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Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 14 Nov 2016 11:20
by JTull
The names on the image are Japan, Mongolia and India

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 19 Nov 2016 06:14
by MurthyB
Don't know if this has been posted. David Letterman in India, interview Modi on Solar from 45.29 - 48.05

But the whole thing is interesting:


Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Nov 2016 09:57
by Rammpal
http://energypost.eu/india-wants-become ... -dont-add/

"..India aims to build 1 terrawatt of global solar power – four times the current worldwide total – and become a 100% electric vehicle nation by 2030. Those are great ambitions, but they still far short from what is needed for a true energy transformation away from coal, writes Dénes Scala of Lancaster University. Courtesy of The Conversation..."

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Nov 2016 10:24
by Rammpal

Posted: 30 Nov 2016 09:59
by ArmenT
India unveils the world's largest solar power plant
Images have been released showing the sheer size of a new solar power plant in southern India.

The facility in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, has a capacity of 648 MW and covers an area of 10 sq/km.

This makes it the largest solar power plant at a single location, taking the title from the Topaz Solar Farm in California, which has a capacity of 550 MW.

The solar plant, built in an impressive eight months, is cleaned every day by a robotic system, charged by its own solar panels.

At full capacity, it is estimated to produce enough electricity to power about 150,000 homes.

The project is comprised of 2.5 million individual solar modules, and cost $679m to build.

The new plant has helped nudge India's total installed solar capacity across the 10 GW mark, according to a statement by research firm Bridge to India, joining only a handful of countries that can make this claim.

As solar power increases, India is expected to become the world's third-biggest solar market from next year onwards, after China and the US.
....

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 30 Nov 2016 20:46
by Varoon Shekhar
Although some people will( rightly) say that Indians shouldn't be overly concerned about what the international media and people globally say about India, still this is a very newsworthy story.

It would be shocking and totally out of character, for a Western news agency or group, to carry this story. Because it is a very fine achievement, that helps India's infrastructure. And there is no fake controversy from stupid Britishers about how their aid money is being misused for something India should not be involved in. Not even those idiots could question a large solar plant.

So all fine for aljazeera, but what about the NY Times, WSJ, Daily Mirror, the Guardian, BBC, Washington Post, NY Post, AFP, MSN News, AP and Reuters?

Are they reporting it, and if not, why not?

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 19 Dec 2016 19:53
by pankajs
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -than-wind
World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That's Cheaper Than Wind
A transformation is happening in global energy markets that’s worth noting as 2016 comes to an end: Solar power, for the first time, is becoming the cheapest form of new electricity.

This has happened in isolated projects in the past: an especially competitive auction in the Middle East, for example, resulting in record-cheap solar costs. But now unsubsidized solar is beginning to outcompete coal and natural gas on a larger scale, and notably, new solar projects in emerging markets are costing less to build than wind projects, according to fresh data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

<snip>

“Renewables are robustly entering the era of undercutting” fossil fuel prices, BNEF chairman Michael Liebreich said in a note to clients this week.

<snip>

The world recently passed a turning point and is adding more capacity for clean energy each year than for coal and natural gas combined. Peak fossil-fuel use for electricity may be reached within the next decade.

<snip>

Still, the buildup of wind and solar takes time, and fossil fuels remain the cheapest option for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. Coal and natural gas will continue to play a key role in the alleviation of energy poverty for millions of people in the years to come.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 20 Dec 2016 08:42
by Mort Walker
I'm surprised this project in Leh hasn't been brought up in this thread:
Lights for the Enlightened

This is probably the best application of solar power due to the village being remote, but actual operating cost is still in question, however logistics is easier.
“The main power grid runs on AC, but solar panels run on DC. So if you can run the LEDs on DC, then you don’t lose efficiency in converting to AC,”

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 21 Dec 2016 14:51
by Hitesh
pankajs wrote: <snip>

“Renewables are robustly entering the era of undercutting” fossil fuel prices, BNEF chairman Michael Liebreich said in a note to clients this week.

