Karnataka

There is widespread doubt about whether India can achieve its 100 GW solar target by 2022 but, having started from a base of only 9 MW of capacity 10 years ago, it would be foolish to write off the prospects of this solar superpower.

The facility is expected to have solar generation capacity of 360 MW and wind capacity of 100 MW, said the company in a financial update.

State-owned NLC India Ltd – formerly the Neyveli Lignite Corporation – has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu to set up a 1 GW solar project in the state.

India is set to add renewable energy capacity of 15,860 MW in 2019, a leap of 50% on the 10,560 MW installed last year. Around 70% – 10,902 MW – of the new capacity will come from utility-scale solar projects, according to Bridge To India analysts.

The state has withdrawn its transmission charges waiver for solar projects bigger than 500 MW in capacity. While unhappy developers are protesting, industry experts deem it sensible for the government to apply a limit to – and possibly plan a phased withdrawal of – incentives for the solar sector.

With yellow marigolds in large terracotta pots, colorful metal swans pinned to the walls, speakers in natty pin stripes and swarms of eager visitors, the 10th Intersolar India began a tad late, but on a high note at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru, often dubbed the Silicon Valley of India. Karnataka’s successes were a key talking point, while the importance of EVs and storage was underlined.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) have locked horns over the power pricing of a 970 MW solar project.

Germany-based Belectric Solar and Battery GmbH has been awarded a 250 MW AC solar PV project by Fortum Solar India Private Limited. It will be built in the state of Karnataka.

Azure Power has announced the early closing of a financing deal worth INR 4 billion (around US$58 million) for a 100 MW solar plant in the Indian state of Karnataka; and INR 6 billion (around $88 million) for a 200 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan. It also signed 415 rooftop solar PPAs in Madhya Pradesh.

Owing to a rapid scaling up of solar capacity, Karnataka has overtaken Tamil Nadu to become India’s top state in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. The state installed 5 GW of new PV capacity in 2017-18 alone—according to a report by the US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).