Monday, August 31, 2015


Indian capital city’s pride, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has earned yet another achievement by commissioning its first rooftop solar power project at one of its stations.
The project, with an installed capacity of 500 kW, is expected to start generating power from next month. The project is located at a station near the Delhi international airport.
The project will be commissioned and operated under the RESCO — renewable energy services company — model where the Delhi Metro will provide the site for the project while the developer will invest the capital cost for project development. The project operation and maintenance cost will also be borne by the developer. The project has been hailed as the largest rooftop project in the capital under the RESCO model. 
Delhi Metro has signed a power purchase agreement with the project developer. However, the terms of this agreement have not been made public. Delhi Metro might get power free of cost after the developer has recovered its capital investment. 
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation intends to implement similar pilot projects at a few stations before replicating the same across all stations and yards on the network. With the support of GIZ, the DMRC found that its stations and yards can accommodate solar power projects with capacity between 90 kW and 2,500 kW with a network-wide potential of about 52 MW. 
The study also suggested the various monetization avenues that DMRC may consider with respect to these power plants. The power generated could be used for in-house use at the stations, sold to nearby advertising hoardings or used for charging electric vehicles in the near the future. 
Electricity is a major component of Delhi Metro’s operations. The lifeline of India’s capital city came to a halt during the infamous July 2012 blackout in north India. Due to the commercial nature of its operations, the Delhi Metro attracts a significantly high electricity tariff from the city’s power distribution companies. With a potential to install 52 MW, DMRC could end up generating about 86.5 million units of electricity every year. At current power tariff, DMRC would save about $8 million (₹47.6 crore) every year. 
DMRC has been known to take innovative sustainability measures. It has implemented an energy recovery mechanism in the braking system of its trains. It was also the first project of its kind to be registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism for cutting emissions by replacing a large number of private vehicles as means of transport. Recently, it allowed college students to install micro wind turbines at some of the metro stations in a pilot project to harness the wind generated from the fast-moving trains.

 Original Post: by Mridul Chadha 

Delhi Metro Eyes 100% Solar Dream

     
 Amit Thussu: 31st September 2015

The Delhi based Hindustan Times recently reported that Delhi Metro is looking to meet its entire electricity needs using solar power.
As per a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official, the metro is interested in buying solar electricity from a project developer rather than putting up one by itself.  DMRC is currently buying electricity at ₹6.94 (~$0.11) per kilowatt hour.
DMRC is the biggest consumer of electricity in the Indian state of Delhi. Its traction system is completely electricity driven, and in addition, electricity is required for signalling, communication, air-conditioning, and lighting, amongst other things. 
As of now, Delhi metro has a peak power requirement of 150 MW which is expected to shoot up to 250 MW by the time the third phase goes operational. Over the past five years, power prices in Delhi have increased at the rate of 20 percent per annum; solar power can help the company to free itself from future price rise.
The report mentions that the metro might be looking at a solar plant of 500 MW installed capacity, possibly in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan.
DMRC has also been focusing on solar rooftops in a big way. Currently it operates a 1.2 MW solar rooftop capacity system, with the metro is hoping to implement a few more pilots before rolling it out on a large scale to cover all stations and yards on the network.
A GIZ supported study estimates a network-wide potential of about 52 MW solar rooftop capacity.
The rooftop projects are being commissioned and operated under the RESCO — REnewable Energy Services COmpany — model where the Delhi Metro provides the site for the project while the developer takes care of capital cost and project operation and maintenance. The utility-scale plant will also be developed under a similar model, and is expected to entail an initial investment of ₹30 billion (~$500 million).
Check out this presentation for an overview of several initiatives taken by Delhi metro for its sustainable growth.
Meanwhile Indian Railways has been experimenting with solar powered coaches, and have got promising results

 Original Postby: Anand Upadhyay

1st Airport In World To Go 100% Solar Is In India

 Originally published on Solar Love.


