The Asian Development Bank and the Government of Nauru today signed a $22 million grant for a project that will fund the delivery of reliable, affordable, secure, and sustainable solar energy to help meet the socioeconomic development needs of the Pacific island nation.
The grant for the Solar Power Development Project was signed by ADB Director General for the Pacific Ms. Carmela Locsin and Nauru’s Minister of Finance and ADB Governor Mr. Martin Hunt at a ceremony in ADB’s headquarters in Manila. The Government of Nauru will contribute $4.98 million towards the initiative.
“Nauru currently relies heavily on imported diesel fuel for power generation,” said Ms. Locsin. “The Solar Power Development Project will reduce diesel dependency and help boost the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources from 3.0% to 47%.”
The grant will fund a 6-megawatt grid-connected solar power plant and a 2.5 MW-hour, 5 MW battery energy storage system to help supply continuous power even when solar energy is interrupted by cloud cover. The system will be fully automated and integrated with the existing diesel system to optimize solar energy use, enable optimal battery energy storage system charging and discharging, and allow optimal shut-off of the diesel engines. This will reduce Nauru’s reliance on diesel for power generation and decrease production costs.
The project will strengthen the institutional capacity of the Nauru Utilities Corporation by training staff in the operation and management of the solar plant and the battery energy storage system, while supporting gender-mainstreaming efforts and providing project implementation assistance. Project-related employment will include gender targets. When the project is complete, solar power will provide 100% grid-connected electricity supply to the people of Nauru during daylight hours.
The Nauru Solar Power Development Project is one of a series of renewable energy projects being financed under ADB’s Pacific Renewable Energy Investment Facility, which was developed in response to the growing demand from the region for energy finance. The facility also provides innovative financing mechanisms and upscale support for sector reform in the smallest 11 Pacific island countries consisting of the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
ADB has been supporting Nauru since 1991, and has committed a loan of $5 million, grants totaling $97.61 million, and technical assistance projects worth $6.96 million.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
The Asian Development Bank today signed a $37 million loan agreement with Da Nhim–Ham Thuan–Da Mi Hydro Power Joint Stock Company to finance the installation of a 47.5 megawatt peak floating photovoltaic solar power facility on the man-made reservoir of DHD’s existing 175 MW Da Mi hydropower plant.
The project marks the first large-scale installation of floating solar PV panels in Viet Nam and the largest installation in Southeast Asia.
“This project will help to boost the share of renewable energy in Viet Nam’s overall energy mix and decrease the dependence on imported fossil fuels such as coal,” said ADB Private Sector Operations Department Deputy Director General Mr. Christopher Thieme. “The pairing of these two clean energy technologies—hydropower and solar—is a simple but a highly innovative achievement, which can be replicated elsewhere in Viet Nam and across Asia and the Pacific.”
DHD Chief Executive Officer Mr. Le Van Quang and the Deputy Director General of ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department Mr. Christopher Thieme (front) with the signed agreement. Behind them are the Ambassador of Canada Mrs. Deborah Paul (third from left, second row) and Senior Representative of JICA in Viet Nam Mr. Shu Kitamura (second from left, second row), along with ADB private sector operations team members.
DHD, a subsidiary of the Viet Nam Electricity Power Generation Corporation 1, currently owns and operates four hydropower plants: Da Mi (175 MW), Ham Thuan (300 MW), Da Nhim (160 MW), and Song Pha (7.5 MW). DHD’s total generation capacity is 642.5 MW, about 1.7% of Viet Nam’s total generation capacity.
“We are proud to be the first company in Viet Nam to construct a floating solar power plant on a hydropower reservoir,” said the Chairman of the Board of DHD Mr. Nguyen Trong Oanh. “This project aligns with DHD’s strategy of investing in renewable energy to decrease dependence on fossil fuel, contribute to energy security, mitigate climate change, and promote environmental protection and sustainable socioeconomic development. Hydropower reservoirs in southern Viet Nam have vast solar power potential. Capitalizing on the strong relationship between EVN and ADB, we have worked together to catalyze a new source of power for the country.”
The financing package includes a $17.6 million loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources. This is supplemented by $15 million of blended concessional cofinancing provided by the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia and its follow-on fund, the Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia II. These funds were established by the Government of Canada to encourage private investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in Asia and the Pacific.
The package also includes a $4.4 million parallel loan from the Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund, supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency through a $1.5 billion equity commitment. LEAP is focused on delivering high quality and sustainable private sector infrastructure projects that reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and offer accessible and affordable health care, education, and communication services to ADB’s developing member countries.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
From left to right: Enterprise Singapore Chief Executive Mr. Png Cheong Boon; Infrastructure Asia Executive Director Mr. Seth Tan; ADB Director General for Southeast Asia Mr. Ramesh Subramaniam; Minister in the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education Ms. Indranee Rajah; and Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Deputy Managing Director for Markets & Development Ms. Jacqueline Loh.
The Asian Development Bank and Singapore’s Infrastructure Asia today signed a cooperation agreement to help governments in Southeast Asia adopt innovative and green finance approaches to identify and develop bankable and sustainable infrastructure projects in the region, where the annual infrastructure investment needs total $210 billion until 2030.
The agreement was signed during the Asia Infrastructure Forum in Singapore by ADB Director General for Southeast Asia Mr. Ramesh Subramaniam and Executive Director Mr. Seth Tan for Infrastructure Asia, a Singaporean agency with the mandate of supporting Asia’s economic and social growth through infrastructure development.
“Southeast Asia faces significant financing gaps in meeting its infrastructure needs, including for climate change mitigation and adaptation costs,” said Mr. Subramaniam. “We need innovative financing approaches to mitigate risks in projects and better leverage public funds to catalyze more financing from private and institutional partners, support greener and cleaner development, and help solve critical development challenges.”
“Projects structured with better financial and technical elements, along with good partnerships, are key to helping improve the bankability of Asia’s sustainable infrastructure projects,” said Mr. Tan. “Through this collaboration with ADB, Infrastructure Asia will work in close consultation with the international financing, credit enhancement, and technology ecosystem in Singapore to improve municipalities and state-owned enterprises’ access to private capital.”
Specifically, the agreement will allow ADB and Infrastructure Asia to help state-owned enterprises, as well as regional and municipal governments, in Southeast Asia improve their institutional, financial, and governance capacities for developing innovative and green infrastructure programs and projects.
To achieve this, the two institutions will launch the Innovative Finance Lab for Sustainable Infrastructure, a virtual space supported by a biannual event in Singapore, to gather stakeholders across Southeast Asia together to exchange knowledge, improve their policy-making capacities, and foster the adoption of innovative and green finance models in local infrastructure projects.
The Innovative Finance Lab will also serve as a capacity-building platform for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Catalytic Green Finance Facility, which was launched in April 2019 to boost the development of green infrastructure projects across ASEAN by catalyzing public and private capital and technologies. The ACGF is part of the Green and Inclusive Infrastructure Window, launched by Southeast Asian governments, ADB, and major development financiers under the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund, a regional financing initiative established in 2011 that has committed $520 million for energy, transport, water, and urban infrastructure projects across the subregion.
ACGF aims to mobilize around $1.3 billion from a number of sources, including the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund, ADB, the German development cooperation through KfW, the European Investment Bank, the Republic of Korea, and Agence Française de Développement. The facility is also supported by other entities, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Global Green Growth Institute, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
Below are
the top weekly news updates for India’s solar energy industries one should
know:
The Rooftop Solar Power Scheme In Gujarat Aims To
Cover 2 Lakh Families
Saurabh Patel, Gujarat
Energy Minister, said that the rooftop solar power scheme will be covering two
lakh households in Gujarat by 31st March, 2020. According to this
scheme locals can install solar rooftops in their buildings for solar energy
generation in case of any surplus, they can sell it to the power grid. The
government has declared a 40% subsidy for people who will or have installed
solar panels for a capacity of 2 KW and a 20% subsidy for a capacity of 3 KW to
10 KW. They can avail this subsidy under the state government scheme or under
the similar schemes of central government.
