In the Solar Module

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10 OWNER : FirstSource Energy India Private Limited PLACE OF PUBLICATION : 95-C, Sampat Farms, Bicholi Mardana Distt-Indore 452016, Madhya Pradesh, INDIA Tel. + 91 96441 22268 www.EQMagPro.com INDIA Ind-Ra EDITOR & CEO : ANAND GUPTA notes low [email protected] coal stocks

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TRENDS & ANALYSIS SAUMYA BANSAL GUPTA [email protected] 12 PUBLISHING COMPANY DIRECTORS: ANIL GUPTA INDIA ANITA GUPTA Energy Department Invests $7.5 CONSULTING EDITOR : Million to SURENDRA BAJPAI Improve Electric Grid HEAD-SALES & MARKETING : Reliability and GOURAV GARG Resiliency [email protected]

ART DIRECTOR : ANKIT PANDEY (Sahil) Sr. DESIGNER : 15 ANAND VADIYA INDIA SUBSCRIPTIONS : Regulatory SANJAY VISHWAKARMA Commissions, [email protected] Not Courts GAZALA KHAN To Determine [email protected] Electricity Tariff PRINTING PRESS :

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8 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com 26

INTERVIEW INTERVIEW IN EXCLUSIVE TALK WITH INTERVIEW WITH 42 Mr.William Zhou 38 Mr.Pratyush K Thakur

ROOFTOP Golden Temple Kitchen To Soon Go Solar 20

E LECTRIC VEHICLES RESEARCH & ANALYSIS When Will Electric ROOFTOP GREENING INDIA’S Vehicles be Cheaper Solar power helps pump up petrol sales 48 WORKFORCE 60 than Conventional amid power shortage Vehicles ? 22 30

ROOFTOP FEATURED Over 12,000 solar pumps distri-buted Dutch PM lauds India’s commitment to to farmers in Chhattisgarh renewable energy, Paris Climate Agreement

Policy & Regulations 33 34 Uttar Pradesh Solar 66 Power Policy 2017

EQ NEWS Pg. 09-37 PRODUCT FEATURED FEATURED Shri Piyush Goyal Launches Energy Sterling and Wilson Scales New Heights; Pg. 75-77 Conservation Building Code 2017 Gets Awarded the World’s Largest Solar PV Plant www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 9 Capacity

Cover JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is a global leader in the solar industry. The Company distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, US, Japan, Germany, UK, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, UAE, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, etc. JinkoSolar has built a vertical-integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 2.5 GW for silicon ingots and wa- fers, 2.0 GW for solar cells, and 3.2 GW for solar modules, by December 31, 2014. JinkoSolar has also connected around 500MW of solar projects to the grid, by December 31, 2014. .JinkoSolar has over 13,000 employees and over 200 dedicated R&D professionals covering 11 global branches in Germany, Italy, Switzer- land, US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Japan, India, South Africa and Chile; 12 sales offices in China, Spain, UK, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico; and five production facilities in China, Portugal, South Africa, and Malaysia.

10 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com INDIA

World’s biggest coal company closes 37 mines as solar power’s influence grows The largest coal mining company in the world has announced it will close 37 mines because they are no longer economically viable. oal India, which produces around 82 per cent of India’s coal, said the mines would be decommis- Infosys meets 45% power Csioned by March 2018. he losures, of around 9 per cent of the needs from renewables in state-run firm’s sites, will reportedly save around 8,000,000,000 rupees (£98m). FY17: Report India’s solar sector has received heavy in- IT firm Infosys today said over 44.6 per cent of its electricity ternational investment, and the plummet- requirements in 2016-17 were met through renewable sources. ing price of solar electricity has increased pressure on fossil fuel companies in the T country. During fiscal 2017, 118.90 million units of The government has announced it will electricity were from renewable sources, not build any more coal plants after 2022 which are about 44.6 per cent of overall and predicts renewables will generate 57 electricity requirements of their campuses per cent of its power by 2027 – a pledge far outstripping its commitment in the in India,” Infosys said in its latest sustain- Paris climate change agreement. Plans ability report. for nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – about the same as the total The Bengaluru-based firm has also been working amount in the UK – were scrapped in May, on reducing its per capita electricity consumption. signalling a seismic shift in the India’s energy market. It said the per capita electricity consumption has been reduced by 2.88 per cent in 2016-17. Infosys now has 17 LEED platinum-rated buildings, two LEED EB platinum-rated campuses and four buildings with GRIHA 5-star rating, totalling 11.1 million sq ft.

These certifications are used to indicate resource efficiency of buildings. Analyst Tim Buckley said the move away from the The report noted that the company has dirtiest fossil fuel and towards solar in the coun- installed 15.2 MW rooftop solar plants and try would have “profound” implications on global ground-mount installations across its cam- energy markets. puses in India. Besides, the company is also “Measures taken by the Indian government to working on achieving zero waste to landfill improve energy efficiency coupled with ambitious and 100 per cent food waste treatment renewable energy targets and the plummeting within its campuses. Currently, 63 per cent cost of solar has had an impact on existing as well of the waste generated is treated in biogas as proposed coal fired power plants, rendering an plants. increasing number as financially unviable,” he said.

nfosys has installed 9.25 TPD installed capac- “India’s solar tariffs have literally ity of biogas plants across Mysuru, Bengaluru, been free falling in recent months.” I Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Pune, Man A report in February by Delhi-based research galuru and Bhubaneshwar campuses,” it group, The Energy and Resources Institute added. (TERI), found that if the cost of renewable energy continued to fall at the same rate,India During fiscal 2017, Infosys reduced per capita could phase out coal completely by 2050. water consumption by 8.33 per cent over the previous year. Source:independent.co.uk Source:PTI www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 11 INDIA

Apple Plans to Move to 100 Percent Renewable Energy in India, CEO Cook Tells PM Modi Apple plans to run all its business in India on 100 percent renewable energy in the next six months, Gadgets 360 has learned. According to sources, this was one of the things that the company told Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is presently on a tour of the United States.

Ind-Ra notes low coal stocks at power plants

oal availability declined at thermal power stations in April and May, with stock touching critical levels (less than five or seven days) and super critical levels (less than three or four days) at at least eight plants across the country, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in its report on the domestic power sector. Coal stock at 113 power plants was 17.73 million tonnes C (94 per cent domestic and 6 per cent imported) in May, down by 25 per cent month-on-month.

This is the lowest coal stock inventory in the last 17 months. Analysts note that the inventory at plants reduced due to higher coal consumption, as power generation increased given a sharp rise in demand from several States. At the same time, coal production from Coal India Ltd declined in May by 4.3 per cent year-on-year to 40.7 million tonnes. M Modi met with the heads of 20 of the leading US technology firms, Power deficit : Overall, power demand in May 2017 including Tim Cook of Apple, Sunder increased by 6.3 per cent compared to May 2016 to Pichai of Google, and Jeff Bezos of 105.5 billion units (BUs). Even after the sharp increase in Amazon. According to sources, at the demand, India was able to manage the power deficit at meeting, PM Modi was told that there 0.6 per cent, aided by strong generation growth at 7.3 per are 740,000 jobs attributable to iOS, cent year-on-year. Power demand increased by around and that Indian app developers have 12 per cent in Maharashtra, 20 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, P created almost 100,000 apps for the 12 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, 14 per cent in Telangana App Store, a growth of 57 percent, in and around 11 per cent in Haryana, said the report. Ind- 2016. Ra researchers note that while India continues to be coal The company also started produc- dependent for power supply, with coal based capacity tion of the iPhone SE in Bengaluru last at around 196 GW by the end of May, the government’s month, and opened an app accelerator increased focus on renewable energy led to a decline of in Bengaluru where the company said the proportion of coal-based capacity from 62 per cent in it has trained thousands of develop- May 2016 to 59 per cent in May 2017. At the same time, ers. Now it seems that all of this will be India plans to add around 11.4 GW of thermal capacity in powered by renewable energy. FY18. Of this, 32 per cent was already achieved in April and May, the report notes. Source: PTI

12 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com INDIA

Prime Minister Dedicates POWERGRID’s 400 kV Lucknow – Kanpur D/C Transmission Line with Associated Bays to the Nation. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated POWERGRID’s 400 Kilo onstructed as a part of “Northern Re- Volt(kV) Lucknow – Kanpur Direct Current (D/C) Transmission Line with gion Strengthening Scheme-XXXII”, associated bays to the Nation in Lucknow this transmission line will provide high quality transmission infrastructure for ensuring reliable and quality power supply in Uttar Pradesh especially in the areas like Lucknow, Panki, Unnao and Kanpur. The transmission line Cwill also facilitate import of additional power to Uttar Pradesh from power surplus Eastern Region/ North East- ern Region. On this occasion, Governor of Ut- tar Pradesh, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and other dignitaries, senior officials of state and central government along with Chairman & Man- aging Director, Director(Projects), Director(Personnel), Executive Direc- tor NR-III and other senior officials of POWERGRID were also present.

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www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 13 INDIA

Energy Department Invests $7.5 Million to Improve Electric Grid Reliability and Resiliency

the Department of Energy (DOE) announced an award of $7.5 million for a joint U.S.-India five-year project that will help advance the development of the power grid. The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology and industry partners will match DOE’s commitment, bringing the total commitment to $30 million.

nitiative, supported by DOE’s Office of Elec- tricity Delivery and Energy Reliability builds on the Department’s commitment to fostering the reliable, resilient, and secure delivery of electricity needed for strong U.S. national security, economic growth, and global leadership, as well as furthering DOE’s collaboration with India under the U.S.-India Partner- Through JCERDC, U.S world-class installa- ship to Advance Clean Energy (PACE). tions and national laboratories will contrib- I ute their expertise and capabilities as India expands energy access to its remote areas, improves its grid reliability and resilience, and strengthens its energy security. In turn, U.S. participants will gain insight from India’s grid modernization efforts – a potential export market for U.S. equipment worth billions This new consortium demonstrates U.S. and Indian of dollars – as well as promote researcher ac- commitments to ensuring access to affordable and cess to India’s grid operational experience. reliable energy in both countries,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry. “We know that continued UI-ASSIST’s American team, led by Washington grid innovation will promote economic growth and State University, is comprised of MIT, Texas energy security in the United States and India.” A&M University, University of Hawaii, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley The U.S.-India collaborative for smart distribution National Laboratory, Snohomish County (WA) System wIth Storage (UI-ASSIST) was selected as Public Utility District, Avista, Burns and Mc- the new consortia for Smart Grid and Energy Stor- Donnell, ETAP Operation Technology, ALSTOM age under the U.S.-India Joint Clean Energy Re- Grid/GE Grid Solutions, Clean Energy Storage, search and Development Center (JCERDC). To help ABB, Philadelphia Industrial Development pave the way to a more advanced distribution grid Corporation, and the National Rural Electric that will allow for greater use of distributed energy Cooperative Association (NRECA). The India resources, such as microgrids, and energy storage, the new consortia will bring together experts from team is led by the Indian Institute of Technol- academia, DOE’s national laboratories, and industry. ogy (IIT) Kanpur and includes the partners IIIT Together with their counterparts in India, the center Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhubanesh- will conduct research and deploy new smart grid and war, and The Energy and Resources Institute energy storage technologies that will modernize the (TERI) New Delhi. grids of both nations to make them “smarter,” while increasing resilience and reliability. Source: energy.gov

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Regulatory Commissions, India Will Continue To Not Courts To Determine Cut Generation From Electricity Tariff Coal Plants, Says Pow- er Minister Goyal

Power Minister Piyush Goyal said on coal operations in India will reduce further as power grids are now sourcing more from renewable energy sources.

The Supreme Court, in Waryam Steel Castings Pvt Ltd vs Punjab “To support the renewable energy sector, we have State Power Corporation, has reiterated its stand that it would lowered coal plant operations from 70 percent to 55 not be proper for the court to examine the fixation of electricity percent. The ministry has decided to drop down the tariff rates or its revision, while dismissing appeals preferred by technical minimum for coal-based thermal power arc furnace industries in Punjab. plants to 55 percent allowing greater integration of renewable power into the grid,” he said at the release ench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi of a study, developed under the U.S.-India bilateral and Justice Navin Sinha was considering program ‘Greening the Grid’, in New Delhi. pleas against the high court order, where- by it dismissed the challenge questioning echnical and economic viability of the correctness of the quantum/rate of integrating 175 gigawatts (GW) of re- surcharge as determined by the regulatory newable energy into India’s power grid commission and upheld by the appellate by 2022, according to the study. India B tribunal. has set at ambitious target of adding 100 GW of solar energy and 60 GW of wind energy into the country’s energy The court reiterated the observations made in Transmission mix by 2022. TWe will have to be prepared for ramp down of coal to Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd and Anr v. Sai Renew- able Power Private Ltd, wherein it was observed: “The only ensure grid stability. Best way to provide a spinning re- explanation for judicial intervention in tariff fixation/ serve to renewable energy is ultimately hydro. We had revision is where the person aggrieved can show that the an engagement with hydro sector yesterday. Govern- ment can support transmission facility. tariff fixation was illegal, arbitrary or ultra vires the Act. It Piyush Goyal, Power Minister Goyal had assured would be termed as illegal if statutorily prescribed proce- industry leaders from the hydro-power sector at an dure is not followed or it is so perverse and arbitrary that it ASSOCHAM round table discussion on Wednesday hurts the judicial conscience of the court making it neces- that the government can look into the issue of payment sary for the court to intervene. Even in these cases the scope security and interest subvention. of jurisdiction is a very limited one.”

The court further observed that the nature of power ex- “We are also considering to recognise hydro ercised in determining tariff under the Electricity Act 2003, as a renewable energy source and once we do is statutory, and it is required to be exercised within the that, we would have 20 percent of actual energy four corners of the relevant provisions of the 2003 Act i.e. consumed becoming renewable in the next 5-6 Sections 62 to 64 and in accordance with the principles laid years,” down in Section 61 thereof.

Source: livelaw.in Source: bloombergquint www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 17 INDIA

Power demand to soar about 3 times by 2040: Niti Aayog India’s energy demand is likely to soar around three times by 2040, leading to increase in overall primary energy imports, says Niti Aayog’s draft National Energy Policy. raft policy has also revealed that TN to set up Rs 2350 even if efforts were stepped up to enhance domestic energy supply, cr solar photovoltaic coupled with heroic effort to reduce energy demand, India’s overall power park primary energy import dependence could still rise to 36-55 per cent by The Tamil Nadu government today proposed a series of new initia- 2040 from 31 per cent in 2012. tives in various sectors, including energy and power, running D into many thousands of crores of rupees. “As per the energy modelling exercise under- taken by the NITI Aayog — India Energy Security “To support the renewable Scenarios (IESS), 2047, the energy demand of In- energy sector, we have lowered coal plant opera- dia is likely to go up by 2.7-3.2 times between 2012 tions from 70 percent to 55 and 2040, with the electricity component itself percent. The ministry has rising 4.5 fold,” decided to drop down the technical minimum for Niti Aayog said in its Draft National Energy Policy. It coal-based thermal power further noted that an expert group constituted by NITI plants to 55 percent allow- Aayog has determined that meeting the 175 GW renew- ing greater integration able installed capacity target by 2022, would not be as of renewable power into much a financial challenge as a technical one. the grid,” Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the release of a study, developed under the U.S.-India bilateral pro- BHEL bags 15 MW solar gram ‘Greening the Grid’, in New Delhi. photovoltaic plant order in Gujarat State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals has secured an order hief Minister K Palaniswami made suo motu for setting up a 15 MW solar photovoltaic power plant on announcements using Tamil nadu Assem- EPC basis in Gujarat. bly rule No 110, often used by former chief minister Jayalalithaa to spell out her gov- ujarat Alkalies and Chemical Limited ernment’s various initiatives and measures. placed the order for setting up plant Among the announcements made in the at Gujarat Solar Park in Charanka, energy sector, the chief minister said the the power equipment maker said in government will set up an Ultra Mega Solar a statement. This will be BHEL’s first CPhotovoltaic Power Park in Ramanathapuram district at an ground-mounted Solar PV project in estimated cost of Rs 2350 crore. Gujarat. The company is presently State-run TANGEDCO will establish the 500 MW power executing over 180 MW of ground- park on Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) basis mountedG and rooftop Solar PV projects across the at Naripaiyur and adjoining villages in the district, Palaniswa- country, it said. BHEL has been contributing to the na- mi also announced setting up of nearly 130 new sub-stations tional initiatives for developing and promoting renewable & In the Industries sector, the chief minister proposed a energy-based products on a sustained basis since the Multi-Modal Logistics Park in neighbouring Tiruvallur district. past three decades, the company said. It has enhanced The chief minister also announced that the government its state-of-the-art manufacturing lines of solar cells to will establish three industrial estates– one each in Vellore, 105 MW and solar modules to 226 MW per annum. In Tiruvannamalai and Tiruvallur districts, at an estimated cost of Rs 77 crore, in the current year. addition, space-grade solar panels using high efficiency cells and space-grade battery panels are manufactured at its Electronic Systems Division, Bengaluru. Source: PTI Source: PTI

18 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com INDIA

GST: Power tariffs will not rise, says Piyush Goyal Power tariffs will not rise after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime gets implemented from July 1, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said.

ther issue was a dual slab rate structure for cable industry products, which may require a We don’t foresee any upward impact on re-look. To a query whether the lower GST of power tariffs from the GST,” Goyal told 5 per cent on coal would help reduce power the media here following a meeting with tariffs, Goyal said he would meet the forum 75 industry associations. of regulators on Friday to discuss ways to transmit the benefits of tax reduction to “All the sectors had technical issues Oconsumers. about the GST, which have been largely He also said the industry was enthusiastic resolved across the table in this meeting, about the transition to a more transparent tax except two issues where more consulta- regime that would be the “biggest reform that tions are required.” ever happened in independent India”. “Not a Goyal said one of the unresolved issues single participant at today’s meeting request- concerns fly ash, which is an environ- ed deferment (of GST implementation).” mental friendly product, but the ministry was not in favour of a separate classifi- cation for it under the GST.

Source:BT

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649 govt schools in French Consulate heritage C’garh electrified building installed Waaree’s through solar energy 144 Modules produce 5,700 As many as 649 government schools in remote areas of Chhat- tisgarh have been electrified through solar energy. units electricity per month

Electrification of government schools in remote areas of the state through solar energy, being done by Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), is going on at a good pace,” an energy department official said today. So far atleast 649 schools have been covered under the project against the target of 1,561 schools, he said. Waaree Energies Ltd supplied 144 solar panels on the roof top of the consulate building. The heritage building houses of French he 649 schools, CREDA has set up solar power plants in 490 while ensured supply Consulate of Puducherry became the first administrative building connectivity in 159 schools where solar of the French government in India to go green. power plants were already established, he added.The total cost to supply power nauguration done by V. Narayanasamy in 1,561 schools through solar energy has (Chief Minister of Puducherry) with been estimated at around Rs 45.98 crore the renovated reception hall of the of which so far Rs 8.18 crore have been Embassy that can be completely lit spentT by CREDA, he said. Besides, a proposal of Rs 37.80 by sunlight alone. Apart from replac- crore has been sent to Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyaan office here ing LED lights in the hall, the architects for the electrification of remaining schools, the official. have constructed surfaces on the pillars that can bounce light back to the ceiling and diffuse I it lighting up the entire central hall.