Cochin International Airport Limited in Kochi, Kerala (India) has become the first airport in the world to be powered entirely by solar power. A 12 MW solar PV plant, spread over 50 acres, was inaugurated two days back near the airport’s cargo complex.
The power plant took 6 months to complete and has come up at a cost of  ₹620 million ($9.5 million).
Technically speaking, the airport is now grid neutral, as it will give back more than it consumes from the grid. The newly installed solar power plant can generate between 50,000 to 60,000 kWh per day.
The airport has another 1 MW solar PV plant in addition to a smaller grid-connected 100 kW rooftop system, both of which were installed in 2013.
The electricity generated from the system will be fed into the power grid and the airport will use equivalent power from the utility. The plant is expected to produce much more than what the airport would consume, and for this purpose a PPA has been signed with Kerala State Electricity Board to sell any surplus power.
The 12 MW system was executed by Bosch’s Energy and Building Solutions team in India. This is the largest project for the company to date.
About a year back, the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi took the solar plunge with a 2.14 MW plant.
Incidentally, the combined capacity of solar installations at Cochin Airport (12+1.1 MW) is more than the solar PV system installed at the Indianapolis International Airport, which holds the record for world’s largest solar plant at an airport. However, to be fair, Indianapolis has a single 12.5 MW ground-mounted system.
According to the German company Enerparc, which had commissioned the Delhi system, the only special requirement for putting up a solar plant at an airport is the glare analysis for the solar panels. Solar glare is a concern among pilots, but technology advancements have led to a substantive reduction in the reflective index of panels.
Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which seems to be the next in line to install a MW-scale solar plant, is said to have sanctioned a 2 MW solar PV unit. Though, if themedia reports are to be believed, the airport is eyeing a 15 MW ground-mounted solar power plant over 60 acres of land.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI), which operates 125 airports across the country, including the Cochin and Kolkata airports, has decided to build solar power plants at about 30 of its airports.
AAI has plans to install 50 MW capacity plants in the first phase (by 2016), which would be enhanced to 150 MW over a period of time. The plants would be established on surplus land available at these identified airports or on the large rooftops of the airport structures.
MoU was signed between AAI and Solar Energy Corporation Of India (SECI) for construction of these solar plants.
India has 136 airports, some of which are spread over vast pieces of land. For example, the Hyderabad International Airport is spread over 5,400 acres, while the one at Chennai sits over 4,000 acres. Large-scale solar plants are possible on many of these. The one at Hyderabad, for instance, can house a 25 MW system.
Photo Credit: 12 MW Solar Plant at Cochin International Airport via official website 





www.aws-india.co.in 



Original Post : Times Of India


"Our target would be 30-40 MW in the 1st year, 100 MW in the 2nd year, then 200 MW in the next year followed by 400 MW and so on" Satyendra Jain said.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Power minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday said that the state will produce 2,000 MW electricity by 2025 through solar power generation.

"We want to achieve 1,000 MW target in next 4-5 years' time and we aim to generate 2000 MW electricity by the year 2025 in a phased manner," Jain said while inaugurating a conference on 'Solar Power: 1,00,000 MW @2022 - Accelerating Deployment', organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

"Our target would be 30-40 MW in the 1st year, 100 MW in the 2nd year, then 200 MW in the next year followed by 400 MW and so on."

Stressing upon the need for innovation and new inventions in solar power generation, the minister said: "We aim to fast-tracking solar power projects in Delhi by about 20 per cent. Solar panels could be installed at railway platforms, metro stations, bus stops etc."

Terming financing of solar power generation as a challenge, he suggested the financial institutions to introduce "solar power mutual funds", and luring the investors by providing assured units of power at a fixed rate.





