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india solar power

500 Megawatts Solar Tender In India’s Tamil Nadu Undersubscribed Yet Again

written by saurabh

The latest solar power tender issued in the state of Tamil Nadu is in stark contrast to the one issued for the Newa solar power park. The former has, once again, received a poor response from the project developers.

The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) had floated a tender for 500 megawatts solar PV power capacity. The tender received bids by 22 project developers willing to set up 300 megawatts capacity. The poor response is poles apart from the 10 times oversubscription for the 750 megawatts Rewa solar power park.

The poor response it ironically still better than that received for the 500 megawatts tender previously issued by TANGEDCO. In November 2016, the tender attracted 20 bids of just 122 megawatts. The utility had no choice but to scrap the tender. Project developers were unable to purchase land for their projects due to lack of funds owning to the demonetisation drive of the Indian government.

The improved funding situation seems to have been the only reason for the relative increased interest of the developers. Lack of adequate transmission infrastructure and poor financial health of the utility remain the major concerns of bidders. The threshold tariff for this tender was also reduced by 14.7%, from Rs 5.10/kWh (7.6¢/kWh) to Rs 4.35/kWh (6.5¢/kWh), although developers have 12 months to commission the projects, an increase from 10 months.

According to government estimates, an installed capacity base of 2.5 GW will be required to meet the 5% solar RPO target in 2017-18. TANGEDCO, however, expects that only 1.6 GW solar power capacity would be operational by that time, thus leaving a shortfall of 900 MW.

02/22/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India’s Mytrah Energy Announces $1.9 Billion Solar, Wind Energy Investment

written by saurabh

One of the leading independent power producers in India’s renewable energy sector has announced a huge investment plan in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Mytrah Energy announced that it will invest Rs 13,000 crore ($1.9 billion) to set up wind and solar power projects in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government in this regard at the Partnership Summit held recently.

The investment will split between wind and solar power technologies with 1,000 megawatts planned installation for each. The company expects generation of 4,000 new jobs from this venture.

The projects will be spread across eight districts in the state, including five districts that will host wind energy projects for the first time. The company hopes to have the projects operational within three years of getting all government approvals.

In October last year, Mytrah Energy joined an elite group of project developers that own and operate 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity in India. The company had earlier set the target to achieve this milestone by mid-2017.

Mytrah Energy Limited has a portfolio of wind power generation assets across 15 projects and 8 states. The Company has more than 200 wind masts installed across multiple states in India, providing a pool of information from which to select its future projects. Mytrah Energy currently has an active development pipeline of about 3,000 megawatts of wind and 500 megawatts of solar.

02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Gamesa Plans $2.6 Billion Renewable Energy Investment In India

written by saurabh

Spanish renewable energy giant Gamesa has announced massive plans to implement utility-scale wind and solar power projects in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Ramesh Kymal, Chairman and Managing Director of the Indian subsidiary Gamesa Renewables recently stated that the company will invest Rs 17,500 crore ($2.6 billion) in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The company will set up 2,500 megawatts of solar, wind and solar-wind hybrid power projects. Gamesa will likely take up the model implemented by its competitor Suzlon Energy. The company will likely acquire land and collaborate with interested investors and industries to set up renewable energy projects. Gamesa shall be responsible for the construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance of the projects.

The investment model isn’t new for Gamesa, or the Indian wind energy market, but focus on a particular state, Andhra Pradesh in this case, is crucial. Andhra Pradesh announced plans to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in its power mix.

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. The commission issued a draft regulation which, if approved, will require the state’s utilities to acquire at least 25.25% of the total electricity procurement from renewable energy sources, excluding hydro power.

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. Under the policy, the state government is expected to encourage installation of wind, solar and wind-solar hybrid power projects.

Gamesa is already the leading original equipment manufacturers in the wind energy sector for last three years in India. The company has also managed to make substantial inroads in the solar power sector by offering engineering, procurement and commissioning (EPC) services.

02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Projects To Save $11 Million Every Year At Indian Sea Ports

written by saurabh

The Indian Ministry of Shipping has announced plans to set up almost 100 megawatts of solar and wind energy capacity at 12 of the country’s major ports.

