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SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ( REGD.)

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SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ( REGD.)

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Solar Weekly – 205 Dated 07-08-2020

CONTENTS S.No. News Page no.

1. NOIDA Floats Tender for 10 MW of Rooftop Solar Projects on

its Buildings

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2 SECI’s 7.5 GW Leh-Kargil Solar Tender Gets Another Bid

Deadline Extension

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3 Delhi power discoms see surge in residential rooftop solar power

connections

6-7

4 Ayana Renewable Power acquires two solar power assets of First

Solar in Karnataka

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5 Solar energy is clean, but it usually takes up huge tracts of land. In

India, an altermative is turning the country’s canals into glittering

trails of solar panels

9-11

6 Risen Energy Introduces "Low Voltage" 600W+ Modules

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7 SCCL Commissions 30 MW Solar Plant in Telangana

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8 Biograpy Series : Ashoka 14

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1. NOIDA Floats Tender for 10 MW of Rooftop Solar

Projects on its Buildings

The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) has issued a request for proposal for 10 MW (AC)

of rooftop solar projects on its buildings under the RESCO model. The scope of work includes the design,

engineering, procurement, supply, testing, and commissioning of the projects. It also includes

comprehensive operation and maintenance services for 25 years.The estimated value of the tender is ₹400 million (~$5.36 million). Interested bidders are expected to pay an earnest money deposit of ₹5 million (~$66,967). The last date for the submission of bids is August 13, 2020. It also specified that the selected

bidder would have to submit a performance bank guarantee for ₹40 million (~$535,741).

To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have carried out similar

projects of not less than 5 MW in the last seven financial years. The projects must have been executed

under the RESCO model under which the developer owns the solar project, and the consumer only has to

pay for the energy generated.

The net worth of applicants must be over ₹80 million (~$1.07 million) as on the last date of the previous

financial year. Their net worth must also have been positive in the last financial year. The tender documents

noted that successful bidders would have to successfully execute their entire allotted capacity within one

year from the date of issue of the letter of allocation. The documents added that if selected bidders are

unable to submit project sanction documents within nine months from the issue of LoA, their PBG for the

unsanctioned capacity will be forfeited.Uttar Pradesh’s Noida has been working towards becoming more

sustainable.

Previously, Noida issued a tender for 5 MW of rooftop solar projects ranging between 500 kW and 5 MW on

buildings across the city. More recently, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited also signed an agreement

with the Noida to set up 162 public charging stations and related infrastructure. The partnership will aim at

establishing an infrastructural ecosystem that will facilitate the wider adoption of e-mobility.

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2. SECI’s 7.5 GW Leh-Kargil Solar Tender Gets Another Bid

Deadline Extension

The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has extended the bid submission deadline for its tender

for 7.5 GW of grid-connected solar power projects slated to be developed in the districts of Leh and Kargil.

The revised deadline is now December 2, 2020. This was revised from April 30, 2020, previously. Before this,

the deadline for bid submission was January 31, 2020, which was extended from November 29, 2019.

Background:

The tender was originally issued in January 2019. The total capacity of 7.5 GW under the Request for

Selection (RfS) has been divided into three packages of 2.5 GW each.

The package-A would be set up in the areas tentatively identified in the Zanskar sub-division and Tai Suru

block of Kargil district. Packages B and C would be developed at the Hanley Khaldo area of Nyoma sub-

division in the Leh district.The scope of work includes developing the solar power projects and setting up

power transmission and evacuation infrastructure up to the delivery point. For these projects, SECI will

enter into power purchase agreements (PPA) with the successful bidders for a period of 35 years.

Previously, Mercom reported that amid the ensuing COVID-19 crisis, SECI has once again extended the bid

submission deadline for another solar tender in Leh and Kargil for 14 MW of solar projects with 42 MWh

battery energy storage system (BESS) (7MW/21 MWh each). The bid submission deadline was extended to

September 30, 2020. The previous deadline for the submission of bids was July 30, 2020.

According to Mercom India Research, SECI has so far tendered 16.7 GW of ISTS solar projects under tranche

I to X; and auctioned around 8.84 GW under tranche I to Tranche VIII. In June, SECI’s auction for 2 GW of the

interstate transmission system connected solar projects (Tranche IX) saw a record-low bid of ₹2.36 (~$0.0313)/kWh.

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3. Delhi power discoms see surge in residential rooftop solar

power connections

New Delhi: Power discoms in the national capital are witnessing a "surge" in residential rooftop solar

power connections, with more than half of over 3,700 net metering connections installed in recent years

falling under this category, officials said. The BSES discoms have so far energised over 2,700 solar net

metering connections in the city, with the highest number of rooftop solar connections in the residential

segment (1,526) followed by educational (581) and commercial (473) segments, an official spokesperson

said.

