Smart Energy June/ July 2014 by SmartEnergy

SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Volume I, Issue III

Pages 76

`100

ISSN 2348-5027

Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

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SmartEnergy Complete Renewable Energy Intelligence

Editor Santosh Khadtare santosh@supersmartenergy.com

Associate Editor Anisha Ganguli EDITORIAL ADVISER Pragya Sharma Editorial Co-ordinator Varsha Graphic Designer D. Vaidya Advertising & Marketing Head- Marketing & Business Development Sapna K sapna@supersmartenergy.com

Marketing Executive Swaraj Panigrahi 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 neccessarily 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 208, pushp plaza, above snehanjali shworoom, manvelpada road, Virar East Dist Thane and printed at Shree Nayan Arts, 123,New Kirti Premises, Bhyander East- 401 105

4 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Editor's Note There is optimism in the air and the industry is looking forward towards the new government to deliver on its promises. Like every other industry, the renewable industry is also looking at the new government with lots of hope and expectations, and why not? As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi oversaw the creation of over 900 MW of solar power capacity in the State, which is more than a third of the total capacity in the entire country. With his stance on solar policy very clear and the pioneering steps he took for Solar in Gujarat, the expectations of the industry that the solar success in Gujarat would shine on the nation is not totaly unfound. Amongst all this euphoria and optimism, one news that created repeals in the industry is the decision favouring imposing import duties on solar panels imported from US, China, Taiwan and Malaysia. While the decision was hailed as positive and supporting the struggling local manufacturers. The solar power producers are miffed at the notification and are of the view that the assessment is one sided and their views have not be adequately and appropriately considered. India is not the only country that has taken steps to protect the domestic industry. Countries like Italy, Malaysia, Ukraine, and Turkey have their own policies mandating developers to buy domestic equipment. Despite these efforts, PV Suppliers from different countries are exiting the industry or filling for solvency. The solar industry today has become import driven industry, imports primarily from China. This raises questions over the effectiveness of protectionism measure adopted by various countries. Instead the government of India should focus on making the domestic industry competitive by adopting measures like restoring “zero tax” for all solar cells and modules, removing imported duties for all components that goes into the manufacturing of solar cells and modules, declaring the solar industry under priority sector for lending with ease of terms, assistant in building up capacities in the complete supply chain, promoting R&D and innovation through National labs. All this and other proactive initiatives from the industry like vertical integration in the manufacturing process focus on capacity addition and cost reduction along with focus on efficiency and management will make the industry truly globally competitive. We are participating in RENERGY 2014 and SolarSouth 2014 in Chennai and SolarTech 2014 expo in New Delhi. We invite you to keep your dates for these exhibitions and wish to see you at our stall. For those with prior commitments, don’t forget to read the next issue of Smart Energy Magazine to catch all the action from these exhibitions. Santosh

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Contents

View this issue online on www.supersmartenergy.com

COVER STORY Pumping Hopes for a Greener Future

BUSINESS LEADER Ratul Puri Chairman, Hindustan Power Projects Private Limited

EXPERT SPEAK Dr. Abhimanyu Detha CEO & MD, Gangadan Energy Private Limited

Authored by Netscribes

FACE 2 FACE Gaurav Sood MD, Solairedirect Energy India Pvt. Ltd.

SPOT LIGHT Capacity Building of Solar Industry in India

IN FOCUS Quality Assurance in Large Scale PV Projects Authored by Reinhard Ling & Falko Krause

IN CONVERSATION Peddiraju Bhupathiraju MD, Akshaya Solar Power (India) Pvt. Ltd.

VIEW POINT Key Challenges Facing the Growth & Success of RECs Market in India Authored by Vikalp Mundra

SPECIAL FEATURE Importance of Cables In Solar Photovoltaic Systems Authored by Virender Kumar Gupta

GLOBAL VIEW Global Approach to Rural Electrification using Renewable Resource Authored by Smart Energy

6 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

62 TECH REVIEW Maximizing the Profit by Optimal Installation of TCSC Authored by Subhojit Dawn & Prashant Kumar Tiwari

58. Company Profile 66. Product Review  www.supersmartenergy.com

NEWS THIS MONTH

Renewable Industry Hopes on the New Government With the formation of the new government, under the able and decisive leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi, the renewable energy industry- like every other industry-is hoping for the best in terms of growth and opportunities in the following years to come. With Narendra Modi at the helm, who is looked upon as pro renewable, the hope of the industry leaders is not unfound. Looking at the track record of Narendra Modi as the CM of Gujarat, the direction he has given to the solar and wind industry and the bold decisions he has taken that has helped the industry prosper in his state, can Narendra Modi achieve similar turnaround in the whole country is to be seen. The power requirement in India is expected to be one trillion watts and in such a scenario the country has to take advantage of the huge renewable potential that exists here. Stage is set for the country to take its renewable energy growth to the next level. Renewable energy has so far played second fiddle to conventional sources of energy, and now is the time it can take a major leap to occupy centre-stage. Industry leaders suggests that renewable power could be treated as an independent sector so that it could continue to grow at a much faster pace by providing preferen-

tial lending at lower rates. The funding of renewable projects is one area that the industry would like to get streamlined. As a solution for addressing the issue of unfavourable debt terms, industry leaders suggests that the government should consider provision and/or facilitation of reduced-cost and extended-tenor debt. Certain sections of the industry are also talking about a Renewable Energy Law, mandating the users of conventional energy to use a certain percentage of energy sourced from renewable sources. The industry also calls for establishment of well-functioning renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) and renewable energy certificate (REC) markets for providing long-term favourable investment signals. Longterm policy certainty and visibility is one thing that is talked about to encourage investment in the renewable sector. Without a consistent, long-term policy framework it would not be easy to attract investors. And without coordination between the central government and

states, it would be hard to meet national-level renewable targets. However, with increasing share of renewable energy, there also arises the need for the creation of infrastructure to integrate the power generated at the power plants. Stressing the need for proper infrastructure. The industry also wants the government to utilise the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) to promote R&D in renewable energy technologies and to capitalise a Decentralised Energy Risk Guarantee Facility. With a strong wish list and equal optimism the industry is hoping on the new government to extend its promise of bringing glorious days to the renewable industry also. Now, it remains to be seen what approach the policy-makers have for the sector, and whether the industry is able to emerge as a global leader in the coming years ■

INDUSTRY LEADERS SPEAK “We at ACME Solar congratulate the new government and look forward to stable governance. To facilitate new Government’s vision of a resurgent India, we’d be delighted to partner with the new government in bringing the solar revolution as envisioned to boost the renewable energy sector. With new leadership at the helm, we look forward to streamlined policies that can bolster infrastructure development in India, creating thousands of new jobs, pushing up GDP growth and bringing alive the dream of inclusive growth.” Manoj Kumar Upadhyay CEO, ACME Solar

8 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

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INDUSTRY LEADERS SPEAK "Schneider Electric India is committed to all efforts to transform India into a self-sufficient, energy-surplus nation. We hope to partner with the country in developing smart cities as well as boosting the renewable energy segment, in particular. We look forward to policies that will bolster infrastructure development in India, acting as an engine of growth, creating thousands of new jobs and pushing up GDP growth, while lowering poverty levels and bringing alive our collective dream of inclusive growth." Anil Chaudhry

Country President & MD, Schneider Electric India

"We believe the BJP-led government will provide an environment conducive for growth and investments, with major reforms in the infrastructure and renewable energy sector. This is important as India's economic environment will act as a catalyst in reviving the global economy."

Tulsi Tanti

Chairman, Suzlon Group

Piyush Goyal Takes Over Charge of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Shri Piyush Goyal today took over as the Minister of State(Independent Charge) of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. Speaking to media persons while taking the charge of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy today, Shri Goyal said that his priority would be to expand scope and usage of clean and green energy and to ensure synergy in the power, coal and renewable energy sectors. A holistic vision for ensuring energy security of India

would be developed. Appreciating the Gujarat model in the development of renewable energy, Shri Goyal said that he would learn from the experiences of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa as well any other best practices from anywhere in the world that could be brought to India. Laying down the vision of his Ministry, Shri Goyal said that it would be policy driven and process driven where the focus would be on the outcomes and action.

Later the Minister held a meeting with the senior officers of the Ministry and familiarised himself with the functioning of the Ministry ■

Government Promises Enough Solar Energy To Power A Light Bulb In Every Home India’s new government has promised to generate enough solar power so that every home can power at least one light bulb by 2019, a Bharatiya Janata Party official told Bloomberg.

Some 400 million Indians lack electricity, and the new government led by Narendra Modi has promised to fulfill a broken promise by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Modi’s

government has promised to promote more green energy development while cutting imports of coal, oil and gas ■

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

NEWS THIS MONTH

TATA Power Solar expands Manufacturing Capacity by 60% Tata Power Solar, one of the pioneering solar manufacturers in the world and India’s largest specialised EPC player, today announced a 60% expansion of its manufacturing facility in Bangalore, taking the total production capacity to 200 MW. The expansion is based on the significant increase in demand that the company has seen for its solar modules, as well as the expected increase in demand due to supportive policy steps announced recently by the Government of India such as Domestic Content Requirement and anti-dumping duties. Tata Power Solar, erstwhile known as Tata BP Solar, is one of the few companies globally to have a long operating history of 25 years. This is a strong proof point for the company’s ability to honour the 25 year warranty that solar modules come with. It is also the only company in India whose modules are rated as Tier 1 in Bankability by GTM Research, a globally recognized PV market research firm. The expansion comes against the backdrop of extremely difficult times for the Indian solar industry. Despite challenges,

Tata Power Solar has seen an increase in demand for its products which reaffirms the faith customers put in the quality of its products. Commenting at the inauAjay Goel, CEO, Tata Power Solar addressing the media guration of at its expanded manufacturing facility in Bangalore the expanded facility, Ajay capacity to meet the increased Goel, CEO, Tata Power Solar demand for our products. said, “This substantial expanWe continue to raise the bar sion, in an extremely competifor quality solar products, by tive and price-sensitive sector, employing cutting-edge equipis a testimony to our products’ ment, such as the fastest stringsuperior quality and global ers available globally as well as competitiveness. Our 25 years the latest electroluminescence of strong credentials in providtesters.” ing high quality solar products, which also corresponds to the Tata Power Solar initiated its warranty period of our modmanufacturing expansion in ules, adds credibility to our 2001 by laying the foundaofferings.” tion stone on a 10 acre facility at Bangalore. Currently, the Rahul Budhwar, Vice President company operates three world- Manufacturing and Business class manufacturing units in Development, Tata Power Bangalore, including module, Solar said, “We are excited to cell and solar water heaters ■ be expanding our production

Welspun Energy receives Golden Peacock Innovative Service Award Welspun Energy Private Limited, India’s leading builder of renewable energy projects has been recognized with the Golden Peacock Innovative Service Award 2014. Honorable Governor of Kerala and Former CM of Delhi, Shrimati Sheila Dikshit presented the award to WEPL. The award was presented for the innovations made by WEPL in Modified Module Mounting Structure, which is used for the

10 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

installation of modules in solar power projects. The ceremony was held in Trivandrum Kerala during the'24th World Congress on Total Quality & Leadership' in the presence of distinguished gathering of business leaders, jurists, academics, environmentalists, economists, legislators and policy makers. Speaking on the occasion Mr Vineet Mittal, MD of WEPL said that “It is a proud day for us at

Welspun Energy. We have been challenging ourselves by reengineering each practice to come up with the most effective way of setting up solar power projects. We have made our mark in the Indian solar industry with our Engineering, Procurement & Commissioning initiatives. The Golden Peacock award recognizes this key quality of the organization and drives us to bring ingenuity in our functioning and file many more patents.” ■  www.supersmartenergy.com

Mersen’s commitment in safer and more reliable solar photovoltaic installations

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Antidumping duty on solar cells from US, China The Commerce Ministry has proposed anti-dumping duty of up to USD 0.81 per watt on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei following complaints by domestic players. In its final findings, the Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended imposition of the duty on imports of "solar cells whether or not assembled partially or fully in modules or panels or on glass or some other suitable substrates, originating in or exported from Malaysia, China, Chinese Taipei and USA," the Commerce Ministry said in a notification. The Directorate's recommendation comes on the basis of its findings that increased imports have caused "material injury" to the domestic industry, it said. "... the Authority (DGAD) concludes that - the product

under consideration has been exported to India from subject countries below its normal value, thus resulting in dumping of the product; the domestic industry has suffered material injury due to dumping of the product under consideration," it added.

that imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty is required to offset dumping and injury. Therefore, the Authority considers it necessary to recommend imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties on the imports of the goods from the countries," it added.

While the DGAD has recommended anti-dumping duties of up to USD 0.48 per watt on import of solar cells from the US companies and up to USD 0.81 per watt for Chinese firms. Similarly, USD 0.62 per watt and USD 0.59 per watt was recommended by the DGAD on imports from Malaysian and Taipei firms, respectively. According to the report, imports of solar cells from the US, Malaysia, China and Taipei have jumped to 1,73,015 KW (kilo watt) in 2010-11 from 57,661 KW.

The application for the probe was filed by Solar Manufacturer's Association of India on behalf of three of its member companies - Indosolar Ltd, Jupiter Solar Power Ltd and Websol Energy Systems Ltd.

"The Authority is of the view

The recommendations also come against the backdrop of the US dragging India to the WTO on the country's solar mission plan that allows only local equipment. India has said that its national solar mission programme is WTO-compliant and it would defend its stand in the Geneva-based multilateral body ■

Assessment One-sided: Solar Developers Miffed at the prospect of the Ministry of Commerce notifying anti-dumping duties on imported solar panels very soon, solar power producers say that something is not right in the unseemly haste in the Ministry’s move. The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties published its ‘disclosure statement’, in which it said that it concluded that the “dumped imports” of solar panels from the subject countries, (China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the US) had “increased in absolute terms as also in relation to production and consumption of the goods in India.” Following this disclosure, solar power producers had feared that a formal notification was

12 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

just around the corner. The Association of Power Producers, including solar power companies, has put the sentiment in somewhat milder terms in a letter it gave to JS Deepak, the Designated Authority, Directorate General of AntiDumping and Allied Duties. “We request that the final recommendations be deferred till another exhaustive hearing, which is representative of the views of independent solar power producers, is concluded,” the letter says. “This will enable the new Government to take a call after duty considering the views expressed by all the stakeholders.” The ‘solar war’ in India between those who manufacture solar

panels and those who use the panels to produce electricity, has reached a crescendo in recent weeks, apparently in the context of the imminence of the anti-dumping duties. On their part, power producers say their letter to the Directorate that their views “have not been adequately and appropriately considered” and as a result the “injury assessment” has turned out to be one-sided. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has thrown its weight behind the power producers, taking a view that the reservation of 375 MW of capacity under the National Solar Mission’s Phase II projects, gives enough market for the domestic manufacturers ■

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Enrich Energy Bags Prestigious Global Green Award Enrich Energy Private Limited (EEPL) has become the first Indian solar power company to win the prestigious Global Green Award, which was presented to 52 different companies worldwide in various categories recently. The Punebased company bagged the award amidst stiff global competition from over 75 countries across five continents. Mr Ankit Kanchal, Director, Enrich Energy Pvt. Ltd. received the award – comprising a certificate and trophy -- from Charbel S Tabet, President, Association Otherways Management and Consulting (France) at the awards function in Berlin. Attributing the award win to his company’s pioneering moves in the solar industry by offering solar projects on turnkey concept, he said “We bagged this award for being pioneer in the Solar Industry by offering solar power projects on turnkey basis and developing private solar power parks, which involved setting up related infrastructure alongside getting the required permissions in the shortest time period. Also, we are the first in the Indian solar industry to provide a unique solution which helps even retail

investors to set up their solar power projects with smallest MW capacity.” Elaborating on the project, he said “Our Charbel S Tabet (left), President, Association Otherways Managepioneerment and Consulting (France), presenting the “Global Green Award” ing procertiﬁcate to Ankit Kanchal, Director, Enrich Energy Pvt. Ltd. at the awards function in Berlin ject is the country’s first private all “Green Topics” and grant solar power park of 40 MW in the Award to companies with Solapur, Maharashtra spread outstanding environmental over a total of 200 acres are. achievements and sustainable The company is also pioneer in practices worldwide. Maharashtra to commission the project under REC mechanism.” The selection criteria included periodical reports by Indian The Global Green Award, which and global marketing, research was constituted in 2014 by & consulting firms, polls and “Association Otherways Manvoting process through mail, agement & Consulting” (France), Internet or within awarded is given for outstanding envicompanies, besides informaronmental achievements and tion from media, advertising contributions in areas of Innoagencies, trade fairs and exhibvation, Quality & Technology, its, chambers of commerce, and sustainable practices. The embassies, polls including the Award Forum had firms, govOnline Macro Poll, which is ernmental institutions, renewanalyzed by “The Global Green able energy firms, environmenAward” Selection committee tal agencies and others from before deciding the final winner over 75 countries to cover ■

Cleantech India to make way for deployment of Renewable Energy Solutions Messe Frankfurt India, the organiser of the highly successful editions of Watertech India, have now expanded their portfolio of events addressing key environmental issues with the announcement of the launch of Cleantech India 2014. There has been exponential growth in the renewable technology market, and the organiser feel it is the perfect time to raise the subject of depleting

