Solar Energy thread

[arun82]

Tn will have 50 MW from the above projects + 10 mw already in operation by next year end

Wind - 7000 MW
Solar - 60 MW

[murlee]

Solar by CHANCE

Rising cost of conventional power and the drop in the cost of solar power panels will bring in grid parity in green energy much before the deadline, making it a more attractive choice for users

The cost of solar power is likely to be at par with thermal power within few years, given the rising coal price and excess capacities for solar power equipment manufacture.

“Grid connected solar power, costing near Rs 9 a unit (kwh) two years back has already dropped to just over Rs 7. It could go down further in a few years,” Tarun Kapur, joint secretary for solar power in the ministry of new and renewable energy told Financial Chronicle.

“With India increasingly dependent on imported coal for thermal power generation, the cost will only escalate from present Rs 4.5-5 to over Rs 6 in the coming years,” he said add*ing, “In four to five years, we will achieve grid parity as far as solar power and coal-based thermal electricity are concerned.

Actually it was projected that grid parity for solar power would happen during 2017-19. However, recent trends in the solar power prices signalled that it would happen earlier. This could happen based on two factors – rate of increase in conventional power prices and the rate of decrease in solar power prices.

According to Arvind Mahajan, head Energy and Natural Resources, KPMG India, the landed cost of conventional electricity to consumers can increase at the rate of four per cent per annum in the base case and 5.5 per cent per annum in an aggressive case. This factors the increasing proportion of raw material imports, cost of greenfield gener*ation, and higher investme*nts in network assets to improve operational efficiencies of utilities. On the other hand, solar power prices are to decline at the rate of 5-7 per cent per annum. This is after factoring the increasing economies of scale in equipment manufacturing and advancements in product technology which improves solar-to-electricity con*v*ersion efficiency. Eme*r*ge*nce of low cost manufacturing locations is expected to aid this trend.

With new capacity addition of 944 mw of during the first five months of this financial year, India’s cum*ul*ative grid-interactive ren*e*w*able energy installed capa*city was about 26,000 mw as on August 31. At about 26 gw, the renewable energy segment accounts for 12-13 per cent of India’s total installed generation capacity of about 206,000 mw.

Though wind remains the major contributor with 69 per cent share in total installed green power capacity, solar has been making good progress in the past couple of years. At present, solar acco*unts for about four per cent of clean power capacity at 1,044 mw. Thanks to National Solar Mission, the total grid connected solar capacity has increased to 1044 mw as of August from 2.5 mw in August 2011.

In its big plans to tap solar power, India set up the solar mission two years ago. Un*der solar mission plans, 1,100 mw of grid connected solar power is expected to be created by 2013. The solar programme actually aims at achieving 20,000 mw by 2022 when it will be one-tenth of India’s installed power base then. The overall investment may be about $40 billion for 20,000 mw of solar power projects.

India certainly has made a reasonably good beginning in the solar space and the Indian solar space has seen sharp decline in capital costs over the last two years, primarily driven by the market conditions. The government is targeting 10,000 mw solar power addition during the 12th five year Plan period, and the outlook for the sector is likely to remain robust,” Sanjay Chakrabarti, sector leader –– Cleantech, Ernst & Young India, said.

The total installed power capacity in India is likely to be over 400 gw by 2022. Installed solar capacity then would be one-twentieth of the then India’s total installed capacity. The share of renewable and particularly solar in country’s energy mix would keep increasing and is expected to help in limiting coal-fired power projects wh*ile easing the power deficit.

India is blessed with ample sunshine and most part of the country see 300 to 330 sunny days in a year. India receives solar energy equivalent to more than 5,000 trillion kwh per year; this is far more than its total annual energy consumption.

Abundant wasteland is available in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Utt*ar Pradesh and many other states where solar power plants can be set up. Just a fourth of the Thar desert in Rajasthan is eno*ugh to generate solar power equivalent to the total thermal power generated in the country, that is, around 115,000 mw. India’s geogra*phical locat*ion, large popu*lation and government sup**port are assisting it to beco*me one of the most rapidly emerging solar energy markets.

A big driver of increasing solar installations globally has been a sharp reduction in solar PV module prices. Post the crash in poly-silicon prices in 2008, large scale manufacturing of PV modules has picked-up in China taking advantage of the presence of local raw materials, experience in electronic man*ufacturing, low labour costs and Government incentive support, said a KPMG report.

Germany is the only country that has achieved grid parity in solar and thermal power, partly because of slightly higher cost of thermal power generation there.

The cost of solar power generation would remain the same over 25 years, Kapur said, adding that solar photovoltaic panels were still expensive. This makes the initial cost of installation slightly higher than that of thermal power. But with excess capacity in photovoltaic panel production in the world, the costs are falling. India now has the capacity to manufacture 1,800-1,900 mw of photovoltaic modules annually. This will only go up.

China has the capacity to manufacture for 50,000 mw worth of photovoltaic equipment a year. Taiwan too has a huge capacity; hence the tendency in India to go in for cheap imports of panels.

