India installed 1.53 GW of rooftop solar in 2019
India’s cumulative installed rooftop solar capacity reached 5.4 GW by the end of December, with 1.53 GW added throughout all of 2019. About 3.96 GW of the 5.4 GW total is commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop PV. The residential rooftop PV segment accounted for 748 MW of the total, according to the latest rooftop solar map published by Bridge To India. The capital expenditure (capex) payment model, under which systems are bought and owned by consumers, accounted for about 72% of all rooftop PV installations, or 3.9 GW of solar capacity.
Indian Railways tenders for 1 GW of solar
The Railway Energy Management Company joint venture created by Indian Railways and state-owned engineering consultancy Rites Ltd has invited bids for the development of 1 GW of solar generation capacity on the state rail company’s land. Bidding is open until June 30, there is an electricity tariff ceiling of INR2.71/kWh ($0.0360552) and bidders must lodge an INR1 million ($13,300) bank guarantee.
KKR to buy 317MWp of solar energy assets from India’s SP Infra
Global investment firm KKR has signed a definitive agreement with Indian infrastructure developer Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital (SP Infra) to acquire its five solar energy assets for a total consideration of INR15.54bn ($204m). The 317MWp solar portfolio includes 169MWp capacity of assets in the Indian state of Maharashtra, while 148MWp located in Tamil Nadu state. KKR Asia Pacific infrastructure head David Luboff said: “We are truly pleased to extend our infrastructure franchise in Asia and India through this investment in a world-class portfolio of fully operational solar energy projects.
Mounting Global Demand for Vertex 500W+ Ultra High Power Module, Trina Solar Unveils New Era of Module in India
The new Vertex modules from Trina Solar Co., Ltd, a leading global provider of integrated PV modules and smart energy solutions, is spearheading the solar energy industry’s adoption of higher efficiency, higher power modules. The first 100MW plus contract in India for Vertex modules has been signed by SunSource Energy, a leading provider of solarbased energy and storage solutions in India, South East Asia and emerging markets. SunSource Energy, headquartered in Noida in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has placed an order for 105MW of Vertex bifacial modules, and will be using the modules for projects across multiple states in India. Trina Solar will start the module shipment in the fourth quarter of 2020.