"An analysis of the data shows that the highest number of rooftop solar net metering connections is in the

domestic segment. In fact, rooftop solar connection is a big hit among the central government housing

society (CGHS) segment wherein around 90 societies and apartment complexes have opted for it with a

sanctioned load of over 5 MWp," he said. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had issued

regulations on net metering for renewable energy in September 2014. The regulations allow registered

customers of discoms to install renewable energy systems and the discoms will allow connectivity of these

systems to their network through net meters.

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A Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) spokesperson said the surge in domestic (residential)

sector in this regard has been visible since 2017."The surge in domestic count can be observed since 2017,

which is credited to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) subsidy scheme in Phase-I under

which a customer is entitled to flat 30 per cent subsidy on solar plant cost," he said.

The TPDDL has so far installed nearly 1,000 rooftop solar net metering connections. "In 2019-20, a total of

374 rooftop solar net metering customers were added that included 245 in domestic category," the

spokesperson said.The current cumulative installed capacity is 33.7 MW which is intended to be increased

to 40 MW in the next two years, he added.

A BSES spokesperson said the response to rooftop solar net metering has been "incredibly encouraging" and

consumers across categories have warmed up to the concept in a big way. The BSES discoms -- BRPL (2,197

connections) and BYPL (541 connections) -- have a total 88 MWp solar load at present. In the current year

(FY 2020-21), BSES is likely to energise around 1,000 rooftop solar connections, he said.

"BSES has energised rooftop net metering connections ranging from a sanctioned load of 1 KW to over

1,600 KW. Consumers have begun to see the benefits of rooftop solar net metering and how it reduces

their electricity bills. This is reflected in the varied consumer mix," a BSES official said.

If the annual savings accruing to consumers in different segments are analysed, they are saving over Rs 62

crore annually, he said.

"Every KW of rooftop solar generates about 100 to 120 units of electricity every month and the cost of the

system can be recovered within 3.5 to 4 years," the official said.

In solar net metering systems, the consumers can sell the surplus electricity after consumption, and get paid

by the discoms.

The MNRE subsidy on capital cost is between 20 per cent to 40 per cent (up to 10 kW) for residential

consumers and 20 per cent (upto 500 kW) for group housing societies, depending on the capacity of the

solar plant, the BSES official added.

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4. Ayana Renewable Power acquires two solar power assets

of First Solar in Karnataka

Mumbai: Ayana Renewable Power on Tuesday said it has acquired 100 per cent equity stake in two First

Solar-developed photovoltaic (PV) solar power plants in Karnataka for an undisclosed amount. The total

capacity of these plants is megawatts (MW), the company said in a statement.

"The 100 per cent acquisition of the two projects, located in Karnataka, is part of its strategic mission to

deliver high-quality projects organically and inorganically, to create value for its shareholders," it said.

India InfraDebt financed the acquisition, the company said.

The two facilities, which are powered by First Solar's high-performance thin film modules and have been

operational for more than two years, are connected to Karnataka's 110KV transmission network, it added.

Under 25-year power purchase agreements, the plants supply energy to two of the state's electricity

distribution companies - Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation and Gulbarga Electricity Supply

Company.

"This is the first step in Ayana's long journey of acquiring high-quality operating renewable assets. With USD

330 million committed equity, Ayana will continue to pursue similar opportunities for acquisition and focus

on inorganic growth," its managing director and CEO Shivanand Nimbargi said.

The company is in the process of developing 1,100 MW of projects that were awarded under auctions by

the central government agencies. "Ayana's acquisition of these high-quality assets validates the

consistently reliable performance of our advanced PV modules in real-world conditions," First Solar Vice

President, India and Asia Pacific (APAC) Sujoy Ghosh said.

The transaction's legal and financial advisors representing Ayana are IndusLaw Associates and BDO India

LLP, while DSK legal advised First Solar.

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5. Solar energy is clean, but it usually takes up huge tracts of land. In India,

an alternative is turning the country’s canals into glittering trails of solar

panels.

As the harsh midday sun beats down on a small, dusty village in Gujarat, western India, lines of blue solar

panels on steel support structures snake their way to the horizon. The panels cover the top of irrigation

canals, gleaming like iridescent mirrors. This small village of 40 homes with thatched walls and tin roofs, and

lumbering stray cows, was one of rural India’s many communities who, until recently, did not have

electricity. But now a lamp lights each home so children can study at night, and farmers can milk their cows

long after sunset.

