Solar energy in India

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Rishirishi
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Rishirishi »

Theo_Fidel wrote:Rishi,

Don’t forget battery technology.
Researchers are aiming for 2 cents/kw charging costs for battery technology as well.
If that becomes viable, HYDRO and other technologies can become more like back stops. Long term storage.
A good point. I am also watching the Battery Tech, as it will have a great impact on Transport sector. Also it will change the power sector. One of the greatest costs is related to distribution of power. With low cost batteries it will be possible to cut this altogether. Consumers will install solar panels, and enjoy.

But as of now, battery is simply not mature yet. But i am sure it will it will happen in the future.
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

The question of maturity is debatable. There are enough miles on enough electric cars that tell us Li-ion battery degradation is quite minor out to 10-20 year type range. My opinion is that only the price matters. Once things are cheap enough one can simply recycle the batteries.

Both Solar Panels and Batteries are now commodity products. Anyone can make/build them and effort is possible to reduce prices. Once a product is caught up in the commodity cycle the ability of the global manufacturing machine to reduce prices should not be underestimated.

don't forget Samsons law. Every time production doubles, unit price drops 20%.
Mort Walker
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Mort Walker »

Rishirishi wrote:
Theo_Fidel wrote:Rishi,

Don’t forget battery technology.
Researchers are aiming for 2 cents/kw charging costs for battery technology as well.
If that becomes viable, HYDRO and other technologies can become more like back stops. Long term storage.
A good point. I am also watching the Battery Tech, as it will have a great impact on Transport sector. Also it will change the power sector. One of the greatest costs is related to distribution of power. With low cost batteries it will be possible to cut this altogether. Consumers will install solar panels, and enjoy.

But as of now, battery is simply not mature yet. But i am sure it will it will happen in the future.
If we switched over from AC to DC transmission, the need for large batteries for residential use would decrease. For certain applications that have traction motors such as air conditioners and washing machines, alternative designs should be considered.
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

There is no need to rebuild the grid/infrastructure at that level. DC by itself does not gain us anything. We will still need the same batteries or some other storage mechanism.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Uttam »

India’s Largest Solar Power Auction Brings Further Drop in Costs
India’s biggest auction for solar energy yet brought a further reduction in prices, with companies such as SkyPower Ltd. of Canada and SunEdison Inc. of the U.S. competing with local firms.
Acme Cleantech Solutions Ltd. and Mytrah Energy Ltd. emerged as the top winners in bids to build 2,000 megawatts of solar farms in the southern state of Telangana. Together, they reaped 763 megawatts of contracts.
The result showed progress in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal to install 100 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2022 in order to expand India’s electricity production while limiting pollution. The country currently has 4 gigawatts of solar capacity, or 4,000 megawatts. A gigawatt is about is as much as a nuclear reactor produces.
“This year’s weighted average bid price is likely to fall below 6 rupees (9 cents) a kilowatt-hour, which would be about 15 percent lower than the 2014 average,” said Bharat Bhushan Agrawal, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
SkyPower, which is based in Toronto, submitted the lowest bid, quoting a tariff of 5.17 rupees per kilowatt-hour, which won it a contract to develop a 200 megawatt solar farm, Dilip Kumar, superintendent engineer at Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana, said by phone.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by rsingh »

Theo_Fidel wrote:There is no need to rebuild the grid/infrastructure at that level. DC by itself does not gain us anything. We will still need the same batteries or some other storage mechanism.
Some sort of machnical storage system. million ton sand hil lifted by hydrolics, powered by solar energy in day time. Produce electricity by weight of the hill in night.one time small investment and life time sukh
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

I hope Vina saar reads this. One of the unsung causes of the German economic miracle has been a dramatic decline in the wholesale price of electricity as the renewable plants come online. It costs almost nothing to run so owners are willing to sell power at almost any cost. Esp. for industry which gets wholesale power rates the prices are remarkably cheap. Residential rates remain high but as the subsidies levels decline those prices too will start declining.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... p-falling-
Wind and solar power have surged under Germany’s plan to get as much as 60 percent of its power from renewables by 2035, compared with 28 percent now. The switch is hurting utilities RWE AG and EON SE, the worst performers this year on Germany’s DAX stock index, as margins at their coal and gas-fired plants get squeezed because cheaper green power gets priority to the grid.
Image
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An important observation.
But the meta-observation is this: Electricity cost is now coupled to the ever-decreasing price of (a) technology. That is profoundly deflationary. It’s profoundly disruptive to other electricity-generating technologies and businesses.

http://rameznaam.com/2015/08/10/how-che ... ap-indeed/
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by chaanakya »

Thanks Theo garu for pointing out this piece of info.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Falijee »

WTO Ruling Against India's Solar Push Threatens Climate, Clean Energy
The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday ruled against India over its national solar energy program in a case brought by the U.S. government, sparking outrage from labor and environmental advocates.

