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saurabh

India’s Orient Green Power Eyes 1 GW Wind Energy Capacity In 3-4 Years

written by saurabh

Chennai-based wind generation company, Orient Green Power, joint venture between Shriram EPC and Bessemer Venture Partners has announced plans to achieve 1,000 MW installed wind energy capacity over the next 3-4 years.

Taking advantage of Indian government ambitious wind energy initiatives, Orient Green Power is keen to increase its wind energy portfolio across the country with an estimated investment of Rs 1,000 crore (US$150 million).

According to S Venkatachalam, Managing director of Orient Green Power, the company has a huge scope to almost double its wind energy portfolio by targeting 1,000 MW over the next few years. Currently, company has an operational capacity of around 425 MW and 57 MW of projects at various stages of development.

Orient Green Power plans to add over 100 MW per year to achieve this target. Company also plans to add 47 MW of additional capacity to its existing 50.54 MW wind farm at Tadipatri in Andhra Pradesh.

The company had reported a loss of Rs 22.7 crore (US$3.4 million) in the first quarter of financial year 2016-17 mainly because utilities did not take power from the wind projects due to lack of grid availability in Tamil Nadu. To overcome the huge loss, company has sought restructuring of the debt under the 5:25 scheme launched by Reserve Bank of India last year which enables infrastructure loans to be extended up to 25 years which an option of refinancing after every five years.

Orient Green currently has operational wind assets in Tamil Nadu (308 MW), Andhra Pradesh (75 MW), Gujarat (29 MW) and Karnataka (1 MW) and 11 MW in Europe. It is also planning to expand in Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

09/24/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

SoftBank, SkyPower Global Eye Share In 1 GW Solar Power Park In India

written by saurabh

A number of Indian and foreign project developers are looking to set up projects under the planned 1 GW solar power park in the Indian state of Odisha.

According to media reports, interested developers include SoftBank-led SB Energy and Canada-based SkyPower Global. Among the Indian developers looking to set up projects are Azure Power, Panchvaktra Holdings, Orange Renewable and Shapoorji Pallonji.

Last year, the government of Odisha has announced plans to set up 1 GW solar power park spread over 5,000 acres of land. The state would acquire 20% of the electricity generated while the developers shall be free to sell the balance in open market, perhaps one of the reasons for such great interest shown by these companies.

Under the public partnership model, Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Ltd (GEDCOL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation would be the nodal agency for implementation of the solar park. GEDCOL would partner with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for development of this park.

Auction of projects that will form part of the solar power park will likely by conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) which also recently auctioned 270 MW solar power capacity in the state.

09/24/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Indian Thermal Power Sector Feels The Pinch Of Renewable Energy Surge

written by saurabh

Experts in the Indian power sector feel that the huge capacity addition planned in the renewable energy sector could spell doom for the thermal power sector.

India plans to have an operational renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by March 2022. The Central Electricity Authority reports that thermal power projects are currently operating at plant load factor of 50% and once large-scale renewable energy projects the PLF could fall even further.

These are real concerns for several thermal power project developers and operators. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced plans to add upto 17 GW solar power capacity every year till 2022. The government has also given ‘must run’ status to wind and solar power projects which means that utilities will have to acquire electricity from these projects even if demand falls. In order to match the falling demand the utilities must first shutdown thermal power projects and make savings on coal and greenhouse gas emissions.

The central government is also trying to persuade states to strictly implement the Renewable Purchase Obligation that require utilities to acquire a set minimum percentage of their electricity from renewable energy projects; there is a separate RPO for solar power as well.

If RPO targets are implemented judiciously the procurement from renewable energy projects will increase significantly while procurement from thermal power projects will very likely fall. This will further impact the performance of thermal power plants.

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09/24/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India’s Adani Green Energy Commissions ‘World’s Largest Solar PV Project’

written by saurabh

India’s largest solar power project developed by a single company has finally been fully commissioned.

One of its leading industrial conglomerates – Adani Enterprises – has announced that it commissioned a 648 MW solar PV project in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, reported that the power plant has started feeding electricity into the grid.