14 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

natural resources and bring technological advancements and clean business practices to the forefront of the Indian market. The launch of Cleantech India will be an ideal platform for a clean energy revolution. The show aims to boost the development and deployment of energy renewable technologies among Indian Industries. Cleantech India will be held

concurrently with three other shows including Wastetech India, Pollutech India and the highly anticipated 3rd edition of Watertech India 2014. Together these four shows will cover the complete chain of green technologies for Water, Waste, Pollution and Energy Management. For more information about the event, please visit: www. cleantech-india.in ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IBC SOLAR exclusively partners with Maxx I solar energy in South Africa maxx | solar energy (Pty) Ltd, a photovoltaic specialist established in South Africa and subsidiary of the German maxx I solar & energie GmbH & Co. KG, has entered into an agreement with the German IBC SOLAR AG, a global leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems. maxx I solar energy is now IBC SOLAR’s exclusive distribution partner for the South African PV market. As a Premium Partner, maxx I solar energy will source its PV product portfolio from IBC SOLAR. Both parties benefit from this mutual agreement: IBC SOLAR guarantees its Premium Partner a reliable supply of high-quality products and services, whilst maxx | solar energy is familiar with the local market structure and offers a strong network of well-trained installers in South Africa. From April 2014, maxx | solar energy (Pty) Ltd. will have complete exclusivity as the IBC SOLAR Premium Partner for the whole South African market for the next three years. The company operates two warehouses in South Africa which will supply local photovoltaic installers with systems and components for small and medium-sized PV installations of up to 50 kilowatt peak (kWp), focussing on the residential sector, such as private households and smaller businesses. maxx | solar energy

(Pty) Ltd. will also handle larger PV systems from 50 to 500 kWp for commercial self-consumption in the business and Maxx Solar-Academy industry sector. Thanks to Solarschool Thuringia and is its German parent company, represented in Bloemfontein, maxx I solar energy South Cape Town, Johannesburg and Africa can draw upon years of Durban. So far, the maxx-solar experience in planning of all academy has trained over 600 types of solar energy systems. installers, engineers and man“The South African PV market agers, who represent a strong holds significant potential for network and the basis for the growth, particularly when it successful business activities of comes to small and mediummaxx | solar energy (Pty) Ltd. sized roof installations for and IBC SOLAR in South Africa. private households and comIBC SOLAR shares this commercial self-consumption,” said mitment, which makes this Dieter Ortmann, CEO of the partnership not only fruitful German maxx-solar & energie for both companies, but also GmbH & Co. KG and its subsidibeneficial for the customers. In ary in South Africa. return, IBC SOLAR guarantees Of the new partnership, Ortits partners a reliable supply of mann said: “Thanks to the high-quality products, unique maxx-solar academy which we service, and access to the founded in South Africa in 2011, know-how and experience of our company is well-known and one of the pioneers of the PV well-established in the counindustry■ try.” The academy was set up in cooperation with the DGS

Take the Google’s ‘Little Box Challenge’ Messe Frankfurt India, the Google has announced a $1 million prize in what they’re calling the “Little Box Challenge”. The aim is to create a smaller, cheaper, power inverter for use in solar power systems. This is both the next part of the solar power system that needs to be attacked and also, as a prize competition, an extremely effi-

cient use of Google’s money. For by offering a prize for the winner Google will pull out of the woodwork a lot more capital to attack the problem than they’re offering as the prize. The announcement came as part of President Obama’s little tour of the west to promote solar energy and other environmentally desirable projects

However, it is well known that this solar power inverter is the next part of the solar power puzzle that needs to be attacked. The inverter is the part of the system that converts the DC power from the cells themselves into the AC power that is compatible with the grid ■

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

QUICK TAKES NATIONAL NISE Information centre to promote solar energy The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), under the aegis of Ministry for Renewable Energy (MNRE), may soon open its gates for general public. The MNRE is planning to set up an information centre at this premiere research and technology hub for solar energy technology located at Gwal Pahadi in Gurgaon. The primary objective behind setting up information wing is to create awareness about some of the recent advances made in the field of solar power. The information centre will be run by the Advit Foundation which is expected to be inaugurated in a month’s time.

SunEdison Drops Indian Solar Project on Supply Concerns SunEdison is giving up the 20-megawatt project it won in an Indian government auction in February on concerns that local cell makers won’t be able to boost supply in time, Pashupathy Gopalan, managing director of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, said in an e-mailed statement. Dropping the project may cost the St. Peters, Missouri-based company its 20 million rupee ($333,000) bidding deposit.

India Ups 2014 Solar PV Target By 30% To 1,000 MW India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has increased its faith in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology at the expense of concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. As a result, it has increased its target for installed solar PV capacity by 30% in FY2014-15 while slashing its CSP target by 90%.

Jinko Solar taps Indian

16 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

network Chinese PV module manufacturer JinkoSolar has signed a distribution agreement with Proinso India. According to the terms, Proinso will begin distributing JinkoSolar units through its sales network in India, which has 125 qualified installers.

Green-Watt Techno Solutions raised strategic investment Green-Watt Techno Solutions, a company engaged in business verticals like testing & measurement of electrical devices, energy efficiency & renewable energy has raised strategic investment for initial expansion.

GE’s Pune facility to focus on renewable energy With American transportation and energy major GE’s upcoming Greenfield multi-modal facility near Pune due to go on stream in June, the company is eyeing doubling its share in the Indian wind energy equipment market by 2016. The company also has a plan to develop and source subassembly components like gear boxes, castings and forgings amongst others for both Indian and export markets.

2 Indian firms win Ashden award Two Indian firms, Infosys & Greenway Grameen, won the Ashden award (the green energy award) in 2014. About 14 Ashden awards were presented at the Royal Geographical Society in London recently.

INTERNATIONAL ET Solar Launches Cell Optimizer Module Globally tAs an innovator that adopts maximum power point tracking chips, ET Solar developed COM that

offers maximum power tracking of individual solar cell string on real-time basis and thus achieves cell string-level power optimization. The product represents a significant enhancement from the conventional solution that is based on bypass diodes and offers power optimization only at the module-level. Therefore, PV systems using COM would not have module mismatch problems and could increase electricity output by up to 20%.

Kuwait eyes 2,000 MW of renewable energy by 2030 As local demand for oil increased by 67% over the past decade, Kuwait has pushed to implement a strategic sustainability initiative that seeks to generate 2,000MW of renewable energy by 2030.

Rajendra Singh named "Solar Champion of Change" by White House White House has named IndianAmerican professor Rajendra Singh as one of ten "Solar Champions of Change" who are taking the initiative to spur solar deployment across America. Rajendra Singh is D. Houser Banks Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of Clemson University's Centre of Silicon Nano-electronics in South Carolina.

Former MSU VC Anil Kane bags World Wind Energy award Former vice-chancellor of M S University (MSU) Anil Kane has bagged the World Wind Energy Award 2014 that recognizes his contributions as one of the pioneers of wind power in India, Asia and worldwide. Kane is presently chairman emeritus of the Indian Wind Energy Association and president emeritus of WWEA in which he was president between 2005 and 2011 ■  www.supersmartenergy.com

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SPOT LIGHT

Capacity Building of Solar Industry in India

he current energy consumption pattern in the world is highly dependent on fossil fuels. Around 80% of the world’s primary energy consumption is from fossil fuels while renewable energy sources account for only a small proportion (2-3%). Existing statistics of oil and gas reserves indicate that they can support the present level of consumption only for the next 40 to 50 years, while experts suggest that even coal will be depleted in the next 100 years. These figures fittingly indicate that the present energy use pattern will not sustain in the future and that sustainable energy systems based on renewable energy are required. This energy transition will mandate concentrated efforts in capacity building for renewable energy. As India struggles with chronic power shortages, rising energy prices

18 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

coupled with lurking threats of global climate change, solar energy has emerged as the most lucrative sustainable energy option. Today solar modules are being used not only for commercial purposes but also to sustain industrial and residential requirements. Rooftop installations, lighting kits, telecom towers, traffic signals, solar charging stations, streetlights, etc are few examples where solar energy is being utilized. As importantly it is extremely beneficial in rural areas for household lighting, irrigation pumps, street lighting, etc. India today has more than 50 module manufacturers all of whom seem bullish about the potential of the market. The main leaders in this market include the likes of TATA BP Solar (India) Ltd, Websol Energy Systems Ltd, Emmvee Solar Systems Pvt LtdXL

Energy Ltd, Titan Energy Systems Ltd, Photon Energy Systems Ltd, etc. As module prices are going down, the cost of generating soar power is also declining. Also, due to the increasing demand primarily out China, Japan and USA, pricing has been stable, profit margins are on track and shipments to markets outside have been steady. Hence players are hopeful that the solar sector in India will take off.

Current market size and growth of solar power generation in India The importance of alternative energy resources has been duly recognized by the authorities of India which has resulted in Government support for Nuclear Energy and Renewable Energy. India is one of the few

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countries that have a dedicated Ministry for the promotion of non-conventional energy (Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, MNES). The efforts of MNES have witnessed a steady growth of renewable energy in India. India is slowly building upon its solar power capacity with the joint and comprehensive efforts of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, state solar policies, and increased enforcement of the Renewable Purchase Obligation. A recent research study carried out by Netscribes has found that the Solar PV market in India is mostly an organized one with an installed capacity of 1.8 GW as of 2013 while the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 55.9% between 2012 and 2018 to reach 17.2 GW. India’s solar capacity building potential is thus deemed real enough and is forecasted to reach a USD 6 Billion to 7 Billion in its capital equipment market with close to around 4 Billion in annual revenues for grid connected solar generations in the next decade. The country has added almost 950 MW of solar power capacity between April 2013 and March 2014 (that is, FY201314).The 56 percent increase in installed solar capacity witnessed in the financial year 2013-14 was mainly due to projects assigned under the state solar policies and the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) scheme. Of the 2,632 MW installed capacity till 31 March 2014, 50 percent operates under the state solar policies. During the current financial year (April 2014 to March 2015), capacity is expected to be added mainly under the state solar policies as a number of project developers would line up solar PV projects for commissioning allocated to them through auctions conducted by several state governments. Gujarat remains the clear leader among all Indian states with an installed capacity of 916 MW, and added about 58 MW capacity during the last financial year. While the Gujarat government has some ambitious and pioneering

plans to cover water canals with solar panels, the official tender documents seeking investments from developers have not been released yet. Thus, following the commissioning of one of the largest solar parks in the world, the Gujarat solar market is still to take off. Madhya Pradesh on the other hand took the lead in adding capacity in FY2014. The state added almost 310 MW of solar PV capacity, which included the largest solar power plant in Asia. The 130 MW solar PV project owned by Welspun Power was commissioned in February 2014 at a total cost of over USD 170 million. The state government had awarded 175 MW of solar power capacity to project developers under the state policy while over 165 MW capacity was commissioned directly by the project developers under the REC (renewable energy certificate) scheme. The state of Rajasthan, second in overall installed capacity in India, added almost 180 MW capacity. This included India’s largest solar thermal power plant, which has a generation capacity of 50 MW. The project is among the seven solar thermal power projects auctioned under the first phase of the National Solar Mission. A huge majority of the bal-

ance 130 MW capacity was added directly by the project developers through the REC scheme.

Local content requirement and its fallout on the industry It is a widely accepted fact that increased deployment of renewable energy technologies (RET) for their proper implementation requires government intervention at multiple levels. But this involvement is anything but easy as designing and implementing policy involves negotiation and compromise between a range of decisions and decision makers, each seeking to structure policies in ways that is beneficial to them and promote their own goals. As such, a lot of countries are aiming to make their RET deployment strategies politically acceptable by linking them to other socioeconomic goals, such as job creation, economic development and building competitiveness. In this sense, LCRs act as performance requirements that regulate the extent to which certain projects must use locally manufactured products. They are usually tied to government concessions, such as preferential tariffs, tax exemptions low-interest loans, infrastructure support and land

» June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy 19

SPOT LIGHT acquisition support.

Impact of the local content requirement on the industry The local content requirements had a significant impact on the solar industry. Initially it had been noticed that companies, rather than supporting the locally manufactured products, were more biased towards foreign manufacturers whose products were exempted from the LCR. For example in the NSM project it was found that foreign thin film PV manufacturers were preferred over the local crystalline silicon manufacturing industry. Another impact was the oversupply in a crowded and competitive manufacturing market which led to price reductions which in turn outpaced reductions in cost. Many companies failed to survive, let alone make profits. The impact of the bias towards foreign thin film technology and falling exports of locally manufactured crystalline silicon technology was considerable. Receiving few local orders and decreasing exports to EU and US, which had previously been their main markets and the reason for their establishment, local manufacturers, such as Tata BP Solar, Indosolar and Moser Baer suffered heavy losses. Some of the PV manufacturers stated that almost 50 per cent of their workforce had been laid off because of closed production. Under these conditions, R&D investments in Indian manufacturing firms were practically non-existent. As the industry consolidated and protectionism rose, tie-ups with foreign firms, which previously were often the basis for R&D, also diminished. Based upon these impacts, the LCR is widely considered to have failed in economic terms. Planned projects are facing significant delays, problems of land acquisition, lack of high quality irradiance data, increasing equipment costs due to rupee depreciation and limited availability of some components have caused set-

20 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Image Courtesy Oerlikon Solar backs in all projects. These issues are expected to continue if not adequately addressed by policy changes. The purpose for which local content was imposed has been defeated. To top all this there is also international pressure to eliminate local content requirements. Despite the promise of LCRs as an instrument to promote local value creation, their increased use is matched by growing vocal concern over trade protectionism. LCRs are generally seen as inconsistent with the WTO’s international trade rules which explicitly prohibits local content requirements because they are inconsistent with this provision of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs) and Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. The general philosophy behind this position is that LCRs are considered to be ineffective in promoting overall welfare because they force countries to invest resources inefficiently in sectors where they don’t have a competitive advantage as they will artificially improve the competitiveness of local products against foreign products. This is assumed to bring the danger that LCRs may also be pushed by interest groups who seek monopoly rents in the supply of equipment and services for renewable projects. Restricted competition allows local producers to extract monopoly rents and reduces both the number of actors in the sector and competitive pressures on them.

Another disadvantage of LCR is that on their own they are unlikely to help local firms fully develop the technological capabilities needed to globally compete in the long-term. LCRs overemphasise manufacturing, neglecting other equally important, and potentially more value-added, parts of the value chain. In addition, LCRs do little to address barriers to the development of local technological capabilities that local manufacturing firms might face. Although they might create space for learning how to do the necessary to adapt to local conditions and still ensure effectiveness, development of more advanced technological capabilities are required for better competitiveness. Yet according to a research carried out by Netscribes, things are shaping up and looking better within the PV industry as local manufacturing capacity had increased to around 1.8-2GW.Furthermore, LCRs appear to have given a strong political signal that the government is committed to supporting and protecting the manufacturing sector. Most manufacturers are confident that local industry would be reinvigorated by continued investment in local manufacturing.

Problems faced by the industry Poor policies and foreign competition- The underdeveloped and poorly implemented JNNSM federal solar policy is encourag www.supersmartenergy.com

ing foreign competition especially from China and USA which is diminishing the chances of the solar building capacity potential to take off. First Solar (FSLR) conquered the JNNSM market boosted by the low cost vendor financing by the US Exim Bank. The state run solar subsidies especially in Gujarat did not have any domestic content requirements (DCR) which meant that Chinese imports dominated that segment of the market. Also the Chinese solar panel companies such as Trina Solar (TSL), Yingli (YGE) and others have 3 times the capacity of the entire Indian industry on their own. Manufacturing inefficienciesMost of the Indian solar manufacturers have been running at very low utilization and large losses. The slowdown for Indian solar manufacturing is coupled with the general Indian manufacturing slowdown as well. Despite the Indian market growing to more than 1000 MW a year, the Indian solar manufacturers have got less than 30% of the local market. This is greatly affecting the capacity building potential of India. Unorganized taskforce- The solar industry is in dire need of skilled manpower in order to increase efficiency and ensure better productivity which is still not available in India. Most of the India’s work force is forced to earn their daily bread in the unorganized and contractual sector. The ones who are already employed in this sector lack proper training and skills which in turn becomes even more disadvantageous. Obsolete technology & financial constraints- India-made solar cells are of poor quality, less efficient and more expensive than imported cells which add to the challenges faced by this industry. It is believed that cell manufacturers have the capacity to produce more than 800 MW of cells while in reality only about 150 MW is available as many units are shut either due to financial constraints or because of outdated equipment.

Conclusion Despite the several problems, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the solar capacity generation in India. Although India’s solar market appears well suited for local players, it’s currently opening up its doors to global players as well. Global firms that modify and tailor their broad expertise to serve unique local needs in an economical way could actually extract significant value. At the same time, local players can bridge capability gaps by striking appropriate alliances, or by recruiting strong teams or individuals. A partnership of foreign technology and local EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) can help both parties climb up the steep learning curve fast, but mechanisms will need to be put in place to ensure that the risks and upsides are shared equally. If both parties involved

have a long-term view of the market, lessons learned from initial projects can be built into subsequent ones. Local or global, the leaders in this market will likely be those that get in the thick of things from the beginning, as the cost of entry rises significantly with grid parity nearing. A well-thought-out plan to make can build a growing advantage through planning for long-term scalability which in turn will be an important tool for tapping into the multi-billion-dollar potential of India’s solar capacity market This article is written by Netscribes on request. Netscribes is a knowledgeconsulting and solutions firm. Netscribes’ focus is on specific Indian industries that offer opportunities for investment, market entry, or have undergone major developments.

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IN FOCUS

Quality Assurance in Large-Scale PV Projects Authored by Reinhard Ling & Falko Krause

hotovoltaic system integrators increasingly investing in international solar markets usually manage their projects as EPC contractors. They are not only responsible for the engineering part of the plant, but also for procurement and construction. Placing the overall management and service coordination into the hands of a single contractor brings many advantages for investors. They can rest assured that the project will be completed in accordance with international standards and therefore achieve a profitable outcome. Bringing out the best in large-scale projects, however, requires optimal project execution for cost efficiency, the highest engineering standards and a quick return on investment. IBC SOLAR, as one of the leading photovoltaic system integrators in the world, pursues a four-step strategy. The company’s multifaceted approach includes extensive testing of components, tailormade solutions to meet local challenges, optimal project execution with effective knowledge transfer, and final certification through independent experts.