The Ministry of Shipping recently announced that under the ‘Green Port Initiative’ a total of 136.5 megawatts of renewable energy projects will be implemented at a dozen major ports in the country. These include 91.5 megawatts solar power and 45 megawatts wind energy projects.

Some ports also have some solar power projects operational. A total of 15.2 megawatts solar power capacity has been implemented while 6 megawatts wind energy capacity has also been commissioned.
According to the ministry, these renewable energy projects are expected to offset 136,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. The projects will also save around Rs 75 crore ($11 million) every year in energy costs.

As per a reply submitted by the Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan in Parliament last year, the funds required for the development of solar plants will be arranged by the ports from their own resources with no contribution from the government.

The initiative would also offset cost of purchasing power from the grid and would help to meet the Renewable Energy Purchase Obligation (RPO), set by the government, mandating a certain percentage of renewables into the total energy mix.

Apart from sea ports, airports around the country are looking to set up solar power projects as well. The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that as many as 143 airports across India are planning to set up a cumulative solar power capacity of 148 megawatts.

02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India Officially Doubles Solar Parks Target To 40 Gigawatts

written by saurabh

The Indian government has confirmed that it will ho ahead with a second phase of the solar power park program.

The announcement made by the Minister of Finance in the union budget speech for financial year 2017-18. India will increase the planned capacity addition under solar power park program from 20 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, along with the Solar Energy Corporation of India, has already identified several solar power projects with cumulative capacity of 20 gigawatts. Under the second phase an additional 20 gigawatts capacity will be added.

While the existing solar power park program has been expanded the overall installed capacity target remains the same at 100 gigawatts by March 2022.

This could essentially mean that the government recognises that the planned capacity addition of 40 gigawatts under rooftop solar segment may be too large a target.

Recent auctions for solar power parks have received huge response with tariff bids falling sharply nearly each time.

Distribution utilities remain unprepared for rooftop solar power systems and consumers too seem unaware about the benefits of the such power systems.

Large-scale solar power parks, on the other hand, have numerous advantages. Low cost, large generation potential and one-time investment in power evacuation infrastructure.

02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

India’s Solar Module Production Tops 5,000 Megawatts

written by saurabh

India’s solar module production has crossed 5,000 megawatts according to the latest information shared by manufacturers with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.

The total capacity of installed solar module production lines increased from 5,848 megawatts on 30 June 2016 to 8,113 megawatts on 31 December 2016, a 23% increase. The total number of companies into the business of module manufacturing has also increased from 94 to 104 during the six months.

The largest installed capacity of module production line is owned by Mundra Solar, part of the Adani Group. At 1,200 megawatts the company commands a share of 15%. However, Mundra Solar is expected to start production of modules by March this year.

The utilisation of installed capacity has reduced from 74% as on 30 June to 65% as on 31 December 2016. Capacity utilisation could again jump to 80% as soon as Mundra Solar starts production next month.

Encouragingly, three module manufacturers that jointly have the second largest installed production lines for solar modules have 100% capacity utilisation. These are Emmvee Photovoltaics, Vikram Solar and Waaree Energies, each having installed capacity of 500 megawatts.

Solar cell production capacity also increased during these six months from 1,468 megawatts to 2,953 megawatts with Mundra Solar once again making a massive contribution of 1,200 megawatts in the installed capacity. Due to the non-operationalisation of Mundra Solar, the solar cell production could increase from 1,123 megawatts to just 1,448 megawatts by 31 December 2016. The capacity utilisation thus dropped from 76.5% to 49%.

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02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

At 1,200 Megawatts, Adani Group Has India’s Largest Solar Cell, Modules Production Line

written by saurabh

Adani Group, one of the leading industrial conglomerates in India, is ready to start production at the country’s largest solar cell and module manufacturing line.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has reported that Mundra Solar, part of the the Adani Group, has commissioned 1,200 megawatts of solar cell and 1,200 megawatts of solar module production line. As per the information shared by the company with the ministry as on 31 December 2016, the production lines are ready but actual production is yet to begin.