Adani Green Energy is believed to have invested a total of Rs 4,550 crore (US$680 million) in the project which was completed in a record time of eight months. In June this year, ABB India (which erected substations to connect the power plant with the grid) announced that 360 MW capacity was commissioned and linked to the grid.

The Kamuthi solar power park in Tamil Nadu will be spread across 5 different solar power projects. Power generated from park will be sold to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation through a long-term power purchase agreement with duration of 25 years. Adani Group had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu to set up the solar power park in 2015.

The power is expected to be sold at Rs 7.01/kWh (US¢10.0/kWh) which represents a huge premium to the tariffs discovered in the recently concluded solar power auctions. Bids by Indian project developers seem to have stabilised around Rs 4.70/kWh (US$7.00/kWh).

The project is now the largest solar power project implemented by a single developer in India, and perhaps the world. In India, it overtook the 151 MW solar PV project developed by Welspun Renewables in Madhya Pradesh – the project, along with other assets of Welspun Renewables have now been acquired by Tata Power Renewable Energy.

India is also host to the Charanka solar power park, located in Gujarat. The solar power park has an installed capacity of 345 MW developed by several companies, including Adani itself.

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09/23/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Jordan To Auction Up To 700 MW Renewable Energy Capacity This Month

written by saurabh

Jordan plans to further expands its renewable energy infrastructure through a fresh auction of solar and wind energy projects this month.

According to media reports, Jordan’s Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources will launch 400-700 MW tender for solar and wind energy this month. This tender will be the third auction of solar power projects and second for wind energy projects.

In May 2015, Jordan allocated 200 MW of solar PV power projects in the second round auction, after a total of 33 companies had submitted technical proposals to set up power projects. However, only 24 of them submitted financial bids eventually. Four developers submitting the lowest bids would be selected to develop 50 MW capacity each. The lowest tariff bid has been submitted by a Greek company, SUNRISE Photovoltaic Systems, which placed a bid of just US¢6.13 per kWh. Saudi Oger, Fotowatio Solar Renewable Ventures and Hareon Solar also secured 50 MW project each.

In February 2015, the government auctioned 200 MW solar and wind energy capacity. It was the first ever-renewable energy in Jordan.

Jordan has set a target to install 600 MW solar PV capacity and 1,200 MW wind energy capacity by 2020 to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. To reach the 2020 renewable energy target and further enhance clean energy infrastructure the country has established the Jordan Renewable Energy and Efficiency Fund which is financed by the government as well as international donors like the French Development Agency and the World Bank.

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09/23/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India To Auction Another 150 MW At Gujarat’s Charanka Solar Park

written by saurabh

Solar Energy Corporation of India continues to take steps to further increase the capacity of one of India’s largest solar power park.

Another tender of 150 MW has been floated by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for the Charanka solar power park. The tender will offer the capacity in project size of 50 MW each.

The prospective project developers will be free to source the solar equipment and modules from Indian or foreign manufacturers. The solar power park already has an installed base of 345 MW while SECI has auctioned an additional 265 MW capacity recently.

In June this year, two projects of 40 MW capacity each were secured by government-owned Gujarat Industries Power Limited. The company sought capital cost support of Rs 67.99 lakhs/MW (US$101,810/MW) and Rs 69.75/lakhs per MW (US$104,446). The total capacity cost for the project is expected to be around Rs 5.30 crore/MW (US$793,640/MW).

Another 40 MW project was secured by renewable energy IPP Orange Renewables which quoted a bid of Rs 70.25 lakhs/MW (US$105,344/MW).

Two 40 MW projects have reportedly been allocated to Mahindra Renewables, part of the Mahindra & Mahindra industrial conglomerate. One of the projects is to be developed using Indian-made solar PV modules only. Interestingly, the company placed the same bids for both the projects – Rs 77.77 lakhs/MW (US$116,455/MW).

