India to instal 100 GW solar capacity

The Indian power minister recently said that the Indian government is going to raise its solar energy target dramatically from 20 GW in 2022 to 100 GW. This is a massive target increase. To give some context, the total global solar capacity installed by 2013 was 100 GW. This means in less than a decade, India will be trying to install the entire world’s capacity. This will require not only massive investments almost $150-200 billion in generation alone, but also billions of dollars in strengthening transmission and distribution. It will also require major policy changes to remove the bureaucratic hurdles.

Read more about Solar Power in India.

The government is also planning to train thousands of people in solar energy technology installations. It plans to use the industrial technical institutes to train people and has already started a separate ministry to look after skilled manpower development. India is expected to install just 700 MW of solar power this year. This means a 15 fold increase, which will mean that the industry and government will have to really ramp up the efforts.

I don’t think 100 GW is a feasible target, but even if India does half of that it will be a good achievement. What could really help is another sharp cut in solar power costs. Solar power installation costs have already fallen by more than 50% in the last 5 years as scale has increased, industry has matured and cell efficiencies have improved. While everyone expect the costs to keep declining such that solar power would become competitive with coal by 2019 (globally), a sharper fall in in prices could lead to dramatic increase in capacity installations.

This means good times for both industrialists as well as entrepreneurs. There will be huge opportunities in the installation space, as distributed solar creates much more employment and profit opportunities for smaller players.

LiveMint

The government is planning to train around 50,000 people in areas related to solar power—a so-called solar army that would help India achieve ambitious targets in harnessing the power of the sun. The workforce will be trained through organizations such as the industrial training institutes (ITIs) under the government’s national skill development mission. While India has a solar generation capacity of 2,900 MW, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has substantially revised an earlier target of achieving 20,000 MW capacity by 2022 to 1,00,000 MW. This would require an investment of around Rs.6.5 trillion over five years. “For us to achieve this ambitious target, there will be a requirement of land, labour and capital. This 50,000-strong solar army will be provided three to six months training in the solar energy related areas, which will also prepare them for the job opportunities that the sector will have to offer,” a government official said, requesting anonymity. “On the other hand, they will help meet the sector’s demand for a workforce.”

Solar installation business has gained massive popularity in the last couple of years. Previously the solar companies used to just manufacture solar cells, wafers, modules or other components, but today no solar company is complete without a solar installation arm. With solar energy reaching grid parity across various parts of the globe, the cost of solar energy is getting affordable with each passing day. People have realized the significance of going solar – it is cheap and green. Hence more and more communities, industries on a commercial, industrial or residential scale are shifting to solar energy for their energy needs.

Here is the list of Solar Installers in India:

1) SunEdison – SunEdison is a MEMC company. It was bought by MEMC in 2009. MEMC manufactures and sells wafers and related products to the semiconductor and solar industries, while SunEdison was amongst the biggest system installers in the US then. MEMC since then is strongly expanding the system installation business not only in the US, but other parts of the world like India, Europe, Korea, Canada and other places. SUNE though a subsidiary of MEMC operates under its own name. SunEdison India deals with both ground mounted and rooftop solar installations. The company has experience of building the world’s largest utility scale solar power plant (72 MW solar plant in Rovigo, Italy).

2) TATA Power Solar – is a wholly owned subsidiary of TATA group of companies. The company was ranked no. 1 as a third-party EPC player in India Solar Map 2014. TATA Power has rich experience in solarizing the rooftops and has done it for big business firms, power producers and the Government of India too. TATA Power Solar is a manufacturer of many solar products including solar lights, water pumps, heaters and power packs. IIT Roorkee went solar with TATA Power Solar in India. The company deals with both rooftop and ground mounted installations. The company has also solarized the grids, from where energy is being not only for captive consumption by big industries and power producers, but also sold for community consumption.

3) Waaree Solar – Came into existence in 2007 in India. The company has experience in EPC utility grid projects and rooftop solutions. Investing in Waaree Rooftop solutions also provides various tax benefits for a commercial establishment. The company has a 250 MW solar panel manufacturing unit in Surat, India. The Waaree group is present in more than 68 countries and 26 sales offices in India. The company has 8 offices globally in UAE, Europe, USA and Australia. The company has an experience with solar thermal and EPC utility grid projects. Waaree manufactures a wide range of solar products ranging from solar modules, to solar water pumps and rooftop solutions.

