IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 06 | April 2017

w w w . e n e r g y n e x t . i n

18 Solar Parks to light 28

Cover
India’s energy sector INTERVIEW

Falling tariffs have filled the industry with hope as the Government bets big
country looks to meet its commitment made at Paris on solar power
Climate Change summit. Central govt has
been making all
the right moves.
Doubling of the
solar park capacity
would further
propel the growth
that is required to
achieve our target
of 100 GW by 2022.

36
INTERVIEW

Rewa Project - A
turning point for
solar tariffs
The record low tariff of Rs 2.97 per
kilowatt hour makes Rewa a landmark.

31
Both national and international
developers supported the project by
bidding aggressively.
COLUMN
Renewable Energy in the
new regime of GST
India is gearing up to introduce a comprehensive
Indirect tax regime under Goods and Services Tax (GST).
One of the main energy sub-sectors to be impacted
post the implementation of GST is renewables.

42 46
CONCERNS ANALYSIS
Good & Bad of GST
Solar Parks are
The GST in the long run seems to have
a positive impact on the solar sector, the future
but in the short run GST is going to
adversely impact the ever-decreasing
solar tariff

48
WIND ENERGY
Initiatives in analytics is making
wind farms smarter
Wind sector has matured significantly in the recent
years, fuelled by the boost in technology know-how and
encouragement from the central and state governments.
The government has kept an
ambitious plan to add 100 GW of
solar capacity by 2022. It is majorly
supported by installing rooftop panels,
building ultra-mega solar parks and
making utility scale projects.

April 2017 | Energy Next | 3

 IN THIS ISSUE

50
ENERGY EFFICIENCY

It is time to think and act efficiently

There is a demand for products and solutions that can
contribute to solving the energy problems. To cope up with
the future demands, India needs to focus on some major
transformations in some areas.

52
SMART GRID

India Smart Grid Week

brings experts together
The third edition of the annual India
Smart Grid Week (ISGW) – 2017 witnessed
participation of over 200 industry experts
from the renewable and power sector
from over 40 countries.

55 63
WIND ENERGY MNRE NEWS

Vestas inaugurates India’s solar capacity

Blades factory in Gujarat to cross 20,000 MW
under ‘Make in India’ in 15 months
Vestas Wind Systems inaugurated a wind
turbine blades manufacturing unit in
Gujarat on March 25 showcasing the
company’s support to Prime Minister
Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

64
IREDA Corner

IREDA bags India

Pride Award
Dainik Bhaskar Group
of Publications honours On 10th of March this year the
IREDA with India Pride installed solar power capacity in
Award 2016-17 under CSR/ India has crossed 10,000 MW.
Environment Protection and Power Minister expects India’s
Conservation category. solar capacity to cross 20,000
MW in 15 months.

4 | Energy Next | April 2017


On fast track to meet the
green energy goal
T
he solar capacity of the
country, including rooftop
and off-grid projects, has
crossed 12 giga watts.
For the first time, India has turned
around from net importer to a net
exporter of electricity. During the
current year (April to February),
India has exported around 5,798
million units to Nepal, Bangladesh
and Myanmar, which is 213 million
units more than the import of
around 5,585 million units from
Bhutan. Export to Nepal and
Bangladesh increased 2.5 and 2.8
times respectively in last three years.
Power generation from
conventional sources has grown
at a rate of over 5 per cent in the
11-month period of 2016-2017
financial year, while output from
renewable power projects rose more
than 26 per cent during this period.
Being a tropical country, India is
endowed with sunshine of around
300 days in a year. This makes India
apt for solar power generation.
Railways aims to save Rs 41,000 crore
FROM the editor
on electricity expenses by switching
over to solar energy over the next 10
years as announced by the Railways
Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Over the last three years, India has
witnessed continuous fall in tariffs
for solar power, wind power too has
seen a significant drop in tariffs.
As solar power tariffs of Rs2.97
kWh and wind power tariff reached
Rs3.46 kWh, utilities will find it
prudent to enter into long term
PPAs for purchase of power at these
rates. The country added a record
5,400 MW of wind power in 2016-
17, exceeding its 4,000 MW target.
Year ahead we will see more
exciting time for renewable energy
with fall in bid tariff for both wind
and solar and Government taking
up development of additional 20,000
MW through solar parks.
KS Popli
Chairman & Managing Director, IREDA
April 2017 | Energy Next | 5
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ll Sandeep Chaturvedi,
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I observed that all the articles in the magazine including
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 News | special
IREDA to sanction Rs 13,000 crore
loans for renewables in FY18
I
ndian Renewable Energy Development
Agency (IREDA) will sanction Rs 13,000
crore for clean energy projects next fiscal
in the country, vying for around 20 per cent
of the loan market share.
With the government aiming at adding
around 15 to 16 GW of clean energy
projects, including solar and wind, there
would be total credit market size of around
Rs 65,000 crore.
“We have planned to sanction around Rs
13,000 crore credit to clean energy project
developers in the country in next financial
year, which would be around 20 per cent
of the market share,” IREDA Chairman K S
Popli said.
Popli also said that IREDA would be able
to release around Rs 8,000 crore for these
clean energy projects in country.
IREDA has sanctioned around Rs 37,000
crore of credit for clean energy projects in
the country so far and has released around
Rs 28,000 crore to developers, which aids
generation capacity of around 7,000 MW.
Elaborating further, Popli said, “The
same amount of credit would be able to aid
larger green capacities as the cost of clean
8 | Energy Next | April 2017
energy equipment was quite high in earlier
days”.
The lower cost of equipment and lower
borrowing charges have already pulled
down solar energy tariff to all time low of
Rs 2.97 per unit last month.
The wind power tariff has too dropped
to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an
auction of 1,000 MW capacity conducted
by the Solar Energy Corporation of India
(SECI).
The loan sanctions by IREDA have grown
from Rs 826 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 7,806
crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 32 per cent
and expected to cross Rs 10,000 crore during
this fiscal.
Similarly, the loan disbursements have
grown from Rs 553 crore in 2007-08 to Rs
4,257 crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 29
per cent and is likely to cross Rs 6,000 crore
in the financial year 2016-17.
The net profit of the company has
increased from Rs 47.96 crore in 2007-08 to
Rs 298.04 crore in 2015-16.
In order to give more wings to IREDA’s
ambitious plans to finance clean energy
projects, its board has approved initial public
offer proposal of Rs 13.90 crore fresh equity
share with face value of Rs 10 each during
February 2017.
The initiative would help IREDA to
increase its net worth facilitating lending to
larger projects. The fresh issue of share shall
be at price to be determined through a book
building process.
The IPO process is expected to be
completed within six months from the date of
approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA).
As soon as the necessary approvals are in
place, IREDA shall approach the market and
there is no question of wait by the agency for
the market to stabilise before approaching the
bourses, the official said.
Though several commercial banks and
financial institutions have forayed into
clean energy financing, IREDA has been
successfully maintaining its substantial share
of the renewable market.
Now, the other big players in the green
energy finance market next fiscal would be
state-run Power Finance Corp and Rural
Electrification Corp, which are likely to have
substantial share in the segment.
 NATIONAL
Indian Railways to save Rs 41,000 crore by adopting solar energy
I ndian Railways plans to adopt
solar energy over the next 10
years and save electricity expenses
up to Rs 41,000 crore. Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu has
confirmed that the ministry had
prepared ‘Mission 41K’ to save
electricity consumption charges by
switching to solar energy.
He was inaugurated various
railway infrastructure projects at
the Hi-Tech City railway station and
said that efforts are also being made
India crosses 10 GW solar power milestone
I ndia’s solar power generation capacity has
touched 10,000 MW mark, registering a
multi-fold surge in three years. In 2014, the
capacity stood at 2,650 MW. Its three-time
increase is a stepping stone to attaining
the proposed goal of 100 GW solar power
capacity by 2022
“Bright Future: India has crossed 10,000
MW of Solar power capacity today. More
than 3 times increase in less than 3 years,”
Power Minister Piyush Goyal shared on the
micro-blogging site.
Earlier last month, the lower capital
Moshi garbage depot to get waste-to-energy plant
M oshi garbage depot in Pimpri
Chinchwad, Pune, is set to get its
waste-to-energy plan soon. The Pimpri
Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
has quickened the process of the plant
construction after mayor Nitin Kalje held
a meeting with environment officers to
expedite the project. Environment Engineer
PCMC Sanjay Kulkarni said, “We expect to
10 | Energy Next | April 2017
expenditure and cheaper credit had pulled
down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per
unit in an auction conducted by Madhya
Pradesh government and Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) for 750 MW
capacity in Rewa Solar Park.
generate 11 MW of power at the proposed
waste-to-energy plant considering that 800
tons of garbage are generated in the city
daily. The project will be implemented on
a PPP basis wherein the private contractor
will invest money while PCMC will provide
only requisite land and garbage to the unit.”
“The private contractor has to earn
money through selling the generated power
to others. Nine contractors had submitted
their request for qualification (RFQ) to
us out of which six qualified. We will be
inviting bids in April for selecting the
contractors for implementing this project.
Other eligible contractors who had not
submitted RFQs earlier can also submit
bids for the project,” he added.
to mop-up Rs 17,000 crore through
non-fare revenue modes. “We will not
only cut the costs but will generate
additional revenue,” Prabhu said.
“In addition, we have already
started production of 26 MW in
wind energy. We are also working
on converting waste to energy and
commissioned two such projects.
Traction power and non-traction
power both will benefit from solar
power and as well as reducing cost of
energy,” he added.
Delhi Metro’s solar
project to be registered
with UN framework
T he Delhi Metro’s initiative to set up
roof-top solar power plants at its
premises has been registered with a UN
climate framework. This is apparently the
‘first-ever’ green project for any metro or
railway system in the world to be listed with
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“The DMRC-run roof-top solar
facilities have an installed capacity of 14.983
MWp which translates to an estimated
electricity generation of 19,687 MWh
annually,” the Delhi Metro said.
Around 31 grid-connected roof-
top solar power facilities across the
stations, depots, residential areas and
parking facilities were identified for
this project which is likely to produce
18,506 carbon credits.
DMRC plans to produce 50 MWp of
solar power by the year 2021 and utilise
maximum solar power to satisfy its
increasing energy needs.
0083
 17-19
MAY
PRAGATI MAIDAN,
NEW DELHI, INDIA
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 NATIONAL

New Hydropower Policy on the cards

P lans for a new policy for the

hydropower sector in India is doing
rounds in the Power Ministry. The step
existing is that various incentives in terms
taxation, duties are given for these projects
and these have also been given cheaper
is being mooted to help boost up the credit by the government.
generation of clean energy in 2017. This As per estimates, the hydropower
comes in the wake of the Centre aiming sector is expected to grow by 30,000-
to attain a total capacity of 75 GW 35,000 MW in next 12 to 13 years. As
hydro capacity by 2030. on today the installed capacity stands
According to the media reports, at around 42,000 MW. Some incentives
renewable energy initiatives include from the government for the developers
small hydro projects of up to 25 MW to facilitate capacity addition may also be
capacities. One reason of these projects given, stated reports.

Solar surge: Transmission firms expect `20 k cr gain Government renewable

the transmission network for the solar push boost for
parks, confirms an official from Solar equipment makers
Energy Corp of India.
He further added that the new
transmission projects in the ongoing
13,000 crore green energy corridor – II
project will be identified as per the
location of the new parks. Transmission
networks within the state where

A fter the government’s announced

its plans to double solar park
capacity from 20,000 MW to 40,000 MW,
transmission companies are eyeing new
business opportunity worth Rs 20,000 crore.
Setting up new 50 ultra-mega solar
parks to the 34 under construction in
21 states will apparently need to widen
projects come up will be allocated to
the transmission utilities by the state.
“The required additional capacity may
be a mix of inter-state and intra-state.
In the case of a new solar park, the cost
of transmission comes to 50 lakh to 1
crore per megawatt depending on the
location,” says chairman and MD of
Power Grid IS Jha.
T he recent auctions of renewable
energy projects are expected
provide a boost to the stocks of firms
engaged in green energy production and
financing such as Ujaas Energy, Suzlon
Energy and PTC India.
Suzlon and PTC India are likely to
be the beneficiaries of the government’s
1000 MW wind power auction that was
held last month. The power generated
will be supplied to states that do not

Solar panels now in the reach of ordinary citizens have adequate wind resources.
Bid wins will provide more revenue

S olar panels are now affordable and in the

reach of ordinary citizens! According to
a report published in one of India’s leading
newspapers, solar panels on the rooftop
that produce a kilowatt of power will be
affordable and cost around Rs 60,000 or
even less if the central government provides
30 percent subsidy.
“Over the past 6-7 years, the prices of solar
modules have fallen 85 percent. This slide,
coupled with increasing volumes, has led
to the price crash,” said Associate Director
(consulting) of Bridge to India Jasmeet
Khurana. Such projects require a shadow free
space on the roof of around 120 square feet.
visibility and capacity expansion
opportunities in the coming quarters
for these firms. According to analysts,
1000 MW of electricity can power 10
lakh homes and represents a business
opportunity for more than Rs 5,000 crore.
“The potential exposure to new, non-
windy markets for Suzlon is a positive.
It could provide a new source of order
inflows in the coming years, “said Deepak
Agrawala, analyst at Elara Securities.

12 | Energy Next | April 2017

 State

Allahabad to turn UP’s solar power hub

A llahabad, a city in Uttar Pradesh, is
likely to become a major solar power
generation hub. The work on a solar
energy park at trans-Yamuna region of
Meja in Allahabad has gained momentum.
The solar energy park will be set up on a
land spreading across 100 hectares near
project has already been completed, the
generation of 50 MW power is expected
to begin within six months.
Kosda village. While 80 percent of the The prestigious Indian Institute of
Information Technology, Allahabad
(IIIT-A) has also installed solar panels on
the roof of its boy’s hostel to generate 300
KW electricity. Around 940 solar panels
will be installed on the roof of the boys’
hostel building along with 10 inverters.
The excess electricity generated would
be used by others all over the state. If
everything goes as planned, Allahabad
would become a major centre of
producing solar generated electricity.

NTPC commissions 20 MW capacity at Rajasthan Maharashtra to

A 20 MW project has been
commissioned by NTPC at Bhadla
Solar Power Project in Rajasthan. The
state-power giant had also commissioned
115 MW capacity out of 260 MW of
Bhadla Solar Power Project in February.
“We wish to inform that 20 MW
of Bhadla Solar Power Project has
Andamans to have two solar parks
restart wind PPA
been commissioned. With this, the
commissioned capacity of Bhadla Solar
Power Project, NTPC and NTPC group,
has become 205 MW, 41,927 MW and
48,893 MW respectively,” NTPC said in
a BSE filing.
NTPC is also planning capacity
addition of 1,000 MW through renewable
resources by the end of this year of which
the firm has already commissioned 310
MW solar PV projects. According to the
company’s website, 50 MW, 260 MW and
250 MW Solar PV projects are under
operation at Andhra Pradesh (Anantpur),
M aharashtra State Electricity
Distribution Company is set
to resume signing power purchase
Rajasthan (Bhadla) and Madhya Pradesh agreements with wind developers in
(Mandsar) respectively. The company the state after a gap of almost three
intends to become a 130 GW company by years. Wind Independent Power
2032 with a diversified fuel mix. Producers Association confirmed that
it has received an assurance from the
DISCOM about the immediate roll out
of the PPAs of wind projects.
“The discom has assured us that

A ndaman and Nicobar Islands is all

set to install Solar Photovoltaic
(SPV) power plants at two sites in Port
Blair. The plants will reportedly have
battery storage of 25 MW and replace
around 47 MW of diesel-run generation
capacity that currently electrifies the over
572 islands in the Bay of Bengal.
The sites identified for the solar projects
are Manglutang and Chidiyatapu. While
Manglutang will feature a 17 MW plant,
Chidiyatapu is all set to have an 8 MW plant.
The costing has to be done from scratch as
solar plants with battery storage are being set
up for the first time in India.
pending PPAs of wind projects will
be signed right away,” said Wind
Independent Power Producers
Association president Sunil Jain.
A developer has further confirmed
that his company had been called to
complete the formalities. “The discom
will proceed in chronological order,
with PPAs of those developers whose
commissioned projects have been
waiting the longest being signed first,”
he added.