As power demands grow in India, the country's government put forth a plan to create 100,000 megawatts of energy from solar cells and modules, and included incentives to domestic manufacturers to use locally-developed equipment.

According to Indian news outlets, the WTO ruled that India had discriminated against American manufacturers by providing such incentives, which violates global trade rules, and struck down those policies—siding with the U.S. government in a case that the Sierra Club said demonstrates the environmentally and economically destructive power of pro-corporate deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The Indian government will appeal the decision to the WTO's highest court, the appellate body. It is the second time that the WTO has ruled against India in a case with the U.S., which first brought legal action against the country's food security program in 2014.

The WTO ruled on that case in June, when it decided that the Indian ban on certain foods from the U.S. was "inconsistent with the global norms."
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Vayutuvan »

Theo_Fidel wrote:The question of maturity is debatable. There are enough miles on enough electric cars that tell us Li-ion battery degradation is quite minor out to 10-20 year type range. My opinion is that only the price matters.
Theo_Fidel saar: Question is how long one has to wait for a Tesla like van/car with Honda prices with no subsidies? Those are solid middle class reliable vehicles which are great VFM. Neither Toyota Prius nor Hinda Hybrid are that impressive in terms VFM. IMHO and all that apply (and hopefully not OT).
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by hanumadu »

What level of solar technology exists in India? India should use its own technology and flood the world with cheap panels. Can India make cheaper panels even if it is of an older generation? We really should focus on developing technology or such things will continue to haunt us far in to the future.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Neshant »

China attempted that and at least one major solar manufacturer in China went bankrupt.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by chaanakya »

India should stipulate that those solar panel manufacturers willing to participate in Indian programme should certify that they have not availed any subsidy whatsoever in doing their businesses within the country of their origin of elsewhere and should deposit a guarantee sum in cash before participating. In case of false declaration all investment will be forfeited and debarred from further participation individually or by collaboration. Besides they should stipulate fairly relaxed standards so as to make it widest participation at lower cost. Indian subsidy should be redirected and reclassified for organisations calling for tenders if they select Indian manufacturers. However Chinese are cheaper and Unkil can not compete with them.
chaanakya
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by chaanakya »

hanumadu wrote:
What level of solar technology exists in India? India should use its own technology and flood the world with cheap panels. Can India make cheaper panels even if it is of an older generation? We really should focus on developing technology or such things will continue to haunt us far in to the future.
Not possible. We don't produce silicon ingots, wafers, even cells. China does it because of cheap and plenty of power. Our local production can't even meet local requirement. Local assemblers could not compete with chinese imports and JVs with Unkils.
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

vayu tuvan wrote:Theo_Fidel saar: Question is how long one has to wait for a Tesla like van/car with Honda prices with no subsidies? Those are solid middle class reliable vehicles which are great VFM. Neither Toyota Prius nor Hinda Hybrid are that impressive in terms VFM. IMHO and all that apply (and hopefully not OT).
Tesla says 2018 its model 3 will be available in $35,000 range.

Yes the Hybrids are terribly underwhelming, esp. WRT to performance but they continue to vastly out sell electric cars.

If you don't want to wait the the Volt 2015 is available right now with 50 miles range. Should eliminate 90% of your gas use. And you can drive it Boston to LA if you should so wish.
Also the BMW I3 REX is available right now with 70 miles range. Should also eliminate 90% of your gas use.
Or you can do what I did and get both. :)

My personal view is vehicle battery technology is still evolving. They have managed to get it down to 80% charge in 20 minutes, but they need to get it down to 80% charge in 5 minutes to make it feasible. They are working on the problem but it maybe 2025 or so before it is ready. I would not buy a battery only vehicle till then based on my experiences.