4) Vikram Solar – Vikram Solar is a manufacturer of PV solar modules. The company has its headquarters in Kolkata, India. It is a part of the Vikram Group of companies, having an experience of 40 years in engineering and manufacturing activities. The manufacturing plant has a 150 MW installed capacity spread across 40,000 sq ft area in Falta, West Bengal. Vikram Solar has offices across the whole of India and global offices in Europe and Africa. The company has delivered various ground mounted and rooftop solar projects (utility, commercial and residential) across the whole of India.

5) RelyOn Solar – Founded in 2010 the company has a 10 MW solar power plant at Osmanabad Maharashtra. RelyOn Solar has been accredited as a channel partner by the Ministry for Off-Grid and Decentralized Solar Applications under JNNSM. The company has done more than 500 solar power installations till date be it in hospitals, government buildings, telecom towers, petrol pumps or banks. The company has experience in utility, commercial and residential installations. Other than installation and EPC business, the company also provides centralized solar street lightning system, solar rooftops for homes, off-grid solar power plant and solar powered water pumps.

6) Azure Power – The company came into existence in 2007 and has been amongst the leading solar companies in the Indian industry. Azure Power has experience with grid connected, rooftops and off-grid systems in the country. The company has done such installations in villages, remote areas and residential complexes in India. The company has the longest operating history in India in terms of power plants.

7) Solon – Solon India is apart of the Solon Group. The company has its office in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh India. The company has installed more than 300MW of solar systems worldwide. It provides single-axis tracking solutions, fixed-tilt ground mount solutions, rooftop solutions and shade structure solutions.

8) Solairedirect – Solairedirect Energy India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Solairediect Group headquartered in Paris. The company has presence across all the PV value chain of solar. It is engaged in modules production, integration, project development, financing, installation, operation and sales.

You can also read List of Solar Installers in USA.

 

Waaree Solar Panels

The Waaree Energies Ltd. was founded in 2007 in India, having presence across the solar power value chain. The company has a 250 MW solar panel manufacturing unit in Surat, India. The Waaree group is present in more than 68 countries and 26 sales offices in India. The company has 8 offices globally in UAE, Europe, USA and Australia. The company has an experience with solar thermal and EPC utility grid projects. Waaree manufactures a wide range of solar products ranging from solar modules, to solar water pumps and rooftop solutions.

Waaree Energies Ltd. Solar Modules Review and Prices

The solar panels are available in  six series:

Surya Series, Arka Series, Ravi Series, Marica Series, Aditya Series, Colour & Flexible Series and BIPV modules.

1) Surya Series

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are either 18 cells or 36 cells modules, weighing between 0.65-1.95 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

The modules available areWE-3A, WE-3, WE-5A,WE-5, WE-10,Ws-10, WE-8, WE-12, WE-18, WE-20,Ws-20, WE-25, WE-30, Ws-30, WE-35, WE-37. The numerical value denoting the module’s power in watts. For example, WE-3 will have nominal power of 3W. Maximum system voltage is 600V.

The modules are IEC 61215/IEC 61730-1/IEC 61730-2/TUV Safety class II certified and come with 25 years limited extended warranty.

Application – These modules can be used in solar chargers, solar gadgets, solar lanterns and other home lighting solutions.

2) Arka Series

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are 36 cells modules, weighing between 4.8-9 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

The modules available areWS-40, WS-50, WS-60,WS-70, WS-74,WS-75, WS-80, WS-90, WS-100, WS-110,WS-115. The numerical value denoting the module’s power in watts. For example, WS-40 will have nominal power of 40W. Maximum system voltage is 1000V.

The modules are IEC 61215/IEC 61730-1/IEC 61730-2/TUV Safety class II certified and come with 25 years limited extended warranty.

Application – These modules can be used in home lighting solutions, street lighting, water pump and off grid systems.

3) Ravi Series

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are either 36 cells or 72 cells modules, weighing between 11.75-14.45 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

The modules available are WS/WU-120, WS/WU-125, WS/WU-130,WS/WU-140, WS-150,WS-160. The numerical value denoting the module’s power in watts. For example, WS-120 will have nominal power of 120W. Maximum system voltage is 1000V/600V.

The modules are IEC 61215/IEC 61730-1/IEC 61730-2/TUV Safety Class II & ETL Mark for UL 1703 approval (USA & CANADA); CEC listed and come with 25 years limited extended warranty.

Application – These modules can be used in home lighting solutions, street lighting, water pump and off grid systems.