Last month, SECI auctioned 65 MW solar PV power capacity in the Charanka solar power park, Gujarat. Indian project developers ReNew Power Ventures and Mahindra Renewables secured 40 MW and 25 MW capacity, respectively. ReNew Power Ventures quoted a bid of Rs 7.01 million (US$104,700) per MW while Mahindra Renewables placed a bid of Rs 7.77 million (US$115,892) per MW. The developers shall be free to choose imported or Indian-made modules.

09/23/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Vikram Solar To Expand Solar Module Production Capacity To 2 GW

written by saurabh

Vikram Solar, India-based solar module manufacturer has announced plans to expand its manufacturing capacity to 2 GW by 2019. The current manufacturing capacity of the company stands at 500 MW.

The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with German Teamtechnik to support its expansion plans. Under the MoU, Teamtechnik will supply equipment for solar module production and put them into operation as well as train operations managers, process engineers and service technicians at Vikram Solar.

Both the companies are also planning to collaborate in the area of materials research, process optimization and production technology in future, with the intention of improving solar panel efficiencies while continuing to reduce module costs.

The company’s collaboration with Teamtechnik for module capacity expansion will further supplement its existing collaboration with Fraunhofer ISE, Meyer Burger and Centrotherm.

Vikarm Solar plans to invest over INR 400 crore (US$6.04 million) for the expansion plan and expected to generate more than 3,000 jobs.

Gyanesh Chaudhary, MD & CEO of Vikram Solar said, “We are very happy to work with Teamtechnik. Their solutions have been shown to facilitate production of highly efficient solar modules while keeping costs particularly low. Another key factor in our decision was that their production technology can be expanded in order to integrate highly efficient technologies such as PERC and bifacial cells into the production process.”

Vikram Solar is the only Indian solar module manufacturer to be listed in the Tier 1 PV module manufacturer rankings maintained by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The company, earlier this year, announced that it expanded operations and services in 14 new markets in sub-Saharan Africa, including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

09/23/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Solar Frontier Plans Solar Module Manufacturing Unit In Saudi Arabia

written by saurabh

Japanese Thin-film module manufacturer, Solar Frontier has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with oil company Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Arabian National Industrial Cluster Development Programme to undertake a joint study into the possibility of CIS solar panel production in Saudi Arabia for future solar farms.

Showa Shell Sekiyu, parent company of Solar Frontier in collaboration will work on the feasibility study to assess the technological and economic aspects of CIS thin-film solar panel production in Saudi Arabia. This feasibility study is part of an economic reform initiative of Saudi Arabia known as Vision 2030.

Showa Shell Sekiyu already has strong ties and interests with Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi Aramco. Company’s current move will further strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia’s solar energy sector. Limited information is currently available and any further developments will be announced based on the results of this joint feasibility study.

Solar Frontier is one of the largest CIS solar panel producers in the world with over 1.1 GW of CIS module production capacity.

Saudi Arabia is one of the best-suited locations for the installation of CIS modules. In high temperature and dry climate CIS panels offer higher output in comparison with regular PV modules and other thin film PV modules.

Saudi Arabia aims to generate 9.5GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The government has already started work on setting up a solar module manufacturing unit in the country. International planning, architecture, and interior design firm, ci design, has been selected to lead the design and planning of a 110 MW solar PV modules manufacturing facility set to be developed by the Al-Afandi Group. The facility will be built at the Industrial Valley of the King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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09/21/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Argentina Gets Massive Response To Planned 1 GW Renewable Energy Auction

written by saurabh

Argentina under its first ever renewable energy auction received bids for 6,366MW of capacity, which is more than six times the capacity on offer according the Ministry of Energy and Mining.

A total of 123 of bids were submitted by the interested developers under the first round of the country´s so-called RENEW programme to boost renewables. Out of total 123 bids, 49 bids with a combined capacity of 3,468 MW were submitted by wind project developers, 58 bids for 2,834 MW capacity by solar project developers and balance bids submitted by bioenergy and small hydro developers.

The auction aims to grant support to 1GW of renewable energy plants across the country however auction was heavily over-subscribed with solar submissions totalling 844% of assigned capacity.