CleanMax Solar to pow- French Consul General in Puduch- erry Philippe Janvier Kamiyama er Chennai Metro said that as per an energy audit carried out in 2015, the embassy Onsite solar energy provider CleanMax Solar has bagged the order building fulfils the criteria for a to power Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. five star rating, the highest level of certification of energy efficiency given by leanMax has bagged six MW Solar Rooftop Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). Turnkey contract on RESCO model (Re- newable Energy Service Company (RES- CO) model) that would be used to power metro stations, depots and administration Inspired by the United Nations Conference on Climate buildings, Change held in Paris during December 2015 (known as COP 21), the Embassy of France in India decided to implement C several projects to make the Puducherry Consulate building “The venture will involve the installation environment friendly during the year 2016. of rooftop and ground mounted solar Waaree Energies Ltd supplied 144 solar panels on the roof PV plants at 12 metro stations and at the top of the consulate building. The 45.36 kW capacity roof top maintenance depot in Koyambedu,” it said. on-grid solar system produces on an average 5700 units per month. “Since mid-July, the solar plant has produced more than 33,000 units of power thus saving more than 2.3 lakh,” he The move was also in line with the Centre’s added. vision of moving towards renewable energy He said: “The continuous technical improvements and by 2022. With the use of renewable energy, change in user habits over more than a decade are bearing the company said it would reduce the fruits for making this consulate a very environment friendly carbon dioxide emission by 7,438 tonnes building. While this building consumed 53,358 units of power per year and save Rs 1.50 crore annually to in July 2002, the bill for July 2016 shows 16,889 units, a Chennai Metro. reduction of more than 68%, an indicator of all the efforts un- dertaken both in the domains of conservation and production.” Source:TOI

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845MW worth solar power plants Daimler’s Chennai plant installed across India: NTPC to run on green power German auto maker Daimler will power its truck The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India has recently re- and bus manufacturing factory using renewable vealed that India now hosts so solar power capacity worth 845 MW, after energy from next year. the recent addition of the 225 MW Mandsaur Solar Power Project - a 250 MW solar farm located in Madhya Pradesh. he 400-acre manufacturing remaining 25 MW will be commissioned as soon campus of Daimler India Com- as evacuation constraints pertaining to the solar mercial Vehicles (DICV), Indian park developer Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited arm of Daimler, at Oragadam are eradicated; PV Magazine quoted the Mercom near Chennai meets more than Capital Group, as reporting. 70 per cent of its electrical Apart from this, Vikram Solar, BHEL and Tata needs from renewable sources. Power also have 50 MW plants currently operating T on the site.Solar power is being increasingly pro- “About 16 per cent of our factory’s day- moted as an alternative source of energy, the latest to-day energy needs are met through one being the installation of solar panels on the solar energy. Another 55-60 per cent of rooftopR of all Kochi Metro Rail stations Apart from this, the Delhi Metro the energy is sourced from wind mills. is also enabled with solar PV, and is set to further expand the capacity. Mumbai is also considering the creation of a rooftop solar network to Our total electrical power consumption be incorporated with the Central Railways. in 2016 was 28 MWh,” Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler Trucks Asia, told Busi- nessLine.

MoU between NTPC and MOP DICV has entered into contract with wind power producers. It has set up solar panels for for 2017-18 a total capacity of 3.3 MW at its Oragadam facil- As per the MOU, NTPC has generation target of 250 Billion Units during ity. By 2018, the factory’s power demand will be the year under “Excellent” category. Revenue target from Operations entirely met renewable energy sources. “With under “Excellent” category is Rs 79,280 Crore. that,” he believes, “this will be the first automotive plant that will be run fully on green power,” ddition to above, parameters related to financial Through its solar panels alone, 3,500 tonnes of performance, operational efficiency, CAPEX, CO2 are saved every year. These solar panels projects monitoring and HR Management are were made in India. also part of MoU in line with guidelines of Depart- ment of Public Enterprises. NTPC is the largest “Going green is no longer about im- power utility company in India with a total installed age-building, it is about creating energy capacity of 51,635 MW. Company has presence efficiency. Solar and wind energy prices in Coal , Gas , Solar PV, Hydro and Wind Power are now competitive. It is just a ques- A Generation and Coal Mining. tion of whether you want it or not,”

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rooftop

Solar power helps pump up petrol sales amid power shortage Solar energy is displacing fossil fuels across the globe. But in India, it is helping boost sales of diesel and petrol at filling stations.

s petrol pumps start using solar energy, many of them, especially in the hinterland with ample A “Solar is not just about being environment-friendly. It is sunlight, are reclaiming as much paying off financially as it helps raise sales as well as bring as 10 per cent of sales earlier lost down the operating cost for petrol pumps,” said AK Shar- due to inadequate and erratic grid ma, director (finance) at Indian Oil Corp, the nation’s power supply. Some of the newer largest fossil fuel retailer, which has about a quarter of its pumps have opted for solar only 26,500 pumps using solar energy. Hindustan Petroleum to avoid the higher cost of grid and Bharat Petroleum have about 9 per cent and 7.5 per cent of their pumps using solar energy, respectively. power.

hree years ago, Vikas Sharma, the manager of an Indian Oil pump at Bhojpur in Ghaziabad district, “All these accumulate into a substantial loss would lose up to 10 per cent of his monthly sales of business in a month,” said Sharma, who in- as electricity was available for only 8-10 hours stalled solar panels in early 2015 at his decade- daily, not necessarily during business hours. “Not old pump to the meet fuel demand that’s grow- every customer is ready to wait. By the time you ing with rising rural incomes and roads getting get your boys to start the backup generator, the increasingly better. T customer would have left. That’s the cost one pays “This has changed everything for us,” he daily for being dependent on grid,” said Sharma, said, pointing to the silicon sheets shining in the who runs a fuel outlet for rural customers, about 50 summer sun on top of his sales office at the fill- km from the Delhi border. ing station surrounded on three sides by fields Sometimes the staff at filling stations is too lazy awaiting sowing of the season. to even start the generator, knowing the cost of “Earlier, half the time our boys would be busy running it would be more than the money made calling up the grid power supplier’s office to from a motorcyclist wanting to fill Rs 20 worth of correct faults, or starting the diesel generator or petrol. getting some mechanic to repair the generator In about two and a half years, Sharma has if it was acting up,” he said. With quality power more than recouped his investment of Rs 5.5 lakh supply from solar, even the cost of equipment on solar installation. His electricity bill halved to Rs maintenance has fallen. 7,000 a month and expenses of Rs 15,000 a month on the backup generator disappeared, saving him Rs 22,000 a month. Sharma isn’t going totally off- “The initial cost of connecting to a grid was grid because it would be difficult if he ever wanted Rs 2.5-3 lakh then. And for a supply of 6-8 hours to draw power from the grid in future. a day, I would have had to pay a minimum Rs On the other hand, dealers like Prabhat Tyagi 5,000 every month. Add to this cost of a diesel have never looked at grid as an option. He has re- generator. Therefore, I chose solar installation, lied on solar for all energy needs since 2012, when which came for Rs 6 lakh and no operating he started operating a filling station in Ghaziabad. cost.”

Source: ET

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Installed Solar Project at Khopoli Facility, Maharashtra First and Only Company in ERW segment to Power its facility with Solar Energy. Solar project to generate 1100 MWh / Year, Same amount of energy sufficient to power the installed and upcoming Capacities 24OO Solar Panels mounted, on an area equivalent to 3.75 Acres Over 12,000 solar pumps ama Steel Tubes Limited (BSE: 539309, NSE: RAMASTEEL), a leading player in the manufacturing of ERW pipes, has lnstalled Solar distributed to farmers in Project at Khopoli Facility, Maharashtra. This Solar project will be generating 1100 MWh Chhattisgarh / Year of energy, same amount of energy needed to power the installed and upcoming Over 12,000 solar pumps have been distributed so far to the farm- Capacities.R The solar project has a capacity of 750 KWp and ers at subsidised rates under ‘Saur Sujala Yojna’ in Chhattisgarh. will generate the same amount of energy needed to power the current as well as the planned upcoming capacity. An ar- About 12,161 solar powered pumps had been provid- ray of 2400 solar panels carpets the land, converting sunlight into electrical currents. lt will save money and energy while ed to the farmers till now against the target of 11,300 also protecting the environment. under ‘Saur Sujala Yojna’ since the inception of the scheme in November last year,

Commenting on the Solar installation, Mr. Richi Bansal, CEO, Rama Steel Tubes Ltd Chief Minister Raman Singh said, "We ore very pleased to inform the Com- was informed about the de- pony hos successfully instolled Solor Project ot velopment under the scheme Khopoli Focility, Mohorashtra. We ore the first while he was chairing a review ond the only Compony in ERW segment to ln- stoll Solor ponels ot its focility. We ore delighted meeting of the energy depart- to be working with Viso Powertech Pvt Ltd to help ment at his official residence us ochieve our su stoi n a bi I ity o m biti on s today, he said. Prime Minister had launched the ‘Saur Sujala’ scheme on state. Sunsure Commissions Lat- foundation day on November 1, 2016 in Raipur. It’s aim was to strengthen agriculture by providing irrigation facilities, particularly where there is no power supply, est Plant – 2000 kWp Roof- and development of farmers in the state, he said. During the meeting, the chief minister instructed the top Solar for Merino Panel officials to focus more in 85 tribal-dominated development blocks for the distribution of the solar energy- based irrigation pumps, the official said. Singh expressed Products in Haryana satisfaction that the department had distributed more solar pumps than the set target and congratulated the A 280 kWp Rooftop Solar plant was inaugurated by Shri C.L. officials, he said. Lohia, Merino Group CMD on 5th May, 2017 at Merino Panel Products Ltd. (MPPL), Bahadurgarh. The CM further stressed on the need to cover With this latest addition, Merino 20,000 farmers under this scheme by the end Group’s total installed rooftop solar capac- of this year pointing that farmers belonging to ity has reached 2000 kWp spread across remote areas and inaccessible regions, should 3 states in India. At 2 Megawatt installed, be given priority while distribution. Notably, Merino Group’s unwavering confidence farmers are being provided solar-irrigation in solar energy places it among the top pumps of 5-horsepower and 3-horsepower at industries using rooftop solar in India. heavilyT subsidized rates in the state. Solar irrigation pump WSunsure Energy Pvt. Ltd. – a Delhi-based turnkey solar worth Rs 3.5 lakh (3hp) is being given to Scheduled Caste projects developer – has installed 1400 kWp of this 2000 and Scheduled Tribe classes at the cost of Rs 7,000, to Oth- kWp, including the 280 kWp plant inaugurated this month. er Backward Class (OBC) at Rs 12,000 and general category Commissioned in June 2016, this was the largest single-site farmers at Rs 18,000.The remaining amount is borne by the rooftop solar plant in Haryana at the time. Pleased with the state government, Besides, the chief minister also directed superior performance of Sunsure’s plant, Merino and Sun- the officials to complete electrification of all villages and ham- sure joined hands again for setting up a 500 kWp plant at lets by March next year. Similarly, he also asked to complete Merino Industries Limited, Uttar Pradesh which was commis- the installation of 32 power substations being established in sioned in October 2016. different parts of the state, by March next year. Source : PTI

26 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com rooftop

Rooftop solar to become norm by CEL launches 600 KW solar plant 2040: Niti Aayog NEW DELHI: Rooftop solar set-ups would become the norm in the country by 2040, according to government think-tank Niti Aayog’s draft National Energy Policy (NEP). owever, the draft NEP has maintained that in an increased electricity share and in the immediate run-up towards universal coverage of electricity, it may not be viable to tap rooftop solar for homes. According to the draft, the share of solar and wind is expected to be 14-18 per cent and 9-11 per cent in electricity, and 3-5 per cent and 2-3 per cent in entral Electronic Ltd (CEL) has com- the primary commercial energy mix respectively, by missioned a 600 KW solar power H2040. The draft also noted that the advent of Electric Vehicles (EVs) plant in Sahibabad Industrial Area will help curb a rise in share of oil. Environment friendly gas would of Ghaziabad. This takes the total substitute oil in many uses. However, captive solar power capacity on the CEL campus to 1 MW, said a “the share of oil and gas would have almost maintained their company statement. The plant was shares of 26 per cent and 6.5 per cent in 2015-16 to 25-27 per C inaugurated by Minister of Science cent and 8-9 per cent in 2040, respectively.” and Technology Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday. He also laid the While coal would have risen in absolute terms (nearly double), but foundation stone for a Solar Technol- in relative terms, it would have reduced its contribution from 58 per ogy Park in the CEL campus and cent in 2015 to 44-50 per cent in 2040, the draft said. The overall launched a solar rickshaw developed share of fossil fuels would come down from 81 per cent in 2012 to by CEL at the event. 78 per cent in ambitious pathway in 2040. Source:PTI

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 27 rooftop

Delhi Government Signs CleanMax Enerparc India Installs World’s Solar as Sustainability Partner 1st Solar Power Plant on Ship CleanMax Solar, India’s largest on-site solar power pro- to Shore (STS) Cranes at Gateway vider has been awarded a 2.5 MW contract by Indraprastha Power Generation Co Ltd (IPGCL) who has the mandate to Terminals India. execute solar project.

epartment of Power, Delhi Government to meet their growing power demands at several institutes and prime locations around the city. With this, CleanMax Solar will aid public facilities and infrastructure projects to go green by adopting sustainable sources of energy. for a city whose air pollution levels Dhave spiralled out of control, the clean solar power CleanMax Solar’s plants will come as a relief to the capital. With the city’s electricity consumption on the rise, the rooftop solar plants will assist in bridging the demand-supply gap, generating enough energy to power 1500 homes. Furthermore, the plants are expected to slash carbon dioxide content by up to 1074 tons annually. Cumulatively, the plants will also meet a Enerparc India Installs World’s 1st Solar Power Plant whopping total of 50 percent of the power saving per unit and on Ship to Shore (STS) Cranes at Gateway Terminals India. will save taxpayers INR 55 lakhs per annum through their pay as you go OPEX model. Solar installation on STS cranes is a unique project and 1st of its kind in the Commenting on winning the tender, world. Though the site was complex Andrew Hines, Co-Founder, CleanMax and had its own set of challenges, Solar said, “We are very happy to have the project was completed in a timely been awarded the contracts to provide manner, keeping in mind the exemplary sustainable energy solutions for the city quality and highest safety standards” said of Delhi. While CleanMax is already the Mr. Amit Barve, Vice President Business Development industry leader in solar solutions to corporates, we see at Enerparc Energy a fantastic opportunity to help government and institutional clients to do the same. As a city that has grappled with the adverse effects of air pollution on, opting for nerparc Energy Pvt, Ltd. Indian subsidiary of Global Solar EPC and Investment Compa- solar energy is a great way for Delhi to meet its energy nyEnerparc AG, Germany recently commis- requirement while also reducing its energy costs and sioned 162kWp Solar PV power plant on its carbon footprint.” roof of Ship to Shore (STS) cranes located at Nava-Sheva port near Mumbai. The complete project right from concept stage, to designing, Registration open for rooftop engineering and construction was executed byE Enerparc for Gateway Terminals India Pvt. Ltd., part of solar power plants APM Terminals Global network. The Delhi government’s power department today said it has APM Terminal, one of the world leader in port, terminal opened registration process for installation of rooftop and inland services is not new to benefits of Solar Energy. solar power plants in the city, as it aims to tap one Giga Watt In the 1st phase Enerparc has already installed 413kWp of rooftop solar PV system at various sites of the customer. To of green energy by the year 2020. expand further, roof of control room on top of STS cranes “The registration process has been opened for resi- was identified. APM have in total 10 heavy duty STS cranes dents of Delhi in the residential, institutional and so- which are used for loading and unloading of containers from cial sector categories under the city government’s ship to shore and other way around. The location was chal- solar policy of 2016 and Delhi Electricity Regula- lenging as these control room are at height of 65m from the tory Commission’s (Net Metering for Renewable ground level and are subjected to constant vibration from Energy) Regulations 2014,” a senior official said. the high shore winds and movement of crane in different Under the scheme, 30 per cent central finance directions, also the beams supporting the crane keeps cast- Sassistance will be given by the Ministry of New and ing shadow on installed solar modules. Renewable Energy (MNRE) on the cost of solar photo-voltaic Enerparc with its technical knowledge and solar exper- plant. The generation based incentive (GBI) of Rs two per tise overcame these challenges by using the right technol- unit is also there for residential category, the official said. The ogy for solar modules, so that the concerns related to micro Indraprastha Power Generation Company Ltd (IPGCL) has cracks (due to movement of crane) as well as hot spots (due empanelled vendors for solar photo-voltaic installations. to partial shading from support beams) are addressed.

Source : PTI

28 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com BUSINESS & FINANCE

YES BANK SIGNS GREEN FINANCE CHARTER WITH EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTITUTIONS – FMO OF NETHERLANDS, DEG OF GERMANY AND PROPARCO OF FRANCE YES BANK, India’s fourth largest private sector bank, and FMO (the Development Bank of the Netherlands), along with DEG (the Development Bank of Germany) and Proparco (the Development Bank of France), organized Sharing his thoughts on the opportunity of an investment symposium on ‘The Opportunity of Green green finance in India, Mr. Rana Kapoor, Finance in India’, where the four banks signed a charter MD & CEO, YES BANK, said, “Green Financing has become a propeller of the to champion green finance in India. global sustainability agenda and will play a mission critical role in meeting India’s climate targets. The government’s thrust anks commit- Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX). YES towards transforming India into a low- ted to mobilize BANK issued India’s first ever carbon economy offers financial institutions green invest- Green Infrastructure Bonds in and investors an unprecedented opportunity to leverage green ments, seize February 2015, raising INR 10 financing as a growth accelerator for sunrise and climate positive opportunities in billion, followed by a second sectors such as renewable energy. YES BANK has taken a lead in India’s sunrise issue of INR 3.15 billion in demonstrating innovative climate financing mechanisms, and sectors, and August 2015. In September catalyzing the Indian climate finance market. We are proud to contribute to 2016, YES BANK raised INR partner and to facilitate global development banks in expanding Bachieving India’s Nationally De- 3.3 billion by issuing a 7-year their green portfolios in India.” termined Contribution (NDC) term green bond to FMO – the and Sustainable Development Dutch bank’s first investment Goals (SDG) targets, towards in Green Infrastructure Bond Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Linda climate change. issued by a bank in India. Broekhuizen, Chief Investment Officer, The symposium, which Over 50 different domes- FMO, said, “FMO is convinced that to accelerate aimed to shed light on the tic and international financial green finance and to have a meaningful impact, increasing investment poten- institutions, spanning the public it is essential that financial institutions, govern- tial of green assets in India and private sector, including ments and international development finance and the Asia-Pacific region, regulators, stock exchanges, institutions bundle forces. This event forms a also marked the launch of rating agencies, banks, private unique platform to discuss the opportunity-side of green finance, YES BANK’s first Green Bond equity firms, and DFIs, at- connect the parties and propel local prosperity.” Impact Report, highlight- tended the symposium. Also in ing the outcomes of projects attendance were key stalwarts financed by the Bank’s three from the banking and finance Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Karin Homermann, Vice green bonds, as of FY17. The industry such as Mr. Ashish- President, DEG, said, “DEG as a development finance institu- proceeds of the green bonds kumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, tion is focusing on green finance and has invested in the de- issued by YES BANK have Bombay Stock Exchange; velopment of wind, solar and hydro power assets in India since helped fund renewable energy Ms. Ayaan Z. Adam, Director, 2008. We are looking forward to work on sustainable solutions projects across nine states Private Sector Facility, Green together with our partners YES BANK, FMO and Proparco in of India, and are estimated to Climate Fund; Ms. Chandni order to contribute to India’s clean energy transition.” generate 2.35 million MWh of Khosla, Head, International About YES BANK electricity, annually. Addition- Business, National Stock ally, these projects will poten- Exchange, and Ms. Bar- YES BANK has adopted international best practices, tially avoid annual emissions nali Mukherjee, Chief General the highest standards of service quality and operational of 2.3 MT of Carbon Dioxide Manager, Securities Exchange excellence, and offers comprehensive banking and finan- (CO2), 19 KT of Sulphur Board of India, amongst others. cial solutions to all its valued customers. Dioxide (SO2), and 5.7 KT of Source:Yes Bank www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 29 rooftop

Mumbai housing society switches to solar power, saves Rs 2 lakh a month on electricity bills Residents of a housing complex in Kandivli are leaving no stone unturned in reducing their carbon footprint. Be it rainwater harvesting, use of solar power, installation of LED bulbs, getting waste water treatment plants or maintaining a green cover, the 230 families residing in Raheja Eternity have gone all out to develop a sustainable living environment.