While different estimates are available on the extent of mismatch between supply and demand and on the timelines for reaching equilibrium, the general consensus is that the oversupply conditions will persist over the next 12 to 24 months, according to Mahajan.

Apart from grid connected solar power generation, there is abundant potential for off-grid solar power generation like on rooftops, according to Kapur. But the biggest problem now is storage of solar power. That’s why the government is working on a strategy wherein solar energy could be generated in daytime and wind energy at night when the wind speed is generally higher.

“The aim is to generate 15 per cent of India’s power through renewable sources like hydroelectric, wind and solar power," he said. Wind power has caught on and solar is picking up.

The day is not far when solar power is generated on every rooftop and the surplus power will be fed into the grid for which credit will be given to the owner through a system of net metering.

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/solar-chance-210

[Onubense]

THE BEST WEATHER INFORMATION, FOR EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

WWW.METEOHUELVABLOGSPOT.COM

[wO_Ow]

Impact of Chinese Imports on India Solar Energy Apparatus Industry

Government of India has taken following steps under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to protect Indian Solar Power Equipment Manufacturing Industry:

i) Under off-grid solar scheme of Government of India, only modules made in India are allowed to be used.

ii) All Grid Solar Power Developers under Batch-I, Phase-I of JNNSM, using Crystalline Silicon Technology, are required to procure Modules manufactured in India.

iii) All Grid Solar Power Developers under Batch-II, Phase-I of JNNSM, using Crystalline Silicon Technology, are required to procure Cells and Modules manufactured in India.

iv) As per Government of India, Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), Notification No. 25/1999-Customs dated the 28 February 1999 (G.S.R. 161 E dated the 28 February, 1999) Custom Duty Exemption is extended on goods required for manufacturing of Solar Cell and Modules.

Further, all items of machinery required for initial setting up of a solar power generation project or facility are fully exempt from excise duty under Notification No. 15/2010-CE dated 27 February 2010 subject to fulfillment of certain conditions mentioned therein. Moreover, such goods enjoy concessional rate of customs duty of 5% adv. Vide Notification No. 1/2011-Customs, dated 6 January 2011.

[karkal]

Indian state of Tamil Nadu to stage 1GW PV auction in January

The state of Tamil Nadu has published plans to launch a 1GW auction for PV projects in January, as individual state policies continue to play the defining role in India’s solar ambitions.

In October the southern state of Tamil Nadu, seen as having some of India’s best conditions for solar energy, announced plans to build 3GW of PV capacity by the end of 2015 – with 1GW to be put to tender each year from 2013.

Developers have until 4 January to submit bids for the first batch of projects, which must be at least 1MW in size. In theory, there is no ceiling on the size or number of projects any one developer can win.

The reverse auction process will be similar to that used by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for the central government’s National Solar Mission (NSM).

Yesterday the Indian government issued a draft policy indicating the direction it will take for phase two of the NSM. The government has been clear that, while the NSM will act as the central motor of the country’s solar programme, it expects most of the heavy lifting to be done via state-wide initiatives.

Of India’s roughly 1.1GW of installed PV capacity – up from 18MW in 2010 – less than a quarter has come through the NSM, with the bulk coming at the state level.

Gujarat’s state-wide programme has seen nearly 700MW of capacity added, although Tamil Nadu’s 3GW ambition is the largest announced by any state to date.

Most of Tamil Nadu’s capacity will come via the reverse tender, although it also wants to add 350MW of rooftop capacity, having announced India’s first net metering scheme.

Keen to lure upstream jobs, Tamil Nadu is known to be using tax incentives to lure PV manufacturers. However, like other state policies – and unlike the NSM – Tamil Nadu has no local-content rules in place.

[karkal]

Tender document

http://tneb.tnebnet.org/attach/gedco...-Spec-2012.pdf

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-1...-projects.html

[wO_Ow]

Isn't this L1 bidding killing the Indian solar panel manufacturing industry.There is no way a bidder using Indian made panels can outbid one using Chinese panels

[bidonv]

CNPV to supply 7MWp modules to India

CNPV claims it competed against over 20 other suppliers for the contract.
Chinese PV equipment manufacturer CNPV Solar Power SA’s financial troubles appears to have not dampened its expansionist plans.
The company announced it was recently awarded a contract to supply...
READ FULL ARTICLE

[murlee]

Sun-kissed settlements

Fifty-four cities across India have received in-principle approval to be developed as ‘solar cities’ by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The draft Master Plans have been prepared for 28 cities, of which eight have been approved by the Ministry for implementation; the development of projects is in progress in Agra and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

An amount of Rs. 19.23 crore has been sanctioned for preparation of Master Plans, solar city cells and promotional activities for 41 cities, out of which Rs. 4.22 crore has been released. Further, an amount of Rs.11.98 crore has been sanctioned for execution of renewable energy projects in five cities, out of which Rs. 3.87 crore has been released.