Step 1: Testing the

22 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

modules As the first step of quality management, the contractor has to ensure the correct testing and mounting of photovoltaic modules. Even overlooking seemingly minor points during installation can have a massive effect on the output of the modules. In order to ensure a high yield during the complete lifecycle of the photovoltaic plant, IBC SOLAR takes great efforts to ensure impeccable quality in all its components for the installation. The company is able to conduct its own tests to measure the endurance and performance of the modules and meet growing market needs. In order to ensure that the tests are carried out to industry standards, IBC SOLAR works with accredited institutes such as the German Fraunhofer ISE. To test the actual power output of the modules from the various manufacturers, they are put through a “flasher”. After tempering the modules at 25°C for two days in an acclimatized room with 30 percent humidity, a ray of light simulating sunlight is “flashed” at the module. The energy produced by the flash in the solar module is calculated from the access line

by highly precise measuring systems. The software then creates a current-voltage characteristic from these points of measurement, which is shown graphically as a curve. This enables the tester to easily detect problems within the module if the curve and/or the electrical values differ from the norm. Further important steps in the testing process are the two climate chambers. The first climate chamber simulates long-term tests to withstand certain environmental conditions. It examines the quality of the laminate when exposed to extreme temperatures and varying humidity. In the second climate chamber, the modules pass a temperature cycling test: the temperature changes from -40°C to +85°C according to a defined profile. It is generally recommended that the module undergoes 200 cycles in the certification process. However, IBC SOLAR’s Department of Quality Assurance puts the tested modules through 500 cycles in order to fully examine their durability. The aim of the test is to check the PV modules for problems such as thermal maladjustment or fatigue of material. The damp-heat-test involves heating the module at

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Soil Inspection at IBC SOLAR Bhadla site 85°C for 1000 hours in an atmosphere with 85 percent humidity. This procedure allows conclusions to be drawn about the suitability of the modules with regards to their ability to withstand long-term penetration of air humidity.

Step 2: Custom-made engineering solutions The second step of quality assurance lies in developing and applying special solutions for every single project. IBC SOLAR has been growing a steady business in PV markets all over the world, such as in Japan, India, Italy, Spain or South Africa. Having such longterm experience leads to profound know-how in different climatic regions and soils. In India, the company is currently constructing a large scale PV plant in the federal state of Rhajasthan, where local conditions are very demanding as to the special topography, logistics and grid connection. Overcoming those challenges requires tailormade engineering solutions. The soil consists of a 3m top layer of loose sand, which easily leads to wind corrosion, and thus, the foundation of the PV arrays is crucial for sound engineering.

To ensure a secure and stable installation, IBC SOLAR is to use special developed foundations to fit the needs of the local sandy soil conditions. Several on-site tests have been executed in order to assure that the engineering meets the demanding soil requirements. The dessert had to be leveled and compacted in order to prepare the site for the construction phases. Apart from the modules, the inverter is an extremely important part of the system as it is often the first part of the PV system to fail. Installing and maintaining the inverter correctly can have a large effect on its lifespan. Dimensioning the inverter should happen in relation to the string configuration, shading analysis and orientation of the solar generator. Protecting the inverter is also important, and what is required depends entirely on the location of the system, whether deciding factors are ambient temperature, dust or damp, for example. In this case, decentral string inverters were used. Amongst other aspects – such as the possibility of quick and easy replacement in the event of damages – this means it is possible to make use of the shadow provided by the installa-

tion and protect the components from sand and heat. While this helps to avoid power losses due to de-rating caused by high temperature, the inverter’s IP65 rating allows for outdoor installation. The same concept was employed for the cabling, which also has to be extremely resilient to minimize loss of power. Due to the remote location of the plant, several safety measures have been installed: the site is completely enclosed by a wall and under day-and-night surveillance, not only during construction but also in the operation phase. Furthermore, the government of Rajasthan has built an extra grid substation (GSS) for the whole area for proper connection to the power-grid, while IBC SOLAR as the EPC contractor ensures the connection to the medium voltage grid of the utility.

Step 3: Overall project management The third step of quality assurance refers to business experiences, resources and optimal coordination skills. Executing companies need to have the long-term finan-

» June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy 23

IN FOCUS security, independent consultants from the German organization TÜV Rheinland will be assigned to examine the plant in Rhajastan with a view to issue a quality certificate confirming the observance of IEC 62446. With all these measures, IBC SOLAR ensures that a plant has been constructed according to highest quality standards upon its completion. Investors can therefore rely on a quick return on their investment and high energy yields.

The “ﬂasher” tests the actual power output of the modules from various manufacturers

cial strength to provide sustainable guarantees and the necessary manpower to offer the highest quality standards and a profitable return on investment. IBC SOLAR is directing its PV project business in India through its subsidiary in Mumbai. However, contractors have to be aware of the fact that just having a local office will not win them business. For a successful performance in countries like India, companies have to not only adjust how they manage projects and price their products, but also listen closely to their customers. Open communication is a key factor for successful results. Implementing large-scale projects on an international level not only requires a deep understanding of the specific market and business but also solid partnerships with regional experts. IBC SOLAR inspects local factories and works with certificated subcontractors along the whole value chain of the project – from the foundation or the assembling of modules to electrical installation. As an EPC contractor, the company ensures constant supervision during the construction phase, efficient transfer of knowledge

24 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

and therefore a fast grid connection. IBC SOLAR’s Project and Site Managers are Authorised Experts for Photovoltaic Equipment (TÜV Rheinland) and thus it is ensured that IBC SOLAR’s large-scale PV projects follow the current state of technology and are in line with international standards for PV systems (e.g. IEC 62446). The client receives a turnkey solution from one source and benefits from optimal cost efficiency and quality control.

Step 4: Certification through independent experts Apart from product and plant performance guarantees as well as operation and maintenance services, final plant performance ratio-tests have to be part of a “one-stop-solution” strategy. Highly qualified engineers and site managers verify system set-up and quality standards to make sure that the project is completed on time and secure the initial tariff for grid-feed-back energy.

IBC SOLAR is one of the leading photovoltaic system integrators. With a global experience of over 30 years in all climatic regions and soils the company has implemented more than 150.000 PV systems with an overall capacity of more than 2.5 GWp. With its eight subsidiaries in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Turkey, China, Malaysia and India, IBC SOLAR is represented across the globe and currently has around 300 employees, 200 of who work in Germany. It is managed from the company headquarters in Bad Staffelstein. The scope of its implemented systems ranges from large-scale photovoltaic power plants and solar parks to systems that supply power to private residences, but also to hospitals in Africa, schools in South-East Asia

About the Authore Reinhard Ling is Business Manager at IBC SOLAR Projects Private Ltd. Falko Krause is Strategic Project Manager at IBC SOLAR AG

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VIEW POINT

Key Challenges Facing the Growth and Success of RECs Market in India Authored by Vikalp Mundra Joint Managing Director, Ujaas Energy Ltd.

enewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a market based instrument that allows trading of Green Attributes of power generated from Renewable Energy Power Plants. The concept of REC has been there in countries such as U.S. and U.K. for some time, India which recently took to Renewable Energy in a big way through its flagship programme – JNNSM – introduced the REC Mechanism after much planning in order to boost the supply and consumption of Renewable Energy as a part of the total energy mix. Trading of RECs takes place at Power Exchanges (PXs) at a rate within the price band determined by the Central Nodal Agencies. March 2011 witnessed the beginning of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) trading in India. Since then, more than Rs.904 crores worth of trading has taken place at the 2 energy exchanges of India – Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange India Limited (PXIL). FY 2012-13 has seen a total trading of Rs.577 Crores (Non-Solar and Solar) as compared to Rs.286 Crores in FY 2011-12.

26 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Despite the challenges the REC mechanism is currently facing, it is indeed very wisely crafted mechanism favouring the promotion of Renewable Energy in the country. It is a market based instrument to fulfil the supply and demand of the renewable energy obligation by the obligated entities not only in India but also across the world as they are independent of the geographical boundaries of the states. It separates “green” component from the ‘electricity” component and facilitates the obligated entity in meeting their RPO. 1 REC represents 1 MWhr energy generated from Renewable source. A pan India market has been created for trading of RECs through Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) approved Power exchanges. National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) has been designated as the central agency and is responsible for registration of Renewable Energy Generation Facilities, issuance of RECs, maintenance and settlement of REC account, information pertaining to REC, repository of transactions in certificates and other functions as may be coordination and implementation of REC Mechanism. Presently the solar REC mech-

anism is going through rough patches and not delivering results as expected because of certain reasons, which are primarily linked to weak regulatory enforcement and sudden drop in solar tariffs in the country. In last 2 years we have witnessed a decent investment and increase in installations of solar projects under REC mechanism, which is around 19-20% with more than 460 MWs of the total solar installations in the country. MNRE has also invited suggestions from various stakeholders for the new policy. It is believed that a comprehensive policy with regard to solar REC market will be formulated once the new government is formed at the Centre in mid May. With the change in the government and proposed new reforms in the Electricity Act in place, in terms of enforcement and penal provisions for non compliance, the REC market will regain its importance again in the country. If we see the statistics under the national and state policies with preferential tariffs for around 2800 MWs (including recent awards under JNNSM Phase – II,  www.supersmartenergy.com

We are amongst the leading developers, integrators and park owners in the country having around 105 MWp of installations done in this period, having 23% market share and we are bullish on the REC market Vikalp Mundra

Joint Managing Director, Ujaas Energy Ltd

Batch I) the total developers are around 480. However, in just 460 MWs of solar PV Projects under REC mechanism there are 205 developers / projects. In last couple of months a serious efforts have been seen from some of the state regulatory commissions and the Member of Parliament to ensure compliance of RPO and its enforcement. These state regulators have given clear orders for the compliance of RPO and deficit RPO by the purchase of RECs, considering the impact

of purchase of RECs in the tariffs itself, and imposing financial penalties on the concerned authorities for non compliance of order as we have seen in the case of Uttrakhand. The ministry has proposed the repackaging of the REC prices with the VBM (Vintage Based Multiplier) to safeguard the financial interest of the older investors and making basic changes in the Electricity Act itself. The forum of regulators has also shown their concern for the non compliance and with consensus

has agreed for the enforcement and penal actions for non compliance and incentivising for the compliance beyond targets. With the reduction in availability of coal and coal linkage in the tropical country like India where sun god has bestowed great sun shine and irradiance the scope of solar is going to increase further. With the increasing tariffs of fossil fuel based power year after year and decreasing cost of power from captive renewable energy source especially solar the demand has increased many fold. Apart from large ground mounted plants, demand for large, medium and small roof top solar PV power plant has also increased. In spite of a finely crafted policy and regulations, the future of REC market is dicey in current scenario; the biggest challenge unquestionably remains enforcement of Renewable Purchase Obligation. Apart from this there are other challenges as per below:

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June/ July 2014 SmartEnergyâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

VIEW POINT cial year. In April 2014, we have seen some important orders from ApTel, Uttarakhand ERC, and steps taken on RPO compliance from Andhra Pradesh.

RE Generation

Non-Market Based Sale at Preferential Tariﬀ Obligated Entities

Market Based Sale

Conclusion Electricity Component

REC Component

Distribution Company/ Third Party Sale/ Power Exchange

Obligated Entities/ Voluntary Buyers

Conceptual Framework for REC Mechanism

›› RPO compliance: As on today the periodicity of RPO compliance is on annual basis, which is unfit for the balance of demand and supply equation. For a strict enforcement a more frequent monitoring, say on a quarterly basis should be in place. Also the obligated entities should be incentivised generously on fulfilling RPO and the failing to do so should ruthlessly penalised. ›› Voluntary Market: The voluntary buyers have purchased RECs in past but contribution is negligible. They should be encouraged by duly incentivising in some or the other form. ›› Capacity Building ›› Compliance Auditors: The role of a compliance auditor engaged is very critical in REC mechanism, to ensure integrity and probity of the entire mechanism of the highest order along with the transparency. India’s ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is favoring REC markets for development of solar power. Eminent members of the ministry are of the view that solar REC markets will revive soon as they expect buyers jumping in. This optimism is when physical solar power comes at a lower cost as compared to buying solar RECs (floor price – Rs. 9.3 per REC). That means, obligated entities have

28 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

less motivation paying for higher solar REC cost than physically procuring it. Also solar floor and ceiling prices have been fixed up to FY2017. The steep declining trend in cost of solar power makes it more difficult for solar REC markets and demands quick revision of these prices. Recently Shri Upendra Tripathy who has assumed charge as Secretary of MNRE, spoke at a gathering that process is ongoing for a policy review with the FOR (forum of regulators) and CERC (Central electricity regulatory com-mission). Mr. Tarun Kapoor, Joint secretary MNRE has also, asked all states to strictly meet the stipulated targets. It is being anticipated that a new policy for solar REC markets will be put in place as soon as a new government is formed at the centre. FOR has also called for engagement of consultants to review the REC mechanism completely. Strong RPO enforcement is the need of the hour for reviving the current REC markets. A powerful whirl has been created by the regulators of various states that can certainly be called a welcoming step for the REC market. Towards that, things have started on the right footing in this finan-

The conclusion would be to deal with the challenges for the healthy existence of REC mechanism by making strict policies and regulations for the RPO enforcement and close watch and penalising the Obligated Entity failing to meet them. With a strong will power of the regulators and suo-motu steps taken by various Obligated Entity towards RPO fulfillment, not only to meet their compliances but also having more holistic attitude in their minds by doing their bit to save our own mother earth, it can be envisage that the future of Solar Power under the REC Mechanism in India is going to have a shining bright future ■ Mr. Vikalp Mundra, a dynamic personality comes with an overall experience spanning over 17 years in the transformer sector. Presently, Mr. Vikalp is the Joint. Managing Director of Ujaas Energy Limited and provides strategic direction in selection of technology and machineries, in setting up new manufacturing facilities, production planning, improvement of production processes, etc. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) from Rani Durgavati Vishwa Vidhyalaya, Jabalpur and a Masters degree in Management Science from Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidhyalaya, Indore.

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COVER STORY

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PumpinG Hopes for a

Greener Future

30 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Image Courtesy SunEdison

The use of Solar Water Pumps for irrigation is gaining momentum in India. Awareness programs and subsidy schemes launched by the MNRE and the state governments have resulted on the installation of over 20,000 solar water pumps across the country. In addition to saving on diesel cost and the issue of poor energy supply to rural areas, solar pumps can play an important role in reducing carbon emissions and increase access to ground water for farmers. This story by Rohan Singh takes a look at the recent announced by the government of swapping 26 million fossil-fuel-powered ground water pumps for solar powered ones, the feasibility and the challenges in implementing this novel idea.

he scope and applications of solar power go much beyond just grid based electricity generation. Now, its applications are widely used in agriculture, cooking, heating, cold storage, water purifiers and a range of different fields. The fast developing solar market is now making swift inroads in some of the new areas which were untapped by it previously. One such target area having lots of potential is the agriculture sector. Progressive farmers are now utilising this free and abundantly available gift from nature to increase their productivity and it is believed in days to come solar energy is going to replace all other existing energy sources.

Solar Powered Irrigation

It is estimated that around two third of groundwater in India is used for irrigation purpose. Most of the minor irrigation systems in India are pump based. And so, the technology which can use the free and abundantly available solar power to pump water into farms has come as a boon to the farmers. Solar powered irrigation system has emerged as a promising solution to India’s energy crisis and erratic power supply, especially in the agriculture sector which requires a lot of water. Moreover, with the Diesel prices touching the sky, solar Power provides an attractive option for Individuals and commercial establishments to avail the benefits of this smart energy resource. A growing number of farmers and companies are now switching to solar solutions

» June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy 31

COVER STORY for their captive power needs. It’s affordability, accessibility and minimal impact on environment has created high demand for solar pumps in the irrigation field. They are a good choice, since they don’t require fuel, or batteries and they can be used anywhere the sun is shining. From farming to gardening, providing water to cattle, or pumping a well, solar pumps can be used for a variety of purposes. They are a clean energy solution to the traditional combustible fuel based pumps. And since they use freely available sunlight and not any fuel, they leave no waste, keeping the environment cleaner and greener.

Solar Pumps Water pumping is an activity which consumes large amount of energy. Traditionally, diesel and electricity used to be the only energy sources for driving water pumps. But now with solar water pumps, irrigating the fields have become much affordable and easier. Solar energy, which is abundantly available in India, can be used for pumping water through the Solar-PV technology. These pumps are gaining popularity, especially in the areas where electricity is either unavailable or unreliable. Solar PV pumps are

E PERTS TAKE

on market & prospects

The solar pump market in India is growing rapidly and holds attractive prospects. In fact, we can attribute this growth to initiatives taken by government in terms of tax exemptions and subsidies Sundeep Gupta Joint Managing Director, Jakson Group

becoming a preferred choice in remote locations to replace handpumps, grid-connected electrical pumps and diesel pumps.

subsidies.” Sundeep Gupta, the Joint Managing Director of Jakson Group says.

Economically also, the solar pumps are becoming more viable with their prices coming down rapidly due to competition in the market. A number of established companies as well as start-ups are striving to capture the market of solar pumps resulting in a price war. Moreover, the subsidy provided by the government of India, is making the system further cheaper for the consumers.

How it works

“The solar pump market in India is growing rapidly and holds attractive prospects. In fact, we can attribute this growth to initiatives taken by government in terms of tax exemptions and

The solar pump technology has developed over the time and now caters to different needs. It can be customised according to the capacity required and needs. But the basic design is same. The solar pump sets are attached to the water source. The pump’s solar panel converts the solar energy into electrical power, which runs the motor to pump water. A Solar PV water pumping systems is an electric pump running on electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic array. Components of a solar PV water pumping system: Solar PV Array: The Solar PV array is a set of photovoltaic modules connected in series and possibly strings of modules connected in parallel. Controller: The Controller is an electronic device which matches the PV power to the motor and regulates the operation of the pump according to the input from the solar PV array.