My opinion is Electric cars only have 2 advantages right now.
1. The drive is sheer bliss. You can have a normal conversation or listen to the radio. It is so quiet and so smooth that I hate gas mobiles now. and my other car is an Audi! which I never drive.
2. Convenience. I never have to go to the gas station. No more freezing my A$$ of to get gas, no more fiddling with the stupid buttons and fighting with the hoses. I charge at home in the comfort of my heated garage.

All the rest are cons...
Last edited by Theo_Fidel on 29 Aug 2015 21:00, edited 1 time in total.
Vayutuvan
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Vayutuvan »

Neshant wrote:China attempted that and at least one major solar manufacturer in China went bankrupt.
Did it take solindra with it too to the deep six? There was some talk at that time that most U.S. Solar panel Companies were doing poorly due to Chinese selling cheaper than cost.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by SaiK »

Uttam wrote:India’s Largest Solar Power Auction Brings Further Drop in Costs
India’s biggest auction for solar energy yet brought a further reduction in prices, with companies such as SkyPower Ltd. of Canada and SunEdison Inc. of the U.S. competing with local firms.
Acme Cleantech Solutions Ltd. and Mytrah Energy Ltd. emerged as the top winners in bids to build 2,000 megawatts of solar farms in the southern state of Telangana. Together, they reaped 763 megawatts of contracts.
The result showed progress in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal to install 100 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2022 in order to expand India’s electricity production while limiting pollution. The country currently has 4 gigawatts of solar capacity, or 4,000 megawatts. A gigawatt is about is as much as a nuclear reactor produces.
“This year’s weighted average bid price is likely to fall below 6 rupees (9 cents) a kilowatt-hour, which would be about 15 percent lower than the 2014 average,” said Bharat Bhushan Agrawal, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
SkyPower, which is based in Toronto, submitted the lowest bid, quoting a tariff of 5.17 rupees per kilowatt-hour, which won it a contract to develop a 200 megawatt solar farm, Dilip Kumar, superintendent engineer at Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana, said by phone.
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hopefully it doesn't turn out to be projects given like in the bengaluru namma metro lines. where the indic wala is still to finish projects, slipped schedule, bad works, etc.. and the other thai services doing stellar job for a fist of $ more
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by arshyam »

Falijee wrote:WTO Ruling Against India's Solar Push Threatens Climate, Clean Energy
The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday ruled against India over its national solar energy program in a case brought by the U.S. government, sparking outrage from labor and environmental advocates.

As power demands grow in India, the country's government put forth a plan to create 100,000 megawatts of energy from solar cells and modules, and included incentives to domestic manufacturers to use locally-developed equipment.

According to Indian news outlets, the WTO ruled that India had discriminated against American manufacturers by providing such incentives, which violates global trade rules, and struck down those policies—siding with the U.S. government in a case that the Sierra Club said demonstrates the environmentally and economically destructive power of pro-corporate deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The Indian government will appeal the decision to the WTO's highest court, the appellate body. It is the second time that the WTO has ruled against India in a case with the U.S., which first brought legal action against the country's food security program in 2014.

The WTO ruled on that case in June, when it decided that the Indian ban on certain foods from the U.S. was "inconsistent with the global norms."
Posting some more snippet from this article (TFS Falijee-ji)
The subsidies which provoked the ire of the United States are in the form of Domestic Content Requirements (DCRs). These mandate that a set proportion of specified materials used in the NSM must be manufactured in India. In Phase I of the NSM, the DCRs only covered solar cells and solar modules. From the US standpoint, that was bearable: US companies export few solar cells and solar modules to India. What worried the US was that India might extend the DCRs to include solar thin film technologies. US exports of thin film technologies have dominated the Indian market. US fears were realized in October 2013 when Phase II of NSM extended the DCRs to include thin film technologies.
Oddly, the trade dispute has taken place at a time when the two countries, at least on the surface, appear to be on good terms. Even stranger, the US is providing its own subsidies to assist India’s solar sector. The US has pledged to provide India with $4 billion to foster the growth of Indian solar power. On November 18, 2014, the two nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which the US Export-Import Bank agreed to broker up to one billion dollars in low-interest loans for development of renewable energy sources in India. The MoU was signed two months after the WTO, acting at the behest of the US, established a dispute settlement panel to hear the US challenge to India’s subsidies for solar power.