SECI To Increase Solar Tender Capacity Upto 7 GW With
2 GW Of Manufacturing
Solar Energy
Corporation of India has increased the solar tender from 6 GW to 7 GW. The
tender has been amended to 7 GW of Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) connected
solar photovoltaic (PV) projects with a solar manufacturing capacity of 2 GW.
SECI has set the maximum tariff slab of Rs. 2.93/kWh compared to the previous
slab of Rs.2.75 which is an increase of 6.5%. A SECI official confirmed that
the tender is according to the MNRE order and the new date for submission of
bid is October 31,2019.
Renewable Energy Deviation Settlement
Regulations To Be Launched By Maharashtra From Jan 2020
MERC has directed
the Maharashtra State Load Despatch Center (MSLDC) to revise its
forecasting and scheduling procedure in line with the principles and rules of
commission in two weeks. The commission has also directed MSLDC to take
stakeholder’s views into account and take their approval in 45
days. Forty-three renewable energy generators filed a petition along with
Maharashtra State Load Despatch Center (MSLDC) and Manikaran Analytics Limited
for the removal of hurdles from the provisions of the MERC (Forecasting,
Scheduling and Deviation Settlement for Solar and Wind Generation) Regulations,
2018, and its implementation. The hearing for the 43 cases were done
together by the commission because of the similarities in the cases. After
which some of the issues were considered to be addressed.
US Alerts Against The Cheap Chinese Imports
For Solar Equipments
According to
Francis R Fannon, assistant secretary of state for energy resources, it is
important to consider service, quality, overall costs and geopolitical
implications before adopting the Chinese imports which are often cheaper.
Further he even mentioned that reliability and cost of decommissioning should
be a factor. Although the imports might be 5% cheaper but the reliability and
decommissioning downgrades over the years. He was present during the launch of
Flexible Resources Initiative which is under the US-India Clean Energy Finance
Task Force.
Lakshadweep, A Growing Potential For Solar Energy
The energy consumption in Lakshadweep per capita is expected to increase upto 962 units by FY19. Lakshadweep is the smallest UT receiving an abundant amount of sunlight. Hence, opting for solar PV systems would be an ideal solution for the increasing energy consumption. There are policies and subsidies allowing to set up solar power plants with the best deals.
Indian Railway Invites Bids For 32.56
Mwp Solar Rooftop
Indian
railways is inviting bids to set up 32.56 MWp of grid-connected rooftop solar
system for railway establishments, offices, and others. This project will be
under public-private partnership on the basis of
‘design-build-finance-operate-transfer’. The developer who gets this tender
shall be accountable from the start to end design of this project, involving
all the necessary procedures. The developer will also have to provide operation
and maintenance support for 25 years. These
systems will be covering up to 117 locations of four zonal railways – Easter,
North Central, North frontier and Northern, and coach production units in
Kapurthala and Raebareli. One developer can either bid for any one location of
for all the zonal locations. However, the developer should bid for the full
quoted capacity.
Maharashtra Has Extended The Bidding Deadline For Its Solar Tender Of 1350MW
Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) extended its bid submission deadline till 15th October, 2019 for its 1,350 MW projects which is spread across 30 districts. This project is under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana. This project has a vision to provide with power in the daytime to the consumers for agriculture. This new submission date is both for the technical and financial bids. This project will be with 50MW capacity each which will be developed in 24 districts and 25 MW each each across six districts.
World’s Largest Solar Farm: An Investment Of $13bn On 15,000 Hectares Of Land
Australian technology billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has recently announced that he would be investing in Singapore-based Sun Cable to create the world’s largest solar farm. However, the co-founder of the software company Atlassian is yet to reveal how much he is going to invest, the project would enable Singapore to get away from its reliance on imported liquid natural gas, and thereby achieve its greenhouse gas emissions goals. $13 billion is the estimated valuation of Sun Cable’s proposed solar farm. The company aims to develop the world’s largest solar energy farm to power Singapore from the Australian desert.
Shell To Join The Solar Energy Sector With The Acquisition Of Orb Energy, India Shell, one of the global leader has purchased 20% stakes of Orb Energy which provides a credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for installing solar rooftops. Orb energy is known to have sold around 160,000 systems in India having a capacity of 75 megawatts. Shell aims to provide a reliable source of electricity to a 100 million people in the developing countries by 2030. According to Orb Energy, this will help them to provide cleaner and affordable energy solutions to SMEs in India.
10 Per Cent Growth After GST Rate Cut For Solar Thermal Industries
Solar thermal industries are expecting a 10% percent growth after the GST rate cuts on the components from 18% to 5%. The STFI (Solar Thermal Federation of India) secretary proceeded towards the GST directorate general and the finance minister to convince them. Hence with this rate cut the final product will become economical to the consumer hence seeing a growth in the market.
USGBC’s LEED
certification authority has announced that Hanergy’s Renewable Energy Center
has received the prestigious LEED Zero certification, becoming the world’s
first certified “Zero Carbon” building and one of the first three “net-zero”
projects.
As one of the most influential green building organizations in the world, USGBC (United States Green Building Council) has been committed to promoting the “greening” process of the global construction industry, with its LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification system considered the most authoritative and most widely used green building certification system in the world.
On November 14th, 2018, USGBC officially launched the LEED Zero certification program to complement the LEED system by verifying the achievement of net-zero goals and signaling market leadership in sustainable development. To obtain the sought-after LEED Zero certification, a building is required to create more than its output or eliminate more than it produces within one year of operation to meet one of the following standards: zero carbon, zero energy, zero water consumption or zero waste.
During the LEED Zero
Carbon certification process, Hanergy’s Renewable Energy Center was adjudged to
uphold the three-level energy efficiency concept of self-sufficiency, surplus
storage, and grid independence, while exhibiting green environmental protection
design, technological innovation, and sustainable development. Furthermore, the
exhibition center’s case was strengthened by the annual estimation of saving
104 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 314 tons,
which is equivalent to planting 13,745 trees.
Located in Beijing’s
Olympic Park, Hanergy’s Renewable Energy Center is an all-solar green building,
covering 7119 square meters and featuring Hanergy’s HanWall, flexible thin film
solar modules on the top and sides of the building and HanBrick on the walkway.
The one-of-a-kind exhibition center adopts the world’s leading copper indium
gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film technology for power generation and an
independently developed intelligent micro-grid management system, which
optimizes the operation of its power generation, power consumption, power
storage, and power sales. Additionally, the unique system also carries out
energy interconnection and sharing with the company’s headquarters to form a
regional intelligent microgrid.
USGBC & GBCI North
Asia Managing Director, Andy To, highly praised Hanergy’s green achievements,
“As the world’s first LEED ‘Zero Carbon’ certification project, Hanergy’s
Renewable Energy Center has demonstrated the progress being made to push
buildings towards the goal of “net-zero” globally.”
“At present, the world’s first LEED “Zero Energy” and “Zero Water”
certification projects have been located in Brazil at Petinelli’s HQ and
Eurobusiness’ office building respectively. Hanergy’s Renewable Energy Center
has now become one of the best in the world and represents the best practice of
‘net-zero’ construction in China. We look forward to seeing more projects
achieving the LEED Zero certification and leading the next trend of net-zero
construction.”
Cao Yang, Hanergy Thin
Film Power Group Senior Vice President, added, “At a time when the social
impact of green building is increasing, actively promoting green building
certification for existing buildings is our unescapable mission for sustainable
development of buildings and the environment. Therefore, we feel honored to
receive the world’s first LEED zero-carbon certification, as it will have
profound implications for the clean energy market and signal the beginning of a
real energy revolution. We believe that “green energy” technology not only
benefits wider fields of construction, but it also outlines a more ambitious
vision for building energy-saving.”
Earlier in the month,
Hanergy’s Renewable Energy Center was also awarded the LEED EB O+M (Existing
Building: Operations and Maintenance) Platinum Certification with a record high
score of 94 points. USGBC’s LEED Platinum Certification is regarded as the
highest honor in the green building industry and one of the most difficult
green building certifications to obtain.
Hanergy Glory Solar Technology, an EV startup announced today that it plans to raise USD 25 million for 10-20% of its company share to fund its solar car program, including further developing its R&D in solar vehicle power system and establishing sales channels.