GOLDEN TEMPLE KITCHEN TO he residents of the 20-storey building have reduced their dependence on the electric- SOON GO SOLAR ity grid by nearly 60% by using solar power The SGPC plans to switch over to solar energy soon to cook generated in the premises. The residents collected Rs.35 lakh to install a 65KW rooftop langar in the world’s largest kitchen at the Golden Temple. At solar system to mark World Environment Day present, at Sri Guru Ramdas Langar Hall, free food is prepared in June. Their energy conservation efforts, through LPG and some amount of wood is also used as fuel to Thowever, started before this. They replaced all regular lights prepare food for about 60,000 devotees daily. in the building’s common areas with energy-efficient LED bulbs. umber increases during weekends and special occasions. The langar preparation sourced through solar energy would not only Hardoi’s Royal Enfield reduce the use of wood, which is the main source of pollution, but would also help in showroom goes all-solar reducing the expenses on LPG cylinders. However, little did he know that it would change his life. Intro- Around 5,000 LPG cylinders are used in the N kitchen every month. duction to Su-Kam’s youtube channel was a turning point for A team of Punjab Energy Development him. It was at that point of time that he decided to solarize his Authority led by its director Balor Singh showroom in Hardoi. today explored the area where the solar energy plant was to be installed. PEDA has olar plant generates approximately 5 units of been working on a plan to prepare langar electricity every day depending on the weather at the shrine with a solar steam cooking conditions and powers 15 lights and 7 fans in the system for long. showroom. This was made possible due to the initiative of Su-Kam under which a solar inverter called Brainy Eco was installed in the showroom. Brainy Eco consists of an intelligent off-grid solar A solar plant has been proposed. Golden Ssystem that runs both on solar and mains. In Temple manager Sulakhan Singh said, this office, for example, if they want to use mains power “This plant will not only be eco-friendly but whenever it is available they can select grid priority so that will also be efficient in cooking vegetables, whenever mains is available, the load will run on mains and battery will charge by mains. On all other times, it will give daal, chapattis etc. Other sources of fuel priority to solar. The same way one can select solar priority like the LPG system will also be kept as to maximum use solar power at all times. backup in case of cloudy weather or a snag,” he said. The solution is not only eco-friendly but also a cost –effective measure to tackle power crisis,” says Kunwer Sachdev, Managing Meanwhile, the work on modernising the Director, Su-Kam. For Nihal, the solar en- new langar hall is in full swing. The new ergy has solved his power woes. “Installing building would have four floors, including the solar plant has indeed made life comfort- basement. The new facility will boast of an able for me and my customers. For a small ultramodern cooking facility, air-conditioned town like Hardoi, where load shedding is the order of the day, solar energy comes to our rescue. The switch- sitting place, lifts, separate provision for over time of the inverter is minimal thus enabling my washing the vegetables, basement for stor- operations to run smoothly. It has also substantially age of vegetables and ration, apart from a reduced our electricity bills,” he says. Impressed by suc- conveyor system. cessful operations, Nihal has decided to solarize all his upcoming ventures.

30 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 31 BUSINESS & FINANCE

GE Energy Financial Services to invest $90 million in RattanIndia’s solar power assets Attracted by India’s growing clean energy play, GE Energy Financial Services (GEEFS) is expanding its Indian renewable energy portfolio and plans to invest $90 million to develop a solar power project portfolio of 500 megawatt (MW) with RattanIndia Group.

E’s investment in the Indian project comes at a time when financing at the lowest cost has become the key to success, with bids falling almost by the day (projects are awarded to the firm that agrees to charge the lowest tariff). GGEEFS has made investment commitments of around $15 billion globally.

RattanIndia and GEEFS are partnering to develop 500MW solar assets in the ratio of 51:49. GEEFS will be investing $90 million for the 500MW solar portfolio and has already invested money in 210MW solar projects of RattanIndia located in Govern- ment Solar Parks at Bhadla (Rajasthan), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Pavagada (Karna- taka) and in RattanIndia’s own land at Katol (Maharashtra),” said Anjali Rattan, chief Through its subsidiary Yarrow Infrastructure Ltd, it executive office of RattanIndia Solar, in also won a 70MW solar project at a tariff of Rs4.36 an emailed statement. per kWh in an NTPC Ltd-run e-auction. Rajiv Rattan co-founded the Indiabulls Group in 1999. India has an ambitious clean energy In July 2014, the power and infrastructure businesses target of adding 175 gigawatts (GW) by were split from Indiabulls and rebranded RattanIndia, 2022 and has announced its intent to stay with Rattan as chairman. the course on its commitments to reduce carbon emissions despite the US’s with- RattanIndia group has thermal power plants with drawal from the Paris climate agreement on installed capacity of 2,700MW and renewable plants grounds the deal favoured India and China totalling 300MW. and was unfair to the US. It sells most of the renewable power produced at its “GE Energy Financial Services’ plants to central government entities such as NTPC investment will provide dry powder to and Solar Energy Corp. of India Ltd. RattanIndia Group to bid for future solar power projects,” said a person aware of the development on condition of ano- “All future capacity addition of the Group will be done under nymity. renewables segment only and the capacity of RattanIndia GEEFS has previously invested in Group will be scaled to 5,000MW in near term”, said Anjali Welspun Renewables Energy Pvt. Ltd’s Rattan. Neemuch plant, Atria Power wind projects India’s installed solar power generation capacity has risen at Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh over fourfold to 12.2GW from 2.6GW as of 26 May 2014. The and Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, and National Democratic Alliance government has been promoting Greenko Group Plc.’s wind projects in India. solar power in the country. As part of this push, it has decided Spokespersons for GEEFS and GE India to continue the policy of exempting solar power producers from did not respond to emails seeking com- interstate supply charges till December 2019. “The decision was ment. The solar energy business in India taken by the ministry of power in consultation with the Ministry has seen a significant decline in tariffs from of New and Renewable Energy and other stakeholders since Rs10.95-12.76 per kilo-watt hour (kWh) in imposition of charges would have raised cost of using solar 2010-11. They hit a new low of Rs2.44 per power from another state by Rs1-2.50 per kWh, depending on unit in May at the auction of 500MW capac- the distance it is transmitted and voltage at which it is supplied,” ity at the Bhadla solar park in Rajasthan. India Ratings and Research wrote in a 28 June report.

32 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com featured

Solar power: US gives India time till year-end to scrap local sourcing rules The United States has agreed to give India time till December 14 this year to remove the requirement for mandatory domestic sourcing of solar panels and modules under its national solar power generation programme.

his means that all contracts for solar power production entered into with power producers after December 14 under the Jawaharlal Ne- Poultry issue hru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) should not include compulsory domestic sourcing The US, in a separate still implemented, to be norms which the World Trade Organisation dispute on import restric- re-worked. has ruled against,” a government official tions on poultry, imposed toldT BusinessLine. Washington decided to give New a demand for $450 million “WTO judgements Delhi up to 14 months to change its rules and bring them annual compensation are implemented with in conformity with the Dispute Settlement Body’s (DSB) from India for alleged fail- prospective effect. recommendations following intense consultations between ure to implement a WTO Hopefully, the US would the two countries on the reasonable period of time for verdict within the reason- not insist on re-working implementation of the WTO verdict against India’s local able period of time. old contracts as it sourcing norms. could lead to a serious The usual implementation period at the WTO (de- “India moved to change set back for the pro- cided by the complainant) is between 12 months and 15 its rules in poultry only gramme,” the official months, but sometimes it could be lesser. The DSB had after the US demanded said. ruled in favour of a US complaint against the requirement compensation. The that power producers under the JNNSM should com- disagreement between The WTO judgement pulsory procure a part of solar panels and modules for the two countries on the against India in the solar their projects from local producers as it argued that the matter is still on. Such power dispute is a big provision discriminated against foreign producers. While a situation should be blow to the country’s the JNNSM aims to add 100,000MW of solar power by avoided through timely fledgling solar component 2022, the local content requirement is only for 8,000 MW action by all Minis- manufacturing indus- for rooftop and land-based projects where the government tries and Departments try which faces huge provides a subsidy. concerned in the solar competition from imports case,” he added. from China and the US. The Ministry of New and “Now that the US has agreed to give India 14 In the solar dispute, Renewable Energy has, months (from date of adoption of DSB rul- what also needs to be however, assured the ing on October 14, 2016) it should utilise the seen is whether the US industry that it was look- time to make the necessary change its rules would want the contracts ing at alternative ways of and not wait for the last minute to do so as signed before December supporting local manufac- 14, 2017, but were being turers. it did in the case of the poultry dispute,” a trade expert based in Delhi said.

Source : BL www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 33 featured

Dutch PM lauds In- dia’s commitment to renewable energy, Paris Climate Agreement Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has laud- ed India for its commitment to renewable energy and the Paris Climate Agreement.

“I commend India for its commitment to renewable energy and to the Paris Climate Agree- ment,” he said in a joint statement with Indian Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi at Catshuis.Prime Minister Rutte said

“It is with the help of Netherlands “This visit of mine to Netherlands was decided that India successfully got at a very short notice and yet I have to put membership of Missile Technol- in the record that the way visit has been ogy Control Regime last year,” organized not only would you agree to ac- Prime Minister Naredra commodating this visit at a short notice but Modi said in joint statement in a very short period of time a very substan- with Dutch PM Mark Rutte at tive programme has been setup and it is very Catshuis. result oriented program,”

Asserting that ties between India and onds between India and The Netherlands goes Netherlands are very old, PM Modi said that back to 1947 and these relations have become the bilateral relations between both sides stronger over the years. Prime Minister Modi are very strong. Describing Netherlands as has announced major sustainability initiatives a natural partner in the economic develop- like ‘Clean India’ and ‘Make in India’ and as- ment of India, PM Modi said the trade and serted that The Netherlands is a key partner economic ties between both sides are increas- of India in a achieving its goal. Prime Minis- ing. He added that the both countries have B ter Rutte further that India’s development is intention to always make the bilateral ties opening doors to trade and investment in both deeper and closer. countries. Highlighting that India is a global economic “Today world is inter dependent and inter power consisting of 1.2 billion population, connected therefore its absolutely natural Indian markets have a lot of potential and The that in our discussions that we will not only Netherlands have a lot to offer to India. He discuss bilateral issue but also international also noted that 20 percent of India’s export to issues of importance.,” Europe enters through The Netherlands. Prime Minister Modi on his part thanked The Nether- lands for helping India get membership of Mis- Emphasising on the Indian Diaspora in sile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last Netherlands, PM Modi said that they are year. PM Modi also expressed his gratitude the living links and living bridge between to the warm welcome that has been accorded the two countries. him and his entire delegation, adding that this shows Netherlands warm sentiments towards Indian people.

34 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com featured

India’s electricity requirement Renewables set seen soaring 37% in 5 years to dominate $10.2 Electrical energy requirement is expected to grow by 37% in five years, trillion investment according to the 19th electric power survey (EPS) report released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The country needs 1,566 billion units (BUs) of energy in FY22, the report said. into energy by 2040 ew Energy Outlook 2017 – nergy requirement in FY17 was close to 1,143 BU, Long-term forecast of the reflecting an annual growth of 2.6%. According to world’s power sector. Renew- the 18th EPS published in 2011, energy requirement able energy sources are set to in FY17 was expected to be 1,355 BU. The electri- represent almost three quarters cal energy requirement on an all-India basis during of the $10.2 trillion the world FY27, FY32 and FY37 has been assessed as 2,047 Nwill invest in new power gener- BU, 2,531 BU and 3,049 BU, respectively. The report ating technology until 2040, thanks to rapidly also added that the expected peak demand in FY22 falling costs for solar and wind power, and a would be 226 GW. However, it may be noted that the growing role for batteries, including electric previous EPS had seen a peak demand in FY17 at vehicle batteries, in balancing supply and de- E199.5 GW, 25% lower than the actual peak demand in the same period. mand. Focused on the electricity system, NEO The current installed power generating capacity in the country is nearly combines the expertise of over 80 market 329.3 GW. HomeEconomy India’s electricity requirement seen soaring and technology specialists in 12 countries to 37% in 5 years. India’s electricity requirement seen soaring 37% in 5 provide a unique view of how the market will years Electrical energy requirement is evolve to 2040. expected to grow by 37% in five years, Nat Bullard: Investing trillions in according to the 19th electric power electricity’s sunny future survey report released by Electrical energy requirement india, indian Electri- ‘Electricity’s future is sunny and windy, too - to cal energy requirement, Electrical energy the tune of trillions of dollars of new invest- requirement in india, electric power ment. While wind is tops in dollars, solar survey, 19th electric power survey, latest continues to decline in cost, and that means it electric power survey, eps report, electric will pass nuclear generation capacity this year, power survey report Energy requirement wind in 2022 and gas in 2031. In 2032, solar in FY17 was close to 1,143 BU, reflecting capacity will exceed coal-fired power genera- an annual growth of 2.6%. tion capacity, and it is the single largest source Electrical energy requirement is of capacity (though not of electrons) on the expected to grow by 37% in five years, global grid. according to the 19th electric power sur- Bloomberg Radio: Electric cars will vey (EPS) report released by the Central be cheaper than gas cars Electricity Authority (CEA). The country New BNEF research shows that falling battery needs 1,566 billion units (BUs) of energy costs will mean electric vehicles will be cheap- in FY22, the report said. er than fuel-powered ones in the U.S. and Energy requirement in FY17 was close Europe as soon as 2025. Colin McKerracher, to 1,143 BU, reflecting an annual growth Head of Advanced Transport for Bloomberg of 2.6%. According to the 18th EPS New Energy Finance, joins Bloomberg Mar- published in 2011, energy requirement in kets AM with Pimm Fox and Lisa Abramowicz FY17 was expected to be 1,355 BU. The electrical energy requirement to discuss electric cars, battery prices, price on an all-India basis during FY27, FY32 and FY37 has been assessed competitiveness and how the automotive as 2,047 BU, 2,531 BU and 3,049 BU, respectively. The report also industry might be shifting in the future. added that the expected peak demand in FY22 would be 226 GW. How- ever, it may be noted that the previous EPS had seen a peak demand in Rapid growth in data centers a FY17 at 199.5 GW, 25% lower than the actual peak demand in the same boon for lithium batteries period. The current installed power generating capacity in the country is Data centers are the major purchasers of lead- nearly 329.3 GW. The peak electricity demand has been estimated as based batteries which improve the power qual- 226 GW, 299 GW, 370 GW and 448 GW during FY22, FY27, FY32 and ity and provide instantaneous back-up power. FY37, respectively. This is a rapidly growing market: demand for Speculations of an additional requirement can come as a ray of battery back-up in data centers across North hope for the power industry, which is currently mired in a low-demand America and Europe will quadruple between scenario. This has led to power plants operating at low plant load factors 2016 and 2025, rising from 3.5 to 14 gigawatt- (PLFs) which makes it difficult to service debts. The average PLF for hours. A smaller number of ‘hyperscale’ data thermal power plants across the country was 59.8% in FY17. PLF for centers, operated by companies such as private sector plants was 55.7%. About 33,000 MW of coal-based power Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Micro- plants currently do not have long-term power purchase agreements. Out soft will dominate the data center market in the of this, more than 18,000 MW are already commissioned. Source: FE coming years. Source: BNEF www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 35 featured

State of the State Conclave: Indian coal sec- Top Chinese firm signs tor handicapped by a ‘scam’ worth Rs 25 lakh MoU with Adani group crore, says Piyush Goyal to invest $300 mln If Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renew- Indian conglomerate Adani Group able Energy Piyush Goyal is to be believed, Indian coal sector is handicapped by a has signed an Memorandum of “scam” worth Rs 25 lakh crore. Understanding (MoU) with East Hope Group, one of China’s largest private companies, to invest $300 million in a Forty per cent of our thermal power capac- manufacturing unit of an Indian port. ity is dependent on imported coal because the plants are designed that way. They cannot run on Indian coal, though India is The memorandum of under- the third largest coal producing country. standing (MoU) signed be- This is costing India Rs 25 lakh crore a year. tween Adani and East Hope This is big scam,” Power Minister Piyush Group proposes to set up Goyal said at the India Today’s Group’s manufacturing units in Mun- State of the State Conclave held in Jaipur dra special economic zone in today. The Conclave is a signature India Gujarat to produce solar power Today event where a special report on vari- generation equipment, chemi- ous growth indicators of a particular state cals, aluminium and animal is released. All the districts in the state are feed, a statement by the Indian ranked based on various parameters and Consulate in Shanghai said. categories. statement made by the Indian Consul- alking about Rajasthan, the ate in Shanghai union minister praised the said that the MoU Vasundhara Raje government proposes to set up for its work in the power sector. manufacturing units “When Vasundhara Raje took in Mundra special charge of the state in 2013, the economic zone state was suffering an annual A(SEZ) in Gujarat to produce solar T loss of Rs 15,000 crore in power power generation equipment, sector. In barely three years, chemicals, aluminium and animal she brought the loss down to feed. Furthermore, it will also put Rs 5,200 crore. I’m sure by next in place East Hope Group’s engi- year, the state will make profit neering and industrial intergration and will make it to a case study chain to recycle and economise the product cost at Mundra SEZ. by Harvard University,” Goyal During the day-long event, said. the President of Adani Ports spread over 12 riveting The Union minister expressed and SEZ and President of East sessions, 31 eminent speak- Hope Group (investment) signed hope that Rajasthan’s solar ers including Rajasthan power potential may drive the the MoU in the presence of Consul Chief Minister Vasundhara General, According to the state- vehicles of future in the country. Raje, Union Minister CR He also justified high GST tax ment, the MoU is proposed to Chaudhary, industrialist rate on hybrid cars saying that convert into a definitive agree- this has been done keeping in Anil Agarwal, Union Home ment within a period of 180 days view of introducing electric cars Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, and would cover areas of specific in the country by 2030. Elaborat- former Union Minister CP cooperation outlined as per agree- ing on Modi government’s vision Joshi, educationists T.V. ment between the two sides. for India on August 15, 2022 Mohandas and Man- As part of the proposed coop- when India completes 75 years ish Sabharwal, Grammy eration between the two compa- of independence, he said: award-winning musician nies, the estimated investment “Our vision is to see that Pandit Vishwamohan of more than US $300 million is every citizen has roof on his Bhatt, actor Ila Arun and expected to be made by the East head, 24-hour electricity, a fashion designer Raghav- Hope Group in India. East Hope toilet at home, good road endra Rathore discussed is a Renminbi 70 billion Group connectivity, quality educa- and debated about the and is one of the China’s largest tion and proper healthcare multi-dimensional growth corporate house having business facilities.” trajectory of Rajasthan. interests in aluminium, polysili- Source : IT con, power and animal feed. Source : PTI