Solar Powered Water Pump in Use

32 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Pump Set: Pump sets generally comprise of the motor, which drives the operation and the actual pump, which moves the water under pressure. Solar powered water pumps  www.supersmartenergy.com

can perform a number of tasks including delivering drinking water as well as water for livestock or irrigation purposes. They are especially useful in small scale or community based irrigation. For large scale irrigation which requires large volumes of water, a large solar PV array is needed. As the water may only be required during some parts of the year, a large PV array would provide additional energy which can be used for other purposes as well.

Cost Effective The payback period for solar pump is between 3-5 years depending on the capacity and its usage. With diesel price expected to go up further, return time for investments in solar pump will also come down for farmers. Solar pump manufacturing companies are now aggressively targeting the rural India. Solar power solution providers are also upbeat on account of 30% subsidy offered by the renewable energy ministry to the farmers opting for solar pumps. Solar Pumps have a life of 25 years. The pumps also come with low maintenance which helps in recovering the cost earlier. Blessed with solar power in abundance, rural India is now progressively utilising it for irrigation. The cost of photovoltaic panels that have reduced by half since the start of India’s ambitious Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Mission in 2010. The maintenance requirements differ and range between annual and five year maintenance intervals.

Technology future

Buoyant by the response from market and industries , the government is now planning to swap the existing groundwater pumps for solar pumps. As per estimates, Rs.10,000 crores will be invested

Solar Water Pump Installation in Progress Image Courtesy: Tata Power Solar

in the next five years to exchange around 2 Lakhs traditional water pumps with solar pumps. The investment is also coming with great returns for the government. This will save farmers from power shortages and rising fuel prices. Dependency on solar will relieve the power transmission grid, which is already overburdened. But most importantly it will save government billions of dollars it is spending on fuel subsidies. If the initiative is successful, the government may also consider reducing fuel and electricity subsidies in a phased manner, which at present are almost bleeding the country’s exchequer. Financing renewable sources comes with much more cost benefits in long run than spending money on fuel subsidies. Just recently, India approved 3 billion rupees in subsidies to help farmers install solar-powered water pumps to boost agricultural yields and reduce expensive diesel fuel use. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has decided to provide grants to install 17,500 irrigation pumping

systems by 2016 to be funded by a carbon tax on coal. The Solar PV water Pumping Systems will be installed in states of Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and other selected States to meet the irrigation requirements, 15% of the project cost has to be met by the states and the rest will be provided by the Centre. “Power based water pumps cannot be relied on as in India we have huge electricity shortage. Farmers don’t get electricity at the time it is required. Sometimes electricity comes during night time and sometimes they don’t get it at all. So for them also switching to solar is beneficial” Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the incharge of the solar programme says. “Switching to solar is easy., pumps are already there. You just need to install the PV system and switch to solar.We have different

» June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy 33

COVER STORY types of pumps for example of 5 HP and 3HP” he further adds. And because solar pumps will save a lot of electricity, it can be be used for other purposes and villages will get more electricity. “The total power availibity in villages will increase. People will be able to use this power for education purpose or even for watching TV. Our experience says that solar pumps are transforming rural India in big way.They have big socio-economic benefits. Farmer will be able to get reliable water supply that will also improve the food security of the country” Pankaj Som Chaturvedi whose company TRA International is involved in the solar pump installation says. “Considering the immense availability of solar power in India and considering very high co-relation with the demand, we can say that solar pumps are ideally suited for irrigation purposes in India’s agricultural heartlands, under-electrified Gangetic plains in particular. The use of solar pumps for irrigating fields can help in decreasing the diesel consumption, will make farmers less depended upon grid electricity, optimize the water consumption, thus increasing the crop yield. Overall, this scenario seems very promising for the agricultural sector.” Sundeep Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Jakson Group says. . This massive pump exchange scheme can also help India in scoring points in the global climate change negotiations. Pumps based on Diesel and electricity are big contributors to the green house gas emission and thus causing global warming. Initiating world’s biggest programme of this kind will be a showcase of India’s commitment towards mitigation. Solar pumping may have farreaching impacts on agriculture in India, where monsoon rains dictate sowing cycles. For example, in states like Rajasthan and Gujarat which are water-stressed, solar

34 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

E PERTS TAKE on Beneﬁts

solar pumps are transforming rural India in big way.They have big socioeconomic beneﬁts. Farmer will be able to get reliable water supply that will also improve the food security of the country Pankaj Som Chaturvedi CEO, TRA International

pumps may mean end of woes for farmers as these states receive good radiation.

efitted Jatin but also his kids who earlier had to go to fields even in mid night to switch on the pumps.

States are also realising the importance of solar pumps and have come up with their own schemes in addition to the centre sponsored schemes to woo farmers.

“ The power in our village often comes during night time. So we had to go to the farm at that time only to switch on the pumps. There are risks of insects and snake bites in night. It used to take a lot of time and we often got late for school” His 14 year old son Sunil says, who now goes to school on time. In ecologically sensitive places, solar energy are also wildlife friendly as they produce no noise.In traditional systems, the noise produced by the pumps are a big manace for animals and birds.

“ I am pleased to see the interest that the states are taking in this initiative.Some states have also come with their own subsidy policy for solar pumps. Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, maharshtra and Punjab have taken this initiative in a big way ‘ Kapoor Says. With both states and consumers opting for solar pumps the future looks bright. “The response is good. Its picking up.I am not saying that we are very close to the numbers that we have targeted but , but atleast it is a good beginning. Earlier the number of pumps installed in India were just few hundreds. Now atleast we have demands of several thousands. It’s a good take off” a hopeful Kapoor says. For Anand Choudhary, a farmer in Bihar who has switched to solar pumping hopes to recover the investment in two years. “ Water is crucial for our livelihood. We used to perform rituals for good monsoon. We had to travel long distance to get diesel for water pumps.Life is much easier now” he says. Solar pumps have not only ben-

“If we are successful in achieving the numbers that we are targeting it will change the way we look at agriculture. It will also be of huge convenience for farmers. He will be able to get the water in daytime and will also save a lot of money by not using diesel.” Kapoor says

It’s all economics High subsidies on diesel and electricity in India weighs heavily on our current account balance. Researches have shown that even after spending so much as to bleed the economy these subsidies do not fulfil their purpose as they are both insufficient and inequitable. Moreover the fuel subsidies generally pull out money from high-priority public  www.supersmartenergy.com

spending sectors such as health and education. Cutting down fuel subsidy and spending more on clean energy can be a solution to benefit the economy. In the long run it saves money by cutting state support on diesel and electricity subsidies. “Fossil Fuel based pumps are huge burden on India. And at present they are in huge numbers. So even if a small percentage of them are converted into solar based it will be a huge saving. “ says Tarun Kapoor . “Take the case of a 3 HP pump. You has to use the existing pumps and replace it with solar panels. It will cost only about 2.5 Lakhs to 3 Lakhs. And this is an one time investment. This is after the 30% subsidy from the government of India. Now compare it with the quantity of diesel that it would have consumed if it was not converted. You will see the benefit. The farmer would have spent much more on diesel. But in the case of solar pumps he can recover the cost within three to five years.” Elaboratges Tarun Kapoor further.

Roadblocks Challenges

and

But like any other emerging sector, there are also a number of challenges before the solar pump industry. Sandeep Gupta of Jackson Group says “ Too much dependency on subsidies and lack of financing model are some of the issues that need to be resolved. There is also limited awareness of benefits. And no large scale program has been announced” One of the concerns for the mass use of solar pumps is regarding training of farmers. Environmentalists fear that though the technology is most eco-friendly, yet it may also encourage farmers to overdraw water because the cost of running the solar pump is negligible. We need to be careful about the usage considering

that water shortage is looming in a large part of the country. To avoid that, farmers must use water-saving drip irrigation in exchange for accepting subsidies to buy solar water pumps. “The bigger challenge for establishing solar pumps in agricultural sector is to create awareness, through sales channels, providing suitable consumer finance solutions and creating sustainable service network to improve the availability of the system. The financial support from government for next 2-3 years will help to create a “business as usual” market.” Sundeep says. To be precise, from a consumer’s perspective, solar pumps are yet to gain acceptability. Firstly, their initial cost is higher than other pumping system in-spite of its very low running cost; and secondly, there is lack of awareness of this technology. Though the market is booming, there is no focus on developing technical knowhow among the farmers using the system. In case of any technical problems; the company has to be contacted. In case of areas that are not easily accessible, this becomes a huge problem as the drinking water is an essential . Quality is another concern. A boom in the market may also lead to bulk production and compromising on the quality.

picking up fast but we also need to ensure the quality of products. Products have to be durable in different climatic conditions” Kapoor warns. Fuel and electricity subsidies once again can be a major roadblock in the success of solar based pumps. Experts believe that government should focus on providing solar pump equipments to farmers instead of providing them with free electricity. The perception of the people still remains that solar pumps are high capital cost and as such are only a viable option in case of support from larger organizations like a farmer community or the government. “Since, the Solar pump is used by farmers; a very innovative method of low cost financing model need to be explored by the Government by using part of diesel subsidy, power subsidy diversion for farmer (most of the farmer get power for free) and looking into ways and means of tapping the CSR funds. It is also mandatory to create the big demand to enable large scale indigenization of the products, which will also help in reducing the capital cost.” Sandeep believes.

A Sunny Future for Agriculture “Solar pumping industry has been

“The demand of solar pumps is

E PERTS TAKE on Response

The response is good.I am not saying that we are very close to the numbers that we have targeted , but atleast it is a good beginning. Earlier the number of pumps installed in India were just few hundreds. Now atleast we have demands of several thousands Tarun Kapoor Joint Secretary, MNRE

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

COVER STORY growing at the rate of 230 % per year.And it is expected to further increase by another 100%. So it will be around 330%.” Pankaj Som of TRA international says. Focus should be on developing awareness about the option of solar pumps through schemes funded by the government. The initiatives taken by local administration may also play a crucial role. Resources should also be allocated towards developing technical understanding and skills among the local people to reduce dependency on services provided by the company. “The farmer also needs to be educated. Atleast he should know little bit about this. He should be able to handle the device and also resolve small technical issues.” Kapoor adds. Pankaj Som believes that rather than the direct subsidy , the government should look at financing the projects. “That would be sustainable for the industry. Just like it happened for the automobile secor in India. Consider giving the viability gap fundng.Capacity building is also very important. We need to develop a number of skilled people who have knowledge about the solar pumps.There should also be commit ment at the district level that a certain number of pumps will be operational. “ With certain policy initiatives, the sector can see further growth in days to come. Involvement fo communities can come as a great help in this direction. When the community takes ownership of the water supply installation and becomes responsible for the operational costs , it makes the process easier. But that needs to be institutionalised and clarity has to be there . For example, in the case of collecting money and maintenance of the pumps. Maintenance tasks such as cleaning of the panels or operation on a daily basis along with passive tracking should be assigned exclusively to designated people to ensure smooth operation.

36 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

The government is supporting the sector both financially and policywise, but it also needs interest from the financial institutions. “Investmets are huge. So we need to engage the financial institutions also in big way. Because the farmer will not be able to make such kind of huge investment from his own source. Financial institutions can help them getting loans for purchasing the solar systems.”Kapoor suggests. Technical issues can be resolved with a little bit of knowledge. For example, the use of batteries can be replaced by having a larger water storage system in the form of a tank. Even cities and metros have economically feasible atmosphere for deployment of solar pumps, mainly when the quantity of water to be pumped and stored is larger in quantity. Another way of synergising the use of solar power in farms is to attach it solar lights with the solar pumps as it will prove to be of great benefit for farmers working in fields in the dark.

Other off solutions

grid

A wide range of innovative solar solutions are available for various needs. Very soon tasks like threshing, fodder cutting, tractor, desalination and water purification, all this would soon run on solar power. Solar powered solutions come with a number of benefits›› No grid interconnection required ›› No Generator Required. ›› Save or eliminate fuel costs. ›› Maintenance is easy. ›› Increased reliability. ›› One time investment ›› In addtion these systems qualify for 30% government subsidy.

used in every stage of farming. In India, where a vast population is heavily dependent on agriculture for their bread and butter, efficient and affordable solar solutions can change the fate of millions of farmers. With more power to water their farms, the solar energy can pave the way for the next green revolution. ›› Solar water pumping system ›› Solar based cold storage ›› Solar based Food Processor Heating and Cooling Systems ›› ›› ›› ››

Solar Heaters Solar thermal air-conditioners Solar Chimneys Solar based ventilators

Water treatment ›› Solar Water purifier ›› Solar Powered Desalination Unit Upcoming Products ›› Solar Tractors ›› Solar Dairy ›› Solar Mobile Generator

Conclusion The potential of solar pumps is so huge that it can become the single largest application for solar in the country. With government support, market initiative and awareness in people the future of sun driven water pumps looks bright. Solar-based products have a huge market in the remote areas, where they can easily replace costly diesel and kerosene. Solar pumps are a feasible solution to social, environmental and economic problems in emerging markets. And in a country like India where a vast population is dependent on agriculture, the usage of solar equipments like pumps may play an important role in charting the course of our economy ■

Products for agriculture sector Solar products in agricultural sector are now more affordable and efficient than ever before. And today, these products are being  www.supersmartenergy.com

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

SPECIAL FEATURE

Importance of Cables In Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Authored by Virender Kumar Gupta Senior Consultant, ICAI

exposed to direct sunlight & UV but only exposed to outdoor ambient temperature and other environmental conditions. ›› Safe Grounding

Earth

Here, Cables may be exposed or may be covered. They may be subject to variety of environmental conditions.

Cables used in Solar P Power Plants

Cables and interconnections with low resistivity (resistance per m) & Voltage drop are necessary to avoid losses primarily and also defects, accidents. Though, normally Cables may be given less importance in a Solar PV System, but their effects could not be underestimated. A large number of 4 & 6 sq. mm size Cables (approx. 12 – 15 Kms per MW) are required on DC side of a Solar PV System. These electrical connections are required in order to connect the modules of a PV plant to the Inverters, Junction

38 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

boxes viz., ›› PV module to module in a series string & PV strings to array junction box / Inverter Here, Cables are exposed to direct sunlight, UV rays, outdoor ambient temperature and other environmental conditions. ›› Array junction box to main junction box / Inverter & Main junction box to Inverter Here, Cables are normally routed through conduits / covered trays and are not exposed to direct sunlight. These conduits / covered trays could be installed either above ground or underground. Hence, here Cables are not

Hence, the losses along the cables and at contact points can become appreciable if not properly selected in terms of size, design, conductor etc. DC cables are expected to meet the following parameters viz., ›› Single core, flexible and color-coded ›› Dual wall insulated and cross linked, halogen free, low smoke, flame retardant ›› High resistance to abrasion and temperature extremes ›› High resistance to extreme environmental conditions of UV, ozone, humidity, rain, snow, sand, salt etc. ›› Fine stranded, tin-plated copper conductor, easy to handle, bend, route and strip ›› High dielectric withstanding  www.supersmartenergy.com

voltage up to 1600V ›› Current rating to withstand extreme currents in module / string / array with de-rating factors of up to 10 ›› Conductor size meeting resistance requirement for given length of cable ›› Voltage drop meeting minimum DC power loss criteria (1-3%) ›› 25 years life span Similarly, equally large lengths of Cables are required on AC side of a Solar System. Solar PV Plants typically use Aluminium conductor Cables on AC side of the System. These are used to connect Power output from Inverters to transformers and eventually high voltage electrical substation viz., ›› Inverter to LT Transformer/Grid ›› LT Transformer to HT Transformer ›› HT Transformer to Plant Switch Yard ›› Plant Switch Yard to Sub-station

This ground-mounted power station houses over 134,000 polycrystalline modules, installed in double rows and connected by over 440 kilometres (270 mi) of cable, and generates approximately 40 GWh of electricity per annum enough to supply 8,000 households cables while IEC and IS specifications are generic (for DC and AC cables) and there is need for harmonization of the standard for PV cables.

›› ›› ›› ›› ››

The standards applicable to design, selection and installation of PV cables are NEC, IEC60287, IEC60364, IS1255, VDE0298-4. The criterion for sizing and selection of cables is different from each other in these standards.

Following factors govern design of cable insulation, armouring and outer sheath are

PARAMETERS FOR CABLE SELECTION In a MW size solar PV plant,

optimizing cable size and cable routing becomes important for system designer. As a result, selection of cables, cable sizes and their layouts are as important as selection of modules and inverters. Therefore, long-lasting, good quality, Copper Conductor cables are looked forward to. The operating temperature of cable affects its current carrying capacity and hence, the local site conditions play very important role while selecting right size of cable. The system voltage is also an important factor while deciding the cable size as cable size can be reduced to carry the same power at higher voltage.

