Roof top solar in 6 cities in Phase II: SECI

After allocating 5.5 MW of Solar rooftop projects in 4 cities(details available here), Solar Energy Corporation of India(SECI) has invited RfS for allocation under Phase II. This covers 6 cities, including Bhubaneswar and Raipur which were part of the Phase I, but did not receive allocation, and Gurgaon, which received only a partial allocation of 0.5 MW out of 2 MW. The new cities in the list are Jaipur, Hyderabad and Noida.

City wise allocation of projects

Some of the highlights are as follows

a. The size of each project can be in the range of 100 kWp to 500 kWp. This can be achieved through aggregation. A bidder can apply for projects in the range 250kWp and 2 MWp.

b. Technical eligibility criteria – The bidder should have installed at least one grid connected solar PV project of minimum capacity 25 KW 6 months prior to the Techno-commercial bid opening date.


c. Financial eligibility criteria – Average Annual turnover  of Rs. 5 Crore/MW for the past 3 years or Net Worth of at least Rs. 3 Crore/MW.

d. Scope of Work : “Identification of buildings/leasing rooftop of buildings, Obtaining “No ObjectionCertificate (NOC)”from Distribution Company (DISCOM)for grid connectivity, complete design, engineering,manufacture, supply, storage, civil work, erection, testing & commissioning of the grid connected rooftop solar PV project including operationand maintenance(O&M)of the project for a period of two years after commissioning. ”

e. Plant Performance Evaluation : “The successful bidder shall be required to meet minimum guaranteed generation with Performance Ratio (PR ) at the time of commissioning and related Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) as per the DNI levels of the location during the O&M period. PR should be shown minimum of 75% at the time of inspection for initial commissioning acceptance to qualify for release of 20% subsidy.Minimum CUF of 15% should be maintained for a period of 2 yearsfor release of performancerelated subsidy.”

Final opening of techno-commercial bid is 30th May 2013 at 3PM

Bid document available here DOC

India to double renewable energy capacity by 2017: Prime Minister

Here a news straight from The New Indian Express Dated 17th April 2013

The original link below:
The New Indian Express Article (click here)

Mr. Singh said India's 12th Five Year Plan recognized the importance of evolving a low carbon strategy for inclusive and sustainable growth
India plans to double its renewable energy capacity to 55,000 MW by 2017 as part of efforts to increase efficiency of its energy use. And it is proposed to double the renewable energy capacity in our country from 25000 MW in 2012 to 55000 MW by the year 2017

Stating that solar based energy generation has halved in last two years and Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) has been taken up seriously

Hope this news brings some relief to the companies working in the renewable energy sector.

please let me know your comments on the article in the newspaper
Thanks
Cheers...

JNNSM Phase II Draft annaounced

Dear All,


Its sunny side up yet again.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a draft solar policy for Phase II (2013- 2017) of the country’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), outlining its strategy to install 10GW by 2017 through mostly utility-scale projects.

The objective of the MNRE’s Solar Mission is to create through rapid scale-up of capacity and technological innovation, to drive down costs towards grid parity. The ministry believes solar power could achieve grid parity and become cost competitive with coal in India by 2018 due to the decrease in module prices.

MNRE draft

MNRE envisages that of this 10GW target (see table above), 4GW would be developed under the JNNSM central scheme and 6GW under various state-specific schemes. During Phase II, MNRE expects that around 20,000 villages will benefit from these schemes for off-grid electricity generation projects, to hit its target of 1,000MW of roof-top solar

The schemes include 'bundling', which involves combining solar power with traditional sources of energy like coal, which can be sold to utilities at a cheaper rate than offered by solar power alone.
There is also a Generation Based Incentive (GBI) which increases deployment of rooftop PV systems as well as small power plants. The MNRE is required to offer utilities a set price valid for 12 years. However, the government is concerned that with falling module prices, the GBI could become an expensive incentive scheme. Project sizes under Phase II are expected to be in the range of 500kWp to 2.5MWp.

The majority of project allocations will be completed under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) offered to private investors in the form of grants from the government. The scheme aims to ensure widespread access to infrastructure provided through a public-private partnership framework by subsidising the capital cost to developers by 20% and thereby reducing the need for government involvement in solar projects.

Phase II will also include aid to solar manufacturers across the value chain, although details were not provided in the draft policy. Financing for manufacturers will be crucial at this time, with the Indian Solar Manufacturers’ Association having approached the World Trade Organisation over complaints against foreign manufacturers undercutting domestic manufacturers.


Till then take care