The announcement is aligned with the company’s robust plan to strengthen its foothold in solar car market. Earlier last month, Hanergy Glory Solar Technology has successfully concluded a one-month test drive of the world’s first commercial solar power vehicle solution, Chinese K-car at China Automotive Technology and Research Center.
During the 30-day trial, at the end of each day after a 20km run, the Chinese K-Car retained 60%-80% of battery charge which means the car could still run a further 30km to 80km in that single day. By August 7th, the last day of the 30-day test drive, despite an 8-day straight overcast or rainy weather, the battery still retained 60% of power, proving another irreplaceable feature of solar thin-film, which is generating power even under low/weak light conditions.
According to Hanergy Glory, the tested solar car was built on the concept of the Japanese K-Car, a category of vehicle that was created to meet basic daily transportation needs. The emergence of China’s middle class is driving the demand for a vehicle that could serve multiple purposes including daily commutes and family trips. By readjusting the backseat, this highly flexible five-seat vehicle can also easily carry a wheelchair.
According to statistics by the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), in Japan, over 60% of K-car users do not drive more than 400 km a month, which is less than 20 km per day. Such mileage can be met by the solar solutions of this test.
“We summarized some conditions (KWH km/paved area/outdoor scene/20-30km/daily driving range) that solar energy could power the vehicle to the maximum to finally choose the EM3 model of Joylong Automobile and signed a cooperation agreement with them,” said Dr. Lu Tao, CEO of Glory Solar Technology Company.
According to Hanergy Glory, it has only tailored its solar system to apply the thin-film solution on EM3, while made some layering improvements on the lower part of the front end. “Next, our team will optimize the whole solar solution on the basis of the EM3 model, improve the fitment between our solar power generation system and the roof, enhance the aesthetic design, and ultimately achieve mass production,” said Dr. Lu Tao. On September 25th, Hanergy Glory just signed with Zhejiang Tianyou Company a sales contract for 140,000 express delivery cars. Hanergy Glory Solar Technology Company, an EV startup proposed the concept of “Plug-In Never” as a way to solve common issues faced by owners of more traditional electric vehicles that heavily rely on charging piles scattered within cities. With “Plug-In Never,” Hanergy Glory is making a bold statement and allowing consumers to never have to worry about overcurrent, overvoltage, overheating, and ground faults.
Further, as the automotive industry has been going through a sea of change since the advent of newer technologies that have transformed how vehicles are designed and manufactured, automobile companies are now focusing extensively on the impact of cars that run on solar, and are moving towards renewable sources of energy.
Solar will play an important role in meeting Paris climate goals as installation growth eclipses the industry’s historical record. Low-cost distributed energy systems and potential for residential and agricultural sectors will have an impact on poverty reduction and combatting inequality.
The world solar market is poised for a new, dramatic phase of growth in which innovation in efficiency and lower costs will make solar technologies a major contributor to the Paris climate goals and help combat poverty and inequality, according to projections by the Global Solar Council.
The new phase of the solar market will dwarf the scale achieved so far in the industry’s 30-year history: compared with the 500 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic installed today, a new market boom will see more than 8,500 installed by 2050, based on International Renewable Energy Agency forecasts, to meet the climate targets set out in Paris in 2015.
According to the Global Solar Council’s outlook – presented during Solar Power International as part of the North America Smart Energy Week – utility-scale projects will continue to dominate the industry but there will be an important role to play in the residential sector and for distributed as well as off-grid energy thanks to new, innovative ways to implement solar solutions. Research is underway to continue improvements in solar module efficiencies and identify new materials that will help extend the dramatic reductions in manufacturing and system costs.
“The way solar will spread, enabled by new technologies and innovation, will be as important as the headline growth numbers,” commented Pranav R Mehta, Chair of the Global Solar Council and Chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India. “Given the widespread recognition of the urgency of the need to decarbonize our economies, the prospect having a solar plant on every farm will be a gamechanger, affordable storage will be a gamechanger and mass deployment of micro and mini grids will transform the energy system.”
During the Salt Lake City event, the Global Solar Council held its AGM, which saw the election of new leadership as the body looks to deliver its mission of promoting the rapid and widespread adoption of solar energy through market development, partnerships and education. That follows the greater visibility, impressive partnerships with international organizations and financial consolidation achieved under Chair Mehta.
Gianni Chianetta of Italia Solare will be Chair for 2020 while José Donoso of Uniòn Española Fotovoltaica was elected as Chair for 2021. The new board discussed the GSC strategy of extending its focus beyond the climate crisis to questions of how solar energy will help tackle socio-economic issues like inequality and poverty.
“Representing the solar industry at a worldwide level with members spanning all the major markets and both developed and emerging economies, the Global Solar Council has an important role to play as solar moves from a minor player in the energy system to a mass phenomenon, and to do that we are ready to work with other actors as well,” continued Pranav R Mehta.
More than 850 MW of the STI-H250 dual-row trackers have been supplied so far.
STI Norland, a global supplier of solar trackers and fixed-tilt arrays, has launched the fourth generation of its STI-H250, the first dual-row, single-axis solar tracker in the world.
STI Norland was a pioneer in 2017 when it developed the STI-H250 and has since supplied and installed it in more than 30 PV plants, adding up to more than 850 MW of tracker capacity.
The solar tracker consists of two torsion beams positioned in a north-south axis on which PV modules are mounted. The two beams are linked and rotate simultaneously, following the path of the sun in the sky. They are moved by just one motor, cutting supply and maintenance costs.
In addition, the fourth generation of STI-H250 considerably increases its adaptability to complex terrain and irregular layouts. The data collected during months of on-site experience enabled STI Norland’s R&D department to keep applying improvements to the product and reach the current advanced version of the STI-H250.
“After two years of proven success of our dual-row trackers, other manufacturers are now following our steps,” said STI Norland chief executive Alberto Pérez Echeverría. “It clearly proves that we were on the right track when STI Norland bet on the design and manufacture of dual-row trackers. Compared to our competitors we are now so much ahead in terms of experience and product development.”
Sunseap Group has won the tender for one of Singapore’s largest solar projects, to install more than 170,000 solar panels on rooftops of Housing & Development Board buildings.
Under the SolarNova 4 contract, Sunseap will be installing PV systems across more than 1,200 HDB blocks and 49 government sites. Six government agencies will be participating in the fourth tender.
The PV systems, when operational, will generate up to 70 MWp of solar energy, an amount typically generated from powering around 17,500 four-room HDB flats annually.
Including SolarNova 4, Sunseap will have installed more than 600,000 solar panels across 2.4 million square meters of roofspace, and will have produced enough clean energy to power more than 60,000 four-room HDB households.
The SolarNova program, jointly led by the HDB and the Economic Development Board, aggregates solar demand across government agencies to leverage economies of scale so that agencies with smaller energy demands are able to enjoy clean energy at a lower cost.
This is the second SolarNova tender won by Sunseap, the first being in 2015.
Frank Phuan, CEO and executive director of Sunseap Group, said: “This project is a significant milestone for solar adoption in Singapore. When this project is completed, Sunseap would have installed solar systems on top of more than 2,700 HDB blocks, or more than 27% of all HDB blocks. This is also in line with Singapore’s pledge at the recent United Nations Climate Action Summit, where our prime minister said that Singapore will be switching to a cleaner fuel mix and using cleaner energy solutions in order to reduce our carbon emission by 2030.
“This is a testament to our tremendous growth since we started Sunseap eight years ago and it would not have been possible without the support of partners like HDB and EDB.”
Phuan added that Sunseap will deploy at least 170,000 bifacial solar panels, the latest in solar technology. Unlike typical solar panels, the bifacial solar panels are able to generate power on both sides of the modules and therefore increase energy yield by up to 15%. They are also more durable, lasting up to 30 years, as compared to 25 years previously.
Lawrence Wu, president and executive director of Sunseap Group, said: “This tender truly reinvigorates us and the work we do by providing us the thrust to continue playing our part as a corporation in combating climate change, and an opportunity to generate more renewable energy for the masses in Singapore. Sunseap will continue to be relentless in developing new sources of clean energy generation and energy efficiency projects across Singapore to help achieve the reduction of carbon emissions.”
