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14/02/2020

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ABOUT THE SOCIETY

PRESIDENT: CA Vijay Kumar Goel; B.Com(Hons.), FCA, SMP – IIM (Calcutta)

He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India

since 1991 and since then, he is working as a Practicing

Chartered Accountant. Government has appointed him as

Non-Official Director (2016-2019) in Indian Bank. He has

been associated with RSS & ABVP for the past 35 years & was

previously holding the position of Prabhari in BJP CA Cell,

Delhi Pradesh. He is also a prolific speaker on Solar,

Leadership and Project Financing and is a guest speaker on

debate shows on TV channels like Lok Sabha TV,

DoorDarshan.

ADVISORY BOARD:

1. Mr Shyam Sunder Aggarwal - He is M. Tech, PHD & renowned scientist &

entrepreneur working in renewable energy & social sector. He runs schools &

colleges. He belongs to RSS family & was Sah Prant Sangh Chalak of Delhi RSS.

2. Mr Shyam Jaju - He is M.Com from Pune University & belongs to RSS family.

He is Director of Keshav Sehkari Bank in Delhi. Presently he is National Vice President

of BJP & Prabhari of BJP Delhi & Uttarakhand.

3. Sh. I.S. Goel - He is Retd. Deputy Secretary to Ministry of Railways. He has

large experience of administration & establishment. He is working for Sewa Bharti as

a social worker & secretary of Credit & Thrift society. (Organization working with

financial inclusion). He belongs to RSS Family.

4. Sh. Rajiv Khuchhal - He has done B.Tech from IIT, Delhi. Rajiv has more than 23

years of management experience in IT, BPO, and ITeS industries. He has worked for 16

years at Infosys Ltd., and served as its Assistant Vice President and Practice Head of

Communication and Product Services. He was also part of the founding team of

Progeon Ltd. (now Infosys BPO). Since July 2008, he is working as an Angel Investor-

Mentor to young companies primarily in the area of social enterprise. He is on the Board

of a number of listed companies. He was the Chief Operating Officer at Onmobile

Global Limited from 2006-08, He served as the TVS's Head of Operations and Head of

Business Transformation and also as Venture Advisor at TVS Capital Funds Limited.

He is a general partner at Exfnity Venture Partners, which is a frontier technology fund

backing enterprise in India and across the India-US Business Corridor.

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WORK FOR NATION-

Install Solar on

Rooftop

Educate/Mentor 5

students

Office Address:

AN-8 Shalimar Bagh, Delhi-

110088

Contact No-

011-27477599/ 011-42248006

5. Sh. Ashok Singhal - Air-Vice Marshal Ashok Singhal is a pioneer in the field of

Aerospace, Defense and Avionics and has served Indian Air Force for 37 years. The

H’ble President of India in Delhi has decorated him twice with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

(AVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). He was involved during Kargil War. He is

an expert on the best fighter aircraft of IAF i.e. SU30MKI and Mig29. He graduated

from BITS, Pilani in 1976 with Electronics Engineering degree. Subsequently, he did

MS in Computer Systems from Cranfield Institute of Technology, Cranfield, UK and

MBA in Finance from IGNOU. He also possesses MSc. Degree in Strategic and

Defense Studies from Madras University. After retirement in 2013 from IAF, HAL, he

was a consultant to MD (Su30 and Mig complex) at HAL, Nasik for last two years

(2014 & 2015). Presently, he is Director of a company in Delhi-NCR.

SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ( REGD.)

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Solar Weekly – 196 Dated 14-02-2020

CONTENTS S.No. News Page no.

1. Delay in importing panels from China to hit solar projects in India 6

2 Policy stability will spike renewable growth in India: IEEFA

7-8

3 Karnataka Electricity Regulator Reduces Tariff for a Delayed

10 MW Solar Project

9-10

4 India's 40 GW solar rooftop target for 2022: A Kerala case study 11-13

5 Vattenfall secures 10-year power supply deal for 60 MW of

German solar

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6 MALI: Pal 4 Solar Energy to build a 100 MWp power plant in

Diema

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7 50MW solar power plant to be constructed in Mali 16

8 Indian Railways zone becomes 1st in India to have energy-

neutral stations! Details & list of stations here

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9 Sarojini Naidu 19

SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ( REGD.)

