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Andhra Pradesh Solar Power

Too Much Solar Power: Indian State Refuses Power From One Of Country’s Cheapest Solar Projects

written by saurabh

Solar power market in India seems to have expanded at such an astounding pace that now states are unwilling to accept more solar power market, such a case has propped up in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

According to media reports, Andhra Pradesh has refused to sign power purchase agreement for 250 megawatt solar power project part of the Kadapa solar power park stating that it has sufficient solar power coming up and does not required any more at the moment.

The project in question was secured by Solairedirect, a subsidiary of French energy major Engie. Solairedirect submitted a winning bid of Rs 3.15/kWh (4.9¢/kWh) in an auction organised by the Solar Energy Corporation of India for NTPC Limited which is developing the solar power park. NTPC Limited, the largest power generation company in India, was supposed to sign the power purchase agreement with Solairedirect and would have then supplied it to power utilities in Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh had an installed solar power capacity of 1,294 megawatts at the end of March 2017 and is expected to increase it to 1,867 megawatts by March 2018. The state utilities thus claim that they have contracted enough solar power and do not require additional supply.

While the power utilities claim to have contracted enough solar power, the math does not add up.

The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has proposed to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity mix to 25.25% by March 2022. For non-solar renewable energy technologies, APERC has proposed a target of 12.50% by March 2022. The commission has also proposed to increase the solar power share from 4.75% in 2017-18 to 12.75% in 2021-22.

According to the Ministry of New & New Renewable Energy (MNRE) at 8% solar RPO target, Andhra Pradesh would require 9,834 megawatts operational capacity by March 2022. At 12.75% this capacity requirement would increase substantially.

Project developer Solairedirect is not expected to suffer from this setback as NTPC is free to approach power utilities of other states to sell this electricity. Several states across India are yet to move towards solar power on a large-scale.

07/31/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Softbank-led SB Energy Commissions 350 Megawatts Solar Project In India

written by saurabh

A joint venture of Softbank, Foxconn Technologies and Bharti Enterprises has announced that it commissioned world’s seventh largest solar power project in India.

SB Energy recently announced that it commissioned a 350 megawatts solar power project in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The project was completed 51 days ahead of its scheduled commissioning date.

The power project is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the demands of more than 700,000 Indian households.

SB Energy was the sole winner of the 350 megawatts solar power tender launched by India’s largest power generation company NTPC Limited for a solar power park in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. The auction took place in December 2015 and was awarded to SB Energy at a tariff of Rs 4.63/kWh (7.12$/kWh), the lowest in India at that time.

SB Energy plans $20 billion investment in India’s solar power market to developer at least 20 GW capacity. The company had recently signed an agreement with the government of Andhra Pradesh to set up 2 GW solar power and 1 GW wind energy capacity.

The company has also expressed desire to set up a 1,000 megawatt solar power park in the state of Odisha.

04/15/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

First Solar Likely To Sell 200 Megawatt Capacity In India

written by saurabh

World’s largest thin-film solar power panel manufacturer First Solar is expected to sell 200 megawatts capacity in India as it looks to return focus back to its core business.

According to media reports, First Solar could sell 200 megawatts capacity in India at a value of $200 million. The company has 260 megawatts spread across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. These projects were awarded to the company in reverse auctions.

First Solar has supplied over 17 gigawatts of solar panels globally, including 1 gigawatts in India. The company is among the largest suppliers of solar panels to Indian developers.

In early 2015, First Solar made a commitment to set up 5 GW of solar power capacity in India over a period of 5 years. In 2014, the company announced plans to install a 45 MW solar power project in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The project entered long-term agreement for the sale of electricity at a tariff of Rs 6.49/kWh (9.9¢/kWh).

First Solar has not actively participated in recent solar power auctions in India which have been extremely competitive. Perhaps this is the reason the company is looking to stay clear of this non-core business. With tariff falling to record-low of Rs 3.30/kWh, the projects offered by First Solar will be highly attractive to project developers.

This will be the third major acquisition in the Indian solar power market in recent times. Tata Power Renewable Energy acquired 1,100 megawatts capacity from Welspun Energy. Greenko Energy Holdings acquired assets from SunEdison India.

03/21/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

First Solar Commissions 130 MW Capacity In India

written by saurabh

US-based solar module manufacturer First Solar has announced commissioning of two solar projects totalling 130 MW in the southern states of India through its Indian subsidiary, First Solar Power India Pvt. Ltd.

The company declared commercial operations of 80 MW solar PV project in the state of Andhra Pradesh and 50 MW solar PV project in the state of Telangana. With these projects the cumulative operational capacity owned by First Solar in India has increased to 150 MW.

The projects comprises of 1.4 million First Solar modules and are together expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 227,500 local households annually and would offset 204,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year.

Power generated from these projects will be purchased by the local utilities Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company under 25 year long-term power purchase agreements.

“After achieving a recent milestone of 1 GW of PV solar capacity footprint in India, we are delighted to add 130 MW of utility-scale solar power to the grid, growing our portfolio of operational solar assets to a cumulative capacity of 150 MW,” commented First Solar’s Country Head for India Sujoy Ghosh.

First Solar has been active in the India market since before the inception of the National Solar Mission. Earlier this year, the company had announced that its cumulative solar power module shipment to India has crossed 1 GW and it has become the first thin-film solar panel manufacturer to achieve this feat.