14 | Energy Next | April 2017


Kerala gets India’s first floating plant
T he government installed India’s
largest floating Solar PV Plant at
Kayamkulam, Kerala and took solar
power generation capacity to whole new
level. The installation of the plant is a
huge step in accomplishing the goal of
affordable 24X7 power as it is expected
to produce about 100 KWP power.
Developed by NETRA (NTPC
Energy Technology Research Alliance)
and Central Institute of Plastic
Engineering & Technology (CIPET),
the plant was installed by Swelect
Energy Systems Ltd, Chennai with
support from NETRA and NTPC
Kayamkulam station in a short span of
Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh DISCOMs
major gainers of UDAY
R ajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and
Punjab’s power distribution utilities are
among major gainers who have been able to
reduce their interest cost under UDAY scheme
meant for revival of discoms.
“State power distribution companies
(DISCOMs) are reporting handsome savings
and improvements in operational efficiency
and found ways of cutting down power theft
under Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana
(UDAY),” a senior official said.
Utilities in Rajasthan, Haryana,
Chhattisgarh and Punjab are among the
major gainers in lowering their interest
cost. The Rajasthan government projected a
saving of Rs 4,697 crore, Dakshin Haryana
Bijli Vitran Nigam projected a saving of
Tamil Nadu invites EOI for 500 MW solar park
T amil Nadu Energy Development
Agency(TEDA) has invited
expression of interest (EOI) from
developers for installing a 500 MW of
solar park in the state, under the Union
Centre’s Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE) scheme.
“Land acquisition is one of the
key issues, and now, we have invited
expression of interest for the solar
park. Interested developers will have to
NEWS
Chhattisgarh to work
on water distribution
network for solar pump
22 days.
In last few years, India has made
huge progress in the renewable energy
sector. According to power ministry
estimates, another 8.8 GW capacity is
T he Chhattisgarh Renewable
Energy Development Agency
(CREDA) is all set to improve water
likely to be added in 2017, including distribution network for its solar
about 1.1 GW of rooftop solar community irrigation projects in
installations. 29 locations including Gariaband,
Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Mahasamund,
Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur
and Sukma. Additionally, solar ‘mini
grids’ would be created in 19 remote
villages to provide power supply.
Under the RGGVY scheme, a
provision of Rs 540 crore has been
kept as subsidy requirement for
electrification of villages where
grid connectivity is not possible for
Decentralised Distributed Generation
(DDG) during 11th Plan period.
In another scheme open to all the
states and union territories, the Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
offers a subsidy of 30 percent of project
cost subject to a maximum of Rs. 150 per
watt peak for installation of stand-alone
Rs 766 crore and Chhattisgarh projected a rural Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) power
saving of Rs 526 crore,” he further added. plants with battery storage in a micro
Started in November 2015, the UDAY grid mode/local distribution network..
scheme currently has around 22 states.
acquire or lease the land on their own.
The solar park will have to be set up on a
contiguous piece of land measuring not
less than 1,000 hectares in part of Tamil
Nadu which has solar power potential,”
said a TEDA official.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 15
 INTERNATIONAL
World’s largest solar park inaugurated in Dubai
T he largest single-site solar park –
Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar
Park – in the world was recently inaugurated by
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister
of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The solar park is
located near Al Qudra in Dubai. It can generate
up to 200MW solar energy every day.
The park has more than 2.3 million ‘thin-film
photovoltaic panels’ spread over 4.5 square
kilometres. It is being estimated that the second
phase of the project can save annual carbon
New Mexico to get its largest wind farm
N ew Mexico is all set to get its largest
wind farm established by Xcel
Energy. According to the reports, the
firm will invest $1.6 billion to set up two
wind farms in eastern New Mexico and
West Texas by 2020. The farms include a
522-megawatt facility in Roosevelt County.
Touted as New Mexico’s largest wind farm,
it will be able to power approximately
16 | Energy Next | April 2017
emissions of up to 214,000 tonnes.
The Dh1.2 billion project, a part of a
multiphase solar park, is one of the major
projects of Dubai Electricity and Water
Authority (Dewa). The park, when completed,
is expected to generate clean energy up to
1,000MW of by 2020 and up to 5,000MW
electricity by 2030, with a total investment of
Dh50 billion. In addition to this, once completed,
the project’s clean energy production will reduce
carbon emissions by more than 6.5 million
tonnes annually.
194,000 homes per year.
Xcel Energy will also establish a
478-megawatt farm in Hale County, Texas,
and plans to buy 230 megawatts under a
long-term power purchase agreement with
NextEra Energy resources. Both the facilities
will be able to provide 1.23 gigawatts of
electricity together that can electrify 440,000
average homes annually.
New EIB regional
representation
inaugrated in India
F inance Minister Arun Jaitley
inaugurated the new EIB
Regional Representation for South
Asia in New Delhi along with
European Investment Bank President
Werner Hoyer, European Investment
Bank Vice President responsible for
South Asia Andrew McDowell and
Ambassador of the European Union
to India Tomasz Kozlowski.
The new office, to be located with the
European Union Delegation to India
in Shanti Niketan in New Delhi, will
strengthen links between countries
across South Asia and the European
Investment Bank, the world’s largest
international public bank.
At the formal opening of the
European Investment Bank Regional
Representation, a EUR 200 million
loan to the State Bank of India to
finance construction of new large
scale solar power schemes across the
country was also signed at the office
opening. This will support plans to
install 20 GW of grid connected solar
power by 2020 under the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission.
The EIB has been supporting
sustainable transport and renewable
energy across India.

Major milestone achieved as India joins IEA
T he International Energy Agency
welcomed India as an Association
country on March 30, expanding its
partnership for a more secure and
sustainable energy future with the world’s
third-largest energy consumer.
The announcement was made in New
Delhi during a joint press conference with
IEAs Executive Director Fatih Birol, Power
Minister Piyush Goyal Petroleum and
Natural Gas Minister Dhamendra Pradhan.
As India moves to the centre of global
energy affairs, the new institutional ties
with the IEA mark a critical addition to the
IEA’s global outreach. India is one of the
bright spots of the global economy and is
emerging as a major driving force in global
energy trends, with all modern fuels and
US to welcome 40,000-acre wind farms
I n a recent town hall meeting, plans
to build a 300 MW industrial scale
wind farm on 40,000 acres of land in
Johnston, Murray and Pontotoc counties
of US was discussed. Residents of the
area participated to learn more about
a proposed wind farm developer’s plan
that is to be located partially in Pontotoc
Germany converts coal mine to hydroelectric
reservoir
G ermany has shown a way to energy
transition and storage in a recent
breakthrough announcement by state governor
Hannelore Kraft.
Kraft announced that the state of North-
Rhine Westphalia is set to turn its Prosper-
Haniel hard coal mine into a 200 megawatt
pumped-storage hydroelectric reservoir, which
acts like a battery and will have enough capacity
technologies playing a part.
“We can’t talk about the future of the
global energy markets without talking
with India. This is a major milestone
in the development of global energy
governance, and another major step toward
the IEA becoming a truly global energy
organization, strengthening ties with the
key energy players that make up the IEA
family,” said Dr Birol.
County. Virginia-based Apex Clean
Energy has taken up the project. As per the
developers, about 1,800 acres of the farm
will be located in Pontotoc County.
Explaining the reason behind selection
of the site, Apex Development Manager
Patrick Brown said that the location will
allow usage of smaller turbines. Usage of
small turbines will facilitate installation
– one to eight turbines can be placed per
section of the development. Adding to
the information, Brown said that three
sections will be placed in Pontotoc County,
each likely containing four turbines for a
total of 12 and these will be located within
the county limits.
to power more than 400,000 homes.
Reports stated that Germany’s move towards
pumped-hydro-storage station can help in
two ways. First, it will create new economic
opportunities for people who were mostly
dependent on fossil fuel for their livelihoods and
it will also propel expansion of renewable energy
to help maintain electricity availability, especially
during times when there is no wind or sun.
NEWS
200 MW wind farm
completed in Mexico
M exico recently got a 200 MW wind
farm constructed by Global Energy
Services (GES). This project is one of the
five biggest projects the company has
constructed in the country.The wind farm
project is inclusive of whole Balance of Plant
(BOP): civil works, medium voltage grid,
step-up substation, high voltage grid and
interconnection substation, stated reports.
The project was implemented under the high
security and quality standards. The GES also
installed the 95 wind turbines of the wind farm.
This apart, civil works included
foundations of the 95 wind turbines, 60 km
roads and three bridges to access the wind
farm while the electrical works included 100
km cable for the medium voltage grid and 20
km high voltage line.
Australia introduces
eArche, the ultra-thin
solar panel
A ustralia is all set to introduce a
cheap new solar panel that would be
ultra-lightweight and ultra-thin. The solar
panel has been made by Dr Zhengrong
Shi and his team at Energus using a
composite material similar to the material
used in aircraft windows.
Talking about his innovation, Dr Shi
said, “eArche has unlimited potential
Innovations in eArche’s manufacturing
process allow it to be customised to
any size and shape. Innovation in
material development means you get
a highly durable, thin, light-weight,
high performing solar panel all at a
competitive cost.”
eArche solar panels are 80 percent
lighter than regular solar panels. Which
makes it ideal for rooftop structures
including factories and carports.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 17
 Cover

Future shines
bright for India’s
solar parks
The latest government boost in terms of setting up of more solar parks and
doubling generation capacity, industry is all geared to be a part of the success
story as they debate their concerns to ease the way to accomplish the goal.
Major dip in tariff and state enthusiasm has already added to their commitment.

18 | Energy Next | April 2017


W
ithout doubt, India is set
for a bright spot in the
renewable energy sphere. A
reliable source of energy will
propel the country to new height of growth
as dependence on conventional energy
source, particularly from the Gulf has been
consuming much of country’s budget.
The country is expected to double its
solar capacity to 18GW by the end of 2017
and is joining the ranks of nations such as
China, the US and Japan. It has set a target of
installing 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022.
Earlier this month, Union Minister for
New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal
predicted that India’s solar power generation
capacity will cross 20,000 MW in the next
15 months, from the current 10,000 MW. He
said drastic reduction in costs of solar power
is proof of maturity of the sector.
The zeal with which the government has
taken up the solar pledge, and falling tariffs
have only filled the industry with hope as the
country looks to meet its commitment made
at Paris Climate Change summit.
With the massive financial boost by the
central government and falling tariffs, the
country is moving rapidly to achieve the
global target.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in a recent meeting approved
the enhancement of capacity from 20,000
MW to 40,000 MW of the Scheme for
Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega
Solar Power Projects (UMSPP).
The enhanced capacity would ensure
setting up of at least 50 solar parks each with
a capacity of 500 MW and above in various
parts of the country. It has to be said that
Ladakh was the first region where the Union
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had
taken the initiative of installing solar power
for home and street lights.
Solar Parks and UMSPPs will be set up by
2019-20 with Central Government’s financial
support of Rs 8,100 crore. When operational,
the total capacity will generate 64 billion
Solar Parks
units of electricity per year which will lead to
abatement of around 55 million tons of CO2
per year over its life cycle.
According to experts, it would also
contribute to long-term energy security
of the country and promote ecologically
sustainable growth reducing carbon emission
and carbon footprint, as well as generate
massive direct and indirect employment
opportunities in solar and allied industries
like metals and industrial equipment.
The solar parks will also provide
productive use of abundant uncultivable
lands which in turn facilitate development of
the surrounding areas.
According to NITI Aayog one of India’s
major advantages today and going forward
is that its renewable energy potential is vast
and largely untapped. “The good news also
is that costs of generating renewable energy
have fallen steeply in the past decade, and
once projects are set up, costs are not likely
to increase over life of the asset – typically
25 years.”
April 2017 | Energy Next | 19
 Cover
States propel solar energy engine
S
olar energy in India continues to
maintain the second position in the
renewable energy sector, with total
installed capacity of 4,879 MW, after
wind. One of the major goals is to include 8
per cent of the total consumption of electricity,
excluding hydro power, shall be from solar
energy by March 2022 and setting up of 20
GW of solar power capacity and provide solar
power to as many as 7,000 stations of the
Indian railways.
But under the new solar park scheme, all
the states and Union Territories are eligible
for benefits under the solar scheme. The state
government will first nominate the Solar Power
Park Developer (SPPD) and also identify the
land for the proposed solar park. It will then
send a proposal to the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE) for approval along
with the name of the SPPD. The SPPD will
then be sanctioned a grant of upto Rs 25 lakh
for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR)
of the Solar Park. Thereafter, Central Financial
20 | Energy Next | April 2017
Assistance (CFA) of up to Rs. 20 lakhs/MW or
30 percent of the project cost including Grid-
connectivity cost, whichever is lower, will be
released as per the milestones prescribed in
the scheme. Solar Energy Corporation India
(SECI) will administer the scheme under the
direction of MNRE. The approved grant will
be released by SECI.
Telangana State Energy Minister G
Jagadishwar Reddy recently said that he is
confident that the state can end 2017 as the
leading solar state in India. Telangana is on
course to reach 2 GW of installed solar capacity
by the end of the year, Reddy said, and is on
target to reach 5 GW within the next few years.
In Karnataka, the National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) has retendered 750
MW of solar at the state’s Pavagada Solar Park
following a rapid effort by the state to bring
levels of infrastructure and availability of
evacuation up to scratch.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu, one of the
country’s strongest solar states, has issued
a further call for national and international
consortiums to express interest in developing
a 500 MW solar park in the state. The Tamil
Nadu Energy Development Agency is
proposing the development of an ultra mega
solar park on a contiguous piece of land at
least 1,000 hectares in size and located in one
of the state’s sunniest regions.
There are some states that have taken
the lead. As per the annual report of the
MNRE 2015-16, to facilitate integration of
large scale renewable generation capacity
addition, Cabinet Committee of Economic
Affairs (CCEA) approved creation of intra-
state transmission system in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
Andhra Pradesh has set up a number of
solar plants that store energy at night and this is
used at night to electrify the remote areas of the
state. Lakhs of households have been provided
electricity in the similar manner.
As on today Rajasthan is the state that is
producing maximum solar energy in the
country – 1300 MW. However, with Tata Power
commissioning 15 MW plant in Telangana,
besides other projects, Telangana is set to top
charts soon, say analysts.
Meanwhile, Punjab is also racing to expand
its productivity with its recent announcement
to make over 10,000 schools completely solar
powered by year-end.
Under the Grid Connected Solar PV Power
Projects (3000 MW) by NTPC and other PSUs
tenders for 2750 MW capacity project allotted
to Andhra Pradesh (1000 MW- all in solar
park), Rajasthan (420 MW in solar park, 230
MW outside solar park), Uttar Pradesh (100
MW outside solar park), Karnataka (600 MW
in solar park) and Telangana (400 MW outside
solar park) have been issued by NTPC Ltd. This
apart, for 850 MW capacity solar PV projects
in solar park in Kurnool district of Andhra
Pradesh, bidding has been completed and the
lowest bids of Rs. 4.63/unit have been received,
states MNRE report.
In terms of receiving subsidy support, Tamil
Nadu tops the chart followed by MP and
Maharashtra. Other states with good capacity
are Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi.

Industry highlights
bottlenecks
S
olar energy holds tremendous
potential in a country like India
where there exists a huge demand
and supply gap in terms of energy
requirements, rising levels of pollution and
the high cost of coal, fossil and petroleum
based fuels. But industry insiders also
agree that issues like land acquisition,
evacuation, financing, etc still remain more
or less unaddressed.
In the Union Budget that was declared
last month, industry insiders feel that the
Government’s decision to reduce income
tax scrutiny period from 21 months to 18
months was a stellar move. Also, extending
the MAT credit period from 10 years to 15
years will go a long way in helping the solar
industry avail credits for a longer period,
which is crucial for it to operate seamlessly.
Additionally, the announcement of 100 per
cent electrification within May 2018 and the
allocation of Rs 4,814 crores for the same will
certainly create demand and bring more solar
projects in the country.
According to Anupam Dhiman, Executive
Director, EPC Solar, Vikram Solar, “The
cabinet announcement of an investment of
Rs 8,100 crore for the setting up of at least
50 solar parks, each with capacity of 500MW
and ultra-mega solar power projects, is
truly landmark in its scope and scale. The
proposed investment will not only double
the solar power production target to 40,000
MW but will also add the much needed
fillip to the sector. This announcement came
after the Modi-led government laid down an
ambitious Rs 6 lakh crore investment plan
to increase the solar power capacity to 100
GW by 2022. These parks will be set up in
partnership with Solar Energy Corporation
of India (SECI) and the state governments.”
The proposed solar parks will provide
the building blocks — land and grid
connectivity—to set up big solar projects.
The proposed scheme will also cover smaller
States Solar Potential (MW)
Rajasthan 142310
Maharashtra 64320
MadhyaPradesh 61600
Gujarat 35770
Andhra Pradesh 30440
Karnataka 24700
Solar Parks
parks in the Himalayan region and other hilly
states, where contiguous land may be difficult
to acquire in view of the undulated terrain.
When operational, the grid will generate 64
billion units of electricity per year, which will
lead to abatement of around 55 million tons
of CO2 per year over its life cycle, elaborates
Mr Dhiman.
There is considerable interest to set up
solar equipment manufacturing plants in
India. After consultation with the Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology,
the benefit of M-SIPS will also be extended to
solar equipment manufacturing in India. This
will add a generous boost to the sector.
Currently, the government provides a
subsidy of 30% on rooftop solar installations.
Total RE potential (MW)
148518
74500
66853
72726
54916
44015
April 2017 | Energy Next | 21
 Cover
In order to make rooftop projects more
attractive, this subsidy should be raised
to 50%. This will increase uptake of
rooftop solar capacity and hence, help the
Government achieve its overall target of
100 GW solar installations by 2022. Also, in
case the Government finds it unfeasible to
increase the subsidy, it may be provisioned
that investment in rooftop solar by an
individual is allowed to get a deduction
of INR 2,00,000 under section 80C of the
Income Tax Act, he elaborates.
There are other issues concerning - lack
of infrastructure to transmit energy, lack
of land banks, lack of transportation and
roadways, gaps in policy development and
implementation, lack of skilled labour, etc.
that require constant focus for achieving the
100 GW by 2022 target.
Mr Hartek Singh, CMD Hartek Group
agrees that the major roadblocks in the
development of solar parks are challenges
relating to land acquisition, grid integration
and related infrastructure. “Another area
of concern for solar parks would be GST as
currently there are no clear guidelines for
solar equipment. Moreover, the plan is to
have solar parks in most of the states but the
financial health of discoms varies from state
to state. This can create a huge challenge for
developers when it comes to financial closure
and credit availability,” he explains.
Rahul Gupta of RaysExperts feels that the
cabinet bought both positive and negative
news. While the great thing was that 20MW
22 | Energy Next | April 2017
additional capacity has been announced,
ambitiously doubling target. Though it does
revive the present sentiment of market, it has
a potential of becoming a major booster to
the future of solar parks in India.
“Like any mission, the success of this Solar
Mission depends on how well our policy is
perceived, weaved and executed. Over the last
few years and continuing this year as well,
announcements like 0% tax depreciation,
discontinuation of subsidy and reducing the
There are issues concerning lack of
infrastructure to transmit energy, lack of
land banks, gaps in policy development
and implementation, lack of skilled
labour, etc. that require constant focus
for achieving the 100 GW by 2022 target
cost of RECs over the years have resulted in
huge heaps of backlog RECs. Even RPOs are
not following obligations strictly. Things like
these are adversely affecting the system and
the 100GW target is still so far,” he says.
He further explains, “I interacted with
three key stakeholders in the Indian Solar
Scenarios – the customer, the businessman
and the government. Do you know the story
of the Blind Men and Elephant? I think
solar industry situation in present times
is similar to this story. The government is
proud at bringing down the tariff of solar to
a record low, which is good for the future,
not for the present. The customer is worried
about dropping solar tariffs and is suspicious
about making investments now (check
graph below for stats). The businessman is
puzzled because due to changing policies
and disappearing incentives he is not able to
honor his commitments to his customers,”
Mr Gupta says.
Mr Gupta sees a big gap in perspectives of
the solar policy. This gap is created majorly
because the budget to convert a coal person
to a solar person (also called monetary
incentives/tax benefits etc) is too low.
Though the price to construct a solar
panel has come down significantly in last five
years — the returns and rate of returns have