<snip>

The world recently passed a turning point and is adding more capacity for clean energy each year than for coal and natural gas combined. Peak fossil-fuel use for electricity may be reached within the next decade.
This is why I think we should stay away from building more coal power plants because I have a strong gut feeling that within 10 years, any power plant new or old will become quickly obsolete.
pankajs wrote:
Still, the buildup of wind and solar takes time, and fossil fuels remain the cheapest option for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. Coal and natural gas will continue to play a key role in the alleviation of energy poverty for millions of people in the years to come.
That will change once we figure out the battery/energy storage issues.
pankajs wrote:
Coal and natural gas will continue to play a key role in the alleviation of energy poverty for millions of people in the years to come.
Natural gas, yes, but not coal.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 21 Dec 2016 15:45
by pankajs
Hitesh wrote:
Coal and natural gas will continue to play a key role in the alleviation of energy poverty for millions of people in the years to come.
Natural gas, yes, but not coal.
There are 3 important factor that will play role in figuring the mix. The most important factor i.e the Demand in a country like India is given.
1. Energy cost
2. Environmental impact
3. Energy security

Ignore Cost for the moment. Even when NG is better than coal from the environmental pov it is difficult to ignore the energy security aspect. In India's case coal is abundant while NG is mostly imported.

Taking energy security into account, a significant portion of our fossil fuel dependence will have to come from coal. We do not live in an ideal world and our energy solution has to be capable of withstanding external shocks. There is simply no other option unless NG is discovered within India on a massive scale.

The only other alternative is to pray for a massive advancement in the Solar and storage/battery tech.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 22 Dec 2016 13:35
by Hitesh
pankajs wrote:
Hitesh wrote:
Natural gas, yes, but not coal.
There are 3 important factor that will play role in figuring the mix. The most important factor i.e the Demand in a country like India is given.
1. Energy cost
2. Environmental impact
3. Energy security

Ignore Cost for the moment. Even when NG is better than coal from the environmental pov it is difficult to ignore the energy security aspect. In India's case coal is abundant while NG is mostly imported.

Taking energy security into account, a significant portion of our fossil fuel dependence will have to come from coal. We do not live in an ideal world and our energy solution has to be capable of withstanding external shocks. There is simply no other option unless NG is discovered within India on a massive scale.

The only other alternative is to pray for a massive advancement in the Solar and storage/battery tech.
Based on what you say, I would say that the solar aspect offer the most energy security. The sun has been here for 5 billion years. :rotfl: And it will continue to be here for another 5 billion years. It is estimated that we will have 1 billion years of usable solar energy before the sun starts heating up and inflating (Whether we as the human race in its current form will be here in 1 billion years is another debate). Compared that to our coal reserves which is estimated to last only 80 years based on our current consumption rate. You tell me which option offers the most energy security.

As for natural gas, we can trade with Bangladesh for access to its natural gas field (Bangladesh is estimated to have 14.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its reserves and produce 2,700 million cubic feet per day) and we have Bay of Bengal to consider. See the news article here: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-us-disco ... gal-687934.

In my opinion, natural gas is a much better short term bet than coal.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 22 Dec 2016 14:29
by Gyan
The Atacama 1 solar complex was proposed as a 110 MW solar thermal electric plant (the first in Latin America) and a 100 MW photovoltaic plant. The solar thermal plant will include 17.5 hours of thermal storage. These technologies complement each other to supply clean and stable energy 24 hours a day. The complex is located in the commune of María Elena, Segunda Región. Construction of the solar thermal electric plant commenced in 2014 and the plant is scheduled to begin operating in the second quarter of 2017. Construction of the photovoltaic plant commenced in January 2015 and the plant began operating in June 2016 with 160 MW of panels, the largest solar plant in Chile at the time.
It seems that this plant occupies 1700 hectares but I cannot locate the cost. Anybody has details?

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 22 Dec 2016 14:31
by pankajs
Hitesh wrote:Based on what you say, I would say that the solar aspect offer the most energy security. The sun has been here for 5 billion years. :rotfl: And it will continue to be here for another 5 billion years. It is estimated that we will have 1 billion years of usable solar energy before the sun starts heating up and inflating (Whether we as the human race in its current form will be here in 1 billion years is another debate). Compared that to our coal reserves which is estimated to last only 80 years based on our current consumption rate. You tell me which option offers the most energy security.{1}

As for natural gas, we can trade with Bangladesh for access to its natural gas field (Bangladesh is estimated to have 14.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its reserves and produce 2,700 million cubic feet per day) and we have Bay of Bengal to consider. See the news article here: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-us-disco ... gal-687934. {2}

In my opinion, natural gas is a much better short term bet than coal.
Concerning highlight {1} my post was clear "a significant portion of our fossil fuel dependence will have to come from coal." My last sentence was "The only other alternative is to pray for a massive advancement in the Solar and storage/battery tech." That seems to me clear enough.

