEC 60904 class AAA class. The flash curve contains Suns-Voc evaluation, IV testing,

reverse current testing and spectrum response testing 

Heraeus introduces new front-side silver paste designed for diamond-wire cut multicrystaline solar cells

H

eraeus Photovoltaics, the worldwide leading supplier of metallization solutions to the PV industry, announced the introduction of a new paste specifically designed for Diamond-Wire-Cut (DWC) multicrystaline solar cells at the PV Taiwan International Photovoltaic Exhibition.

The SOL9651D series front-side silver paste was developed by Heraeus in response to the growing industry adoption of DWC multicrystaline solar cells with a specially textured surface. Industry analysts expect DWC cells to have 80% market share by the end of 2018. Weiming Zhang, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Heraeus Photovoltaics, noted that the development and production of the SOL9651D paste was accelerated to meet the cell’s technical requirements and deliver superior performance.

He said, “When products like DWC quickly emerge to become the de-facto industry choice for cell

28 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

manufacturers, it is critical that the right paste be ready and capable to deliver. Heraeus SOL9651D ensures manufacturers can avoid speed bumps on their innovation roadmap.”

The launch of the SOL9651D paste series marks another milestone

by Heraeus to help solar cell companies improve cell efficiency, address costs and stay ahead of rapid technology developments.

For companies that are using DWC cells, SOL9651D is specifically designed to provide a wide range of capabilities and benefits, including: ii Raising the conversion efficiency of DWC cells by >0.1% ii Superior busbar adhesion and reliability on DWC cells with Additive/MCCE/RIE-texturing ii Ultra-fine-line compatibility for additional efficiency gain on specially textured DWC cells

tact and Voc with efficiency improvement ii The availability of single, double printing and knotless screen packages The new glass chemistry was developed to provide excellent adhesion of SOL9651D, which allows customers to optimize their busbar design for better electrical performance and cost reduction, especially on DWC/ Black-silicon texturing. Additionally, this paste series has a wide firing window, which makes the paste specifically suitable for the application on PERC solar cells. It shows superior adhesion for PERC cell and is compatible for both multi and mono crystalline wafers. As testified by customers, SOL9651D Series has outstanding LID (Light Induced Degradation) performance by reducing the negative impact of irradiation of the charge carrier lifetime 

ii Balanced metallization con-

 www.supersmartenergy.com

29

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Expert Insight

 Avinash Hiranandani Managing Director, RenewSys India Pvt. Ltd.

"We are confident that within the next few years RenewSys will be amongst the top 5 players in the solar industry in India"

Q

.RenewSys is the first Indian company to produce 5BB cells domestically, could you elaborate more on the technology, its advantages and it’s impact on the performance of the solar PV system?

In June, RenewSys, India’s first & only integrated manufacturer of Solar PV Modules & it’s key components - Encapsulants (EVA & POE), Backsheets and Solar PV Cells, became 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,

30 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

are being manufactured at our plant in Hyderabad using a world class automated European PV cell line in a state of the art clean room facility.

Increasing the number of Bus Bars (BBs) in a photovoltaic cell lowers the series resistance and thus increases the current. Eventually, the PV cell power increases, which improves the overall module performance. Apart from the advanced technologies such as PERC, PERT and IBC, increasing the number of Bus Bars, is an attractive technology development to produce solar panels with higher efficiency.

RenewSys recognizes that quality raw materials, commitment to R&D and competitively priced products are all crucial to the solar industry, and affect the performance and success of PV solar power systems.

Q

.Do you see more players entering into manufacturing of 5BB cells and the widespread adoption of the 5BB technology in modules in the future?

We are seeing a steady rise in the number of Indian module manufacturers that correspond to the acceptance and demand for solar  www.supersmartenergy.com

power in India and globally.

When it comes to cell manufacturing however, one has to bear in mind that cell manufacturing is a high CAPEX industry in comparison to module manufacturing.

Raw material availability is also a challenge, as silicon wafers have to be imported and business at all stages, from wafers to modules is extremely price sensitive.

However, as the industry grows, and with support from the relevant authorities, an increase in cell manufacturing capacity may be expected and is also much needed.

In the long term vertical integration and the rise of local manufacturers for cells and other components will help bring the cost down for module manufacturers through ‘Just-in-Time’ inventory and other logistic benefits.

As far as the use of 5BB modules is concerned we believe that 4BB

and below will phase out and 5BB will become the prevalent standard module in use.

Q

.In addition of India which are the other geographies that you are looking at as potential growth market for these products?

Like I mentioned earlier RenewSys manufactures PV Solar modules/ panels as well as Solar PV Cells, EVA, POE and Bus Bar insulation sheets.

We began operations in 2012 and since then have not only managed to set up global operations and supply, but also establish ourselves in advanced markets like Europe and USA where we continue to make steady inroads.

This has been made possible due to various contributing factors. The support and heritage of manufacturing excellence that we inherited from the Enpee Group,

has been a guidepost in setting up and maintaining world class manufacturing facilities at Hyderabad and Bengaluru. We have also invested significantly in developing a robust talent pool, acquiring state of the art European machinery, and in world class R&D labs of our own.

Q

.Please tell us about the manufacturing process of your best in class DESERV™ modules and what are the steps taken to ensure the quality?

RenewSys manufactures a range of reliable, competitively priced, certified modules complying with IEC standards under the brand name ‘DESERV’.

Our modules are designed to deliver optimal performance in adverse conditions and are fortified with PID resistant cells, and Encapsulants and Backsheets. In

»

Over 55 years of Manufacturing Excellence Indiaʼs first and only integrated manufacturer of solar PV Modules& itʼs components.

ENCAPSULANTS (EVA AND POE)

Encapsulant (EVA & POE)

BACKSHEETS

Backsheets

SOLAR PV CELLS

PV Solar Cells

PV Modules

For Sales and Enquires Modules: Shivkumar Lakshman : +91-9620717144; shivkumar.lakshman@renewsysindia.com Encapsulants and Backsheets: Subramanya Prasad : +91- 8884123013; subramanya.prasad@renewsysindia.com Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy Exports: Raja Iyer : +91-9892251839; raja.iyer@renewsysindia.com

31

www.renewsysworld.com

Expert Insight fact, we only use Encapsulant and Backsheet that has been manufactured in-house at our Bangalore division for all our modules; this further enhances the performance of our modules.

Our current module capacity is 300 MW and the modules produced suit applications from small home lighting requirements to utility scale mega power plants.

The PV modules come in configurations of 36 Cells, 48 Cells, 60 Cells and 72 cells.

We are in the process of expanding our capacity and additional module lines with the latest European technology. This will take our capacity up to approximately 350 MW. Our module manufacturing process is completely automated and we perform rigorous and thorough in-house testing of the modules manufactured for compliance with IEC standards. We are able to ensure quality modules that generate more electricity i.e. have higher efficiency due to the use of only A+ grade cells and ensuring that all modules have positive tolerance values.

Apart from a wide range of standard mono and multi crystalline modules, we also produce the ‘Prime’ and ‘X-Prime’ Series of modules designed specially to suit applications like pumping due to their voltage output. These modules have been appreciated by small business owners worldwide.

We have also just launched two specially designed modules, a 355 Wp module that is currently under certification made with standard mono cells and a 340 Wp module made with standard multi-crystalline cells that we feel will grow in demand going forward.

When setting up our module manufacturing process, we leveraged a combination of the feedback and insights we collected from the market and our partners, a detailed third party study conducted on the performance of modules in various climate zones

32 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

We have launched two specially designed modules, a 355 Wp module with standard mono cells and a 340 Wp module made with standard multi-crystalline cells that we feel will grow in demand going forward.



in the Indian Subcontinent and the experience and expertise of our specialised in house R&D teams.

These findings and our dialogue with industry partners globally helped guide us in selecting technology and in formulating processes to ensure that our modules perform reliably and exceed expectations.

Our in-house R&D team has also worked on specialized designs and customisations to help incorporate solar PV panels in various projects efficiently. One such recent example that comes to mind was the design of vertical modules for a solar street lighting project where we customised the modules to vertically fit the pole and the modules were the same size as the pole.

With modules another significant aspect that has an impact on the life and performance of the module is the post production care.

RenewSys ensures that all our modules pass the three stage laminator process. This prevents the module temperature, post lamination, from dropping suddenly and there by prevents the formation of micro cracks. We have also invested in an automated humidity chamber that among other aspects ensures that the module ‘cures’ in-line and has brought down the curing time per module from eight hours to four hours.

An automated binning system sorts out modules with positive tolerance and these are then packed and stored at our automated stacking facility. This facility is the largest of its kind in India and has paved the way for seam-

less raw material and finished goods handling and storing at our Hyderabad manufacturing facility.

Q

.How do you ensure that everything goes as per your promise of delivering quality modules to your customers?

RenewSys has unparalleled in house R&D facilities in India at both our manufacturing plants – Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

While the facility at Bengaluru specialises in polymer research and testing, the R&D lab at Hyderabad specialises in cell and module testing.

For modules, we have a comprehensive module testing facility – an in house ‘Reliability Lab’ – a one of its kind facility that is at par with global third party certifying labs and is capable of testing modules in climatic and environmental conditions up to 2- 2.5 times those required for international certifications. It consists of 7 climate chambers and is managed by a talented, diligent R&D team.

We carry out comprehensive tests on our modules routinely to ensure that all our manufacturing systems and processes are exceeding performance expectations and delivering quality modules.

Additionally, we leverage our expertise in component manufacturing and develop Encapsulants and Backsheets to suit the demands of varied climatic and geographical in field conditions.

These are then incorporated into our modules and are tested in both our Reliability Testing labs as well as in our own solar power plants, located within the premises

 www.supersmartenergy.com

of our manufacturing facilities.

Q

.Your views on recent antidumping petition against equipment coming from China, Taiwan and Malaysia? Do you see any impact on the appetites for setting up cell production in India?

Much like other countries, who have implemented protective measures for safeguarding their market from cheaper imports of finished products, India will also see a rush in locally manufactured goods as well. This move will only strengthen the Government’s ‘Made in India’ initiative.

Considering the rate at which Indian domestic solar manufacturing installed capacities are expanding, it will provide Indian manufacturers the necessary scale complimented by a favourable manufacturing policy regime, thereby becoming globally competitive within a span of 4 to 5 years.

Q

. What according to you are the challenges that the solar sector in India is currently facing? Can a flourishing domestic PV cell and module manufacturing industry address some of these challenges and help in the growth of the solar sector in India?

There are three key challenges that the solar industry in India is facing. The first is the availability of raw materials. Currently they

have to be imported and the price is sensitive to changes in global markets.

The second is the logistics cost, landing goods from China to India is often more economical than transport within India, say Mumbai to Delhi for instance.

Last but not the least, is the availability of cheap funding for manufacturing companies and overall sops for exports.