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Delay in importing panels from China to hit solar projects in India

About 90% of solar modules and panels used in Indian solar projects are imported from China and Malaysia.

BENGALURU: The coronavirus outbreak is upsetting the schedule of solar energy projects as procurement of modules

and panels from China is being delayed, developers said.

About 90% of solar modules and panels used in Indian solar projects are imported from China and Malaysia.

“There is a delay in the procurement, which will cause further delays in our commissioning deadlines,” said Sanjeev

Aggarwal, CEO at Amplus Solar, a leading rooftop solar developer. There has been 20 day delay so far, Aggarwal said.

The Chinese lunar New Year holiday was extended by a week to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Many

developers for whom dispatches had to be sent out after the New Year holiday have been delayed by a week, industry

executives told ET.

"We are closely watching the situation. At this stage, it is difficult to comprehend whether there will be any major

impact on our projects since many manufacturing units have not recommenced manufacturing post the vacation," said

Ashish Khanna, CEO at Tata Power Solar.

“We are sourcing inverters and other smaller components from China, which have also been delayed,” said Aggarwal.

“It will have an impact on those developers who are buying on a spot basis like those who might need them two weeks

from now,” a solar developer said on condition of anonymity. Most of these spot buyers of small quantities are rooftop

developers.

Whether the effect will be severe is yet to be seen, said another developer. “If manufacturing is shut for a long time,

then you may start to see an effect on prices,” this person said.

Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said an extension might be granted by the ministry if

developers are able to prove that shipments from China have been delayed. "This is a force majeure situation. If

developers can prove there has been a delay, we'll definitely be open to that," said Kumar. "But until now I have not

received any such cases."

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Policy stability will spike renewable growth in India: IEEFA Policy certainty will increase domestic and international investing into India, a new report out on Thursday

by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said.

The report, India's Renewable Energy Policy Headwinds - Recommendations for Urgently Accelerating

Activity in the Renewable Energy Sector, finds a number of recent policy positions that have undermined

growth in this sector.

"India is one of the world's largest and fastest growing markets for renewable energy and power

transmission," report author and IEEFA's Director of Energy Finance Studies Tim Buckley told IANS in a

statement.

"Domestic renewable energy tariffs are now two thirds the cost of domestic coal-sourced power tariffs and

half that of new imported thermal power costs.

"India must be very proud of this result, and they must leverage this opportunity to enhance energy security

whilst securing deflationary domestic energy investments.

"The opportunity cost of delaying India's electricity sector transition is too high.

"With a few policy tweaks, India could be back on track to meet its ambitious target of 450 gigawatts of

renewables by 2030," said the report.

The IEEFA report identifies a number of policies currently stifling growth in renewable energy sector in India.

They include the imposition of the solar cell and module trade duty in 2017, which the government is now

looking to extend beyond 2020.

The duty has neither reduced imports nor significantly improved the competitiveness of Indian

manufactured solar cells. Instead, it has severely slowed down solar installs in India, both because of the

extra cost imposed but equally due to the confusion on delayed implementation.

"The uncertainty of this trade duty has been one of the most serious impediments to India's renewable

energy momentum," said co-author Kashish Shah, IEEFA's energy finance analyst.

"Instead of trying to make Indian manufactured solar cells competitive by increasing the price of imported

modules, the industry needs an assured offtake in domestic markets, as was achieved in the recent, very

successful solar manufacturing tender. It also needs to be incentivised for exporting."

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Better centre-state coordination on renewable energy development and increasing the expansion of

necessary transmission networks and balancing capacity (batteries, pumped hydro storage, demand

response management and more flexible thermal capacity) are further policy areas requiring immediate

attention.

"Renewable energy developers are currently experiencing delays and cost overruns while waiting for the

central and state governments to talk to each other and streamline their activities. This is jeopardising their

project economics and stalling further investment," said Shah.

