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Karnataka Solar Power

India’s Azure Power Commissions 130 Megawatts Solar Capacity

written by saurabh

One of India’s major solar power developers Azure Power announced operationalisation of three utility-scale projects just ahead of the start of the new financial year.

Azure Power announced that it commissioned three solar power projects of combined capacity 130 megawatts in the southern state of Karnataka. These projects include one of 50 megawatts capacity and two of 40 megawatts capacity each.

All three projects are tied up in long-term power purchase agreements spanning 25 years with power utilities owned by the state government. Electricity generated from the projects will be sold at Rs 6.51/kWh (0.10¢/kWh).

Azure Power is also working in partnership with Hanwha Q Cells in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh towards the development of a 50 megawatt project.

Azure Power now claims to have the largest operational solar power capacity in Karnataka, a record that is not expected to last for too long as several developers are either developing or vying for large-scale projects within even larger solar power parks.

The company has been an active participant in various competitive auctions held under India’s National Solar Mission and was among the first companies to set up projects under this ambitious program. Azure Power is also listed at the New York Stock Exchange. The company has pledged to install 11 gigawatts of solar power capacity in India over the next few years.

April 1, 2017 0 comment

Fresh 750 Megawatt Solar Power Tender Announced In India

written by saurabh

India’s largest power producer NTPC Limited has launched a fresh tender for the country’s largest solar power park.

NTPC Limited is offering six blocks of 125 megawatt capacity each to project developers at the Pavagada solar power park in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The solar park is being developed as a joint venture between Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited and Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited.

The tender terms will allow project developers to procure solar power panels from Indian or foreign manufacturers. With land already acquired and freedom to choose cheaper modules, the tariffs for this auction are expected to be in line with the trends seen in the last few months.

Pavagada solar power park will have an eventual capacity of 2,700 megawatts. First phase of the solar power park, with 500 megawatts capacity, will likely be operational by June this year.

NTPC Limited had auctioned 500 megawatts capacity among six project developers. The highly competitive auction saw allocation of the projects at tariffs Rs 4.78/kWh to Rs 4.80/kWh. The power generated from these projects will be shared by the distribution utilities of Karnataka.

Solar power parks are expected to the backbone of India’s National Solar Mission which targets 100 gigawatts of operational capacity by 2022. The initial target for contribution by solar power parks was 20 gigawatts which was recently increased to 40 gigawatts by the government.

March 22, 2017 0 comment

Phase I Of 2,700 Megawatts Solar Power Park In India To Be Ready In 4 Months

written by saurabh

The first phase of one of the largest solar power parks in India is set to be operational in the four months.

Pavagada solar power park will see the 500 megawatts capacity operational by June 2017. The state government plans to increase the capacity of the solar power park to 2,700 megawatts by the end of next year.

The solar park is being developed as a joint venture between Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited and Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited. The location of the solar power park is apt given its extreme arid conditions.

NTPC Limited, on behalf of the joint venture, auctioned 500 megawatts capacity among six project developers. The highly competitive auction saw allocation of the projects at tariffs Rs 4.78/kWh to Rs 4.80/kWh. The power generated from these projects will be shared by the distribution utilities of Karnataka.

Tenders to set up additional capacity at the solar power park are expected to be floated soon. These tenders are expected to reap sharply lower tariff bids compared to those seen in the first phase. Land for the solar park has already been been acquired which means that project developers will not have to pay anything for land.

March 10, 2017 0 comment

Steel Giant ArcelorMittal Seeks Approval For 600 Megawatt Solar Power Plant In India

written by saurabh

World’s largest steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal has sought approval for setting up one of the largest solar power projects developed by a single company in India.

According to media reports quoting the company’s annual report, ArcelorMittal has sought approvals from the state government of Karnataka (India) to set up 600 megawatts solar power project. The project will come up at the site earlier earmarked for a steel manufacturing unit of the company.

The company first indicated its plans to replace the planned steel mill with a large-scale solar power project in 2016 when the price of international commodities had collapsed and steel demand had dwindled.

At around the same time, the Indian government came out in full support of the renewable energy sector, particularly the solar power sector. The government announced plans to have 100 gigawatts of operational solar power capacity by 2022, including 20 gigawatts from large-scale projects (which was later doubled to 40 gigawatts).

The conducive regulatory, policy and monetary support (reduced interest rates) attracted several companies towards the solar power market. An Indian power generation company, RattanIndia Power, announced plans to replace a planned coal-fired power plant with a 200 MW solar power project. The company dropped plans for the coal-based power plant after it failed to receive assurance of domestic coal supply.