weakened more. Have a look at this graph.
This data shows that there is a 64% drop in
corporate investments in solar sector in 2016
(compared with 15).
“I believe things like land acquisition,
evacuation, and other operational things
are like enablers. If there is a positive wave
these will never become roadblock because
these things give rise to micro-economies.
Though the future will demand a better
governance. Farmers in remote villages
now enjoy handsome returns on their
barren ancestral lands across Rajasthan
and Gujarat because there is no SEZ like
the concept in solar. For the present, I
think this is a good thing because not
just land owners, local shopkeepers, and
local traders earn a better livelihood. But
I strongly agree that once we cross a stable
target of say 50GW solar installations,
which is the future, certain policies must
regulate the land allocation,” he says.
Similarly, for evacuations and other
matters that involve nodal agencies and
paperwork, the government should act in
the direction of making things online. Going
online at such an early stage of development
will boost the solar economy of our country.
This will result in faster approvals and
transparency and accountability. Which will
then result in the growth and development of
our Solar Mission, Mr Gupta explains.
Financing is again, a major frontier where
our policies should focus. The math is simple,
100GW will require $100Billion investment
in solar. This figure somewhat includes the
cost of adopting solar per person or per GW.
This cost is a result of the overlap between
newness of the concept, in-exposure of the
customer and financial viability gap.
According to experts, while most of the
$100Bn is going to be financed by banks
and investors, the government will still
needs to invest at least $30Bn to achieve
the target. The total government funding
till date as incentives to adopt solar has not
crossed $6Bn (20% of $30Bn, while India
aims to achieve the 40% of our target by
next year), he says.
Business Director Industrial Asset
Management, Surajit Khan of Maxeed says
that due to this announcement, smaller parks
in Himalayan and other hilly states where
contiguous land may be difficult to acquire
Financing is again, a major frontier
where our policies should focus. The
math is simple, 100GW will require
$100Billion investment
in view of the difficult terrain will now be
benefitted most.
It would also contribute to long-term
energy security of the country and promote
ecologically sustainable growth by the
reduction in carbon emissions and carbon
footprint.
Further, it’ll generate large direct &
indirect employment opportunities in solar
and allied industries like glass, metals,
heavy industrial equipment, etc. The solar
parks will also provide productive use
of abundant uncultivable lands which in
turn will facilitate the development of the
surrounding areas.
“It is a well known fact that on the policy
front, the Solar Parks Policy and UDAY
scheme have been hailed largely as a success.
Still, the broader sector policy reform
through amendments in the Electricity Act
2003 is awaiting parliamentary approval.
Going forward, ensuring grid robustness
and investment/lending appetite at aggressive
tariff levels will be the two main challenges.
Policy interventions to address these
challenges together with demand growth
measures will be key to sustainable growth of
the sector. This market needs more focused
policy support to ensure effective net-
Solar Parks
metering implementation and attraction of
financial investors.
“Overall, the growth prospects for the
India solar market are very bright providing
an immense opportunity for investors,
developers and equipment suppliers. In
my opinion, land acquisition issues can
be addressed only if the landowners are
fairly compensated while processes are not
held up too long. Significant proportion
of the farmers across village, operating on
not-so-fertile land, would be willing to sell
their land. Ideally, they expect a functioning
market as much as solar developers do. Such
issues like land acquisitions and evacuations
can only be resolved by developing a
mechanism that allows the two contractual
parties to settle on a price they are both
happy with – without involving the state
more than necessary,” explains Khan.
Financing has become more challenging,
since the solar sector going through the
intense competition due to lower tariffs of
M4.34-5.00/ unit ($0.07-0.08) levels. Many
developers are struggling to raise capital and
banks seemingly reluctant to lend to projects
at such low tariffs.
“According to me, central and state
governments need to act together for policy
April 2017 | Energy Next | 23
 Cover
amendment to provide long term solutions
to eliminate this financial stress from all the
potential developers,” he adds.
Central government and regulatory bodies
have already tried to bring the following
programs, which are widely successful across
the world and this needs a thorough review
and the right intent to implement on ground to
boost up the sector financially.
a. Government Loan Guarantee Program —
This guarantees allows projects to attain a higher
The objective of NSM was also ‘to
enhance solar manufacturing across
the value chain in the country, but,
a lot of it in subsequent phases was
allowed to be imported
24 | Energy Next | April 2017
credit rating, thus broadening the investor
pool to include pension funds and insurance
companies, and lowering interest rates.
b. National Development Banks/Funds-
The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF)
was announced in FY 2011 to encourage
renewable energy generation in India. The
Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency (IREDA) in collaboration with the
NCEF announced a refinancing scheme
under which as much as 30% of the clean
energy loans issued by commercial banks
could be refinanced at 2%. For NCEF, to be
truly effective and widely accessible, limiting
factors on interest rates need to be relaxed
and government should push for it.
c. Green Bonds: Green Bonds are similar
to any other asset-backed bond except that
they are used to finance green projects. A
green project may include any project related
to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or
sustainable land use. Green Bonds can be
issued by national/state governments, local
municipalities, banks, and international
financial institutions. A recent study indicates
that clean energy costs may go down by one-
fourth if India would issue its Green Bonds.
d. Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs)- In
2011, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
issued guidelines for the operation of new
IDFs, structured either as mutual funds or
companies, but they have not yet been used
for renewable energy projects in India. In
the recent budget, a National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) with an annual
flow of US$3.2 billion was announced.
This will help raise investments as equity
in infrastructure finance companies which
can further fund the renewable projects at
competitive pricing. A central authority like
IREDA or Solar Energy Corporation of India
(SECI) with a high credit rating is well-
positioned to successfully utilize NIIF to not
only refinance existing debts low-costs but
also provide low-cost capital to new projects.

‘Need to focus on enhancing
production, R&D capabilities’
Anupam Dhiman, ED,
W
EPC Solar, Vikram Solar
e are a home-grown
company and have a long
and successful legacy in
the country. Imposition of
anti-dumping duties on solar module imports
is what we would like to recommend to the
Government. India has imported 161.5 million
solar panels in FY 2014–15, incurring a cost of
almost $821 million. The import expenditure
has jumped to $1.3 billion in 2015-16.
Spending millions of dollars on importing
solar equipment is not exactly the best option
for a country that is trying to compete with
global leaders in solar energy sector like China,
Japan, and US. Especially, when one of the
primary objectives under the National Solar
Mission is to take global leadership role in
solar manufacturing across the value chain of
leading edge solar technologies. The reason
why imported solar panels are finding no
difficulty to flood the Indian market, is our
nation’s reluctance in imposing anti-dumping
duties on such equipment. The Directorate
General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties
(DGAD) had proposed anti-dumping duties
ranging from INR 6.81 per watt (USD 0.11 per
watt) to INR 50.15 per watt (USD 0.81 per watt)
to be imposed on solar equipment imported
from China, Malaysia, Taiwan and the US.A
strong domestic manufacturing eco-system is
imperative to push a nation through socio-
economic growth barriers. The Government
of India needs to revisit and revive the
investigation on imported solar modules from
foreign countries. Normalization of import
prices will help domestic manufacturers to gain
significant advantages, while ensuring a fair
playing field, while boosting the Make in India
program at the same time.
Indian solar manufacturers need to focus on
enhancing production and R&D capabilities
to be able to compete with global players. We
would also recommend the Government to
provide tax rebates to customers in order to
incentivize them to adopt solar energy in a huge
way. Also, reward individuals with concessions
and benefits who are making conscious efforts
in switching to solar, for their daily power
needs. Lifting of excise duties with regards
to raw materials, import duties, machinery,
equipment, spare parts, etc. deployed in a
regular factory set up, meant for solar energy
production projects.
We also want the Government to remove
Solar Parks
service tax for the installation & Commissioning
of Renewable Energy projects, extend Tax
Holiday by another 10 years, bring back 80%
accelerated depreciation benefit and retain all
the benefits and exemptions currently applicable
to SEZ units. The Union Budget 2017-18 has
been considerably successful on these fronts and
it ensues a shining future for the solar industry.
Though the Budget did not announce any direct
support for the rooftop solar sector, support
extended to the housing infrastructure segment
can create 15 GW of renewable energy capacity
in India by 2022, if utilized smartly.
The Government could have also
implemented the “Technology Up-gradation
Fund”, like it exists in the textiles industry and
provide interest subsidies to the solar industry.
The budget should have clarified the proportion
of the cess that would be transferred to National
Environment Fund (NEF).
There still exist uncertainties with regard
to how the goods and services tax (GST) will
impact the renewable sector. If preferential
tax benefits to renewable energy were not
accounted, then GST could raise utility scale
solar tariffs by as much as 9.5%, thereby
hindering progress.
We would also recommend the Government
for full exemption from excise for raw materials
required for manufacturing Solar Modules such
as, tempered glass, back sheet, EVA Sheet, solar
cells, flat copper wire which are needed for
making PV Ribbons etc. The same should be
applicable for GST.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 25
 Cover
Manufacturers positive, expectant
The world is witnessing a shift towards a green
future. The realization that the non-renewable
resources are going to soon be depleted, efforts
to move towards the non-renewable have
gained pace and every country is aiming for
complete green energy dependency.
When talking of India, solar energy takes
a lead as there is abundant sunlight available
in the country. As per a report by Ministry
of New and Renewable Energy, India has
an estimated renewable energy potential of
about 900 GW from commercially exploitable
sources, of which 750 GW potential is from
solar power assuming that the three per cent
wasteland is made available.
To tap this potential, a lot has been happening.
There have been innovations at the college level,
the government has been proposing policies to
ease the manufacturing and also subsidizing the
products to encourage the usages.
Keeping in mind the need to be competitive
globally for long-term growth, strong
manufacturing sector becomes indispensable.
As per a survey report by Bridge to India, the
industry is largely positive about the potential
of domestic manufacturing in India with
consensus expectation for cell and module
manufacturing capacity of 5 to 6 GW by 2022.
26 | Energy Next | April 2017
Expressing much expectation from the
future, a local solar equipment retailer in
the outskirts of Delhi said, “When I started
business three years back, there were not many
takers but now people are getting to know
the benefits. Initially selling even two solar
panels a week was a problem but today I get
bulk orders from local organizations and small
offices. Business is going good and I hope the
future will be better as even government is
planning to help ‘solar people’.”
Amidst government initiatives, the
National Manufacturing Policy is considered
a comprehensive and significant one. It is a
boon for the manufacturing fraternity as it
addresses the regulatory concern, the skilling
part, financial and technological issues besides
other related factors. However, the bridge
to India survey states that 60 per cent of the
State Nodal Agencies need to
be brought in the loop to assist
independent consumers in
understanding the benefits and the
process of selecting solar energy
participants didn’t expect India to have any
integrated manufacturing line even by 2022.
This is an adverse outcome considering
the government’s aspiration; however, the
concern is resonated in comments of Indian
manufacturers. “The problem that we are
facing is not from the competitors but the
consumers and the government. On one hand
the consumers in India compare our prices
with the prices of products by our Chinese
counterparts and on the other hand there
is no support from the government. The
end-consumers expect us to offer them our
products at the same prices as the Chinese
which we cannot give as we operate of very
low profit margins for want of funds and thus
the problem. However, we have been able to
survive so far because of the quality assurance
attached to our products,” says Manish

Aggarwal, a Solar Panel Manufacturer Enkay
Solar Power and Infrastructure.
As per an MNRE report under National
Solar Mission, the objective of the mission was
‘to enhance solar manufacturing across the
value chain in the country, however, a lot of it in
subsequent phases was allowed to be imported.
The report states: “In line with this
objective in the first phase of the Mission,
30 per cent domestic content was made
necessary for grid solar thermal projects. This
condition was in place for all solar thermal
power projects selected in the first phase.
For the photovoltaic projects selected during
2010-11, use of domestic crystalline silicon
modules was mandatory, but solar cells and
modules made with other technologies can
be imported. In Batch-II projects, selected
in 2011-12 use of crystalline silicon solar
cells and modules was allowed only if
domestically manufactured. Products with
other technologies i.e. thin film and CPE
could, however, be imported.
Our domestic manufacturers are facing
a lot of competition from the foreign
manufacturers both over pricing as well as
quality. There is import of Chinese products
that are very cheap as compared to the
Indian substitutes while there are high-
end, technologically better substitutes from
country like Germany. However, as per the
manufacturer, the problem is not of these
imports, the problem lies in the mind-set of
the consumers.
The consumers expect Indian products at
Chinese rates, not considering the durability
and assurance of the Indian products. The
manufacturers across India whined about
the fact that Indian goods are not respected
by Indians.
Talking on the impact of recent decline
in prices of solar modules and further
decline expected, they said that the Indian
manufacturers need not worry as Indian
manufacturing is dependent on raw materials
from China. “The main raw material is the cell
which is imported from China and Taiwan.
We prefer Chinese cells as they cost less
and therefore the speculated decline in the
prices of the solar modules will not affect our
business because if the market goes down then
the prices of the raw material will also fall,”
explained Aggarwal.
The overall plight of the manufacturers
seems better than the past but as they have put
it, “had there been government support, we
would have done better.”
Aggarwal said, “The Government is not
offering subsidy directly through the installer
to customer. It releases a tender in which even
non-solar companies participate and take the
tender. They then they sell these subsidies
in the market which does not reaches the
customers. Therefore, there is a need that the
subsidy be given to the Nodal agency of each
state that certifies the installation and then
releases the subsidy in their states directly to
the consumer.”
Solar Parks
This apart, the Net metering facilities
are not available. We manufacturers expect
that Net metering facilities should be made
available and at a much faster pace, said a
manufacturer and suggested that the task
to install meter be given to the Discom and
within some specified period of time, may be
15 days from the date of application.
The graph of manufacturing within the
solar industry in India is increasing but with
little support from the Government. The
future could be bright but only when the
Government comes forward to support the
manufacturers. Support in terms of providing
loans at lower interest rates or roll out policies
to ease off the process of importing raw
material needed for manufacturing.
If government takes steps to support
the domestic manufacturers in India, then
domestic manufacturing industry can be self-
dependent and grow better in another five to
eight years.
According to experts, awareness among
customers can be a major way to push the
uptake of solar power in the country. State
Nodal Agencies need to be brought in the
loop to assist independent consumers in
understanding the benefits and the process of
selecting solar energy. Schools, colleges, and
education institutions can be imparted proper
knowledge regarding the benefit of energy
transition and role of solar. This will help
increase demand for solar, providing impetus
to the industry’s growth in turn.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 27
 Cover

‘Govt has identified

the needs & doubled
support for the sector’

Doubling of the solar park capacity would provide the

necessary push and propel the growth that is required to
achieve our target of 100 GW by 2022, says Basant Jain,
CEO Mahindra EPC and Mahindra Solar

industry? current momentum in the industry.

When it comes to the solar sector, Central
government has been making all the right
moves. Having spend so much time in the
solar sector, it gives me utmost satisfaction
that the government has been quite receptive
and making all possible efforts to understand
the genuine needs of the sector. The recent
announcement also needs to be seen in this
light, where government has rightly identified
the pressing needs and doubled its support to
the sector.
Doubling of the solar park capacity
Talk about the present state
and status of solar parks in the
country.
Solar parks is an interesting concept which
allows measured allocation/ sharing of risks
between public and private sector. Given the
scale that India is looking to build in solar,
the average project size is bound to go up and
for such large scale projects, it is better if the
arrangement of land and evacuation is taken
care of by public sector.

Q
With the recent
announcement, that the
government has doubled
the solar park capacity, how
would the move reflect on the
would provide the necessary push and
propel the growth that is required to
achieve our target of 100 GW by 2022. If
solar parks of 40 GW capacity can come
up really fast, it would further boost the
Private sector has so far responded well to
solar parks and passed on the tariff advantage
in the solar park bids, equivalent to the risk
premium associated with any non-solar park
tender. Moreover, it has allowed the private

28 | Energy Next | April 2017

 Concerns

Private sector has responded well to

solar parks and passed on the tariff
advantage in the solar park bids,
equivalent to the risk premium associated
with any non-solar park tender
solar parks are already auctioned and these
were the solar parks where the development
work was “on” for quite some time. The next
set of solar parks are not ready and may take
some time. If proper care is not taken in timing
the auction or by assuming that solar park
readiness can be worked upon along with the
project development, then the developers will
have to factor in the risk of delay and will have
to price the same into their tariff quotes.
Where does India stand globally,
when it comes to the ambitious
solar parks sector?
Solar Parks in India addresses unique
issues prevalent in India and hence not
comparable to any other geography. The risk
propositions are completely different for
developing solar projects in India, as long as
the land and evacuation risks are left open
to private sector developers. This issue also
restricts the participation of foreign capital
in Indian solar sector.
While several solar parks have been
developed across the globe, mostly to utilise
the otherwise unusable land in desert areas,
development of solar parks in India addresses
a different need and enables ease of doing solar
business in India. I don’t believe any other
country has taken up such a massive target to
set up so many solar parks, having cumulative
capacity of 40 GW.
With a fresh financial boost how
far do you think India is from
achieving the renewable energy
target?
I think we are on course to achieve our targets,
not only for 175 MW by 2022 but COP21
commitments made in Paris for 2030. Even
though many people had doubts when the
100 GW solar target for 2022 was announced,
the pace at which things have evolved in last
few years, I can say we are moving in the
right direction. The enabling environment
and the supportive ecosystem, which has
been developed for solar, has generated the
momentum and a confidence that it will
continue until we meet our targets. The
encouraging announcement of doubling the
solar park capacity also helps in drawing more
people, capital and companies into the sector
which would further boost the growth of the
industry.

sector to take up large exposures, you may see

large capacity projects Ghani Solar Park (350
MW), Rewa (3x250 MW) and Kadapa (250
MW) are being auctioned and many developers
are offering to take up such large exposure
at competitive tariffs amid tight execution
timelines.
We have been fortunate to be associated
with the major solar parks in India, Mahindra
Renewables Private Limited (Our IPP arm) has
won projects in Charnka Solar Park in Gujarat
as well as in Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park in
MP, while Mahindra Susten is providing EPC
solutions in Ghani and Ananthapuramu Solar
Parks in AP. These solar parks are a result of
careful planning by the authorities and offer
much lesser risk to developers.
Having said that, majority of the developed