STANDARDS DC Cables need to conform to the following Standards in Solar PV Plants: These standards take into account the prevailing environmental conditions in their respective countries. TUV specification is for DC

The important parameters to be looked (apart from others) into while selecting Cables are: ›› Ambient Temperature – correction factor is applicable on rated currents of Cable ›› Rated Voltage ›› Current Rating ›› Resistance per unit length ›› Voltage Drop per unit length – need to define acceptable voltage drop limits for Solar PV power plants of different sizes (small, medium and large). This could further be fine-tuned by fixing limits of voltage drop within various sections i.e., string cables, array cables and interconnections ›› Power Loss per unit length need to define acceptable power loss limits for Solar PV power plants of different sizes (small, medium and large). ›› Flexibility ›› Bending Radius ›› Corrosion The current rating of Cable would depend on ›› Ambient Temperature ›› Conductor Temperature

›› ›› ›› ›› ››

Sun/UV Exposition Factor Layout Depth Factor Layout Grouping Factor Soil Temperature Thermal Conductivity

Ambient Temperature Humidity, Rain and Water Pollution, UV and Ozone Resistance to Abrasion Resistance to Heat and Flame

DC cable selection takes into consideration the following key parameters depending upon the areas or sections viz., ›› For String Inverter ›› For Central Inverter Where Cables are to be laid ›› PV design safety factor of 1.25 (for peak radiation and temp variation) ›› Continuous rating safety factor of 1.25 ›› Ambient temperature de-rating factor for conductor temperature? ›› Ambient temperature correction for cable resistance and voltage drop corresponding to the conductor temperature ›› Fixing of limits of voltage drop and power loss in string cables, array cables and interconnections etc. ›› Acceptable current over-rating factor over & above safety and derating factors

CABLE INSTALLATION PRACTICES ›› DC cables used in Solar Industry have following types of insulation and sheathing:

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

SPECIAL FEATURE • XLPE • UV stabilized HR 105 deg. C PVC • Cross-linkable LSOH • UV stabilized PVC ST2 Each has its own advantages & disadvantages in different applications ›› Outdoor cables have multiple ratings for wet and high temperature conditions and hence need to be properly selected for Solar PV Power Plant applications. ›› The outdoor DC cables also require protection from rodents. ›› Though color-coding is typically not followed but same would be of immense benefits in the longer run & hence needs to be ensured. ›› Available & permissible bending radius of the Cables need to be looked into and strictly adhered to. ›› The DC cables should be laid and interconnected in such a manner so as to avoid Earth / short circuit faults. This will also protect Cables from arcing and potential fires. The DC string / array voltages can go up to 1200V or 1600V, hence DC arcing can cause catastrophic failures in Solar PV plants. ›› Safety factors both for dielectric withstand voltage and permissible power loss in cables should be harmonized / standardized. ›› Small size (500W-5kW) plants typically compromise with 2 or 3 core AC cable on DC side and needs correction. Both IEC and NEC specify de-rating factors and allowable current ratings and clear guidelines need to be established. ›› Cable sizing should be primarily based on technical parameters over and above optimal cost considerations and rather be evaluated based on Life Cycle Cost formulae. ›› Current carrying capacity of Cables under high ambient temperature conditions of around 40 - 50 deg. needs careful attention. ›› In order to reduce total cable length and number of interconnections thereby to achieve low DC loss and higher system reliability module interconnection methods like ‘Active trunk and

40 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

drop cabling’ could be perused. ›› The safety of earthing conductor its size, type and termination also needs critical attention.

Electricity.

CABLE ACCESSORIES

Aluminium Conductor on AC side:

The peripheral components / accessories associated with Cables are conduits, trays, connectors, terminals and fasteners. ›› Conduits and trays should be suitably rated so as to withstand high temperatures and wet conditions. These should have suitable protection from edges, sunlight and corrosion. Most commonly types of conduits used are of PVC & GI, which could be selected suitable for site conditions. ›› Crimp Connectors required should have low contact resistance over a period of twenty to twenty five years. They should have long-term secure connection so as to avoid possibility of arcing. Two types of PV module connectors are used by industry, MC4 and Tyco. ›› Terminals used in junction boxes are of the following types: • The screw and post terminals with spring-clamp are prone to loose connections, resistive losses and arcing. • Plug type connectors require special tools and hence are not easy to use on field. • Lock-on type terminals are used to connect DC cables directly onto busbars. These are ideal for Solar PV application as they avoid arcing. ›› Array Junction Boxes and Main Junction Box used in Solar PV installations are rated for IP65 in order to protect them from moisture and dust ingress. These boxes are typically located under hot Solar PV Panels / Modules. Hence, these boxes are subjected to temperatures higher than ambient. ›› Terminal glands are selected with IP65 degree of Protection. Even 1% saving in Cable Power loss will amount to huge savings in the form of revenue that could be collected through sale of surplus

Selection of Copper Conductor

The Aluminium Conductor is normally selected for cables used on AC side of Solar PV Power Plants. Here, it has been observed that stakeholders opt for Aluminium Conductor in the Cables perhaps more driven by cost saving considerations. It can generate up to approx. 30% savings. However, cables of higher sizes are required with Aluminium conductor due to poor conductivity. Also higher torque is required for screw terminations, which results in creating Loose connections over a period of time. Due to such loose connections the probability of arcing gets enhanced leading to fire related damages. The installations with Aluminium conductors are bigger in size. Hence, design and installation practices for Cables with Aluminium conductors in PV systems needs intense review. Copper Conductor on DC side: However, for Cables in Solar PV Power Plants especially on DC side, we need to take adequate care of all the technical parameters which predominantly suggest the selection of Copper as preferred Conductor. Here, the cable sizes are lesser and installations are not so bulky. Problem of arcing and loose connections is avoided. One must look into Life Cycle Costs, which tend to prefer Copper Conductor in the Cables on DC side ■ Mr Virender Kumar Gupta, Senior Consultant, at International Copper Association India (ICAI)

 www.supersmartenergy.com

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

INTERVIEW BUSINESS LEADER

"Hindustan Power is working towards achieving 1 GW of power by the end of 2016"

Ratul Puri Chairman, Hindustan Power Projects Private Limited

.Has the strategy of changing the name from Moser Baer Power Projects to Hindustan Power Projects worked? Has the name change had the desire effect on your business? What else has changed in the company ? The intention behind change of name was to correlate the name of the organization with its operations. To that effect, the rebranding was more of a necessary than a strategy. With the new name, there is no ambiguity in our expertise or our focus. We have evolved from a start-up company to one of the leading power developers in India over last 5 years.

.Could you elaborate on the strategy adopted by you that has successfully established yourself as a leading player in Indian energy sector? India is the fourth largest consumer of energy in the world after USA, China and Russia but it is not replete with abundant energy

42 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

resources. It must, therefore, meet its development needs by using all available resources. This understanding helped the Company to focus on renewable energy in short-mid term, and conventional energy for mid-long term. Secured supply chains, diversified customer base and focus on right technology for the geography is ensuring a risk-mitigated growth.

.Could you elaborate more on the company strategy of focusing on renewable energy in short-mid-term and conventional energy for mid-long term? The development of conventional power project in India is going through a phase where availability

of coal is falling short, the approval for land acquisition has become very tedious, and there was a policy logjam. However, development of solar power projects faces no such hurdles. The solar projects require 12-20 months for commissioning from the date of development where as the conventional sources takes good 5-8 years. On the other, India requires maximum load of energy during the daytime and there is dip in energy requirement during the night hours. This requirement overlaps with the power generation capacity of solar projects. Hence the strategy of focusing on solar in short term is beneficial to the country and the company.



The growth route is poised for the next leap with commissioning of 6,020 MW of power over the next few years in the thermal, solar and hydropower sector



 www.supersmartenergy.com

.What is the driving factor behind investing Rs.32, 000/- crore in the power sector when the whole industry is skeptical and there are apprehensions on the growth front? Also, tell us about the proportion of investment in different sectors that you are targeting? India has approx 300 million people without access to basic electricity and more over the country has young population, which has high aspirations. Hence it is very obvious the energy sector has key role to play in the country achieving economic growth. We have adopted risk mitigated approach and tried to be cautious even while taking risks.

.HPPL plans to generate 1.5 gigwatt from solar power in the next three years? What’s the plan? What are the challenges and how do you plan to overcome these challenges? Hindustan Cleanenergy Limited (the solar arm of Hindustan Powerprojects) has commissioned 350 MW of solar power in just about 3 years and is looking forward to reach approximately 500 MW of solar power in next few quarters. As a part of the company’s plan, Hindustan Power is working towards achieving 1 GW of power by the end of 2016.

.What is the current status of HPPPLs thermal power plants in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh? The thermal power sector is facing problems on various fronts, what has been your mitigation strategy and by when do you expect the situation to improve? Hindustan Thermal projects (the thermal arm of Hindustan Power projects) focuses on generating power through coal-fired power stations in India. The arm is developing thermal Power projects with a combined generation capacity of about 5000 MW in the states of Madhya Pradesh and

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We are very enthusiastic to work on overseas projects and we receive whole hearted support from the government where our projects are based

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Chhattisgarh. The thermal arm of the company has created a strong portfolio with 5000 MW in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

.Tell us more about the different projects that you are currently working on outside India? How would you rate your experience of working outside India and what is the key learning’s from these projects that could be adopted in India? Under the Solar portfolio, Hindustan Cleanenergy Limited has commissioned 350 MW of solar power in just about 3 years. We would reach approximately 500 MW of solar power in next few quarters, where out of the total capacity mentioned,320 MW of the solar power capacity has been commissioned in India, whereas 120 MW of the capacity is commissioned in the overseas predominantly Germany, Italy, UK and more recently in Japan. We are very enthusiastic to work on overseas projects and we receive whole hearted support from the government where our projects are based.

.Going forward what growth you are targeting from projects outside of India? The company will focus on the domestic power generation projects, as the potential is huge.

.Could you shed some light on HPPPLs corporate social responsibility? What steps you take to see that the concerns of various stakeholders are

addressed appropriately? Corporate Social Responsibility in Hindustan Power is geared towards enhancing the relationship the company has with its various stakeholders and provide best developmental opportunities. Its initiatives are geared towards addressing the needs and challenges of sustainable livelihoods, better health and education. Right from constituting a committee to guide and monitor its CSR programmes to evolving interventions in accordance to the needs of the respective local communities, the Hindustan Power team has established itself as a partner to local communities in their sustained development. Hindustan Power’s focus towards ensuring food sufficiency and sustainable livelihoods by promoting farm and non-farm based livelihood activities has met with lot of success. In the area of education its program, TALEEM has managed to mainstream and support children who have dropped out of school.

.Where do you see HPPPL 3 to 5 years from now? What is your vision for your company? The Company has been performing towards a growth trajectory, even during the trying times. The growth route is poised for the next leap with commissioning of 6,020 MW of power over the next few years in the thermal, solar and hydropower sector. Additionally, the company is also developing over 6,100 MW of capacity using conventional and non-conventional energy sources in India, Europe, and the USA ■

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

INTERVIEW EXPERT SPEAK

"Gangadan Energy has taken a dominant and leadership position in solar industry in India within a very short period of time" Dr. Abhimanyu Detha CEO & Managing Director, Gangadan Energy Private Limited

.To begin with tell us more about Gangadan Energy, the genesis of its formation and its key operating philosophy? Gangadan Energy was formed with a view to cater Solar Plant Automation. The philosophy behind the move was to :

›› Improve the efficiency & life cycle of solar systems ›› Reduce the investment risk ›› Reduce the O&M cost ›› Improve the return of investment Our company always adhere to the technical principal of engineering, shaping the image by our immense confidence in multidisciplinary engineering skills and knowledge. Thus we do not hesitate to take on any tough projects, probably ventures which no one else dares. We have accumulated many years of experience in design and supply of Automation and Robotics Solution with high technology and innovation to Solar Power Plant. With

44 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

this vast experience in the Cutting Edge of Engineering we embark into the field of Solar Energy in the name of Gangadan Energy Pvt. Ltd. With the help of experts in this field, both from India and abroad provide advance and more reliable technologies, products and services to harness power projects speedily, qualitatively and economically.

.In addition to solar Parks what are the other services

that Gangadan offers? We are the most diversified Solar Energy Solutions Company. Apart from solar parks, we are working in Afghanistan for 1.6MW solar hybrid system for telecom industry, very soon we are launching the “Gangadan Solar City” in Jaisalmer and Pushkar, the “Gangadan Solar City” is also India’s first residential colony with 100% solar energy back-up, solar water heating, solar street light and 70% green belt. -We are proud in stating that Gangadan is also starting MultiJunction Cell Technology based

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“Gangadan Solar Park” is India’s first, one and only CPV multi-junction cell technology based project, Project size is 50 MW in first phase, master planning for extended 2 x 50 MW

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 www.supersmartenergy.com

assembly line in Noida, initially it will be of 25MW annual production capacity. We are also engaged in solar energy based education and training in Ahmedabad under the brand name of “Solar Academy Pvt. Ltd.”, for further expansion two more institutes are coming in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and Ghaziabad. Gangadan Energy offers a wide range services like: conceptual research and development of solar energy system and product, green city and township development, smart grid solution, loss recovery solution, green building designing, rural electrification designing and solution, solar plant automation and monitoring system.

.Tell us more about Gangadan Solar Park, the advantages and key facilities available at these solar parks? “Gangadan Solar Park” is India’s first, one and only CPV multi-junction cell technology based project, Project size is 50 MW in first phase, master planning for extended 2 x 50 MW. Project is under basic implementation stage like: roads, boundary walls, site office, tube wells, transmission line and substation. The CPV technology which gives 37 to 40% efficiency and full power utilization; Tracking technology which increases energy output by roughly 30 to 33%.

.What are the projects that are currently operational at Gangadan Solar Park, and going into the future what are the opportunities, for growth, that you are looking at? Under the scheme of solar park; we are booking and selling sections in multiple of minimum 250 KW to MW each. This would be useful for HNI individuals, small entrepreneurs and corporate sector players as an investment. Further it would also be helpful for organizations that have to meet their RPO obligations. We have bankable PPA with good tariff rate,

technology tie-up, necessary infrastructure such as Power evacuation with 132 KVA line & GSS, roads, boundary walls, drainage, water and security. The USP of project is its technology, which introduced by Gangadan Energy in India first time, Multi-junction cell (CPV) technology is much more efficient compare to other PV technologies, IRR also more proven and predictable. Hopefully we will achieve the target of 2 X 50 MW till end of March2015.

.Shed some light on the Multijunction Cell technology, what are the advantages and the key differentiators of this technology? The CPV technology gives 37 to 40% efficiency and full power utilization which is several times higher than any of the conventional PV technologies and increasing by the day. CPV is most efficient and cost effective in dry, sunny climates, such as the world’s deserts, where it is superior to any solar technology, considerably higher than traditional PV. Unparalleled performance under operating conditions makes multijunction cell technology cost effective within a CPV system at 500x concentration. The high efficiency more than offsets the additional cost of cooling and 2-axis tracking that are required to maintain high concentration.   The future looks bright for the CPV technologies. With time, the technical challenges will overcome and CPV tracking technology is expected to become universally accepted, mass produced, and cost-effective energy source for use in large scale solar power generating plants around the world.

.Express your views on the solar future in India; what role do you envision solar energy to play in the objective of achieving Power to All?

The future is extremely bright for India. With creative business and financing models and with a commitment to quality and operations, solar is a superbly suitable, clean and powerful energy source for the country. India needs power. If India needs to grow at 6-8%, we need to double the power that we have. Energy is the backbone of the economy. If we are unable to take care of the deficit, the country will come to a standstill. One needs to understand that these businesses are made for 8-10 years. Interest rates are higher but they will come down in the future. From a longterm perspective, India is still a consumer-driven country. Overall, by 2016, wind and solar will be cheaper. Apart of it, in future RPO will enforced by Government. The private PPA market though can change India’s energy consumption dynamics. Behalf of the same we are developing solar park based on private PPA, it’s safe and more comfortable for individuals, small entrepreneur and corporates.

.With the new government likely to be formed soon, what are your expectations from the new government and what policy change would you suggest to aid the growth of the

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

INTERVIEW EXPERT SPEAK solar sector in India? First I would like to congratulate the new Modi Government! Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is completely investors friendly and we are hoping the same to new central government. Indian renewable energy policy is really better than other countries, and there are so many options to become a green power producer. But still few hurdles are there. Like: ›› Land allocation and allotment for solar project should be based on proposed technology, Government land data should be define based on DNI and GHI ›› India has definitely very attractive market! We need to have sustainable and long term policies that provide boost to indigenous manufacturer. Push for such policy will encourage foreign technologies to start manufacturing in India. ›› Now solar technologies are more proven and expected IRR is more predictable, so funding agencies should reduce the rate of interest, according Indian market the interest rates are quite high and that need to be managed by regulatory supports. ›› We should have good antidumping duties, which will push and protect Indian manufacturer and employment. ›› A common feed-in tariff should be provided to the developers; just like the wind sector. ›› Payment security mechanism must be improved. ›› Government provide the subsidised fund or financial grant to private R&D institute which engaged in solar energy based education, for safe investment we need to reduce the system cost and improve the efficiency and durability of solar components.

.One of the major concerns for the solar industry is of project financing, what are the difficulties in getting financing for any solar projects? Shed some light on some of the

46 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

emerging financing options for solar projects? I think project finance is not a problem; the financing is always available for efficient and durable technology products. The lenders always look for reliability of technology, developer’s credibility and strength, system selection and suppliers track record. We have good experience working with international lenders, private lenders and JV partners. Yes, I admit that interest rates are still quite high; it needs to be reduced to support renewable energy industry. Government funding agencies should relook the rates of interest. As per my experience foreign funding is better option compare to Indian nationalise banks, JBIC and US-EXIM are best options for large scale projects, few technology suppliers also provides conditional finance at low rate of interest.

.Tell us more about the concept of Green Cities? What are the factors considered in designing a green city? With the concept of green cities gaining traction what are future cities likely to be? Green City is a concept that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green City are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. Green factors should be consider like: protect and retain existing landscaping and natural features, Select plants that have low water, use organic fertilizer, Rooftop farming and vertical green walls are useful to reduce the heat, Develop strategies to provide natural lighting, Consider alternative energy sources such as solar energy, hybrid wind turbine and solar water heaters, Design for

dual plumbing to use recycled and rain water for non-potable use, like: toilet & irrigation.

.What differentiates Gangadan Energy and how do you keep yourself ahead of your competitors? As I mentioned above that we are engineers and we are confident of our multidisciplinary engineering skills and knowledge, we would always like to provide innovative and reliable technology solution to our clients which help them to reduce investment insecurities. We believe it’s important to sustain in market based on quality job. We bring innovative technologies and solutions to support solar industry growth and make it more efficient and competitive through our R&D where we invest a huge amount of resource to be future ready. Gangadan Energy wants to assure clients in terms of its bankability which is very critical for solar developers and investors considering the longevity of the project.