At present, the largest solar power project developed by a single company in India is 650 megawatts operated by Adani Green Energy in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Image by vectoropenstock.com for Cleantechies

March 5, 2017 0 comment

India Allocates 950 MW Solar Power Capacity In Fresh Auction

written by saurabh

The Solar Energy Corporation of India recently concluded yet another auction under the National Solar Mission and allocated 950 MW solar PV capacity in the southern state of Karnataka.

According to media reports, Indian companies dominated the auction where trip was fixed at Rs 4.43/kWh (US¢6.60/kWh) and perspective project developers were required to bid for capital cost support required to set up the projects. There was no restriction on the sourcing of the modules.

Largest capacity was secured by Parampujya Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Adani Green Energy which, in turn, is part of the Adani Group. The company secured rights to develop 350 MW capacity (or 37% of the total capacity on offer) with a bid for Rs 73.50 lakhs capital cost support (US$110,000) per MW.

Hero Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Hero Future Energies which is part of the Hero Group, secured the largest volume on offer. The company will set up 200 MW capacity with capital cost support of Rs 68 lakhs (US$101,825) per MW.

Other major winners included Acme Solar (160 MW) and Energon (100 MW). Parampujya Solar Energy also secured the entire 100 MW capacity on offer under the VGF auction in the state of Chhattisgarh.

Earlier this year, the Indian Government approved Rs 5,050 crore (US$750 million) funding through the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as viability gap funding to set up 5 GW of solar power projects. These projects will form part of the Batch IV of Phase II of the National Solar Mission that aims to have an operational solar power capacity of 100 GW by 2022.

June 20, 2016 0 comment

India’s Tata Power Renewable Energy Wins 100 MW Solar Power Capacity

written by saurabh

Subsidiary of one of India’s leading private sector power companies – Tata Power – recently won rights to develop large-scale solar power projects in the southern state of Karnataka.

Tata Power Company recently reported that its subsidiary Tata Power Renewable Energy received letter of intent for development of two solar power projects with 50 MW capacity each. The projects shall be located in the southern state of Karnataka.

The projects will be part of a larger solar power park in the state. Power generated from this solar power park shall be bundled with power generated from thermal power projects in order to make it cheaper for the utilities to purchase the bundled electricity.

Tata Power Renewable Energy shall sell the electricity to NVVN Limited, a subsidiary of NTPC Limited (India’s largest power generation company) at a tariff of Rs 4.79/kWh (US¢7.2/kWh). NVVN shall then bundle this power with that generated from thermal power plants of NTPC Limited before selling it to interested utilities across the country.

The projects have been allocated to Tata Power Renewable Energy under phase II, batch II of the National Solar Mission. Under the first tranche of this scheme the government aims to set up 3 GW capacity.

Last month, Tata Power had announced plans to increase its share of renewable energy output from 20% to 35-40% by 2025. The company currently has an installed capacity of 9,156 MW, including 593 MW from wind energy and 60 MW from solar power projects. Tata Power hopes to increase its installed capacity to 20 GW by 2025. A 40% renewable energy share would mean 8 GW capacity.

May 27, 2016 0 comment

Competitive Solar Auction In India Keeps Tariffs Under US¢7.2/kWh

written by saurabh

Indian and international project developers continue to fight it out in one of the fastest growing solar power markets in the world.

The recent solar power auction in the Indian state of Karnataka saw one of the most competitive bidding in recent times. The auction allocated 500 MW capacity of the planned 2 GW solar power park part of the ambitious ultra mega solar power project scheme announced by the Indian government.

A total of 6 developers managed to win rights to develop the first phase of the solar power park. The winning bids were all within a range less than one US cent. The winning bids were between Rs 4.78/kWh to Rs 4.80/kWh (US¢7.2/kWh).

Interestingly, 5 of the 6 project developers were Indian companies while many major foreign developers, including SunEdison and Canadian Solar, failed to the cut.

Among the successful bidders, Adani Enterprises, Fortum Group (from Finland), ACME Solar, and Tata Power secured 100 MW project each while RattanIndia Power and ReNew Power Ventures won 50 MW project each.

Such a positive response to one of the first auctions under the ultra mega solar power scheme is very encouraging for the Indian government. The scheme is one of the mainstays of the Indian National Solar Mission which aims for 100 GW operational solar power capacity by March 2022.

Continued and active participation by the Indian developers is also a testament to the fact that it is not just the foreign developers that are propelling the low-cost solar power revolution in India.

April 26, 2016 0 comment