April 2017 | Energy Next | 29

 Cover | Concerns
Solar Parks in India addresses unique
issues prevalent in India and hence not
comparable to any other geography
In the present scenario
what has the role of your
organisation, as major market
player ben? Can you talk about
the future plans?
We have been part of India’s solar journey
for over five years now. We have established
ourselves as a reliable EPC partner, who
understands the value drivers for the
developers and strive to deliver a proposition
which enhances value. In a 10 GW to 15 GW
per annum market, we would like to continue
to deliver the same promise of reliability and
value, at a much larger scale.
We would continue to focus more on
R&D, value engineering and innovative
design to ensure a competitive offering in
the market. We are also developing several
technical solutions which are modular,
customizable and will provide much
needed boost to the value proposition.
We are already out in market with our
tracking system which helps developers
in maximizing the generation without
incurring massive additional costs.
We would also like to leverage our core
30 | Energy Next | April 2017
strengths to achieve a significant market
share as an IPP player and to develop an
independent asset holding platform in
Mahindra Renewables Private Limited.
What are the three major
challenges that the industry
is facing, and what are the
recommendations that you
would like to make?
I believe the major challenges industry is
facing are related to the rapid growth we are
witnessing, what I mean by this is that if the
industry would not have been growing at
such pace, some of the challenges wouldn’t
have needed any discussions.
The biggest challenge, as I see today,
is the integration of such large renewable
capacity, which is by nature intermittent,
with the grid. As per our COP 21 Paris
commitment, at least 40% of the energy
shall be generated from Renewable Energy
Sources. In order to reach to our 175 GW
renewable energy target by 2022, we need
to build renewable energy projects to the
tune of 20 GW to 25 GW per annum. In
order to evacuate this much of power,
much more investment, with utmost
urgency, is required to be planned in
strengthening the transmission network.
The second challenge is of course the
poor financial health of DISCOMs. The
benefits of UDAY scheme enrolment by
states are yet to be seen and hence in the
near term projects would suffer from
the poor credit rating of the DISCOMs.
The recently discovered tariffs will
certainly help in lowering the resistance of
DISCOMs for buying renewable energy,
still with the increasing share of renewable
energy installations, payment security will
remain a problem unless addressed.
The third major challenge in my
opinion is implementation of GST. Since
there would be many projects which will
get awarded before notification of GST
and will be under construction/operation,
the viability will be under stress if the
effective tax rate goes up significantly.
Currently there is no such clear mechanism
identified or established, which eases out
the potential risks and allows direct ass
through. Tender documents for Rewa had
most comprehensive clause on change
in law to address the GST risk, most
concurrent transactions lack the same thus
increasing the risk premium on the quoted
tariff.
 Column

Renewable Energy in
the new regime of GST
Any impact of taxes paid on procurements
used in renewable energy sector would have a direct
impact on cost of sustainable energy.

I
ndia is gearing up to introduce a
comprehensive Indirect tax regime
under Goods and Services Tax
(GST). All existing Indirect taxes,
barring a select few, would be subsumed
into the new GST. Taxes on consumption
or sale of electricity have been proposed
to be kept outside GST. In such case, the
electricity generated by renewable sources
would be outside the GST regime.
GST will be a system of indirect taxation
in India merging most of the existing
taxes into single system of taxation. It
was introduced as the Constitution (One
Hundred and First Amendment) Act 2016.
The GST is administered & governed by
GST Council Chaired by the Union Finance
Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley. It would be a
comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture,
sale and consumption of goods and services
throughout India, to replace taxes levied by
the Central and State Governments.
This method allows GST-registered
businesses to claim tax credit to the value
of GST they paid on purchase of goods or
services as part of their normal commercial
activity. Taxable goods and services are not
distinguished from one another and are taxed
at a single rate in a supply chain till the goods
or services reach the consumer. Administrative
responsibility would generally rest with a single
authority to levy tax on goods and services.
Exports would be considered as zero-rated
supply and imports would be levied the same
taxes as domestic goods and services adhering
to the destination principle in addition to the
Customs Duty which will not be subsumed in
the GST.
The introduction of Goods and Services
Tax is a significant step in the reform
of indirect taxation in our country.
Amalgamating several Central and State
taxes into a single tax would mitigate
cascading or double taxation, facilitating a
common national market. The simplicity of
the tax should lead to easier administration
and enforcement. From the consumer
point of view, the biggest advantage would
be in terms of a reduction in the overall
tax burden on goods, which is currently
estimated at 25%-30%, free movement of
goods from one state to another without
stopping at state borders for hours for
payment of state tax or entry tax and
reduction in paperwork to a large extent.
All the existing taxpayers registered under
VAT, Service Tax, and Excise are required to
furnish the details at GST Common portal
for the purpose of migrating themselves into
GST regime. To begin with, the taxpayers
registered under the State Vat Department
needs to provide their details and period
for furnishing these details are specified for
every state. Once the taxpayers provide their
details, there will be no need for them to
register again with the State or Center once
the GST Act is implemented.
The power to levy taxes on consumption
or sale of electricity has been provided to
the State Government vide entry 53 of List
II of Seventh Schedule of Constitution.
However, such entry is not being subsumed
and accordingly taxes on consumption or
sale of electricity have been proposed to be
kept outside GST. Therefore, the electricity
generated by renewable sources would
continue to be outside the GST regime and
the State Government would have the power
to continue to tax the same. Currently, tax
on electricity is levied only under Entry 53
and it’s specifically exempted/ excluded from
levy under Entry 54.
One of the main energy sub-sectors to
be impacted post the implementation of
GST is renewables. The sector currently
enjoys various fiscal incentives like 100 per
cent tax holiday on earnings for 10 years,
concessional excise and custom duties and
so on. These incentives will come to an end
in the new GST regime. The indirect tax
reform through the GST could, therefore,
hike renewable energy costs and pricing
and hit investors. The impact could be
a 16-20 per cent rise in Solar Off Grid
costs; 12-16 per cent rise in Solar PV Grid
installations and a 11-15 per cent jump in
the cost of setting up wind energy projects.
It is suggested that either consider
renewable power as a deemed export or
merely assign a zero GST rate on clean
energy, which will allow power producers
to get refund of all the taxes previously paid
on the raw materials and services. The
solar power industry is witnessing intense
competition which has driven tariffs down
from Rs.12 a kilo watt hour in 2010 to a
historic low of Rs 3 in 2016, which means
any cost escalation is likely to hurt them.
Any impact of taxes paid on procurements
used in renewable energy sector would have
a direct impact on cost of renewable energy.
Basis information available in the public
domain on levy of GST, it appears that taxes
on procurements for renewable energy sector
would go up, which would lead to increase
in cost of renewable energy (resulting in
negative impact for the sector).
The author is Former Advisor, MNRE and CEO
(design) Skill Council for Green Jobs
(Views expressed by the author are personal)

April 2017 | Energy Next | 31

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India Expo Centre
Greater Noida New Delhi
Booth No. 5.107

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“ Innovative Business models
with attractive returns
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 Interview

‘Telangana is leading India

in solar energy sector’

To get business approvals, you don’t have to go to various counters to seek

sanctions. With a single pass, everything can get done under one roof in a swift
manner, without much running around, explains I A Khan, Chairman of the
Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
sector in an aggressive way. This has to do with
the international commitments that we have
to reduce carbon footprint. In order to support
the program, major policy decisions are also
being made in this direction. Only recently,
the government announced the ambitious
program of increasing the solar energy
capacity from 20,000MW to 40,000MW. The
country is certainly marching ahead to achieve
its clean energy target.
How far do you think we reached
on the clean energy target?
expects to have an installed capacity of 1,456
MW of solar power by April this year and that is
expected to touch 2,000 MW by the end of this
year. The state has set itself a goal of generating
5,000 MW of electricity from solar power in the
next few years, he said.
Can we talk about the ease
of doing business in India for
international business players?
The electricity sector is 100 per cent FDI
sector. That means number of approvals will
automatically come down and there won’t

Q
Renewable energy is
picking up big and with
the government boost,
how, according to you, is it going
to change the energy landscape
of the country?
Government is promoting renewable energy
Out of the 100,000MW target, as of now, we
have only achieved 1000MW this year. In next
another two-three years, things will pick up at
a good pace. In Telangana, we have bid around
3500 MW, and 1200 MW has already been
achieved. By the end of December, we are set
to achieve rest of the energy target. The state
be many restrictions in the sector. My state,
Telangana, is number one in ease of doing
business, as per ratings. Though there will be
problems like acquiring land etc., which will be
there everywhere -- be it Australia or the US as
everywhere rules are different.

34 | Energy Next | April 2017


Talking about your state, how did
you tackle with issues like land
acquisition and evacuation etc.
I would say land acquisition isn’t a problem
anymore in many states, including Telangana.
But because of the new policy for the market
prices, there will be a slight increase in
project cost. In MP state, there was landmark
bidding, which was considered as landmark
low. There the evacuation is the distributor
and developer may not worry about it. Land
is supported by the government itself as it is
on lease basis.
How for is the country’s
infrastructure equipped to handle
the expected massive power
generation?
Today, the transmission system of India,
which is the backbone of the entire system,
is best in the world. In fact, we have, what we
can call, sufficient redundancy. The system is
connected across the country with each and
every state. Well, there could be slight issue
with evacuation for particular projects. But the
ones that are part of the bidding process need
not to worry even about that.
What are the three qualities that
make your state into an exemplary
state when it comes to renewable
energy generation?
Firstly, I would say, ease of doing business, where
our state should be marked as number one. If
you want to do business, we don’t have to go to
Transmission system of India, which is
the backbone of the entire system, is
best in the world. In fact, we have, what
we can call, sufficient redundancy
various counters to get sanctions. You simply get
a T-pass and get everything under one roof in
a swift manner without much running around.
In terms of evacuation, transmission and
distribution also we are number one.
What about other sources of power
– Small Hydro, wind and biomass--
are these being overlooked?
Small Hydro is a great thing but water available
but has to be there. At least 70 per cent of water
has to be there. It is viable for hilly regions. For
south India it is not the option. Second issue is
the cost of construction. The tariff that you have
to have is on the higher side.
What about e-vehicle. What kind
of policy is ready and what more
needs to be done in this regard?
While the idea of popularizing e-transport is
being discussed in a big way, we are working
on policies in this regard. In fact the idea isn’t
a new one, but need to popularised in a big
way. In 90s, I have seen e-cars in Bangalore,
but the point is if people are willing to use
them. Preference of the consumer should be
there. There is a lack of understanding for
the environment cause. If the idea picks up
Telangana
majorly, and there is a mass preference for
e-vehicles, infrastructure, like setting up more
charging points can be discussed.
What do you have to say about
energy storage?
Energy storage is not a new concept. We have
power storage plants, gas based plants and hydro
power plants are also used for storage purpose
also. Conventional storage is great for renewable
storage. But battery is required when response
time is very fast. For example, when solar plant
is working is full bloom and suddenly cloud
comes, solar power storage will comes down
very fast. Within few seconds, you need a battery
back-up; in this case pump storage will take few
more seconds. So, everywhere battery storage
is not required. I conventional storage system
is enough. We need battery storage only when
response time is less.
In Telangana, which sectors have
benefitted from solar energy?
Our solar plants are focused for agriculture
purpose and we are using over 2 million solar
pumps. These pumps are doing a great job as
these require solar energy to do the job only
during the daytime.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 35
 Solar

Milestone
Rewa

Tariffs in these days and times are transient milestones. I would say it is the transaction
structure and the bid process of Rewa Project that truly makes it a turning point,
explains Manu Shrivastava, Principal Secretary, Power Department, MP

Q
Rewa is a landmark. How
did you achieve it?
Yes, the record low tariff of Rs
2.97 per kilowatt hour does make Rewa
somewhat a landmark, though tariffs
in these days and times are transient
milestones. I would say it is the transaction
structure and the bid process of Rewa
Project that truly makes it a turning point.
Government of India and Government
of MP and their various agencies provided
exemplary support in making Rewa a
landmark. Without their contribution, it
was impossible to structure such a project
and achieve this tariff. The stakeholders
in the success are: Ministry of New and

36 | Energy Next | April 2017


Renewable Energy (MNRE), the nodal
ministry of the Government of India for
all matters relating to new and renewable
energy. MNRE provided the grant for
Solar Park Infra and Payment Security
Fund. MoP approved Rewa Project as part
of ISTS and thus ensured that power from
Rewa project is available to Delhi Metro
at Delhi periphery at no extra cost. GoMP
kindly provided land and state guarantee
of obligations of state DISCOMs. DMRC
agreed to come on board as Power
Procurer. PGCIL is developing External
Evacuation Infrastructure, whereas the
internal evacuation infrastructure is being
developed in consultation with MPPTCL.
IFC, a member of the World Bank
Group, bolstered the project by being the
Lead Transaction Adviser. World Bank
sanctioned loan through MNRE and
IREDA for infrastructure. Both national
and international developers supported
the project by actively participating in the
bid process and by bidding aggressively.
The most important distinguishing
feature of Rewa project has been an
optimum distribution of risk between the
procurers (DMRC & MPPMCL), developers
and RUMS. The PPA and other project
documents were aimed at an effective
mitigation of risks. In the process, we were
aided by large number of bidders, who
participated actively in our pre-bid meetings
and sent us numerous suggestions. We
tried to incorporate as many suggestions
as reasonably possible and, wherever we
could not, we explained the reasons to the
bidders. The bid process was extremely
open, interactive and participative. We even
interacted with the lenders of the bidders,
since we realized that a low rate of interest to
the bidders would translate into low tariff for
the project. That is why, our bid documents
saw large number of corrigenda.
We had a robust project preparation
process, where details of land availability
were regularly shared in the data room.
Similarly, the contracts for internal
evacuation infrastructure, which is being
undertaken by RUMS, and the photographs
of the progress of work were put in our data
room, so that the bidders could be confident
that there was no risk that their project is
ready but power cannot be evacuated.
If I was to back track the story, I would
say that RUMS was ideated as any normal
SECI project, wherein the role of the state
government would have been to provide only
the land and the bid management was to be
done by SECI. The project was taken forward
by RUMS without any Viability Gap Funding
(VGF) and the innovative tender structuring
and bid process proved to be fruitful.
What makes Rewa one of its kind
project?
First time a state-led organization has handled
such a large project. RUMS was created only
in July 2015. Development of large scale
solar power projects has so far been the
initiative of CPSUs, such as NTPC, SECI,
etc. Everything was handled by RUMS, from
conceptualization, market consultations,
financial and legal structures and bid process
management, as also the activities undertaken
by SPPD, namely, development of land and
associated infrastructure.
It is the first project in the country supplying
power to an inter-state open access customer,
Delhi Metro. This opens up an entirely new
chapter in utilization of Renewable Energy
(RE) in the country, where large institutional
open access consumers can start procuring
inexpensive RE. Demonstration that the record
low solar power tariff can be achieved without
VGF, central financial assistance and blending
with cheap thermal power makes it a one of its
kind project.
Success story
Further, RUMS has implemented energy
contract (first in India), rather than pro
rata power contracts in vogue in the
country. This allowed the project to fulfil
the power requirement profile of both
Madhya Pradesh and Delhi Metro. This
was accomplished through an optimum
scheduling arrangement developed
through first principles. DMRC would be
shifting approximately 90 per cent of its
day demand to solar power.
Rewa would be the first solar park in India
to get funding from the Clean Technology
Fund (CTF). It is the first time that the World
Bank would be funding solar park in India.
The World Bank Board has approved the loan
in its meeting held on March 30, 2017.
A three tier payment security mechanism has
been put in place, again the first time in India.
Developers could assess the credit risk
of procurers, as procurers would directly
sign the PPA with them for the entire
capacity of 750 MW.
Bidders were allowed unprecedented
flexibility in bidding for projects- unique
reverse auction was tried for the first time
in the country.
As many as 20 firms (6 from outside
the country) participated in the tender
with total bid of 7500MW for the 750MW
project. International investors, who have
never bid for State-led bids, participated in
the tender: Softbank (Japan), Enel (Italy),
Engie (France), SembCorp (Singapore),
April 2017 | Energy Next | 37
 Solar | Success story
Solenergi (backed by pension funds from
USA, UK and Asia) and Canadian Solar.
Can you talk a bit about the
state policies that have pushed
MP to be a renewable energy
leader?
The state policies have to be investor-
friendly for any project to become
successful. MP policies have been drafted
keeping this in mind, MP is said to be ‘the
heart of the country’, and anyone can see
there is a big heart here. All the incentives
that are provided through these policies are
available to RE manufacturing sector as well.
The government land is allotted at
half of the market rate with ‘right to
use’ permission for 25 years. There
is a 50 per cent rebate on stamp duty
for purchase of private land. Deemed
diversion of agricultural land is allowed.
No permission is needed from local bodies
for undertaking construction. Wheeling
is at concessional rate of 2 per cent, and
GoMP has provided 4% subsidy to make
this possible. There can be no surprise land
or project related inspection under GoMP
policy. The documentation process is not
only standardized; it is simple as well.
To ensure transparency, project
clearance and monitoring system has
been made entirely web based. The entire
process from application to COD is online.
The payment for registration is also online.
No environment impact assessment is
required for Solar, Wind and small Hydro
38 | Energy Next | April 2017
projects. There is an exemption from VAT
and entry tax.
What is your take on the bottle
necks like; land acquisition,
power distribution and
financing as highlighted by the
industry insider?
As regards the Rewa project, RUMS and
GoMP are to arrange and provide the entire
land, free from encumbrance, to the project
developers. To maintain transparency and
so that developers have confidence in the
process, the khasra numbers of the land
available, both Government and private,
were regularly uploaded in the data room.
Thus the bidders could see how the land
availability was increasing by the day, and
that 97 per cent land was available on the
day of auction. Thus they can begin the
project on the day of the signing of the
PPA. In case the project developers feel the
requirement of land beyond 500 hectares for
a 250MW project, additional land would be
provided by RUMS to the project developer
on best endeavor basis at cost without any
extra charges.
For power evacuation from Rewa
to the state and to Delhi Metro, two
types of evacuation infrastructure are
being developed: external evacuation
infrastructure and internal evacuation
infrastructure.
For external evacuation, 400/220
KV substation and associated 400 KV
transmission line is being developed by
PGCIL under Inter State Transmission
System (ISTS). PGCIL undertook detailed
load flow studies and the design of
evacuation infrastructure from the RUMS
project site to the Regional Grid. PGCIL
secured funding for the substation and the
transmission line, partly from grant from
MNRE for solar parks and balance from
internal sources. Work is underway and
would be completed in 2017 itself.
For internal evacuation, 220/33KV
substation is being developed by RUMSL
in each 250 MW unit. Further, 220
KV transmission lines are being laid
connecting the three 220/33KV substations
to PGCIL’s 400/22 KV substation.
MPPTCL (the State Transco) is the project
management consultant for the work.
As regards financing, RUMSL is
securing funding for the development
of internal substation and transmission
lines from World Bank. There is also
Clean Technology Fund (CTF) at
super-concessional rate of 0.25 per cent
irrespective of LIBOR. Apart from this,
MNRE grant is available to RUMS for park
development. RUMS would also be taking
charges from developers, which have been
kept rather low.
Tell us about states other
ongoing projects?
Some of the solar projects sanctioned by
MNRE, GoI, where project activities are to
be taken up, are; Neemach (250 MW), Agra
Shajapur (500 MW), Chattarpur (500 MW)
and Rajgarh Morena (500MW).
Discussions are underway with various
important CPSUs for putting up solar
projects in the state. These CPSUs are;
Indian Railways, Coal India Limited, IOCL,
OIL, NHDC and PTC.
Coal India Limited, IOCL and OIL are
keen to set up projects partly for captive
use. NHDC and PTC are also keen to
invest, where power could be supplied
to DISCOMs or other customers. We are
considering to tender these projects on
basis of EPC plus 25 years O&M.
Indian Railways are keen to execute
projects in developer mode, which could
be a project akin to Rewa with Delhi Metro
being replaced by Indian Railways as an
anchor customer.