4) Marica Series

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are either 54 cells or 60 cells modules, weighing 17.5 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

The modules available are WS/WU-175, WS/WU-180, WS/WU-190,WS/WU-200, WS/WU-210, WS/WU-220. The numerical value denoting the module’s power in watts. For example, WS-175 will have nominal power of 175W. Maximum system voltage is 1000V/600V.

The modules come with 25 years limited extended warranty.

Application – These modules can be used in off grid and grid tied systems.

5) Aditya Series

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are either 60 cells, 72 cells or 80 cells modules, weighing 20.5 or 29 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

The modules available are WS-230, WS-240, WS-250A,WS-250B, WS-250, WS-280, WS-290 and WS-300. The numerical value denoting the module’s power in watts. For example, WS-230 will have nominal power of 230W. Maximum system voltage is 1000V.

The modules come with 5 years product warranty, 90% of power up to 10 years and 80% of power up to 20 years.

Application – These modules can be used in utility scale, off grid and grid tied systems.

6) Colour & Flexible Series

Coloured modules are available in different colours and designs. The flexible series are designed to fix any curved surface. These modules can also be customized according to customer needs. These can be used for residential and commercial solar installations. These are cost effective with high output power.

These are Monocrystalline/multicrystalline silicon solar panels, made of low iron tempered glass with ethylene vinylacetate encapsulate and anodized aluminium frame. This series panels are 36 cells modules, weighing between 4.8-9 kg. Withstands high wind-pressure and snow load upto 5400Pa and extreme temperature conditions.

7) BIPV Modules

Waaree also offers Building Integrated Photo Voltaic modules which essentially can form part of the building structure and thus replace the traditional building materials. These modules are designed for noise protection for up to 25 db and are thermally insulated both heat and cold. These are weather proof and come with sun protection and electro-magnetic shielding.

Waaree Solar Panels Buy Online and Prices

The company has a devoted website for buying its various products online. The modules will cost approximately Rs. 10,000 for a 250 watt module, if you buy in bulk. You can visit their website here for more details.

Read more solar panel reviews:

JA Solar Panel reviews

Jinko Solar panel Reviews

Trina Solar Panel Reviews.

The Indian government is radically transforming its central JNNSM subsidy program for faster and cheaper implementation of large scale solar farms in the country. Instead of allowing solar developers to set up solar farms anywhere in the country, it will open auctions only for specified locations where utilities and water will already be provided along with dedicated power transmission structure. This is expected to further lower the already low costs of solar power in India, which have fallen dramatically in the last few years.

With JNNSM Phase 1 installing around 1 GW of solar power in India, the government embarked on Phase 2 which was to construct around 9 GW by 2017. The program was delayed last year, as there were issues regarding funding of the program. Finally the Phase 2 Batch 1 started with around 750 of solar PV plants bid out, half being under the DCR requirements. Now the government is doing a radical overhaul of the Batch 2. These will be instead by 3 tranches, which will seek to install 15000 MW by 2019.

This will be done in an increasing manner with the first tranche calling for 3000 MW of installations in the next couple of years. The funding will be done with the help of the low cost power generated by the central utility NTPC. The expensive solar power will be bundled with the cheap thermal power generated by the central thermal power stations owned by NTPC.

Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 will become more ambitious with 5000 MW and 7000 MW to be installed. Though the decisions have not been made regarding how Tranche 2 and 3 will be funded and installed, I expect the “Solar Park” scheme to be used by the government. The first 1000 MW are to be reverse auctioned, with the plants to be set up in the giant Kurnool solar park in Andhra Pradesh. Note AP has become super bullish on solar power and the CM Chandrababu Naidu is an ally of the BJP, which is ruling at the center. The government has plans to set up giant solar parks in different parts of the country and the government may decide to auction the plants at these locations to private developers.

I think this is a great idea as transmission and distribution will be controlled by the government, since uncontrolled setting up of large solar power capacities would lead to grid instability. As it is, India’s electricity transmission infrastructure is quite weak and has already resulted in the “biggest power brownout” in the world. Best way to invest would be to put money into component sellers such as mounting structure, cabling and inverter sellers as well as some of the solar cell manufacturers as the solar parks will have a DCR component.

Bloomberg

India announced draft rules to auction 1,000 megawatts of solar capacity in Andhra Pradesh as Prime Minister Narendra Modi accelerates clean-energy deployment.

Companies will be invited shortly to bid for contracts to build plants at a solar park in the southern state, according to the rules issued today by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. A quarter of the capacity will be required to use locally made panels and cells.