The report finds a key pre-requisite for continuing India's renewable energy investment ambition is

concurrently building out and modernising India's national transmission grid to accelerate the enormous

progress achieved over the last decade.

"India could attract $500 to 700bn in new investment by 2030 - the opportunity is huge," said Buckley.

"To do this, India's grid must be urgently expanded. The slow-down in transmission capacity is slowing India's

renewable energy ambition.

"And the continuing ballooning underfunding of subsidies and rising state-discom debt is severely hampering

the financial industry's ability to finance newrenewable energy development, as is some state's desire to

renegotiate on projects. This is not on - and creates instability for investors."

The report concludes that sovereign risk, policy risks and erratic discom payments are all creating

unnecessary financial constraints for the Indian renewable energy sector.

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Karnataka Electricity Regulator Reduces Tariff for a Delayed

10 MW Solar Project The developer had argued that the delay was due to force majeure events, which the Commission rejected

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has dismissed a petition by Shorapur Solar Power Limited that argued its 10 MW solar project was delayed due to force majeure (unforeseeable) events. Due to the delay, the Commission ordered that the petitioner is entitled to a tariff of ₹4.36 (~$0.061)/kWh in place of the originally agreed tariff of ₹5.13 (~$0.071)/kWh. The Commission also directed Shorapur Solar Power Private Limited to pay liquidated damages to Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) in line with the power purchase agreement (PPA).

Earlier, Shorapur Solar Power Limited had filed a petition requesting the Commission to declare that the scheduled commercial operation date be extended to the period corresponding to the time taken for the grant of the evacuation approval (142 days). It had also requested the Commission to put aside the demand issued by CESC for the payment of liquidated damages towards the delay in achieving the COD within the scheduled timeline.

The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) had invited requests for proposals for 1,200 MW of solar projects in 60 taluks. The parent company of Shorapur Solar Power Limited, Karvy Consultants Limited, had placed a bid for setting up 10 MW of solar power projects at Shorapur taluk in Yadgir district. The company entered into a PPA with CESC in 2016. Shorapur Solar Power appointed a land aggregator to identify and acquire the land for the project at village Kembhavi. The company got the evacuation approval from Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) on March 30, 2017.

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Shorapur Solar Power said that due to the delay in the grant of evacuation approval by KPTCL and consequent delay in land registration, the petitioner was prevented from fulfilling the conditions mentioned in the PPA. The company informed CESC about the status of conditions in July 2017, but CESC refused to give time extension and issued a demand notice to pay the damages towards the non-fulfillment of conditions. It subsequently issued another demand notice asking for liquidated damages of ₹10 million (~$140,068).

On the other hand, CESC said that the PPA provided for a time-frame for achieving the COD, and the developer was required to satisfy the conditions within eight months from the effective date (by May 26, 2017).

Further, CESC noted that the delay in obtaining approvals could not be attributed to them. The circumstances cited by Shorapur Solar Power to be force majeure events do not fall under the purview of the definition of force majeure clause of the PPA.

To this, the Commission noted that there was a delay in obtaining the power evacuation approval from KPTCL and in producing the documentary evidence for having acquired the title and possession of the land acquired for the project. The Commission added that the draft was a part of the request for proposal, so the company had full knowledge of the various timelines prescribed in the PPA for the commissioning of the project.

The effective date of the approval of the PPA was September 27, 2016, and the project had to be commissioned within 12 months from the effective date.

The Commission noted that there was a delay of more than five months in applying for the evacuation approval, and the developer did not explain the delay.

The order added that the process of obtaining sale deeds, the litigations before the civil court, and the conversion order have not caused the delay in the execution and cannot be considered as force majeure events.

Regarding the tariff, the Commission stated that Shorapur Solar Power is not entitled to the tariff initially agreed in the PPA at the rate of ₹5.13 (~$0.071)/kWh as the project was not commissioned within the stipulated time. The PPA provides that the tariff on the date of the commercial operation will apply to the project. The project was commissioned on February 23, 2018, and, therefore, the petitioner’s project is entitled to a tariff of ₹4.36 (~$0.061)/kWh.