India open PV Project — A Bible for
harnessing solar potential in India
A NISE and Soreva joint R&D venture for enhancing
the landscape of PV installations in the country
E
mphasis on renewable energy— in
terms of policy making or initiative
for increasing its presence – grew
not only from the search for
alternative sources of energy but also from
the growing concern for climate change. At
the doorstep of COP 21 summit where the
policy makers of almost all the countries of
the world pledged to take pro-active measures
for reducing carbon foot print, an interesting
alliance that would take the scaling up of
renewable technologies, especially solar, to the
next level was announced.
This announcement – made jointly by
the Prime Minister of India and President
of France — was the formalization of a
body – the International Solar Alliance
(ISA). The body was formed to address
specific solar deployment needs of solar
resource rich countries between the
tropics. This announcement was followed
by an official declaration after which
methodologies were formulated and it was
decided that the Alliance would establish
networks and develop synergies with like-
minded organizations at the world stage.
Some of the likely organizations include
IRENA, IEA, REEP and REN21.
India, one of the protagonists of this
Alliance, realizing its huge potential
for solar has set for itself an ambitious
target of achieving 1,00,000 MW of solar
production by 2022.
To achieve this target, it is not only important
to concentrate on intensifying installations but
also to ensure sustainable performance of these
installations in near future. To create insightful
guidelines for future solar installations and to
study the impact of reliability issues of these
plants, the project Internet of Photovoltaics, has
been started as a joint R&D initiative between
National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and
Soreva, a BITSian start-up.
NISE is a premiere research
institute for solar energy in India. It
has various operational models of
solar PV installations with different
technologies. Soreva is a start-up founded
by Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, Anirudh
Ramesh and Sriharsha, engineering
graduates from BITS Pilani under the
mentorship of Dr. Rajneesh Kumar, who is
currently associated with the Electrical and
Electronics Department of BITS Pilani.
As per a strategically device plan, the
facilities were instated at NISE campus
and the campus was declared a net zero
energy campus on January 1, 2017. One
week this, the principal secretary for the
energy department of the government
Cover | Innovation
of Haryana, Shri. Ankur Gupta –
inaugurated a net metering facility at
NISE and launched Asia’s first electrical
utility eco-system.
This system brings all the generation
and consumption nodes of NISE campus
is integrated with a network specific to
the campus. The data was retrieved from
all the nodes without any use of sensing
equipment, making this a non-intrusive
monitoring system. For the first time, in
Asia, such ecosystem of things is created
at the NISE campus, where all the power
generation and consumption devices
are directly or indirectly in the network
we established. They communicate with
a centralized server inside the campus
in real time providing the data of their
respective functionalities every 40
seconds. An AI powered bot is at the
back-end analysing the data and updating
an integrated interface for knowing the
real-time production, consumption and
the net feeding into the grid. We rewrote
the concept of net metering which we are
now calling as network metering where
the net energy can be seen from the
devices in a common network.
With the virtue of being situated at Delhi
and Haryana Border, the NISE campus
experiences climatic conditions that mimic
almost every temperature zone in the
country and many zones across the world.
While the data is integrated from all the
solar power generation sources, the real
time climatological data obtained from
the weather station located in the campus
is also appended to it. The data analysis
back bone can assess the performance of
different technologies of solar panels in
different climatological situations and draw
insightful conclusions about their usage.
The experience in observing the trend of
the collected data can be used to create
insights for handling the existing and
upcoming installations in the country.
The author, SK Singh, is Director General, NISE
April 2017 | Energy Next | 39
 Solar

‘We value Indian market’

After dominating markets in countries like China, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey,
UK, Australia and South Africa market, Qi Wang, Chief Scientist, JinkoSolar,
says they have a variety of solutions to meet India’s renewable energy demand
the number one in the solar industry
for module supply. What is clear from
JinkoSolar’s rise is the degree to which the
company has excelled in global sales and
marketing activities.
The reason behind this is the company’s
high quality products, industry leading
technology, branding and customer’s
trust. JinkoSolar has differentiated itself
by stressing on the importance of sound
financial management, module quality,
tailored products and solutions for
customers and on-time delivery. JinkoSolar
to offer clients the most reliable product,
generating more power even in harsh
environments.
How is JinkoSolar, as a leading
company, propelling the idea of
renewable into a new phase of
growth?
JinkoSolar always believes that solar PV is
the most accessible renewable energy, apart
from utility scale projects, a PV system can
be installed on any rooftop. Hence, everyone
can be running his/her own power plant at

Q
Tell us more about
JinkoSolar as one of the
leading global industry
players today.
JinkoSolar succeeded in what appeared
to be a long-standing objective — be
is the first Chinese PV manufacturer to
receive Q+ Certificate from TUV Rheinland,
which is a stringent testing criteria represent
the industry’s latest standard. In addition
to its entirely PV module portfolio passing
double 85 PID-Test, the company aims
home or at work.
In the meantime, JinkoSolar invests
heavily on R&D, focusing on driving down
the costs of solar power. The cost of solar
PV has been dropping dramatically over the
past few years and starting to undercut coal

40 | Energy Next | April 2017


according to recent biddings. Solar PV will
be cheaper than fossil fuels, which will open
a new phase of PV growth globally.
Cell technologies are being
adopted as a part of capacity
expansions and are paramount
to every manufacturer,
downstream installers and
EPCs. How is JinkoSolar
seeking to have leading market-
share across all global end-
markets?
JinkoSolar has balanced market
development in all of its seven business
units. The company does not rely on single
market to support its overall module
shipment, which allows continuous growth
over the years. In the meantime, JinkoSolar
has implemented different marketing
strategy in each market, which reflects
greatly on today’s results. As of today,
JinkoSolar ranks No.1 in market share in
China, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, UK,
Australia and South Africa, in addition,
Jinko has the largest addressable utility-scale
market share in the United States.
How do you see India as a huge
market for solar energy given
JinkoSolar invests heavily on R&D,
focusing on driving down the costs of
solar power
the boost by the government
and country’s zeal in promoting
new energy?
India is betting big by making a firm
commitment to make non-fossil fuels 40%
of the total power generation capacity
of the nation by the year 2032. India has
drawn up plans to achieve 175GW of
renewable energy capacity by 2022 as
part of its commitments to the United
Nations Framework Convention on climate
change adopted by 195 countries in Paris
in December 2015. JinkoSolar values the
Indian market, and has a variety of products
and solutions to meet clients’ requests.
Along with manufacturing,
JinkoSolar now has R&D
activities and capex allocations
that make the company a
technology-innovator, and not
just following mainstream
trends. Tell us more about it?
Historically, JinkoSolar was mainly focused
on the cost-reduction side of GW-level cell
Interview
manufacturing, and was heavily reliant
on cells from other cell producers for use
in its modules. This all changed a couple
of years ago, and JinkoSolar now has
4GW solar cell capacity as of December
31, 2016. JinkoSolar’s R&D has focused
on improving its modules’ power output.
Having achieved a world record of 334.5W
60-cell polycrystalline and 343.9W 60-cell
monocrystalline module power output,
JinkoSolar has achieved a mass production
of 310W 60-cell Mono PERC modules, 10
watts higher than the market main stream.
In addition, JinkoSolar offers different
options for consumers, including all black
modules for residential market and Smart
Solutions for other building integrated PV
installations.
You recently participated in
the PV Cell Tech, what where
your major takeaways from the
event, in terms of manufacturing
industry.
Get an update on cell technology and
manufacturing status; especially, about
PERC cell manufacturing - why there is
so much capacity build up and only a few
cells produced in 2016? The lack of PERC
production, in contrast to the regular
announcements we have been hearing in
the industry on PERC, or the myriad of
demo modules shown at the industry’s
main exhibitions during 2016. However, the
move to PERC is happening rapidly, and the
capacity plans and full line integration plans
are being done at a frantic rate. It always
takes time to get things optimized quickly
when implementing new process flows, and
of course, it needs the entire cell production
line to be optimized, not simply rear side
deposition and laser openings. Everything
needs to work together on the cell lines.
PERC is not an instant drop-in solution:
it takes time, it is perhaps not surprising
that some observers are questioning the
suggested mismatch with PERC capacity
announcements and modules hitting the
end-market.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 41
 Cover

Good & Bad of Goods

& Services Tax for
Solar Energy
In the short-run, study suggests a 10 per cent increase in solar tariff as a result of
increased project capital cost by about INR 4.5 million per MW but in the long
run, GST will eradicate presence of inverted duty tax structure in the value chain
of solar cells, modules and panels manufacturing and the introduction of Input
TaxCredit will eliminate cascading effect of existing tax structure, write Anjali
Viswamohanan and Neeraj Kuldeep.
and Service Tax (GST) rates and their
applicability on different solar Photovoltaic
(PV) system components has raised
concerns. The likely increase in project
capital cost and solar tariff as a result of
the GST are major worries, especially for
renewable projects which are currently in
the construction or tendering phase.
Uncertainties over the continuation of
existing tax benefits for grid connected
solar projects, adds to the concerns of
developers and investors alike. Under

S
olar tariffs in India touched
a record low of INR 3.3 per
kWh last month in the recently
awarded 750 MW Rewa Ultra
Mega Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh. This
is a significant decline from the lowest
solar tariff prior to this, of INR 4.34 per
kWh for a 420 MW project in Rajasthan.
Amidst this favourable direction for the
sector uncertainty over multiple Goods
the existing tax regime, solar PV
system components in India are largely
exempt from import duties and indirect
taxes levied by the central and state
governments on the manufacturing and
supply of goods.

42 | Energy Next | April 2017


ll The Goods and Services Tax
The government of India is gearing up
to rollout the GST by July 1, 2017. The
implementation of the GST is no longer
a looming mirage since the GST Council,
under the supervision of Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley, has recently cleared the Draft
Compensation Bill for compensating states’
loss due to implementation of the GST. The
GST regime has three other legislations that
are likely to be finalised in subsequent council
meetings – Central GST (CGST), State GST
(SGST) and Integrated GST (IGST).
The GST, in its initial form, was designed
to have a single tax rate, subsuming multiple
indirect taxes with the provision of Input
Tax Credit (ITC) to eliminate cascading of
taxes. This would have been a revolutionary
reform in the existing Indian taxation
regime, impacting the entire revenue
collection regime. However, the GST Council
has proposed to have a four-tier GST tax
structure – five per cent for essential items,
two standard rates 12 per cent and 18 per
cent and a higher tax bracket (28 per cent)for
luxury good and de-merit goods that will also
attract an additional cess, over and above the
higher tax rate levied. Besides the four-tier
tax structure, GST has two more categories
– goods that lie outside the ambit of the GST
and a 0 per cent category for goods that are
exempted under GST.
ll Impact of the GST on the
Solar Sector
A recent study published by the Council on
Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW),
“GST: A Good Solar Tax?” highlights the
plausible implication of GST on solar
generation tariff and on the solar sector as
a whole. The study estimates the increase/
decrease in solar generation tariff based on
two possibly different taxation scenarios
under GST regime, since it is difficult
to speculate the slab under which each
relevant solar energy-linked commodity
would fall. The two scenarios are then
compared with solar generation tariffs
under the current tax regime.
The first scenario considers that the GST
rates will be determined based on total
applicable taxes, curtailing the current tax
exemptions available to solar sector. This
translates to 12 per cent GST rate for solar PV
system components and a higher 18 per cent
GST rate for construction and Operations and
Concerns
Maintenance (O&M) related services. Based
on this, the analysis indicates that the sector
could witness an increase in solar generation
tariff by nearly 10per cent.
The 10 per cent increase in solar tariff is
a result of increased project capital cost by
about INR 4.5 million per MW, primarily
due to higher import duties and increased
taxes levied on construction and operations
and maintenance services under the GST
regime. Increased capital requirement would
also lead to higher repayments to equity and
debt investors which would contribute the
most (~70 per cent) towards the increase in
solar tariff. This could set back the sector in
terms of cost competitiveness by about 18
months as per CEEW’s estimates.
Second scenario considers GST rates as
per the existing applicable taxes, assuming
the tax exemptions are continued to solar
sector. This would translate to lower GST
rate (five per cent) for solar PV system
equipment and standard 18 per cent rate
for O&M and civil related activities. The
rise in solar tariff, in this scenario could
possibly be limited to a marginal increase
of about one per cent. The increase is
primarily due to applicability of higher
April 2017 | Energy Next | 43
 Cover | Concerns
GST rate (18 per cent) for O&M and
construction activities as against 15 per
cent service tax currently being charged.
The increase in solar tariffs would also
vary across states; higher for states such as
Rajasthan where Value Added Tax (VAT)
and Entry Tax exemptions are currently
provided for solar equipment, as opposed
to Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat where
VAT and Entry Tax exemptions are not
provided. The actual increase in solar tariff
could only be estimated once we have
clarity on different GST rates and their
applicability to different components.
ll The Benefits
The renewable power sector is plagued
by an “inverted duty structure” on account
of taxes (customs, excise, VAT etc.) being
incurred on the input side, with the
output being tax-exempt. This results in
domestic manufacturers paying higher
taxes for manufacturing of solar modules
in India (with imported components)
than in case of tax paid on imported
modules. Introduction of GST Bill will
eradicate presence of inverted duty tax
structure in the value chain of solar cells,
modules and panels manufacturing, thus
improving competitiveness of domestic
manufacturers. The manufacturers will
further benefit with the introduction of
Total increase in solar generation tariff and share
of different cost heads if current exemptions to
solar are discontinued under the GST
44 | Energy Next | April 2017
Input Tax Credit (ITC) in GST regime
which will eliminate cascading effect of
existing tax structure.
Increased competitiveness of domestic
solar manufacturers both in domestic and
international markets will give a boost to
the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative
and could help India to position itself as a
leading solar module manufacturer similar
to what India has already achieved in the
wind manufacturing segment. Currently,
India imports almost 95 per cent of total
annual solar modules installations, since
India only has an installed manufacturing
capacity of 1.2 GW for solar cells and
5.6 GW for solar modules. Increased
procurement of solar module from local
companies, reduced import dependence,
could create an additional 37,000 new jobs
in India’s solar manufacturing sector by
2022.
ll The Path Ahead
• Financial Support
The GST in the long run seems to have a
positive impact on the solar sector, but in
the short run GST is going to adversely
impact the ever-decreasing solar tariffs and
pace of solar deployment in the country.
However, these short-term impacts could
be controlled by providing financial
support to solar developers through
existing policy instruments. The financial
support could be extended in the form
of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) towards
solar projects which will be affected by
implementation of the GST Bill in July
this year. Further, the government may
also consider to reinstate Accelerated
Depreciation (AD) benefits to 80 per cent
for the next financial year.
• Providing Clarifications
It is equally vital that the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Solar
Energy Corporation of India Limited
(SECI) and other related agencies must
provideclarity in the upcoming bids
regarding the options/alternatives available
to the developers to pursue action for
the changed circumstances post the
implementation of the GST regime. The
model power purchase agreement that was
released under the Rewa bid provides a
perfect example of how the government
could do this. The change in law provision
in the Rewa power purchase agreement
explicitly covers the event of increase
in costs to the developer owing to the
implementation of the GST regime, which
offers comfort to the developer in terms of
risk- alleviation on that front.
• Being Revenue Neutral
The Government of India collects a mere
0.1 per cent of its total indirect tax revenue
from solar sector. Given such insignificant
contribution towards revenue collection,
solar PV system components could still
be taxed at a lower GST rate continuing
the current tax exemptions to the sector.
This will ensure minimum impact on solar
generation tariff and revenue collections.
India’s solar sector requires greater
policy clarity and government incentives
in the short-term to meet the annual solar
capacity addition targets of more than
12 GW in 2017-18. In the long-term, the
government needs to nudge the emerging
solar sector to develop a robust ecosystem
capable of meeting India’s ambitious
renewable energy goals.
(The writers are researchers at the Council
on Energy, Environment and Water – an
independent not-for-profit policy research
organisation based in New Delhi. They can be
reached at anjali.viswamohanan@ceew.in and
neeraj.kuldeep@ceew.in)
(Views Expressed by the authors are personal)