Without an efficient storage tech. fossil fuel will remain a significant or even a dominant portion of the energy mix.

For point {2},
1. Please let us know how much BD is willing to supply, how much that will mean in terms of our current coal based generation and how long will it meet India's needs as compared to Coal's which as per you will last for 80 years?
2. I remember, a while back, there was objection inside Bangladesh on exporting its Oil/Gas/Coal (cannot exactly remember which BUT it must have been gas going by your post). True we have better relationship with the current regime but what is the guarantee that it will last? BNP's position is very anti-Indian. How can such a volatile country be the bedrock of our energy security?
3. So now we start building plants today in expectation of pumping gas who knows when from Bangladesh. That is planning for energy security? BD or BOB Potential means nothing.

None of the above gives me confidence that NG, imported from ME or BD or supposed to exist in BOB, can be the basis for our energy security. Even a fail on a single point makes it unsuitable for something as crucial as energy security.

To repeat what I had stated before "a significant portion of our fossil fuel dependence will have to come from coal."

PS:Multiple edits for clarity

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 01:33
by ssundar
Hitesh wrote: Based on what you say, I would say that the solar aspect offer the most energy security. The sun has been here for 5 billion years. :rotfl: And it will continue to be here for another 5 billion years. It is estimated that we will have 1 billion years of usable solar energy before the sun starts heating up and inflating (Whether we as the human race in its current form will be here in 1 billion years is another debate). Compared that to our coal reserves which is estimated to last only 80 years based on our current consumption rate. You tell me which option offers the most energy security.
Hitesh, we have to factor in the manufacture of solar panels and the raw materials available within India for the same.

Most of India is blessed with a lot of sunlight. But, if India becomes dependent on China for solar panel availability, it does not meet the test of energy security.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 01:36
by Hitesh
ssundar wrote:
Hitesh wrote: Based on what you say, I would say that the solar aspect offer the most energy security. The sun has been here for 5 billion years. :rotfl: And it will continue to be here for another 5 billion years. It is estimated that we will have 1 billion years of usable solar energy before the sun starts heating up and inflating (Whether we as the human race in its current form will be here in 1 billion years is another debate). Compared that to our coal reserves which is estimated to last only 80 years based on our current consumption rate. You tell me which option offers the most energy security.
Hitesh, we have to factor in the manufacture of solar panels and the raw materials available within India for the same.

Most of India is blessed with a lot of sunlight. But, if India becomes dependent on China for solar panel availability, it does not meet the test of energy security.
Why do we have to become dependent on China for solar panel availability? We can manufacture them. As for the raw materials, China is not the only place with rare earth minerals. There are other plenty of land that has rare earth minerals, Afghanistan being one of them. We can secure our own energy security through the development of local solar panel and battery manufacturing.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 01:45
by ssundar
Hitesh wrote: Why do we have to become dependent on China for solar panel availability? We can manufacture them. As for the raw materials, China is not the only place with rare earth minerals. There are other plenty of land that has rare earth minerals, Afghanistan being one of them. We can secure our own energy security through the development of local solar panel and battery manufacturing.
You are making my point exactly. Securing the supply chain involves an international geopolitical strategy amidst so much uncertainty. India has not been aggressive about building these international relationships at least until 2014.

Compared to that, coal can show results faster. So, it would be safe to bet that any good government will pursue both coal and solar, with solar being the longer term option.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 08:44
by Mort Walker
The Chinese have been making leaps and bounds in PVs. In the past they were bad quality PV panels which over 3-4 years would lose quantum efficiency, that is the ability to convert visible photons to electrons. The Kamuthi plant, AFIK, has all imported PV panels which I hope are not Chinese in origin.