In October last year, KERC had ruled against a petition filed by the special purpose vehicles of SunEdison Energy requesting the extension of the scheduled commercial operation date for solar projects totaling 150 MW on the grounds of force majeure events. Previously, the state commission also rejected a petition to extend the project commission date and set a tariff of ₹4.36 (~$0.061)/kWh for a 1 MW grid-connected solar project developed on a farmer-owned land in the state’s Kalaburagi district.

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India's 40 GW solar rooftop target for 2022: A Kerala case study Despite interest and potential in the state, the target remains a tall order

Kerala has anywhere between 130 and 140 megawatt (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, which includes big ticket projects like the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)-owned 50 MW and Cochin airport’s 40 MW. But the relatively small state of Kerala is quickly running out of land, especially to accommodate the space-intensive solar technology. Installing a solar PV to generate a single kilowatt (kW) requires 10 square metres of land.

Upcoming large-scale projects are instead looking at floating, dam-top and canal-top installations, in an attempt to utilise all available space.

An easier alternative for the land-constrained state would be to install smaller solar rooftop (SRT) systems. However, the SRT segment, as in the rest of India, has seen little progress.

“Today, there is approximately 40 MW of SRT and possibly another 20-30 MW that is not accounted for,” Aneesh Prasad, programme officer at Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (Anert), said.

Anert’s dedicated programmes played a crucial role in the initial proliferation of SRT in the state. A case-in-point is the first ever ‘10,000 rooftop programme’ by Anert.

The programme began in 2013. Though pitched initially as a grid-connected programme, restrictions by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on central subsidy meant the programme looked at only ‘off-grid systems of 1 kW with battery backup’.

Unfortunately, the programme hit a roadblock, even before it started, with the ‘Kerala solar scam’ that came to light the same year. The general perception of the technology suffered, but Anert quickly took charge by conducting awareness drives in each of its individual districts.

To further improve the applicability and economics of off-grid systems, Anert added to the MNRE specifications by including parameters such as increased inverter efficiency, enhanced guarantee period for battery, and slapped on an additional state subsidy of 20 per cent.

The programme bounced back and was declared a success at its close in 2017, “having installed all 10,000 systems,” R Rajesh, programme officer at Anert, said.

Simultaneously, 2015 saw two new programmes — the ‘Solar Connect’ (grid-connected systems) and the ‘Solar Smart’ (off-grid systems) — introduced to overcome the capacity limits on the previous scheme. Off-grid systems could now go up to 5 kW while grid-connected systems could go up to 100 kW.

As of March, 2018, Anert had facilitated close to 30 MW of SRT (grid-connected and off-grid).

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Mantle passes to KSEB

Unfortunately, the Centre’s ‘Phase–II of the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar (GCRTS) Programme’ of 2019 is changing something that was just beginning to find its groove.

Under Phase II, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will henceforth be responsible for both, installing SRT systems and disbursing subsidy. These were activities previously led by Anert.

Many consider this change in policy an important addition since across states, distribution companies have presented a visible barrier to SRT adoption. The hope is that incentivising KSEB could provide the SRT segment the necessary boost.

Currently, KSEB’s grid-connected SRT capacity is 39 MW, VK Joseph, chief engineer for Renewable Energy and Energy Savings at KSEB, said. Under its latest plan, the utility has set itself a target of 500 MW by 2022 — 150 MW of SRT from domestic and agriculture consumers, 250 MW on commercial and non-governmental buildings, and 100 MW on government buildings.

Undeterred by the task at hand, KSEB released its first tender of 200 MW and opened it to all consumer segments. “The tender offers 150 MW under the Renewable Energy Service Company model, and another 50 MW under the Capital Expenditure model,” Joseph said. The tender received an overwhelming response, indicating a strong demand for SRT in the state.

Will the residential sector pick up SRT?

Today, most installations are from the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, who pick up SRT because of the obvious electricity bill savings. If redirected, these bill savings can help pay back a system in five-six years.