Solar tariffs in India have fallen
by 73 per cent since 2010
Solar park programs have helped to bring down tariffs as large projects can
be constructed in a single location with the necessary grid infrastructure,
explains the latest Mercom report.
Average c-Si Chinese Module Prices 2010-2017
$/Watt
2.00
1.80
1.60
45
%
1.40
De
cli
1.20
ne
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
I
2010 2011 2012 2013
ndia’s solar sector recently reached
record low tariff levels in the auction
conducted at the Rewa Solar Park in the
state of Madhya Pradesh. India was one
of the first countries to adopt reverse auctions
for solar projects since the inception of its
national solar policy and the government’s
goal has always been to procure solar power at
the lowest price possible.
Trajectory of Solar Tariffs
The recent record low bid of Rs.3.30
(~$0.494)/kWh (levelized over 25 years) at
the Rewa Solar Park by ACME was lower by
Rs.1.05 (~$0.02) and 24 percent compared to
the previous low of Rs.4.35 (~$0.07) quoted in
Rajasthan (by Fortum) in July 2016.
When the first 150 MW of solar was tendered
under the National Solar Mission (NSM) Batch-I
in 2010, the average tariff quoted was Rs.12.16
(~$0.17)/kWh. Average tariffs have fallen by
about 73 percent since 2010, almost in line with
Chinese spot module prices, which have fallen
by approximately 80 percent since 2010.
The entire global solar market was about 17
GW in 2010; Indian solar installations at that
point were only about 18 MW. When NSM
was initially rolled out, neither the government
c-Si module ASP’s have dropped by
approximately 80% since 2010
Price drop in 2016 was the second largest since
2011
31%
Decli
ne
11% Decline
2014 2015 2016 2017
agencies nor developers had much experience
installing solar power projects, nor was there
a supply chain in existence. With subsequent
auctions, intense competition to get into a new
sector resulted in aggressive bidding leading to
continued drops in tariffs.
ll What Led to Such Low
Tariffs?
Intense competition in reverse auctions due to a
limited supply of projects has pushed companies
to bid lower and lower, sacrificing margins, in
order to gain market share.
Highly competitive reverse auctions, falling
module and component prices, the introduction
of solar parks, lower borrowing costs, and the
entry of large power conglomerates with strong
balance sheets and access to cheaper capital have
all contributed to the dramatic fall in bids.
An increase in lending by Indian Renewable
Energy Development Agency (IREDA), the
World Bank, the Asian Development Bank
and other development banks have provided
developers with cheaper loans which has enabled
developers to bid at much lower prices, stated
an official at Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE). In the last two years, average
Cover | REPORT
domestic borrowing rates have declined by
approximately 14 percent for solar projects.
However, ever falling Chinese cell and module
prices due to expanding global market, scale,
supply and demand imbalance is the single
most important reason that has enabled project
developers in India to aggressively bid and build
projects.
Initially, Rs.5 (~$0.08)/kWh was the
benchmark that we did not want to cross
while bidding, but if the government provides
support in the form of a guarantee and a must-
run status, then projects will be viable at close
to three-rupees per unit. In the future, it can
even reach the Rs.2 (~$0.03)/kWh, stated a
solar project developer.
Chinese module prices have declined by
approximately 80 percent since 2010. The
module price declines in 2016 (31 percent) is the
second largest decline following the 45 percent
price crash in 2011. After huge price declines in
2011-2012, there was some price stabilization
between 2013-2015 during which module
prices fell by only 11 percent. In fact, there was
a 1.5 percent price increase in 2013 due to the
tightening of module supplies. These massive
price declines have more to do with global
demand and supply than what has happened
in India which has installed 10 GW since 2010.
China installed 34 GW just in one year in 2016.
Solar park programs have helped to bring
down tariffs to some extent as large projects
can be constructed in a single location with the
necessary grid infrastructure and land provided,
bringing down project costs and associated risks.
Though solar parks have contributed to bringing
costs down, most of them have had a lot of
challenges including, lack of access roads, cleared
lands, and clear demarcation of land areas in
these solar parks. Rewa was an exception as the
state of MP worked hard to eliminate the risks
typically associated with Indian projects such as
curtailment, payment delays etc.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 45
 Cover
Solar Parks are the future
The government has approved budget for additional 25 solar parks, each
with the capacity of 500 MW and this announcement is expected to boost
solar energy across all states, feels Surajit Khan
W
ith a large aspiring population
and rapidly growing
economy, India needs access
to reliable, economical and
clean source of energy. Our government is
committed to promote ecologically sustainable
growth with the Jawaharlal Nehru National
Solar Mission (JNNSM) while addressing
India’s energy security challenge.
46 | Energy Next | April 2017
The government has kept an ambitious
plan to add 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022.
It is majorly supported by three different
approaches - installing rooftop panels, building
ultra-mega solar parks and making utility scale
projects. Out of proposed 100 GW capacity, 60
GW capacity will include large solar parks (25
GW) and utility-scale units (35 GW), while the
40 GW is planned for rooftop solar plants.
As we know that a larger portion of India lies
in the high solar insolation region, the country
is gifted with a lot of solar energy potential
with more than 300 days of the sunshine per
year with an annual mean of daily global solar
radiation in the range of 4-6 kWh/m2/day.
Usually, large solar parks or photovoltaic
power stations are designed for the supply
of commercial power into the electricity
grid, and they also provide developers with
an area which is well-designed with proper
infrastructure and access.
Solar parks supply power at the utility level,
and not usually to a local user.
India has already witnessed two mega
solar parks ‘Charanka Solar Park’ in Gujarat,
closely followed by the ‘Bhadla Solar Park’
in Rajasthan. These parks have obtained
their initial impetus from the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM),
which provided the policy framework and
roadmap for solar power development in the
country. Further, MNRE has facilitated solar
park developers by reducing the number of
required approvals. Recently, the government
has approved budget for additional 25 solar
parks each with the capacity of 500 MW and
this announcement is expected to boost solar
energy across all states. As per the Wasteland
Atlas of India 2011 report, India has a
wasteland availability of 4.67 lakh sqm which
can be utilised to install 28.8 GW capacities of
such mega scale projects.
Solar parks have gained more popularity
than standalone projects and there are a

number of reasons behind it. Individual
projects of smaller capacity incur significant
expenses in site development, drawing separate
transmission lines to nearest substation,
procuring water and in creation of other
necessary infrastructure. Additionally, it takes a
long time for project developers to acquire land,
get change of land use and various permissions,
etc. which delays the project. Some of the
advantages cited by MNRE for setting up large
scale solar parks are:
• Minimal land development needs
• Ready road connectivity
• Shared resources for operation &
maintenance (O&M)
• Transmission facilities
• Pooling substation
• Communication facilities
• Drainage systems
• Warehousing
• Security.
Actually, solar parks remove most of
the hindrances faced by individual project
developers whilst mitigating risks and lowering
gestation period. They also prompt additional
projects of similar nature, trigger economies of
scale for cost- reductions, encourage technical
improvements and achieve large-scale reductions
in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
However, there are contrary views against
the concept of centralised solar power
generation too. The stakeholders, who oppose
the installation of solar parks, want to advocate
power generation and consumption in the form
of distributed generation (rooftop solar PV, off-
grid PV or solar micro grids) and it is mainly
due to two major reasons:
• Solar is available everywhere, and by its very
nature, harnessing of solar power should be
decentralised.
• The centralised solar generation relates to
the high Transmission & Distribution (T&D)
that are inherent to utility scale solar projects,
especially when they are located in remote
locations far away from the demand centres.
In a country like India where power deficit
is so high, both massive solar parks, and
small rooftop PV systems can easily co-exist
Solar
if the right incentives are provided by the
government. Key challenges that are currently
faced by large solar parks include availability of
land, financing, access to basic infrastructure
and instability in the policies.
• A large solar park of 1-1.5 GW capacity
would roughly require 4K-6K acre of land.
Such huge land is typically available only in
the remote areas that often face severe climatic
conditions causing challenges in project
installation and maintenance.
• The expected time for the possibility of
execution of projects is likely to get overdue
as these remote locations still lack access to
basic infrastructure like roads, rails, power
availability, etc.
• Government is yet to come up with a
proposal for debt funding beyond the banking
system. Further, foreign equity or debt
investment is difficult because of the subsidy
nature of the solar business.
• India currently lacks a long-term plan, and the
clarity along with roadmap on the current policy
landscape are still unclear and may be a key
challenge for such big projects and may dent the
scope of growth across mega scale projects.
Given the huge power deficit faced by India,
and the recent challenges to coal supply due to
legal issues, it is important for the government
to scale up the solar sector in India. The massive
expansion of capacity addition targets proposed
by the MNRE needs to be achieved only by
such initiatives. DISCOMS-assigned fidelity
to Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) will
also boost the solar market in India. Now, the
real success to a large extent will depend on the
intentions and the efforts of the various state
governments.
The author is Business Director Industrial Asset
Management, Maxeed, Quess.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 47
 Wind energy
Initiatives in analytics is
making wind farms smarter
Wind sector has matured significantly in the recent years, fueled by the boost
in technology know-how and encouragement from the central and state
governments, says Sahil Dhawan
A
s environmental and energy
security concerns continue to
engulf economies around the
world, renewable energy has
emerged as one of the major priority areas for
meeting international sustainability goals.
India, which ranks fourth after China, the
USA and Germany in terms of total installed
wind power capacity, took the largest renewable
48 | Energy Next | April 2017
capacity expansion program in the world, setting
an aggressive targetto add over 2 lakh MW of
renewable energy capacity.
Among other initiatives, the county also
announced the National Action Plan on Climate
Change (NAPCC), which will further expand
the country’s renewable energy portfolio
manifold. This, along with the government’s
target of reaching 60 per cent of electricity
capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2027, will give
impetus to the growth of the wind energy sector
in the country. Wind energy has been leading the
country’s renewable energy market for the past
two decades. At 28.5 GW, wind energy is India’s
fastest growing renewable energy and makes up
about 61 per cent of the total installed renewable
power capacity in the country.
Wind sector has matured significantly in the
recent years, fueled by the boost in technology
know-how and encouragement from the central
and state governments.Achieving the ambitious
growth numbers would need this asset intensive
industry to leveragedigital technologies such as
data analytics, cloud technologies, machine-to-
machine learning, and sensor monitoring, which
result in significant cost benefits.
Such solutions will be of paramount
importanceto the operation and maintenance
(O&M) players, who manage and run wind
farms,as they are primarily involved in
improving productivity and generating high
return on investment (ROI) to stakeholders.
ll Managing assets – the
digital way
There are many areas where technology and
digitalization can play an important role. One
such is asset management. Companies in the
wind energy sector are looking to maximize
returns from thewind mills and enhancetheir
production and performance by emphasising on
the windfall (production side), maintenance of

the equipment, regular service of wind farms and
increasing the up-time of the windmill.
Asset management and maintenance
practices haveadvanced in a drastic way over
the past few decades, much like the evolution
of the industry itself. During the initial period,
also termed the traditional era, maintenance
of assets was done only during the time of a
breakdown. This slowly moved to scheduled
maintenance, where services to the assets were
planned at regular intervals, irrespective of
a failure being recorded. The next phase was
that of preventive maintenance, wherein the
firm had set conditions and parameters, which
when reached, a service was done. With the
advent of digital technologies such as cloud
computing and analytics,the industry is shifting
towardspredictive maintenance, which takes
into account both predetermined conditions and
parameters, as well as historical data from ERP
(Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, while
schedulingservices.
Along with predictive maintenance,wind
power analytics facilitateswind and weather
predictions and overall turbine and wind farm
performance. Companies must weigh-in the
types of data sources, the location of those
sources and the different type of algorithms
to help provide the right analytics. The data
is obtainedfrom saved historical material,
machines connected to IoT devices, turbine
vendors, information integrated in business
systems, and other external sources such as on
environmental conditions tracking the extreme
conditions the windmill or the equipment is
placed in. This allows companies to acclimatise
to the variable nature of wind power, report
under performance, predict failure and need for
maintenance.
A study by Sandia laboratories [part of the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US]
shows that substantial benefits are received from
using a computerized system and gleaning the
data generated from the wind farms, toanalyse
trends and predict failures. It estimated that
computerized maintenance could result in a 5 to
10 per cent revenue improvement.
Another significant areais that ofinventory
management. When there are large or multiple
windfarms, there is need for streamlining
operation and maintenance processes. If
done properly, it yields better results in
terms of Return on Investment (ROI). With
analytics,having become mainstream in the
sector,companies are well informed onthe
tentative failure and maintenance schedules,
leading to better planning of spare parts. For
example, products that need to be changed and
have a wait time for procurement, can be pre-
ordered and stocked so that no time is wasted
when predictive maintenances are scheduled.
Similarly, analytics has applications in
planning workforce needs, scheduling availability
of people during breakdown or maintenance and
hiring during lean time. With wind farms being
located at remote or coastal regions, accessibility
to workforce is always expensive, especially
in times of urgency. Since large part of the
workforce issigned on contract basis, predictive
analyticsdrives significant reductions in hiring,
operational and maintenance costs.
When it comes to overall planning, digital
wind farms provide benefits on multiple
fronts. For instance, creating digital models
tracking growth
or simulations of wind mills give an estimate
ofthe electricity or power produced in a
given period of time,which can be stored and
sold effectively. Demand and supply can be
predicted basis these conditions, as well. By
leveraging analytics to help machines optimize
themselves,companiesget to generate more
yield and productivity out of their existing
capital resources. For example, by having
the turbines to pitch themselves in a way
that can optimize the same level of wind,the
production capacity can be increased.
Mobility technologies and creating apps
for asset or customer service will support
in better information gathering. Smartglass
technologycan also be used advantageously
toteach engineers to assemble wind mills in
remote places, and assist service engineers
in servicing motors, wind and unwind
motor pumps, etc.
ll New developments on
the anvil
Nowadays most wind mills are semi-digitalized
and we can soon expect wind mill clones,
scanner and sensors in every place. Further, with
the help of Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP)
systems, we will be able to build analytics to see
the areas where there are inefficiencies, be it the
issues with assets or issues with workforce.
The immediate thrust of companies should be
on exploring thenextgeneration technologies and
partnering with suitable solution providers, to
sustain competitive advantage.
India’s wind energy sector has the relevant
experience, technology, reach and spirited
approach to enable a faster transition towards
clean energy. Among the many significant
implications of digital technology will be
stabilisation of demand and supply. This will
be a result of better predictions, planning
and rise of nextgeneration fully digitized
windfarms with a thin layer of operation
and management process, more machine-
to-machine connect and minimum human
intervention. These will eventually make
wind sites a viable option, thereby ensuring
better yield, reduced costs and affordable
power for all. The coming years will see more
disruptive changes in this sector, with the
adoption of more emerging technologies.
The Author is the Associate Vice President & Head
– Energy & Utilities Vertical
(Asia, Middle East & Africa) at KPIT)
April 2017 | Energy Next | 49
 Energy efficiency
It is time to think and
act efficiently
A global response is needed as there is a demand for products and solutions that
can contribute to solving the energy problems, writes Mahathi Parashuram
T
here is a strong relationship between
population and energy conservation.
India is a developing nation that has
a population of more than 1.3 billion.
Currently we are using energy faster than it can
be produced. Also, India is set to contribute
more than any other country to the projected
rise in global energy demand, around one-
quarter of the total. That being said, our energy
demand per capita in 2040 is still 40 per cent
below the world average (as per the International
Energy Agency).
For example, India has installed energy
capacity of more than 200 GW (gigawatt)
whereas China has more than 1000 GW and
50 | Energy Next | April 2017
aims to generate 600 GW of clean electricity
by 2020 (source East Asia Forum/2013). Many
of the new power stations that are installed
in India face a serious shortage of coal, and
future supply is not guaranteed. This makes the
situation really worse.
In the development of any country be it
social, environmental or economical, energy
plays a critical role. By 2030, energy demand
is estimated to increase by at least 35 percent,
creating greater demand for solutions that reduce
energy consumption. But we will still be 65per
centdependent on thermal power from coal. A
global response is therefore needed and there is a
demand for products, solutions and systems that
can contribute to solving the energy problems.
Energy efficiency and conservation will be a key
element of a sustainable future.
To cope up with the future demands, India
needs to focus on and implement some major
transformations in the some areas:
ll Improve supply side
efficiencies
• Smart grids :Smart Grid facilitates efficient and
reliable end-to-end intelligent two-way delivery
system from source to sink through integration
of renewable energy sources, smart transmission
and distribution. We can conserve energy and
become sustainable through this smart process.
• Smart cities: Design and plan cities in an
integrated manner so that transport and
infrastructure issues can be addressed and
public transport becomes the norm.Also
build efficiency is cities through policies and
agendas like Building Code Adoption, Water
and Wastewater Management and reliable
implementation of these.
• Transport:Vehicles should start checking
the fuel efficiency standards and we could also
consider promoting sustainable fuel and electric
vehicles options.
ll Increase Demand Side
responses
• Energy pricing:A restructuring of subsidies is
required. Renewable energy pricing should be
prioritized as well as promoted.
• Energy consumption and power subsidies
in agricultural sector too should be reviewed.
They are currently accountable for a significant
amount of fiscal deficit at the Centre and State
levels or losses in the discounts. Energy efficiency
in this sector (including power for pumping
ground water) offers a huge opportunity for
the government and businesses to conserve

