Distributed solar

The Climate Investment Platform launched by three multilateral bodies in September is now open for business and renewables companies in developing nations across 14 regions including south Asia could qualify for help with clean energy facilities, renewables-related grid improvements and energy efficiency schemes.

Developers are also expected to drag their heels over project completion during the first half of the year as the safeguarding duty applied to imported Chinese and Malaysian solar products is due to expire at the end of July.

India, with 750 GW of solar potential, has also one of the highest transmission and distribution losses in the world. So, while there is immense scope in PV deployment, there is a need for greater investment in grid related projects also to help the country best utilise its renewable energy potential, says the latest report by SolarPower Europe and National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) which also makes recommendations to help accelerate investments in the solar sector.

The OneBox, from Indian manufacturer Vision Mechatronics, consists of a lithium battery, hybrid inverter and solar charge controller to give a hassle-free solution for electricity back-up during power outages. Solar rooftop owners are offered a grid feed feature to maximize net metering income from any excess power generated.

Energy Efficiency Services Limited, which has already bagged orders for 800 MW of distributed solar installations in Maharashtra and 113 MW in Rajasthan, says it will roll out 1.5 GW of generation facilities by the end of the next fiscal year.

Consultancy Bridge to India has looked into its crystal ball to predict India will add 10 GW of solar capacity this year and the same next year before deployment slows to 7 GW per year in 2022 and 2023, dogged by hurdles such as an inexplicable ongoing demand for new coal-fired power plants.

Capacity additions for the current fiscal year are set to exceed the previous accounting period’s 8,532 MW. With Rs405 billion invested in clean energy in the last fiscal year, spending in the first nine months of 2019-20 has been estimated at Rs367 billion.

Applications are invited for setting up cumulative grid-connected capacity of 10 MW for Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and 15 MW for Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. The solar power generated will be purchased by Discoms at a pre-fixed levelized tariff of Rs 3.11/KWh.

Bidding closes on February 10 for the solar systems that are to be set up on turnkey basis. Completion period is eight months from the award of contract.

India needs to look at a diverse set of flexibility options such as natural gas capacity, variable renewables themselves, energy storage, demand-side response and power grids, to ensure successful integration of wind and and solar PV, says an International Energy Agency (IEA) report.