Friday, August 28, 2015


Original Post : Utpal Bhaskar, Livemint


India has pushed green power to the top of its energy security agenda and needs as much as $200 billion to meet its target of installing 100GW of solar power and 60,000MW of wind power by 2022. Photo: Bloomberg

New Delhi: West Asian investors are looking at acquiring green power assets in India for the first time, lured by the government’s push for renewable energy.
Doha-based Nebras Power QSC and Dubai’s private equity firm Abraaj Group are evaluating renewable energy projects, with Abraaj Group evaluating at least two operating green energy platforms for investing in India.
This development comes in the backdrop of India’s growing focus on the Gulf region in the era of depressed oil prices.
“West Asian investors are looking at the Indian green energy space for the first time,” said a person aware of the development, requesting anonymity.
Abraaj Group has $9 billion under management with a focus on private equity investing in growth markets.
Qatar Electricity and Water Co. has a 60% stake in Nebras Power, with Qatar Holding LLC and Qatar Petroleum International Ltd holding 20% each in the company, which invests “in international greenfield and brownfield development or through acquisition”.
Nebras Power recently signed an agreement with Qatar Development Fund to invest in energy projects in other countries.
West Asian companies are seeking opportunities in India at a time when crude oil prices have fallen, impacting the investments made in conventional energy projects. This is expected to worsen with the likely lifting of trade restrictions on Iran and indications of a slowdown in the Chinese economy.
Crude oil prices in the Indian energy basket averaged at $56.30 per barrel in July, as against $84.16, $105.52, $107.97 and $111.89 in 2014-15, 2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12, respectively.
While an external spokesperson for Abraaj Group declined to comment, Nebras Power couldn’t be immediately reached for comments.
Of the 189.43 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of crude oil sourced by India last year, 109.76 mt came from West Asia.
The National Democratic Alliance government has been trying to tap West Asian countries for investing in Indian infrastructure projects without much success.
The initial focus was to attract investments from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait. The plan didn’t succeed.
Investments from the UAE so far have amounted to $10 billion. According to government data, India-UAE trade, valued at $180 million per annum in the 1970s, is currently at around $60 billion, making the UAE India’s third largest trading partner in 2014-15 after China and the US. The UAE was the second largest export destination for India ($33 billion for 2014-15). For the UAE, India was the largest trading partner for the year 2013 (over $36 billion in non-oil trade).
The government has pushed renewable energy to the top of its energy security agenda and is looking to provide green power at less than Rs.4.50 a unit. India needs as much as $200 billion to meet its target of installing 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 60,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power by 2022.
“Ind-Ra (India Ratings) expects a strong pick-up in solar power installations over the next four-five years, driven both by the government impetus of 100GW of solar power by FY22 (60GW through grid-connected solar projects) and a decline in solar power generation costs,” India Ratings and Research, the domestic arm of Fitch Ratings, said in a 22 July report.
There has been growing interest from overseas investors in the Indian renewable energy space.
Russia’s OAO Rosneft, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, among others are exploring investments in India’s solar energy sector.
In June, SoftBank Corp., along with Bharti Enterprises Ltdand Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology, proposed to invest at least $20 billion in solar energy projects in India through a joint venture, SBG Cleantech Ltd. US-based First Solar Inc.and China’s Trina Solar are among those considering plans to set up manufacturing facilities in India.
US-based SunEdison Inc. had also said it plans to establish a joint venture with Adani Enterprises Ltd to build a solar photovoltaic manufacturing facility with an investment of $4 billion.



The power firm looks to make solar equipment as part of its strategy to be present across the renewables value chain
Original Post: Utpal Bhaskar, Livemint