The Ex-Im Bank is currently in limbo, but that does not affect $2 billion in loans for Indian solar energy from the US Trade and Development Agency or a $1 billion loan from the federal Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Now that the WTO has struck down India’s DCRs, all that money can go to purchasing solar equipment from US corporations. So US subsidies to India serve double duty as subsidies to US corporations.
The US attack on India’s energy subsidies represents breathtaking hypocrisy. The US itself provides subsidizes for renewables. Over the past five years, federal subsidies for renewable energy have averaged $39 billion a year. The IRS provides a 30% investment tax credit for solar power. LCRs are part of many state and federal projects in the United States. India has called attention to LCRs attached to renewable energy programs in Michigan, Texas, and California. Apart from renewables, water utilities in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and parts of New England include LCRs.

India could bring a legal challenge against these subsidies. India has taken what often is the first step leading up to a WTO complaint. India has served questions on the US through the WTO asking the US to explain how its subsidies are consistent with WTO rules. But India has not gone on to file a complaint against subsidies for renewables in the US. Nor has India filed an anti-dumping complaint against the US for selling solar materials in India below cost.

And while the US sends up howls of protest that India’s DCRs constitute protectionism, the US protects its own solar sector. The US imposed tariffs against Chinese solar. China successfully challenged the US tariffs in the WTO.

Why hasn’t India dragged the US before the WTO? The answer, unsurprisingly, is money. Modi’s goal of expanding India’s reliance on renewables is achievable, but it won’t come cheap. It will take at least $100 billion in new investment. More than half of that $100 billion is going to have to come from overseas, specifically the United States. India won’t see a dime of that if it takes the US to the WTO.

So Modi had no choice but to grin for the cameras with his pal Obama at the January summit. India has been able to resist US urging that it set targets for emissions cuts, but other than that the US has gotten everything from India that it wants.
I think India should sue the US without worrying about foreign investment in solar. While it is important to develop alternative energy sources, it should be done by our industry, however painful it may be. We can generate funds internally once the economy takes off on the back of existing power sources. See what China had done.

As for existing sources (fossil):
If anything, US subsidies for renewables are too stingy. Not so, US subsidies for fossil fuels. US subsidies for fossil fuels top $15 billion per year. The International Monetary Fund projects fossil fuel subsidies of $333 billion worldwide in 2015. It makes sense when you think about it. Some organizations would not survive without subsidies, like your local ballet company or ExxonMobil or BP.
The developed countries know this. And they are concerned about how fossil fuel subsidies contribute to climate change. At its 2009 summit in Pittsburgh, the G20 counties committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. Since then, fossil fuel subsidies have only increased. Looking solely at the United States, since Obama took office in 2009 federal subsidies for fossil fuel production and exploration have climbed 45%. Federal subsidies for fossil fuel production and exploration are only a portion of all US subsidies for fossil fuels.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Vipul »

Paradigm change’ in Indian power sector as solar bids reach grid parity.

A project developer has bid for solar capacity in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh for a game-changing INR 4.79/kWh (US$0.073), which takes solar to grid parity with other major sources of power generation in India, sources have confirmed to PV Tech.

The second round of bidding in the 500MW auction in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has not yet reached a conclusion, although at least five developers put in bids below INR 5/kWh.

Jasmeet Khurana, senior consulting manager at analyst firm Bridge to India, said this means solar projects are now in the same range of electricity prices as wind projects and even new greenfield coal-fired power projects, which tend to have tariffs ranging between INR 4.50/kWh and INR 5/kWh. This means the entire power sector in India will have to assess the progress of solar and plan investments around its potential.

Khurana added: “Overall I think this changes the paradigm not just for the solar sector, but also for the power sector in India.”
How India Can Become A Solar Super Power.