36 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com featured

Shri Piyush Goyal Launches Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 Adoption of ECBC could lead to 30%-50% energy savings by commercial buildings Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines launched the Energy Con- servation Building Code 2017 (ECBC 2017) here today. Developed by Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), ECBC 2017 prescribes the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed across India.

pdated version of achieve a 50% reduction in energy use In his address , ECBC provides by 2030. This will translate to energy Shri Goyal, said, current as well as savings of about 300 Billion Units by I would like to futuristic advance- 2030 and peak demand reduction dedicate ECBC Code ments in building of over 15 GW in a year. This will be 2017 to all the young technology to fur- equivalent to expenditure savings of Rs children of India …to ther reduce building 35,000 crore and 250 million tonnes of the future of India for U energy consumption CO2 reduction. whose sake , it is incumbent and promote low-carbon growth. ECBC ECBC 2017 was developed by BEE on all of us to efficiently utilize every bit of 2017 sets parameters for builders, with technical support from United resource , ensure implement such progres- designers and architects to integrate re- States Agency for International Devel- sive and forward looking programmes of newable energy sources in building de- opment (USAID) under the U.S.-India Government very diligently and ensure sign with the inclusion of passive design bilateral Partnership to Advance Clean that we will leave behind for next genera- strategies. The code aims to optimise Energy – Deployment Technical Assis- tion a better world then what we inherited energy savings with the comfort levels tance (PACE-D TA) Program. .” for occupants, and prefers life-cycle The launch event was attended cost effectiveness to achieve energy by senior officers of Ministries, State neutrality in commercial buildings. Shri Pradeep Governments, technical bodies, public In order for a building to be consid- utilities, multilateral agencies, interna- Kumar Pujari, ered ECBC-compliant, it would need to tional funding bodies, academicians and Secretary, Power, demonstrate minimum energy savings industry experts and consultants from stated that ECBC 2017 of 25%. Additional improvements in en- across the building, infrastructure, real will give clear direction ergy efficiency performance would en- estate, energy and construction sectors. and have criteria for new able the new buildings to achieve higher The event also featured a video on the buildings to be Super ECBC: grades like ECBC Plus or Super ECBC ECBC, as well as a technical session “The new code reflects current and futur- status leading to further energy savings that highlighted the salient features of istic advancements in building technology, of 35% and 50%, respectively. ECBC 2017, international best practices market changes, and energy demand sce- With the adoption of ECBC 2017 for in the building sector, as well as the nario of the country, setting the bench- new commercial building construction presentation of case studies on energy mark for Indian buildings to be amongst throughout the country, it is estimated to efficient buildings. some of the most efficient globally.” Source : pib.nic.in www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 37 featured

Sterling and Wilson Scales New Heights; Gets Awarded the World’s Largest Solar PV Plant

Sterling and Wilson, one of the dominant global forces in the solar-PV space, has bagged Turnkey Engineering Procurement and Construction along with Operation & Maintenance contract for the world’s largest single location solar PV plant in Sweihan, Emirates of Abu Dhabi. The project will deliver a capacity of 1177 MWp, easily surpassing the current largest 850 MWp single location plant in China.

ith construction already underway, the prodigious plant, which is spread over a desert area of 7.8 sq. km, is scheduled to be fully integrated with the grid in a record timeline of just 23 months. To top it all, the project was awarded at the lowest ever recorded W bid in the history of PV solar. The plant is jointly developed by Marubeni, a Japanese integrated “We are fully geared and very excited to be a trading and investment giant, along part of this important milestone in the global with Jinko, a global leader in the solar market,” said Bikesh Ogra, President – solar industry, and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA). Renewable Energy, Sterling and Wilson. The consortium has successfully bid a tariff of USD 2.42 cents per Owing to the favorable government kilowatt hour, marking the lowest policies, India is now the 3rd largest market cost ever for solar power. This is a for solar in the world, allowing Sterling and positive demonstration of the promis- Wilson the opportunity to become the leading future of clean energy, reducing ing solar EPC in the country. The company the dominance of fossil-fuel-backed has created a global brand and has now power plants. The prestigious project will play a major role in the Emirates grown to be the world’s largest solar EPC of Abu Dhabi achieving its aim of player outside USA and China. sustainability and energy diversifica- Laying emphasis on the need to be com- tion, through the use of clean energy/ petitive, he further added, “The strongest low carbon growth in accordance contributor to this tariff is the capital ex- with the world’s vision of long-term pense driven by lower equipment cost and a environmental stewardship. highly efficient system design. Our unique The plant, once commissioned, design offerings and state-of-the-art robot- would save around 7 million tonnes ics optimizes the yield and performance of of carbon emissions every year, a number that would be a national the plant.” landmark. To put it in perspective, 1177 MWp can power around 195,000 homes, thus contributing to As the acceleration of growth in the energy sec- the welfare of the current as well as tor has increased worldwide, Sterling and Wilson the future generations of the people has ventured into the wind and energy storage of the UAE. sectors, covering the entire canvas in the renewable sector. Backed by its robust resources in Sterling and Wilson also has to project management, project implementation and its credit 1400 MW of best perform- project engineering, with projects completed in ing solar power plants in various the Philippines and South Africa, and a number geographies with a powerhouse of of projects in Zambia, Niger and Morocco under more than 3000 qualified engineers, construction, the company is fully geared to project managers and designers. deliver more than 3000 MW every year.

38 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com featured

India’s thermal plants may become economically unviable’ India’s ultra thermal plants, designed to run on foreign coal, may no longer afford to do so economically in the future, says a top financial analyst with a leading US-based institute.

Both are no longer competitive owing to nearly doubled price rise of coal from Indonesia since their planning and incapability to hike tariffs, says Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies Austral- asia with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

an be seen in the Adani Power has approached case of India’s two state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam largest thermal power (GUVNL) to bail out its Mundra plant. projects in Gujarat’s According to reports, one option for For India, tapping port town of Mundra GUVNL is to take a majority stake in Adani PowerBSE the plant post a write-down of equity. renewable energy -1.83 %’s 4.6 GW and Likewise, Tata Power has written to sources is a great C Tata PowerBSE -1.27 the central government proposing opportunity, %’s 4 GW plants. to sell 51 per cent equity of its ailing Adanis’ Mundra plant has previ- asset for a nominal fee of Re 1, citing challenges faced by the company “The move away from ously been disclosed to be operat- thermal fuel imports ing with 100 per cent imported coal since Indonesian coal prices dou- from Indonesia while Adani Power bled. According to Buckley, a written- improves the balance of has been operating at a net loss, and down plant can be reconfigured to payments, helps improve has been doing so for the last seven be viable, particularly if cheap ($20/ the currency and hence years, Buckley told IANS in an email tonne) domestic coal can be pro- reduces imported inflation interview. The Mundra plant is by far cured in proximity to the plant without generally,” Buckley added. Adani Power’s largest and is the in- exorbitant rail freight costs. An IEEFA report titled tended destination for the majority of However, a key requirement is “NTPC as a Force in India’s its thermal coal imports from the Car- that blending in low energy and high Electricity Transition” michael proposal in Australia under ash Indian coal requires high qual- showcases how the Indian Adani’s “pit to plug” strategy. After an ity existing Australian thermal coal government is shifting adverse Supreme Court ruling disal- which is high energy BSE -4.21 % rapidly towards a low- lowing any tariff revision to compen- and low ash. But coal from Carmi- carbon economy a step sate for higher cost of imported coal, chael would be low energy and high towards achieving the 2015 Adani Power discontinued 1,250 MW ash and far from ideal for blending Paris Climate Agreement of power supply from Mundra due to with cheap domestic Indian coal, he aim of cutting greenhouse unviability of running these units on said. Commenting on Energy Minister gases from burning fossil imported coal. Piyush Goyal’s recent assertions that fuels. India’s draft “Ten “These plants will curtail produc- India would need to keep importing Year Electricity Plan” calls tion rather than lose money with coal, including from the proposed for a staggering 275 GW every unit of production. It is a likely Carmichael mine, “The strategic aim of renewable energy by conclusion that a $1-2 billion write to cease non-coast power plant us- 2027, in addition to 72 GW down of Adani Power’s $5bn plant age of imported thermal coal within the next two to three years means of hydro and 15 GW of is on the cards. As it stands, this nuclear energy. plant is a clear stranded asset,” said domestic operators will need to re- Buckley. configure their plants so that they can use domestic coal.” www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 39 featured

Electric Vehicle Outlook2017

NEF’s annual long-term forecast of global electric vehicle (EV) adoption to 2040 is out. It forecasts pas- senger EV sales out to 2040 and the impact that electrification will have on automotive and power markets, as well as on fossil fuel B displacement and demand for key materials. “The EV revolution is going to hit the car market even harder and faster than BNEF predicted a year ago. EVs are on track to accelerate to 54% of new car sales by 2040. Tumbling battery prices mean that EVs will have lower lifetime costs, and will be cheaper to buy, than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars in most countries by 2025-29.”

40 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com featured

Clean energy investment – 2Q 2017 gures

The second quarter of 2017 saw $64.8 billion invested in clean energy around the world, up 21% from 1Q this year, but down 12% compared to 2Q 2016. The financing of two huge photovoltaic projects in the United Arab Emirates helped to drive a recovery in global clean energy investment, the highest for any quarter since 2Q 2016. Other highlights of the data include bounce-backs in investment in the April-to-June quarter in China and the U.S., and sharply increased funding for projects in Mexico, Aus- tralia and Sweden.

U.S. utilities offer multiple electric car charging rates

Major U.S. utilities such as PG&E, DTE Energy and Consolidated Edison now offer special electric vehicle charging tariffs. Designed to shift demand to off-peak hours, these tariffs offer steep discounts to consumers who charge their EVs at night. However, if solar PV deployment continues to rise, daytime power prices will fall and off-peak times will shift. This would make it more difficult for home charging tariffs to line up with off-peak times. The utilities, which are just beginning to experiment with EV grid services, will need more pilot programs to determine the true costs and benefits of boosting off-peak EV charging. An integrated perspective on the future of mobility

Mobility is the lifeblood of our cities and essential for urban life. What, then, will be the future of urban mobility? This report, co-produced by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and McKinsey & Company, seeks to answer that question. To do so, it explores how a number of existing social, economic, and technological trends will work together to disrupt mobility at the local level. www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 41 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In Exclusive Talk With Mr.Pratyush Kumar Thakur

EQ: Please describe in brief about your company. PT : Statkraft BLP Solar Solutions Private Ltd (SBSS) is a joint venture between Statkraft and Bharat Light and Power(BLP). Statkraft BLP Solar Solutions Private Ltd (SBSS) was founded in 2015 to provide solar solutions to Commercial & Industrial customers in India. Statkraft is 100% owned by the government of Norway and traces its roots back as far as 1895. Today, Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. It owns over 18 GW of power assets, out of which it owns 300 MW of hydro assets in India. Bharat Light & Power (BLP) is one of the leading renewable developers in India and owns 180 MW of wind assets.We have commissioned a 5MWp ground mounted solar plant in Pavagada, Karnataka and several rooftop projects in Gurgaon, Pune & Rajasthan.

We, as an organization, are committed Chief Operating Officer towards Statkraft BLP • Operating sustainably and developing its business in a way that adds value to countries and local communities in which we are operating. • Supporting a precautionary approach to environmental challenges and undertaking initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility • Working actively for an injury-free and healthy working environment and promoting an open and proactive health and safety culture. • Having high standards of ethical conduct in every activity we undertake.

42 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the impact of RUMS/ government regulations. & lower LCOE in the times to come. The SECI/Bhadla/NTPC Bid on past Though the market has only seen introduction of diamond wire sawing in projects and upcoming tenders? increased efficiency without reduction 2016 is expected to lead a significant PT : The RUMS and Bhadla Solar in quality over the past few years and improvement in terms of wafering Park bids have witnessed an all-time hopefully the value chain will progress process cost reductions. low tariff mark of below INR 3, which to do the same, the falling solar module Module technology is focusing more on is still looked at as an unviable price prices have created a cut-throat increasing performance by reduction by a fair number of players in the Solar competition for the manufacturers, which of optical losses and reducing material Industry. The SECI wind tender also may in the future pose a threat to the costs by reducing material thickness, has set a record of being the lowest bid quality of the solar modules. waste of material & replacing expensive in wind till date. These bids have cast The reduction in prices is also favoring materials. Bifacial modules, smart a shadow of uncertainty over certain the shift of renewable energy from junction-box technologies are anticipated projects allocated under past tenders, alternative energy to mainstream energy to improve the power output of PV as some states have delayed the signing or preferred energy, helping young solar systems. There is an increasing share of PPAs which have prices higher than industry fuel economic growth, create of mono-crystalline modules and the bids at RUMS. With the surplus new employment opportunities, enhance PERC/PERT technologies which are of solar modules in the market, the human welfare and contribute to a observed to have increased efficiency offtakers have been heard of negotiating climate-safe future. by 1%. Increased number of bus-bars further reduction on tariffs that have on modules have also become the new been confirmed through competitive EQ: What are the trends in trend. bidding. This delay in approval of PPAs Module prices for Q3, Q4 of We have recently commissioned a does not bode well for the investors’ 2017 & 2018 onwards? rooftop project with top quality bifacial confidence. Also, these tariffs if looked PT : An oversupply of PV module modules in Gurgaon and are working at as benchmark,may also pressurize manufacturing in China in the second towards more projects using this the EPC industry and other vendors by half of 2016 along with overseas solar technology. We are keen to implement introducing a disruptive competition into projects delay has led to a significant technologies and carry out value the industry. lowering of solar module prices in Q1 engineering in the design to bring down & Q2 of 2017 in India. A good pipeline the LCOE to allow us to offer more EQ: How has recent Solar & for the supply of solar panels has competitive prices to our customers. Wind Tender Bid changed the already been built, which may equalize dynamics for Solar & Wind global supply and demand, leading to EQ: What’s your view on the Projects in India? What are the stabilization of prices in Q3 and Q4. Government of India target of challenges, threats and new However, the cost and tariff trends 100GW Solar by 2022 and what opportunities you see emerging cannot be predicted accurately since the are your plans? now? reduction of costs has been based on PT : The high, but noble ambition of PT : Wind & solar power are now the global oversupply, without a forward 100 GW solar by 2022 may be difficult competitive with conventional sources reference to raw materials being used. to achieve but is certainly a step in of electricity as their costs have been The 5% GST being levied on solar the right direction. It is not an easy plunging in recent bids. The proposed panels, in comparison to the erstwhile task, and hence, to achieve this target India needs a more focused approach tariffs are based on the historical trend tax rate of 0% may negate the impact of towards alternative investments beyond of drop in prices of solar PV modules reduction in module price, if any, in the the banking system and favorable land & wind turbines, which has been 80% short term. We believe that in the long- acquisition policies. term LCOE of projects shall be improved and 30-40% respectively since 2009. Standing at 12.5 GW solar power with efficiency increase in the modules Furthermore, solar module costs have as of April 2017, India will need to add fallen down by 26% in 2016 alone and are even at broadly same price levels. 17.5 GW at an average every year to expected to fall down further. reach the 100 GW target, which is above Though this kind of aggressive bidding EQ: What are the expectations three times the solar capacity of 5.5 GW in not new to India, the viability of these from Tech Suppliers like Modules, added in 2016 – 17, which has been the dramatic price reductions in Solar & Inverters, BOS, Trackers etc… highest so far. Faster execution of PPAs Wind Power needs to be assessed What is the tech solution you for bids at the scale of RUMS/Bhadla yet especially after factoring in the thinking of deploying? Solar Park/NTPC and more of such implementation of GST, the cease of Tax PT : India solar market, in addition to initiatives NTPC/ BEL and other states relaxation for infrastructure projects under cost reduction, is also moving towards may significantly contribute towards 80IA, eligibility for generation based the value enhancement. We foresee high achieving the Target of 100 GW solar incentives & several other upcoming inclination towards increased efficiency by 2022.

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 43 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

While scalability on the utility scale on and understand is that to retain the across India, which will strengthen our projects is not a huge challenge, viability and sustainability of one’s own rooftop portfolio further. We are also rooftop target of 40GW seems almost business, an organization needs to working on a quite large project in the impossible to achieve. This is especially leverage its own strengths and USP, and state of Karnataka, owing to the expiry due to a lack of feed-in tariff and intense not be carried away by such numbers. of favorable solar policy for open access competition among the developers to get Finance again, may not be a generalized projects in March 2018. the “first-movers’ advantage” challenge. With companies like us, which EQ: What are the expected EQ: At SBSS, as solar project developers, we are focused on continuing to strengthen already have a reliable capital base, generation from these projects our presence in both large scale financial closure does not act as a major in terms of kwh per DC or AC utility projects and rooftop segments. obstacle in the project path. Finance capacity. To contribute towards India’s goal of will be a critical factor for organization PT : Our 5MWp ground mount solar reaching 100 GW solar by 2022 we dependent on external investment such plant in Karnataka has an expected will be investing & developing not only as bank loans. Solar power plants are generation of 15.5 lakh units per annum our own projects but we will also be land dependent projects and require per megawatt peak. However, our participating in tenders. Our business non-agricultural land/waste land, and the solar plant overall generation has been plan is also in line with this ambitious revenue records do not have data of the higher than expected due to careful goal of India and growth potential in solar most of the rural lands, which is a huge selection of components, quality of industry in India. challenge. Apart from land acquisition, execution &optimization of operations. EQ: Kindly highlight your risks due to transmission uncertainties, In Delhi and neighbouring areas, the strengths and USP which delayed payments, and curtailment actual generation may be lower than give your company a distinct of renewable power along with weak design generation due to local weather advantage as compared to your enforcements of renewable purchase conditions like excessive rainfall or cloud competitors. obligations remain challenge areas. cover and environmental conditions like more pollution in the air respectively. In PT : We provide unique solutions to EQ: What kind of mounting rooftop projects, the generation from the our clients. Each energy solution is would you adapt - fixed or tilt project depends on the orientation of the specifically designed by experts to of seasonal tilt etc., in tracking? roof, absence or presence of clutter and meet the customer’s need by taking What are your views on the the shade being cast by external objects every detail into account right from the technology available, its cost- such as trees, overhead tanks, turbo planning and design phase of the solar benefit analysis, O&M, learning vents, chimneys etc. installation. A reliable capital base of etc..? the parent companies i.e., Statkraft and PT : For our first few projects, we EQ: Can you please enlighten BLP ensures no delays due to financial have implemented fixed tilt systems. us on the way you implement closure in commissioning of the solar This was done based on a low risk a project and what specific installations. Customers are ensured of low return principle. While tracking or unique things are followed enjoying free and clean energy without systems are expected to increase the which makes you different burning a hole in their pocket. CUF of a project, the purchase cost and from other developers. What We are a “one-stop-shop” for our increased O&M costs on such mounting are the unique parameters customers which typically are may offset the revenue gain. Also as the which differentiates projects commercial and industrial companies. solar market is expanding, the projects developed by your company? We not only provide in-campus and are being developed on sites which are PT : Our unique differentiating factors are open-access based solar solutions, with less than ideal – those with steep slopes our focus on the safety of all occupants Zero Investment from the consumer, but or rolling terrain, irregular boundaries or during the construction and operational also provide multiple options on buying obstructions, on which fixed tilt is more phase of the project. Our obsessive focus power through our trading company advantageous. Hence, we generally go on safety also enables us to carry out which includes brown power, renewable with fixed tilt, as it optimizes the cost as the best design and loss of operational power, internationally accepted well as the requirement of the structure. hours due to safety incidents. We are also renewable energy certificates etc. We would certainly carry out one of quite detailed oriented while selecting EQ: Comment on Various the projects in future using a tracking components. We have already developed challenges such as Aggressive system to test out the technologies and our standard technical conditions for all bidding, Land, Finance, gain learnings about the system. major components and go into significant Grid Connection, PPA, Forex detail beyond the module make at the Fluctuation, Pricing & Tech EQ: What pipeline of projects time of purcase. We also are quite keen Trends, and Payments risks. do you currently own, kindly on adopting new technologies like bifacial specify the size of the project, panels, flexible panels and have already PT : Every organization must have its location, tariff, scheme, developed such projects. We work with done a due diligence of their strengths timeline of completion, its our EPC partners to value engineer to deliver the projects on the numbers viability the design and execution of projects to they have calculated and bid on. So, optimise the commercial value without whether the bid is aggressive or not may PT : A 5MWp ground mounted project is currently under execution in Chennai. compromising at all on the quality of differ from organization to organization. sytem and safe operations. However, what we may need to focus We also have several rooftop projects