India needs as much as $200 billion to meet its target to install 100GW of solar power and 60,000MW of wind power by 2022. Photo: AP
NTPC Ltd is exploring options to manufacture solar equipment as part of the state-owned power producer’s strategy to be present across the green energy value chain.
To start with, India’s largest power generator is evaluating a plan to set up a 1,000-megawatt (MW) per annum manufacturing capacity, which may require an investment of Rs.5,000 crore.
The plan stems from the fact that NTPC has to set up 10,000 MW of solar power capacity on its own, along with buying 15,000MW from solar project developers, on behalf of the ministry of new and renewable energy.
“We are evaluating the opportunity. We want to be present across the value chain—from polysilicon to solar panels. We have the money, and the present costs can be reduced. Silicon and quartz are available in abundance in the eastern part of India. A presentation on the subject has been made,” said an NTPC executive, requesting anonymity. The plan is at a preliminary stage.
There has been considerable interest in the solar-equipment manufacturing space in India, with US-basedSunEdison Inc. announcing its plans to establish a joint venture (JV) with Adani Enterprises Ltd to build a solar, photovoltaic manufacturing facility in India at an investment of about $4 billion.
US-based First Solar Inc. and China’s Trina Solar are among companies that are considering plans to set up manufacturing facilities in India.
With an installed capacity of 45,048MW, NTPC has around a 17% share of India’s power-generation capacity of 272,593MW, and has set itself a target of becoming a 128,000MW power producer by 2032. It plans to raise the contribution of renewable energy to 28% of its planned capacity by then.
“It is the right time to go for manufacturing. We have a large solar power generation commitment on ourselves. Also, in due course, NTPC has the target to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel sources,” said the executive cited earlier. “With a focus on renewable, solar is a viable solution.”
The government has pushed renewable energy to the top of its energy security agenda and is looking to provide green power at less than Rs.4.50 a unit.
While the current installation cost of a solar project is around Rs.6 crore per MW, economies of scale are expected to drive down the cost to Rs.4.5 crore per MW.
India needs as much as $200 billion (Rs.12.75 trillion) to meet its target to install 100GW of solar power and 60,000MW of wind power by 2022.
Analysts expect solar power tariffs to fall.
“Solar power is likely to become cheaper than, or equivalent to, conventional thermal energy prices over the next two to three years and reach Rs.4-4.5/kWh by FY18,” India Ratings and Research, the domestic arm of Fitch Ratings, said in a 22 July report. “This will be driven by a decline in capital costs (solar modules and other balance of plant), an increase in efficiency, a shift towards large solar photovoltaic projects, leading to the economies of scale and lower return expectations by developers,” the report added.
Queries emailed to spokespersons of NTPC, ministry of new and renewable energy, SunEdison and Adani remained unanswered till press time.
The emphasis on solar and wind power is also expected to strengthen India’s standing at global climate change negotiations that culminate in a summit in Paris in December.
The government’s focus on renewable energy is aimed to minimize India’s dependence on coal-fuelled electricity.
While there has been a growing interest from overseas and domestic investors in the Indian renewable-energy space, concerns are being raised over its viability in the backdrop of state electricity boards (SEBs) increasingly showing a reluctance to buy power on account of their poor financial health. With a debt of Rs.3.04 trillion and losses of Rs.2.52 trillion, SEBs are on the brink of financial collapse.
Russia’s OAO Rosneft, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, is exploring a huge investment in solar energy in India, Mint reported on 14 July.
Also, SoftBank Corp., with Bharti Enterprises Ltd andFoxconn Technology Group of Taiwan, in June proposed to invest at least $20 billion in solar energy projects in India through a joint venture, SBG Cleantech Ltd.


Thursday, August 27, 2015


Adani Enterprises may partner with another manufacturer, says a person familiar with the development