India has relied traditionally on coal-fired power plants, which generated 72% of the country’s electricity in

2018-19. India’s combination of abundant sunshine – about 300 sunny days in a year – and a large energy-

hungry population makes it an ideal location for solar. The country’s solar capacity reached 36.6GW at the

end of the first quarter of 2020, with the aim of growing to 100GW by 2022.

But one of the main challenges in building solar farms is finding the right place to do it. Land is relatively

expensive in India and often has multiple owners, so the purchase of land involves many formalities. India’s

high population density also puts pressure on the land, with an average of 464 people per square

kilometre. Rooftop solar panels are one solution, but sunny space atop buildings is limited too.

In Gujarat, the answer has been to cover its canals with solar panels, as a solution that saves land, water

and carbon emissions in one.

In the last few years, the solar energy market's focus has shifted from large-scale utility projects, to smaller

projects that make more innovative use of space, says Payal Saxena, manager of strategy consulting at

Gensol Engineering, and canal-top solar is a prime example.

A pilot 750m stretch in Gujarat in 2014 led to the first large-scale canal-top solar power plant in the

Vadodara district of Gujarat in 2015, at a cost of $18.3 million. The long stretch of the canals leading off

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the Narmada River enables electricity to be extracted at multiple points, says Manik Jolly, chief executive of

Grassroots and Rural Innovative Development, who was involved in the first Narmada River canal project.

The energy generated from the solar canal can provide electricity for farmers during the energy-intensive

irrigation season, and out of season the electricity can be fed into the state grid, sold to distribution

companies or used by the canal authority, says Jolly. Since this power is generated in a rural area, the

transmission losses are reduced and the local grid is strengthened.

Since the first solar canal project, a number of others have been commissioned in India, including a 100MW

canal-top solar power project atop the branch canals off the Narmada River, stretching for a distance of

40km, at an estimated cost of 1bn Indian rupees ($13.9m/£9.3m).

Overall, Gujarat has more than 80,000km of canals meandering through the state. According to Gujarat

State Electricity Corporation, if 30% of this were converted to solar, 18,000MW of power could be

produced, saving 90,000 acres of land.

Mutual benefit

The advantages of solar plants atop canals are

not just about local energy production and land saved. For one thing, solar power plants can be built much

faster than large coal or gas power stations. For another, the covering over the canal helps to prevent

evaporation of water, leaving more available for crops and people.

In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where canals are mainly used for irrigation,

evaporation is a big problem, notes Pulkit Dhingra, founding director of Ahmedabad-based AHA Solar

Photovoltaics.

Another plus of the panels’ shade is curbing algal blooms in the canals. Algae growth can clog water pumps

and cause toxicity. “With the installation of the solar panels, and absence of direct sunlight, algae growth is

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drastically minimised,” says Nilesh Kumar, senior project officer at the Gujarat Energy Research and

Management Institute.

And while the water can benefit from the solar panels above, so do the panels from the water below. The

running water helps the panels to remain cool, which increases their efficiency by at least 2.5-5%. There

are some drawbacks, however. Canal-top plants are more expensive to construct than normal solar plants.

The supports have to be galvanised with a protective zinc layer because the water below increases the risk

of corrosion. Finding the right location is difficult too, as the width of the canal has to be just right, says

Dhingra. Too wide, and the construction becomes difficult and expensive. Too narrow, and the number of

panels that can be constructed are too few to absorb enough sunshine. And of course there has to be

sufficient stretch of canal to accommodate the planned solar structure.

And, like solar panels placed on land or rooftops, the panels must be cleaned regularly as electricity

production declines if dust collects on top of them. The operation and maintenance of canal-top projects is

a big challenge, as ramps have to be built to enable cleaning, says Jolly. Some companies use sprayers and

robots to clean the panels in remote areas. “Because canal-top plants are spread over large areas and

cannot be protected by boundary walls or fencing, security concerns are major – cameras may have to be

installed to monitor pilferage,” adds Gensol Engineering’s Payal Saxena.

The meandering nature of the canals also imposes restrictions. To maximise the absorption of energy, the

solar panels should face south, but the canal’s direction cannot be dictated. Solar panels also act as an

obstruction to repair the canals or remove silt, and very often trees along the canal have to be cut down as

the areas have to be shadow-free.

So far, eight Indian states have commissioned canal solar projects. “These innovative projects can provide

cheap and consistent electricity to millions of farmers and improve their profits,” says Jolly. And there is

more potential to maximise renewable power from India’s canals, if solar farms above were combined

with hydro-power from below, as researchers such as Sabah Usmani, an analyst at the Environmental

Defense Fund, have suggested.

With their water-cooled efficiency, and mutual benefits for the canals that run beneath, it looks likely that

these snaking, glittering solar canals will become a much more common sight in India.