For the solar industry in India to truly flourish, some handholding is required as the industry is at a nascent stage of development and needs some time before it can compete with global players.

Q

.How has been RenewSys’ performance in its core EVA Encapsulant CONSERV ™ and Backsheet manufacturing?

Where do you see the future growth for the company coming from?

We produce Encapsulants – EVA & POE CONSERV® (1.2 GW) & Backsheets PRESERV® (1.8 GW) Backsheet. Both of these are critical components of a solar panel.

RenewSys manufactures these at our Bengaluru facility as per international standards, using top of the line European equipment. We apply the same rigour and quality parameters to our Encapsulant and Backsheet production as we do to our best in class modules.

We have a state of the art ‘R&D Lab’ and ‘Reliability Testing Lab’ for Encapsulants and Backsheets

at our Bangalore Facility.

It is the quality and performance of these products that has helped us enter the competitive global market for Encapsulants and Backsheets and grow our customer base in the Middle East, Europe, USA, etc.

RenewSys also holds the distinction of being the only manufacturer of POE in India. The special formulation of our POE suits its use in Glass –to- Glass modules, due to its anti-thermal creeping property.

We also provide advanced level of customisations for our Encapsulants and Backsheets to suit modules of different varieties.

Q

.Where do you see RenewSys in India in the next 3 to 5 years from now?

Among the players in the Indian solar industry, RenewSys is already a well-known and reliable name, especially from the perspective of quality, performance, talent and in- house testing facilities.

We are confident that within the next few years RenewSys will have established ourselves among the top 5 players in the solar industry in India. Our global network will further help RenewSys strengthen our exports offering and reach out to swiftly to growing markets across the globe, making us a leading manufacturer and exporter of modules 

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

View Point

SOLAR ENERGY Paving the Way for a Brighter Future Authored by: Gajanan Nabar, CEO, CleanMax Solar

K

eeping in line with the Government’s ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, 2017 is being touted as a landmark year for the solar energy sector. As we flourish in the wave of sustainable developing nation, corporates are becoming increasingly conscious about their environmental footprint and thereby came the RE100 vision with focus on carbon neutrality. At the forefront aiding this growth is CleanMax Solar, India’s largest on-site rooftop solar power developer.

As a leader in the rooftop solar space with a market share of 24 per cent (Bridge to India report 2017), we are continually working along with corporates and PSUs to help materialise the vision of a solar powered nation. Set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the target of 100 GW solar power by 2022 of which 40 GW is rooftop solar is an ambitious one, but given the conducive eco-system and necessary regulatory environment, it is achievable. We are seeing a steady growth among

34 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

corporates wanting to pursue solar energy for their needs and this has extended to a number of PSUs who are opting for sustainable operations. Our unique OPEX model has contributed to the rise in solar projects across the country. OPEX model has made the process of adopting solar energy risk free, hassle free and investment or CAPEX free, as the adopters need not invest in the solar plant. In this case, corporate entities are at a huge advantage, as not only do we help them convert dead assets such as rooftops or carports into a monetised mechanism, but also corporates are able to enjoy power which is 20-40 per cent cheaper than grid tariff. All in all, under OPEX, companies do not have to invest in a non-core asset, and at the same time are able to enjoy power at a significantly low tariff.

Although adoption of solar power is a highly lucrative proposition, there are challenges that are part of the equation. Net metering, for instance, is one such challenge. Net Metering is

a mechanism of selling the surplus power back to the DISCOMS (distribution companies) when users don’t have adequate load; for instance, off-days for factories and summer vacations at schools.

In this case, the meters measure the power exported to the grid and the consumer is given credit for the exported power in their electricity bill. Although we have seen positive developments in terms of regulations, we are still facing challenges in implementation. Many state regulations have dictated artificial restrictions on the size of the plant, which can be installed with net metering, beyond a technical necessity.

Net metering approvals are also a slow and cumbersome process and are a hurdle for corporate entities to adopt solar energy at a large scale. Despite many states having created net metering policies, implementation of the same has been slow and is still constrained by limits. Tamil Nadu, for example, does not allow net metering among high-tension consumers, who are the largest consumer base for solar energy  www.supersmartenergy.com

in the state. In Maharashtra, the state government has placed an artificial capacity cap of 1 MWp. As per this, even if the consumer has the space to accommodate more than 1 MWp system, the existing net metering policy would allow only 1 MWp system to be installed.

While the central government is on the right track with its target of 40GW rooftop solar energy, more can be done to frame a standardised policy across the country. This will not only help expand the solar energy base, but also help meet the ambitious national target.

omy. Trade relationships and other geo-political challenges come into play. However, an economic factor that does play a big role in the determination of prices and in-turn, the value proposition of solar power is, the falling solar bids. In the recent times, overaggressive bids have become a popular trend. This however, poses a real threat which may

cause derailment of solar energy projects in the years to come. The drop in solar power tariffs, while a great proposition, may be beneficial only for a short stint. As corporate entities reap the benefits of these savings, they may fail to look at the long term hard realities

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Another challenge that the solar industry faces is the constant dip in solar panel costs.

Recently solar power has become one of the cheapest new source of power in India (BTI India Solar Compass 2017 Q2), since solar panel prices have fallen drastically over the last few years. What this has done is, created unrealistic expectations among customers that prices will fall further and thus delays the adoption of solar power, which is a risky trend. In fact, earlier this month solar panel prices rose by 2-3 cents (USD dollar) per watt peak, which is the first of its kind in many years.

Solar industry is dependent on imports and that is one element which is beyond the ambit of the Indian econ-

35 

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy 

View Point of the sector.

Indian firms, although unknowingly, may give out an underwhelming quote. These quotes floating in the market, may be very aggressive and are based on relatively aggressive assumptions, which may not hold true in the current scenario. In some cases, there may be no room for any contingencies or any turn of event.

Hence, it is advisable to make a move with caution. Overall, more clarity on vision, alignment of DISCOMS with state governments and boards with central government, will certainly help achieve the target of being a solar powered nation.

Moreover, if government was to offer continued incentives at the central and state level, it would boost the demand for solar energy. A prime example of such incentives is the Karnataka Electricity Regulation Committee (KERC) policy, focussing on adoption of open access solar power.

The KERC policy has found favour among corporates for procuring solar energy from our 60MW farm.

Under the existing policy, transmission and distribution charges have been waived off till March 2018, which is an additional saving for the company who are already enjoying relatively cheaper energy than grid tariffs. In fact, Karnataka has overtaken Gujarat to become the third highest producer of renewable energy after Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

According to PwC, more than 10,000 MW of electricity will be saved by avoiding T&D losses in 2022 alone. Further, commercial benefits in avoiding investments in transmission systems are huge.

Most importantly, rooftop solar power reduces the dependence on grid power & diesel generators, and is a long-term reliable power source for consumers.

As we work along with the Government’s vision, we are heading into the next phase of our operations. With the backing of private equity giant Warburg Pincus, who have invested USD 100 million in CleanMax Solar, one of our main goals is to maintain our leadership position in the rooftop solar developer space as well as increase our open access solar market.

Under the existing open access farm policy, we own and operate a 30MW solar farm in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and are working on another 150MW farm. We are also working towards our long-term goals of overseas expansion and are looking at South East Asia and the Middle East, and have already opened our first office in the UAE. Our operations here will begin shortly and we will be following the OPEX model in order to attract customers to adopt solar energy.

Our plans for the region are also in tandem with the UAE government’s 2021 vision of achieving

30 per cent solar dependencies.

As a natural progression from providing solar energy, we are exploring energy storage solutions, which not only compliments our offerings, but is economically viable as well. Solar power storage can be made possible through batteries which are used to store electricity generated by the PV solar power system. By integrating battery backed solar power systems, we will also be able to avoid loss of generated energy and ensure optimum use.

2017 has indeed been a landmark year for solar energy and we are witnessing a growing number of installations. With such tremendous growth, according to recent reports, 10 GW of new solar capacity will be added to India’s energy portfolio during the 2017 calendar year. With an increasing number of PSUs and corporates adopting solar energy to power their operations, the sun is definitely shining bright on the sector and tapping into the tremendous potential of the industry, CleanMax Solar is looking onto viable growth opportunities, in India and abroad 

About the Author Gajanan Nabar is the CEO of CleanMax Solar. With 22 years of multi-functional management experience, he has managed various roles in Operations, Projects and Business development. With a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry and Master in Management (Bombay University), he has also completed the Executive development program from Wharton Management School.

36 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

 www.supersmartenergy.com

RENEWABLE ENERGY PAVILION AT ELECRAMA-2018

WHERE RENEWABLE ENERGY MEETS THE GRID For the first time, the entire renewable portfolio converges with the end user universe including upcoming new ecosystem segments of power storage, electric transportation and IoT. For Renewable Energy players, this means a perfect opportunity to connect with the key decision makers who complete the Renewable Energy value chain.

Visit the ELECRAMA-2018 RENEWABLE ENERGY PAVILION to expand your business horizons.

*These pavilions and concurrent events are subject to change or altered as per organisers discretion without advance notice.

www.elecrama.com

Face 2 Face

 Manish Jivani

Managing Director, Anand International

"The Electron Beam Cross Linked (EBXL) Solar Cables offer superior performance in extreme Environments"

Q

.Tell us more about Anand International and its strategic thinking behind diversification into wires and cables industry?

Anand International is one of the leading manufacturing companies in Diamonds. We are engaged into activity of polishing of Diamonds and exporting those into various countries like Hong Kong, USA, China and many others. The Company has set up a state of art facility of 2.0 MeV Electron Beam Irradiation Accelerator Technology in Surat, Gujarat. It is a backward integration for our captive

38 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

consumption.

As India witnesses a historic revolution with the Government’s highly ambitious plan –The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar missionto reach solar power generation to 100 GW by 2022. Solar Cable requirement has gone up significantly in the past 2-3 years and it looks more promising in coming years. Leading cable manufacturers in India are more interested to develop EBXL Solar DC cable.

At present in India there are total seven Electron Beam Radiation plant in Wire and Cable Industry.

Anand International diversified with a vision to provide E-Beam Services in India and help Indian Cable manufacturer to develop speciality cables for applications like Solar, Railways, Automobiles etc and other applications as well.

E-Beam Technology is globally well accepted in Wires & Cables Industry and our primary focus is to service India and contribute to our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for Make-in-India products.