Original Post: Utpal Bhaskar, Live Mint
Photo: Bloomberg

New Delhi: Adani Enterprises Ltd’s plans to set up a $4 billion solar photovoltaic manufacturing facility in partnership with US-based SunEdison Inc. may come unstuck.
“It is not working out. Adani Enterprises may partner with another manufacturer,” said a person familiar with the development who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A second person aware of the development confirmed it, but asked not to be identified.
Spokespersons for Adani Enterprises and SunEdison didn’t respond to an email sent on 7 August and subsequent reminders seeking comment.
On 20 August, Reuters reported that the Adani Group was in talks with Japan’s SoftBank Corp. and Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd to secure investment in a $3 billion project to make solar cells and panels in the country. It added, citing an unnamed source, that Adani and SunEdison had ended their proposed partnership in June.
Meanwhile, SunEdison has been firming up its India strategy. It recently agreed to acquire Continuum Wind Energy Ltd, a Singapore-based company which owns and operates 242 megawatts (MW) of wind power plants in Maharashtra and Gujarat, besides a 170MW wind power unit under construction in Madhya Pradesh.
Also, it signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd to provide 180MW of electricity.
The National Democratic Alliance government has pushed renewable energy to the top of its energy security agenda and is looking to provide green power at less than Rs.4.50 per unit. India needs as much as $200 billion to meet its target of installing 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 60,000MW of wind power by 2022.
The Adani-SunEdison facility was to be constructed in Mundra, Gujarat. A memorandum of understanding to the effect was signed in the backdrop of the seventh Vibrant Gujarat summit in January, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar.
“The facility will create enough solar panels to fuel substantial solar growth in India, furthering India’s goals for clean, renewable energy independence, and will add up to 20,000 jobs to the local economy,” Adani Enterprises and SunEdison said in a joint statement on 11 January.
“During the first half of 2015, SunEdison and Adani will complete a comprehensive analysis of the joint venture opportunity and business plan. Pending successful outcome of the study, construction of the facility will begin shortly thereafter,” the statement said, adding, ‘The new $4 billion facility will be constructed in Mundra, Gujarat, India, over a three to four year period. This facility will vertically integrate all aspects of solar panel production on site, including Polysilicon refining, ingots, wafers, cells and panels production with a broader ecosystem involving extended supply chain for raw materials and consumables,” the statement added.
There has been growing interest from overseas investors in the Indian renewable energy space. Russia’s OAO Rosneft, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, US-based First Solar and China’s Trina Solar are among the firms looking for opportunities in India’s solar energy sector. In June, SoftBank, along with Bharti Enterprises Ltd and Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology, proposed to invest at least $20 billion in solar energy projects in India through a joint venture, SBG Cleantech Ltd.
According to the government, the Indian clean energy market is largely driven by asset-based finance to the extent of 94% of the total investment in the sector.
In India, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter after the US and China, renewable energy currently accounts for only 13%, or 35,777MW, of the total installed power capacity of 2,74,818MW.
Analysts believe that local manufacturing of solar power generation and transmission equipment will play an important role as the country builds up its solar energy capacity.
“The associated industry of solar cell manufacturing, power storage and transmission equipment technology cycles are contracting, and finance needs to evolve accordingly to provide a definitive boost. A short-term financing approach focuses only on current technologies which have shorter shelf life and expects higher returns. Alternatively, investors now need to finance businesses not products, adopting a long-term approach, as it is the adaptability of business to environment and technologies’ that form the pillars of success,” Yes Bank Ltd said in a 19 August report.

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WTO Rules Against India In Solar Dispute With US: Report


Original Post: Money Control



The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled against India in a dispute with the United States over its solar power programme, Indiabusiness newspaper Mint reported on Wednesday. Mint quoted an unnamed official from the Indian commerce ministry as saying the country planned to appeal the decision, made after the United States complained about domestic content requirements in a programme aimed at easing chronic energy shortages in India, Asia's third-largest economy. 