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6. Risen Energy Introduces "Low Voltage" 600W+ Modules

At the Fifth PV Power Plant Design and Equipment Selection Seminar and the jointly held "210 Technology

Trend Seminar" organized by PVmen and Risen Energy, Risen Energy announced plans to launch their Titan

series 600W+PV modules. This joint event, held in Guizhou from July 23-25 was attended by experts and

enterprise representatives from the industry and they had a lively discussion on the mature supporting

facility of the 210 technology industry chain and research technology. They also had a positive discussion

about Risen Energy's new 600W + modules with high current and low voltage.

This event was highly significant, as with the advent of PV parity, further promoting the reduction in LCOE is

becoming the current industry's developmental direction and consensus. Modules technology innovation

continues to accelerate, and so is the rise of large silicon wafers, such as 210. It will push the module power

to more than 500W rapidly. High-power modules with large size silicon wafers are becoming the innovation

trend of the PV industry. Vice President of Risen Energy, Dr. Qiang Huang, said, "In the era of parity, the

reduction in the LCOE is the core competitiveness. From 400W to 500W and to 600W finally, the rapid

increase of the module power reflects the industry's breakthroughs of the LCOE. Due to the parity, low

LCOE and electricity prices are become to the new "14th five-year" topic of the PV industry.

At the meeting, Risen Energy's senior director of R&D Liu Yafeng, launched the new TITAN series modules --

G6. This series continue to use non-destructive cutting, high-density packaging, and MBB technology from

the G5 series that were introduced in December 2019. It also adopts the 6*10 half-cut design patterns. All

these designs increase the module power and reduce the risk of hot spots. Furthermore, the innovative

design of low voltage and high power helps greatly reduce the BOS cost.

"Bigger than bigger! High to low!" As Dr. Qiang Huang added, "Reducing the LCOE is the core goal rather

than high power, although it will encounter some difficulties before becoming the mainstream in the

market.

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7. SCCL Commissions 30 MW Solar Plant in Telangana

State-owned coal mining giant, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has commissioned a 30 MW

solar power plant at Manuguru in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana state.

The company has also synchronised this solar plant to the grid. Earlier, the company had planned solar

energy power plants of 129 MW capacity and this 30 MW plant is part of that.

Besides, the mining-giant is planning to roll out solar power plants to generate 300 MW of electricity in

various parts of the state, as per the media reports.

Commenting on the development, SCCL chairman and managing director N Sridhar, said, quoted ToI, that a

10 MW solar plant at Jaipur in Mancherial district was commissioned and now with the start of the

Manuguru plant, 40 MW of power is being supplied to the state grid.

He said, reported ToI that, the balance plants would come up at Ramagundam-3 area with 50 MW capacity

and another 30 MW in Yellandu would be rolled out in next two months.

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ABOUT THE SOCIETY

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

CA Vijay Kumar Goel is a Chartered Accountant specializing in

Project financing (Infrastructure) & Structuring of Organisation with

a post Qualification experience of around 30 years. He has worked

for various large clients like IRCON, JK Group, Jindal Drilling &

Prabhatam etc. He has arranged Large Infrastructure Funding ,

Working Capital & Private Equity amounting to more than $500

Million. The sector served are Real Estate, Solar Power,

Pharmaceuticals, Health Care & Education.

He has special knack for Contracts & Due Diligences (Financial). He has performed several

Audit assignments of Large Banks like SBI, IDBI & Bank of Baroda & Financial Institution IFCI

etc.. He has travelled widely to USA, Canada, Singapore, HongKong, Germany, UAE, Russia

and Mauritius for Government and Business Delegations.

He is associated with RSS since childhood. He was Convenor BJP CA Cell, Delhi Pradesh &

Prabhari, BJP CA Cell Delhi Pradesh from 2010 to 2016. He played a key role in 2014 & 2019

election for organizing CA programmes for the BJP in Delhi & other states.

He is currently working in Solar Sector & serving Private Equity players into Solar Sector. He

has been running E-Solar (*weekly) magazine which has a database of around 15000 people.

He is advising Govt. to put grassroots level projects for manufacturing of Modules from

Silicon and also to open Renewable Energy Universities in each state.

He was appointed a Non official Director in Indian Bank ( A Public sector Bank of Govt. of

India), a listed entity with a business of around $65 Billion. He was chairman of Audit

Committee for two years & was part of Recovery Committee, Risk Management & Large

Value Fraud Committee apart from Member of Central Board.

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

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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.

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.

6. Dr. J.P. Gupta: He is Ph.D, M.Tech, B.Tech. He has more than 32 years of professional

experience in India and North America in Management and execution of mega projects. He

worked with INSILCO Limited as Managing Director and now working as an entrepreneur. He

is Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of Toronto, Canada.

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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