.How do you define success for yourself and for your company? Where do you see Gangadan Energy 3 to 5 years from now? Gangadan Energy has taken a dominant and leadership position in solar industry in India within a very short period of time. Our multidisciplinary engineering skills, inhome R&D and innovative solutions have helped us to achieve this position, which has been well recognised by our clients. Apart from our “Gangadan Solar Park”, we are establishing India’s first Multi-junction technology based module assembly line with 25MW annual capacity, Behalf of only these businesses we will stand with 100MW installation, 50MW module production with projected turnover of Rs. 550 Crore within next three years ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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enewable energy can play an important role in providing modern energy services to the billions of people who depend on traditional sources of energy, often relying on kerosene lamps or candles for lighting, traditional biomass for cooking and heating, and expensive dry-cell batteries to power radios for communications. In many rural areas of developing countries, connections to electric grids are economically prohibitive or may take decades to materialise. Today, there exists a wide array of viable and cost-competitive alternatives to traditional bioenergy and to grid electricity and carbon-based fuels that can provide reliable and sustainable energy services. Renewable energy systems offer an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the transition to modern energy services in remote and rural areas. Renewable Technologies for Rural Energy Rural use of renewable electricity has increased with greater affordability, improved knowledge about

48 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

local renewable resources, and more sophisticated technology applications. Attention to minigrids has risen in parallel with price reductions in wind, solar inverter, gasification, and metering technologies. Technological progress also advanced the rural heating and cooking sectors, while programmes to educate rural populations about the benefits of clean cooking solutions and other modern energy services solutions continued to gain popularity. In addition, there was a continuation of programmes that focus on local training for repair and maintenance of small renewable energy systems, which is important because service costs in remote areas and islands are often prohibitive. Solar PV prices continued their downward trajectory, rendering even relatively small installations more affordable. Falling prices, efficient LED lamps, and battery improvements have combined to provide accessible, lightweight, reliable, and long-lived solar lanterns that can meet the basic needs of many people, usually at lower cost than conventional

kerosene-based alternatives. Solar pico-PV systems (SPS), which range up to 10 watts and can be easily self-installed and used, are now commonly available in a broad range of capacities. They can be put to a variety of uses, such as powering off-grid medical clinics, as is done in several remote parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Slightly larger solar home systems (SHS)—solar PV systems generally ranging from 10 to 200 watts—are increasingly being installed in rural areas where small grids are infeasible. In Bangladesh, for example, more than 2.1 million systems had been deployed by March 2013. This development is changing the energy-access dynamic in Bangladesh and turning rural villages into thriving centres of commerce. Small- and medium-scale wind turbines are becoming increasingly competitive and are easy to integrate into existing grids. Solar thermal technologies are mature, reliable, accessible, and economically competitive, and they offer enormous potential for heating and cooling for residential and commercial needs as well  www.supersmartenergy.com

GLOBAL VIEW as industrial processes. They are used widely for water heating, particularly in rural and urban China, and they offer significant potential for other developing countries. Policies and Regulatory Frameworks In many countries, greater political commitment is providing impetus to more integrated policy foundations, driving more decisive action, and opening up substantial public resources in both the medium and long terms. Policymakers are also benefitting from decades of past experience, both good and bad, building programmes that are more sensitive to the social and economic realities of their respective settings. Topdown approaches, such as those adopted by rural electrification agencies in sub-Saharan Africa in the late 1990s, are making way for enabling policy frameworks developed through bottom-up

(endogenous) processes. China, Brazil, India, and South Africa are in the lead, developing large-scale programmes that are making significant inroads into addressing the dual challenges of energy access and sustainability. Progress is also evident in Costa Rica and the Philippines, where rural electrification cooperatives have been adopted to oversee the overall planning and implementation of off-grid electrification programmes. Argentina, Bangladesh, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, and Sri Lanka are encouraging off-grid renewable energy programmes, often with a blend of public and private sector resources, while many countries continue to benefit from international assistance. For example, the EnDev programme (supported by Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) has provided 9 million people with access to modern energy services in Benin, Bolivia, Burkina

Faso, Burundi, Indonesia, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Peru. Formal targets remain a fundamental building block of these initiatives. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) plans to provide electrification to up to 78 million households by 2030, largely through mini-grids. In October 2012, ECOWAS also adopted a regional renewable energy policy that aims to serve 25% of the rural population with decentralised renewable energy systems. These initiatives aim to directly tackle the challenge of energy access in West Africa, where more than 170 million people lack access to electricity. Many programmes focus on the rollout of specific technologies such as solar home systems. India’s Rural Electricity Policy envisions off-grid solutions based on stand-alone systems for villages/ habitations where grid connec-

» June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy 49

GLOBAL VIEW tivity may not be feasible or cost effective, and on the adoption of isolated lighting technologies incorporating solar PV where neither stand-alone systems nor grid connectivity are viable. Significant investment is and will be needed to maintain these and other programmes, and to achieve ambitious electrification targets. The United Nations General Assembly’s “Energy Access for All” objective of universal access to modern energy by 2030 will require an annual investment of an estimated USD 36–41 billion. Often, subsidies are applied to incentivise operators to adopt renewable energy technologies while developing electrification schemes in remote communities. In many areas, the application of locally sourced funding is being used as a tool to achieve greater long-term financial sustainability. Several countries, including Uganda and Malawi, established support policies in 2012 to facilitate the mobilisation of local indigenous funds to contribute to closing the funding gap. These policies aim to allocate funding and resources to create local capacities, and promote energy

50 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

literacy in order to ensure effective involvement of local people in the energy planning and decisionmaking processes. The promotion of local funding is rooted in past programme experiences, where a lack of substantial and inherent local engagement left many programmes detached from the needs and characteristics of targeted communities. Industry Trends and Business Models The provision of energy services to rural markets has evolved over the last two decades from the centralised, public sector-led approach to a range of different types of public-private partnerships and private ventures in which renewables now play a key role. With the increasing recognition that low-income customers can provide fast-growing markets for goods and services—as in the mobile phone industry—and with the emergence of new models for serving them, rural energy markets are increasingly being recognised as potential business opportunities. Rural

electrification programmes funded exclusively by government and donor resources are still being adopted across the developing world, especially for grid extension in both vertically integrated and liberalised markets. But commercial and quasicommercial business models are starting to become mainstream options for providing a wider range of energy services to off-grid markets. Promisingly, innovative multi-stakeholder business models are emerging continuously to provide customised and financially sustainable services based on renewable energy across

the spectrum of rural energy needs. Laos, Lesotho, and Nepal are implementing projects under an emerging model dubbed as the pro-poor public-private partnership (5P). The 5P model aims to improve access to energy services for rural populations; enhance the awareness of policymakers; build capacity at the national and local levels to develop policy options for integrating energy and rural development policies; and create an environment conducive to private sector and entrepreneurial investment for value creation that can be sustained and increased in the future. Over the past two decades, the so-called dealer and fee-for service models have been the primary means for commercial dissemination of solar PV to serve household and small business electricity needs. Over time, these schemes have evolved to include different types of public-private partnerships that have developed to meet the requirements of specific business environments. Other models include leasing arrangements. Soluz is providing SHS services via direct lease or lease-to-own arrangements in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. In general, mini-utility business models require complex planning and management skills and are strongly dependent on load volume, availability of a reliable low-cost primary energy source, customer affordability, and robust regulatory frameworks. Notwithstanding, there are many examples of privatefirms running successful and innovative miniutilities with renewable energy. The following sections provide an overview of rural energy developments and trends by region.

Africa: Despite efforts to promote electrification in sub-Saharan Africa, the region has the lowest electrification rate in the world. An

 www.supersmartenergy.com

estimated 70% of the region’s population does not have access to electricity. The ECOWAS member countries plan rural energy advancement programmes collaboratively through their Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). This is one of the most active regions in Africa for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. ECREEE develops regional policy guidelines that are subsequently applied in ECOWAS member states, and has several strategic agreements with various international organisations (e.g., IRENA, UNIDO, FAO) to improve rural energy access and energy efficiency. In October 2012, ECOWAS countries adopted a target for renewables to make up 10% of the region’s electricity mix by 2020 and 19% by 2030. As part of this target, the region aims to serve 25% of the rural popula-

tion with off-grid electricity systems by 2020. Across the ECOWAS region, renewable energy micro-grids which are smaller than minigrids in scale but able to service multiple homes or a small business enterprise, are increasingly viewed as options for providing electricity to people in isolated areas. Encouraged by developments in the ECOWAS region, countries and regions elsewhere on the continent plan to emulate its programmes. Under the framework of its “Global Rural Electrification Program,” Morocco electrified 3,663 villages (51,559 households) with off-grid systems and mini-grid. Also in 2012, Ghana announced a pilot programme to replace kerosene lanterns with solar lanterns in remote off-grid communities in order to reduce the national kero-

sene subsidy. Mali’s rural electrification programme has brought electricity to 740,000 people in the last six years, primarily (98%) with off-grid systems, thereby increasing the share of people with electricity access in rural areas from 1% to nearly 17%. The programme “Increase Rural Energy Access in Rwanda through Public-Private Partnerships,” co-financed by the Rwandan national government and the European Union, involves electrifying rural areas primarily through hydro- and geothermal power. The aim is to increase the share of Rwandans with electricity access from 6% in 2009 to 50% by 2017.

Asia: Both China and India have made major national investments in renewable energy in recent years,

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NEWS THIS MONTH progress made in recent years. India announced in mid-2012 a goal to achieve universal access to electricity by 2017. Under the “Remote Village Electrification Programme,” renewable energy systems were provided to 905 villages/hamlets over the 10 months leading to February 2012, far more than the targeted 500 villages/ hamlets. At the state level, Chhattisgarh initiated two schemes to replace the use of kerosene lamps with solar PV systems.

A village home powered by solar energy (Image source world bank)

and they have seen significant progress in extending energy access through decentralised solutions. Elsewhere in the region, progress has been mixed. While several other countries—including Mongolia, Nepal, and Vietnam— have made measurable progress, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan continue to experience very low rates of rural electrification and still rely largely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating. Although China and India are neighbours and are the two largest emerging economies in the world, their energy access situations are strikingly different. With more than 1.3 billion people, China has made extraordinary investments to meet its growing energy needs. The result has been significant increases in access to grid-connected electricity, although an estimated 4 million Chinese in rural areas still lack access to modern energy sources. India, in contrast, has a long way to go: more than 290 million people (25% of the population) lack access to electricity, and 66% of Indians continue to rely on traditional biomass as their primary source of energy despite the

52 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Although the focus in Asia is primarily on increasing access to electricity, there are a number of programmes and projects to address the heavy reliance on traditional biomass for cooking throughout the region, by providing access to clean cookstoves and alternative fuels, particularly biogas. In 2012, India launched its “National Cookstove Programme,” which aims to avoid 17% of the premature deaths and disabilities associated with traditional biomass emissions that would otherwise occur by 2020.

Latin America: America is far closer to achieving full energy access, particularly to electricity. Across Latin America, an estimated 6% of the population (29 million people) remains without access to electricity, and about 14% (65 million people) depends on traditional biomass for heating and cooking. Lack of access is primarily a rural issue, with 28% of the rural population lacking electricity, whereas in urban areas the share is about 1%. Due to geographical limitations, the only viable solution for most of the region’s population living in isolated areas is the installation of off-grid renewable technologies. Mexico has created several programmes to advance rural energy access through renewable energy and has made significant progress, achieving an overall electrification rate of nearly 98%. Even so, In the rural areas of southern Mexico, some 3.5 million people

still lack access because they are very far from the grid, communities are very small, and economic resources are limited. To help advance energy access, the Mexican State Power Company started operating its first off-grid solar PV plant in 2012— the 65.5 kWp plant in the Sonoran town of Guaycora— which is the first of its kind in the country and is expected to provide electricity for more than 50 homes.70 In addition, the Mexico Renewable Energy for Agriculture Project, financed by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, focuses on the deployment of renewable technologies for agricultural productive purposes. The Path Forward The need for rural energy in developing countries is, above all, a social and economic development matter for billions of people around the world. Renewable energy technologies, combined with business models adapted to specific countries or regions, have proven to be both reliable and affordable means for achieving access to modern energy services. And they are only growing more so as technological advances and rapidly falling prices (particularly for solar PV and wind power) enable renewables to spread to new markets. Renewable energy has the potential to play a crucial role in achieving the target of energy access for all by 2030, while also creating millions of local jobs. These targets can be achieved if institutional, financial, legal, and regulatory mechanisms are established and strengthened to support renewable energy deployment, improve access to financing, develop the necessary infrastructure, build awareness about renewable energy technologies and their potential, and train workers ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy DUBAI MUNICIPALITY

INTERVIEW FACE 2 FACE

"Our plan is to have projects of totaling approx. 500 MW capacities with private players and government entities in next 5 years" Gaurav Sood Managing Director, Solairedirect Energy India Pvt. Ltd.

.Solairedirect is one of the leading IPPs worldwide, how would you describe its operations in India? And in the global scheme of things where its Indian operation stands in terms of growth and opportunities? Solairedirect (SD) is the largest privately owned solar power producer in France with ownership, operation & under construction of 500MW Solar PV power generation plants – developed, designed, constructed & operated by SD. Solairedirect Energy India Pvt. Ltd. (SDI) established in June, 2010 is a 100% subsidiary of Solairedirect SA. SDI acts both as an Independent Power Producer (IPP) and an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) service provider. SDI has done EPC and currently doing O&M of two projects totaling 16MWp Solar PV Plants in Rajasthan under National Solar Mission. SD had created history in Indian solar market by offering most competitive tariff of

54 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

INR 7.49/kWh in February 2012. Last year, SDI won a 20 MW project at Rs 7.99 per kWh in Punjab which will be commissioned this year. Besides this, the Company received allotment of 2 projects totaling 30 MW under National Solar Mission, Phase-II. The projects would be set up in the State of Rajasthan. So, SDI will be commissioning 50MW+ projects by March 2015 and going forward will be developing about 100MW projects every year.

.Describe the Integrated Power Producer business model and the technical expertise that Solairedirect applies in delivering different solar services in Indian market? Solairedirect India acts both as an IPP and specialist technical service provider. Its approach towards EPC is also driven from the perspective of an IPP i.e. delivering the most competitive kWh over the life of the project. Solairedirect does designing, engi-

neering, construction, module manufacturing, fund raising, risk mitigation at all stages through robust contracts and high end technical deliverables from vendors, and operation of plants. On account of this integrated model, SD is able to offer the most competitive kWh. Solairedirect has an in-house strong team of technical experts, legal experts, structured finance experts, module experts etc. who bring all their know-how to construct and deliver the most reliable and cost competitive plants.

.Solairedirect recently won two projects totalling 30MW in phase II batch I of JNNSM under DCR segment, what was the strategic thinking behind bidding for projects under DCR category? Going forward are we going to see Solardirect bidding only for projects under DCR category? Solairedirect has always been an advocate of domestic manufac www.supersmartenergy.com

turing. Even in both our last projects under JNNSM Phase -1, we had used domestic content with cells. On account of our strategic relations with cell manufacturers like Webel and Jupiter, we were confident to get cells from these companies to get good quality modules. Thus, we had applied under this category. Today domestic manufacturing has its limitations in terms of volume and hence bidding under domestic category is possible for a limited quantity, else there could be both timely supply and pricing concerns. So, we will always bid for projects under domestic category and additional capacity would be bid under non-domestic category as well.

.Considering the state of solar equipment manufacturing in India there is lot of concern on the ability of projects getting delivered under DCR category, how is Solairdirect going to address this concern? What strategy are you planning to adopt? Solairedirect is very particular about companies to be partnered with which would provide best modules with requisite warrantees and guarantees. As said above, we have good relations with companies like Websol Energy System Limited, Jupiter Solar Power Limited, Tata Power, Renesola etc. which enable us to secure our bid quantity

.Considering the fact that Solairedirect was the best bidder at Batch II of Phase I of JNNSM, express your views on achieving grid parity for solar based projects in India? How soon it is likely to be achieved and the role Solairedirect would play in achieving the same? Grid parity has different meaning for different category of consumers. Solar power is below grid parity when viewed in the con-

text of commercial and industrial consumers. Even for retail consumers perspective, I would say we are at grid parity as we are offering solar power at INR 7/kWh for 25 years whereas the retail consumers are already getting charges at about INR (4 -5)/kWh and this tariff will increase year on year significantly. The retail tariffs are shooting up with increase in coal prices making it costlier than before. Solairedirect being amongst the most competitive solar power producers globally, we are playing a very important role across countries (US, France, Chile, South Africa etc.) where we are operating by setting new benchmarks in terms of competitive solar power and making solar power growth more widespread at a much faster pace. We would contribute to the Indian market also in the same way.

.How critical is demand outside the JNNSM for the growth of the sector and can you talk about the dynamics between the state and central programs, and the market outside these programs? So far, the solar market in India has been mainly driven by the State and Central Govt policies. Now, as said above, the solar power is very close to grid parity level competing with conventional power. Many commercial and industrial are thinking to switch over to solar power. Thus, there is definitely market potential outside these programmes as well. For example, RPO/REC mechanisms could have made the market more demanding if these mechanisms were implemented effectively. We are in discussion with many such interested parties and believe that we would able to tap the potential outside the state and central programmes as well. Also, the DISCOMS and State and Central regulators need to make provisions by virtue of which open

access charges are minimized for the growth of renewable energy in a big way.

.What according to you is going to be the future of solar energy in India, is it going to be Ultra Large projects with more than 500 MW, as undertaken by the government, or is it going to be decentralized local power? Considering the trend, it would be medium sized projects up to 100150 MW projects. Also, since many states are coming out with net metering policies, decentralized local power would get a momentum in future.