India is endowed with abundant free solar energy. Using the country’s deserts and farm land and taking advantage of 300 to 330 sunny days a year, India could easily generate 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours of solar energy. In other words, India could easily install around 1,000 GW of solar generation — equivalent to four times the current peak power demand (about 250 GW) — using just 0.5% of its land. In addition, India can produce over 200 GW from wind power. As economist and activist Jeremy Rifkin said, while speaking in New Delhi in January 2012: “India is the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy sources and, if properly utilized, India can realize its place in the world as a great power — but political will is required for the eventual shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”

India is both densely populated and has high solar insolation, providing ideal conditions for the exponential growth of solar power as a future energy source. With GDP growing at about 8%, solar PV is the only renewable energy resource that can bridge the ‘gap’ between supply and demand. Solar energy can transform India and help to bring about decentralized distribution of energy, thereby empowering people at the grassroots level and eliminating the need for costly expansion of transmission and distribution systems.
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

Vipul,

Thanx for posting that I was about to but you beat me to it. :)

Just want to point out few details the report missed. All these are professional pre-qualified companies, no fly by night operations here. Recent bids at national level have been at pains to eliminate the smaller weaker companies though they do bid for small state level projects.

This is the second series of bid that have come in under Rs5. The prior one was for the bids in MP. Rs 5/kwh is roughly 7 Cents/kwh. This is for a bid in AP/Kunool area which has an annual insolation ~ 2000 kwh/m2/year. Compared to Rajasthan which in most areas exceeds ~2300 kwh/m2/year.

Upcoming are bids in Rajasthan, which should mean 15% direct improvement in price due to higher insolation. We should see Close to or even sub Rs 4 bids or ~ 6 cents/kwh, depending on how the numbers are run. This would put it on the cusp of the lowest prices in the world. Lowest price in the world is for projects in the Arabian peninsula, insolation ~ 2,800 kwh/m2/year. Right now 5.5 cents per kwh.

One other note. These projects are within solar parks provided by GOI which have high fees. Developers have said that if they can do it outside these parks their rates may be even cheaper.

The original road map called for Rs 2/kwh solar energy by 2035. We may be able to beat that at this rate.
Theo_Fidel

Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Theo_Fidel »

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/sme/go ... 26861.html
Government is targetting bringing solar tariffs down further to Rs 4 a unit, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Solar power tariffs declined to all-time low of Rs 4.63 per kWhr following aggressive bidding by US-based SunEdison, the world's biggest developer of renewable-energy power plants, in the auction for 500 MW projects in Andhra Pradesh held this week. "My target (solar tariff) is Rs 4 (per unit). It is an ambitious target," Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal told reporters...
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Kakkaji »

Other side of the story:

Falling rates hit solar power players
However, there is nervousness among investors in the segment and the supply chain. Experts say leading project developers are putting aggressive bids for 50-200 Mw projects, to be relevant in the market. The likes of ReNew Power, Hero Future Energies, Azure Power and ACME are bidding close to Rs 5 a unit bid for small projects but not winning.

"Global investors are baffled. The way the tariffs (rates) are falling in the Indian solar market is giving a confusing signal. There are no big projects coming up and no big-ticket investment announced for solar is coming to life," said a renewable energy analyst with a leading global investment monitoring company. Rates have fallen with each tender in past year but the project capacities bid for have not increased.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Rishirishi »

Below follows a 40 page report on Solar India.

Basically only a matter of time before indipendent systems become more economical then coal fired thermal plants.

https://www.kpmg.com/IN/en/IssuesAndIns ... ch2015.pdf
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Prem »

Vipul wrote:[url=http://www.pv-t
India is endowed with abundant free solar energy. Using the country’s deserts and farm land and taking advantage of 300 to 330 sunny days a year, India could easily generate 5,000 trillion kilowatt-hours of solar energy. In other words, India could easily install around 1,000 GW of solar generation — equivalent to four times the current peak power demand (about 250 GW) — using just 0.5% of its land[/u]. In addition, India can produce over 200 GW from wind power. As economist and activist Jeremy Rifkin said, while speaking in New Delhi in January 2012: “India is the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy sources and, if properly utilized, India can realize its place in the world as a great power — but political will is required for the eventual shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”

This will require only 1 Trillion in Investment over 20 years . Much less than our dirty energy import.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by vishvak »

Jhujar ji, good point. it may well be worth the effort to diversify foreign investments in Solar rather than depend entirely on bidding process that few countries can monopolize to corner logistics in future. Make In India would go a long way if certain countries can make in India. 5000 trillion kW-hours is not another number.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Javee »

TN leads rooftop solar installation in the nation, yet another renewable energy crown, although the quantum of energy produced is small, hopefully more and more people opt for this in the future.
...The State has outperformed all its peers in rooftop solar installations. As of October 2015, India’s rooftop solar installations stood at 525 MW. With installed capacity of 76 MW, Tamil Nadu topped the rooftop solar capacity addition in the country, according to a report of Bridge to India, a global renewable energy consulting firm.