In India we have an unreliable electric grid and poor power transmission infrastructure, which makes the price of power expensive. This make solar power attractive for residential and business use to basically stay off the grid. In this context there is the need to have the capacity to make high quality PV panels in India that also have good efficiency. This is more doable than the long long term R&D in battery technology which is happening in Japan and the US.
Compared to that, coal can show results faster. So, it would be safe to bet that any good government will pursue both coal and solar, with solar being the longer term option.
That is what the Modi government is doing. The danger is committing to various treaties to "green" energy when it may not be economically viable to do so. As an analogy - in 1963, the Nehru government blindly signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), but later governments did not sign the CTBT. This allowed India to test below ground, but the deterrent would have been more effective if India did not sign the PTBT and did actual above ground tests to confirm the destruction efficacy of its TNWs and as a psychological shock.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 09:01
by habal
Mort Walker wrote: In India we have an unreliable electric grid and poor power transmission infrastructure, which makes the price of power expensive.
this was the case till some 5 yrs, these days even towns in boondocks receive uninterrupted electricity. The national grid is today much more well connected, and SEB's can tide over shortages by buying power from surplus states. Power surplus states are happy to sell power because they get better margins by selling on grid to highest bidder. Only states with high T&D (theft) have issues in supplying uninterrupted power.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 09:09
by guru.shetty
The people that are bullish towards coal have never lived close to a coal plant. There is ash on everything and it kills you with cancer.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 09:11
by hanumadu
Hitesh wrote:
ssundar wrote:
Hitesh, we have to factor in the manufacture of solar panels and the raw materials available within India for the same.

Most of India is blessed with a lot of sunlight. But, if India becomes dependent on China for solar panel availability, it does not meet the test of energy security.
Why do we have to become dependent on China for solar panel availability? We can manufacture them. As for the raw materials, China is not the only place with rare earth minerals. There are other plenty of land that has rare earth minerals, Afghanistan being one of them. We can secure our own energy security through the development of local solar panel and battery manufacturing.
China was supplying most of the rare earth minerals because they were cheap and all others shut shop and found it convenient to import from china. But once china played truant, others may have diversified by now.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 09:32
by Mort Walker
habal wrote:
Mort Walker wrote: In India we have an unreliable electric grid and poor power transmission infrastructure, which makes the price of power expensive.
this was the case till some 5 yrs, these days even towns in boondocks receive uninterrupted electricity. The national grid is today much more well connected, and SEB's can tide over shortages by buying power from surplus states. Power surplus states are happy to sell power because they get better margins by selling on grid to highest bidder. Only states with high T&D (theft) have issues in supplying uninterrupted power.
You are correct, it has gotten better in the last 3-4 years particularly, but is still unreliable outside of 2nd and 3rd tier cities.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 13:36
by Hitesh
ssundar wrote:
Hitesh wrote: Why do we have to become dependent on China for solar panel availability? We can manufacture them. As for the raw materials, China is not the only place with rare earth minerals. There are other plenty of land that has rare earth minerals, Afghanistan being one of them. We can secure our own energy security through the development of local solar panel and battery manufacturing.
You are making my point exactly. Securing the supply chain involves an international geopolitical strategy amidst so much uncertainty. India has not been aggressive about building these international relationships at least until 2014.

Compared to that, coal can show results faster. So, it would be safe to bet that any good government will pursue both coal and solar, with solar being the longer term option.
I disagree with your assessment that securing the supply chain involves a deliberate international geopolitical strategy and that there is great uncertainty. There is no strategy needed because China already upset the apple cart and now companies and countries are scrambling to set up an international supply chain where rare earth minerals could be mined easily. And there is no uncertainty about it because the entire world knows that rare earth mining is an economic imperative and must be free from one nation taking hostage. Rare earth mineral mining is not confined to one region. It can be found in a lot of regions all over. We just have to look for it. In the past, we didn't look for it because it wasn't too high on our list of priorities. Now it is, I am sure there are many exploration companies looking for such rare earth minerals since there is existing great demand for them now. We need to get into the driver's seat and be in the front of this advance so we can control our destiny.