.What differentiates Solariedirect from its competitors, how do you keep yourself ahead of the competitors? Our integrated business model and implementation of best practices from so many different countries with focus on generating most competitive kWh over the life of the projects, allow us to set-up risk mitigated profitable solar projects keeping investors and lenders happy. We are a specialist technical service provider and also remain invested in our projects which gives a lot of comfort to our investors. We partner with the best service providers since our technical requirements are very stringent. All these factors help us to be differentiated from competition.

.Your vision for Solairedirect in India? Where do you see the company 3 to 5 years from now? We see ourselves among top solar IPPs in India. Our plan is to have projects of totaling approx. 500 MW capacities with private players and government entities in next 5 years â&#x2013;

55â&#x20AC;&#x201A;

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergyâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

INTERVIEW IN CONVERSATION

"We see Akshaya as a leading manufacturer of Solar Panels and supplier all across India with a Target 2020 to reach an annual sales of 50MW" Peddiraju Bhupathiraju Managing Director,

Akshaya Solar Power (India) Pvt Ltd

.To begin with tell us more about Akshaya Solar Power,the genesis of its formation and its core operating philosophy “ Akshaya solar power ” (India) private limited was established in the year 2010. Akshaya has a dedicated team of professionals with years of solar and electronics experience. Akshaya is committed to manufacture and supply highest quality products. Akshaya product range includes roof top solar power stations, CFL and LED based solar street lights, solar home lighting systems, solar lanterns and other custom made solar products. Akshaya has a core strength in manufacturing solar pv modules ranging from 10Wp to 300Wp with their semi auto manufacturing line with installed annual production capacity of 20mw with an expansion plan of 50mw by 2016.

.Shed Some Light on your area of Expertise,the differ-

56 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

ent products you offer and their applications We are having Expertise in Manufacture of solar panels where with our quality policy we ensure a good product.We manufacture Solar panels from 10Wp to 300Wp with an installed annual capacity of 20MW.These Panels can be used for Power Plants,Home Lighting Systems,Street Lighting,Solar Lanterns.

.Express your views on the governments idea of swapping diesel run pumps with those powered by solar energy?Is the Target of 26 million pumps feasible?What according to you are going to be the difficulties in implementing the idea? The Idea of Swapping diesel pumps with those powered by solar energy is great considering the revenue government can save regarding the subsidies given on diesel,kerosene etc but then the implementation part is very diffi-

cult as the monitoring of the installation and after service should be monitored which is quite difficult .

.Considering that the initiative of swapping diesel run pumps with those powered by solar energy gets good response.how is Akshaya solar power getting ready to make the most of this opportunity and what is the market share that you are looking at? We are already prepared for the Solar Panels Production .We have recently increased our production capacity to 20MW from the existing 10MW.Regarding the VFD Drive we have got a Relaible Partner from whom we are using the drives for the past 2 years.We have a good team for the installation work.So with this we can move ahead and plan for the sudden demand .

.Today the solar home Lighting and solar lantern

 www.supersmartenergy.com

market is flooded with similar products from unorganised players,what differentiates Akshaya solar power in this segment? What is the growth that you are targeting in this segment? We want to reduce our Focus on small lighting systems and lanterns segment and For the urban market we want to focus on 1kw & above Home Lighting systems. We are increasing our dealer network so that we can increase our share in the market.

.Solar Street lighting is a viable alternative to lighting the streets using solar energy,still there is no wide scale adoption of this technology,What according to you are the reasons and what difficulties you face in marketing this product? The Wide Scale adoption of the Solar street lighting technology is a failure because of the following reasons. 1) Theft of the System is one of the cause. 2) Lack of Proper Government Support . 3) Awarness among the Government departments. 4) No Proper maintenance of the existing systems.

.Express your views on the effectiveness of DCR in India’s solar mission and whether it is effective in ensuring the global competitiveness of the solar PV manufacturing sector in india? The Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) in India’s solar mission will play a crucial role in enabling the local players to sustain in the already globally competitive solar market.Now The Imported Raw Material used in the solar module is taxed heavily where as the Imported Solar modules are duty free which is making Indian made panels less competitive.If the Policy can be reversed

Akshaya Solar Facilities

than the production capacities will increase, leading to a more Domestic Content Requirement. Also though sufficient Solar module making capacity is available in India, still Cell manufacturing is not yet developed to meet DCR conditions.

.Going forward how do you access the market for solar products in India? What are the segments that are likely to contribute to the growth of the industry? The Demand for energy is going on increasing in the already energy deficit market.Along with this the tariff for Grid Power is increasing year after year. The market is already there for the takeoff.It is the government who should give incentives to the individual users by the way of reducing taxes to encourage them.Solar Powered pumps is also one of the area which is going to contribute to the growth of the industry. Government should encourage Industries to go for their own Solar power generation by extending benefits in the form of generation based incentives with easy terms, so that more and more Enterprenuers will come forward to go for Solar where payback period is less than 5years.

.Shed Some light on the manufacturing facility at Akshaya along with your future

CAPEX plan? Akshaya has a core strength in manufacturing solar pv modules ranging from 10Wp to 300Wp with our semi auto manufacturing line with installed annual production capacity of 20mw with an expansion plan of 50mw by 2016. We have expanded our production line from 12MW to 20MW capacity.We are planning to move to our own spacious premises in another one year.Also we are planning to invest in Quality Control Lab Equipment to maintain International standards.

.what differentiates Akshaya from its competitors and how do you keep yourself ahead of them? Quality Procedures followed in making the Solar panels ,Delivery time ,Pricing, Huge Inventories of raw material are the Key areas which we concentrate to make ourself the leading solar panel manufacturer.

.How do you define success for yourself and your company?Where do you see Akshaya 3 to 5 years from now? Brand Building and Quality are the main mottos of the company. We see Akshaya as a leading manufacturer of Solar Panels and supplier all across India with a Target 2020 to reach an annual sales of 50MW ■

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

COMPANY PROFILE

Satec Leading Supplier in Solar Mounting Structure

atec, has recently entered in the solar industry and has become one of the top infrastructure companies. Satec offers Solar Module Mounting System, it design, develop and commission Thermal or Photovoltaic Solar Plants from a few kilowatts to several megawatts. It offers advanced structural engineering and product design capabilities to ensure cost effective utility. The company ensures the quality of the solar mounting structure products and therefore carefully examined the products at each and every state of manufacturing, which includes raw material to the finished products.

power system) and availability of sunlight and natural light. The fixed mounts should be stable, flat and well ventilated. They must be so firm and strong that they can sustain in heavy wind and rainfall. Flexible System: Flexible system use basically the same mounting structures, but the modules are removable. Tracking Structures: tracking structures are more costly and required higher maintenance efforts. The trackers orient the modules towards the Sun, thus increasing their output.

• A pole • A roof • Free-standing on a ground support or • Integrated into a building

Mounting (Pole/Roof/Free-standing/Building Integrated): Modules that are mounted on a pole are easy to install can be easily oriented towards the sun. They can be free-standing or installed on the side of any building and structure. Usually, a small array of one or two modules per pole. This system is most fitted for small solar home system; specifically in the roof support structure of the house is not stable enough to support a PV array.

These fixed mounting structures tilt the modules at a fixed angle which are decided by the latitudes of the site, the requirements of the load (appliances which are powered by the PV

For roof mounting the general support structure consists of racks. It is really necessary to leave a space of minimum 10 cm between the roof and the array to allow ventilation.

Solar modules can be categorised into three major categories: Fixed Modules: Fixed modules (either as single module or as collection of various modules) are mounted on:

Gaurav Agarwal CFO, Satec Envir Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd. Free-standing arrays on a ground support, it usually includes of racks, are easy to install and to orients towards the Sun. It might be tough to shun shading and because of this much space is need to install the array far from trees, building and other objects that might cast shadows on it. Building-integrated PV arrays consist of very thin film modules. This kind of mounting structure is not common in off-grid installations. Satec offers products for solar infrastructure such as: ›› Ground Based Module Mounting Structures ›› Roof Mounting Structures ›› Module Mounting Clamps ›› Concentrated Solar-Power Support Structure ›› Inverter Rooms and Control Rooms and ›› Solar Powered Telecom Towers Contact for More Details :- www. satec.co.in ■

58 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

 www.supersmartenergy.com

COMPANY PROFILE

Powertrac offering Comprehensive range of Solar Products & Services

owertrac Solar Projects Ltd. is one of India’s Multi discipline manufacturing & service provider group having Corporate office at Ahmedabad, Branch office at Vapi and Factory at Surendranagar, Gujarat, Founded in 2008, Powertrac has successfully developed cutting edge technologies to become one of the most preferred brands in the field of Latest Earthing technologies & Air ventilation system. The company has transformed itself from a single business into a multi-technology organization, diversifying into exciting areas of Solar Energy, Engineering & Infrastructure etc. Powertrac has a business presence in all over india, we have the huge list of satisfied customers. We are committed to supply the best quality products & technology to our customers. Powertrac products are manufactured at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. It has over 65 full-time employees, committed to excel in providing the society with world-class quality products. Powertrac Solar Projects Ltd. is an NSIC-CRISIL Rated group. In the year 2008 Powertrac began its foray in Manufacturing of Air ventilators, Chemical Earthing & Import ESE Lightning arrester. Our products are manufactured as per RDSO, CPRI, ERDA norms & Follow IS 3043:1987 Earthing practice codes. We developed our business networks across with Corporate group i.e. Reliance, Essar, Tata, Birla etc. and having Dealer network in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharastra, MP. We are one of

60 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

largest manufacturers and suppliers of Solar Roof Top, Home Solar, Solar Street Light, Solar Bag, M. F. Chemical Earthing Electrodes, Lightning protection, Solar Fasteners, Foundation Bolts, PV Module Clamps. Our group is run by highly experienced & qualified technical team. We also provide Solar EPC Turnkey contractor for KWp to MWp Solar PV projects Powertrac group is run with Maturity, Innovation & Creativity. In year 2011 we expand our business in renewable energy projects [Solar project] Erection & Installation contracting, powertrac group has commissioning more than 60MWP solar power projects in Gujarat, Rajasthan & M.P. Erection & Contractor:

Installation

We provide complete Erection & Installation services to developers and promoters of Solar Power Generation plants. ›› We are commissioning up to 90MWp in India. ›› We take turnkey projects ›› We are giving complete solution for Roof tops plants, Solar Street light & solar water pump Solar Products We are engaged in offering a wide range of Solar Products- Solar roof tops, Solar water pump, Solar LED street light, Solar PV modules clamps, Solar Bag. Known for easy installation, high performance, longer working life and minimal maintenance, these products are

widely installed in hospitals, bungalows and homes. We offer these products to our clients at industry leading price rates. Solar Street Lights The solar streetlights use solar energy, a form of the renewable energy. The solar streetlights comprise of the photovoltaic cells, which absorb the solar energy during daytime. The photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into electrical energy, which is stored in the battery. At the nighttime, the LED lamp starts automatically and it consumes the electricity already stored in the battery. During the day time, again the battery gets recharged and the process keeps on repeating every day. Switch on at sunset and switch off at sunrise are automatic. Features: ›› Excellent for remote villages. ›› Automatic dusk to dawn operation. ›› Perfect design, Easy one time Installation. ›› Low maintenance / Fit and forget device. ›› High efficiency electronic circuitry. ›› Solar charge controller designed for battery charging. ›› Surge/Lightning protected. ›› Highly economical and reliable. ›› Completely autonomous system in case of black out. Solar Water Pump Solar pump is the latest innovation in the field of renewable sources  www.supersmartenergy.com

of energy of the Powertrac. We manufacture solar pump of all the utilities. We provide high quality crystalline panels from 40W250W. We follow world-class standards in manufacturing the pumps. Solar pump works from the depth of 20ft. to 500ft. with great result. In this pump solar PV crystalline panels are arranged on the stand and is to face the sun, due to heat of the sun rays electricity is produced and the pump runs to draw water. This pumps give the maximum efficiency and at no maintenance cost. With a vision to be a global leader in the production of solar pumps, our aim is to help the farmers with pumping solutions that make utilization of water easy. Solar Water Pumping Systems is a stand-alone system operating on power generated by Solar Photovoltaic Panels. The power generated by Solar Panels is used for operating Solar Submersible pump for lifting water from open well, water reservoir or tube well

for irrigation and drinking water purpose. The system requires a shadow-free area for installation of the Solar Panels. System Components: ›› Solar Photovoltaic Panels ›› Stand & Accessories ›› Solar Submersible pump Features: ›› No inverter-D.C. Motor connects directly to solar array ›› Simple installation and maintenance ›› Rugged construction ›› Highly reliable Applications: ›› Village water supply ›› Water supply to remote homes / agriculture ›› Livestock watering ›› Micro-irrigation ›› Benefits: ›› No conventional grid electricity required ›› Highly reliable and durable ›› Eco-friendly

›› No fuel cost-uses abundantly available free solar energy ›› Long operating life ›› Easy to operate and maintain Street Lights Poles Our expertise lies in manufacturing and designing superior quality Street Light Pole for our esteemed clients. These products are manufactured using highgrade steel and other required materials obtained from the finest vendors in business. We have a set of advanced machinery and tools along with latest machinery involved in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, we are able to provide these light poles in various specifications, like height, size and design. Features: ›› ›› ›› ›› ››

Long lasting High performance Less maintenance Reliable Non corrosive ■

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

Maximizing the Profit by

Optimal Installation of TCSC with Wind Power Generator in Deregulated Electricity Market Authored by Subhojit Dawn & Prashant Kumar Tiwari

he installation of large amounts of wind power into the grid increases the short-term variability of the loads as seen by the traditional generator, thus increasing the need for spinning reserve. Wind power generation and in general renewable energy has demonstrated some positive effects as an embedded generation. Also some adverse effects has been seen, mainly attributable to the fluctuating real power injection and to the varying absorption of reactive power which leads to voltage deviations throughout the whole network that could affect system stability and power quality. This paper presents an approach in which wind power generators (WPG) are connected in the network and the thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC) is optimally placed to improve the system performance by considerable improvement in social welfare (SW) along with minimization of generation cost & investment cost of TCSC device. The Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) has been also minimized by proper placement of TCSC by presented approach. The effectiveness of the presented approach for location of TCSC has been tested and analyzed on modified IEEE 14-bus system.

Mathematical Formulatio

62 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

Static Model of TCSC A TCSC comprise of a capacitor in parallel with an inductor that is connected to a couple of oppositepoled thyristors. By adjusting the firing angle of the thyristors, the inductor reactance is varied and it can lead to change the effective impedance of TCSC. Adding TCSC in series with the line reduces the transfer reactance of that line connected between bus i and bus j thereby increases the maximum power that can be transferred on that line in addition to reduction in effective reactive power losses. The TCSC can be operated as the capacitive or inductive compensation respectively by directly modifying the reactance of the transmission line. The static model of TCSC is considered in the presented approach. For construct this model variable reactance is connected in series with transmission line. The reactance of TCSC is a function of the reactance of transmission line where TCSC is to be located: X line = X ij+ XTCSC (1) where XTCSC = kTCSC * Xline And “X line” is the overall line reactance between bus i and bus j with TCSC installed .“XTCSC” and “kTCSC” is the reactance of the TCSC and compensation coefficient of TCSC respectively. The

range of the compensation level of TCSC is : - 0.7 ≤ kTCSC ≤ 0.2 and the working range of reactance of TCSC has been fixed between – 0.7 Xline and 0.2 Xline [source is various research papers]. Investment Cost of TCSC Investment cost of FACTS devices is very important in financial scenario of a system. The equation for investment cost of TCSC is taken by Siemens AG database & given by: CostTCSC = 0.0015.OPTCSC2 – 0.713. OPTCSC+153.75 $/kVar (2) Where “CostTCSC” is the cost of TCSC in $/kVar and “OPTCSC” is the operating point of TCSC in MVar. Overall investment cost “INCostTCSC” is calculated as INCostTCSC = ( CostTCSC x OPTCSC x 1000 ) $ (3) The expression of annual investment cost of TCSC is:

(4)

Where “AICost TCSC” is the annual TCSC investment cost, “ir” is the interest cost and “LT” is the lifetime of the device. In this approach, assumed interest rate  www.supersmartenergy.com

LMP without WPG &TCSC Wind (2.5 MW) at bus - 9 Wind (2.5 MW) at bus - 11 Wind (2.5 MW) at bus - 12 Wind (2.5 MW) at bus - 13

Fig 2: LMP with 2.5 MW WPG

LMP without WPG &TCSC Wind (3.5 MW) at bus - 9 Wind (3.5 MW) at bus - 11 Wind (3.5 MW) at bus - 12 Wind (3.5 MW) at bus - 13

Fig 3: LMP with 3.5 MW WPG

Fig 4: LMP with 4.5 MW WPG

ir = 0.05 and lifetime LT = 20 years. Hourly cost of TCSC is calculated by using the following formula

(6) (5) Where HICTCSC is the hourly cost of TCSC in $/ h. Objective Function Constraints

and

Consider a power system having total ‘Nb’ number of buses, ‘Ng’ number of generators and ‘Nl’ number of loads. Mathematically, the objective function is to maximize the social welfare, minimize the total fuel cost and minimize the investment cost of TCSC and WPG. The objective function of the presented approach is given as:

LMP without WPG &TCSC Wind (4.5 MW) at bus - 9 Wind (4.5 MW) at bus - 12 Wind (4.5 MW) at bus - 13

Where Ci(Pgi) is generation cost curve at generator bus i , Bj(Pdj) is consumer benefit curve at demand bus j , C TCSC is investment cost of the TCSC, NTCSC is the number of TCSC is connected in the system, CWPG is the installation cost of the wind power generator, NWPG is the number of WPG is used in the system. The equation of SW is:

(7) From equation (6) and (7) it has been seen that objective function

(OF) is a combination of social welfare, investment cost of TCSC and WPG. In this presented approach only one TCSC and one wind power generator is used, but wind power generator is connected in several buses. In this presented approach the main function is to minimize the OF. Various equality & inequality constraints have been also considered in this study. Placement of TCSC The optimal operation of the deregulated power system has been based on economic criterion. Some other essential criterions for optimal operation are improvement of voltage profile, minimization of transmission line power loss etc. In this paper FACTS device i.e. TCSC has been considered with additional control variables in optimal power flow. The TCSC has been connected in every line of the network for find out the total cost for every line, then find

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

TECH REVIEW out the optimal location of TCSC with considering optimal value of objective function. The IEEE 14-bus modified power system has been considered as tested system to investigate the effect of considering TCSC on overall objective function.

tion co-efficient of TCSC, “WGC” is wind generation cost, “ΔkTCSC” is increment in “kTCSC”, “kTCSCmin ” is the minimum value and “kTCSCmax” is the maximum value of kTCSC.