The rules also outline a broader plan to boost India’s clean-energy targets and shift responsibility for implementing capacity away from states to the central government. By 2019, the central government expects to install 15,000 megawatts, more the five times the current national capacity and about triple what it committed to in 2012.

Companies will be able to bid for as much as 250 megawatts of capacity with each project capped at 50 megawatts, according to the rules. State-run power trader NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd., known as NVVN, will run the auction and sign 25-year power purchase agreements with the winners.

Uttar Pradesh to get Solarized

Indian states have been looking to expand their solar capacity as the country suffers from massive fossil fuel shortages particularly coal. Most of India’s electricity is generated throughthermal power and most of its new capacity is also expected to be thermal. However, coal mining is a huge mess in India with the previous government having massively mismanaged the whole mining and coal sector. The huge corruption in awarding of coal contracts resulted in the judiciary cancelling almost all coal mining awards in the last 20 years. This has led to huge disruption not only in the power industry, but also the steel industry which heavily depends on coal.

Most of the states are looking at solar energy which can be set up very quickly these days (around 12 months). The costs have also fallen sharply to only Rs 6-7 units in India, which is competitive compared to gas and imported coal. It is also green and faces less environmental clearance issues. Solar energy does not face any fuel price rise or fuel shortage issues, since India is very abundant in solar insolation.

Uttar Pradesh one of the largest and most backward states in India is also trying to copy other states in pushing solar energy generation. But its efforts have not borne fruit, as the state remains mired in bureaucratic lethargy and executive corruption. The state is looking to set up solar parks in different parts of the state on government land. It has also signed up with some solar developers to build solar farms. But the progress has been very slow as compared to Madhya Pradesh, which has greatly simplified regulations and also reduced transmission charges.

Read more about the “Solar Parks” scheme in India here.

Uttar Pradesh has roped in a government hydro energy company to build a 50 MW plant in the state and signed a MOU. I don’t think it’s an impressive move. NHPC is not a great operator as the company has been slow in building hydro plants, which is its core strength and has never built a solar power plant. Instead of looking at piecemeal solutions, Uttar Pradesh should copy Madhya Pradesh in encouraging solar developers to set up power plants in the state. They will be faster and more efficient than the government owned behemoths like NHPC.

Hindu 

State-run NHPC has signed an agreement with Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency for setting up its first solar power project in the State at a cost of Rs 400 crore.“Promoters’ agreement has been signed between Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) and NHPC for setting up a joint venture company for implementation of solar power project in Uttar Pradesh,” NHPC said in a statement.Initially, this joint venture company proposes to implement a 50-MW grid connected solar power project at Parason, Uttar Pradesh, for which an initial pact was signed UPNEDA and NHPC in August 2013, the statement said.

Solar Installations by 2025

Global solar installations can reach 200 GW a year according to a new research by IEA. The report says that solar PV could supply 16% of the worlds’ energy and I see no reason to dispute this forecast. Solar energy prices have fallen by almost 70% in the last 6 years and solar electricity price has reached grid parity in a number of places. The prices will keep falling as scale increases and efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells keep improving. The biggest cost cuts are not coming from component price declines, but improvement in installations processes and BOS costs. Financing has also become a major driver cost reduction in solar installations, as people are becoming more confident about the longevity and sustainability of solar PV installations.

New innovations in financing and the entry of long term only funds has helped grow the sector massively. The 200 GW figure is very achievable and I think it has the potential to exceed this target. Solar installations have already increased from just 8 GW in 2008 to almost 50 GW this year. This means a 6 times growth in 6 years. Another 4 times growth in 10 years is hardly outlandish.

IEA says that solar PV will be responsible for 16% of the world’s electricity consumption by 2050 and solar thermal could make up another 11%. I am not that confident about solar thermal, given that solar thermal projects are closing left right and center. Even many of the solar thermal companies such as Areva, Siemens etc. have completely exited the sector. Solar PV along with energy storage in the form of lithium ion batteries should become cheaper than solar thermal with storage in a few years, given the massive amounts of money being spent on improving the scale of lithium battery production and R&D. Solar PV also has massive advantages over solar thermal power, so I strongly disagree with the 11% projection for solar thermal energy.

The summary is that the solar PV industry is going to be a hugely successful industry for a long time to come and is a great growth industry. It is also helping the planet in numerous ways in reducing pollution, proving power to the underprivileged and fighting climate change.