The ministry seems to be taking stock of the solar cell and module production capacity every six months now. The last report stated data as on 30 June 2016. Between these six months Mundra Solar managed to add solar cell as well as module production lines.

The solar cell production line installed by Mundra Solar helped India increase the installed capacity from 1,468 megawatts to 2,953 megawatts. The actual capacity in use witnessed a more modest increase from 1,123 megawatts to 1,448 megawatts.

India’s solar module production capacity stands at 8,113 megawatts as on 30 December 2016, up from 5,848 megawatts. Mundra Solar has almost 15% share in this installed capacity.

As reported earlier, Mundra Solar is expected to start production at its facilities by March this year. And by June the company will further increase the production capacity to 2,000 megawatts.

The planned facility will produce polysilicon, wafers, solar cells and modules. Adani had signed an agreement with SunEdison to set up the largest solar module manufacturing facility in India. The two companies had agreed to invest $4 billion on the project. The joint venture plans fizzled out following SunEdison’s bankruptcy.

The company will reportedly start polysilicon production upto 10,000 tonnes in the third phase.

Modules manufactured at the facility are likely to be absorbed in the company’s own projects and may be sold to other developers in the country and even sold to other markets. Adani Enterprises signed an agreement with the government of Rajasthan to set up 10 GW solar power park.

02/12/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Indian State Mulls 100 Megawatts Floating Solar Power Project

written by saurabh

Yet another floating solar power project is under consideration in India.

According to media reports, the state government of Andhra Pradesh is considering to set up a floating solar power project of 100 megawatts capacity. The project could come up at Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir which has a live capacity of 305 million cubic meters. The dam also has installed capacity of 20 megawatts.

The state’s renewable energy department has shared little to no details about the project.

While the concept of floating solar power projects remains new India has been experimenting with such novel ideas of solar power generation over the last few years. These include solar power systems installed over canals and at their banks as well as over dam barriers.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy is supporting development of 50 megawatts canal-top solar power projects and 50 megawatts of solar power projects at canal banks. The total cost estimated for development of 100 megawatts capacity is around $127 million.

Apart from the central government, several state governments have also planned canal-top solar power projects, including Gujarat and Punjab.

A public sector company – National Hydro Power Corporation – had also announced plans to set up 600 megawatts of floating solar power project at one of the its large hydro power projects.

All these planned and under-construction projects over dams and reservoirs lag behind the monstrous project being constructed in China. A floating solar power park is being developed in China’s Qinghai province. The project – Longyangxia Dam Solar Park – will have an installed capacity of 850 megawatts once completed, making it one of the largest solar power projects – over land or water.

Image by vectoropenstock.com for Cleantechies

02/06/2017 1 comment

Renewable Energy

Indian Plans For 7,500 Megawatts Solar Power Parks In Jammu & Kashmir Revived?

written by saurabh

The Indian government may likely have revived plans to set up the country’s largest solar power park in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

A memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the government of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Union government for the development of two mega solar parks in Leh and Kargil district of Ladakh region.

According to the Minister for Science & Technology, Sajjad Gani Lone, the cumulative capacity of these solar parks would be 7,500 megawatts. Solar park of 5,000 megawatts capacity would be constructed in Leh district and 2,500 megawatts capacity in Kargil district.

Till now, government has failed to initiate the process on these solar parks due to non-availability of land and grid infrastructure.

The agreement for these solar parks was signed way back in 2014 by the central government however due to lack of transmission network and lack of takers from the beneficiary states, this project was put on hold. When the initial agreements were signed nearly three years back India’s solar power target for 2022 was just 22 gigawatts; now it has been increased to 100 gigawatts.

Signing of the fresh agreements is possibly a sign that the governments and the other stakeholders may have made progress in solving these problems.

Jammu and Kashmir receives some of the highest solar radiation in the country. The state, however, faces a number of issues that have inhibited large-scale expansion of power generation sources. Lack of government focus on infrastructure expansion, due to decades-long insurgency, remote population centres, and mountainous terrain.