Coal may show results faster but there is a long deep price down the road for doing that. We lose forests, release more carbon dioxide, create more air pollution, and we get stuck with power plants that will become obsolete within 10-15 years when the capitalization period is over 25 years or more.

If you truly want faster results, then I strongly suggest overhauling the national grid. This will greatly increase the access and reliability of electricity and will cut down on those dirty backup generators that create so much pollution. This will reduce the demand for coal power so much and allow the increase of renewable energy to progress much faster.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 09 Jan 2017 19:10
by Nick_S
National Geographic Megastructures - India's Solar Power House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryjryNb4eRk

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 10 Feb 2017 22:08
by Uttam
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/solar-power-tariffs-fall-to-rs-2-97-per-unit/articleshow/57085143.cms

:D :D :D :D
NEW DELHI: Solar power tariffs have fallen to Rs 2.97 per unit with Mahindra Renewables, Acme Solar and Solenergi Power Pvt Ltd bagging contracts to set up one unit each of 250-mw in the Madhya Pradesh government's 750-mw Rewa ultra mega solar park.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 11 Feb 2017 22:14
by guru.shetty
With 1kwh, on a Nissan Leaf sized car gives you 6 km. So effectively you are looking at 50 paisa per km cost. Unfortunately, India does not allow import of lithium ion batteries without huge tax. So India will have to wait for a few more years for EV industry to take off.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:37
by Mort Walker
Uttam wrote:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/solar-power-tariffs-fall-to-rs-2-97-per-unit/articleshow/57085143.cms

:D :D :D :D
NEW DELHI: Solar power tariffs have fallen to Rs 2.97 per unit with Mahindra Renewables, Acme Solar and Solenergi Power Pvt Ltd bagging contracts to set up one unit each of 250-mw in the Madhya Pradesh government's 750-mw Rewa ultra mega solar park.
This is a quoted price tariff and not operational cost - I remain skeptical of this cost until the plant is in operation. We also don't know where the panels are coming from and could be Chinese panels which have been known to degrade quickly. So three companies each will build a capacity of 250 MW. The quoted figure is 250 W/m^2, so 750 MW would be about a 3 Km square of panels. The panels need not be adjacent to each other to allow for drainage and sunlight to reach below to allow limited use of the land, so we're looking at an area roughly 4 Km square. None of the articles talk about battery storage. The idea is to sell power to the Delhi Metro since Rewa is at the northern border of MP adjacent to UP. I would rather this solar park reduce the load on the grid in the area where farmers can use the power to run pumps to get water from rivers and wells.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 14 Feb 2017 13:01
by jamwal
Bhai log, I need some advice and guidance for this solar thing. I have some roof space (Delhi) which can be utilised for installation of solar panels. Eletricians, contractors etc are suggesting inverters for power backup, but I am more interested in solar.

Would it make sense considering the initial investment ? My power bills range from INR 5000 in peak summer to INR 400 in winters.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 25 Feb 2017 03:26
by Rishirishi
jamwal wrote:Bhai log, I need some advice and guidance for this solar thing. I have some roof space (Delhi) which can be utilised for installation of solar panels. Eletricians, contractors etc are suggesting inverters for power backup, but I am more interested in solar.

Would it make sense considering the initial investment ? My power bills range from INR 5000 in peak summer to INR 400 in winters.
Probably not. I am assuming your total power expense to be in the range of Rs 30K per year. Hard to recover that, if you take into account interest rates etc. It has to do with utilization during winter.
But if you consider running an AC, it could be an idea to install a 2KW solar panel that can power the AC during daytime.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 10 Mar 2017 21:08
by JTull
Solar installed capacity has reached 10GW today. Tripled in 3 years.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 11 Mar 2017 03:19
by disha
jamwal wrote:Bhai log, I need some advice and guidance for this solar thing. I have some roof space (Delhi) which can be utilised for installation of solar panels. Eletricians, contractors etc are suggesting inverters for power backup, but I am more interested in solar.

Would it make sense considering the initial investment ? My power bills range from INR 5000 in peak summer to INR 400 in winters.
Jamwal'ji., how much do you consume in terms of KWh. Not in terms of bills., but in terms of total consumption. Also since your major use of electricity is in summer., you can break it down into three components, daily average for the entire year, monthly average and average every 3 months starting from Jan. Like Jan-March (spring), April-June (Summer), July-September (Monsoon) & October-December (Winter). Also daily averages for that period.

