Floating PV: India’s potential, policies and prospects
Styrofoam and reinforced concrete as a substrate, floating breakwaters and wave attenuators, robust anchoring, robotic cleaning and on-site manufacturing are just some of the buzzwords surrounding floating solar’s future. With 1 GW of installed floating capacity worldwide (as on November 30, 2018) and an optimistic prediction of 5 GW by 2022, this branch of solar energy is gaining immense momentum.
India will auction 80 GW of solar, wind capacity by March 2020
The Indian Government plans to tender 60 GW of solar and 20 GW of wind capacity by March 2020. This would complete the planned auctions for its targets of 100 GW solar and 60 GW wind installations by 2022, leaving two years for project execution, according to an year-end review by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Uttar Pradesh calls for $809 million private investment for 4 GW solar project
The Uttar Pradesh Government is looking for private investment worth Rs 55 billion (UD$809 million) for the proposed Bundelkhand Green Energy Corridor, which is expected to generate 4 GW of solar power.
Maharashtra discom issues 1 GW tender with tariff cap
The Indian state is looking to install 1 GW of new solar PV power under a new tender issued. A ceiling tariff of Rs 2.80 (US$0.039) has been set.
Just two bidders for 1.2 GW wind-solar hybrid project
India’s much-hyped first wind-solar hybrid auction found just two bidders, with 360 MW of the 1,200 MW finding no takers at all. This is the second time the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has held this auction, after the first round in May failed to attract bidders.
Auroville search engine will crowdfund solar power for 100 villages in Tamil Nadu
Sustainable development expert Auroville Consulting has launched the Solar Village Search Engine to help fund its Solar Village Initiative, which aims to power 100 villages in Tamil Nadu with solar by the year 2030.
Tariff dips further in Uttar Pradesh
Ever tumbling panel prices have brought a fresh round of low solar power tariffs after an earlier 1 GW super tender was annulled in the state. The latest reverse auction was oversubscribed by almost 50%.
MNRE launches 23 GW of solar projects in Leh and Ladakh
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has reevaluated the solar potential of the region, in the light of steepling falls in the cost of generating solar electricity. The big push will start with 7.5 GW of new capacity, with a request for selection expected within a fortnight.
India could generate all of its power from renewables by 2050
A renewable energy system in 2050 is technically possible and economically viable for India, with the levelized cost of electricity falling from the current €58/MWh (Rs4,626) to €52 under one scenario in a recent report, and to €46 in another that included demand for power, water desalination and non-energy industrial gas sectors.
De-risking, financing and capacity building high on ISA agenda – Interview
The iSTAR-C program of India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) was adjudged an outstanding project during the Paris Peace Forum this month. The program is one of many ISA initiatives to develop solar resources in member countries. After the first assembly of the ISA, interim Director-General Upendra Tripathy tells pv magazine about the organization’s achievements and plans.