In contrast, the domestic consumers who are charged a lower tariff rate than C&I consumers, don’t witness the same bill savings explaining their tepid adoption rates. Retrospectively, the Centre, under Phase II, has removed all monetary support for the C&I sector (and other larger consumers). It has instead increased the percentage capital subsidy available to domestic consumers and also found a way to incentivise distribution companies.

KSEB serves over 1.2 crore consumers, of which 38.5 per cent are domestic consumers. The domestic consumers lack any tangible bill savings and therefore, require facilitating measures such as easier installation process and better servicing.

Till recently, applications for SRT took ages, sometimes even up to two years. These delays were due to a long-winded application process that required running from the state nodal agency to the utility to the developer; and, further delays on net-metering.

“For the same, Anert has introduced an online portal ‘Buy My Sun’ to ease purchasing and installing,” Prasad said. “Delays in providing net-metering alone went over 18 months and with the introduction of the online portal, have come down to three months,” he added.

Introduced in 2018, Buy My Sun, along with the Programme Management System and the m-Anert mobile app, has made SRT adoption transparent and incredibly easy to use. It connects customers with vendors and their products, distribution companies, empaneled installers and inspectors.

Everything, from buying an SRT system to its commissioning can now be done online. The success of the e-marketplace is hard to gauge just yet, but people in the know claim that the accessibility led to an uptick in applications.

To reduce occurrences of SRT failures that arose primarily from faulty inverters, support structures and cables rather than modules themselves, “Anert releases a list of empaneled developers, system integrators and service providers to ensure that prosumers have access to reliable facilitators,” Prasad added.

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“To improve service, we have introduced ‘Urja Mithra - Akshaya Urja Service Centres’ in 140 constituencies to service solar prosumers, locally,” he said

Except the facility of an empaneled list, the others are relatively recent interventions and it is unclear if KSEB will utilise them. Under the Phase–II GCRTS, KSEB has been assigned a grant to develop a portal similar to Buy My Sun.

The effort will be redundant and funds misdirected. “We are in talks with KSEB to facilitate use of the existing e-market place for future programmes,” Prasad said.

But several months after the introduction of the ‘Phase II’ programme, there is no clarity.

Moreover, for consumers with shared or no suitable rooftops, procurement options such as open access of solar energy, virtual metering and group metering must be provided. The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) confirmed that the latter two weren’t on their docket but a policy for open access was in place.

Unfortunately, despite a policy, the state has witnessed a fall in the number of open access consumers over the last year. In its annual report, KSEB reports that energy purchased by consumers through open access fell to 284.96 MU from 435.6 MU.

“Inclusion of transmission, wheeling, cross-subsidy and additional grid support surcharge add Rs 2.50 per unit to the solar cost of generation, which reduces the economic viability of the project,” Prasad said.

The share of individual houses in Kerala is significant but the local architecture predominantly have slanting roofs and surrounding gardens mean that most roofs are shaded. If this crowd is to take up SRT, KSERC must introduce regulations that can allow placing the system elsewhere. Other states have also seen success with the introduction of building mandates, something for Kerala to consider.

But even with all the policies and regulations, the SRT segment cannot take off without the utility’s backing. There is a legacy of indifference by KSEB.

An industry insider, on the condition of anonymity, said, “KSEB has 6-7 on-ground teams responsible for a range of issues. However facilitating grid-connection of SRT systems does not feature on the top of their priority list.”

The hope is that under Phase II, the incentive promised could rearrange their priorities.

KSEB must rise to the occasion and the KSERC must provide the necessary backing to install 500 MW by 2022. With facilitative conditions, C&I are sure to take up SRT. Even government buildings and agricultural consumers are expected to contribute, what with the introduction of dedicated programmes and additional monetary support — Government Producer Scheme and the KUSUM scheme respectively.

The recent tender has shown that there is interest among consumers in Kerala.

“Even if 2 per cent (of the total 1 crore) of domestic consumers which fall in the highest-paying category installs an average of 2.5 kW rooftop system over the next 5 years, the total would be 500 MW. If 10 per cent of the highest tariff group — the commercial consumers opt for rooftop plants — around 300 MW can be installed,” R Harikumar, director of Anert, was quoted as saying.