India has said it expects peak power demand to double over the next five years from around 140,000 megawatts today. To help meet that demand, India wants 100,000 MW of new capacity from solar panels, with at least 8,000 MW from locally made cells. The newspaper said the WTO dispute settlement panel, in a confidential report to New Delhi and Washington, found India violated global trade rules by imposing local content requirements for solar cells and solar modules, and also struck down incentive policies such as subsidies provided for domestic solar companies to manufacture cells and solar modules. The WTO typically circulates decisions on disputes to the parties before they are made public

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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Solar Energy, Solar Power, Solar Power capacity, solar power installation, solar rooftop, renewable energy, science, solar power generation, tech news, technology
All this while the National Institute of Solar Energy has estimated India’s solar power potential at 749 GW.
The study also revealed that installed solar power capacity in India grew from 14 MW in 2010 to 3,744 MW by March 2015.
“There are 300 million people in India without power; 400 million people are supplied erratic power; more than half the population of India does not get proper power,” said Ashish Khanna, CEO, Tata Power Solar.
Speaking at the CII Annual Power Conference here on Tuesday, Khanna lauded the government of India’s ambitious target of achieving 100 GW solar power capacity by 2022 compared to China’s 100 GW by 2020.
The central and state governments have embarked on initiatives like rooftop solar projects, solar parks, standalone mini-grids for rural electrification and off-grid applications such as solar cookers, lanterns and others for producing maximum solar power in India.
About use of solar power in Karnataka, G.V. Balaram, MD, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development, said: “Excluding rooftop solar power generation, plans are afoot to increase solar power generation to 20,000 MW using wastelands by 2020.”
Balaram said 500 MW solar power capacity will be added in Karnataka in the next six to eight months.
“Karnataka’s solar policy aims to install 400 MW solar rooftop projects by 2018. Harvesting solar energy through rooftop installation not only enables flexibility but also reduces dependence on diesel-based captive and back-up generation units for industrial and commercial consumers,” said M. Maheshwar Rao, MD, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited.
The annual power conference will brainstorm on policy issues and challenges, new and emerging technologies, grid evacuation, availability and load despatch and innovative financing models in the solar power sector.
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Sunday, August 23, 2015

Original Post: BRIDGE TO INDIA 

India has been discussing dollar dominated bids for solar projects in the country for some time now. The rationale is to attract low cost international capital and reduce hedging costs by pooling currency risk with the ultimate objective of reducing the cost of solar power. An initial allocation for 1 GW of projects is believed to be in planning stages and guidelines on bidding process are expected within the next couple of months.

  • The government hopes to lower the cost of solar power by around 10%
  • BRIDGE TO INDIA analysis shows that cost reduction may be slightly less at about 5% but these projects may attract new capital to the sector
  • It is worth going through the added complexity of Dollar dominated bids only if the government is confident of using this mechanism for much larger capacity, say 10 GW or more
Under this structure, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) hopes to buy solar power at a fixed tariff of about USD 5.6 cents/kWh (INR 3.6/kWh) using auction process and sell to distribution companies (DISCOMs) at around INR 5/kWh, about 10% lower than current cost. This leaves INR 1.40/kWh to cover hedging risk.
BRIDGE TO INDIA analysis shows that this is a sensible move as there is already very strong demand from international investors for Indian solar projects. But the actual tariffs realized under Dollar denominated bids will likely be less than 10% because procuring currency hedging for 25 years is not possible and it is not clear who will maintain this hedging corpus and bear the residual risk. This unhedged risk, which increases with time, is very difficult to quantify and will result in higher hedging cost.
It is important to highlight that the Dollar tariffs will remove exchange rate risk for developers and investors, but they will still bear all other India project development risk including offtake, dispatch, policy and other operational risks. Hence, developers expecting 10-11% return on projects in the USA, for example, will still expect a return premium for Indian projects to compensate for extra risks. And will the international lenders who anyway do not take any currency risk see these projects differently? The government should finesse the structure after thorough consultation with developers and lenders, distribution companies and NTPC, which is expected to be the project procurement agency. It might take another 6-8 months before all the kinks are ironed out and India actually moves forward with the first round of dollar dominated bids.

It is worth going through the added complexity of Dollar dominated bids only if the government feels confident of using this mechanism for much larger capacity, say 10 GW or more. The clear objective should be to attract large international developers for larger projects and reduce project procurement time and costs in addition to hedging costs.

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