energy. Reducing consumption can help reduce
subsidies and encourage business to invest. The
first step towards making it energy efficient is
to first measure the energy consumption, and
ensuring all connections are metered, even
where power is free or subsidized.
• Monetize energy efficiency: Financing
of energy efficiency and attractiveness for
investments to be ensured with a focus on
demand side energy management. The business
model for energy efficiency needs to be
strengthened by giving targets to distribution
companies to reduce consumption by
enhancing efficiency and reduce transmission
and distribution (T&D) losses. Electricity
distribution companies should start promoting
demand side management - just as they sell
electricity, they should pay for / incentivize
saving electricity as well.
• ESCO model of financing:We can also look
into ESCO model of financing for enhancing
efficiency in the existing buildings or even
agriculture. Measurement and verification
protocols for existing buildings (without
escalating costs) to be put in place.
ll Construct Green
Buildings
• India has emerged as the second largest
country in the world with around 3600 projects
built over 3.59 billion sqft of green building
footprint. Going by the trend over the last three
years, this coverage can go up to 10 billion sqft
by 2022. This green building movement makes
good business sense as well, given that the
industry estimates that the energy savings from a
typical green building is about 30 to 40 per cent.
Commercial and big residential green buildings
cost between two to threeper cent more than
the conventional ones, but the incremental cost
can be paid back in about three years from the
savings made out of energy and water, as per
Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
• Green Buildings has lot more benefits than just
saving the energy cost. It can directly/indirectly
provide benefits to our environment, society and
economy. It reduces the wastage of water and
conserves natural resources. By choosing a green
building, you not only reduce environmental
footprint, but can also lead a healthy life with
abundant natural light and fresh air with
minimum cost of ownership.
ll Use Energy Efficient
Appliances
• India should focus more on using energy
efficient electrical appliances. Equipment that
runs on renewable energy can help conserve
energy as well as cost. It is a simple but
interesting fact that pumps account for a massive
10% of the world’s electricity consumption – way
too much of this is wasted! If everyone switched
to efficient pumps and systems, we could save
four per cent of the world’s total electricity
consumption – equivalent to the residential
electricity consumption of 1 billion people!
So a quick measure that the Government can
implement here is to ensure minimum standards
for motor and pumps and it should be higher
than the current BIS standards.
ll Consider Life Cycle costs
• The Government being a major consumer of
power, should tender the projects based on life
cycle cost instead of initial cost or least cost (L 1).
Energy efficiency should be critically considered
while calculating this.
Green cause
ll Promote Awareness
• Education and awareness about efficient
technologies and sustainable lifestyles should
be an important topic in the school curriculum.
The habit of saving energy should be encouraged
from an early age among students.
• Like many skilled training programs, effective
skilling needs to be ensured in this area as well.
• Companies need to demand not only green
power, but also green products which will
enhance supply of green products and ensure
overall sustainable development.
ll Importance of Research
and Development (R&D)
• Promote innovations in energy efficient
technologies, operating practices, financing and
innovation in business models.
ll Strong commitment from
Policy Makers & leaders
• Political commitment and leadership go hand-
in-hand with innovation. Investors and solution
providers need a long-term policy framework –
with ambitious targets for energy efficiency – to
invest in new technologies and solutions. The
more ambitious the energy efficiency targets
and concrete energy regulation, the more
innovation in the private sector. We need a close
dialog between policy-makers and industry on
gradually strengthening the energy efficiency
requirements in India.
• Too many bank managers are uncomfortable
with assessing the risks of financing energy
efficiency, which needs to be addressed.
Another critical aspect to keep in mind is
that energy – water nexus. When we analyse
the water supply systems in India, it is pretty
clear that most of them need power to distribute
sufficient water through the pipe networks and
farmers require these power to run their pump
sets and irrigate their fields. Municipal works
too need power to supply clean water or to clean
the waste. On the other hand, water is critical for
energy. Thermal power plants use nearly 88% of
water used in industry. Around 70 per cent of the
existing and planned thermal and hydropower
capacity is located or expected in water scarce
areas. This co-dependence of water and energy
leads to them interacting at multiple points. So it
is imperative to look at increasing the efficiencies
on both the energy and water fronts.
The author is Regional Head – Public Affairs,
Communications & Relations, Grundfos Asia Pacific
April 2017 | Energy Next | 51
 Smart grid

Experts come
together at India
Smart Grid Week

With over 200 industry experts and policy makers from over 40 nations,
four-day power-packed event, India Smart Grid Week 2017, saw discussion
on all areas of renewable energy sector

T
he third edition of the annual
India Smart Grid Week
(ISGW) - 2017, held in the
national capital, witnessed
participation of over 200 industry experts
from the renewable and power sector from
over 40 countries. The four-day event saw
discussions and conferences on advanced
solutions for grid modernization, FDI
in smart infrastructure, e-mobility, and
future of transportation and renewable
energy integration for smart cities.
Those who attended the event included
Rob Stephen – President of CIGRE
International; Alain R Steven – GO15.
org (Formally known as VLPGO); Charles
Bombardier – renowned green-innovator,
founder and president Imaginactive;
Dan Ton - US Department of Energy;
Eija-Rlitta Korhola – writer and former
Member of European Parliament; Francois
Vazille – Oracle Utilities Asia Pacific and
Japan; Glen Pritchard – Exelon/PECO,
USA; Kunal Kumar – Pune Municipality;
N. Venu – ABB and many other leaders
from the industry and utilities.
Speaking on the occasion, Reji Kumar
Pillai, President, ISGW, said, “Smart
grids have emerged as a key enabling
infrastructure to develop smart solutions to
resolve India’s energy woes. Smart grids are
also crucial to some of Indian government’s
key projects such as 100 smart cities, 175
GW of renewable energy by 2022, 40 per cent
renewable energy by 2030, electric vehicles
to combat air pollution and smart meters

52 | Energy Next | April 2017

 Event

amongst others. Our requirements are very

different from the western economies. Smart The aim of modernizing the electricity
grid can help in selective load shedding
for example turning of the load for air-
grid is to ensure greater grid resilience,
conditioners or water pumps in off peak while lowering green house gas emission.
hours rather than load shedding across
households which is what is happening now.”
For this, strong metering infrastructure
Kavitha Mohammad, director solutions and robust data management is required
group – Intel Asia Pacific Japan talked
about Intel’s contribution in the smart control green house emission and produce to deliver a portfolio of technical
infrastructure space and stated that the alternate source of energy, he said. Then standards and make sure that India’s needs
company is undertaking of about $3 there are other challenges like raised are fulfilled,” he said.
billion in India. “A number of initiatives customer expectations, resiliency, low cost During the event, ideas exchange
are underway for development of physical and growing demand for new services, happened at EU-India Workshop, India-
as well as digital infrastructure. The secure and respecting privacy. What’s Canada Smart Grid Workshop, US-India
physical infrastructure includes smart the path forward? A strong metering Smart Grid Workshop, India–Sweden
cities and smart grid projects and the infrastructure with a robust advanced Smart Grid Workshop, along with Round
digital infrastructure includes cloud data engagement is most of the times a Tables on Foreign Direct Investment that
services and broad band services,” she foundation for customer engagement and saw speakers like Pawan Singh of PTC
said. She discussed the three spectrums flexibility. It is thus enabling full value of Financial Service Ltd, Donal Cannon,
of data that are currently being generated modernized grid, he said. and Head Representation for South Asia,
in all domains of infrastructure – “Smart energy initiatives are blooming European Investment Bank, Jiwan Acharya,
edge (where the data gets generated), all over the world since 2001 with Asian Development Bank among others.
connectivity (how it is transferred) and many different shapes and drivers. The During the session on grid
back end (where it is analyzed). She noted technology is blazing forward at an modernization, Chris Hickman, CEO,
how the world has moved from people unbelievable pace, but the complexity is Innovari, highlighted that electrification
to people communication to machine to rising very steeply. The success of massive is one of the key drivers of economic
machine communication. Mohammad roll outs will critically depend on system sustainability in a country. He said,
stressed in the importance of monitoring engineering, skills and experience and “Changing regulatory environment,
the existing legacy of infrastructure and industrial strategy that can be designed by increasing customer expectations and
assessing the value that can be extracted highly seasoned players. Standardization environmental pressures and emergence
from it in the context of smart grids. is now a master key to take up the of affordable edge-of-grid options such as
Finally, she mentioned the key issues that challenge, Smart energy is definitely of rooftop solar are changing the landscape
need to be addressed pertain to security, high relevance for India. IEC is committed of power sector.” Talking the example of
manageability and scalability.
Stressing that smart energy is critical
part of the upcoming smart cities, Vice
President EDF and IEC ambassador
Richard Schomberg said, “The primary
aim of modernizing the electricity grid
is to ensure greater grid resilience, while
lowering green house gas emission. For
this, strong metering infrastructure
and robust data management is
required. Digitalization of grid and
decentralization of grid operations are
the critical components of a modern
grid. Besides this, for the success of pilot
smart grid projects in the country, it
is vital to improve system engineering
and industrial strategy as well as impose
appropriate standards where required.”
The world energy demand is still
climbing and innovation must be faster to

April 2017 | Energy Next | 53

 Smart grid | EVENT

India, he stated that despite being the

third largest producer of electricity, More
than 300 million inhabitants do not have
access to electricity. “Further, while the
country is expected to be power surplus
in 2016-17, 7800 villages are yet to be
electrified. There is a need to optimize
the electricity grid, making it reliable,
safe resilient and flexible to integrate
distribute power generation resource.”
Experts stressed that green and smart
cities are need of the hour globally and
countries should work together to work
out a viable business environment to
achieve the green vision.
Eija-Rlitta Korhola discussed that
building a better city is dependent on the
varied needs of an individual city. “There
is a need for cities to be green, not merely
for sustainability, but also for qualitative
difference that green spaces make to lives
of people. In the current scenario, where
more than half of world population lives
in urban settings, sustainable smart cities
automatically become essential. Building
a smart city should not be restricted
to urban areas only, but can extend to
Making a city smart is not merely
about project implementation, but
also about proper policy framework
peripheries too. Cross-sectoral strategies
for land use management and a clear
vision are required to make the cities
smarter,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Kunal Kumar of Pune
Municipal Corporation highlighted that
citizen satisfaction will decide success of
a smart city, and stressed on increasing
government citizen engagement. “Making
a city smart is not merely about project
implementation, but also about proper
policy framework. Smart cities are not
only about technology and systems, but
also about planning and developing a
cross-sectoral approach,” he said, adding,
over the next five years, Pune will be
made in the mobility sector. He said that
by the end of this month Pune Municipal
Corporation will be raising funds through
municipal bonds and will be the first
corporation to do so.
Among other persent at the event
included Ken Roberts, Vice President,
Sales, Smart Utility Systems; Yogendra
Patwardhan, ABB; Puneet Goel,
Commissioner, South Delhi Municipal
Corporation; Alekhya Datta, Teri;
Chandan Chowdhary, Vice President,
Global Affairs and Business Development,
Dassault Systems India; Ashok
Jhunjjunwala, advisor to minister of state
(independent charge) for power, coal, new
and renewable energy and mines;

54 | Energy Next | April 2017


Vestas launches wind turbine
blades factory under ‘Make in India’
The state-of-art manufacturing unit, which was inaugrated by Gujarat chief
minister Vijay Rupani, is expected to create hundreds of local jobs in the state.
V
estas Wind Systems inaugurated
a state-of-the-art wind turbine
blades manufacturing unit
in Gujarat on March 25.
The establishment of the factory, which
produced the first blade on Feb 16,
showcases Vestas’ support to Prime Minister
Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and is
expected to create hundreds of local jobs.
The factory was inaugurated by Gujarat
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gallops
Industrial Park, Bavla, Ahmedabad. This
launch follows the commitment that Vestas’
Chairman Bert Nordberg, and Vestas’
President and CEO Anders Runevad,
made to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
November 2015. During the meeting with
Modi, Vestas also committed to partnering
with the Indian government in providing
innovative solutions to make the Indian
wind power sector ‘Best in Class’ and the
‘Most Affordable’ through Vestas’ global
experience and technology leadership.
Vestas is also partnering with the Skill
Council of India and is looking to hire
hundreds for the new manufacturing unit.
The inauguration event was attended
by more than 650 people including senior
members from Gujarat government
including Bhupendra Chudasama; Minister
of Revenue, Education and Parliamentary
Affairs, R C Patel; BJP leader, Sujit Gulati,
Additional Chief Secretary, Collector &
District Magistrate, Superintendent of
Police, Chairman and Director of GEDA
(Gujarat Energy Development Agency), MD
of GETCO (Gujarat Energy Transmission
Vestas has signed a MoU with the
Govt of Gujarat and with customers
to establish approx 1000 MW of wind
power projects in the coming years
Corporation), major customers, developers,
FIIs, Partners and suppliers, Factory Project
Management Team, Factory employees and
Vestas employees.
Vestas has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Govt of
Gujarat and with customers to establish
approximately 1000 MW of wind power
projects in the coming years. If the MoU
translates into firm and unconditional
orders, the projects will bring investment
and additional jobs to the state.
At the inauguration ceremony, Chief
Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani said,
“Gujarat has attracted many national and
multinational companies thanks to ‘ease of
doing business’ and progressive governance.
I am glad to see that Vestas has been very
active in the skill development area.I wish
Vestas all the success for this plant and
future endeavor. Gujarat government is
always there to extend the support.”
Vestas’ Chief Operating Officer Jean-
Marc Lechêne said, “This is our first blades
factory in India and that obviously makes it
very special for us. The Ahmedabad factory
Opportunity | Industry
has best in class manufacturing practices
and global standards of safety, health and
environment, leveraging Vestas’ global
manufacturing footprint and technology
leadership. I’m confident the factory will be
a great success for Vestas and India.”
Senior Vice President, Blades and PEX
Johnny Hoy shared his views on global
footprints of blades manufacturing and
importance of Indian factory. It took approx
14 months from the factory decision to the
manufacturing of 1st blade. This is indeed
a remarkable job by Indian team under the
guidance of experts from other factories.
Marketing and Public Affairs Director
of Vestas India, Amar Variawa said,
“Vestas has put a strong strategic focus
on India due to an ambitious target of
60 GW of wind installation by 2022.
The new factory, is a promise fulfilled,
and I’m proud to mention that it only
took 15 months from we made our
commitment to Hon Prime Minister Modi
to the inauguration today. The factory
will expand Vestas’ footprint in India,
and reduce lead-time for blades supply,
making Vestas more competitive in India.
India’s future energy mix belongs to
clean energy and the wind energy market
looks very strong. We will do our best to
convert the this MoU (signed with Govt
of Gujarat) into firm and unconditional
orders in coming time in the state.”
April 2017 | Energy Next | 55
 Corporate Buzz

n Power in talks to
Suzlon receives AWEA e
Evergre million for India
Health
& Safety Achievement Aw
ard raise $100 ower is in
talks with
Evergreen
P astructure
Suzlon Wind
US-based g p ri va te equity, infr
Energy Corporation includ in ise up to
investors, ic in ve stors, to ra
(SWECO) has
funds and
stra te g its wind
q u it y to ramp up nts
received the Gold level
$100 millio
n in e mpany wa
Wind Energy Associati
AWEA (American
je c ts in In dia. The co d e n e rgy
w in
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o have demonstrated aims to sc G W b y 2 0 2 0 b y
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NTPC installs India’s

largest floating solar PV
plant
NTPC has installed
India’s largest floating
solar photovoltaic (PV)
plant at Rajiv Gandhi
Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) at
Kayamkulam in Kerala. This floating platform was
developed by NETRA (NTPC Energy Technology
Research Alliance) and Central Institute of Plastic
Engineering & Technology (CIPET) and installed
by Swelect Energy Systems Ltd, Chennai with
support from NETRA and NTPC Kayamkulam
station in a short span of 22 days.

56 | Energy Next | April

February
20172017
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Vikram Solar
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capacity aistsioned 20 MW capacity a
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April 2017 | Energy Next | 57

 Profile
‘Our vision is to be a complete
solar solutions company’
As the consumer electronics giant, Micromax forays in the renewable energy space,
Mukesh Gupta, Co-founder & Managing Director, Micromax Energy, who has an
illustrious career, spanning over several decades in the technology and innovation,
shares his vision about the future and scope of renewables in India, as he tells us
how he brings his rich experience into the sustainable energy sector.
Q
You are more of an
innovator and now a
businessman; tell us
more about your journey?
I come from a humble background and started
from a simple school in Delhi, landed up at
prestigious IIT-Delhi, where I worked hard
to complete my Post Graduation. I started
my career in 1986 with HCL and made
my beginning in computers. Then I joined
Shyam Telecom, which is today’s MTS Group.
Alongside, I qualified for IES, but since I
was committed to Shyam and had massive
responsibility towards my family, I decided
not to take up IES as I was supposed to go to
Madras for training. So, I took this leap of faith
and decided to be with the company and stay
in put Delhi, and be committed to my family.
In return, my company showed great trust in
me and provided me with various opportunity
of growth.
I remember how telephone was quite
expensive in those days and middle level offices
could not afford it. So, we started working on
EPABX system. While it was available, but it
was out of reach given its price. We thought of
developing a low cost exchange. We decided
58 | Energy Next | April 2017
to go to Taiwan and I went as a R&D head
and got great exposure in terms of affordable
technology and our plan was a success. Then,
my company decided to venture into computers
and after being an assembler, I decided to take it
up as business as a supplier to Russia. Then I co-
founded Su-kam Inverter in 1996 as Technical
Director. This venture taught me various
valuable lessons that I used in companies that I
founded, worked at and developed.
Tell us about the inception of
Micromax Energy?
I started with Microtek in 2001 and
developed an inverter, where I got
production and sales support and build
up the new segment for Microtek in six
months. In two years of time, Microtek
stopped all IT operations and just
continued only with the inverter. It was a
great boost up for me.
I gave the company an idea that I want
to go into solar area once my target in the
inverter space is met. But it wasn’t easy as
Microtek started Okaya battery, which was
in sync with inverter. But I was sure of my
idea and kept waiting patiently.
In 2008, I decided on having a product
in hand so that given an opportunity, I will
immediately set up a company. While I
had already decided on solar space, rather
than producing energy, I was more keen on
charging energy a battery from the sun.
But how and why were you
confident of the solar space as
the idea was yet to gain steam
at that time?
Yes, that time my idea was totally futuristic.
While the idea of renewable energy was
quite nascent in India, in Europe too, talks
were more on the line of renewable power
generation, but certainly not on storage. I
would share my idea on storing the solar
energy during the day and feeding it to the
grid to be supplied during night to investors.
While many were impressed, there were
several hurdles. For example, technology
was very expensive in those days. The panel
cost was over Rs 200 and isn’t even half
these days. The generation cost was very
high and importantly commercial viability
wasn’t clear to businessmen.
So, how did you pursue your
vision?
So, in 2007 I started a company with IIT-
Delhi, where I decided on developing a
product, along with four other professors.
We set up Sunurja, a company to develop a
technology, which is commercially viable.
Even then we knew that it was next to
impossible to compete with China, which
had become quite aggressive in the space.
After much deliberation, I decided to work
on panels, which were quite expensive.
By 2010, Micromax was quite successful
in mobile space and Mr Rajesh Agarwal
(co-founder) happens to be a close friend. I
spoke to him to about the idea of investing
in the solar business and he encouraged
me, along with four more partners. This is
how Micromax Energy was formed.
What is the road ahead now?
Along with the inverter, we are also working
on the motor for agriculture purposes. My
vision is to position ourselves as a complete
solar solutions company. I am sure that we
will be able to achieve it soon.
 INTERNATIONAL 25 - 27 APRIL 2017
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 Interview

Need for better audit of

waste to energy programs
Government should have standards for waste management equipment that
emphasise sustainability across the life cycle of the processing equipment,
says Jaideep Saptarshi, Executive Director, VermigoldEcotech Pvt Ltd, in
conversation with Sagarika Ranjan.
organisations are installing on-site waste
management systems that dispose off organic
waste at site and convert this waste into a
valuable resource.
How is Mining Industrial waste as
a resource in Circular Economy?
Recycling of Organic waste through
vermicomposting gives two valuable end
products viz; vermicompost and vermi-wash
liquid fertilizer that result in a valuable resource
being generated in thecircular economy.
What are your expectations
from the policy instruments for
efficient waste management?
but across the entire life cycle of the waste
processing equipment in line with global best
practices.
What are the challenges being
faced in the waste management
industry? Please provide detail on
any particular issue that is most
important.
In many cities it is being made mandatory
to have on-site waste management systems
at source of waste generation for new large
construction projects. We see that many of
these projects show systems are installed on
paper, but in reality there are non-working
machines that serve of no use to the end users.