Since its inception in 2011, Sunseap has grown to become one of the largest developers in the region with a total contracted, completed and developmental asset project capacity of 1.7 GWp. It has a pipeline of projects in Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of Southeast Asia.
In June, it commissioned a 168 MWp solar system in the Ninh Thuan province of Vietnam, one of the largest solar farms in the country. In Singapore, it is the largest developer of solar systems, winning six out of nine solar tenders held by the government to install solar systems on the rooftops of public housing and other government properties. Notable clients include Apple, Microsoft, the Singapore American School, the Singapore Cruise Centre, Jurong Port, ABB, Panasonic, PSA Singapore, ST Kinetics and Keppel Energy Ventures.
Some of its noteworthy innovative projects include participating in one of the world’s largest floating PV test-beds, in Singapore at the Tengeh Reservoir; building one of the world’s largest offshore floating solar farms along the Straits of Johor; and installing a hybrid off-grid solar system for Tanglin Academy, the largest tennis academy in Singapore.
The fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park – Noor Energy 1 – has become the first project in the Gulf Co-operation Council region to receive the Climate Bonds Initiative’s certification for renewable energy project financing, supporting the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.
The flagship project is a collaboration between the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Saudi renewables developer ACWA Power and the Chinese government’s Silk Road Fund.
Noor Energy 1 is the largest single-site concentrated solar power and single hybrid solar power project in the world, with three different solar energy technologies in deployment. The technologies include a CSP central tower and parabolic trough and PV panels. The park is being developed on an independent power producer model.
CBI is a reputable international non-profit organization working towards mobilizing and facilitating climate change solutions through the $100 trillion bond market and “green loans”. The initiative promotes investment in projects and assets which are necessary for a rapid transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy and which have strong credibility in the international financing market. The climate certification scheme is used globally by bond issuers, governments, investors and the financial markets to highlight investments that have real impact on a low carbon economy. The certification issuance was facilitated by lender Natixis, one of the project’s backers, as coordinator; and Sustainalytics, which verified the certification process.
The certification was granted to DEWA managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer in the presence of Mohammad Abunayyan, chairman of ACWA Power.
Al Tayer said: “The CBI certification reflects the hard work and incredible progress that Noor Energy 1 has achieved over the years. It bolsters our constant pursuit in deploying the highest international standards and using the latest solar power technologies to transform Dubai into a hub of clean energy and the leading driver of [a] low carbon economy. Our overarching achievements will remain in a constant journey of growth to support the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to enhance the shift towards a green economy by increasing our reliance on clean and renewable energy sources. We are honored to collaborate with ACWA Power and [the] Silk Road Fund on a remarkable project that will permanently leave its enduring effect on the solar power projects.”
ACWA’s Abunayyan said: “The CBI accreditation corroborates the potential of Noor Energy 1 and ACWA Power in transforming the green financing landscape and driving down the cost of capital for climate projects in developed and emerging markets. We are pleased to maintain our reputation as a partner of choice, delivering projects that contribute to the growth and development of vibrant economies such as Dubai. It is an honor to help fulfill the ambitious vision of Dubai’s leadership alongside our partners [the] Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. With the collective knowledge, financial capabilities and market expertise of DEWA and [the] Silk Road Fund, we were able to break several world records through a single project, including the world’s lowest CSP levelised cost of electricity of US$7.3 cents per kilowatt-hour.”
With 20% progress already achieved by Noor Energy 1, the flagship project is set to generate 950 MW with an investment of AED15.78 billion. The deployment of 700 MW of CSP; 600 MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100 MW from a solar central tower; and 250 MW from PV panels has positioned the fourth phase as the largest single-site solar IPP investment project in the world that combines CSP and PV technology.
Noor Energy 1 was also successful in breaking a number of world records, including registering the world’s tallest, 260m solar tower and the world’s largest global thermal storage capacity, of 15 hours; allowing for energy availability round the clock. This phase will provide clean energy for 320,000 residences.
The latest construction developments include the completion of the foundation of molten salt tanks and turbines and inauguration of the parabolic trough production line to produce the first of 63,600 units for the parabolic trough component and the solar central tower, reaching beyond 50m.
The up to now most powerful PV plant in Poland has been connected at the end of August. With impressive 22.947 modules and a total output of nearly 7MWp, this project was a real challenge for planning, technics, logistics and assembly.
However, together with our long-standing partner Goldbeck Solar, our certified mounting partner Solartechnik Dresden and, of course, with our revolutionary flat roof mounting system EVO 2.0 South, we successfully made it.
The project on the company`s site in Jasin included 5 halls of the polish logistics group CLIP Logistics Magazyn. Existing installations and switching systems had to be taken into consideration and integrated into the new system during mounting. Special demands turned out through the restricted load reserves of the roofs which, however, could be resolved by using aerodynamically optimized side plates on the system and load transmission by ridge brackets.
The adherence to the static compression resistance of the mineral wool insulation of the roofs could be provided on the PMT System through additional measures and thus, the plant configured as “long-term free of failure”. In addition to the basic system EVO 2.0 South for flat roofs and trapezoidal sheet our newly developed AC converter bench and the adaptable line connection was mounted.
Renesola, a leading fully integrated solar project developer, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell 11 rooftop distributed generation projects located in Zhejiang province to a China state-owned enterprise specializing in the solar energy industry.
Separately, ReneSola announced that it has agreed to sell three small scale DG projects located in Shanghai to a different, undisclosed third party.
The 11 rooftop DG projects in Zhejiang province have an aggregate installed generation capacity of 20.6 MW, and the three small scale DG projects in Shanghai have a combined capacity of 1.7 MW.
Renesola CEO Shelley Xu said: “These agreements once again demonstrate our ability to develop and monetize projects across the different geographies we serve. We believe our ability to execute our business plan will enable us to further strengthen our balance sheet and generate cashflow. With increased activity in project sales, our business momentum has accelerated and we are confident in our revenue expectations for the third quarter and beyond. We continue to look for opportunities to monetize our China DG assets as we transform into an asset-light project developer.”
The
world’s leading clean energy company, Hanergy Mobile Energy Holding Group,
recently on Sept. 30 officially put into operation the world’s first automated HanTile production line at Guiyang Mobile Energy Industrial Park in southwest
China’s Guizhou Province. The company claims that it’s targeting the HanTile market
scale of trillions.
Present
at the inauguration ceremony, Chen Yu, the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal
Party Committee of Guiyang, congratulated Hanergy for this milestone
achievement. “We express our heartfelt
congratulations to Hanergy for launching the world’s first automated HanTile
production line in Guiyang, where is equipped with the excellent business
environment. We welcome more large-scale projects to be built and invested
here. We’ll extend all our support in order to maintain the high level and high
quality standard for these upcoming projects.”
Chen
Yu also visited the HanTile production line and related application products
after meeting with Li Hejun and the team.
The Guiyang Mobile Energy Industrial Park is a key industrial project in Guiyang city. It started setup on March 2018 and covered a total area of approximately 220,000 square meters in the Guiyang Bonded Zone.
Subsequently,
the HanTile automatic production line is amongst the crucial projects of
Guiyang city and Hanergy Mobile Energy Holding Group. This project was signed in
October 2017 and launched the mass production line in September 2019 to show
the “Speed of Hanergy”.
Li
Hejun, Chairman of Hanergy Mobile Energy Holding Group said, “At Hanergy, we express our gratitude to city
government for their constant support and assistance to the development of
Hanergy, which will further cooperate with Guiyang city to fully promote the
projects and contribute to the local economy.”
Notably, the world’s first automated HanTile
production line in Guiyang Mobile Energy Industrial Park, is regarded as one of the
prominent projects for its fastest construction pace and highest effectiveness in
Guiyang. The production line uses the world’s leading Copper-Indium-Gallium-Selenide
(CIGS) thin
film solar technology which can combine the flexible thin film solar chips with
high light transmission glass to create a new green power generation material –
HanTile. This material can obtain the “passive and ultra-low-energy building”
or “zero-energy building” ideas which are significant to the new
energy industry development and bring more economic and social development in
the future.