Argentina energy ministry will award power purchase contracts to the potential developers on 12 October on assessing the technical and financial proposals.

Potential developers will sign 20-year long-term power purchase contract to sell power from proposed power projects. The projects are scheduled to be completed within two years from the auction. Rules for the first-ever renewable energy auction in Argentina were recently announced by the government. The auction will allocate 1 GW capacity including 300 MW solar power capacity. The project size will vary between 1 to 100 MW.

With this auction, government expects to attract between $1.5 billion and $2 billion investments in the renewable energy sector.

The government has set a target to increase the share of renewable energy to 20% in the energy mix by 2025. Another target called for 8% renewable energy share in electricity consumption by 2017. As a result, several renewable energy auctions are expected to take place in the country over the next few years. The government is expected to auction 10 GW renewable energy capacity by 2025.

09/20/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

ABB India Boosts Solar Inverter Manufacturing Capacity

written by saurabh

ABB India, the power and automation technology company has inaugurated a new solar inverter manufacturing unit in Belanguru, India. The new factory will double the company’s manufacturing capacity in India.

Till now, ABB had been supplying central inverters to the Indian solar market from just one production facility at Nelamanagala, Belanguru which started production in 2012. The Nelamanagala facility manufactures ABB’s PVS800 central inverter series which gained popularity in India due to their ease of commissioning and reliable performance even in harsh climates.

India has installed over 8 GW of solar projects, out of which, 6.5 GW project uses ABB inverters. According to company’s estimate, around 40% i.e. 2.65 GW of the utility-scale projects in India utilize central inverters manufactured by ABB at Nelamanagala facility.

Last year, the company had announced that it become the first-ever company to achieve installed solar inverter capacity of 2 GW in span of just five months. Earlier this year, ABB India announced that it commissioned five sub-stations to connect India’s largest solar power project to the grid. The company installed the sub-stations at the planned 648 MW solar power by Adani Enterprises in Tamil Nadu.

ABB central inverters range from 2 kW to 2 MW which are ideal for residential rooftop usage as well as cost-efficient megawatt scale power plants.

While inaugurating a new facility, ABB India CEO and Managing Director Sanjeev Sharma said, “ABB a global leader in solar inverter technology, has been powering solar projects across the country spanning the entire solar photovoltaic (PV) value chain, a key component of which has been our solar inverter technology, made in India.”

09/20/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Indian Wind Power Companies See Surge In Generation

written by saurabh

Good monsoon and improved availability of transmission capacity for power evacuation resulted in significant increase in revenue and profits for the wind energy companies in India.

According to media reports, companies like Indowind, Gamesa India and Orient Green Energy have reported sharp boost in revenue due to jump in wind power generation. Tamil Nadu, which hosts the largest wind energy capacity in India experienced massive surge in wind power generation during the monsoon season.

Wind energy generation in Tamil Nadu was so high that the state government had to ask the central government to allocate additional transmission resources to supply the surplus electricity to other states.

Record capacity addition in the last financial year also led to the increased power generation in the first quarter of this financial year. Substantial changes in the incentives regime for wind energy projects are expected from beginning of the next financial year, April 2017; as a result, project developers are looking to make full use of current incentives regime and install as much capacity as possible before April 2017.

Another incentive for the developers to generate more electricity is the increase renewable purchase obligation targets and comparatively stricter compliance. Several state regulators have given directions to utilities to increase procurement of renewable energy and meet their respective RPO targets.

09/20/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Mountainous Terrain Puts 1 GW Indian Solar Power Project In Limbo

written by saurabh

While some large solar power projects in the southern region of India continue to make significant progress, some in the northern region are facing uncertain future.

According to media reports, work on a 1 GW solar power park in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh has been hit by doubts over the viability of the project.

Officials working on the project have to revealed that it is economically unviable to set up a transmission line in the area to evacuate 1000 MW of solar power. The project was planned in the mountainous district of Spiti.