»  www.supersmartenergy.com

INTERNATIONAL Our Service Your Growth

ELECTRON BEAM CROSSLINKED SOLAR DC CABLES Electron Beam Cross-linked UV Rays and Ozone Resistant Rated for 1.8 KV DC Operation Max. Operating temp. 120 C Cable Life > 25 years Meeting TUV 2pfg 1169/08.2007, EN 50618 & UL 4703 requirements Annealed Tin Copper XLPO Insulation and XLPO Sheath

We also offer E-Beam X Link Services to the Wire and Cable Industry FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT

ANAND INTERNATIONAL

Works: A-35, Ichchhapore GIDC, Surat Hazira Road, Ichchhapore, Surat- 394510, Gujarat, India Tel: +91 261 2977040/ 8469500548/8141415658/ Web: www.anandebeam.com Email: sales@anandebeam.com/ bd@anandebeam.com

Face 2 Face We invite all leading manufacturer to use our services and develop a product equivalent to International Standards with cost effectiveness and reduce our dependency on imported products.

Anand International is exclusively involved in providing the E-Beaming solutions for the Wire and Cable Industry.

Q

.Elaborate on E-beam technology? Its applications?

And advantages of Electron Beam Irradiation?

Electron Beam Processing is the method for producing chemical and physical changes in various substances by exposure to ionizing radiation in the form of energetic electrons. Electrons are particles possessing a negative electric charge, which is an integral part of every neutral atom.

During this process several different effects may occur depending on the material being processed, the dose or amount of treatment that is being applied. These effects include, but are not limited to, Cross linking, Polymer Degradation, Sterilization, Pasteurization, and Vulcanization. E-Beam differs from other radiation processes in that it is highly controllable, and can be turned completely off with no residual effects.

This Technology caters to various applications which include Wires & Cables, Heat Shrink Products, Degradation of Fluoroploymers, Sterilization of medical products, etc.

Talking about the advantages, this technology is well accepted throughout the globe as the pro-



cess is easily controllable with very tighter tolerances. It gives high productivity which enables one to reduce the Operating costs and also increases the life of a cable.

The process does not require any additives and does not generate Hazardous chemical by-product.

This technology is Green Technology which helps to enhance product life and performance in adverse conditions, very efficient and enable us higher throughputs.

Q

.What are the factors that need to be considered while manufacturing cables for solar and renewable applications?

Energy delivered from a Solar PV system is not only dependent on the efficiency of the module but also on other system components like DC Cables, Connectors & Junction Boxes.

Solar DC Cable is technically a very special application. Solar DC Cables needs to perform in an extreme environmental conditions and are generally exposed to high UV radiation, high temperature, moisture, humidity, dirt and microbial attacks. In addition these cables are expected to perform for a targeted service life of more than 25 years.

Exposure to high UV radiations significantly affects the cable properties. Hence, sheathing material used should be highly UV resistant. Currently red and black coloured sheathing material is used. It is recommended to use black coloured compound with enough black carbon content that will help absorb more UV radiation and convert it into

We use E-Beam crosslinkable XLPO Low Smoke Halogen Free Polymer Compounds (LSZH) specially develop and recommended for Solar PV cable.

40 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

In the next 2-5 years we target to add 2-3 E-Beam Machines to cover the entire range of E-Beam cables and offer our services to other products as well.



heat. The manufacturers should select EBXL /Chemical Cross linkable of Insulation & Sheathing material which comply with EN/ UL/TUV requirements.

There is a New European Standard EN 50618 published for Solar DC Cable, this standard specifies cables for use in Photovoltaic (PV) Systems. The testing requirements in EN 50618 are more stringent.

The EN 50618 standard requires cables to be low smoke halogen free, flexible tin coated copper conductors, single core power cable with cross linked insulation and sheath.

There are two processes adapted worldwide to crosslink the cablesE-Beam cross linking and Chemical Cross linking. In Chemical process the polymer need to be extruded at high temperature (up to 220C). Due to high temperature the polymer is degraded to some extent and over a period of time it becomes hard, porous and it eventually cracks whereas E-beam crosslinking compounds are extruded at lower temperature and cross linking takes place at ambient temperature, which keeps the polymer soft and elastic to achieve the desired life of 25yrs.

Q

.What are the advantages of E-beam cross linked solar cables?

The Electron Beam Cross Linked (EBXL) Solar Cables offer superior

»  www.supersmartenergy.com

performance in extreme Environments. The Cable can continuously operate at 1250C temperature. It has Better UV & Ozone resistance and a improved weather resistance in adverse conditions. It has an improved Oil, Chemical and crack resistance. It also possesses improved Mechanical properties of the cable at elevated temperature conditions. It also offers better aging resistance compare to the chemical cross-linking.

Q

.With tremendous growth and government emphasis on solar and wind, what is the growth that you are looking for from this sector?

The Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi has set a highly ambitious plan, The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar mission, to reach solar power generation to 100 GW by 2022.

Currently the solar industry due to competition and reduction in tariffs is under tremendous pressure to sustain in a highly competitive environment. Though reduction in prices of solar module, accessories and components has help OEMs and EPCs in reworking the project cost to sustain.

The Government is working favourably in funding solar projects and encouraging private players for investments. Foreign direct Investments are also happening. Amid all this positive developments we are expecting

E-Beam differs from other radiation processes in that it is highly controllable, and can be turned completely off with no residual effects.



20-25% growth in this segment

Q

.What differentiates the E-beam cross linked solar cables manufactured by Anand International from those already available in the market? ii Cables currently being produced are as per IS/UL/TUV/EN standards. Very few manufacturers in India have E-beam facility are able to supply EBXL Solar DC. ii Rest other manufacturers are using chemical crosslinkable materials and XLPE/PVC. ii We use E-Beam crosslinkable XLPO Low Smoke Halogen Free Polymer Compounds (LSZH) specially develop and recommended for Solar PV cable. Compliant to latest Standards EN-50618,2014.

Q

.What feedback you get from the customers from the solar industry those who have used your products?

Being new to the entire Industry, we are currently focusing on delivering Standard Quality products to our clients. Our Clientele is increasing on each passing day and we are looking to get more

into this growing market and our existing customers are more than satisfied with the product we are delivering.

Q

.Where do you see Anand International 2 to 5 years from now? And, tell us about the current vision you keep for your company?

Anand International has to its credit India’s 1st E-Beam Irradiation service center. Our moto is” Our Service. You’re Growth”.

Anand International will focus on providing best E-beam services and add values to our customer’s products. Segments like Renewable Energy (Solar PV Cables), Railways, Defence, Automotive has huge potential.

We anticipate that with the upcoming demand E-beam process will be widely adopted and will soon become the industry standard. In the next 2-5 years we target to add 2-3 E-Beam Machines to cover the entire range of E-Beam cables and offer our services to other products as well 

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Rooftop Solar

Residential Rooftop Solar

3 A’s of Adoption An ear-to-the-ground analysis conducted by interviewing numerous homeowners reveal interesting insights eliciting non-adoption of residential rooftop solar.

Authored by: Aniket Baheti & Erich Nussbaumer

I

n the current scenario, residential customers do not look forward to solar systems beyond the savings they offer on the electricity bills. An extensive field study revealed the barriers which prevent homeowners from going solar.

The new year’s eve of 2016 presented a pleasant gift to the grid connected rooftop solar sector in the form of 30% subsidy funded by a Rs 5,000 Crore support fund, scaled up from the previous sanction of Rs 600 crores. The next six months witnessed majority states adopting net metering as an incentive to boost residential rooftop in their regions. As a nation aiming for a 100 GW installation target, 40 GW through rooftop installations, India has only been able to install 1.2 GW rooftop solar out of total 12.5 GW solar capacity installation till date. Achieving a 32x scale to current installation within next 5 years would require movement of solar industry’s adoption curve from its present early adoption stage to the growth stage.

A team from Sangam Ventures,

42 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

an early stage venture fund that invests in startups building sustainable energy solutions aimed at inclusive development and creation of communities that are resilient to climate change, set out on ground to dig deeper into reasons for non-adoption of residential rooftop solar. The team travelled to Jaipur, Nagpur and Vijayawada to understand customer outlook towards solar & collect qualitative feedback about existing residential rooftop solar market. The choice of cities gave the team a range of customer profiles to study and helped form a high level understanding of the barriers to adoption of solar by individual homeowners.

The customers varied on income levels, awareness about solar, access to roof, education levels and on many other fronts.

Demographic differences represented itself in the importance homeowners placed on various aspects of rooftop solar solutions.

Each customer interaction was aimed at gauging current awareness about solar rooftop solu-

tions, its savings potential and costs involved.

Awareness: The awareness about rooftop solar system is limited to the amount of public broadcasting done by local government at city level. Nagpur homeowners, for example, were already introduced to one application of solar in the form of rooftop water heaters. There was, however, very little understanding of how a solar PV system really works. The individual components that make up the system is not a common knowledge and customers were not much aware of companies to approach for installing solar on their rooftops. Though solar PV system requires very low operations & maintenance efforts, customers were concerned about the long run functioning of the systems. In absence of concerted efforts towards educating customers by local renewable energy agencies and solar companies, awareness remains to be a challenging issue to be solved.

Affordability: Depending on the range of awareness, customers  www.supersmartenergy.com

were in different stages of adopting a solar solution. High upfront costs are a no-go even for households who are at the advanced stages of awareness. Financing schemes available with public sector banks are in the form of extension on home-loans which keep out the customers with not-so-great credit profiles. State sponsored incentives are a ray of hope in affordability to adopt solar but customers do not wish to own the responsibility of securing the approvals for the same.

Solar solutions need to be made more affordable to price sensitive residential customers.

Aspiration: In almost all customer interactions, solar never appeared to be a “wanted” product or service for the homeowners. The buck stops at the solar system not being a very exciting product

and the perceived benefit of owning a system didn’t make the customers want it. Investment into residential solar fails out to competing needs of customers such as ownership of air conditioner or two wheelers.

Solar system on rooftop doesn’t grant an uplift in social status to those who are aware of solar and can afford it. Many homeowners in Jaipur, for instance, with access to flat rooftop would not trade off the access to terrace for installing solar simply because the perceived benefits don’t make a cut for decision making.

Rooftop solar at residential level has a value add beyond just providing electricity from an alter-

native source. For certain regions, residential rooftop solar can act as a decentralized energy source that powers homes impacted by unreliable electricity supply from grid. Rooftop solar companies, often, pitch solar as a mechanism to contribute positively to the environment. A bulk of present customers only concern themselves

»

Manufacturer of Solar Structures

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Rooftop Solar with the savings potential of solar and would be interested in knowing the payback periods, upfront costs etc. The savings, however, are presently very insignificant primarily because of subsidized residential electricity tariffs and hence, the intuitive benefit of solar is not luring enough for customers to adopt solar.

An increase in adoption of rooftop solar by residential customers will require multi-stakeholder

intervention from the solar ecosystem. Government bodies and local renewable energy agencies would need to devise newer communication channels to build awareness about solar and the value it generates for consumers.

Large players with proven capabilities should leverage financing agencies to build funding models to tap this underserved market.