In
recent years, dozens of Chinese mega cities are already equipped with the
HanTile applications. According to the data from China Brick and Tile Industry
Association, the potential market size of HanTile can reach trillions of RMB
per year.
The HanTile automatic production line is U-shaped with a curved transparent tempered glass which is exactly the same size of the thin film solar chip. This thin film can export the generated current after connected.
HanTile combines the concept of ecological architecture, fusion technology and design. Encapsulating flexible thin film solar power chips in curved glass as a form of tile to create a new power generation green technology building materials. It can completely replace the traditional roof tiles to be the part of the building while the materials and energy can be recycled in the building ecosystem to obtain an efficient, low-cost, ecologically balanced building environment. In 2019, HanTile also won the German IF Gold Award, which is known as the “Oscar of Design”.
Besides,
Hanergy New Energy High-end Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park &
Global Settlement Center, the HanWall Industrial Base, the New Mobile Energy
Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Base, the Hanergy Guiyang R&D Center were
also developed in Guiyang in 2018.
Guiyang
Mobile Energy Industrial Park also possesses the world’s leading MiaSolé CIGS
thin film solar technology which can enhance the thickness of HanTile to be only
6.5 mm which is 1.2 mm thinner than the iPhone X mobile phone screen. HanTile
weighs only 5.2kg but can bear 1.7 tons pressure or withstand level 12 of typhoons
power. HanTile has already applied for 364 worldwide patents.
HanTile
has also obtained the “ultra-low-energy buildings” and “zero-energy buildings”
ideas. According to the reports, the 100 square meters of HanTile can generate
the photovoltaic power which is equivalent to 123 tons of fuel power generation
but reducing 322 tons of carbon dioxide emissions which is equivalent to
planting 340 green trees.
Around
the same time as the inauguration of the world’s first automated HanTile
production line in Guiyang Mobile Energy Industrial Park, Jinneng Mobile Energy
Industry Park CIGS thin film solar core equipment installation ceremony was
held in the Bengbu High-Tech zone in eastern China’s Anhui Province. The Bengbu
Government and Hanergy Group had earlier signed a cooperation agreement for the
Jinneng Mobile Energy Industrial Park project on April 28, 2018 and officially
started the construction on May 30, 2018.
The first batch of 300MW CIGS equipment installed in the Park is the integrated
chips interconnect equipment (ICI) which is developed by Hanergy’s American
subsidiary Global Solar Energy (GSE) and is one of the core equipment of CIGS
thin film solar production line. The operation setup was recently completed on
September 29, 2019.
Once the planned 600MW CIGS industrial park in Bengbu is put into
operation, the annual sales can be expected to reach 5 billion Yuan (700
million USD), according to Gu Yu, President of Jinneng Mobile Energy Industry
Park.
Since 2018, Hanergy launched the green power-generating technology
building materials like HanTile, HanWall, HanRoad and other mobile energy
products such as HanPower, HanPack and Humbrella based on the thin-film solar
technology, and is receiving unprecedented responses around the world.
Orb Energy, a leading provider of solar energy solutions in India, announced today that Shell’s New Energies business* has acquired an almost 20% stake in the firm in its latest funding round. The fresh investment will help more Indian SMEs – a largely underserved part of the market – benefit from lower-cost solar power.
Orb Energy offers SMEs credit to invest in their own rooftop solar systems, driving Orb Energy’s growth in sales and helping Indian businesses boost their competitiveness.
“In the last decade, we have cemented our position as one of India’s most trusted solar companies. We are therefore delighted that Shell New Energies has recognised our work and decided to invest in a close to 20% stake”, said Damian Miller, Orb Energy’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Shell’s investment will power the next phase of our growth and ensure that more underserved SMEs in India can benefit from clean, lower-cost electricity from solar.”
Brian Davis, Vice President, Shell Energy Solutions, commented: “We were attracted by Orb Energy’s focus on providing cleaner and affordable energy solutions to SMEs in India. This is a vital and growing sector, with great potential to contribute to the country’s renewable energy ambitions.”
“We look forward to supporting this company in reaching its potential, as we move closer to Shell’s energy access ambition. That is, to provide a reliable electricity supply to 100 million people in the developing world by 2030.”
Existing investors in Orb Energy include FMO (The Netherlands), Bamboo Capital Partners (Luxembourg), Rianta Capital (Switzerland), Acumen Capital Market Funds I (USA), and Pamiga SA (Luxembourg).
Unitus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Orb Energy for this transaction.
Mr. Shashi Shekar, Vice Chairman ACME shares his valuable insights on India’s innovative trends, challenges our domestic solar industry faces and much more…
What are the latest worldwide innovation trends has India been able to keep pace with the same?
India has limited solar cell manufacturing capacity and they are not following the international benchmark of efficiency. Though we have decent capacity of module manufacturing, the country mostly imports modules for setting up power plants. The current protectionism measure on components of modules has made module manufacturing nor being able to compete with China, Korea, Taiwan etc.
What are the main challenges domestic solar industries is currently facing and where do you see the future of the Indian PV market?
India has a great solar potential and had commissioned about 30 GW cumulative capacities so far. India Government is promoting all renewable energy but solar is surging due to its efficiency, scalability and amenability for better forecasting.
Its scalability is determined by the continued reduction in tariff, so as to economically displace variable cost of thermal power. Tariff is dependent on the price of solar panels, GHI, interest rate and taxes & duties. Cost of solar panels is coming down and likely to continue. GHI is natural to a locality and is a given situation. High interest rate with unfavourable lending conditions by public sectors financial institutions, frequently changes of taxes & duties structure, absence of land leasing framework, lack of robust payment security mechanism, are some of the important challenges being faced by the solar power sector. Regional or National level of load dispatch adopting merit order dispatch, will enable Discoms to absorb more cheap RE that will reduce their financial losses. Transmission capacity constraints of ISTS located in high GHI areas are yet another challenge.
Despite the above factors, India has made rapidly added solar power capacity to achieve 100 GW by 2022.
+
What pipeline of projects do you currently own, kindly specify the size of the project, its location, tariff, scheme, timeline of completion, its viability
From a humble beginning of 15MW solar company in 2011 to being India’s largest solar energy company contributing 5500 MWp (DC Capacity) today at 2019. This tremendous growth can be attributed to its technology and costing, innovation to successfully bidding for projects and timely commissioning.
ACME started its solar power journey from first solar project in Gujarat and then expanded to multiple locations. After Gujarat, second and third state to venture was Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, and then successfully we made our presence in all major states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
Currently we have an operational solar capacity of 2500 MWp and the balance 3000 MWp (DC) is likely to be installed in Rajasthan. ACME growth is also virtue to its hard working and penchant employees who have set industry benchmarks for maintaining quality in their work, and also incorporating best industry standards for safety, environment and security during project execution.
Has the safeguard duty led to any significant positives for manufacturers?
Safeguard duty (SGD) was imposed on 30 July 2018 on the imported solar modules. The purported intention was to protect domestic manufacturers. There seems to be no perceptible help to the manufacturers, though it has resulted in an increase in tariff and created an uncertain environment for investment to take place.
For long term profitability, ensuring good asset quality is very important. What are some key areas which directly impact the life and performance of large scale solar assets?
We cannot allow slippages in any sphere whether it’s BOM like Module, Inverters, or Projects processes, ACME has a clear and defined focus on each activity of the project. Once specification is defined, it is obligatory for us to honour it and make sure that there is no threat in terms of generation and reliability.
ACME had performed really well in the tenders last fiscal. As Head Quality, how have you managed to be aggressive in bids while ensuring high quality of solar assets?
High price does not necessarily mean good quality and vice versa. We believe in working with our partners, finding ways of doing new innovations and then do round the clock monitoring to make sure there are no compromises in implementation.