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Offer is for Limited Time and Bank Account Details for Cheques/Demand Draft Limited Number of Subscriptions Direct Payment/Deposit can be couriered to the on First Come First Serve Basis. following address Beneficiary First Source Energy India Pvt Ltd Bank Name Bank Of India Address : 95C Sampat Farms, HURRY...SUBSCRIBE NOW. Bank Address At - Bicholi Mardana Branch, Village Barda, Post Ali, 7th Cross Road, Bicholi Mardana, Indore-452001 (M.P) NDIA Indore 452 016 (M.P.) India Subscription Price Includes Account No. 882920110000386 Swift Code BKIDINBBPAL Shipping in India. IFSC Code BKID0008829 MICR Code 452013002 Online Payment by Cred- Payment Can be it/Debit Card at Beneficiary First Source Energy India Pvt Ltd Done by PayTM Bank Name HDFC BANK Bank Address Shop No.9,10,11, Shehnai 2, Kana dia Road, Indore-452016 (M.P) PAYTM Numbers INDIA Account No. 50200011285202 Swift Code HDFCINBB +91 986244496 IFSC Code HDFC0001772 MICR Code 452240008 [email protected] www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 45 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW In Exclusive Talk With Sungrow -Vice President Mr.William Zhou

EQ: The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.44 – 3.3per kWh in various Solar Tenders…Whats your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc… WZ: Low prices, high reliability and high efficiency is the requirement of today’s solar industry. Typically, we witnessed 3-4% increase in efficiency and 3-4% reduction cost. So, we could expect the solar tarrifs may continue to go down by 5-8% year-on-year. The cost of production may continue to come down. Bigger factories and lower cost of manufacturing will ultimately lead to reduction in tarrifs over the next few years, but also keeping sustainability, reliability and efficiency in mind. EQ: Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback,. WZ: Sungrow’s high efficiency inverters known for its design engineering, quality & reliability have been widely accepted by Indian market. 2016 has been a great year for us, in terms of acceptance from most of the leading IPP & EPC companies which has enabled us to achieve an order booking of 1.3 GW,1000 V container solution and 70 MW ,1500 V indoor central inverters. These orders EQ: How much Inverters have you compliment the installed capacity of 200MW in India. supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2017-18 EQ: Please describe in brief about your WZ : Over 1GW has supplied to India. Over 2GW will company, directors, promoters, investors, its be supplied to India in 2017. vision & mission WZ : Sungrow is aglobal leading PVinverter system EQ: Present some noteworthy projects, solution supplier with over 31GW installed worldwide as of case studies of solar plants built using December 2016.Founded in 1997 by University Professor your solar Inverters Renxian Cao, Sungrow is a global leader in research and WZ : Indian market have been very favorable and development in solar inverters, with numerous patents great support & cooperation have been received and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter systems by Sungrow for its products. We signed 1.3 GW by as well as energy storage systems for utility-scale, September 2016 and will finishing 1GW on ground by commercial, and residential applications. With a 20-year June 2017, with big solar players like Renew Power, track record of growth and success, Sungrow’s products ACME, Mytrah Energy, Tata Power, Sterling & Wilson, are available in over 50 countries, maintaining a market Harsha Abakus, Hero Clean Solar, etc. share of around 25% in Germany and 10% globally.

46 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

EQ: What is the size of fast-growing Indian market. SG1000, by SG2500HV & SG3000HV(2.5 MW & 3 your company in terms of SG 2000 & SG2500 (1 MW, 2 MW & MW) Containerized solutions. manufacturing capacities, 2.5 MW respectively) are our offerings growth chart, future expansion for 1000 V outdoor central inverters EQ: Explain various plans, revenues, shipments, solutions. The future demand for 1500 guarantees, warrantees, ASP’s, financial figures. V range of central inverters are catered insurance, certifications, test by SG1250HV, SG1500HV (1.25 & WZ : Sungrow factory takes an area of results, performance report of 1.5 MW indoor inverters) backed by 93,936 m2 and has an annually capacity your inverters. SG2500HV & SG3000HV(2.5 MW & 3 of 18 GW PV inverters, A new PV WZ : Sungrow’s products are certified MW) Containerised solutions. for applications worldwide. The com inverter factory taking an area of 188,717 SG33KTL, SG50KTL & SG60KTL are pany has invested its own in-house m2 is under construction which will lift being promoted in the string inverter testing center approved by UL, CSA, the annual production capacity to 36 arena. All the offered products in GW within one year. Sungrow is a global India boosts a maximum efficiency of TÜV Rheinland, and TÜV SÜD. leading PV inverter system solution 99% making it complementing to its supplier with over 31GW installed engineering & reliability EQ: Kindly highlight your worldwide as of December 2016. product, technology & company USP’s, distinctive advantages EQ: What are your plans for etc… India, your view on the GOI WZ : Founded in 1997 by University target of 100GW Solar Power by Professor Renxian Cao, Sungrow 2022 is a global leader in research and WZ : India is one of the key focus for development in solar inverters, with the whole world and Sungrow as well. numerous patents and a broad product And being one of the top 3 brands in portfolio offering PV inverter systems solar inverter industry with appreciable for utility-scale, commercial, and response from customerswe will be residential applications. With a 20-year finishing 3GW orders by 2017. Also, track record of growth and success, the present solar industry is such Sungrow possesses a dynamic R&D that the prices are going down and team which accounts for over 35% of customers are seeking more reliablility, the company’s total workforce. The Sungrow will be able to fulfill with the company has also invested its own in- requirements and when we talk about house testing center approved by UL, GOi target of 100GW by 2022, Sungrow CSA, TÜV Rheinland, and TÜV SÜD. will be sharing 30-35%. In 2016, Sungrow has unveiled the world’s highest output string inverter EQ: What are your plans for – rated at 125kW (1500Vdc) – and Manufacturing set up in India, EQ: How much is your R&D became the first PV inverter supplier the opportunities and challenges budget as % of your sales / that provides both central and string in manufacturing in India profits inverters rated at 1500Vdc. WZ : India is a growing market and WZ : Over 4.3% of R&D/Revenue ratio world is focusing over it for investments. in 2016. EQ: What’s your commitment Sungrow India also have some ideas towards the solar sector in to setup the manufacturing units. EQ: What are the top 5 markets India Even a Sungrow team from china has for your company in the past, WZ : India is one of the most visited India in the same regards and present and future focused markets for Sungrow in explored some regions. Also, GST WZ : China, APAC (excl. China and the world. Sungrow India currently implementation will be playing a role India), EMEA, India and NA are top has its sales team operating from for the same, so we are keeping an markets for Sungrow Bangalore, Gurgaon& Mumbai, eye over GST implementation and backed by a well experienced manufacturing units setup plans will be EQ: Technology road map technical support team. A very taken care accordingly. in terms of 1500V , micro strong, well structured & established inverters, upcoming game service team with PAN India EQ: Briefly describe the various changes technologies. presence ensures the dependency technologies and its suitable WZ : In 2016, Sungrow has unveiled the and our sustainable growth in India. applications such as Central world’s highest output string inverter – Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, rated at 125kW (1500Vdc) – and became EQ: What will be the cost, 1500V, Outdoor, Container the first PV inverter supplier that provides technology trends in solar solutions etc.. both central and string inverters rated inverters WZ : Sungrow offers a wide range at 1500Vdc. Featured 1500Vdc central WZ : The cost will continue to decrease of products which include central inverters are SG1250HV, SG1500HV and there is a trend of transferring to inverter/ container solutions for 1000V (1.25 & 1.5 MW indoor inverters) backed 1500Vdc technology. & 1500 V and string inverters for the www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 47 RENEWABLE ENERGY

GREENING THE GRID : Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Electric Grid

The use of renewable energy (RE) sources, primarily wind and solar generation, is poised to grow significantly within the Indian power system. The Government of India has established a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of installed RE capacity by 2022, including 60 GW of wind and 100 GW of solar, up from 29 GW wind and 9 GW solar at the beginning of 2017. Thanks to advanced weather and power system modeling made for this project, the study team is able to explore operational impacts of meeting India’s RE targets and identify actions that may be favorable for integration.

ur primary tool is a detailed production cost model, which simu- lates optimal scheduling and dispatch of available generation in a future year (2022) by minimizing total production costs subject to physical, operational, and market constraints. We use this model to identify how the India power system is balanced every 15 minutes, the same dispatch interval used by power system operators. The results can be used to inform policy and regulatory decisions that support system flexibility and RE O investment. KEY FINDINGS: How India's Power System Could Operate with 100 GW Solar and 60 GW Wind

Power system balancing with 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind is achiev- Changes to operational practice able at 15-minute operational time can reduce the cost of operating scales with minimal RE curtailment. the power system and reduce RE curtailment, but are not essential This RE capacity generates 370 for 160 GW RE integration. terawatt hours (TWh) annually, a 22% share of total electricity consumption in Scheduling and dispatch that is optimized at India, reaching a nationwide instanta- the regional, rather than state level can sup- neous peak of 54%. Annual RE cur- port more efficient operations of thermal tailment (assuming sufficient in-state plants and reduce annual operating costs transmission) is 1.4%, consistent with by 2.8%, or INR 6300 crore1 (approxi- experiences in other countries with this mately USD 980 million).2 In addition to level of RE penetration. improving access to least-cost generation, coordination between states helps reduce Fuel requirements for coal and gas the number of coal plants at part load, fall 20% and 32%, respectively, and providing greater operational range to the CO2 emissions fall 21% (280 million remaining committed coal plants to lower tonnes) in 100S-60W compared to a generation output when RE generation is No New RE scenario. high. National coordination provides even further cost savings (3.5% savings) and As a result, plant load factors for coal reduced RE curtailment (to 0.9%). drop from 63% to 50% with nearly 20 GW that is never economical to start.

48 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com RENEWABLE ENERGY

Reducing minimum generation levels of large thermal plants is the biggest driver to reducing RE curtailment. Changing minimum generation levels of all RA copper plate sensitivity delivers 4.7% savings and coal plants, from 70% today to 55% of rated capacity (con- 0.13% RE curtailment. sistent with the CERC regulations) reduces RE curtailment Our “copper plate” represents a transmission system with from 3.5% to 1.4% and annual operating cost by 0.9%, no constraints and operations with no barriers to schedul- or INR 2000 crore. Reducing minimum generation levels ing. Though not a physically plausible scenario, this scenario further, to 40%, reduces RE curtailment to 0.76%, with provides insights into the maximum achievable savings if all negligible decreases to annual operating costs.3 If only transmission and market constraints could be relaxed. Such centrally owned plants achieve 55% minimum generation a scenario reduces RE curtailment to 0.13% and production levels but state-controlled plants maintain minimum gen- costs by 4.7%. In comparison, scheduling and dispatch opti- eration levels of 70%, RE curtailment is 2.4%. mized at the regional level and with transmission constraints delivers over half of these savings. Nationally coordinated The peak systemwide 1-hour up-ramp increases 27% dispatch combined with an additional 25% interregional trans- compared to a system with no new renewables, to al- mission capacity delivers 84% of the savings compared to the most 32 GW up from 25 GW. This ramp rate can be met idealized copper plate. if all generating stations exploit their inherent ramping capability. Aggregated nationally, for 56 hours of the year, Batteries insignificantly impact emissions and total cost system-wide up-ramps exceed 25 GW/hour, greater than of generation. Batteries do reduce curtailment (from 1.4% to any ramp requirement in the No New RE scenario, and 1.1%); however, the value of this curtailment is offset by the peak at almost 32 GW/hour. The current generation fleet batteries’ efficiency losses during operation. In the 100S-60W is shown to successfully respond to these ramp events scenario, 2.5 GW of batteries (75% efficient) reduce RE within our operating assumptions. We found no significant curtailment by 1.2 TWh annually but lose 2.0 TWh annually change in either production cost or RE curtailment when due to inefficiencies. Also, there is insignificant impact on the coal generation ramp rates were made less flexible in the total cost of generation because the overall generation mix simulations, although this study assumes a similar load changes little. Batteries could be economically desirable for shape for 2022 as prevailing today. A significant change in RE integration for grid services that are outside the scope load shape could affect the net load ramp rate. Five-minute of the study (e.g., frequency regulation, capacity value, local scheduling and dispatch has been demonstrated else- transmission congestion). where to better handle ramping, if required at a later stage. Retiring 46 GW of coal (20% of installed coal capacity) does not adversely affect system flexibility, assuming adequate in-state transmission. Retiring coal plants that operate less than 15% of their capacity annually (205 generation units, totaling 46 GW in capacity) has almost no effect on system operations.

Summary: Power system balancing with 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind is achievable with minimal integration challenges, bringing benefits of reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Meeting existing regulatory targets for coal flexibility, enlarging geographic and electrical balancing areas, expanding transmission in strategic locations, and planning for future flexibility can enable efficient and reliable operation of the power system now and in the future.

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KEY FINDINGS: Different Pathways to Meeting RE Targets; Looking Beyond 2022

Potential Planning and Policy Actions that Can Support RE Integration

A wind-dominated system 1. Coordinate RE generation and operation of hydro and pumped hydro achieves higher RE penetra- transmission at the state level to ensure depending upon system requirements. tion rates and requires less sufficient in-state transmission. thermal fleet flexibility. 7. Use the regulatory platform to require 2. Create regulatory or policy guidelines merit order dispatch based on produc- Compared to the official RE to support institutionalization of cost- tion costs; supplementary software targets, a scenario with more optimized capacity expansion plan- may be required to identify economic wind (100 GW wind, 60 GW ning. Create and maintain a nationwide scheduling and dispatch that considers solar), helps achieve a higher model that helps optimize generation the combined effects of conventional annual RE penetration rate and transmission buildouts, which can and renewable variable costs, transmis- (26% compared to 22%, due to then be used to inform investment decision congestion and losses, among wind’s higher capacity factors), sions and RE policies. other factors. reduces CO2 emissions an ad- 3. Evaluate options for enhanced co- 8. Create model PPAs for RE that move ditional 6.1%, and has less RE ordination of scheduling and dispatch away from must-run status and employ curtailment, 1.0% compared to between states and regions. alternative approaches to limit financial 1.4%. Because of its relatively risks, such as annual caps on curtailed less variable net load profile, the 4. Establish at central and state levels hours. higher wind scenario creates comprehensive regulations regarding fewer conditions requiring ther- flexibility of conventional generators, 9. Achieving more ambitious RE levels mal plant flexibility. including minimum generation levels, will benefit from detailed, model-based ramp rates, and minimum up and down planning, including both capacity expan- A 250 GW RE system could times. sion and production cost modeling. achieve India’s Nationally De- 5. Develop a new tariff structure that Regulatory guidelines may be issued to termined Contribution targets, moves away from focusing on energy make it mandatory for stakeholders to but 16% annual RE curtail- delivery. Agreements can specify vari- provide data required to perform such ment in the Southern region ous performance criteria, such as ramp- studies. would likely signal the need ing, specified start-up or shut-down 10. Equip all states with latest and state- for modified strategies. times, minimum generation levels, along of-the-art load forecasting facilities. with notification times and performance In addition, equip RE-rich states with To identify a more viable path- objectives that achieve flexibility goals. state-of-the-art RE forecasting tools. way toward 250 GW, additional Further, build capacity of all system studies can evaluate the trade- 6. Revise policy/regulatory-level guide- operators in this regard so that in-house off among increasing system lines to utilize the full capability of hydro capability is developed to create and flexibility versus locating more of and pumped hydro stations. Suitable customize such tools in the future. the RE capacity in other regions. incentive mechanisms can encourage

50 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com RENEWABLE ENERGY India Can Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into the Electricity Grid, Reveals Study

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy, Shri Piyush Goyal released the first part of the study “Pathways to Integrate Speaking at the launch, 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Power Minister Piyush Electricity Grid” at an event organized. The Goyal said: second volume, to be released in July, takes a “It is time for the people of more in-depth look at system operations in the India to get ready and Western and Southern regions. embrace the change with a ‘New Mindset’ of a ‘New Grid’ he study, developed under the U.S.- for a ‘New India’, which is ready to integrate large amount India bilateral program “Greening of renewable energy. It is appropriate time following on the Grid”, confirms the technical and Honorable Prime Minister’s meeting with the U.S. President economic viability of integrating 175 under a robust and focused U.S.-India Energy Partnership. gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy The ministry is extremely appreciative of the continued into India’s power grid by 2022, and engagement and support from USAID and congratulates identifies future course of actions that all the stakeholders including POSOCO, NREL, LBNL on the are favorable for such integration. The achievement of this outcome. Combined and collabora- Government of India in 2015 had set tive efforts such as these are labour and data intensive the ambitious target of adding 100 GW of solar energy and detailed and often go unsung but are critical to Tand 60 GW of wind energy into the country’s energy mix. creating the backbone for a reliable grid.” The report resolves many questions about how India’s electricity grid can manage the variability and uncertainty of adding large amounts of renewable energy into the Highlighting the importance of the study and grid. The results demonstrate that power system balanc- U.S.-India collaboration on clean energy, Michael ing with 100 GW solar and 60 GW wind is achievable at Satin, Director of Clean Energy and Environment 15-minute operational timescales with minimal reduc- at USAID/India, said: “USAID has a long-standing tion in renewable energy output. India’s current coal- collaboration with the Government of India in dominated power system has the inherent flexibility to accommodate the variability associated with the targeted the area of energy. Energy is a key determinant renewable energy capacities. of growth and India needs sustainable energy sources to continue to grow at 7-8 percent an- Some of the key operational impacts that nually. Introducing renewable energy solutions into established came out of the report were: energy systems often requires changes to well-established policy, institutions, and market structures. This study will prove to be (1) large-scale benefits of fuel savings and reduced emis- helpful in scaling up renewable energy in India effectively and sions due to increased renewable energy production. sustainably.” (2) existing fast-ramping infrastructure is sufficient to maintain grid balance. The results were based on a number of key assumptions including transmission planning existing within each state but not necessarily on (3) In post-175 GW clean energy scenario, coal plants corridors between states; compliance of all coal plants with the Central operating at part capacity will need suitable incentives for Electricity Regulatory Commission regulation that coal plants be able to flexibility. The study also evaluates the value of strategies operate at 55 percent of rated capacity; and a better load forecast. Input to better integrate renewable energy and demonstrates data, assumptions and study results were validated extensively by more the importance of policy and market planning. than 150 technical experts from central agencies including the Central A multi-institutional team from India’s Power System Electricity Authority, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), Operation Corporation (POSOCO) and the U.S. Depart- and NTPC; state institutions including grid operators, power system planners, renewable energy nodal agencies and distribution utilities; and ment of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory the private sector, including renewable energy developers, thermal plant (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory operators, utilities, research institutions, market operators and industry (LBNL) produced the report using advanced weather and representatives. power system modeling, under the leadership of Ministry of Power and the U.S. Agency for International Devel- Other Dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri P.K. Pujari, opment (USAID) with co-sponsorship from the World Secretary Power, Shri R.K. Verma, CEA Chairman, Shri K.V.S. Baba, Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program CEO, POSOCO, Shri I.S Jha, CMD PGCIL and other senior officers (ESMAP) and the 21st Century Power Partnership. from Ministries of Power and MNRE.