Despite interest and potential, the 500 MW target under KSEB’s ‘Soura’ solar energy programme remains a tall claim.

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Vattenfall secures 10-year power supply deal for 60 MW of German solar

A Deutsche Telekom subsidiary has agreed to buy solar power from Vattenfall.

Vattenfall claims to be a market leader in corporate PPAs.

Swedish energy company Vattenfall and the Power & Air Solutions subsidiary of German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, have signed a corporate 10-year solar power purchase agreement (PPA).

Under the contract, Vattenfall will provide Power & Air Solutions with electricity generated by a 60 MW solar power plant in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in eastern Germany.

The solar park is under development and construction is planned for mid-2021. The purchase price for the solar power was not disclosed.

“We are very pleased that with this contract … we are continuing to advance the growing market for long-term electricity supply contracts for industrial customers in Germany,” said Christine Lauber, director for sales and origination Germany at Vattenfall.

Corporate PPAs are more common in other parts of Europe with Vattenfall claiming to be a leader in such deals in a buoyant northern European market. The Swedish power company, which began an action against the German government in October 2016 over the state’s decision to phase out nuclear power, signed a long-term electricity supply contract with a U.K. beverage manufacturer at the start of the month.

A recent report by Enervis Energy Advisors, released by German consultancy Enervis, stated the nation has a 1.05 GW pipeline of wind and solar projects for which bilateral PPAs have been secured.

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MALI: Pal 4 Solar Energy to build a 100 MWp power plant in Diema

An independent power producer (IPP) has recently won a contract in Mali. It is Pal 4 Énergie Solaire, which

will build a 100 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Diéma in the west of the country.

Despite a context marked by terrorist attacks, the municipality of Diéma has just been chosen to house two power plants. One will be solar, the other thermal. The projects are proposed by Pal 4 Energie Solaire, an independent power producer (IPP) based in the United Arab Emirates.

A concession agreement has recently been signed between Pal 4 Solar Energy’s Managing Director Muhammad Zafar and Sambou Wagué, Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water. The UAE company intends to set up a photovoltaic solar power plant with a capacity of 100 MWp. Pal 4 Énergie Solaire will operate its plant over a period of 25 years.

The project also provides for the construction of medium and high-voltage lines that will connect the city of Diéma to the capital Bamako. The construction of these lines should enable several localities to be connected to Mali’s national power grid. This is the case of Nara, Nioro and Banamba. According to Sambou Wagué, Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water, the work will soon start for a period of 12 to 14 months.

Like other African countries, Mali now intends to rely more on PPIs for the construction of its power generation facilities. In January 2020, the government of this West African country granted a concession to Amea Power. The UAE-based IPP will build a 50 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Tiakadougou-Dialakoro, a small town of 7,000 inhabitants near the capital Bamako. The company will finance, build and operate the Tiakadougou-Dialakoro solar power plant over a 25-year period.

SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ( REGD.)

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50MW solar power plant to be constructed in Mali

A 50MW solar power plant is set to be developed in Tiakadougou-Dialakoro, Mali. This is after Amea

Power Group was awarded the contract for construction and operation of the plant. Tiakadougou-

Dialakoro is a small village of 7,000 inhabitants a short distance from Bamako.

According to the signed agreement, Amea will build the plant and operate it for 25 years. The overall

cost for the project is US $75m. Upon completion, the plant will supply the people in Koulikoro region

with electricity. The first results are expected within a year. The government also projects that the power

plant will improve the rate of access to electricity which currently stands at 41%.

Energy crisis in Mali

Mali faces severe energy access shortage, despite great improvements in recent years which has seen

access to electricity double in the last decade. However, this still leaves only 25.6% of the country

connected. In rural areas this percentage dropped down to only 11.9%, while just over half of the

population (50.4%) is connected in urban areas.

Electricity production in Mali is dominated by hydraulic (55%) and diesel (45%) sources. Although Mali is

endowed with plentiful solar and hydro potential, it currently only has about 310MW of installed capacity

to serve a population of around 18 million people. These efforts have been hampered by insecurity in the

north of the country, which has led to the discontinuation of several projects.