Ladakh, one of the most remote places in the country, is excessively dependent on fuel imports from other states. Solar power thus presents a tremendous opportunity for the region to attain energy independence and earn significant revenue by exporting electricity to large demand centres in North India.

02/06/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

750 Megawatts Solar Tender In India Draws Bids For 7,500 Megawatts

written by saurabh

One of the recent solar power auctions in India has received a massive response from project developers.

The Rewa solar power park tender of 750 megawatts has attracted bids from some of the leading project developers in India and abroad. A total of 20 developers have placed bids with a cumulative capacity of 7,500 megawatts, translating into a 10 times over-subscription of the tender.

The solar power park will be developed in 3 phases of 250 MW capacity each, spread over a total of 1,500 hectares. Power generation from the first phase is expected to start beginning in June 2017, with the entire capacity expected to be fully operational by December 2017.

Of the 20 bidders, four have submitted to develop all three sections of the park. ReNew Power (one of India’s leading renewable energy developers and backed by Goldman Sachs), SBG Cleantech (joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, SoftBank and Foxconn), Enel Green Power and Adani Group (operator of India’s largest solar power project) submitted bids to develop the entire 750 megawatts capacity.

Hero Future Energies and Mahindra Renewables, both parts of large industrial conglomerates in India placed bids to develop 500 megawatts each.

A number of reputed Indian and global companies submitted bids to develop 250 megawatts capacity each. These include Acme Solar, Orange Renewables, Torrent Power, GDF Suez, RattanIndia Power, Aditya Birla Renewables, Azure Power Canadian Solar and Solenergi Power.

Almost a third of the planned capacity has already been allocated to the Delhi Rail Metro Corporation (DMRC) while the rest will be signed up by the distribution utilities of the host state, Madhya Pradesh. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide funding for the project.

01/31/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

NEXTracker To Set Up Manufacturing Facility In India

written by saurabh

US-based solar tracker manufacturer NEXTracker will have a manufacturing facility in India operational over the next six months in an attempt to grab a share in the rapidly expanding solar power market in the country.

NEXTracker will set up a manufacturing facility in the northern part of India over the next six months, NEXTracker Vice President Emerging Markets Nava Akkineni told media personnel recently. The company boasts 15-20% increase in efficiency in solar power generation following installation of its trackers.

The company has already signed deals and agreements with local firms to supply trackers for 1 gigawatts of solar power capacity. These orders are expected to be completed this year.

NEXTracker’s decision to set up a local manufacturing unit in India comes at the right time as the country’s solar power market is set for an exponential growth over the next few years. The company believes that the solar tracker market would increase from 7% in 2016 to 31% in 2021 with the massive push for large-scale project in India.

NEXTracker may receive support from the government under the Make In India program as well as special incentives planned for manufacturers of solar power modules and equipment. As per a draft plan discussed by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy last year, the government is looking to offer direct subsidies to manufacturers, be it Indian or foreign, willing to set up manufacturing units in the country. The subsidies could be in the form interest subvention or cheaper loans.

The largest tracker-equipped solar power project in India hosts equipment supplied by NEXTracker. The 105 megawatts project was recently commissioned by Adani Power in the northern state of Punjab.

01/30/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

SMA Solar Shipped 1 Gigawatts Solar Inverters To India In 2016

written by saurabh

One of the world’s leading solar inverter manufacturer – SMA Solar – has announced that it managed to secure a 26% market share in the Indian solar power market last year.

In a press release issued recently the company claims that it shipped 1 gigawatts solar inverters to the Asian country in 2016. The shipments in 2016 doubled from those during the preceding year. With around 4 gigawatts of solar power capacity installed in India last year.

“SMA has nearly doubled its total installed inverter base in India in 2016 alone. Among other projects, our central inverters have been used to build the largest solar power plant in India to date,” said John Susa, SMA Executive Vice President Sales Asia Pacific.

“This is a great success, as the Indian market is of strategic importance for SMA. With a market share of 26% in 2016, we are strongly positioned in this growth market. Our dedicated local sales and service team will continue to support our long-term Indian partners, leading developers and EPCs, with our high-quality product solutions and first-class services. There are significant performance and financial benefits to our customers in using SMA inverters in their large-scale PV power plants.”