Source: pib.nic.in www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 51 RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

GREENING INDIA’S WORKFORCE Gearing up for Expansion of Solar and Wind Power in India

Article By Natural Resources Defense Council and Council on Energy, Environment and Water

Renewable energy job creation and skill development is one of the Indian government’s foremost objectives. However, credible The key findings of our 2017 analysis are: information on the number of jobs that have been created so (1) Over 300,000 workers will be employed in the next 5 far, and those that can be created in future to achieve India’s years, to achieve India’s solar and wind energy targets, renewable energy goal of 175 gigawatts (GW) by 2022, has mostly in the rooftop solar sector. been lacking.1 (2) A strong domestic solar module manufacturing industry n an effort to fill this information gap, NRDC has the potential to provide employment for an additional and CEEW conduct annual surveys of India’s 45,000 people in India. solar and wind companies, developers, and (3) Solar and wind energy employed more than 21,000 manufacturers to collect accurate, market- people in India in 2016-2017, and are expected to employ based information on jobs created, workforce an estimated 25,000 people or more in the following year. employed, and the skills required to achieve India’s renewable energy goals. This analysis (4) Solar jobs will be well distributed across the country, builds on our previous reports on clean ener- while wind jobs will be concentrated in a few states. gy jobs in India. Our earlier analyses focused on renewable energy job creation, short- (5) Rooftop solar is more labour-intensive than other re- I term and long-term. This report updates and newables, providing 24.72 job-years per megawatt (MW) in translates those figures into actual full-time comparison to 3.45 job-years per MW for ground-mounted employment and workforce requirements. solar and 1.27 job-years per MW for wind power. National and state governments should promote reporting of employment generation from renewable energy companies; provide a greater policy priority to rooftop solar to create renewable energy jobs; support development of localized private sector-led training centres for solar construction jobs and wind power training centres in the 8 states with wind targets; and, promote a strong domestic solar module manufacturing industry to provide additional employment.

52 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

1. Introduction ajor economies around the world, are expanding the Estimating Renewable Jobs share of increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy Mtechnolo- gies in their energy mix. These technologies and Skills Since 2014 generate critical energy for growth, add new jobs to the economy, and provide livelihoods for millions. The International Renewable lthough common practice internationally, Energy Agency estimates that renewable energy, excluding large 2 companies in India do not always self- hydropower, employed 8.3 million people globally, in 2016. report the number of jobs created with Renewable energy job creation and skill development is one of A each new solar or wind project. Our analyses the Indian government’s foremost objectives. However, credible in- strive to bridge this information gap. Every year formation on the number of jobs that have been created so far, and since 2014, NRDC and CEEW have surveyed those that can be created in the future to achieve India’s renewable 3,4 solar and wind companies to estimate numbers energy goal of 175 GW by 2022, has been lacking. of job created, identify skills required, and make In an effort to fill this information gap, every year for the past policy recommendations that create conditions three years, NRDC and CEEW have surveyed India’s solar and favourable for growth of clean energy in India. wind companies, developers, and manufacturers to collect ac- cu- This report builds on our previous analyses rate, market-based information on jobs created, workforce em- on job creation, Clean Energy Powers Local ployed, and the skills required to achieve India’s renewable energy Job Growth in India, and Filling the Skill Gap in goals. India’s Clean Energy Market, with an enhanced We have used market information to estimate the workforce that scope that includes solar rooftop developers would be required in India at any given time to meet the 2017 – and solar module manufacturing companies5. 2022 national goals for annual capacity addition of solar and wind Our previous research estimated that expand- (160 GW), including ground-mounted and rooftop solar. We also ing solar and wind energy would add about 1 estimate the number of jobs created by solar module manufactur- million cumulative jobs for solar installers, ing, as well as those that can be created if India meets its demand maintenance workers, engineers, technicians, for solar modules domestically. and performance data monitors while address- By estimating the employment impact from clean energy growth, ing growing energy demands and global climate our analysis offers actionable information to support and strength- change. en national and state-level policy and build support for renewable energy expansion in India.

2. Scope of Analysis: Direct Solar & Wind Project-Related Jobs and Solar Manufacturing Jobs

mployment in any industry, including renewables, can tion companies, since those jobs may not be specific to the be broadly classified in three categories: direct, indirect solar or wind sectors. For solar manufacturing, we have only Eand induced. For this analysis, we estimate the direct considered module manufacturing jobs and not included other jobs as well as portion of the indirect jobs (manufacturing) components such as inverters, cables and other balance created from solar and wind projects in India. This analysis of system components in order to calculate jobs created on does not include induced jobs and some of the indirect jobs, account the solar power sector. Specific examples defining for example, those in the financing and banking sectors, or direct, indirect and induced jobs are described in the text box those created for data analytics or meter readers in distribu- below.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIRECT JOBS, INDIRECT JOBS AND INDUCED JOBS7

Direct jobs, earnings, and Indirect jobs are the jobs associated with Induced jobs refer to the output are the jobs associated the manufacturing of equipment and materi- jobs created due to the with the design, development, als used for the facility, the supply chain that spend- ing of earnings by management, construction/ provides raw materials and services to these persons directly and indi- installation, and maintenance manufacturers, and the finance and banking rectly employed by the proj- of projects and project facili- sectors that provide services for the construc- ects (workers in the first two ties. For example, in installing tion and operation of a facility. For example, categories). For example, a PV or large wind system, for a wind facility, this would include jobs at during the construction the direct impacts include the wind turbine manufacturing plants and jobs phase of a facility, jobs are jobs for specialty contractors, at other manufacturing facilities that fabricate induced when the work- construction workers, clean-up structural hardware, foundations, and electri- ers hired to install a PV crews, truck drivers, and other cal components for the wind facility’s systems. system spend their earnings specialists hired to permit, It also includes the banker who fi- nances the to purchase food at grocery design, and install the system. construction contractor, the accountant who stores and restaurants, pay It also includes management, keeps the contractor’s books, and the jobs at rent, and purchase clothes business development and steel mills and other suppliers that provide the or other goods to meet their support staff. necessary materials. needs.

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Tasks performed during the project lifecycle are classified as per the following phases of project deployment: business development, design and pre-construction, construction and commissioning and operations and maintenance, as described in figure 1.6 Each project development phase creates direct, indirect and induced employment.

3. Methodology and Data Sample: Primary Market Surveys

Methodology Jobs vs. Workforce/Manpower: An Explainer n our 2015 analysis, Clean Energy Powers Local Job Growth in India, we esti- he study estimates work- mated that scaling up grid-connected solar and wind energy would add a cumu- force required for deploy- lative 1 million jobs for solar construction workers, installers, maintenance works, ment of ground-mounted T Iengineers, technicians, and plant operators between 2015 and 2022. These jobs and rooftop solar photovoltaic include short-term jobs for business development, design and pre-commissioning, projects, solar photovoltaic and construction and commissioning, as well as long-term jobs for operation and module manufacturing and wind maintenance and performance monitoring. projects in India. These esti- Jobs created, however, is different from workforce needed. One worker can mates represent direct employ- perform more than one job because some of the jobs are short-term As a hypotheti- ment in the respective sectors. cal example, assume the country has an installed capacity of 5 GW that has been The estimates are based on deployed with a workforce of 1,500 people. In order to deploy an additional 15 GW primary data collected from in the following year, we would need those 1,500 people who have already been multiple organisations engaging trained to deploy 5 of 15 GW as well as an additional 3,000 people to deploy the in project deployment activities. remaining 10 GW. The workforce required, therefore, is only the new 3,000 people This includes, solar module that would need training. However, the jobs created totals 4,500 for the entire 15 and windmill manufacturers, GW of deployment. project developers, engineering, In this analysis, we estimate the workforce required, i.e., number of workers procurement and construction needed to perform these 1 million jobs based on the planned capacity addition of (EPC) companies and turnkey grid-connected solar and wind energy between 2017 and 2022. solution providers.

o determine solar and wind workforce numbers, we e used the data collected from the survey developed a detailed survey questionnaire, aimed at to calculate the workforce numbers and capturing key employment information for each of the job-years per megawatt (MW) or the full time fourT phases of ground-mounted solar, rooftop solar and wind W equivalent (FTE) per MW. We calculated FTE per MW project deployment. We developed a second questionnaire numbers separately for each phase of solar and wind focused on solar manufacturing to tabulate the number of jobs project deployment. We used these FTE numbers as created in this sector. The survey questionnaires also capture coefficients to estimate the total workforce expected information related to employment potential at organisation to be employed in the solar and wind energy project level and distribution of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled man- deployment process based on excess capacity to be power in each stage of project deployment. added every year between now and 2022.

54 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

One-time vs. Full-time Employment

he first three phases of project deployment (i.e. business development, design and pre-construction, as Twell as construction and pre-commissioning) create one–time jobs. For example, once the project is designed or constructed, the employment generated from those functions is terminated and the workforce employed for those functions moves on to the next project. For the last phase of the project (i.e. operations and maintenance), the employment generated lasts for the lifetime of the project. The full time equivalent (FTE) coefficient or job-year is sim- ply a ratio of the time spent by an employee on a particular project/task in a given year to the standard total working hours in that particular year. The FTE formula translates short-term or one-time employment into a full-time equivalent or job-year. Therefore, all numbers in this report correspond to full-time equivalent employment.

Survey Sample he survey respondents included 37 solar companies, 8 solar manufacturers, and 9 wind companies from the industry rep- Tresenting the complete value chain of the project deployment cycle, including contractors, power producers and turnkey solution providers. The survey responses represent diversity in terms of geographical distribution of respondents; small, mid and large-scale companies based on number of employees and their portfolio of solar and wind projects; individual project size; and consumer segment to represent a good range from the entire spectrum of renewable companies in India. Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

SOLAR DEVELOPERS or solar, both ground-mounted and rooftop, a total of 37 Solar respondents are well distributed companies responded to the survey, with 60 percent of across India to capture the diversity the companies developing ground-mounted plants and 40 F in employment generated based on percent developing rooftop solar projects. The rooftop solar respon- dents represent those that develop residential, commercial, geographic location. industrial and institutional projects.

Source: Source: CEEW-NRDC CEEW-NRDC Analysis Analysis

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he solar respondents represent, small, mid and large- owever, the survey data for wind manufac- scale companies, based on number of employees and turing companies is not as granular as that Toperational solar capacity. For solar power, both ground- Hfor solar companies. Because of the nature mounted and rooftop, about 47 percent of the companies sur- of the wind industry, with many companies taking veyed have between 100 to 250 employees representing a good on multiple functions, segregation by phase and range of small to large companies. Of the respondents, about 40 job type to estimate job-years or FTE per MW percent of the companies have deployed more than 200 MW of in the wind manufacturing industry is challeng- solar capacity each and about 40 percent control capacities of ing and complex. Companies perform different less than 50 MW. This highlights the participation of early stage tasks, both in terms of project deployment as well companies in our survey. as component manufacturing. For example, it becomes difficult to estimate job-years per MW for a company that manufactures different wind equipment in different quantities and also does project deployment. SOLAR MODULE DEVELOPERS

epresentatives of eight of India’s leading solar module manufacturing compa- Rnies, eight companies with cumulative production of more than 1,500 MW, responded to our surveys. Respondents include smaller companies with a manufacturing capacity of about 5 MW per year as well as some of the larger manufactures with upwards of 500 MW of annual production capacity.

Respondents from the solar module manufacturing segment represents small, mid and Source: CEEW-NRDC large-scale companies, based on annual pro- Analysis duction capacity and total employee strength.

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

WIND DEVELOPERS

or wind, respondents represent close to 15,000 MW of installed wind capacity – about half the total installed Fcapac- ity in the country. Respondents reflect a fair share of wind companies involved in different functions throughout the entire lifecycle of a wind energy project, including component manufacturers, power producers, installers and turnkey solutions providers. Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

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4. Analysis: Estimating Job-Years Per MW for Solar and GROUND-MOUNTED Wind Projects; and Solar Module Manufacturing SOLAR PROJECTS his section includes estimates of full-time equivalent (FTE) or job-year per MW for each phase of ground-mounted solar, rooftop solar and wind project usiness development related deployment from business development, design and pre-construction, con- activities create about 0.05 Tstruction and commissioning as well as operations and maintenance. Bjob-year per MW (FTE) from Similarly, FTE or job-year per MW estimates are also calculated for solar PV ground-mounted solar PV plant in- module manufacturing in India. stallations. Employment in this phase primarily requires skilled manpower. ccording to the analysis, rooftop solar projects create the maximum job- Some companies, however, also years per MW: 24.72 job-years per MW. This sector is followed first by mentioned engaging semi-skilled ground-mounted solar projects, which create around 3.45 job-years per manpower to facilitate land procure- A ment and coordination with local MW, and then by wind projects, which create 1.27 job-year per MW. Solar pho- SOLAR MODULE DEVELOPERS tovol- taic module manufacturing also creates employment of 2.60 job-years per organisations at the location of the MW of modules manufactured. Employment generation potential in each phase of project. solar and wind project deployment from business development to operations and maintenance is discussed in the following sub sections. uring design and pre-construction phase, about 0.20 Djob-years per MW are created from ground-mounted solar PV plant installations. About 60 percent of total manpower engaged in this phase of project deployment are skilled. About 30 percent are semi-skilled and a small portion of manpower (about 10 percent) is unskilled, associated primarily with site survey and pre-feasibility related activities in this phase.

he construction and pre- commissioning phase creates Tthe maximum employment for ground-mounted solar power, generating 2.70 job-years per MW. This also includes contract labour- ers deployed for the construction of entire plant. More than 50 percent of the jobs created in construction and pre-commissioning phase employ unskilled manpower.

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

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ROOFTOP SOLAR PROJECTS WIND POWER PROJECTS

usiness development related activities in the bout 0.06 job-years per MW are created during the rooftop solar sector creates more jobs than the business development phase of wind power projects. Bsame activities for the ground-mounted utility AThese jobs are primarily skilled in nature. scale solar sector. Rooftop installation of a solar PV project create about 1.53 job-years per MW. This rela- ind project design and pre-construction related tively high job creation is primarily due to the small size activities create 0.11 job-years per MW. Con- of individual projects and the necessity of reaching out Wstruction and commissioning of a wind plant cre- to a large consumer base. ates 0.6 job-years per MW and operation and maintenance creates 0.5 job-years per MW. or the rooftop projects, design and construction phase can be categorised as a single phase n total, the wind industry creates about 1.27 job-years Fsince design teams themselves oversee con- per MW from wind project deployment in India. This is struction and commissioning of a solar PV project at Ilower than total employment generated from solar proj- consumer sites. In this phase, about 8.85 job-years per ect deployment. MW are created, with most of them requiring skilled (72 percent) and semi-skilled (20 percent) manpower.

he solar rooftop companies still require additional construction workers to undertake activities, Twhich they either outsource to contractors or hire construction workers inde- pendently for a particular project. This leads to employment generation of 13.84 job-years per MW during the construction and pre- commissioning phase.

ome smaller companies that operate on the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model, in which Sthe rooftop owners invest equity in the plant, do not have dedicated operations and maintenance teams. In such cases, the rooftop owners themselves do the regular cleaning and maintenance-related work. However, even relatively larger companies such as Cleanmax and Azure Power or other smaller compa- Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis nies that operate n the operating expenditure (OPEX) models outsource the operations and maintenance of their plants. The employment generated from rooftop About 70 percent of the respondents mentioned o that the average employee works on at least two operation and maintenance activities is about 0.50 job- years per MW in either scenario. projects simultaneously during the business development phase. The remaining 30 percent stated that their employees work on at least three or more projects simultaneously. About 60 percent of respondents indicated that an individual employee works on at least two projects simultaneously during the design phase. During the construction and operations and maintenance phases, however, each employee is assigned to only one specific project at a time.

SOLAR MANUFACTURING

ur analysis estimates that the solar module manufacturing sector generates an average of O2.60 job-years per MW. Com- panies with an annual production capacity of below 50 MW require about 35 percent more personnel than companies with higher capacities. The employment generation factor or the job-years per MW vary marginally with an increase Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis in production capacity of above 200 MW.

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n the solar module manufacturing sector, Iall the jobs are continuous in nature. According to the analysis, in a typical solar module manufacturing facility, more than 70 percent of the employees are engaged in production activities.

his is followed by senior management, Tadministration and accounts staff at 14 Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis percent. 5. Discussion and Key Findings

Finding 1: Over 300,000 workers will be employed in the next 5 years, to achieve India’s solar and wind targets ur analysis estimates that achieving India’s solar and wind Oenergy goals by 2022 will provide full-time-equivalent new employment to 331,210 people in the country.8 These workers will need to be trained to undertake over 1 million employment opportunities (short-term and long-term cumulatively) that will be created in achieving India’s clean energy targets.9 Of the more than 300,000 workers, 237,980, or about two- thirds, will work in rooftop solar and the rest in ground- mounted solar and wind industries. Further, for ground-mounted solar projects, the employment coefficients are higher for smaller projects, sized between 1 – 5 MW, in comparison to large projects sized above 50 MW. This implies that if the deployment of 60 GW of ground-mounted solar constitutes more small-sized projects, this would result in greater employment generation or a higher workforce requirement to deploy the same capacity in bigger Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis sized projects.10

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In total, the wind industry creates about 1.27 job-years per MW, lower than the total employment generated during solar project deployment.

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

Finding 2: In 2016-2017, solar and wind energy projects in India added more than 21,000 new jobs for the economy. In 2017-2018, most solar and wind companies expect to increase their workforce by at least 10 percent and employ an estimated 25,000-plus people.

ased on our analysis of job-year per MW of employment gener- Bated from ground-mounted solar, rooftop solar and wind project deployment, 21,192 additional workers were employed in the financial year (FY) 2016 – 2017. An excess capacity addition of 2.5 GW of ground-mounted solar, 500 MW of rooftop solar and about 2 GW of wind power supported more than 600 business development personnel, more than 3,000 design and pre-construction personnel, more than 11,000 people for constructing and commissioning these projects and more than 5,000 people to operate and maintain these plants.11 CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source:

For the coming year, two thirds of the ground- mounted solar respondents expect to increase their workforce in 2017 –Design and Pre-Construction 395 2018. Of the 60 percent respondents, half (about 34 percent) Construction and 5,330 expect that increase to exceed 10 percent. About 36 percent of the respondents expect an increase in the number of employees by up to 10 percent, while 7 percent expect no change. This growth is linked to the growing footprint of Indi- an companies in domestic and international markets. About one-fifth (23 percent) of respondents, most of which are large engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies, expect some decline in workforce. The expected decrease could be linked to growing competition in the sector and the improving

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source: efficiency of available manpower per project.