Kindly enlighten on “Energy Storage as Game Changer”…Technology & Cost Trends, Incentives and Government Support needed
Lithium-ion Battery is the new storage technology after Lead Acid that is slated to grow very fast in the coming years. Currently, these are being deployed for various applications such as Home lighting Solutions, Microgrid/ MiniGrid and some of EV’s (Electric Vehicles) applications though the mass application is yet to come.
Lithium-ion battery price is witnessing rapid fall in price and the technological development is further increasing storage capacity without adding to size and weight. It is expected that the cost of Energy Storage System (ESS) will reach a low level by 2025 that would make stored energy cost very competitive. It is expected by 2025 Energy Storage System (ESS) would become a very big market.
After use in Electric Vehicles, Lithium-ion battery can also be used for storage application and power supply. The cost of such power would further get cheaper as cost of battery would have been recovered in running EV’s.
Mr. Parag Sharma, Chief Operating Officer ReNew Power shares his views on India’s ambitious target, upcoming RE hybrid opportunities and more.
Where do you see the Solar Energy industry in India poised vis a vis the Government’s ambitious target @ 100 GW by 2022?
The Central Govt. in 2015 revised the Solar Power installation target from 20 GW to 100 GW by 2022. Over the last 5 years, the solar capacity installation in the country grew at CAGR of 60%, and as on March 2019, it stands at ~28 GW, as a result India is now the 5th largest nation in terms of solar capacity installation. The exponential growth has been achieved on the back of precipitous drop in solar tariffs.
The solar industry has seen favourable push from Indian Govt. as a result the country almost doubled its solar installation from FY 14-15 to FY 17-18. The momentum can be built upon through consistent regulatory support, timely implementation of grid infrastructure and roadmap of future tenders is paramount to achieve solar target of 100 GW by 2022.
Against the backdrop of the recently concluded Green Bond Issue, how do you perceive Renew Power in furthering its growth with additional capacity build-up of new RE projects?
ReNew Power has since its inception invested in high quality assets and created value for all stakeholders. The recently concluded green bond issue of $435 million allowed us to make our capital structure more efficient by refinancing a portion of existing debt and also finance high quality greenfield projects. Although, we have been active in participating in tenders in last financial year, we exercised prudence in picking tenders. Having said that, we were also able to build up a stable pipeline of 3.5 GW Wind & Solar projects to be constructed in next 2 years at relatively better price.
Also, we have been growing inorganically, we have successfully completed 4 brownfield acquisitions on varied sizes in recent past. We will continue to seriously evaluate the future renewable tenders as well as high quality assets on sale to deliver better value to our stakeholders and also strengthen our position as the leading renewable Independent Power Producer. Further, we are planning to diversify in allied new technologies in renewables to replicate our success in solar and wind businesses.
How has the last FY 2017-18 been for your company? Has the temporary slowdown in the growth of solar sector impacted your company?
During the last financial year 18-19, we achieved several important milestones that further strengthened our position in India’s renewable energy landscape:
Our total capacity (both commissioned and under construction) is touching 8 GW, which is the largest in India. Now, we are contributing 1% to India’s overall energy generation.
We completed acquisition of Ostro Energy (1.1 GW) in April 2018, which is India’s largest M&A deal in renewable energy sector.
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) increased its stake in our company by investing an additional $144 million last year.
We successfully commissioned our largest solar project of 300 MW at Pavagada, Karnataka.
We successfully commissioned wind project of 250 MW (in Kutch, Gujarat) won under the first SECI ISTS reverse auction in India.
During the FY 18-19, ~13 GW of solar capacity was awarded which is double of the previous year, out of which ReNew Power won more than 1GW of solar capacity.
What are your views on the new government policy of Anti-dumping duty?
The recent move to impose anti-dumping duty of up to $1,559 per tonne on solar cell component Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) sheets for 5 years from China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand is another step to promote domestic manufacturing of solar modules after imposing safeguard duty in July 2018 for 2 years on solar cells and modules.
While we are in complete support of Govt. effort to promote Make in India, but such support should be in the form of tax breaks and capital subsidy rather than tariff barriers. We believe levy of Anti-dumping duty on EVA sheets is counterproductive as currently there are not many domestic players who manufactures quality EVA sheets, which could lead to supply constraint in the domestic market. Further, this may also lead to increase in domestic solar module manufacturing cost pricing them out of competition. Therefore, the tariff barrier might have negative impact on the overall solar manufacturing base in India.
What are your views on emerging RE Hybrid technologies such as Wind Solar and do you also plan to allocate investment in this sector given the fact your company has a good mix of Solar and Wind assets?
Hybrid renewable energy systems usually consist of two or more renewable energy sources utilizing common infrastructure together to provide increased system efficiency as well as greater balance in energy supply. The most common of them are the Wind Solar Hybrid projects that may also couple with storage to provide a stable power output. This in turn partially address the concerns of distribution utilities over grid stability arising due to the intermittent nature of wind or solar. Following are some suggestions which can make the opportunities more bankable:
Clarity on regulations – Metering mechanism, Renewable Purchase Obligation accounting, Scheduling and Forecasting etc.
State Revenue land use to be permitted for Hybrid projects.
Tendering authorities should understand that while there are marginal savings due to cost synergies, the impact of poor resource of one of the technologies has a much larger negative impact on project economics. Therefore, a ceiling tariff for the bid shall be accordingly determined.
ReNew power continues to seriously evaluate new upcoming RE hybrid opportunities.
Mr. Harjinder Kamboj, Head-Quality Azure talks about future of India’s solar industry and quality parameter that should be maintained.
Where do you see the Solar Energy industry in India poised for the next 10 years?
Solar Energy Industry is expected to grow at a very fast pace in India owing to majorly four positive factors:
Robust demand due to good economic growth.
Increasing investment because the sector has become quite attractive for both foreign and domestic investors.
Policy support as Government has ramped-up target to achieve 100GW solar installation by 2022. Hopefully, this trend will continue beyond 2022 as well.
Competitiveness advantage that India has because of the availability of sunlight throughout the year.
We have seen that in recent years, growth of solar energy in emerging markets had been phenomenal. India has already overtaken the US and has become the second largest solar power market in the world, in terms of solar power installations.
The country currently stands at almost 25 GW of grid-connected solar power capacity as compared to 9 GW in 2015. Large scale solar installations in India account for 87 percent of solar capacity while rooftop sector has also picked-up. Last year, solar accounted for nearly 53 percent of new energy capacity additions in the country and this is great news for solar sector.
For a developing country like India, where electricity for every home was once considered a dream is now close to reality. The government initiative of ‘power for all’ is changing the socio-economic structure of the country. In fact, people are demand 24×7 power supply and Government is also working tirelessly to fulfil their demand.
The sector also has immense potential to create new jobs; 1 GW of Solar manufacturing facility generates approximately 4000 direct and indirect jobs. In addition, solar deployment, operations and maintenance creates additional recurring jobs in the sector.
Are we seeing a major push towards better & smarter technology in solar sector by the EPC contractors?
With power tariff hitting all time low, developers are under tremendous pressure on cost. So, at present, more focus is on reduction of project cost per KWp, while maintaining quality of equipment and construction at the same level.
However, a lot of developments have been seen in this regard, like;
Development and use of new construction machinery and tools for a quick project handling.
Optimization of efficiency and reliability of photovoltaic systems.
Use of String Inverters rather than Central Inverters in order to minimise the mis-match losses and to maximise the output.
R&D of utility-scale energy storage systems for stabilization of regional power grids.
Combination of Wind, Solar and even fuel-based energy sources in Hybrid Power Plants.
Co-operation with energy suppliers and grid operators for an utmost environmentally-friendly and inexhaustible source of energy.
Remote installation monitoring by drone-based system.
Solar project should be designed for a life of 25 years. What quality parameters should mounting structures adhere to, in order to sustain over this period?
Solar Mounting Structures are critical components in solar power plants, which support the solar panels on the ground or on rooftops. They ensure the structural stability of the solar system.
Solar panels need secure fastening to the roof or ground to protect against high velocity winds. Moreover, solar panels also require protection against water logging and other elements that gather on the ground or on the roof. Mounting structures must adhere to adverse environment conditions.
The Mounting structure shall be so designed to withstand the speed for the wind zone of the location where a PV system is proposed to be installed.
