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標題＊ India’s booming solar sector has one major flaw:
1
Title poor quality
國家區域＊ India
2
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新聞日期＊ 2/08/2018
5
Date
6 商情內容＊ In recent years, India has been adding thousands of
Content megawatts of solar power capacity which has led to
record-low tariffs. So much so that solar power now
costs even lesser than thermal in the country.

But this boom is riding on an uncomfortable truth:

poor quality.

The solar modules or panels that form the industry’s

backbone are sub-par and the many plants mushrooming
across India are flawed in their construction,
besides being poorly maintained, according to a study
by PI Berlin, a German technical advisory firm.

PI Berlin analysed six projects in collaboration with

the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and
two state-run organisations, the National Institute
of Solar Energy (NISE) and the Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI). These plants were chosen
based on India-specific environmental factors:
various climates, modules and mounting structures,
and state-wise solar capacity.
“The Indian market is one of the most profitable yet
risky for project developers and investors in
photovoltaics (PV or silicon-based solar panels).
While large-scale projects of over 100 megawatts (MW)
are now common, the investment risks caused by the
climate, poor installation, and lack of proper
maintenance is on the rise,” PI Berlin said in a
statement.

Problems galore
The PI Berlin team found issues in nearly every
aspect of the plants they surveyed. Such problems
resulted in poor performance and affected the
investors’ returns.

Take module quality for starters.

Today, around 90% of solar panels used in India are

imported from countries such as China and Malaysia
since they’re cheaper than the locally-made ones
that India is pushing for now. But even the home-made
ones aren’t top-notch, with even the government
admitting that they use “obsolete technology.“

“After conducting the surveys on the six sites, it

could be observed that no specific certificates
beyond the basic IEC (International Electrotechnical
Commission, a global standards body for solar panels)
certification were requested by the owners to the
module manufacturers,” PI Berlin said in the report.
Neither does the Solar Energy Corporation of India
(SECI) insist on many certifications for the
companies to apply for projects, PI Berlin found.

The components used weren’t up to the mark either.

For instance, the structures used to fix solar

modules weren’t exactly made for that purpose. “In
case of strong winds, the modules might suffer severe
damages,” the report said. “PV modules were
observed at all sites with cracked cells…likely
caused during transport, installation, and
maintenance.”

Then there are the solar farms. It was found that

firms didn’t focus much on maintaining the systems
post-construction. Many farms didn’t have full
weather stations to monitor performance, according to
PI Berlin.

It also found gaps in warranty and construction

agreements between the plant-owners and construction
firms.

Strong price pressure, inexperience and lack of

awareness about the sector and its risks, extreme
climatic conditions, and lax requirements from the
government have all resulted in the poor quality
solar projects, PI Berlin said.

Quality over quantity

Solar power tariffs crashed to record lows in May
2017 after the government introduced a bidding
process which favoured those who made the lowest
tariff offers. So firms began operating on thin
margins to win projects.

While this led to higher installations, it also

fueled concerns over long-run viability.

“The price pressures…means that little attention is

paid to PV module quality,” Asier Ukar, senior
consultant at PI Berlin, said in a statement.
“Competitive reverse auctions that push down bid
prices to extremely low levels, is a scenario where
cutting corners in regards to quality may become a
common practice.”

These issues have come to light even as the Narendra

 Modi government has been chasing a massive target of
100,000 MW solar power by 2022—currently it stands
at just 22,000 MW.

But for the country to achieve its target and sustain

the momentum in the solar power sector, PI Berlin
suggests that the government must lay down strict
technical standards for components, failure-free
installation, and construction.
資料來源＊ https://qz.com/india/1345508/poor-quality-solar-
7
Resources panels-may-ruin-indias-renewable-energy-boom/
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