Local system integrators need to spend efforts to build aware-

Aniket works with Sangam Ventures as an Entrepreneurin-residence to formulate viable business models which enable adoption of residential solar solutions. He has been actively involved in Indian solar sector since the launch of JNNSM in 2009. He is a B.Tech & M.Tech (Energy) from IIT-Madras and an MBA from ISB.

ness among residential prospects.

Original equipment manufacturers should pass on the benefits of economies of scale at residential level to the end customers. Homeowners will aspire for solar system once they can clearly understand the value it offers for the entire household. The product itself in the end should be fairly intuitive, easy to understand and communicate value beyond the savings on electricity bills 

Erich is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School, USA. He interned with Sangam Ventures during the summers this year and dedicated his time to interact with Indian homeowners and delved deeper to generate valuable insights about residential solar sector.

Now Order Your Subscription Online Get exciting deals and Attractive payment 1 & 2 Years Plan available options To subscribe visit www.supersmartenergy.com/shop For More Details Contact +91 250 6068789

44 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Exclusive

 Kenneth Feng Hsiao CEO, CGN-Dasheng

"CGN-Dasheng will do its best to be an assured facilitator of associated equipment, raw material and technologies to Indian industry"

Q

.Tell our readers more about CGN-Dasheng and its operation in India. What are the products and services that you market in India?

CGN-Dasheng Electron Accelerator Technology Co. Ltd is a leader in Electron Beam Machine ( electron accelerator or EB Machine) manufacture & supply and promoting applications based on such machines. Primarily a Chinese company engaged in the business in civil applications of nuclear technology has a presence in several overseas countries including India, USA, Thai-

46 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

land, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia etc. Assets: 50 numbers of E. B. Machines for contract irradiation services- well distributed in China, large scale production and testing facilities for E.B. Machines, production facilities for E.B.curable polymers (including rubbers), accredited test lab for cross-linked product testing, 300 employees, 100 patents etc.

In India, CGN-Dasheng can provide complete radiation based cross-linking solution to the wires & cables, heat shrinkable product (cable accessories), foam manufacturers etc who supply their

product to automobile, ships, solar, wind power, mining, aviation, aerospace, trains, nuclear power stations, buildings, electrical equipment, electrified wire netting sectors. Product offered being E.B.Machines ( several variants), polymers, help standardizing production, prompt aftersales service (via local office) for E.B.Machines. CGN-Dasheng has sold ten E.B.Machines in India so far, solar cable production appears to be the main purpose.

CGN-Dasheng’s polymer business also is growing in India.

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Q

.How has the cross linking of insulation layer in wires and cables evolved? Why is it important and what are its benefits?

Cross-linking of polymers with E.B.radiation is known since year 1950. The insulation layer in wires and cables gets cross-linked when exposed to the beam of high energy electrons meaning, molecular covalent bonds of long, linear chains of insulation material break down due to radiation and rearrange themselves in larger relative molecular mass in 3-D mesh structure. This is an advanced technology which replaces conventional cross-linking methods. After the irradiation treatment wire & cable performance improves sharply, particularly w.r.t. to the properties like tensile, thermal aging, temperature grading, abrasion resistance, UV resistance, extended life span etc. Such product can safely be used over prolonged period, in hostile environments like solar power plants, solar devices, coal plants, wind mills, nuclear plants and other applications like locomotives, automobiles etc.

Q

.Shed some light on the E-Beam technology and the role it plays in cross linking of insulation layer in wires and cables?

EB Machines consists of a system that can transform 3 phase grid power in to high frequency high voltage power. Components carrying this power is contained in a still vessels filled with pressurised insulating gas such as SF6 or CO2+N mixture. Within the same system is also located a system which is under high vacuum wherein electrons are generated by charging a tungsten filament.

The high voltage is then applied to the electrons thereby accelerating them nearly to the velocity of light, thus creating a beam of high energy electrons. This beam is then brought out of the high vacuum zone to the atmosphere and is scanned over the product, which in this case is wire and

cable. All this action CGN-Dasheng HQ office in China takes place in a massive concrete bunker to protect the operators from radiation. The product, while being scanned by the beam absorbs radiation energy that causes cross linking in molecules of polymer.

Radiation route is most superior method of cross linking among all methods available in industry today. The percentage of cross .What are the opportunilinked molecules is very high and ties and growth that you uniform and since there are no are looking at from the Indian chemical additives involved in the market? process, time related degradation India is very much on the develdue to the inclusion of these addi- opment road, is aspiring to be tives is totally avoided, thus lend- a world supplier and coupled ing a long life to product. with her own large population making it a big, own marketplace Radiation is emanated by the opportunities are vast. Huge E.B.Machine is present so long Governmental emphasis on solar as the machine is “On”. Moment power, high speed trains and all switched “Off “radiation stops. round Make-in-India philosophy is Also the product treated with expected to create huge demands radiation is totally safe. for high quality wires and cables.

In fact, high quality wire and cables are basic ingredients of any devel.Tell us more about applioping infrastructure or capacity cations of crossed linked building. To meet these targets wires and cables? How are India needs to build adequate prothese beneficial for the solar duction capacities with upgraded and renewable industry? technologies. CGN–Dasheng can As stated above, radiation cross and will do its best to prove to be linked wire and cable insulaan assured facilitator of assocition exhibits superior electrical ated equipment, raw material and and mechanical properties as technologies to Indian industry. compared to the other conventional cross linking processes.

Better electrical properties can .CGN-Dasheng is expandhelp reduce insulation thickness ing its service presence thereby saving material. Higher in India? How will this benefit temperature properties prethe Indian customers in terms vent short circuiting and avoid of superior solutions, support fires, also can carry higher curservices, and maintenance rent saving conductor material. solutions?

High UV resistance helps use in CGN-Dasheng is committed to renewable energy applications like its clients for providing technical solar and wind power. Low thersolutions to production related mal aging, long life expectancy of issues where E B Machine is a such cables, in open sun environpart of production process. Comment ensures uninterrupted perpany also provides guidance on formance of connected systems selection of proper polymer for and fewer replacements of wire a product for a particular end & cable needed, which otherwise could be expensive proposition.

Q

Q

Q

»

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Exclusive use. Company also provides help for trial irradiation of customers’ samples on its machines in China; customers has found this useful in standardizing the product ahead of setting up the facility, thereby reducing the lead time in product launching. Company is in the process of setting up a maintenance office in central India; has already trained some staff in machine maintenance and servicing.

Q

.What is the feedback and response that you are getting for your products in India?

Tell us about the machines that you have supplied in India?

The first machine installed by us in Surat, is operating for more than two years. This is a facility for contract irradiation services for wire and Cables. This company also use the machine for colour enhancement in diamonds.

Other machines in Vadodara and Hyderabad are installed in cable manufacturing plants; are installed recently and are under statutory inspection procedure, already inspected by the authority. These machines are also running well and are being used for sample irradiation and product standardization. All our clients are happy with the machine performance, especially with the high quality with lower price tags and expert technical advice /support provided by the company. Statutory authorities also find our

48 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

machine installation confirming to high safety standards and grant approvals readily.

CGN-Dasheng complex in China

Q

.What differentiates CGN-Dasheng from its competitors?

How do you plan to stay ahead of your competitors?

CGN-Dasheng provides one-stop solution to prospective clients, right from the beginning of the project till the product standardization.

Armed with tens of thousands of machine hours of processing experience, it becomes quite natural to CGN-Dasheng to guide the clients through the entire process. Our company invest a lot in research and innovation and is always ahead of others in this respect. The components used in the machine fabrication are of high quality and subject to rigorous testing. Our company is capable of providing customised solutions based on customers’ product range. Prompt technical support is the key issue that keeps CGNDasheng ahead, as we consider our customers as partners.

Q

.Can you elaborate on some current trends in E-Beam technology which are being adopted across the industry globally?

E B machines are being used for improvement of product quality since year 1950. Many varieties of machines are developed over the years. Specific machine types are developed for specific purpose so that the machines are used in efficient ways. Safety systems provided in such installations is becoming more involved. The power of the machines is increasing and more outputs are possible from such machines. Recent trend is towards the use of X-rays generated from these machines. But this applies to other than cross linking processes like food irradiation, medical product sterilization etc. For machines in wire and cable industries more efforts are put in to make them more and more reliable, modular in design for ease of maintenance and of course to make them more economical and affordable 

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Cover Story Resurgent India faces the daunting task of providing energy access to its people mainly in the rural areas. To date, rural electrification and energy access has been tackled by succeeding governments through centralized electricity infrastructure delivery systems. Author Sneha Shah believes that effective, reliable and sustainable way to provide access to electricity in India is through Decentralized Renewable Energy

System (DRES) or distributed micro-grids.

While the government through the National Policy on Renewable Energy-based Microgrids plans to establish 10,000 renewablebased micro- and mini-grid projects across the country. The writer through this article highlights the implementation challenges and the issues that needs to be resolved to realize the true potential of microgrids in India.

M

Lighting

A

ccess to affordable and reliable electricity is crucial for spurring social and economic progress in rural India.

50 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

ICRO GRIDS e Indian Villages!

Though the government has delivered significant progress on rural electrification in the recent past, a large number of rural households still have no access to electricity.

According to MNRE, a “Mini Grid” is defined as a system having a renewable energy (RE) based electricity generator (with capacity of 10KW and above), and sup www.supersmartenergy.com

plying electricity to a target set of consumers (residents for household usage, commercial, productive, industrial and institutional setups etc.) through a Public Distribution Network (PDN).

For example, in a solar microgrid, solar panels are connected with batteries and power is supplied. The concept is fast growing in Indian villages where the per capita requirement is quite low.

A ‘Microgrid’ system is similar to a mini grid but having a renewable energy based generation capacity of below 10KW. Micro and minigrids generally operate in isolation to the electricity networks of the DISCOM grid, but can also interconnect with the grid to exchange power. If connected to grid, they are termed as “grid connected mini/ microgrid’.

Village microgrids are also very popular in Asian and African countries, where villages are unable to afford expensive grid connected electricity.

In simple words, a mini/ microgrid is a small network of electricity users relying on a local source of power capable of functioning independently. With declining costs and increasing efficiencies s of renewable energy technologies, RE based micro and minigrids solutions are being perceived as a durable solution.

The generator of a mini/ microgrid can be powered by RE sources such as solar, biomass, wind, small hydro and can have diesel-based generator as a backup. Hybrid systems using a combination of resources like solar-wind, solarbiomass, solar-hydro etc. can also be deployed.

The microgrid system consists of: ii Solar panels/ other RE source ii Inverter and batteries ii Low-voltage power distribution network ii LED lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, fan etc. for households Other components include charge controller, cables, circuit breakers, junction boxes etc.

These components should confirm to the technical requirements and quality standards specified by the concerned government regulator or Ministry.