It may be ensured that the design has been certified by a recognized Lab / Institution and submit Wind Load calculation sheet to MEDA.
Suitable fastening arrangement and grouting should be provided in order to secure the installation against the specific wind speed.
The mounting structure steel shall be as per latest IS 2062: 1992 and galvanization of the mounting structure shall be in compliance of latest IS 4759.
Structural material shall be corrosion resistant and electrolytically compatible with the materials used in the module frame, its fasteners, nuts and bolts.
Aluminium structures also can be used, particularly in rooftop installations which can withstand the wind speed of respective wind zone.
Apart from design and selection of suitable steel grade, it is also necessary to protect the structure parts from rusting either by coating or anodization.
Suppliers, having robust manufacturing and Coating facilities should be selected for supply of structures.
Do We Need Stricter Product Certification Guidelines And Quality Standards For The Solar Sector?
Yes, off course. As I said earlier, there is tremendous pressure on the cost of the projects. So, wherever possible, component manufacturers would try to optimize the cost.
Therefore, in order to ensure the desired Quality of the components, stricter Product Certifications and Quality Standards must be implemented on all critical equipment, like PV Modules, Transformer, Inverters, Cable, Panels, Module Mounting Structures etc.
Inspection and Testing must be ensured at factory before these components are shipped to sites.
As we know that PV module being most expensive and critical items in the PV Plant, so special focus must be given on selection and qualification of module suppliers through review of IEC / BIS certificates, factory audits, close monitoring of quality parameters during production and pre-shipment inspection according to relevant standards.
In order to ensure reliability of PV Modules, sequential testing methods need to be incorporated.
List some of the challenges you come across while developing a project?
Despite tremendous efforts from Government to promote Clean Energy in India, Solar industry has been facing a lot of barriers, like:
Training and development of human resources to drive industry growth and PV adoption.
The lack of closer industry-government cooperation for the technology to achieve scale.
Land allotment & PPA signing is a long procedure under the Generation Based Incentive scheme.
Lack of better financing infrastructure, models and arrangements.
Lack of collaborative, focused and goals driven R&D to help India attain technology leadership.
Domestic manufacturing failed to take advantage of Safe-Guard import duty imposed on PV Solar Modules, even after one year of imposition. Government should consider some other way-out in order to help the domestic Solar manufacturing sector.
There is a need for more promotional incentives by Government and better industry-government co-operation in order to give a further push the Solar Industry in India.
Mr. Rounak Muthiyan, Founder & Director Kalpa Power Private Limited provides his perspective on solar rooftop sector in India and more…
Give us a glimpse about your company presence and offering in the solar sector?
Kalpa Power is an end to end solution provider of solar power plant projects. Kalpa prides itself in being able to develop solutions which are highly customised, user oriented and seek to maximize benefits through cost effective technology deployment with least operational overheads. Our team of experienced professionals make sure installations across India occur seamlessly at the same high standards ascribed by us to achieve maximum benefits from any given locations.We have achieved a capacity of 16 + MW in solar generation across India and have another 15 MW in India and 3 MW in West Asia in the pipeline. We are in the business of solar power for the last 5 years and have the necessary experience and expertise in Design, Procurement of quality products and project execution, along with an excellent Finance and Administrative teams which manages the day to day operation and fund requirement of the company. This results in making timely project execution and commissioning. Apart from EPC team, we also have strong Operation and Maintenance team which ensures proper monitoring of installed solar power plant and aims for zero break down, by having real time monitoring system as every single unit generation from solar power plant count
Where do you see your Kalpa Power 10 years from now?
Without subsidies, in 2016, globally solar became more competitive than the coal based or thermal power plants. Since then, the solar prices have come down substantially. In 2012, less than 10% of the annual capacity added in the world came from solar. Last year, it was over 25%. Hence there are huge growth opportunities. You have got a situation where the market is projected to grow fast and by 2022 , approximately 2% to 3% of the electricity will be generated by solar globally. The opportunity over the next 10 years is immense because this number will have to go up and become a substantial number for the world energy market. As we are expanding our operation on a global level, alongwith current projects in pipeline we are optimistic we can make a remarkable achievement in the field of Renewable energy globally in the next 10 years. We have cumulative target of 50 MW in next 2-3 years.
Taking forward our knowledge and expertise in solar, we are venturing into solar powered Electric Vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). Traditional electricity sourced from conventional sources is expensive, and losses are high to convert electricity from AC to the required standards for EVSE for charging. Hence solar and EVSE are a natural fit. We’ve already received an EoI from large corporate and government entities in this regard. We have started development in this sector by designing and manufacturing of efficient smart chargers for electric vehicles which are expected to hit the market by the end of FY 2019 or by early FY 2020.
What are the key drivers of growth in the solar rooftop segments?
Solar power provides a decentralized option to address growing power needs of a vast-expansive country like India. Kalpa power envisions to fulfill the needs of the country by providing cheap and affordable power. Solar power can be designed to size so as to meet the needs and requirements of the urban as well as the rural people of India by providing independence from foreign sources of energy, thus enabling stable energy prices for the future. Increasing the supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and significantly reduce India’s total CO2 emissions.
High energy cost and tariffs usually affects the operating margins of many manufacturers, industry and commercial complexes. Green and clean energy being a prime objective and step towards sustainable development, has been a major key drivers in the solar rooftop segments. This initiative is taken by many leading industries. Another key driver for growth is net metering policy, which encourages end consumer to take benefit of excess generation from solar power plant.
How has GST impacted solar rooftop industry in India?
GST has indeed made an impact on capital cost of solar project. According to a recent study published by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water(CEEW) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the introduction of GST has led to an increase in cost of generation of solar power by almost 6 per cent. The current GST structure discourages a potential client to go for solar . With the government aiming for ambitious target of 100 GW and with current market scenario GST for solar need a relook from government. If you observe last three quarters, capacity addition of solar project have been declining. Cut down of GST on Solar rooftop should be major objective of MNRE, that will boost up solar capacity addition. It is important to continuously monitor and examine if fiscal measures are being effectively wielded, to support India’s larger national objectives with implications for sustainable development. The introduction of the safeguard duty on solar panels has compounded the uncertainty, resulting in delays in deployment of solar projects. Combined with the imposition of safeguard duty (making majority of the PV panels used expensive) and the cap on solar power tariffs, the GST impact may have a bearing on the profitability of companies in this sector.
Mr. K.V.Sajay, President – Wind, Solar and Regulatory Affair Hero Future Energies shares his valuable insights on the significance of energy storage and untapped opportunities that can be explored.
What according to you is the biggest strength of Hero Future Energies in the solar sector?
Hero Future Energies (HFE) is the renewable energy arm of the Hero Group, which is an extremely diversified industrial conglomerate. The group’s flagship company is Hero Motocorp but we also have auto component company, finance company, electronic company, university and of course renewable energy.
We are one of India’s fastest growing renewable energy developer. The “Hero approach” of owning a renewable energy project is based on business case certainty of 25 years or more, this in turn helps to bid and build robust assets with the right HSEQ standards in a time bound manner.
How significant is energy storage for the development of solar sector?
One of the distinctive characteristics of the electric power sector is that the amount of electricity that can be generated is relatively fixed over short periods of time, although demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day. Energy storage can assume a larger role in matching the demand and supply. At the same time, technological development, better utilization of transmission assets and rapid price reduction of other technologies like thermal storage and battery energy storage along with rapid penetration of intermittent renewable energy like solar and wind, have created a renewed demand for energy storage technologies.
Energy storage will also support buyers by supplying power during peak period along the day at competitive prices against the power from conventional sources during such period which is procured by paying premium charges.
What do you think are the untapped opportunities which needs to be explored in the solar sector?
Solar sector has evolved from being focused on heat transfer-based method of power generation to solar photovoltaic based power generation during the last decade under the JNNSM and it’s still evolving as we speak.
Thus, we see very high opportunities in the fields of domestic solar PV module manufacturing with integrated supply chain of polysilicon to PV modules instead of cells to PV modules to cater the demand of both domestic and international market (100+ GW per annum).