Application of Presented Approach

Presented Optimization The presented approach has been Approach applied to investigate the effect on This articel presents an optimization approach to determine optimal location and cost of TCSC and to obtain the minimum value of objective function (OF) with all constraints. In this technique the optimization has been done by locating TCSC and varying the control parameters between the specified ranges and getting optimal solutions. In this approach, OPF has been run many times for each and every possible location of TCSC and best location of TCSC will be decided at which objective function gets minimum value. Step by step procedure of the proposed approach: ›› Read system data (bus data, line data, generator data & cost co-efficient) ›› Set NTCSC= 0, kTCSC=0, WGC=0. ›› Run OPF without WPG & TCSC, determine OFWITHOUT and set OFWITHOUT =OFOBJ. ›› WPG is added in a specified load bus. ›› Run OPF with WPG but without TCSC. ›› Set L=1, NTCSC=NTCSC+1, kTCSC=kTCSC min. ›› Run OPF with WPG & TCSC, determine OFWITH =OFOBJ ›› Update: kTCSC =kTCSCmin +ΔkTCSC, Check value of OFWITH for all kTCSC in ranges. ›› Determine minimum value of OFWITH. ›› Set L=L+1 and repeat steps 7-9. ›› Calculate minimum value of objective function after TCSC placement on line L. ›› Determine optimal placement of TCSC, optimal value of kTCSC , SW & profit. Where “NTCSC” is the number of TCSC, “kTCSC” is the compensa-

64 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

modified IEEE-14 bus test system. TCSC & WPG in Modified IEEE 14 Bus System :

results. It has been shown in Table.1 that when high capacity of wind power generator (here 4.5 MW) are connected in a bus then the total cost is decreased more in every case. So more profit has been obtained after installation of the high capacity of wind power generator in spite of investment cost is high (shown in Table.1). The variations in locational marginal pricing (LMP) has been shown in the Fig.2, Fig.3 and Fig.4. From these figures, it can be seen that the LMP has been considerably reduced by placing TCSC in the network.

This system with 5 generators, 14 buses, 20 transmission lines and 10 loads has been used to Conclusion test the effectiveness of the presented approach. System data and In this article, an approach for results are based on 100 MVA and determining the optimal location bus 1 is reference bus. For verify of TCSC with wind power genthe presented approach and illus- erator in the deregulated power Authored by Prof C.Balasubramanya trate the impacts of WPG & TCSC, system has been presented. The three cases for test systems were presented approach applied to the investigated: modified IEEE-14 bus test system. The test results demonstrate the Case 1: System Performance witheffectiveness of the presented out WPG and TCSC. approach. It is observed that: Case 2: System Performance with WPG but without TCSC. (a) Overall profit is increasing by Case3: System Performance with optimal placement of TCSC in the WPG and optimal location of TCSC. system. (b) Locational marginal prices are At first OPF has been done withreduced with TCSC ■ out WPG & TCSC and corresponding total generation cost (PBWF) has been found as 550.0674 $/ Subhojit Dawn is hr. Then three capacities of wind B. Tech. in Electripower generator (2.5 MW, 3.5 cal Engineering & MW, and 4.5 MW) are connected M. Tech. in Power at bus no. 9, 11, 12, and 13 simuland Energy System taneously. The optimal objective Engineering. His function value before and after research interests installation of WPG & TCSC can are in the area of be seen in the Table.1. All the wind power, deregulation in power values have been taken $/hr. sector & FACTS From some literature it has been devices. found that the investment cost of Prashant Kumar wind power generator (for 1 MW Tiwari is M. Tech. & capacity) is 3.75 $/hr (approx.). Ph.D. from National Simultaneously, investment cost Institute of Technolof WPG for 2.5MW, 3.5 MW and ogy (NIT) Hamirpur 4.5 MW are 9.375 $/hr, 13.125 $/ (HP)-India. Preshr and 16.875 $/hr respectively. In ently he is working as Assistant Prothis approach, the compensation fessor in Electrical Engineering Departlevel of TCSC has been varied from ment, N.I.T. Silchar, Assam, India. His minimum to maximum range and research interests are in the area of in every case OPF operation has FACTS, Power Sector Deregulation, and been done for getting optimized Renewable Energy Sources.

 www.supersmartenergy.com

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June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

PRODUCT REVIEW

VACON 8000 SOLAR Multimaster Inverter High Redundancy For A Longer Life Cycle

acon India established in 2006 with its registered office at Chennai and factory in Bangalore has strong in-house capability for Design, Application Software Development, Engineering, Manufacturing, Testing, After Sales Service and Customer Training for AC bdrives and Solar Inverters.

Data Monitoring: The remote monitoring of Vacon 8000 SOLAR Inverters produces a data archive of all critical parameters (Daily, monthly and yearly). The system delivers an immediate SMS alarm message to minimize downtime and provides a report on all the latest events.

Vacon India's Sales & Service network is spread across the country with 38 Partners & direct presence in all major cities

Efficiency: Vacon inverters are certified for efficiency from a certified institution and provides an efficient inverter to convert DC to AC with high efficiency.

like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Kolkata, Bhilai, Raipur, Surat, Indore and Delhi. VACON manufactures grid connected central solar inverters from 10 KW to 1.5 MW. VACON also manufactures inverters for solar water pumps from 1 HP to 15 HP. Vacon is currently manufacturing over 35 MW solar inverters at its manufacturing facility in Bangalore and plans to manufacture over 100 MW inverters as per Shailendra Salvi, Managing Director - India & Middle East. VACON 8000 SOLAR Multimaster inverters are robust cabinet solutions, which utilize Multimaster technology to ensure that power conversion operates in the most efficient manner possible. By using parallel inverters, VACON 8000 SOLAR Multimaster ensures cost and power efficient operation and is able to supply power running up to 1.5MW.

Features ›› Multimaster topology (>=400 kW) ›› Wide DC input range: 410 - 900 VDC ›› Negative grounding facility as standard for thin film systems (Kit is optional) ›› Separate input (DC), inverter and output (AC) sections for safety and redundancy (>=400 kW) ›› Safety built in: AC- and DC-protections, Ground fault monitoring, Overload and over temperature protection, IP21/UL Type 1 steel cabinet ›› Options available for DC-positive or negative pole grounding and different communication setups ›› Common DC and AC bus bars for safety and for minimizing costs

Benefits ›› Fast and easy commissioning and start up ›› High redundancy and additional reliability and efficiency ›› Multimaster topology increases lifetime and ensures high productivity ›› Service-friendly design ›› Hot reconnect (optional) ›› Compatible with thin film panels ›› Available in Vacon 8000 Solar MV station ›› Single configuration interface ›› Connectivity to Vacon remote monitoring system ›› Wide range of grid certifications ■ Contact Information: East Coast Road, Neelangarai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu - 600041, Tel. +91 (44) 2449-0024 / 25 Mail Id: vacon.india@vacon.com For Sales, Please contact: Mr.Jay Kumar (09960766016) Mr. Vinod Sharma (08800490678) Mr. Arjun Gopal (09535582101)

Multimaster technology keeps power loss to a minimum by connecting a series of inverter units together in sequence. This reduces the running time of each unit, while redundancy ensures better power availability and less wear & tear.

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 www.supersmartenergy.com

PRODUCT REVIEW

IBC SOLAR expands its solar module series “IBC EcoLine”

he fully automated EL inspecLarson Electronics, a supplier oIBC SOLAR AG, a global leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems, is expanding its IBC EcoLine series with the new solar modules IBC MonoSol 265 CS and IBC MonoSol 270 CS based on monocrystalline silicon. Thanks to the anti-reflective coating on the front glass panels, these modules capture even more light and therefore produce optimum yields.

The new IBC MonoSol modules are highly effective due to their anti-reflective photovoltaic glass. Furthermore, their sturdy hollowchamber frame provides even more safety makes the module extremely resistant to wind and snow loads. Whether they are used on detached houses, the roofs of industrial properties or in open spaces, these tried and tested IBC Monosol CS photovoltaic modules are suitable for any application. Regular

quality assurance and process audits during the production guarantee the particularly long service life of the modules combined with maximum performance, efficiency and reliability. Quality tests are carried out by IBC SOLAR in their own laboratories with climate chambers and a flasher with integrated electroluminescence measuring. Amongst other new products, IBC SOLAR will present the solar module IBC MonoSol CS in hall B2 / booth 150 at this year’s Intersolar trade fair in Munich, Germany, from 4th to 6th June ■

Tedlar® Based Backsheets Provide Critical, Long-Life Protection to Solar Panels

edlar® PVF films give solar panels the ability to resist weathering, moisture and UV radiation. DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films provide 30+ years of proven durability and reliability for solar modules exposed to the harshest outdoor conditions. Tedlar® based backsheets provide critical, long-life protection to the module, safeguarding the system and enabling long-term PV system returns. Tedlar® is avail-

68 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

able in clear or pigmented forms in Type 2, 3 and 5 and clear Type 4. These range from a high tensile strength, high flex variety (Type 2) to a high elongation, high tear modification (Type 4). A special Type 1 film is also available, which has controlled shrinkage. Tedlar® contains no plasticizers; hence, it has good aging properties and remains tough and flexible over a broad temperature range. Type 5 Tedlar® applications exist where formed parts require surface protection, such as aircraft cabin interior surfaces containing complex curves. The high degree of formability of this film is obtained by extending both the elongation and ultimate tensile strength over a very broad range. Ultimate elongation is almost twice that of standard Type 3 film.

Tedlar® Offers Optimal Balance of Properties ›› Weatherability ›› Robust adhesion ›› Mechanical strength ›› Ultraviolet and chemical resistance Typical Applications: module backsheets

Solar

›› Double-sided: Tedlar® TPT™ based backsheet: Proven industry standard; used in premium, high efficiency modules and in harsh climates ›› Single-sided: Tedlar® TPE based backsheet: Offers the best balance of properties in singlesided backsheets for general-purpose applications. For more information on DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films, please visit our websites: www. tedlar.com ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

Leading Trade Fair for Sustainable & Clean Technology

10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 September 2014 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.cleantech-india.in

For space booking, please contact: prashant.lade@india.messefrankfurt.com | +91 9920 82 9783 | +91 22 6144 5900 Partner country

Supporting Partners

PRODUCT REVIEW

Klauke Micro Tool

lauke presented a revolutionary new form of crimping: Klauke micro – the world's first electromechanical crimping tool with “Power Sense technology”. What makes Klauke's new crimping tool so special is its innovative operating concept with "Power Sense technology". Fast, light, efficient - the way you crimp today. Versatile: for comfortable crimping of cable connections, cable end-sleeves and cable lugs LED light: to illuminate working area Innovative: single-lever control for all tool functions Balanced and drop-proof : thanks to key ring for use with balancer or for securing in field work Smart and powerful: With multi-function LED for maintenance control and data transfer as well as a powerful lithium-ion battery with charge level indicator.

All the benefits at a glance: ›› High speed (crimping time < 1.5 sec.) ›› Very low weight (< 1 kg) ›› Very easy handling thanks to “PowerSense technology” Manual pre-clamping, motorized crimping ›› Single-lever control for all tool functions ›› Automatic retraction to the starting position when crimping is complete ›› Manual retraction if required by actuating the lever in the opposite direction ›› Electronic control with blocking function monitors the complete closing of the dies ›› Motor stall protection in case of misuse ›› Ergonomic twocomponent housing in Klauke "In-line Design" ›› Key ring for use with balancer or drop-proof securing in fieldwork ›› Powerful drive technology for fatigue-free working ›› 10.8 V Lithium-ion battery with charge level indicator

(compatible with DeWalt XR 10,8V) – no memory effect, minimum self-discharge ›› Replaceable Klauke 50-series crimping dies (for all common applications up to 50 mm2) ›› LED light to illuminate working area ›› Multi-function LED for maintenance control and data transfer via optical interface and USB-Adapter ›› Project-related documentation with software package Klauke i-press ›› Long service life (service intervals of 35,000 crimping cycles) ›› Sensational value-for-money For further information contact: Klauke India Adithi Enclave, 2ndFloor No.29. 80 Feet Road 4th Block, Kormangala Bangalore 560034 Phone: + 91 80 2553 0007/+91.9740936006 Website – www.klauke.com Email: sales.in@klauke.textron. com ■

ABB String Inverters

BB’s UNO family of singlephase string inverters complements the typical number of rooftop solar panels, allowing home owners to get the most efficient energy harvesting for the size of the property. The dual input section processes two strings with independent Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). This is particularly

70 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

useful for rooftop installations with two different orientations (e.g. East and West). The high speed PPT offers real-time power tracking and improved energy harvesting. Efficiency of up to 96.8% The transformerless (TL) operation gives the highest efficiency of up to 96.8%. The wide input voltage range makes the inverter suitable for low power installations with reduced string size. This rugged outdoor inverter has been designed as a completely sealed unit to withstand the harshest environmental conditions. Our most common residential

inverter is the ideal size for an average-sized family home. Highlights ›› Single phase output ›› Transformerless topology ›› Each inverter is set on specific grid codes which can be selected in the field ›› Wide input range ›› High speed and precise MPPT algorithm for real time power tracking and improved energy harvesting ›› Dual input section with independent MPP tracking, allows optimal energy harvesting from two sub-arrays oriented in different directions ■

 www.supersmartenergy.com

June/ July 2014 SmartEnergy

EVENTS WATCH Event: Renewable Energy World India

Event: 8th Renewable Energy India Expo

Date: 5-7 May 2014 Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Date: 3-5 Spetember 2014 Venue: India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, India

Contact: Avinsh Seth, +91 (0) 0124 452 4508, avnish-seth@ interadsindia.com

Contact: Mr. Rajneesh Khattar, +91 9871 726762, Rajneesh.khattar@ubm.com

Event: Renergy 2014

Event: TechIndia 2014

Date: 12- 14 June 2014 Venue: Chennai Trade Centre Nandambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Date: 4-6 Spetember 2014 Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Contact: Julian Thomas, +91 9940459444, julian.thomas@ ubm.com

Contact: International Trade and Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd., +91-11-4082 8282, gagan.sahni@ itei.in

Event: Solar South

Event: Cleantech India

Date: 18, 19 & 20 July 2014 Venue: Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Date: 10-12 Sept 2014 Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Contact: M. Balasubramanian, +91-95000 70800, solarsouth@ smartexpos.in

Contact: Prashant Lade, +91-2267575940, prashant.lade@india. messefrankfurt.com

Event: SolarTech India 2014

Event: India Renewable Energy Summit

Date: 22- 23 July 2014 Venue: The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences, Gurgaon Contact: Green World Conferences Ltd, dm@greenworldconferences.com

Event: World Renewable Energy Technology Congress

Event: Intersolar India 2014 Date: 18- 20 Nov, 2014 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India Contact: Swapna Kulkarni, +91 22 4255 4729, swapna. kulkarni(at)mmi-india.in

Event: Energy Storage India Date: 04-05 December 2014 Venue: Kempinski Ambience Hotel, new Delhi, India Contact: Shradha Malik, +91 (0) 11 2690 1659, MalikS@md-india. com

Event: Solar Middle East 2015 Date: 2- 4 March 2015 Venue: Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE Contact: Feroz Parkar, +971 4 407 2406, feroz.parkar@informa. com

Date: 9 & 10 Oct 2014 Venue: Mahatma Mandirr Gandhinagar, Gujarat, india

Event: GulfSol 2015

Contact: Gopesh Nair, +91 9723236289, gopeshnair@greenglobalsource.com

Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE

Date: 14-16 Sept 2015

Contact: David Jones, + 44 (0) 208 638 0619, David@bowheadmedia.com

Date: 21- 23 August 2014 Venue: Expo & Convention Centre Manekshaw Centre, Delhi, India Contact: Dr. Anil Garg, +91 9971500028, dranilgarg2001@ gmail.com

72â&#x20AC;&#x201A;SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

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ADVERTISERS INDEX 5th WRETC

8th Renewable Energy India 2014

Access Solar Limited

Akshaya Solar Power (I) Pvt.Ltd.

Bright Solar Pvt.Ltd.

CLeantech India

Donvey Power Control Systems (P) Ltd.

IFC

Energy Storage India

Exide Industries Ltd.

Gangadan Energy Pvt.Ltd. Indian Renewable Energy Summit 2014

3 IBC

Intersolar India 2014

Jadhav Powertech

Mersen India Pvt.Ltd.

Middle East Electricity 2015

Modern Power Solutions

Odisha Solar

Powertrac Solar Projects Ltd.

Renergy 2014

Satec Envir Engineering (I) Pvt.Ltd.

Saur Urja Strout Solutions

Solar Middle East 2015

Solar South 2014

Solar Tech India 2014

Tech India 2014

Urja Solutions

Vacon Drives & Control Pvt.Ltd.

74 SmartEnergy June/ July 2014

 www.supersmartenergy.com