...Tamil Nadu is one of the 14 States that have achieved grid parity (without accelerated depreciation benefit) in the industrial rooftop segment. For commercial rooftop also, Tamil Nadu is ranked among the top States in achievement of grid parity
.
Image

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp ... epage=true
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Picklu »

This project should be implemented nationwide to achieve the the 175GW target of green energy. Without any land acquisition requirement, majority of the problems are gone straight away. Also being distributed all over India, it would be more resilient and have less T&D loss due to being near the consumption centers. Given the potential, with suitable scaling, Guj alone can generate 20+GW via this route. The saving of water due to less evaporation is added benefit.

The current 1 MW generation status for 750 meter is frankly more optics than useful and a joke compared to the actual potential.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by vishvak »

Sun God doesn't differentiate between one brown man's burden and another brown man's burden. Everything else is propaganda only.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Rishirishi »

Solar power is showing all signs of disruptive change. In 90's we dreamt of having a telephone in each village. 15 years later everyone had a phone in the pocket.

would not surprise me if each farmer soon has his own micro power plant.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Hari Seldon »

SunEdison plans to offload 400 MW of solar capacity in India

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: US solar company SunEdison Inc said it would sell projects in India with generating capacity of 425 megawatts (MW) to its "yieldco" TerraForm Global Inc for $231 million.

Heavily indebted SunEdison said earlier this month that it would stop selling projects to its two yieldcos - dividend-paying units that hold generating assets of a parent solar or wind power company - until market conditions improved.

+++

Wonder if there's globally a bubble in solar (or more generally, renewables) investments ... only.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by SaiK »

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/v38XtC ... imate.html
Modi to launch solar alliance on first day of Paris climate summit
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by TSJones »

I really hope this solar energy concept works out. It could be a game changer. especially as new battery technologies take over. there is really no excuse not to have 12v led lighting.

unfortunately fossil fuel culture is firmly embedded and very stubborn. it will take much effort to over come reluctance of those who resist change especially those who's livelihoods depend upon fossil fuels.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by hanumadu »

SaiK wrote:http://www.livemint.com/Politics/v38XtC ... imate.html
Modi to launch solar alliance on first day of Paris climate summit
Such a common sense approach. Pool resources of countries who benefit most from solar energy because of abundant sun shine. In fact, India should have been at the fore front of developing solar technology as it has much greater potential than leading solar technology countries like US.
JE Menon
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by JE Menon »

>>I really hope this solar energy concept works out. It could be a game changer. especially as new battery technologies take over. there is really no excuse not to have 12v led lighting. unfortunately fossil fuel culture is firmly embedded and very stubborn.

Absolutely right. The potential is immense, and the energy-independence that comes off it, totally worthwhile. My sense of it is that eventually, energy independence can be driven down to the household - where each residential unit (however that's framed) generates enough energy to satisfy its own needs and then push the remainder out into any form of grid - village, town, city, country whatever. I have always wondered why Indian villages so far out of the national power grid could not be supplied with solar installations instead. Probably cheaper for the government in the medium-term. Less dependence on the Middle East oil exporters.
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Re: Solar energy in India

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Investments in solar energy pick up as India aims to cut reliance on coal
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/AC/Inve ... ce-on-coal
France and India on Monday launched an international alliance seeking to mobilize more than $1 trillion by 2030 to set up solar plants across the world. That followed the German government's 1.5 billion euros support over five years to support India's solar energy expansion. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said solar energy would help the country protect the environment, as the nation aims to install an additional 100 gigawatts by 2022 to quadruple its solar power capacity.

Low install costs and growing energy demand have seen global investors, such as Japan's SoftBank, China's Sany Group and Spain's Gamesa, pour money into building solar energy capacity in recent months. Softbank, India's Bharti Enterprises and Taiwan's Foxconn earlier this year teamed up in a joint venture to invest $20 billion in solar projects over the next decade.

