Rooftop Solar

The Chennai-based solar EPC contractor and trader, which formed SIL Rooftop Solar as the new subsidiary in October, has included battery-based energy storage as a focus area in addition to renewable energy projects.

The platform will help to promote the adoption of rooftop solar PV systems, particularly in the residential consumer segment, as it will incentivize consumers for trading among themselves, in addition to selling to the distribution utility—according to the sustainability thinktank which has also come out with innovative use cases of blockchain for electric vehicles and distributed battery storage.

Solar installations in year 2020 are set to exceed 10 GW after a year hit by political uncertainties, module price increases associated with safeguard duty and a fewer number of awarded tenders. The outlook for battery energy storage installations for solar projects, however, is bleak as such combinations in India can cost 3-5 times more in 2020 than standalone renewable projects.

January 4 is the last date to bid for the plants that are to be developed in capacities of 10 KWp to 50 KWp atop government buildings. Bids must be accompanied with bank guarantee of Rs 750,000.

The Indian installer supplied panels for a commercial client in the U.S. who had been inspired by a trip to Rajasthan with his wife in 2008.

The solar plants commissioned at Dibrugarh (Assam), Gaya (Bihar) and Gondia (Maharashtra) take the Kolkata based module manufacturer and EPC contractor’s cumulative airport project portfolio to more than 4 MW.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) sector consumes 51% of the total electricity generated in India, with a mere 3% of this consumption coming from renewable energy. To increase renewable energy uptake among C&I consumers, India needs to explore new models like virtual power purchase agreements, green tariffs, internationally tradable RECs that have already been successfully tried and tested in many countries—according to a report by climate advocacy group WWF India.

Program aims to drive down the cost of solar electricity to a maximum of Rs2.50/kWh in a nation where tariffs vary wildly from state to state.

An Indian Institute of Technology research team analyzed around 300 studies about PV panel waste containing carcinogenic metals. The researchers said solar module recycling is not economically profitable and policy support is necessary to avoid panels being dumped in landfill.

The Indian capital has so far installed only 146 MW of rooftop solar capacity, against year 2019 target of 606 MW set under the Delhi Solar Policy. The slow growth is primarily due to certain myths among consumers which need to be debunked with better installer-consumer connect—says Delhi Solar Campaigner Sandeep Dahiya who currently leads the 100% UP, SeeNow, Energy & Power Sector reform work in India as a Campaigner at Purpose Climate Lab.