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imilarly, all the wind power companies surveyed plan to increase their workforce Sin FY18 by at least 10 percent. In the coming year, 2017 - 2018, we estimate that new ground- mounted solar, rooftop solar, and wind power capac- ity additions will employ an additional 25,481 people. This includes more than 1,000 people for business development, more than 5,000 people for design and pre-construction, and almost 20,000 people for construction and commissioning. Annual additional employment generation in solar sector, both ground-mounted and rooftop is expected to increase by almost 80 percent, whereas for wind

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis sector it will come down by about 18 percent.

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source: Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis Source:

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis In total, over the next three years from 2017 to 2020, employment for about 80,000 additional people will Finding 3: Solar module manufacturing could employ about 45,000 people if demand for be generated in India. modules is met domestically in India

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e estimate that solar module manufacturing currently em- Wploys close to 2,900 people. With India’s reported plan to announce a policy for competitive domestic solar module manufacturing, all solar manufacturing companies surveyed expect to increase their workforce in FY 2017-2018. In fact, one fourth of them expect an increase in excess of 40 percent. Further, we estimate that the domestic solar module manufacturing industry in India could employ an additional 45,000 people if the demand for solar modules is met domestically in India.

Source: CEEW-NRDC Analysis

Finding 4: Solar power jobs will be well distributed across the country, while wind power jobs will be concentrated in a few states

Solar resources in India are well distributed across the country12. State-wise installation targets for ground-mounted solar projects and rooftop solar projects set by the Min- istry of New and Renewable Energy also reflect the same geographical diversity. Based on the Ministry targets, we estimated state workforce requirements. Based on our analysis, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are estimated to have the most number of solar jobs in the country.

Wind jobs, however, are likely to be concentrated in the states that have high wind potential. According to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, 8 states have wind installation targets between 2017 and 2022.13 These include Rajasthan in the north, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra in the west, and Andhra Pradesh, Source: Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and CEEW-NRDC Karnataka in the South. Analysis

Finding 5: Rooftop solar is more workforce-intensive than other renewables, providing 24.72 job-years per MW in comparison to 3.45 job-years per MW for ground-mounted solar and 1.27 job- years per MW for wind power

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ompared to ground-mounted solar (3.45 job- Cyears per MW) and wind (1.27 job-years per MW), rooftop solar has the most workforce intensive project deployment at 24.72 job-years per MW. This is due to the smaller project sizes compared to ground-mounted solar or Source: CEEW-NRDC wind, which means that Analysis more people are required for installations. 6. Key Policy Recommendations and Conclusion

ur analysis serves to further illustrate wind and solar employment opportunities in India as the nation moves toward its 2022 renewable energy targets, and can be used to design and implement clean energy policies at Othe state and national levels. The solar manufacturing employment potential highlighted here can serve to help the industry prepare. Based on our analysis, national and state governments should focus on job creation as a key policy area for solar and wind sectors in the country. Specifically, governments can

a. Encourage reporting of employ- sector to source construction jobs ment generation from renewable locally since solar jobs are well dis- energy companies; tributed among states; b. Provide a greater impetus and d. Develop wind power training cen- policy priority to rooftop solar to tres on the basis of state-specific create renewable energy jobs and wind targets in 8 states; and meet the government’s employ- e. Promote a strong domestic solar ment objectives; module manufacturing industry to c. Support development of localized provide employment to an additional training centres led by the private 45,000 people in India.

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 63 E LECTRIC VEHICLES

Automotive manufacturers When Will Electric have set ambitious plans for electrifying their fleets in the next few years. Still, there are many concerns over the price Vehicles be Cheaper of electric vehicles, their acceptance by consumers and their effect on companies’ profitability. than Conventional In this note, we analyse the cost structure of electric cars to show the contribution of various Vehicles ? components and the trajectory of future costs. Article By Nikolas Soulopoulos @BloombergNEF

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l Battery electric cars will be more expensive than equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles for the next 7-9 years, depending on segment. By the end of the 2020’s, the average BEV in the US and Europe will be cheaper than a comparable ICE in all market segments, though for small cars the gap will be marginal. We believe that these price signals will drive the mass adoption of EVs. l Cost reductions are highly reliant on mass manufacturing – both of vehicles and batteries. Policy is critical here, since tough fuel economy regulations play an important role in driving the scale-up in EV manufacturing over the next 5-7 years. l Watering down fuel economy rules in the US and other countries has the potential to derail the trajectory of price declines forecast here.

Vehicle segments and EV specifications

l Vehicle retail prices l Small cars and SUVs are on average l In order to forecast vehicle prices, we have been rising in the markedly cheaper in the EU than the US; assume that in the future battery electric past few years in the a reflection of consistently larger and vehicles will populate existing market U.S. and Europe above more powerful vehicles in the US in these segments. We have also assigned range their historical growth segments. In contrast, medium and large and power specifications that we assume rates of around 1.5% cars are slightly more expensive in Europe. BEVs will need to compete in the relevant in the US and 2% in However, the after-tax retail prices are segments. These are shown in the table, Europe. higher in Europe across all segments. and are applied for all countries.

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EV competitiveness is heavily dependent on battery cost and technology improvements

l Battery costs are dropping at around 19% per l We expect average battery energy density will cumulative doubling of manufactured capacity. We double by 2030 to more than 200 Wh/kg, on the back expect Large manufacturing capacity additions of continuous improvements in battery chemistries, (web | terminal) and incremental technology im- higher material efficiencies and better engineering. provements between now and 2025 to sustain falling The effects of these technological advancements costs, beyond that costs reductions will likely slow are twofold: smaller battery capacity requirements on an annualised basis. – up to 15% by 2030 – and lower vehicle weight.

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BEV prices will become as cheap as ICEs in the 2020's, but segment and regional differences will exist

l We expect base vehicle costs, such as body and chassis, to drop for battery electric cars, due to simpler design and easier manufacturing. For ICEs, these costs will slightly increase, as a result of additional light-weighting (web | terminal) and other measures to meet CO2 emissions and fuel economy requirements.* l We expect electric powertrain costs for BEVs, such as motors, inverters and electronics, to drop by about 20-25% by 2030, mainly due to volume manufacturing. l The most expensive component of electric vehicles is currently the battery, which we expect to contribute between 18%-23% of the price by 2030, down from around 50% at present. l In the US, BEVs and ICEs in all segments will cost the same around 2026. In Europe, medium vehicles should reach price parity earlier – by 2025 – compared to small and medium cars and SUVs. In particular, small BEVs will not be price competitive until late in the decade, due to the low ICE prices in the segment. l In both regions, the SUV and large vehicle segments will reach price parity after 2026. This does not seem to have deterred some OEMs, who are planning SUV and crossover BEV launches around 2020. However, several have acknowledged that generating significant prof- Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance Note: Estimated pre-tax retail prices; Note: our its from EVs will be challenging over the next analysis uses data from the EPA, ICCT, FEV, ONRL, IDL few years until battery prices drop further.

BEV and ICE pre-tax prices in the US and the share of battery costs in the vehicle price

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BEV and ICE pre-tax prices in the EU and the share of battery costs in the vehicle price

Battery electric vehicle specifications

l In order to derive our forecasts, we have made several estimates on how battery capacity and power evolve for BEVs between 2017 and 2030:

l We expect battery capacity requirements to drop l We expect power requirements for vehicles to up to 15% by 2030. This mean large cars and SUVs increase over time, but lower vehicle weight will will need batteries of around 85 kWh to cover 300 counteract the trend. We expect the weight of the miles, down from roughly 100 kWh today. Medium average battery electric vehicle to drop by about sized vehicles’ batteries will be just over 65 kWh for a quarter to 2030, with more than half of the gain 250 mile range, while smaller vehicles will largely coming from lighter batteries. Average power use batteries of about 50 kWh to achieve 200 mile requirements will increase between 5% and 15% range. by 2030.

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l We expect battery electric US (web | terminal) following the cost of EVs. vehicles to be up to 15% cheaper change in administration (web | than equivalent ICEs by 2030. To terminal) – could ease these cost l Changing costs will make make this comparison, we assume pressures and alter the projected EVs competitive with their ICE that costs for internal combustion pricing dynamics between BEVs counterparts over the next ten engine vehicles will rise slightly and ICEs. years, but economics alone will in the future to comply with an not dictate adoption. Many other l Our underlying costs for ve- factors play a large role. These increasingly stringent regulatory hicle and component manufactur- environment. This is supported by are covered in-depth in past ing of electric vehicles assumes BNEF publications and will be analysis from groups like the EPA, high production volumes. This NHTSA, and from statements from addressed in our upcoming Long typically means output of more Term EV Adoption Outlook. the car manufacturers. than 100,000 vehicles per year. l l However, automotive manu- At the moment, manufacturers Our analysis is based on mod- facturers could delay this trend do not produce EVs at this scale, elling an average vehicle in every by merging or otherwise pooling so unit costs for body and other segment. Individual manufactur- manufacturing capacity, with- parts are currently higher for EVs ers will have distinct cost struc- drawing from certain markets than ICEs. We estimate that by tures depending on things like (web | terminal) and pursuing 2020-22 production capacity of the geographical location of their higher efficiencies in all aspects electric vehicles will scale up for manufacturing assets and their of their operations. Potential the more aggressive car makers production volumes. In addition, relaxation of fuel economy and and we expect a premium of 20- individual brands have different emissions regulations – as is 30% in the next three to four years pricing power to position their being currently discussed in the to the component manufacturing vehicles in the market. Methodology

Electric vehicle pricing methodology

Vehicle Retail cost breakdown by component

l The cost multiplier from the previous slide accounts for depreciation, R&D, Selling and general administrative expenses, and OEM and dealer margins. l Around two-thirds of a vehicle’s retail price cover direct manufacturing costs, such as materials, labour and tools. This leaves 10-12% for dealer and OEM profit.

l The cost structure between the l In assessing the manufacturing cost of a BEV we assume U.S. and Europe is similar, with dif- volume production of around 100,000 or more vehicles per year. ferences mainly reflecting dealer and Manufacturers are generally below this now, but we expect many labour costs. to be at this level around 2020 based on their stated plans. www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 69 Policy & Regulations

Uttar Pradesh Solar Power Policy 2017

India, being a tropical country receives adequate solar radiation for 300 days. However, solar power has not been able to contribute to a significant share in the Indian energy mix.

of 23.8 GW of Solar Energy which the the Government is keen in establishing Preamble State intends to harness to support the solar energy based power plants in the he grid-connected capacity of So- energy requirements of the State as well state. To achieve this, objective, U.P. lar PV in India stands at 12.5 GW as meet the MNRE targets of 10.7GW State Government hereby declares and (as of April, 2017) of the total 329 of solar power which includes 4300MW adopts Solar Power Policy, 2017. T from solar rooftop by 2022. In order to GW installed in the country. The market for solar power is, however, set to grow address the energy demand and access significantly due to improved economics issues, the state is also targeted to pro- of solar projects and rise in the prices vide 24 hours electricity connections to of the fossil fuels. Another push to the rural and urban households by 2018-19. sector includes Government of India’s Attaining such an ambitious target will commitment to 40% of the country’s require a complete transformation of power from renewable sources by 2030 power sector scenario in Uttar Pradesh including achievement of 100 GW from including tapping huge solar energy solar power by 2022, of which 40 GW potential. Additionally, solar energy is allocated specific to solar rooftop deployment in the state will also attract projects. Additionally, the amendment investments creating many jobs in the in the National Tariff Policy in 2016 state. The solar industry provides both also targets to achieve 8% contribution one-time jobs during precommission- from solar energy in the total state mix ing/ construction phase and regular (excluding hydro) by 2021 . operations and maintenance positions To achieve a sustainable develop- over the life of the project. Investments ment route that provides for advance- in the solar industry as well as domes- ment in economic as well as environ- tic manufacturing of solar panels will mental objectives, the Government help create direct and indirect employ- of Uttar Pradesh is determined and ment opportunities in both skilled and taking necessary steps to encourage unskilled sector. Thus, keeping in view the generation based on renewable vast potential of solar power in the state energy sources. The State has potential and to improve the power availability,

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Applicability of the Policy-

The solar policy shall be ap- generation/ group captive gen- plicable for the following solar eration (including those funded projects set up within the state: and owned by developers) with 1) Utility Scale Solar Power intention to sale part generation to Projects (SPPs) Electricity Distribution Company or Third party. Utility scale grid-connected 2) Solar Rooftop Projects solar power projects based on both Photo Voltaic (PV) as well State shall encourage the devel- as Solar Thermal technologies opment of solar rooftop projects to pertaining to: meet the MNRE target of 4300MW for the State of UP by 2022. l Projects set up for sale of power to UP Electricity Distribution li- 3) Off-Grid Applications: censees l Solar Street Lights l Projects set up for sale of power to third parties within the State or l Solar powered agricultural outside the State pump sets l l Projects set up for captive Any other off grid solar product. Regulatory Framework The Electricity Act 2003, as amended from time to time, mandates the State Electricity Regulatory Commission, to set tariffs for renewable energy as well as to issue regulations pertaining to renewable power purchase obligation (RPO), and set charges for wheeling, transmission and distribution of electricity. Policy Targets The Government of Uttar Pradesh in its endeavor to achieve minimum 8% solar energy out of the total projected consumption (as defined in the Tariff Policy), proposes to meet the target of 10700 MW solar power for UP including 4300 MW from rooftop solar projects by FY 22. Objectives Implementation Plan

This solar policy has the following The State shall encourage implementation of the Solar Power under below specific objectives: mentioned segments: l To encourage participation of Private Utility scale grid-Connected Solar Projects Sector and provide investment opportu- Category-1: Solar Park nities to set up solar power projects in the state State Government will promote the development of integrated solar parks for utiliz- l To support in providing environment ing waste lands in the State for generation of power. Through development of solar friendly and affordable Power for All. parks, private participation will be encouraged by providing “plug and play” options l To promote Research &Development, for developers. Size of Solar Parks set up will be minimum 100 MW capacity at innovations and skill development in the contiguous location,subject to minimum capacity condition of Solar Park laid down state by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India for pro- l To achieve its target of 8% Solar viding Central FinancialAssistance (CFA) for development of Solar Park. Renewable Purchase Obligation (Solar RPO) by 2022. The solar parks can be set up under: A. Public Sector Solar Parks The State shall support the development of solar parks under any of the Operative Period following modes: This policy shall come into operation 1. Solar Parks developed and managed by Central/ State Government Public from date of issuance and shall remain Sector Undertaking in operation for a period of five (5) years (PSU) or a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of the State Government or till the Government notifies the new 2. Solar Parks developed and managed by a Joint Venture Company (Lucknow policy whichever is earlier. Solar Power Development Corporation Limited) comprising of UPNEDA (50% equity) and The Solar Power Projects (SPPs) that Solar Energy are taken up during the operative period Corporation of India (SECI) (50% equity) shall continue to be eligible for the 3. Solar Parks developed and managed bySolar Energy Corporation of India incentives declared under this policy. (SECI) on behalf of State Government on mutually agreed terms. www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 71 Policy & Regulations

Government of U.P will provide the following Incentives: i. Land on lease or Right to use basis for development of Solar Park. ii. Connectivity of Solar Park to the nearest transmission Substation. Implementation iii. Support for strengthening of Grid network iv. The State through UPPCL/Distribution licensee to offer purchase of 100 % Arrangement: power generated from solar park out of which atleast 50% of the power will have to be sold to UPPCL/Distribution Licensee. a) Net Metering: The policy shall be applicable to Renewable Location of the Solar Park shall be finalized in consultation with State Transmis- Energy (RE) Beneficiary, who sion utility to optimize the cost of transmission.Allocation of the Solar Power installs RE Systems under Net Projects inside the Solar Park will be done through bidding as per guidelines of Metering Arrangement as per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India UPERC RSPV Regulation, 2015. Generally, such RE Systems B Private Sector Solar Parks shall be located in the premises of RE Beneficiary. In case of The state shall promote the solar parks developed by private companies. multi storied buildings, residential Government of U.P will provide the following Incentives: colonies, commercial buildings, i Support for strengthening of Grid network etc,Renewable Energy(RE) Sys- ii The State through UPPCL/Distribution licensee to offer purchase of 100 % tem could be located at common power generated from solar park out of which atleast 50% of the power will have facility area; the same could sup- to be sold to UPPCL/Distribution Licensee. ply to the bulk power connection or connection for common facili- Category-2: Large scale stand-alone solar projects with sale ties therein, and, in other cases, without hindering or encroaching of power to Distribution Licensee upon the lawful rights of the other occupants. The nodal agency for such projects shall be UPNEDA. The minimum b) Gross Metering: In this ar- project size shall be 5MW at a single location and shall be awarded rangement energy in a system through competitive bidding process as per Ministry of New and is measured under which entire Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India guidelines. energy generated from a rooftop Solar PV system installed at Incentives eligible consumer premises is delivered to the distribution system State Government will bearone-third of the cost of construction of of the licensee. transmission line,for maximum transmission line length of 15 km for thesolar projects in the Bundelkhand and Purvanchal region of the State. Implementation Plan: Remaining cost for construction of transmission line, bay and substation will be borne by the Project Developer. Incentive will be available only in Government/Public Institutions case of construction of Transmission line by State Transmission Utility (STU)/Distribution licensee. i. The Government of Uttar Pradesh shall promote deploy- Other charges will be applicable as per the UP Electricity Regulatory ment of rooftop solar photovoltaic Commission (UPERC) regulations, as amended from time to time. plants for captive/self-consumption on the offices of the government organizations/State govern- Facilities for third Party sale ment owned or aided institutions under Net metering mechanism. (i) Intrastate sale of solar power to any third party shall be exempted from any Installation of these Rooftop solar wheeling charges/transmission charges. photovoltaic plants through third party (Renewable Energy Supply (ii) Interstate sale of solar power shall be exempted from any cross subsidy sur- Company -RESCO) will be en- charge and wheeling charges/transmission charges applicable inside the state. couraged wherein the consumer (iii) Metering for sale of power shall be done at STU/Distribution licensee shall enter into a power pur- substation end chase agreement with the Third Party and enter into Net-Metering agreement with the Distribution Grid-Connected Solar Rooftop Projects licensee.

The State shall encourage implementation of the grid connected rooftop solar ii. The State shall endeavor to photovoltaic power plants on public buildings, domestic, commercial and indus- participate and avail benefits trial establishments through following arrangements as per Rooftop Solar PV under the MNRE’s scheme on Grid Interactive systems Gross/Net Metering Regulations ,2015 (RSPV Regula- Grid Connected Rooftop and tions ,2015) issued by UPERC and amended from time to time: Small Power Plants Programme.