Technological development in battery-based energy storage system clubbed with solar/ wind energy generation has huge potential in the coming years. A shift to green alternative will be attractive as compared to conventional power based on pricing.
India has ~ 36 GW of installed wind capacity. Most of these farms also happen to be in high solar insolation zones and if proper hybridization is done even to the 50% (i.e., 18 GW) of such installed capacity along with solar and energy storage solutions, it will result in better utilization of existing transmission systems along with increase in capacity utilization factor and reduction in variability of power from renewable sources. Also, it means that about 18 GW capacity can be added in a short span of 1 year to the country’s overall renewable target.
A lot has been done to improve the policy and regulatory framework for the sector. What are the problems that persist with in the sector?
In FY18 capacity addition in renewables was 2.5 times the capacity addition in conventional energy generation during the same period. This sector has seen numerous off takers in the bids conducted by SECI, NTPC, MSEDCL, GUVNL and other nodal agencies during second half of 2018 and so far in the first half of 2019, thus we expect considerable capacity addition in the years ahead.
This wave of optimism coupled with strong regulatory framework is the need of the hour. However, challenges to be dealt includes outstanding overdues with DISCOMs, slower augmentation of transmission infrastructure, threatening and challenging the sanctity of long-term power purchase agreements by state government, uncertainty of waiver of transmission charges beyond March 2022 etc.
Additionally, to spur investment in this sector few more challenges namely mismatch in timelines of solar projects, deemed non-agricultural conversion of land for use in solar projects, curtailment of power from renewable sources and non-adherence to “Must Run” status for renewable projects need to be addressed.
It is worth mentioning that union government had already taken cognisance of situation and invited RE developers in recently conducted Chintan Baithak by MNRE to address the challenges faced by the sector. Let 2019 be the time when leaders in government and business of renewables can jointly drive sectoral growth, create employment and transit towards a carbon free economy.
What more can Indian government do to propel the growth of the sector?
To improve the bankability of projects, the government should focus on the following pointers, which might seem micro in nature but is of utmost importance to gain confidence of any investor or banker.
Development of single window clearance for all requisite approvals
Flexibility in terms of size and timing of equity infusion
Deemed generation compensation at 100% of applicable tariff in case of grid curtailment
Time bound adoption of tariff discovered under tariff based competitive bidding by ERCs without any re-examination of such discovered tariff
Timely payment to renewable generators
Extension of financial closure and commissioning timelines for actual/ genuine delays in government approvals
Pre-defined formula for calculating impact of new duty on cell and modules
Increase the duration of PPAs from existing 25 years to 35 years for solar, wind and storage-based hybrid projects
While the previous two parts of the article
“Mono vs Poly – An introspective simulation study! – Part 1 & Part 2”
introduced the types of crystalline technology, the need for this study, the
methodology of study and detailed technical results of all climatic zones, this
part would present a financial analysis of both the plants and educate its
readers on the key takeaways from the study.
Figure 1: Division of climatic zones in India (Source: IIT Bombay)
Financial analysis
With the energy sources around
the world constantly increasing, it is important for a source to be
commercially viable and give back good returns to ensure its widespread uptake.
In such situations, only proving a source’s technical superiority may just not
be enough. An in-depth financial analysis and its gains need to be identified
in detail. The initial cost break up of a solar power plant is well known and
is well represented by various bodies. In such break up, the solar modules
constitute more than 50% of the cost, whereas the BoS accounts for around 35%
of the cost. The civil works and other costs constitute merely 13% of the cost.
While the number stands true, the comparison between mono and poly crystalline
technology paints a different picture.
The study presented two
different scenarios; the financial analysis however is calculated on per MW
basis to fairly evaluate the technology. Firstly, the fact that the initial
cost of mono crystalline technology is more cannot be argued upon. This leads
to a sharp increase in the module’s initial price i.e. ~21% higher than poly
crystalline technology. However, now with the changing dynamics in the PV
market of the world and with the world demanding higher energy from the same
module size, the prices of mono crystalline PV modules are deemed to fall down
drastically. It is an already known fact that mono crystalline module (of
similar sizes) are usually at 1~2% higher efficient than the poly crystalline modules.
This efficiency advantage leads to a direct 12% reduction in number of solar
modules required per MW of power plant when utilizing mono crystalline
technology. Further, considering a standard double racking design in a power
plant, the cost savings in module mounting structure installed in a mono
crystalline modules is 0.25% (when compared to a poly crystalline module based
plant). Considering the land requirement, significant savings could be clearly
realized in a mono crystalline based power plant. Considering central inverter
in both the cases, we find that a mono based power plant could use 31% less
land (and hence 31% less cost) compared to poly crystalline module based plant.
While
designing a power plant, adequate care needs to be taken to ensure that the
electrical losses are minimal and/or within the tolerance limits. One of the
easiest yet important parameter to optimize is the DC voltage drop in cables.
The drop depends primarily on the internal resistance of the cable which is
further governed by the length and the cross sectional area of the cable. With
an increase in number of modules to be utilized in a poly crystalline
technology based power plant, the length of the cable increases which directly
increases the internal resistance of the wire. In order to mitigate such
losses, the cross sectional area of the cable needs to be increases. Both
increase in length and area acts as a double whammy increasing the cabling cost
of module by around 10.50% when compared to mono crystalline based power plant.
Operation & maintenance (O&M) plays a significant role in any power
plant if it is to run smoothly and perform as expected. Considering the case of
a solar power plant, as a rule of thumb O&M cost is considered only to be
around 1% annually of the plant’s total cost. However with the need to clean
& maintain more modules, AJB’s and other DC spares in a poly crystalline
based power plant its cost raises significantly. It was found that in a mono
crystalline based power plant, a savings in O&M cost to the tune of 38%
could be realized (refer Figure 2).
Figure 2: Difference in investments incurred per MW during the life time of the power plant Figure 3: Savings realized while utilizing mono crystalline technology over the plant lifetime
With both the incurred cost and energy generated in the favour of mono crystalline technology, it should be clear by now that mono crystalline technology which looks expensive, is actually profitable in the longer run. For the purpose of study, savings across each and every climatic zone was calculated. Hot & dry zone which is expected to have enhanced savings due to temperature loss is expected to realize 9.54% of savings by utilizing mono crystalline technology. Followed to this is the moderate climatic zone at 9.49% which due to lower ambient temperatures (around the year) are expected to generate adequate energy. This is followed by composite zone at 9.37% and warm & humid zone at 9.12% which due to higher ambient temperatures experience modest savings in the northern and few north eastern parts of India, the savings for both cold & sunny and cold & cloudy are around 9%, which could again be attributed to lower ambient temperatures.
Conclusion
Mono crystalline versus poly crystalline has been one of the hot topics of discussion amongst various stakeholders at different platforms. While there has been lot of information available on the matter, a complete guide seems always missing. Further with the clear trends of the PV market tilting towards mono crystalline technology, the adoptability of PV modules in the Indian market is still primarily based on cost. It was hence necessary to evaluate the technology fully till its end of life and further carry out both technical and commercial analysis for a clear understanding. The following were the results obtained from the study (refer Table 1 & Table 2 for details):
Utilizing mono crystalline module enable efficient utilization of land by generating 41 MWh to 52 MWh more per fixed area (1000m2). This further converts to 8 MWh/MWp to 14 MWh/MWp more energy injected into the grid annually.
A boost in performance ratio (PR) of 3.0% (average) is found when utilizing mono crystalline technology in power plant with limited area availability. Utilizing the power plant with fixed capacity, mono crystalline technology was able to deliver a PR boost from 0.40 to 0.80%
Mono crystalline technology has a better performance at location with enhanced ambient temperatures and hence acts as a perfect match for countries like India which lie between the tropics.
Utilizing mono crystalline modules would enable savings in total investment over the plant’s life time to the tune of 8.94% to 9.54% annually.
Implementing mono crystalline module to have ROI reduced between 0.5~2 years considering economies of scale Let us all pledge to make solar energy the primary source of energy in the near future.
Mr. Sunil Rathi Director- Sales & Marketing Waaree Energies Ltd