I am assuming that your peak usage is for April-June (Summer). Fortunately, that is also the peak insolation!

Now take the solar irradiation (or insolation) from http://mnre.gov.in/sec/solar-assmnt.htm

They have annual and monthly average for a location., say in May., in Delhi you may get 7 KwH/Sq. meter per day. Let us say it is 8 KwH/Sq. meter (rounding above - for ease of calculation)., and you purchase say solar panels at 20% efficiency, then in a ideal location with no shadows and complete where the sun beats down on the roof., you will be getting 8x0.20 = 1.6 KwH/sq meter. Since you will spend some energy in conversion., let us say you will get 1.5 KwH per sq. meter per day during the Summer. This is assuming an ideal location & 20% efficiency. Change the numbers based on your mileage. For example a shadow of tree cuts down on the insolation.

If you have 10 sq. metres of space., you can go with 15 KwH. Now you can see how much will it take out on your consumption.

I think you should size it for the average of April-September or lower. You have a very wide variance between winter (almost no use of electricity) to summer (full on use) and that might complicate your calculations.

Put it this way., if you put say 1 KW system at 100 Rs. per Watt (Rs. 1 Lakh total) and it reduces your electricity bill by Rs. 10,000 per year., and if the panel is going to last 20 years - I think you have a deal. Note again, rounded off calculations.

My solar panel is giving me some 7-8% ROI., so in 10 years it will pay off by itself. It is designed for 25 years.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 12 Mar 2017 23:45
by jamwal
Thanks for the pointer. I have been looking around for information from vendors, but a lot are suggesting to just go for solar panel installation without batteries and trying to present it as cheaper way to install more wattage capacity which can be sold off to grid too.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:24
by disha
In winter your electricity usage is low. In summer., it is mostly for AC., what is happening is that in summer I am assuming that you are consuming say 1500 units of electricity. In Winter, you are consuming say 300 units of electricity per month.

So if you put in a solar system that generates say 800 units per month peak (in summer)., then you are going to cut down your usage in summer to 600 units. In winter you may or may not be able to sell the extra generated units to the board., but that does not matter. What you are trying to do with this plan is reduce your slab rate. This is like taking the edge out and even'ing out your consumption.

Now a system which produces 800 units a month means produces some 3 units per day. I am taking 1 Unit= 1 Kwh. This system may come to Rs. 4.5 lakhs complete installation. Now at 45k, let us say you save @700 units at Rs. 7 per unit., then you are saving Rs. 5000 per month (my calculations may be off - since I do not know the slab rate and I am making some assumptions). At 5000 per month for three months (15 k in summer months) you are getting 3% return on your 4.5 lakhs investment in 3 months (or 12% p. a equivalent). In 7 years, it will pay off by itself. If your installation is 15 years warranty (solar panels last for 25 years too) you come out on top. Of course if you installation cost is say 3 lakhs., then your ROI is even better. Of course if the slab rate is say only Rs. 2 per unit and you are saving only 1400 per month then your ROI is different or very low.

In winter months you can sell back the electricity to the grid. Do you need a battery? I do not think so either. You are better off starting your AC when your solar panel is generating the most electricity in summer (consuming during peak itself!).

You need to first go through what PV panels are available in India (for eg. https://www.vikramsolar.com/wp-content/ ... ntable.pdf) and then see what is the total system cost. If you are going for say 3-Kw system (which appears to be standard & sufficient for most high-end homes in India) then you will need say some 9-12 panels.

Let us know how it goes for you. Simple maxims., first reduce the slab down. Calculate your ROI at each slab down. Size your system accordingly.

Do not confuse solar as a backup generator. If there are power cuts in your area during summer., then yes kick the government and then run the bare minimals on battery backup (refrigerator and fans and lights). You can possibly use solar as a backup generator., but making it primary will make it costly - unless you are in a farm house and the grid electricity is totally unreliable!