Moreover, easing interest rates following four rounds of monetary easing this year are also providing a fillip to the solar sector, where construction costs and financing are the key hurdles.

More than $100 billion of firm commitments have been announced this year by state-owned enterprises, leading Indian power companies, a number of Indian billionaires new to the power sector, as well as a multitude of global renewable-energy firms, according to a recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

NTPC, the country's largest electricity producer with 45 gigawatts of installed capacity, has proposed investing $10 billion in setting up 10 gigawatts of renewables within the next five years. State-owned NHPC said on Tuesday it has signed an agreement with Solar Energy Corp for setting up 250 megawatts in solar capacity.

India's $40 billion Aditya Birla Group aims for 1 gigawatt of solar power within five years at an investment of $1 billion, while Tata Power aims to generate as much as a quarter of its total power from renewable sources. Tata Power has drawn up an aggressive plan of generating 18 gigawatts of power by 2022.

According to Bridge to India, a solar consulting firm, there is now a pipeline of 12 gigwatts of new solar projects now under development or in tender stages, up from virtually nothing at the start of this year. India has vast solar energy potential, with about 300 clear, sunny days a year.

The nation's power sector has been hit by subdued demand from state-owned electricity distribution companies that are teetering on the brink of collapse. India's government recently outlined a bailout package for the struggling distribution companies. Local solar panel makers, meanwhile, have been hit by cheaper imports from abroad.

In spite of these challenges, solar energy, which requires less land and is more scalable than other renewable sources such as wind, is growing in importance. Costs of solar power are falling in India, bringing it on par with thermal sources such as coal and gas.
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by Nick_S »

Push to solar power in Punjab; projects for 1,550 MW allocated
http://articles.economictimes.indiatime ... olution-mw
"In 2012, we had 9 MW of solar projects involving an investment of Rs 70 crore. In just three years, we have allotted 1,550 MW of solar power projects with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore, creating employment avenues for 10,000 youths,"
Solar power may be cheaper than coal in India by 2020
http://qz.com/557291/solar-power-looks- ... a-by-2020/
“Today, in India, solar prices are within 15% of the coal power prices on a levelised basis. While this may not fully capture costs such as grid integration costs for solar, our analysis suggest that even after considering the same, solar prices would be competitive with coal,” market research firm KPMG said in a recent report titled “The Rising Sun” (pdf).
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Re: Solar energy in India

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member_28985
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Re: Solar energy in India

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Do we manufacturer (fabrication )solar cells in India or do we just import them and make panels?
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Re: Solar energy in India

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http://postoracle.com/2015/12/15/softba ... india.html
SB Energy, a three way joint venture of Japan's SoftBank Group, Bharti Enterprises and Foxconn Technology Co Ltd, has won an order to develop a solar plant in India, marking SoftBank's first foray into renewable energy there. This is SoftBank's first step towards realising its $ 20 billion commitment to promote clean and safe energy in India. Nikesh Arora, president and COO of SoftBank, has started the company's solar journey in India by bagging a 350MW deal. It won the NTPC bid to develop a 350 mw solar power project in Andhra Pradesh, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission at a 25-year tariff of Rs 4.63 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), SoftBank said in a statement. Post Oracle http://postoracle.com/2015/12/15/softba ... india.html
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Re: Solar energy in India

Post by A_Gupta »

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... rough-2020
"India Boosts Solar-Rooftop Subsidy Eightfold Through 2020"
India increased the subsidy for fitting solar-rooftop power systems eightfold to 50 billion rupees ($753 million) in a bid to expand installations by a similar amount by 2020.

Commercial and non-state entities won’t be eligible for the subsidy as they receive other benefits such as accelerated depreciation, customs- and excise-duty concessions, the government said in a statement after a cabinet decision. The program seeks to boost installations to 4.2 gigawatts by March 31, 2020.

The higher subsidy is sufficient to fund only about half the installation target, said Vinay Rustagi, managing director at solar-research consultant Bridge to India.

“Unfortunately, this is not a great use of tax payer’s money,” he said in an e-mail. “There are many impediments to the growth of this market from a policy, financial and operational perspective.”

India’s installed rooftop capacity is 525 megawatts as of October, according to Bridge to India.
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