Q
Please share your Government should have standards for waste There has to be better audit by Government
vision behind beginning management equipment that emphasise agencies to ensure the implementation of rules
Vermigold? sustainability not only over the procurement for the benefit of society.
The company was formed to specifically
address the need for an innovative
and technologically sound provider of
Environmentally Sound Technologies (EST) in
the arena of waste management in India. We
are a specialized company providing the very
best in class solutions for the on-site recycling
of organic waste.

How does waste management

help in optimisation of
material use in the wake of the
environmental degradation?
Historically the investment in waste processing
infrastructure in India has been minimal. This
has resulted in grave risk to health of citizens
since wastes at dumping ground release lethal
methane gases that result in global warming
and add to the pollution levels in a city. Due to
lack of efficient waste processing infrastructure
in our country, several forward thinking

60 | Energy Next | April 2017

 Power Tweets
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 26
A glimpse at how the power sector
has transformed the nation in
the direction of providing 24X7
affordable energy to all.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 25
With 12,708 villages electrified
since ‘15, Govt’s mission to
provide ‘Power for All’, set to
complete before 2019.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 22
Participation of 7.34 Cr homes under
GoI’s #UJALA scheme is aiding for a
better and transformed India!
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 22
States associated with UDAY got
their interest costs reduced by Rs.
11,989 cr, helping keep a check on
power prices.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 18
Significant reduction in prices of
rooftop solar panels will enable
people to use renewable energy;
taking a step closer to ‘Ujwal
Bharat’.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 18
We have crossed 10,000 MW of
installed capacity of solar & in
another 15 months we expect
this to go up to 20,000 MW &
1,00,000 MW by 2022.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 18
India is looking at solar energy for
future & getting energy security
at competitive prices is a win-win
situation for all.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal . Mar 18
India’s largest floating Solar PV
Plant has been installed in Kerala;
taking a step forward to achieve
the goal of affordable 24X7 power.
 MNRE NEWS

Power Minister reveals NTPC’s plans to

add 32 GW renewable capacity by 2032
N
TPC Ltd. has raised Rs. 2,000
crore through issuance of green
masala bonds in overseas market
under its USD 4 billion medium term note
programme. The proceeds of these bonds
will be used for financing renewable energy
projects in accordance with applicable
guidelines and regulations of Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) as stated by Power Minister
Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question
in Lok Sabha. “National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) Limited has drafted/
prepared its long-term Corporate Plan and
has planned to achieve 32 GW installed
capacity through renewable energy resources
by 2032”, the minister added.

The details of the green masala bonds are given under:

Size of the Issue INR 2,000 crore
Date of Issue 10.08.2016
Coupon 7.375% per annum, payable annually
Security Unsecured
At Singapore Stock Exchange and London Stock
Listing
Exchange
Repayment Period Bullet repayment after 5 years
Maturity date 10.08.2021

Upendra Tripathy appointed as full time interim

director general of ISA

P
ower Minister Piyush Goyal ISA’s mission and vision is to provide a positive contribution to assist and help
and French Minister for dedicated platform for cooperation among achieve the common goals of increasing use
Environment, Energy and solar resource rich countries where the of the solar energy in meeting energy needs
Marine Affairs Ms. Ségolène global community including bilateral and of prospective ISA member countries in a
Royal jointly decided to appoint Upendra multilateral organizations, corporates, safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and
Tripathy as the Interim Director General industry, and stakeholders can make a sustainable manner.
(IDG) of the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) on a full time basis.
Tripathy was the Former Secretary,
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
from April 1, 2014 to October 31, 2016.
He is an Indian Administrative Service
(IAS) officer of Karnataka Cadre and has
worked with local, provincial and union
governments in India for the last 36 years.
The ISA was launched on November 30,
2015 as a coalition of the solar resource
rich countries jointly by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and French President
François Hollande in the presence of
Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of
the United Nations on the first day of
the Paris Climate Conference or CoP21.

62 | Energy Next | April 2017


Power Minister expects India’s solar capacity to
cross 20,000 MW in 15 months
I ndia’s solar power generation
capacity recently crossed 10,000 MW.
While the sector has achieved a major
milestone, Power Minister Piyush Goyal
feels that the country would cross 20,000
MW in the next 15 months.
“On 10th of March this year the installed
solar power capacity in India has crossed
10,000 MW, four times the installed
capacity three years back, which in next 15
months would cross 20,000 MW,” quoted a
statement from the Power Ministry.
“India could not have completely focused
on Making in India in the last three years as
being in the nascent stage, its solar power
sector needed technological and financial
boost from abroad to rapidly expand its
horizons,” Goyal said at a media event.
Piyush Goyal attends 4th Edition
of Power Focus Summit
P ower Minister Piyush Goyal attended
4th Edition of Power Focus Summit
organised by a leading print media group.
The summit held on March 17, 2017
at Hotel Grand, New Delhi, provided
an iconic platform where stakeholders
from the government and private sectors
gathered to deliberate on key challenges to
ensure a better, effective & smooth running
The sector has reached a level that can
make the country self-reliant in meeting
its Green Energy needs. The minister also
expressed his happiness through micro-
of the Power & Energy sector.
In the coming decade, due to rapid
urbanisation & further economic
development, huge pockets of population
will be shifted from rural to urban sectors.
This will accelerate the energy need of
the country and vast industrialisation will
propel the policy makers to take measures
to ensure ‘power for all’.
MNRE NEWS
blogging site. “Bright Future: India has
crossed 10,000 MW of Solar power
capacity today. More than 3 times increase
in less than 3 years,” he tweeted.
MNRE to endorse
1st Int’l Conference
on Large-Scale
Grid Integration
M inistry of New and Renewable Energy
is all set to endorse the 1st International
conference on Large-Scale Grid Integration of
Renewable Energy in India. Organised by United
States Agency for International Development
(USAID) and Germany-based Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ and Energynautics, the conference will be
held in New Delhi from 6-8 September.
While India gears up to meet the target of
175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022,
grid integration possesses a critical challenge
to successfully accomplish this target. This
international conference aims to connect
international experts and Indian stakeholders to
jointly discuss the latest technological, regulatory
and conceptual developments in this field.
The conference will provide an International
Forum to discuss the issues of large-scale
integration of solar and wind power, worldwide
project experience and innovative ideas from
ongoing research.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 63
 iREDA CORNER
IREDA funds 8 Solar PV Projects under the Land
Owning Farmers Scheme in Karnataka
T
he Government of Karnataka
(GoK) endeavours to promote
Solar Energy projects by land
owning farmers with a minimum capacity
of 1MWp and maximum capacity of 3
MWp per land owning farmer in the state
for sale of power to ESCOMs (Electricity
Supply Companies) at KERC (Karnataka
Electricity Regulatory Commission)
determined tariff from time to time. GoK
facilitates purchase of energy generated
under this category through ESCOMs.
Project registration and administration of
PPA’s (Power Purchase Agreement) is with
respective ESCOMs. The agricultural land
owners are eligible for applying for allotment
under this category. The cumulative capacity
under this category is limited to 300MWp on
IREDA funds ‘Barefoot Solar Engineer Training
Programme’ under its CSR Initiative
T
he Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA), in
collaboration with the Indian Institute
of Social Welfare and Business Management
(IISWBM) and the Dept. of Public Systems,
recently funded a social empowerment
project ‘Barefoot Solar Engineer Training
Programme’, a skills development project
under their CSR initiative.
The Mission of this combined
initiative by IREDA and IISWBM is skill
development of unemployed youths of
the local region in alignment with the
objectives of ‘Skill India Program’, coupled
with spreading social campaign for Solar
or Clean Energy. The project is backed up
by the installation of 5kWp solar power
rooftop plant at Sevagram Hospital, Bhatar
Block, District of Burdwan, West Bengal
benefiting the rural community.
The project is in line to fulfil the gap
of 6 million skilled solar engineers which
will be required under Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in
2022. This CSR initiative has trained 40
numbers of rural unemployed youths
64 | Energy Next | April 2017
List of Commissioned Projects under Karnataka Farmer’s Solar Scheme
Name of Borrower Plant capacity
SAMYAMA JYOTHI SOLAR 3.00 MW
ENERGY PRIVATE LIMITED
VINSOL HUBLI) ENERGY 2.00 MW
RIVATE LIMITED
VENSOL (NIRNA) ENERGY 3.00 MW
PRIVATE LIMITED
VENSOL (BIDAR) ENERGY 3.00 MW
PRIVATE LIMITED
first cum basis within the policy period 2014-
21. Out of this 300MWp, 3% i.e. to an extent
of 9MWp is reserved for allotment to land
owning Universities, Charitable Institutions,
Trusts and Societies which have educational
institutions, to facilitate and encourage research
for maintenance and running of solar
projects instilling a skill development
in solar electrification. This has been
accomplished by IISWBM and experts
from eminent organisations like
WBREDA, WBSETCL, CESC and
successful solar entrepreneurs imparting
both theoretical and practical training.
This project of 5 kWp solar photovoltaic
panel with 50 CFL light points in
significant points including the OT, Labor
and Emergency rooms almost excluding
the functioning of standby generator,
was commissioned on February 24. The
inaugural function of the project on
Plant Location ESCOM
District Chitradurg, BESCOM
Karnataka
District Gadag, HESCOM
Karnataka
District Bidar, GESCOM
Karnataka
District Bidar, GESCOM
Karnataka
and development activities. (http://www.solar.
karnataka.gov.in/)
IREDA has so far funded a total of 8
Solar PV power projects under the above
scheme, out of which the following 4 have got
commissioned.
March 18 was attended by Burdwan Block
Development Officer (B.D.O)Proloy
Mondol, Block Medical Officer Health
(B.M.O.H) of the Hospital Sanghamitra
Bhowmick, IREDA Assistant General
Manager (AGM) K.P. Phillip, Project
Leader Prof. Arindam Dutta, Project
Coordinator Prof. Sandip Ghosh Project
Officer of Implementing Agency Akash
Samanta — all involved in the installation
of the project.
The training program imparted to
40 unemployed youths will enlighten
the youths in Solar Energy and induce
more encouragement to the community
creating newer frontiers of prospects
and opportunities in their careers.
Subsequently, the development will
accelerate newer social creativity. The
training program has also an additional
aim of making similar solar energy
projects to be sustainable and feasible in
rural areas by maintenance and technical
support, thereby convincingly creating
acceptability in the rural areas for such
solar related activities.

IREDA to finance shared infra for solar park
projects under World Bank line of credit
N egotiations for the proposed IBRD and
Clean Technology Fund (CTF) loan of US$
100 million including CTF grant component, for
financing of the Shared Infrastructure for Solar
Park Project were held between representatives
of Government of India and IREDA on one side
and The International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD) on the other, at the
World Bank office in New Delhi on March 9.
The meeting was attended by representatives
from MNRE, DEA, IREDA and Government of
MP along with World Bank team.
The Indian delegation and the World Bank
team discussed and reached upon agreement
on the draft loan documents to be entered into
between IREDA and IBRD for the proposed loan
and agreed Minutes of Negotiations were signed
by DEA, IREDA and World Bank. The IBRD
loan is repayable by IREDA in 19 years including
a grace period of five years whereas CTF loan has
an amortization schedule of 40 years including a
grace period of 10 years. The Line of Credit will
enable IREDA to finance Shared Infrastructure
of Solar Park Projects at an attractive interest rate
of 8.5% p.a. with a loan tenure of up to 20 years,
including a grace period of 5 years and thus
facilitate further cost reduction in solar.
IREDA bags India Pride award
I
ndian Renewable Energy Development
Agency Limited, (IREDA) was
awarded the India Pride Award
2016-17 by Dainik Bhaskar Group of
Publications under the category – CSR/
Environment Protection and Conservation.
The Award was presented by Telecom
Recently, auctioned 750 MW Rewa Solar
Park being developed in MP by a joint venture
between Solar Energy Corporation of India
(SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam
Limited (MPUVN), which has attracted record
low bids, is likely to be the first Solar Park to
avail IREDA funding for development of Shared
Infrastructure under the World Bank LoC. MP
Power Management Company Limited will buy
most of the power from the proposed project
and DMRC will procure 363 million units of
power in a year, equivalent to 210 MW, from this
project through open access route which is the
largest long-term procurement of open access
solar power by a bulk power consumer in India
strengthening the case for economic viability of
solar power.
Minister Manoj Sinha to IREDA
Chairman and Managing Director KS
Popli at an award ceremony at New Delhi
on March 27. The awards function saw
the felicitation of organizations who
work tirelessly towards India’s sustainable
growth.
iREDA CORNER
IREDA organises
a program on
awareness of
digital modes of
payments
D
emonetisation initiative has been
taken by the Government of
India to achieve the objective of
corruption free and transparent modes of
financial transactions. In order to promote
less cash transactions through various
digital payments, IREDA organised
a program on awareness of ‘Digital
Modes of Payments’ in association with
CIMSME (Chamber of Indian Micro
Small and Medium Enterprises) on
March 10 from 3 PM to 5.30 PM at
Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
The program began with welcome
note of P Sreenivasan, GM (HR), IREDA
and Sandeep Bisht, Advisor, CIMSME
addressed the interactive session on
various digital modes of payment. He
also emphasised that Digitisation is
architecture of New Developed India.
The Digital Class was attended by more
than 100 participants including IREDA
officials as well as contractual staff.
The Digital class covered all the
Digital Modes of payment prescribed
by the Government i.e. USSD, POS,
Aadhaar Enabled Payment System,
BHIM, Debit card, Credit card and UPI.
Detailed presentation was given on
each mode along with practical training
through POS machines, Aadhaar
Enabled Payment Systems and mobile
phone for better understanding. The
participants were familiarized with
various modes of transactions such as
E-wallet, Net Banking etc. and various
Do’s and Don’ts for financial transactions
during the session. These modes of
payments are time-saving, economical
and very convenient as compared to
their traditional counterparts. The
session was followed by an interactive
session that catered to the queries of the
participants very well.
April 2017 | Energy Next | 65
 EVENTS

Apr International Apr CISOLAR Apr Snec (2017)

11-13 event on
ecological
vehicles &
renewable energy
The International Conference
Grimaldi Forum, On Ecological Vehicles and
Monaco Renewable Energies, organized
by Ever Conference, will offer
opportunity to the participants
to share their scientific,
technical, business and
social experiences with other
attendees from all over the
world, through presentations
and discussions.
11-12
Cisolar is a two-day event
at the Maristella Marine
Residence in Odessa,
Ukraine. This event
Maristella Marine will showcase products
Residence, Odessa, like energy and power,
Ukraine solar energy, energy,
renewable energies and
solar technology etc. in the
Power & Energy, Power
& Renewable Energy and
Solar Energy industries.
19-21 international
photovoltaic
power generation
conference
The conference, organized by
Shanghai, 19 international associations
China will showcases the whole PV
industry. SNEC consists of
various programs covering
market trends of PV industry,
collaboration and development
strategies, policy directions of
different countries, advanced
industry technologies, PV
finance and investment.

http://10times.com/ecological-vehicles- http://10times.com/cisolarodesaa https://www.enfsolar.com

and-renewable-energy

Oct Apr May

Apr
International WINDERGY California Solar
22-26 congress on 25-27 India 2017 1-2 Power Expo
energy efficiency
and energy Indian Wind Turbine The California Solar Power
related materials Manufacturers Association Expo, powered by SEIA and
(IWTMA), in partnership SEPA, is an interactive event
with Global Wind Energy designed specifically for the
Sentido Lykia Resort The International Congress The Ashok, New Council (GWEC), is hosting San Diego California solar supply chain,
& Spa, Uzunyurt on Energy Efficiency Delhi, India Windergy, the largest annual Convention Centre, including installers, developers,
Köyü, Turkey and Energy Related conference and exhibition San Diego, CA manufacturers, and service
Materials, organized by on Wind Energy. The event providers.
the Tura Turizm, will will provide an opportunity
cover areas like Energy to network; collaborate with
Storage, Conservation and peers, innovators, thought
Efficiency. Some prominent leaders and policy makers.
speakers include Gustav
Van Tendeloo, Wolfgang
Eberhardt, Masayuki
Yamaguchi.

http://10times.com/international-congress-on- http://events.solar/expo/
energy-efficiency http://www.windergy.in/

May May
BIOCULTURA OREGON
4-7 BARCELONA 9-11 SOLAR ENERGY
Biocultura Barcelona is a 4-day event CONFERENCE
that will showcase products in building
The conference, organized by the Oregon
MAY 2017

and construction, Renewable Energies,

Environmental Protection, Food solar energy industries association,
Palau Sant Jordi, Processing Industries, Health & Nature, will promote the use of solar energy in
Barcelona, Spain Natural & Organic Food, Beauty Portland, USA Oregon serve as the central organizing
and Personal Care in the Cosmetics, association for Oregon’s solar energy
Power, Renewable Energy & Energy professionals sponsor legislation
Conservation, Food & Beverage, affecting solar energy in Oregon
Natural & Organic industries. establish and maintain a business code of
conduct inform the public of the benefits
of solar energy

http://10times.com/biocultura-barcelona http://10times.com/solar-energy-portland

66 | Energy Next | April 2017