Types of Microgrids The microgrids can be classified into various types based on the function they perform:

ii Off-grid microgrids include microgrids on islands and other remote site which are not connected to a local utility network. ii Campus microgrids are fully connected with a local utility grid, but also maintain some services in isolation from the grid, for example during a power outage. For example universities, corporates, prisons, military and hospital campuses. ii District Energy microgrids provide electricity as well as thermal energy for heating (and cooling) of multiple facilities. ii Community microgrids are integrated into utility networks and serve different customers within a community. They serve as a reliable power supply for important community assets. ii Nanogrids comprise of the small discrete network units which can operate independently.

How does this work A customer registers with the microgrid owner through a monthly subscription. The villagers pay a small monthly amount to sustain the proper functioning and

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OMC Micropower Plant, UP, India

51

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Cover Story Typical Functioning of Microgrid

ii Foster innovation in mini grid models to cater to rural needs Battery

Load

SW Control

ii Optimize access to central financial assistance and other incentives

DC-DC Converter

Consumer Type A

India is a huge county and a large portion of the Indian population still lives in darkness. The situation is even worse in villages, where people have to go to nearby towns for charging their mobile phone batteries. Thanks to solar lights and chargers, the condition has improved these days. The Indian rural market therefore offers a large potential for micro and minigrid projects which will help people meet at least their basic household needs.

120V Grid Line

Load

Battery

Load SW Control

Consumer Type B Central Control Unit

maintenance of the solar system.

The prices can be as low as INR 25 per week for seven hours of electricity per night.

According to MNRE’s draft policy for microgrids, tariff may be set as follows: (i) Where no subsidy or grid connectivity is provided- As per market (ii) Where subsidy is provided – With concurrence of defined State government authority (iii) Where grid is connected - State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) The consumer is expected to regularly pay electricity charges

52 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

M i c r o g r i d Advantages

based upon the mutually agreed tariff or the tariff as approved under the State’ policy, as may be applicable, and also adopt energy efficient measures to reduce the overall electricity consumption.

The underlying principles of the policy are listed below: ii Mainstream RE mini/ micro grids for enhancing access to affordable energy services, and improving local economy ii Streamline project development procedures for ESCOs ii Provide operational frameworks to operate along with the Distribution Company (DISCOM) grid

Mini and micro grids will help in reducing dependency on fossil fuels, providing clean power to rural households, and meeting their aspirational needs. It not only reduces the cost of energy but also provides the stability and flexibility which gives user a variety of energy options to choose from.

Microgrids help in a balanced usage of generation capacity of the grid basis the cost and energy structure. It also helps in grid resilience as it ensures that demand is met by timely supply from at least one of the resources if the other one is facing low generation or an outage.

A microgrid is also digitally interactive and compatible with other grids and power networks.

It is capable of interacting with nearby grids or the main grid where it can sell or buy power as and when required. Given its flexible nature, microgrids can easily be expandable and scalable.

Hence, multiple generation and demand centers can be added to a microgrid.

The villages can install solar pumps, solar lamps and fans, solar  www.supersmartenergy.com

powered machinery (e.g. rice hulling machines). Using these products can help the villagers solve man of their everyday problems.

The villagers can improve the efficiency of farming, children can read at night and women can do their household chores more conveniently.

“A customer would spend Rs 160 a month for his mobile charging and kerosene for lamps. We charge him Rs 100,” says Brian Shaad, co-founder of Mera Gao Power, a microgrid firm. ( Source: PluginIndia) Reliability, self-sustainability and flexibility are a microgrid’s USPs.

Future Plans The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy recently released a draft policy on micro and mini grids that will run on renewable energy sources like solar, wind energy, hydro and biomass plants.

The policy aims to achieve a target of 500 MW of total capacity over the next five years. India is targeting to set up nearly 10,000 solar, wind and biomass-based power projects in five years in rural areas based around the concept of microgrids.

The Ministry is also empanelling ESCOs as Rural Energy Service Providers (RESPs). Only approved mini grid RESPs will be eligible for any central financial assistance and other privileges. The state nodal agencies are responsible for keeping a record of all the mini and micro grids in their respective states.

India is developing into a major growth market for solar microgrids, given the country’s increas-

ing demand for electrification.

ABB which is a global leader in power and automation solutions sees India as a huge market for microgrid solutions. The company recently supplied microgrid solutions to Robben Island, situated 9 km off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. Now the island can be powered by solar and battery, without any diesel generator for about nine months of the year.



The villagers also save money each month as they pay a lower amount of money for charging their phones, using lights, fans etc. when compared to the high costs of buying and using kerosene based products.

Mera Gao Power builds, owns, and operates micro grids in Uttar Pradesh, India serving off-grid villages with high quality, dependable lighting and mobile phone charging services.

MGP’s unique model is

Challenges Funding remains the biggest challenge for the development of microgrids in India. People are asking for soft loans at concessional rates from the government.

Though solar costs have declined rapidly in recent times with the prices of equipment falling by 80% since 2010, the high initial cost of solar equipment is a hurdle.

Though the lifecycle costs of solar energy has become even cheaper than coal based power, the capital costs of installing solar based energy capacity is quite high. The upside is that there is no fuel costs since solar energy is free.

The government needs to think of providing a special subsidy for this segment of the market to boost

able to provide service to a typical hamlet for less than $1,000, making its lowest cost design the first commercially viable micro grid targeted at the rural poor!

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Cover Story



While regulators have experience making rules for the main grid, doing the same for micro-grids poses a new set of questions. Tariffs should be such that it should allow the economic operation of the microgrid and at the same time be affordable for the end users who typically belong to the poorest segment of the society.

OMC Micropower Plant in Jangaon, UP, has made the impossible possible for the shopkeepers. Thanks to the Micropower plant the shopkeepers in Jangaon can now extend there business hours even after 6:00 pm.

OMC is a power company that builds small-scale power plants with renewable sources where there is no reliable power grid.

They sell power to both mobile networks and rural communities. And offer additional services to both customer segments – managed services, O&M, Cable TV, Internet and much more.

market uptake. Once the market develops, then it can grow without government support. Besides providing clean energy, solar based microgrids can also help meet multiple other government goals such as doubling of the farmers’ income by 2022.

Kerosene subsidy is another major bottleneck in the expansion of off-grid solar markets.

Though villagers have become more aware about the ill-effects of using kerosene, they continue to use kerosene at it is heavily subsidized by the Indian government. Villagers need to replace traditional kerosene lighting with off-grid solar power. The government has already removed subsidy on a number of fossil fuel products such as petrol and diesel and it has reduced the number of people who can avail of LPG subsidy by giving it to only the needy sections of the society. Like in the case of other fossil fuels, the government needs to slowly reduce the subsidy given to kerosene in a graded manner and its ultimate objective should be to completely eliminate the subsidy given to kerosene.

Uncertainty around tariff payment and the absence of large commercial loads in villages are another major challenges. Clarity around tariffs is very important.

54 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

The private sector is also reluctant to invest due to the government plan about extending the main power grid to areas which already have operating microgrids. It is important for the Indian government to specifically identify the areas/ villages where grid expansion will not take place.

This would guide the micro-grid providers toward taking the right decision.

Another issue which the micro grid market faces is the different forms of power. India’s main grid is based on alternating current (AC power). However, micro-grids are based on DC power. Lack of of standardization and clarity around operational regulations are major issues.

Funding Funding remains a constraint for all start-ups and new projects.

The fixed cost of a mini/ micro grid consists of project development, generation plant, storage systems (batteries), inverters, distribution network, cost of availing debt including interest charges, fixed taxes and fees. Variable costs includes costs of fuel, oil, maintenance costs, copper losses of transformers, in storage devices, energy-related taxes and fees etc.

A microgrid can cost nearly INR 60,000 to set up but the economics of this business is strong since the project cost is recovered within 3-4 years. It is a low-risk and sustainable business model, and hence attractive for the investors.

The subscriber base is growing fast because people are soon realizing the economic and envi www.supersmartenergy.com

ronmental benefits of switching over to a solar microgrid. It is thus a win-win situation for all.

Many financial institutions and philanthropic organizations are coming forward to raise funds for the construction of these microgrids in rural parts of India. The Ministry is also keen on working with States to develop an ecosystem to minimize the risk associated with such investments and mobilize capital.

The Ministry is also encouraging financing for mini grids through institutions like NABARD and IREDA. The central subsidy would be channelled through NABARD/ IREDA to the Regional Rural, Scheduled or Cooperative banks. Thus a proper balance between policymakers, regulators, entrepreneurs, and industry players is imperative for the creation of a successful microgrid network.

Existing Projects in India Many small enterprises have been installing microgrid projects in the rural parts of India. Some of the popular ones are OMC Power (in UP), Mera Gao Power (UP), DESI Power (Bihar), Naturetech Infrastructure (UP and Bihar), Simpa Networks (Karnataka) Other notable micro grid projects in India are deployed in Baikampady Mangalore, Neelakantarayanagaddi village, Mendare village, and Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya in Karnataka (by SELCO).

Greenpeace has set up solar microgrid project in Dharnai village of Bihar. The Chief Minister’s residence in Bihar is also run on a solar microgrid.

A report by the World Resources Institute and the Centre for Development Finance estimates the microgrid market at $2.1 billion annually. “Even if off-grid systems have 20% penetration, the installation base would be more than 7,000 MW,” says Anish De, Partner,

Infrastructure and Government Services, KPMG in India.

I n t e r n a t i o n al Experience The World Energy Outlook (WEO) estimated that 16% of the global population (nearly 1.2 billion people), did not have access to electricity last year. Almost 95% of them live in countries within sub- Saharan Africa and developing Asia.

Analysts are very positive about the future of microgrid solutions globally. The microgrid market is forecasted to grow at 12% between 2016 and 2022 compounded annually, and reach $35 billion by 2025 at an astounding 21% CAGR. With improving technologies and reducing costs, renewable energy microgrids are now popular in all seven continents of the world. As per a report by Navigant Research, more than 1,840 active microgrid projects were identified spanning 135 countries across the seven continents. Asia-Pacific regions are particularly actively seeking the microgrid opportunity.

According to GTM Research, the U.S. microgrid market, which accounts for 39% of the global microgrids market at present, is forecasted to reach 4.3 GW by 2020. More than 50% of the capacity will reside in U.S. military bases.

Developing and implementing microgrid infrastructure could also help people at the time of

disasters.

Schneider Electric and Engie are installing Southeast Asia’s largest hybrid microgrid project in Singapore. The microgrid is part of the existing REIDS program (Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator in Singapore).

Conclusion India’s $11 billion rural electrification program, called Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna, includes a target of delivering power to 18,452 villages by 2018.

Of these, 14,204 can be served by grid extensions, and the remaining 3,449 need off-grid power.

A growing population and increased demand for power could put pressure on the existing grid. The government of India has committed electrify all villages by 2018 and supply power to all households by 2019. The Ministry therefore plans to support micro grid program on a large scale.