Power transmission company Power Grid has stated that it is not possible to set up a transmission line over such a difficult terrain. The company had earlier raised similar issues regarding a transmission project for 5 GW solar power park in Ladakh district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Power Grid has been working on dedicated transmission projects for large-scale solar and wind energy projects around the country. The company has made substantial progress in setting such transmission lines in the southern states where large capacity of solar power capacity has already been auctioned.

The 5 GW project planned in Ladakh has already been scrapped and if the 1 GW project in Himachal Pradesh is also scrapped the supply of solar power to northern states will be seriously affected. In the northern region, only Rajasthan has ample land resource as well as a strong solar power policy.

09/20/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

JinkoSolar, Marubeni Score Lowest-Ever Solar PV Bid At 2.42¢/kWh In Abu Dhabi

written by saurabh

The United Arab Emirates has seen yet another record-breaking solar power tariff bid. Abu Dhabi received the lowest-ever bid for a solar PV project at a shocking 2.42¢/kWh, taking back the title of cheapest solar power project from Chile.

The record-breaking bid has been submitted by a consortium of Chinese module manufacturer JinkoSolar and Japanese developer Marubeni.

Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority received a total of 6 bids for the proposed 350 MW solar PV project planned to be built in the town of Swaihan, Abu Dhabi. Out of 6 bids, the lowest ever bid of 2.42¢/kWh has been submitted by the JinkoSolar–Marubeni consortium. The results of the tender are not out yet, as authorities will now evaluate the proposals for technical and economic viability.

The current bid of 2.42¢/kWh is the lowest so far globally, and by quite a bit — it is shockingly low. This bid is 20% lower than the previous record bid of 2.91¢/kWh submitted at an auction in Chile last month.

The second-lowest bid in the Abu Dhabi tender was reportedly not much higher, at 2.53¢/kWh, and was submitted by a local firm. These bids also beat the 2.99¢/kWh bid (shocking at the time … and still to some extent) submitted by a Masdar-led consortium for an 800 MW solar PV project in Dubai.

The Abu Dhabi solar park was initially planned for 350 MW. However, media reports state a possible increase in project size, as bidders were allowed to bid for larger capacities. The final capacity of the solar power park may well increase to 1 GW.

In recent months, large solar power parks around the globe have received bids less than 4.00¢/kWh — in India, Chile, the UAE, and elsewhere.

Many large developers — including Italy’s Enel, TSK, ACWA, Abdul Latif Jameel, and Engie — reportedly pulled out of the Abu Dhabi tender due to expected high competition and concern over a drastic drop in prices.

09/20/2016 0 comment

Renewable Energy

ReneSola To Ship 1 GW Solar Power Modules To India In 2016-17

written by saurabh

India is slowly emerging as a major market for China-based solar power modules manufacturer ReneSola. The company is expected to ship more than 1 GW of modules during the current financial year.

According to Pradeep Sangwan, General Manager – ReneSola India, the company shipped 250 MW of solar power modules during the first half of calendar year 2016 and is expected to ship anther 450 MW by March 2017.

The company is looking to expand into the rapidly growing Indian solar market as it has incorporate a separate Indian subsidiary to service the local customers better. Shelley Xu, ReneSola’s vice president of module sales also stated that the company is now looking to increase sales to other emerging markets like Thailand and the Middle East.

ReneSola modules are being exhibited at the Renewable Energy Expo India where the management also stated that it plans to hire 25 employees as it looking to expand offer services across utility-scale, off-grid and rooftop solar power segments. The company intends to get registered in 16 Indian states which should further bring ease to business expansion and increase customer base beyond the existing 200 customers.

In 2012, ReneSola announced plans to supply 250 MW of locally-assembled modules in India. This business plan was likely pointed towards setting up a full-fledged manufacturing base in the country. Such a manufacturing capacity would not only help the company cater to the immense local demand, but also possibly bypass some of the anti-dumping duties levied on Chinese modules by the US and the EU.

The company may also be eligible to receive regulatory and financial incentives under the Make In India programme that encourages foreign companies to set up manufacturing units in India.

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09/18/2016 1 comment

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