The country currently imports 50MW from Cote d’Ivoire and has approximately 90MW of off-grid

production. One of the objectives of the government is for renewable energies to reach 20% penetration

in the country’s energy mix by 2025

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Indian Railways zone becomes 1st in India to have energy-

neutral stations! Details & list of stations here

The anticipated energy generation from these energy neutral stations is coming to be around 1.3 lakh units annually.

The SCR zone expects that solar power generated at these stations will lead to savings of Rs 13 lakh per year.

X

The total capacity of all the solar panels installed at the 13 energy neutral stations is 99 kWp

Indian Railways takes a huge leap towards environmental sustainability! The Indian Railways South Central

Railways (SCR) zone has become the first zonal railway in the country to have functional “energy neutral”

railway stations on the network! The South Central Railways has converted a total of 13 railway stations into

“energy neutral” stations, which is the highest amongst all the zones across the Indian Railways network. A

South Central Railways spokesperson told Financial Express Online that energy-neutral railway stations are

capable of meeting 100 per cent energy requirements by tapping into solar power through solar photovoltaic

panels which have been commissioned at the station buildings.

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The 13 energy neutral railway stations of the SCR zone are listed as follows:

Ghatkesar station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 10 kWp

Dharur station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 5 kWp

Raghunathpalli station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 5 kWp

Mellacheruvu station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 5 kWp

Ontimitta station of the Guntakal division has solar panels with installed capacity of 7.5 kWp

Kadiyam station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with installed capacity of 10 kWp

Dwarapudi station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with installed capacity of 10 kWp

Godavari station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with installed capacity of 10 kWp

Dharmabad station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 11.6 kWp

Sivungaon station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 2.2 kWp

Umri station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 17.43 kWp

Karkheli station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 2.2 kWp

Bolsa station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with installed capacity of 2.95 kWp

The concept of the energy neutral stations is based on the principle of developing railway stations and

buildings with total solar power in order to meet the complete energy requirements. This has been done by

the installation of the solar photovoltaic panels on the roof tops, which are further integrated with the on-grid

as well as off-grid solar energy plants for deriving power supply for the entire station.

According to the SCR zone, the total capacity of all the solar panels installed at the 13 energy neutral stations

is 99 kWp. The cost incurred is around Rs 50 lakh. The anticipated energy generation from these energy

neutral stations is coming to be around 1.3 lakh units annually. The SCR zone expects that solar power

generated at these stations will lead to savings of Rs 13 lakh per year. All of the power requirements of the

energy neutral railway stations such as lighting, fans, pumps as well as other electrical appliances are met

through the solar energy, which brings down the net traditional energy consumption at these railway stations

to zero.

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Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949), the ‘Nightingale of India,’ is remembered as a leading woman nationalist leader

of India’s political struggle for independence. Born in 1879 as Sarojini Chattopadhyay and one of the

brightest students in school, she blossomed into a writer of passionate verses on a variety of themes. Her

works on poetry are The Golden Threshold, published in 1905; The Feather of the Dawn; The Bird of Time,

published in 1912, and The Broken Wing, published in 1917.

After finishing studies at the Madras Presidency, she went to pursue further studies at King’s College in

London after obtaining a scholarship. It was only after her marriage to Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu in 1893 that

she became determined to serve the people in need with courage and perseverance. She urged the student

community to stand united and fight against racial and communal disintegration. She worked to encourage

the setting up of homes for orphans and other needy persons and schools where girls could pursue

education.

She entered politics about the year 1902 with Gopal Other Eminent Personalities Krishna Gokhale as her

initiator. Under his guidance, she began to work for the cause of India’s freedom from the foreign yoke. Thus

she was one of the first women to participate in the national struggle for independence. Working close to

Mahatma Gandhi and participating in all of his programmes including the Dandi March, Sarojini Naidu

received much adulation. She became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1925. The Asian

Relations Conference in the year 1947 was presided by her.

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