India should strive to develop the right business model for microgrid which would generate sufficient revenue to cover capital expenditures and maintenance costs while delivering a financial return.

Microgrid could play a strategic role in the socio-economic development of people and communities. India can thus set an example for the rest of the world in achieving access to affordable energy through microgrid solutions 

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

In Conversation

 Prakash R Soni

Chairman & MD, Sai CabTech P. Ltd.

"We look forward towards creating our presence globally by delivering superior results consistently"

Q

.Sai CabTech P. Ltd is into EPC solutions for the solar industry, could you brief our readers about the different products you design and services you provide in the Indian market specially for small residencial rooftop segements ?

We are system Integrator for solar power project; we do complete EPC work on turnkey basis using high efficiency photovoltaic crystalline solar modules in our project. The selection of module is based on site requirement, availability of radiations, climate condition and many other factors. Taking into consideration

56 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017



Our emphasis is on providing customized solution with quality, timely delivery and after sales services as per customer needs.

the space constraint in small residence rooftop we have designed compact solar generator system in multiple of 1 kw (03 module Mono crystalline module with 03 micro

inverters connected just back to each modules). With this system the space requirement is reduced almost 25% , where as this system generate almost 15-20% more energy compare to the system designed with a string Inverter.

By using micro inverters techniquee we can generate more power due to: iiNo DC cable requirement in the system; as output DC of each module will convert directly into AC through micro inverter, so power losses due to DC is eliminated. ii Each solar module connected  www.supersmartenergy.com

in parallel to the grid so defect/ non-functioning of one module will not affect the other module’s generation, therefore the overall generation will be more. ii Flexibility in installation to connect three phase or Single phase at any point of time according to future requirements. ii Micro inverter starts early in the morning and generation continues up to late evening, so will contribute in extra overall generation.

Q

.Could you elaborate more on the unique high temperature cables supplied by you and its utility in the solar industry?

We are supplying Electron beam cross-linked solar cables with reduced outer diameters , our cables are halogen free electron beam cross-linked (EBXL) solar cable for durable and weather proof use in photovoltaic systems,

Taking into consideration the space constraint in small residence rooftop we have designed compact solar generator system in multiple of 1 kw.



our cables are UV-resistant , Halogen-free, heat & cold-resistant which are suitable for outside installation.

Due to Reduced outer diameters enable space and weight saving installation , Robust against mechanical impacts , Reduction of flame propagation and of toxic combustion gases in the event of fire Extruded color stripe serves as reverse polarity protection during installation.

Q

.Could you tell us more about the EPC projects that you have completed and

are currently working on? What are the challenges that you encounter in commissioning of the projects and suggestions in overcoming the challenges?

We are currently working on various projects in Gujarat for industrial, commercial and residential sector. We face challenges in getting timely government approvals for projects especially at the end of distribution companies. As per standard government process we have to take approval from state nodal agency, then approach to the local CEI office and local DISCOM office before installation of the system, the same will take more than 01-month time in

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( An ISO 9001-2015 Certified Company)

+91 9898694400 I +91 7622001018 I +91 7622001016

57

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

In Conversation approvals only.

In order to speed up the approval process we look forward towards common guideline and single channel for all approval to be formulated by the respective governments.

Q

.Within the rooftop segment what are the opportunities that you are looking at?

What more needs to be done to unleash the true potential of the rooftop sector in India?

The rooftop segment presents a lot of opportunities. We only need is to simplify the procedure and create awareness program to reach at all indivisible door step.

Q

.What are the technology developments and trends you foresee that are likely to shape the future of the solar panel manufacturing industry?

There are two main types of solar technology: Photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP).

Solar PV technology captures sunlight to generate electric power, and CSP harnesses the sun’s heat and uses it to generate thermal energy that powers heaters or turbines.

With these two forms of solar

energy comes a wide range of opportunities for technical innovation. The latest emerging solar panel technologies are Solar skin design, Solar powered roads, Wearable solar etc.

Q

.What differentiates Sai CabTech from the other players in the market? How do you plan to stay ahead of your competitors?

Apart from solar project implementor, we are Government Approved Electrical Contractor for GUJARAT ENERGY TRANSMISSION CORPORATION LTD (GETCO), GUJARAT URJA VIKAS NIGAM LIMITED (GUVNL) for all electrical project and Substation up to 66 KV class. We have the experties to work in 66000 V environment.

We also provide service for preparation of feasibility study report for solar power generation projects, preparation of Power purchase agreements, Legal agreements, Technical and commercial DPR. Solutions for renewable purchase obligations, Compliance audit of Renewable power procurement by the distribution licensees’ captive generator, open access users etc on annual basis.

We leverage the unique skills, dynamic professionalism and rich

individual experiences of our core group of Technocrat Promoters as well as those of our trained and committed experience staff. We are committed to capacity building, learning, as well as acquiring and nurturing the best talent.

Our emphasis is on providing customized solution with quality, timely delivery and after sales services as and when required as per customer needs. We operate throughout India and look forward towards creating our presence globally by delivering superior results consistently.

Q

.Express your views on the GoI’s target of 100GW solar by 2022, what role do you envision Sai CabTech to play in achieving and fulfilling this dream?

The GoI’s target of generating 100GW from solar by 2022 is commendable. Though ambitious, it’s achievable and India is on track of fulfilling our Honorable PM’s dream. We are giving our best and playing our part as channel partners for system integrator of ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Government of India and State nodal agencies under Grid Connected Rooftop and Solar Power Plants Program 



our cables are halogen free electron beam cross-linked (EBXL) solar cable for durable and weather proof use in photovoltaic systems.

58 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Tech Review

Head-to-Head: PERC or Mono Half-Cell

B

oth technically advanced and low cost seems like a dichotomous notion that rarely coexists in a singular form. However, things are about to change in solar as one of major technical advancements, half-cell modules, hits the market. Many Tier 1 manufacturers have already been heavily focused on developing half-cut designs. Industry experts expect that half-cut cells will continue to gain market share over the next 10 years.

Take JinkoSolar as an example.

Half-cell has been a technology that the company has been very excited about as the company finds that the performance gains by cutting the cells in half are well worth the extra manufacturing requirements. Compared to its conventional full-cell product, at JinkoSolar, half-cell products has a roughly 5-10 W output advantage based on different modules. The gains from half-cell technology are the most significant when applied to standard monocrystalline products.

Given the performance and economical strengths of half-cell products on monocrystalline products, the conversation today when picking high performance modules is no longer about whether to pick monocrystalline or polycrystalline module, but about figuring out what dollar per kW/h to opt for.

Traditionally, you have the flagship Monocrystalline PERC, which has extremely high output figures with a very sub-

ucts through a comprehensive set of benchmarks to find out which is best – take a deep dive into output, degradation, prices and Mono PERC Cell LCOE too. While some Mono PERC users will conTaking a deeper dive, the range tinue to use Mono PERC if they topping PERC products current face heavy space constraints, I see has an output of over 305-310W. Mono half-cell launching a very Guess what? So does the rangstrong campaign against to unseat ing toping half-cell products.

Mono PERC as the high-efficiency JinkoSolar’s half-cell mono series module of choice. puts out a respectable 300W and can reach a peak as high as 310 However don’t worry too W. Yet, the half-cell products are much, as JinkoSolar has been significantly cheaper than PERC raising the bar when it comes to modules. Half-cell mono module monocrystalline module. Both can achieve far more generation of JinkoSolar’s Mono PERC and at a far less marginal cost. Beyond Mono half-cell have been a hit. price, half-cell modules also have So if quality panels with a great much better shade tolerance than price-performance ratio are what that of full-sized modules, so if you seek, you won’t go wrong with you're doing a residen- either of JinkoSolar’s modules tial project where JinkoSolar is a global leader there may be a in the solar industry. JinkoSolar lot of shade, distributes its solar products and you might sells its solutions and services even getter to a diversified international better output utility, commercial and residenfrom halftial customer base in China, the cell modules United States, Japan, Germany, than PERC the United Kingdom, Chile, South modules.

Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the So, if you United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, are think- France, Belgium, and other couning about tries and regions. JinkoSolar has installing a built a vertically integrated solar conventional product value chain, with an intemono PERC grated annual capacity of 6.0 GW module, it for silicon ingots and wafers, 4.5 might be GW for solar cells, and 7.5 GW time to take for solar modules, as of June 30, a look at the half- 2017  cell mono. Put both prod-

stantial pricetag. Thus, if your project is not extremely tight for space, then the monocrystalline half-cell product may fit your high output needs without costing you an arm and a leg.

59

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Maverick

 Pratik Kothari

Solar Business Head, Pearl Energy Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

"We are now working towards E-Vehicles segment, specially for solar charging stations, which we believe is the future"

Q

.Could you share with our readers the secret behind your success that keeps Pearl Energy Solutions going even in this difficult & Competitive environment for solar EPC business in India?

Pearl Energy Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. started its operation under the Brand name Madhuri Solar with a vision ‘Energy for Every one'. We believe in providing Quality installations, Perfect design and Engineering, Project timeliness, Maintaining standards way beyond it demands so that life of the system should go on for 25 Years. As a Solar company one

60 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

has to provide the best in class services for customer support.

Applications specific innovations as a Manufacturer and very importantly all the above package at the right cost .

Q

.Could you shed some light on the difficulties a solar manufacturer has to overcome while doing business in India?

Your suggestions in making India a global manufacturing hub for solar products?

Today, Indian Solar Manufacturers have to thrive on Governments support in order to be in the busi-

ness. Let it be Solar Panel, Inverters or Small Solar Modular Products. Indian manufacturers have to match their prices with that of imported lower quality products.

With no restrictions of any set of standards regulated on them, a necessary embargo on such products are essential by regulators or government.

In order to make India as a global manufacturing hub, most importantly Proper financing mechanism has to been in Place where Banks should provide debt at a lower rate under clean energy fund, which is available in other

 www.supersmartenergy.com

developed nations. Apart from finance - Skilled manpower, Adequate Infrastructure, Incentives based policy can help boosting solar manufacturing.

Q

.Your assessment of the opportunities for solar retail products in India? How is a Pearl Energy making the most of these opportunities?

Currently we see ocean of opportunities for Solar retail products.

Special Programmes have been introduced by Government through MNRE such as Solar Water Pumps for farmers , Solar Power Packs with Lighting System for remotely located homes, Solar Micro Grids in remotest locations of India where Grid is not present.

Under Corporate Social Responsibility various companies have adopted villages empowering them with Solar Energy, which has brought in awareness for Solar Power.

PES manufactures and provides such solutions to the needful in remotest locations where Grid is not available. We have experienced large number of rising inquires from the end consumer in remote locations. We also help corporate companies execute solar solutions under CSR for diverse requirements, one of them Setting up Micro Grid for Hamlets. We actively participate in tenders to support Governments initiatives for Solar Energy.