According to New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, the criteria set by the Ministry for the identification of cities include a city population between 50,000 to 50 lakh (with relaxation given to special category States, including the north-eastern States), initiatives and regulatory measures already taken along with a high level of commitment in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dr. Abdullah said renewable energy has the potential to be cost effective with advancement in technologies and economies of scale. Power generation from renewable is at present generally more expensive than that from conventional sources. While cost of power generation from wind, biomass and small hydro are comparable with cost of power from conventional sources, solar power may take some more time to achieve grid parity. The total installed capacity of renewable energy-based power in the country is 26,267 MW. A capacity addition of 30,000 MW is proposed from renewable energy during the 12th Plan period. The Ministry is supporting research in various renewable energy technologies for improvement in efficiency, reduction in cost and to develop new applications. Meanwhile, global venture capital (VC) investments in the solar sector have touched a five-year low — down by nearly 50 per cent in 2012 to $992 million involving 103 deals compared to $1.9 billion raised from 108 deals in 2011.

“The slowdown in VC funding can be attributed to the grim prospects for thin-film, concentrating solar and concentrating PV technologies,” Mercom Capital Group managing partner Raj Prabhu said.

The thin-film companies saw the largest amount of VC funding in 2012, although the total fell by 47 per cent to $314 million compared to almost $600 million in 2011. During the past three years, thin-film companies have received the most VC funding, with almost $1.5 billion. “The diminished funding activity is not a true reflection of the health of the solar sector, because the demand side of global solar installations has continued to grow,” Mr. Prabhu added.

Corporate merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity in solar industry amounted to $6.7 billion in 52 transactions compared to $4 billion in 65 transactions in 2011. “It was a buyer's market in 2012 — acquirers were targeting distressed companies with the goal of buying technology or equipment on the cheap. More than half the 52 M&A deals in 2012 involved solar manufacturers and equipment makers,’’ he said.

VC funding in Q4 2012 came in at $220 million in 27 deals compared to just $72 million in 14 deals in Q3. Twenty-five investors participated in the 27 deals in Q4, and no investor was involved in multiple deals. About 35 solar companies filed for insolvency or bankruptcy protection over the course of 2012. More than 70 per cent of these companies were active in manufacturing and all but a few were based in Europe and the U.S. Thin-film manufacturers accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the bankruptcies.

The ‘solar cities’ project, however, may help to boost investment in the sector.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...?homepage=true

[karkal]

del

[ma25]

LUCKNOW: The National Thermal Power Corporation on Monday announced setting up of two solar power plants of 25 Mw and 10 Mw capacity in Singrauli and Unchahar respectively. The central power generation utility is already in the process of establishing an 8 Mw power plant in Singrauli in UP EAST .

Speaking to reporters, regional executive director, NTPC, Sharad Anand said that the northern region of NTPC is working on (660x2=1320 Mw) Bilhaur Super Thermal Power Project, 40 kilometres from Kanpur. Likewise in Tanda,UP, the stage-II (660X2 = 1320 Mw) extension work is also in under process.

Anand informed that work in 1320 Mw Meja thermal power station, which is a joint venture with UP government, is in full swing. The project happens to be a 50:50 joint venture with UP government. "Another 1320 Mw is also proposed. This plant is 40 km far from Allahabad," Anand said. The NTPC has a total installed capacity 40,674 Mw. This includes 16 coal-based and seven gas-based power plant of 35,310 Mw capacity.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/19207958.cms

[DeadManWalking]

Poor response to solar energy projects in Krishna district

Even as people are facing severe hardships with power cuts and many industries are closing down due to the problem, there was no proper response on the use of solar energy in Krishna district.

According to official sources, there are about 13 lakh power connections in the district, of which 11 lakhs are domestic services. The demand was about 11.5 million units, but the supply was only 9.6 million units. Speaking to The Hindu, New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) District Manager K. Srinivas said the government was taking steps to solve power problem in the State. The Government of India had introduced a scheme to encourage solar energy and identified 179 channel partners across the country.

The NREDCAP would give permission for installing solar system with 200 watts capacity for domestic users and 250 kilo watts capacity for industries. The Government would give a subsidy of Rs. 21,600 for a Rs.54,000 project, and the customer could install the system by contacting the channel partners or bank officials, said the DM.

[wO_Ow]

NLC to add 80 MW of wind, solar power

Chennai, May 30: Public sector Neyveli Lignite Corporation will enter the renewable energy area this year. The company expects to add 50 MW of wind power and 30 MW of solar before March 2014. The tendering process for the 50 MW wind farm is on and the vendor could be finalised in a month, R. Kandasamy, Director (Planning & Projects), said. The wind farm is coming up in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Kandasamy said the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board had assured NLC that there would be no problems in evacuating the power. Tendering is also on for a 10 MW solar plant that will come up on the NLC campus in Neyveli. This will help the company meet its ‘solar purchase obligation’ mandated by the Tamil Nadu government.