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:31
by disha
guru.shetty wrote:With 1kwh, on a Nissan Leaf sized car gives you 6 km. So effectively you are looking at 50 paisa per km cost. Unfortunately, India does not allow import of lithium ion batteries without huge tax. So India will have to wait for a few more years for EV industry to take off.
Or some manufacturer can license battery tech and start making lithium batteries in India itself.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 19 Apr 2017 01:41
by Suraj
India has achieved 12,200 MW of solar capacity: Piyush Goyal
Stating that India has already achieved 12,200 MW of solar capacity so far, Union power minister Piyush Goyal today reiterated that the country is well poised to reach its target of 100 GW capacity by 2022.

"The country's solar power generation capacity was 2,600 MW in 2014 and it has now jumped to 12,200 MW now," Goyal said at an event here.
India Will Become World’s 3rd Largest Solar Market This Year
India is set to overtake Japan as the world’s third-largest solar power market this year, a Taiwanese research firm has predicted.

According to EnergyTrend, the global solar PV demand is expected to remain stable at 74 gigawatts this year while India is expected to see sustained growth. The research claims that growth in China’s solar PV demand is expected to reduce slightly as the government has a lower capacity addition target compared to the last year.

Solar power in the world’s second largest market — the United States of America — may fall out of favor given the political scenario. Meanwhile, in Japan the government is expected to continue to reduce feed-in tariffs, possibly leading to a dent in investments.

India, on the other hand, is expected to contribute 14% to the global solar PV demand as the government continues to push for a very ambitious installed capacity target of 100 gigawatts by 2022. The target translates into 90 gigawatts of capacity addition over the next five years.

India recently crossed the 10 gigawatt installed solar capacity mark. EnergyTrend expects the south Asian country to add another 10 gigawatts this year. The government, for its part, expects to add 20 gigawatts over the next 15 months.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 10:15
by Theo_Fidel
Solar power tariff falls 80% in 6 years to Rs 2.44 a unit
In a bidding held for the 500-Mw Bhadla solar power park in Rajasthan, domestic company ACME won the top slot by quoting Rs 2.44 a unit for 200 Mw. It was closely followed by SoftBank Energy with Rs 2.45 for 500 Mw. As the tender followed a bucket-filling method, ACME will build 200 Mw and SBG Energy 300 Mw. The park is being developed by IL&FS.

Government officials pointed out this rate was lower than the average coal-based price and the grid parity price for solar to match with coal. This rate was closer to spot power price as well.
The tariff in Bhadla has been fixed for 25 years with no escalation and the bidders have sought no viability gap funding from the government, officials said.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 10:51
by svenkat
theo sir,
welcome back.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 10:56
by nandakumar
Theo Fidel
Good to see you back in action. Your posts have been valuable in the past. I had benefited from it.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 20:16
by Mort Walker
Welcome back Theo. Thought we might have lost you in the floods of Chennai last year.

The tariff rate bidding seems highly suspect on these solar parks. Some of these companies may just want to make a fast buck and get out of town.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 23:09
by Theo_Fidel
Thx guys. Needed a break from BR to deal with reality.
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WRT the bidding numbers I too am a little ambiguous. We will have to see how it works out. But isn’t it wonderful for the nation. 10 years ago there were strong naysayers who said this day would never come.

Some of these numbers are anticipatory in some ways. They expect equipment prices to fall another 30% over the next 1-2 years. If equipment prices don’t fall then things become dicey. So far these price decline bets have borne out really well. Think back to the guys who bid over the years Rs15-Rs12-Rs9-Rs7-Rs5 type numbers, at which I, including everyone else was deeply skeptical. Those folks are making some real profit margins now. In some cases 200% margins , of 25-30 year contracts.

Way back in 2009 I read a paper that broke down the ultimate commodity price for Solar energy as approaching 2 cents/kw or Rs 1.20/kw. That was the paper that changed my mind about the future. That IMHO will be the ultimate end stage cost for Solar, though even I have trouble believing my own numbers. As long as no one is bidding below that number I would say we are still on the cost curve downwards, and some will be making a ton of money and a few will lose their shirts/lungi's/Chappals/etc and we will all gain some solar power.

Re: Solar energy in India

Posted: 02 Jun 2017 11:10
by Vayutuvan
Them saar, good lord where have you been? Welcome back.