Q

.Share with our readers challenges in EPC project executed by Pearl Energy Solutions? What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?

Indian Solar rooftop growth has seen an exponential rising curve, but the key challenges to EPC are still prevalent. Huge Resistance from DISCOMS for necessary permissions, Structural design and Engineering as every site has different orientations, Quality of Grid available, Logistics, Non availability of skilled man power are few

of them. Project timeliness and viability is adversely affected to huge extent due to above reasons.

PES is trying to standardise operations, planning, designing, executions based on the learning’s from the previous projects.

Also we have started training our sub contractors to achieve quality workmanship. We work on process out of our experiences and try to minimise the delays in projects caused due to any of the reasons.

Q

.How to you tackle the challenge of small EPC players entering the market? What are the things a customer needs to know before choosing an EPC contractor for executing a project?

As said Indian Solar industry has grown fourfold, so has the number of competitors. Whether it be small or big, everyone wants to be a part of the revolution. There are immense opportunities for every one available in market in various segments. So every player tries to offer something different sometimes lower prices, compromising on the quality is the challenge . The only way to tackle is to educate customers with complete transparency.

Before choosing any EPC customer should focus on experience of EPC, Presence in market, Brand Value, Projects executed, Strength of the Company, Technological Collaborations.

Q

.How do you look at the current status of the Rofotop sector in India? Are we on track of achieving the targeted 40GW from rooftop solar?

Indian Rooftop has almost reached 2 GW capacity. The growth of this sector is realising its potential in coming years, 40 GW of Rooftop Solar Power by 2022 is a very ambitious target set by government . Although implementation of Solar Rooftops is happening at much lower pace then expected

with which it is unlikely that government could reach 40 GW target. Governemnt has to bring in some strong reforms in terms of net metering obligations on various Discoms for implementation. Special finance mechanism or incentives has to be passed in order to the get the pace. Recent Anti Dumping Petition has been filled by Indian Solar Manufactures, which i believe is an another hurdle for government to achieve the target

Q

.Share with our readers your successful journey so far? Where do you see Pearl Energy Solutions 3 to 5 years from now?

PES was incorporated under the brand name Madhuri Solar. Madhuri Solar as a brand came into existence in year 2000 with manufacturing of small solar products such as Solar Lanterns and Solar Torch. Since then we have been manufacturing various Solar products as per the markets demands.

Extensive range of products we manufactured are Solar Lanterns, Solar Home lighting Systems, Solar Heaters, Solar Power packs. We have been major Goverment suppliers for such products. Our Latest innovation is Solar Street Light with Lithim ion Batteries which we got certified from CPRI as per MNRE standards.

Its been an journey from Solar Lanterns to now Solar Rooftops.

We had our first Grid Connected installed in year 2014 in Pune in our facility. Since then PES under the brand name Madhuri Solar has been growing in all segments of Solar. We have crossed rooftop capacity of more than 5 MW of rooftop, 3 MW still in Pipeline.

We have had various technical collaborations with Fronius, Victron, Ingeteam, Pentair, inpro Solar.

We are now working towards E Vehicles segment, specially for solar charging stations, which we believe is the future in coming years 

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Curtain Raiser

Intersolar India, the Three Day Flagship Solar Industry Conference and Exhibition Opens on December 5 in Mumbai

I

ntersolar India, a unique platform for the solar industry has been proudly associated with the Indian solar industry since 2009. The conference has been successfully providing a platform for all the stakeholders to meet, exchange information and ideas, discuss challenges and solutions

and promoting the interest of the solar industry. In the Intersolar exhibition, domestic and global companies would exhibit their wares and solutions and reach out to new customers and to further bond with their existing customers.

Glimpses from the past: Visitors at Registration Counter

62 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

The three days of exciting proceedings open on December 5, 2017 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC). Over 100 industry experts from Indian and global solar and energy storage industries and policymakers will share their insights. Over 500 delegates are expected to participate in

the conference. This year’s exhibition is certified by the US Department of Commerce and has US and German pavilions besides an exclusive pavilion for Electrical Energy Storage. Approx. 260 domestic and foreign exhibitors are showcasing their latest products and solutions and over 12,000 national and international visitors are expected to visit and benefit from the event.

Conference Highlights Global installed PV capacity grew sevenfold between 2010 and 2016, from 40 GW to more than 300 GW. In 2017, an additional 100 GW capacity was added globally. In India the installed utility scale solar capacity jumped from a mere .01 GW in 2010 to more than 13 GW by June 2017.

The German based Fraunhofer Institute forecasted in 2015 that the global installed capacity would scale to 668GW by 2020.

 www.supersmartenergy.com

This rapid expansion would support a thriving solar industry and would also open the doors to further opportunities. According to GTM Research, the global O&M and Asset Management in 2016 reached 182 GW recording a staggering 54% growth over the previous year. Newer technologies like the Floating PV that helps reduce the pressure on land and agro PV technologies that enhance the utility of land are receiving increased attention. The global attention the inauguration of China’s largest 40 MW floating solar plant received this year is a case in point.

With India’s total installed capacity rapidly growing, business opportunities in O&M and asset management segments could follow global trends. The recent commissioning of a 100 KW floating solar plant in Kerala, owned by India's largest energy conglomer-

Glimpses from the past: Conference in progress

ate NTPC, is a clear recognition of the importance of floating solar in India. The World Bank and KfW are also supporting efforts to develop more efficient and cost effective floating PV technologies. Institutions focused on Agriculture like the Central Arid Zone Research are developing several agro based

PV applications under programs like Integrated Land Use Development & Farming Systems and SoilWater-Plant Relationship. These emerging opportunities together with the growing ground and rooftop market is turning India

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Engaged in Manufacturing, Exporting and Supplying a qualitative range of Engineering Products Water Heater Parts

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

Curtain Raiser into one of the top three global PV markets.

International financing institutions like The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, KfW, European Development Bank and others are infusing funds to help accelerate the rooftop market. Electrical Energy Storage, that hardly drew attention until recently is gaining momentum. A 28 MWHr battery storage system integrated with a 20 MW plant is coming up in the Andaman & Nicobar Island. The recent Government announcement to go 100% electric vehicles by 2030 has triggered unprecedented excitement and the dawn of a burgeoning storage market is very imminent.

With winning solar power tariff creating record lows in every successive bid, there is growing concern that quality may be compromised which in turn could have serious implications. The recent introduction of GST has thrown up challenges and the debate on local vs. imported continues to be contentious.

The conference topics have been structured on the background of the evolving Indian PV market. With wind sector continuing to contribute significantly to India’s RE capacity and with increased interest in other RE systems, solar cannot be seen in isolation. For this reason this year’s Panel Discussion will focus on “The Future of Renewable Energy in India” The conference has standalone sessions arranged by Intersolar and sessions organized in partnership with reputed institutions. The Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) is organizing the session on Floating Solar and PV Quality, the German Development Co-operation (giz) will organize the session on Residential Rooftop Systems – Design and Quality, the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) will conduct the Manufacturing session while the Alliance for Rural Energy (ARE) is holding

64 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

the session on Off-grid.

Intersolar India Conference also includes a session on one of the South Asian markets and in this year, the focus is on Afghanistan and is being held in collaboration again with giz.

Leading experts from across the value chain will share their valuable field experiences, provide market and technology growth insights, share thoughts and ideas to clear obstacles and suggest plausible solutions to give further impetus to the Solar market in India.

Some of the prominent speakers at this year’s event include Mr. Vinay Rustagi, MD of Bridge to India, Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Former Director of the Fraunhofer Institute and Director of BEARS, Dr. Thomas Reindl, Deputy CEO of SERIS, Mr. Ashish Khanna, CEO of Tata Power Solar Systems, Mr. Simon Stolp, Lead Energy Specialist of The World Bank, Mr. Kuldeep Jain, MD of CleanMax Solar, Mr. Jiwan Acharya, Sr. Energy Specialist of Asian Development Bank, Dr. O.S. Sastry, Senior Consultant of International Solar Alliance, Mr.Sunil Rathi, Director of Waaree Energies, Mr. Sachin Jain, CEO of Oriano Solar, Mr. Dorko Eliaszewsky, Global Head Utility PV of Siemens AG, Mr. Ignatio LegardaEreno, Solar Business Director of

Mondragon Assembly and many more prominent speakers.

Exhibition Highlights In this year’s exhibition, certified by the US Department of Commerce, around 260 domestic and international exhibitors will present current trends and technologies over the three days of the event to more than 12,000 visitors.

Various special exhibitions on storage technologies, electric mobility solutions and innovative energy supply as well as special activities like the Buyer-Seller Forum, technical workshops, a round table on financing solar projects in India for U.S. companies and many more will be the highlights of this year’s exhibition. The networking reception “Solar Power Developers Night” arranged at the end of the first day’s proceedings would provide an excellent opportunity to top executives to renew old and establish new contacts.

For the visitors and the delegates alike, a very interesting and enriching exhibition awaits. Intersolar welcomes all stakeholders to Intersolar India, the gateway to the globally exciting Indian Solar Market.

For more information and program details, please visit Intersolar India’s website: www.intersolar.in   www.supersmartenergy.com

Spotlight

Rising Temperature Adversely Affecting The Performance of Solar Modules The mitigation of environmental effects on clean-energy technology is an area of increasing interest.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules have been widely used in small and large-scale applications for many years.

However, there performance is affected in environments that suffer from dust, airborne particles, humidity and high ambient temperatures. Prodyut Bagchi, Senior Vice President, Angelique International Limited expresses his views on the effect of climatic conditions on PV module performance, in particular, the effect of rising temperature.

Q

.With rising temperatures, do you see generation from your installations coming down?

India has an average annual temperature that ranges from 25°C to 27.5 °C because of its location between the tropic of cancer and the equator, There are average 300 sunny days in country and this implies that India has a very high potential of generating solar energy as availability of solar radiation in various parts of the country is quite good.

Solar cell performance decreases with increasing temperature, fundamentally owing to increased internal carrier recombination rates, caused by increased carrier concentrations. The operating temperature plays a key role in the photovoltaic conversion process.

Both the electrical efficiency and the power output of a photovoltaic (PV) module depend linearly on the operating temperature. Rising temperatures definitely bring generation down.

Q

.Can you provide comparative figures about how much power the company's project/s would generate in the summer months vis-a-vis average generation? (in KwH terms) Solar cells perform better in cold rather than in hot climate and as things stand, panels are rated at 25˚C which can be significantly different from the real outdoor situation. For each degree rise in temperature above 25˚C the

panel output decays by about 0.25% for amorphous cells and about 0.4-0.5% for crystalline cells.

Thus, in hot summer days panel temperature can easily reach 70˚C or more. Thus, 100W panel will produce only 75W in May/June in most parts of India where temperatures reach 45˚C and beyond in summer and electricity demand is high.