The company also reported that its inverters will be used at the country’s largest solar power project, perhaps referring to the 500 megawatts projects being developed by Greenko Energy Holdings; the project was earlier secured by SunEdison through competitive auction. The project would be second-largest solar power project to be commissioned at a single site and by a single developer in India.

In December last year, Greenko Energy Holdings placed an order with SMA Solar for procurement of 616 megawatts of solar inverters. The inverters – Sunny Central 1000CP XT – will be supplied for projects located in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

SMA Solar’s main competitor ABB India commanded 50% market share at the end of 2015. ABB India had supplied inverters to 2 gigawatts of the 4 gigawatts solar power capacity operational at the end of 2015.

01/30/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

BHEL Expands Solar Module, Cell Manufacturing Facility In India

written by saurabh

With an eye on the rapidly expanding Indian solar power market, the public sector company Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has expanded its current solar module and cell manufacturing facilities.

According to a press release issued by the company, it expanded a 26 megawatts solar module manufacturing facility to a capacity of 200 megawatts. The company also commissioned a solar cell manufacturing assembly line with capacity of 105 megawatts. Both the facilities are located in the southern state of Karnataka.

Encouraged by the enormous capacity target of 100 gigawatts by March 2022 and sharp fall in raw material costs, several Indian companies have announced plans to set up new and expand existing facilities for solar module and cell production.

BHEL is expected to supply solar modules to project developers that secured solar power projects mandated to use Indian-made modules.

According to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, as on 30 June 2016, India had 20 companies actively involved in solar cell production. As many as 94 companies are manufacturing solar PV modules in the country.

Solar cell manufacturing capacity in India has increased from 1,216 MW in June 2014 to 1,468 MW in June 2016. Capacity utilisation in June 2014 was a measly 20% which has increased to 76.5% in June 2016.

Growth in the solar PV module manufacturing capacity has been much greater than that in the solar cell manufacturing sector. From an installed capacity base of 2,348 MW in June 2014, the module manufacturing capacity has increased by nearly three times to 6,848 MW. The capacity utilisation has also increased from 28% to around 74%.

The Indian government is looking to further enhance the domestic solar cell and manufacturing sector. The government is planning financial support package of $3.1 billion to solar power equipment manufacturing sector. The support, possibly in the form capital cost support, could be offered on per MW basis.

01/30/2017 0 comment

Renewable Energy

Record Low Bids Expected In India’s 750 Megawatts Solar Power Tender

written by saurabh

India’s solar power bids are expected to fall to a new record low with the upcoming reverse auction of 750 megawatts solar power park.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is expected to launch reverse auction for the Rewa solar power park in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The solar power park will be among the largest solar power parks in India although much larger parks are being planned by SECI.

The solar power tender will offer some incentives to the project developers that have never been offered till date. Successful project developers will have more flexibility to sell generated electricity compared to existing projects. A significant percentage of the planned capacity has been allocated to power distribution utilities in Madhya Pradesh as well as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

SECI will also implement a payment security mechanism so that developers are ensured of payment even if the power distribution utilities refuse to pay. The developers shall also receive payment during times of non-availability of power grid.

Additionally, the tariff discovered following the reverse auction shall undergo annual escalation of INR 0.05/kWh (0.7¢/kWh) for the first 15 years.

Delhi Metro has agreed to procure at least 121 million kWh electricity every year from the first phase. Once all the phase are operational, Delhi Metro may increase procurement to 363 million kWh per year.

Earlier this year, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) signed an agreement with the government of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India to provide assistance in the implementation of the solar power park. The IFC will extend its global expertise to structure and implement the transaction to help attract private investments of about $750 million. IFC’s work on this project will be supported by its partnership with Australia’s Department of Foreign Trade.

The lowest tariff bid for utility-scale solar power project in India currently stands at INR 4.34/kWh (6.40¢/kWh) in Rajasthan. There is every chance that the bids for the Rewa solar power park will be lower than the current lowest bid.

01/22/2017 0 comment

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