08/24/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Solar Energy Corp Of India Announces 650 MW Tender For Kadapa Solar Park

written by saurabh

The Solar Energy Corporation of India has announced yet another tender for one of the largest solar power parks in the country.

According to media reports, the Solar Energy Corporation of India recently issued a tender for allocation of 650 MW solar PV power capacity at a solar power park in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The auction is part of the 5 GW batch IV phase II of the National Solar Mission that aims to set up 5 GW of solar power capacity through viability gap funding.

The capacity shall be allocated at the Kadapa solar power park which will have an operational capacity of 1 GW once fully commissioned. The solar power park is one of four in the state approved by SECI. A total of 3 GW solar power parks will be commissioned in the state.

The capacity will be allocated through competitive auction of capital cost support required by the project developers. Of the total 650 MW capacity, developers will be free to choose between imported or domestic modules for 500 MW capacity while for the balance 150 MW capacity developers shall be mandated to use Indian-made modules.

SECI shall sign power purchase agreements with all developers at a fixed tariff of Rs 4.43/kWh for a period of 25 years. SECI will, in turn, sign power sale agreements with various state utilities to sell power at Rs 4.50/kWh.

Earlier this year, NTPC, the largest power generation company in India, floated 250 MW tender for the solar power park.

07/17/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Hareon, ReNew Power Commission 72 MW Solar Power Capacity In India

written by saurabh

India-based ReNew Power Ventures has announced another solar power project operational.

ReNew Power Ventures, in partnership with China-based manufacturer of Hareon Solar Technologies, has commissioned two utility-scale solar PV projects with combined installed capacity of 72 MW. The projects are located in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The projects will generate enough electricity to power more than 30,000 households and offset almost 116,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

The projects were secured by ReNew Power through competitive bidding under the solar power policy announced by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The project was allocated to the company in 2015 at a tariff of Rs 5.98/kWh (US¢9.0/kWh) with a power purchase agreement for 25 years. Apart from supplying multi-crystalline modules, Hareon Solar Technologies is believed to have made investment in the project as well.

Last month, ReNew Power Ventures announced that it became the first company in India to achieve 1 GW of operational renewable energy assets. The company operates 29 wind and solar power projects across 9 states in India and has set a target to have operational assets of 6.5 GW solar power and 5 GW wind energy over the next 4-5 years.

In addition to Andhra Pradesh the company operates solar power projects in the state of Madhya Pradesh as well. It also secured rights to develop 149 MW solar power capacity in the state of Telangana. ReNew Power has entered a joint venture with South Korea-based Hanwha Q CELLS. Again, the modules manufacturer shall supply solar panels as well as make investment in the project.

05/24/2016 0 comment

Articles Renewable Energy

More Indian States Plan Canal-top Solar Power Projects

written by saurabh

Following Gujarat’s lead in implementation of innovative canal-top solar power projects other Indian states are also looking to set up similar projects.

According to recent media reports, states of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have announced commissioning of canal-top solar power projects. The Punjab government commissioned two projects with total installed capacity of 5 MW. Andhra Pradesh commissioned 400 kW project and is supplying power to 5 villages.

While the capital cost involved in implementation of such projects is significantly higher than the utility-scale or even rooftop projects, there are other benefits of canal-top solar power projects. Th most important being reduced loss of water from evaporation.

Indian states and companies have announced ambitious plans to set up canal-top solar power projects. In 2014, Punjab announced plans to set up 1,000 MW of solar PV projects to cover several kilometres of canals over the next three years. The state government targets to cover 5,000 km of canals across the state. Through this program, the government hopes to generate 15% of the state’s total electricity demand.

More recently, Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (Mahagenco) floated tenders for the preparation of detailed project reports for setting up solar power projects over water bodies in the state. The company plans to set up 1,250 MW solar power capacity over canals, lakes and reservoirs.

In 2014, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) had issued guidelines to set up 100 MW solar power capacity (PDF) over and along the canals in the country. The program will see solar photovoltaic power projects of capacity 1 to 10 MW installed over canals and on the banks of the canals in India.

04/30/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India Ready To Deal With SunEdison’s Possible India Exit

written by saurabh

Indian officials allayed any fears about the impact of a potential exit of SunEdison from the Indian solar power market.

With speculations rife about SunEdison selling some or all of its assets in India, government officials have clarified that they are prepared to offer such projects for tendering process again. Bidding rules for most solar power auctions in India allow governments and regulators to re-tender the projects if the original developer fails to implement the projects.

Officials have also clarified that other project developers may buyout projects from SunEdison and then go ahead with their implementation.

According to recent media reports, SunEdison may be planning to offload its 1,490 MW assets in India. reportedly has 410 MW of operational solar power capacity India while an additional 1,000 MW capacity is at various stages of development. The company also owns 80 MW of wind energy capacity, which was acquired from another foreign developer.

The 1,000 MW under-development capacity also includes the 500 MW project SunEdison won in the Andhra Pradesh auction. The project is among the cheapest projects in India, in terms of tariff. Media outlets had earlier reported that the company is looking to sell up to 49% equity stake in the project.

Few months back the company sold 425 MW capacity to its yieldco TerraForm Global for $231 million to retire some debt from the balance sheet.

Media outlets also reported that negotiations with Macquaire Capital had fallen through and now two Indian companies – Tata Power and Adani Power – are looking to buyout SunEdison’s projects.

04/17/2016 0 comment