Q

.In your estimate, how would this phenomenon (temperature effect on modules) might impact the overall installed capacity of around 13 GW across the country?

So like I said in my previous answer a 100 W panel may only produce 75 W in May June so one can apply the Maths

Q

.Has there been any recent technological breakthroughs to counter this issue?

Solar panels are tested under laboratory conditions, called STC (Standard Test Conditions): at an Irradiance (light) level of 1000W/ m2 with a temperature of 25˚C. But in the real world these conditions are constantly changing so the panel output is different from the lab conditions. So, another specifications are reported, called NOCT (Nominal Operating Cell Temperature). It is the temperature reached by open circuit cells in a module under the following conditions:

solar panel at 800W/m2; Air temperature of 20ºC; Wind speed at 1m/s; and the panel is mounted with an open back (air can circulate behind panel).

Most good quality panels available today in India have NOCT values of 47±2˚C. Lower the NOCT the better it is expected to perform in hotter climates.

Also, there are several ways to minimize the negative effects of high temperatures: ii Install panels a few inches above the roof to allow convective air flow to cool the panels down. ii Ensure that panels are constructed with light-colored materials, to reduce heat absorption. ii Move components like inverters and combiners into the shaded area behind the array 

ii Irradiance (light) falling on the

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Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

REI 2017 Report

Inauguration Ceremony of REI 2017



International Delegation and Key Policy Makers Take Center-stage at Asia's Largest Energy Trade Expo, Renewable Energy India 2017

U Lamp Lighting Ceremony of REI 2017

BM India launched the 11th edition of the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, the three-day (20th to 22nd September 2017) show at the India Expo Center, Greater Noida. The expo was inaugurated by key dignitaries, Shri Upendra Tripathy, IAS, Interim Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA); Mr. Justin Wu, Head of APAC, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Hong Kong; Ms. Henriette Faergemann, Counsellor - Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Delegation of the European Union to India; Mr. Hans-Josef Fell, President of the Energy Watch Group (EWG ) & Former Member of German Parliament; Mr. Naoki Tomotake, Director General International Affairs, NEDO, Japan; Mr. Rene Van Berkel, UNIDO Representative to India; Shri Anand Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India; Mr. Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, UBM Asia and Mr. Rajneesh Khattar, Group Director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.

The show discussed global best practices and sought solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the power and energy sector, bringing in internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials under one grand platform.

At the opening ceremony of the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, Anand Kumar, the Secretary of India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), stated, "Under Prime

66 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Minister Modi, we up-scaled our total renewable energy target to 175 GW by 2022. With advancements in technology, and with price of solar and wind reducing, we are not only sure but confident that we will not only achieve the target, but exceed it.

In recent consultations, the MNRE has begun to take more seriously the potential of India's offshore wind and hydropower capacities, and hinted that these technologies will be brought under the renewable energy target."

Kumar also spoke of India's 'silent revolution', which will see the country rapidly scale up its electricity generation capacity and consumption. "The key challenge is: how should we enable higher energy consumption in India, at a cost people are willing to pay?" he asked, adding: "And not only willing to pay, but able to pay?" The path of least resistance, he affirmed, is the one with the lowest carbon intensity. "India has limited fossil fuels. We depend on imports for petroleum. If we have to support and meet the demand of 1.25 billion people, then renewables are the only way."

Kumar also turned his attention to manufacturing, particularly solar manufacturing where, he said, India's capabilities are "modest" at best. He concluded.

"We should set up manufacturing bases for batteries in India.

Once we overcome the obstacle of storage, then the ideal of 24-hour free energy for the people can be realized."

The 11th edition of REI saw participation from countries high on the Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index such as India, Japan,Germany, France, Poland, USA, Korea, China and Taiwan amongst others. The expo is supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India (MNRE), Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA), New Energy and Industrial Technology Devel-

CleanMax Solar recognized as ‘Leading EPC – Solar - Rooftop’ Developer at Renewable Energy India Awards (REIA) 2017 opment Organization (NEDO) Japan, Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), Mercom Capital, etc.

Bringing together manufacturers, EPC and service providers, the expo had over 750 participating exhibitors. These included --Adani Solar, Tata Power Solar, Azure Power, Sky Power, Canadian Solar, Huawei, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Siemens Gamesa,Vikram Solar, Waaree Energies, Mitsubishi, Delta Electronics, Panasonic, SMA, ABB, Kyocera, Sterling & Wilson, Mahindra Sustain, Applied Materials, POSCO and Fronious, amongst others. The show also featured prominent country pavilions from Japan, China, Poland, France, Korea, and Taiwan to name a few.

The trade show was preceded by the 3rd Renewable Energy India Awards that aimed to recognise the innovation and excellence in the industry, and promote their talent. The Awards had an august audience of industry stalwarts competing under various categories from both manufacturing and implementing communities.

It included a panel discussion on 'Defining the Future in the Age of Falling RE Tariffs' with eminent industry speakers - Mr. Manu Srivastava, IAS, Principal Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Department of New & Renewable Energy and Chairper-

son, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, Mr. K S Popli, CMD, IREDA; Mr. Sunil Jain, CEO & Executive Director, Hero Future Energies; Mr. P Vinay Kumar, COO, Greenko Group; Mr. G Raghuma Reddy, CMD, Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd.; Mr. Pawan Agarwal, Dy. Head - Corporate Finance & National Head - Renewable Energy, YES Bank and Mr. Dilip Nigam, Advisor, MNRE in attendance.

Three-day Conference:

Content-led

A power packed three-day conference themed 'Accelerating Momentum...From Ambition to Action' commenced, encompassing knowledge-rich sessions by the MNRE, ISA, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), IGEF, MNRE - EU Technical Cell, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, PV Magazine, Skill Council for Green Jobs, and Mercom Capital.

Highlights of Day 1 included a riveting session on International Solar Alliance (ISA) that focused on topics such as 'EXIM bank and Energy Poverty: How to finance 100 bankable solar projects'.

Various programmes under ISA included discussion on trending subjects such as -- Scaling Solar

» 67

Nov/ Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

REI 2017 Report Applications in Ghana, Scaling Solar Applications for agriculture use in Uganda, Affordable Finance at Scale for Solar projects and Scaling Solar Mini Grids; How to fight energy poverty? How Bangladesh can benefit from a global tender

by ISA for irrigation pumps, to name a few.

Day 1 of the expo also saw other insightful sessions such as -- 'Offshore Wind Energy' by FOWPI; 'India: A poster child of the Renewable Energy sector'; 'Skilling by Nations'; 'Skilling by numbers'; 'Niche Markets for Solar PV Rooftop', 'Challenges by the IndoGerman Energy Forum'; 'Winds of Tomorrow'; 'Indian Solar Market - The Path Forward', powered by Mercom Communications and 'Driving operational excellence in solar & wind asset management', powered by 3E & WISE Energy.

and 'Golden Triangle: Integrating EPC, BOS and Module Manufacturers' to name a few, were part of the conferences on Day 2 and Day 3.

Speaking at the inaugural Fonrich PV Power Optimizer shines ceremony of in the REI Expo 2017 the 11th edition of Renewable Energy India and various country delegations, Expo, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managtop global brands exhibiting their ing Director, UBM India said, "India product and solution offerings, has set itself a target to generate and content-rich conferences." renewable energy of 175 GW by 2022. Anticipating higher custom, Attractions at REI Expo 2017: a growing number of Indian firms, ii India's first Mobile PV test lab which manufacture solar modules on display by Mahindra Susten and related equipment, have developed technology to max- ii Quality Round Table - An interA power-packed boardroom imise energy generation thereby active forum by PV Magazine, session - CEO Roundtable, a helping meet the target with Germany visionary debate on the 'Roadmap lesser area and infrastructure. The to Law Carbon Electricity' and a ii Solar Super Heroes by PV Magaindustry is also witnessing many Design challenge by Standards zine, Germany smaller companies excel through and Research, Skill Council for innovation in a bid to make India ii Skill Competition for Solar Green Jobs (SCGJ) were the other self-reliant. According to a recent Installers highlights of Day 1. report, the Indian solar sector ii Solar Design Challenge for EPCs Day 2 saw another boardroom has grown rapidly with a capacand Developers session on Finance Leaders Forum ity addition of 4,765MW during moderated by BRIDGE TO INDIA. H1 of 2017. Besides, India has ii Master class by Enphase Energy, Sessions on 'Rooftop Solar...Con- recently moved up to the second USA: To provide Installers and necting the dots'; 'Storage Spec- spot from third position in this Engineering, Procurement and trum'; 'De-Risking Investments'; year's 'Renewable Energy Coun- Construction companies (EPCs) 'Advantage Rajasthan by State try Attractiveness Index', nudging with knowledge on innovations of Rajasthan'; 'Surya Namaskar: past U.S. All this is acting as a huge behind micro-inverter technoloEarn from the Sun'; 'Innovation pull for international investors and gies and how micro-inverters are Junction'; 'Micro Grids: Localizing equipment suppliers. Against this best suited for the Indian rooftop Utilities and Maximizing Oppor- backdrop, UBM India through solar photovoltaic (PV) market. tunities'; 'Smart Power for Smart the REI Expo helps reinforce the ii CEO Roundtable and Finance Cities'; 'Anatomy of Solar Panel' bond amongst the industry, govRoundtable ernment and investors. The ii 'Advantage Rajasthan' a semiexpo serves nar by the state of Rajasthan to as an indus- attract potential investors, manutry catalyst in facturers and developers bringing mulii Workshop on 'Driving operatiple country tional excellence in Solar & Wind participation, asset management' by 3E, Belbest of technolgium and Wise Energy, UK  ogy, cost effective solutions, Sungrow Showcases Latest 1500V PV participation of Inverters at REI Expo 2017 industry leaders

68 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

 www.supersmartenergy.com

2017 18 EVENTS WATCH APRIL

20-21 2018 Event: RenewX Hitex, Hyderabad, India

JUNE

15-16 2018 Event: Solar South Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai

DEC

03-05 2017 Event: Solar-Tec Cairo International Convention Centre, Egypt

MARCH

06-08 2018 Event: Solar Middle East Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

69 SmartEnergy Nov/ Dec 2017

APRIL

19-21 2018 Event: Re-Invest India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, India

JANUARY

11-12 2018 Event: Energy Storage India India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

JAN

19- 21 2018

DECEMBER

05-07 2017 Event: Intersolar India 2017 BEC, Goregaon, Mumbai, India

APRIL

10-12 2018 Event: Solar Today Expo BIEC, Bangalore, India

FEB

08-10 2018

Event: Light India International

Event: Renewable energy expo

Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India

MARCH

10-14 2018 Event: Elecrama India Expo Mart Greater Noida

MAY

23-25 2018 Event: Solar India 2018 Expo Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

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Nov/  www.supersmartenergy.com Dec 2017 SmartEnergy

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