72 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com Policy & Regulations

Residential &Private Institutions Further, the State shall take active The Government of Uttar Pradesh shall encourage the Residential, Commercial part in the Ministry of New and Re- and Industrial units to implement Grid connected rooftop solar power plant, of newable Energy (MNRE) scheme suitable capacity, on the roof of their premises/area following the regulations as on implementation of rooftop solar notified by Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission from time to time. power plants on the roofs of the State Government department and State Public Sector Units namely Incentives for implementation of Grid-connected ‘Achievement-Linked Incentive’ for solar rooftop projects Government Sector or any other incentive available under any Gov- The following incentives shall be ernment scheme from time to time. available to the Grid connected Rooftop Solar PV Plants imple- iii. All the public institutions such mented by the eligible entities, as as government owned or aided applicable, during the Operative hospitals, research institutions, Period of the policy, educational institutions, hostels & training institutions, libraries, i. To promote large scale installation establishments of Indian rail- of Grid connected Rooftop systems ways, in the State, such as ticket under Net-Metering arrangement reservation centre, Railway sta- in private residential sectors, State tions, research and development Government will provide subsidy of organization, rest houses, inspec- Rs 10000/KW to a maximum limit of tion houses etc, shall endeavor to subsidy Rs 20000 per consumer on install grid connected rooftop solar first come first basis for the first 100 photovoltaic power plant and gen- MW applications submitted online to erates &consume some percent- UPNEDA. Subsidy will be disbursed be counted towards total height of the age of their annual electricitycon- to beneficiary after successful instal- building as permitted by building bye sumption from such plant. lation and commissioning of Rooftop laws. Further in case a solar rooftop solar systems with net metering and project is implemented, no further iv. Nodal Agency, UPNEDA willpay submission of all documents to the building permission will be required an active role in collection of State Nodal agency (UPNEDA). In from the local development authori- demand for installation of Grid case the project installation is delayed ties/local bodies on this account. connected Solar Rooftop Power for more than 6 months, the subsidy PlantsfromGovernment depart- iii. In compliance to the Rule 47A of shall be withdrawn by UPNEDA. ments.UPNEDA will finalize model Indian Electricity Rules, 1956 the This subsidy will be in addition to any contract conditions and carry out installation and testing of rooftop Central Financial Assistance available competitive bidding for discovery solar power plant up to 10 kW, will from Ministry of New and Renewable of tariff and selection of Renew- be exempted from the inspection by Energy, Government of India which able Energy Service Companies the Electrical Inspector of the State would be dispersed by State Nodal (RESCO’s) for implementation of of Uttar Pradesh. The appropriate Agency. Grid connected Solar Rooftop proj- Distribution Licensee shall undertake ects on Government buildings. ii. The height of the module structure the inspection of the rooftop solar carrying rooftop solar panels, in ad- power plant up to 10 kW before com- v. Funds from the Government of dition to the building height, shall not missioning. Uttar Pradesh may be made available for providing payment security in case any State Government, Metering Arrangement, Evacuation Voltage & Semi Government, Government aided organizations ,Government Interconnection with the distribution system owned corporations and statutory Metering arrangement,evacuation voltage of electricity generated from Solar bodies etcdecides to implement Power Plants and interconnection of the Rooftop Solar Power Plant with the Solar Rooftop project through third network of the distribution licensee will be as per UPERC RSPV Regulations Party (RESCO) mode. However 2015 and as amended from time to time. depending on the response generated some budgetary support may Other Off-Grid Applications also be provided by Government of U.P. for installation of Roof- Off Grid applications like Solar Street Lights and Solar Water Pumps for irriga- top Solar Power Plants in State tion purpose are being deployed presently in the State on large scale with State Government, Semi Government, subsidy .Government of UP will encourage off grid applications in rural areas of Government aided organizations the State .State Government will review from time to time and provide support and corporations. as appropriate .Government of U.P. has declared “Minigrid Policy U.P. -2016” which is annexed with this policy which may be reviewed by State Government as required from time to time.

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 73 Policy & Regulations

Ease of Business- Enabling Provisions

The State, in order to encourage solar based generation, has prepared the following measures for improving the ease of doing business. However the project developer has to ensure that the generation is within the time limit stipulated in the PPA or within a maximum period of 2 years from the date of application whichever is earlier, failing which the provisions under this policy automatically stands cancelled. The following provisions are for Solar Power Projects (SPP) and solar parks, wherever applicable: i) Single Window Clearance System The nodal agency will undertake single window clearance for all Solar Power Producers. ii) Energy Banking Banking of 100% energy in every financial year shall be permitted, subject to verifica- tion by the officials of the concerned State Distribution Company as per banking provisions of UPERC CRE Regulations 2014 and as amended from time to time. iii) Electricity Duty Electricity duty for ten years shall be exempted for sale to Distribution licensee, captive consumption and third party sale in respect of all solar projects set up within the state.

Government of India incentives l Chief Secretary - Chairman Various concessions allowed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) l Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner -Member for solar projects including central excise l Additional Chief Secretary/ Principal Secretary Energy -Member duty & customs duty exemptions shall be allowed to the project developer. l Secretary /Principal Secretary, Additional Sources of Energy -Member l Secretary /Principal Secretary, Finance -Member Empowered Committee l Secretary /Principal Secretary, Planning -Member l Secretary /Principal Secretary, Revenue -Member To resolve key bottlenecks in implementation of this policy and resolve any other l Secretary /Principal Secretary, Housing - Member Inter departmental issues that may arise l Managing Director, UPPCL -Member from time to time, an Empowered committee will be constituted under the chairman- l Managing Director, UPPTCL -Member ship of the Chief Secretary of the State. l Managing Director, Concerned DISCOM -Member The committee will have the following members:- l Director, UPNEDA – -Member Secretary

74 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com Policy & Regulations

Nodal Agency Skill Development and Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) will be the nodal agency for facilitating solar policy as envisaged by the Capacity Building relevant authorities. It has been realized that a large number Role of Nodal Agency of solar energy professionals will be required not only in UP, but in the entire The Nodal Agency will facilitate and assist the project developers and under- country to achieve ambitious target of take the activities to achieve the objectives of the policy. 100 GW of solar capacity. The government of UP, through UPNEDA shall Bidding of Projects design training programs in association with National Institute of Solar Energy The Nodal agency will be responsible for carrying out all the tasks related to (NISE) to train electricians, mechani- bidding process for Solar Power Projects in the state. cal & civil experts on solar. Various skill development programs will be designed For utility scale Solar projects Government of U.P. shall provide funds for by UPNEDA and NISE and subsequently activities like hiring of consultants for Bid process management, Outsourcing training will be imparted across the state. of single window system and other incentives to be made available directly Skills will be developed across segments under this policy or on any other activity or works which are required for including – installation, operation and implementation of Solar Policy in the State. maintenance of solar projects, testing of solar products, solar resource assess- For projects being set up under other departmental budgets, concerned ment, refurbishment, etc. UPNEDA will departments will bear the cost related to feasibility report preparation and provide certifications under these devel- bid process management. Nodal Agency may charge a nominal facilitation opment programs. charge for providing this service. Facilitation for Government Land/Space Benefits under Facilitate allotment of suitable land/space in control of State Government or its agencies. other Policies of Coordination with other Departments Government of U.P. For arranging right of way, if any, water supply and connecting infrastructure i. Incentives available for Solar Power like roads etcNodal agency will coordinate with other Government departments Projects shallbe available as in Infra- for expediting the setting up of Solar Projects. structure Investment and Industrial Poli- cyof the State as prevalent from time to time. Fiscal incentives available as per Training Infrastructure Investment and Industrial Develop appropriate skilled manpower by tying up with training and educa- Policy of State from time to time will be tional institutions. payable from the budgetary provisions made in that policy. FORMULATING OF SUBSIDY SCHEME AVAILABLE ii. Government of UP has delegated powers to Commissioners for early TO INSTALLATION OF ROOFTO SOLAR POWER disposal of permission to be provided PLANTS IN RESIDENTIAL SECTOR under land ceiling Act. iii. Solar PV projects shall be exempted Nodal Agency shall formulate scheme to provide for State subsidy as men- from obtaining Environmental tioned in Para Of Incentives for implementation of Grid-connected solar clearance rooftop projects (i) Power to amend & R&D Activities interpret the policy

To promote awareness amongst researchers and to assist private sector in Government of UP will have power to solving key issues related to reliability, adaptability of technology for Indian amend/ review/relax/interpret any of the conditions with special reference to Uttar Pradesh ,The State Government shall provisions under this policy as and when set up Solar Research &Development, testing and standardization facility in two required. institutes/universities in UP.

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 75 Quarter results Azure Power Announces Results for Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2017

Azure Power Global Limited (NYSE: AZRE), (“Azure Power” or “the Company”), one of the leaders in the Indian solar industry, today announced its consolidated results under United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) for the fiscal fourth quarter 2017, period ended March 31, 2017.

Key Operating and Financial Metrics : Portfolio Run-Rate lectricity generation during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 ortfolio run-rate equals annualized increased by 252.7 million kWh, or 69%, to 617.5 million kWh, payments from customers extrapolated Ecompared to the same period in 2016. The increase in electricity based on the operating and committed generation was principally a result of additional capacity operating during P capacity as of the reporting dates. In estimating the period. Total revenue during fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 was the portfolio run-rate, the Company multiplies INR 4,183.0 million (US$ 64.5 million), up 59% from INR 2,626.1 million the PPA contract price per kilowatt hour by the during the same period in 2016. The increase in revenue was primarily estimated annual energy output for all operating driven by the commissioning of new projects. and committed solar projects as of the reporting Project cost per megawatt operating consists of costs incurred for one date. The estimated annual energy output of the megawatt of new solar power plant capacity during the reporting period. Company’s solar projects is calculated using The project cost per megawatt operating for the fiscal year ended March power generation simulation software and 31, 2017 decreased by INR 10.3 million (US$ 0.16 million) to INR 49.3 validated by independent engineering firms. million (US$ 0.76 million), as compared to the same period in 2016. The main assumption used in the calculation is The decline is due to decreasing solar module prices and the reduction in the project location, which enables the software balance of system costs.Fourth Quarter 2017 Period Ended March 31, 2017 to derive the estimated annual energy output Operating Highlights: from certain meteorological data, including the temperature and solar insolation based on the Operating & Committed Megawatts were 1,069 MW, as of March 31, project location. 2017, an increase of 31% over March 31, 2016. The following table sets forth, with respect to the Company’s PPAs, the aggregate portfolio Revenue for the quarter was INR 1,318 million (US$ 20.3 million), an run-rate and estimated annual energy output as increase of 72% over the quarter ended March 31, 2016. of the reporting dates. The portfolio run-rate has not been discounted to arrive at the present Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was INR 974 million (US$ 15.0 value. million), an increase of 90% over the quarter ended March 31, 2016. Portfolio run-rate increased by INR 1,716 million (US$ 26.5 million) to INR 11,006 Nominal contracted payments increased from March 31, 2016 to March million (US$ 169.7 million) as of March 31, 31, 2017 as a result of the Company entering into additional PPAs. Over 2017, as compared to March 31, 2016, due to an time, the Company has seen falling benchmark tariffs as reported by increase in operational and committed capacity. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission in line with the reduction in solar module prices.

76 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com Quarter results

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses Depreciation and amortization expenses during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 increased by INR 121.9 million (US$ 1.9 million), or 63%, to INR 314.0 million (US$ 4.8 million) compared to the same period in 2016. The principal reason for the increase was capitalization of new projects during the period from March 31, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Interest Expense, Net Net interest expense during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 decreased by INR 38.4 million (US$ 0.6 million), or 6%, to INR 631.2 million (US$ 9.7 million) compared to the same period in 2016. Interest expense decreased primarily as a result of eliminating interest on Compulsorily Convertible Debentures following their conversion after the Company’s initial public offering and higher interest income on investments during the quarter ended March 31, 2017, which was partially offset by increased borrowings for new solar power projects. Gain on Foreign Currency Exchange Fourth Quarter 2017 Period ended March The Indian rupee depreciated against the U.S. dollar 31, 2017 Consolidated Financial Results: by INR 0.1 to US$ 1.00 (0.1%) during the period from December 31, 2016 to March 31, 2016, while Operating revenue in the quarter ended March 31, 2017 was INR 1,317.6 the Indian rupee appreciated against the U.S. dollar million (US$ 20.3 million), an increase of 72% from INR 767.2 million by INR 3.1 to US$ 1.00 (4.5%) during the period over the same period in 2016. The increase in revenue was driven by the from December 31, 2016 to March 31, 2017. This commissioning of new projects. appreciation during the period from December 31, 2016 to March 31, 2017 resulted in a foreign exchange gain of INR 309.2 million (US$ 4.8 million), which was Cost of Operations a INR 315.2 million (US$ 4.9 million) improvement compared to the same period in 2016. Cost of operations in the quarter ended March 31, 2017 increased by 106% to INR 130.7 million (US$ 2.0 million) from INR 63.3 million in the same period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to plant maintenance cost Income Tax Expense for newly commissioned projects and implementation of improved O&M Income tax expense increased during the quarter methods for better plant productivity. ended March 31, 2017 by INR 406.9 million (US$ 6.3 million) to INR 645.2 million (US$ 9.9 million), General and Administrative compared to the same period in 2016. The increase in income tax expense in the quarter ended March 31, Expenses 2017 was partly due to increase in taxable income on profits generated by a subsidiary, which provides General and administrative expenses during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 certain engineering, procurement and construction increased by INR 21.1 million (US$ 0.3 million), or 11%, to INR 212.4 million services to its subsidiaries and delay of accelerated (US$ 3.3 million) compared to the same period in 2016. This was primarily due depreciation tax benefit claimed in the current quarter. to an increase in personnel expenses to support the Company’s growth. The subsidiary expects to benefit from this claim in the next quarter.

www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 77 Quarter results

Net Loss Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 was INR 306.7 million (US$ 4.7 million), a decrease of INR 286.7 million (US$ 4.4 million) as compared to the same period in 2016. This was primarily due to increase in revenue, lower interest expense and a foreign exchange gain realised during the quarter ended March 31, 2017. Cash Flow and Working Capital Cash utilized in operating activities for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 was INR 27.2 million (US$ 0.4 million), an increase of INR 761.1 million (US$ 11.7 million) as compared to the same period in 2016, primarily due to one-time receipt of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) during the same period in 2016. Cash used for investing activities increased by INR 12,785.2 million (US$ 197.2 million) during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016 as purchases of property, plant and equipment for new projects rose by an additional INR 6,324.5 million (US$ 97.5 million). During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, the Company raised INR 24,331.5 million (US$ 375.2 million) from financing activities. The Company raised equity of INR 10,466.8 million (US$ 161.4 million) from its initial public offering and concurrent private placement and issuance of Series I CCPS. Liquidity Position Exchange Rate This press release contains As of March 31, 2017, the Company had INR 8,757.5 million (US$ translations of certain Indian 135.0 million) of cash, cash equivalents and current investments. rupee amounts into U.S. dollars The Company drew down INR 8,471.2 million (US$ 130.6 million) at specified rates solely for of project debt during the quarter and had undrawn project debt the convenience of the reader. commitment of INR 16,227.9 million (US$ 250.2 million) as of the Unless otherwise stated, the end of the quarter. translation of Indian rupees into U.S. dollars has been made at INR 64.85 to US$ 1.00, which Adjusted EBITDA is the noon buying rate in New Adjusted EBITDA was INR 974.4 million (US$ 15.0 million) for York City for cable transfer the quarter ended March 31, 2017, compared to INR 512.6 million in non-U.S. currencies as in the same period in 2016. This was primarily due to the increase in certified for customs purposes revenue during the period. by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on March 31, 2017. The Company makes no representation that the Indian Guidance rupee or U.S. dollar amounts The following statements are based on current expectations. These referred to in this press release statements are forward-looking and actual results may differ could have been converted into materially. The Company is giving revenue guidance for fiscal year U.S. dollars or Indian rupees, 2018 ending March 31, 2018 of US$ 118 – 125 million. In addition, as the case may be, at any the Company expects that 1,000 – 1,200 MWs will be operational particular rate or at all. by March 31, 2018.

78 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com SolarEdge to offer the fastest AC EV charging rates by supplementing grid power with PV power SAN FRANCISCO, CA — At Intersolar North America, SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (“SolarEdge”) (NASDAQ: SEDG), a global leader in PV inverters, power optimizers, and module- level monitoring services, is unveiling the world’s first inverter- integrated electric vehicle (EV) charger. By supplementing grid power with PV power, SolarEdge’s “SolarEdge is dedicated to developing innova- Level 2 EV charger offers charging tive solutions for increasing the use of renewable energy and cost savings for our customers up to six times faster than a and end users,” stated Guy Sella, CEO and standard Level 1 charger with its Chairman of SolarEdge. “Adding EV charging to innovative solar boost mode. our growing-range of products further enables olarEdge’s HD-Wave system owners to easily manage their energy inverter, once integrated needs." Swith an EV charger, will not only provide the existing ased on patent-pending technology, the EV management and monitoring charger is embedded into SolarEdge’s HD-Wave of solar production, but will inverter and leverages its solar boost mode. This also enable EV charging from a B mode utilizes both grid and PV to charge at 9.6kW (40 single inverter and dashboard. Amp) Level 2 charging, which is up to six times faster The combined solution will than standard Level 1 charging. If PV is not available, offer considerable cost savings the inverter-integrated EV charger will use grid power on both hardware and labor to charge at 7.6kW (32 Amp) Level 2 charging, which is by eliminating the need for an up to five times faster than standard Level 1 charging. additional conduit, wiring, and With a 12-year warranty, the inverter-integrated EV breaker installation. The solu- charger offers potential future operating modes, such tion will also eliminate the need as demand-response and charging at off-peak hours to for an additional dedicated cir- optimize Time-of-Use (TOU) rates. The inverter-inte- cuit breaker, which saves space grated EV charger is expected to be available in the last and a potential main distribu- quarter of 2017. tion panel upgrade. www.EQMagPro.com EQ August 2017 79 Enphase Energy to Launch Microinverter Technology Master-classes at Rene wable Energy India Expo 2017

Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of solar microinverters, announced today that it will launch a series of microinverter technology masterclasses at the Renewable Energy India Expo 2017.

“India has been moving towards innovative, smart and easy-to-use hese masterclasses are technology for intelligent energy management,” said Mr. Yogesh designed to provide Mudras, managing director of UBM India. “This has led to a Tinstallers and Engineer- growing appetite for microinverter technologies especially in the ing, Procurement and Con- residential segment. We are delighted to partner with Enphase En- struction companies (EPCs) ergy to roll out masterclasses for the first time at our flagship expo with a knowledge base for – Renewable Energy India 2017. The masterclasses will help impart innovations behind micro- knowledge on the latest best practices for the use of microinvert- inverter technologies, and to ers globally for solar generation. These sessions will definitely help understand more effectively the industry put into practice this knowledge for India’s residential how microinverters are best solar market.” suited for the Indian rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) market. Attendees will learn about the latest microinverter Nathan Dunn, managing director of Enphase Asia-Pacific said, technology trends and ways “Enphase is delighted to be working with UBM India to launch these to manage microinverters for microinverter technology masterclasses. There is a significant po- India’s climate and environ- tential for the adoption of microinverters in the residential segment as India has placed a huge emphasis on solar energy. We hope to mental conditions. generate greater awareness through these masterclasses about o be held at the India microinverters and how they can play a part in driving greater Expo Centre in Greater quality and reliability for India’s solar industry.” TNoida from September 20-22, 2017, these masterclasses are complimentary for all exhibition delegates. They will be conducted by Duncan nphase Microinverter System offers higher performance MacGregor, Enphase Energy’s and smarter insights for rooftop solar PV systems. It is Asia-Pacific product trainer E simple to install and is designed to provide installers with & field applications engineer the flexibility to optimise their rooftop PV installations. from Melbourne, Australia. Enphase leads the industry in reliability and quality with microinverters that will reduce installation and maintenance costs and offer greater value to customers.

80 EQ August 2017 www.EQMagPro.com TMEIC Introduces Next Generation 3.2MW Inverter

TMEIC Corporation in Roanoke, Va. introduces the next generation of SOLAR WARE SAMURAI™ Inverters, approved for outdoor installation. The new inverter is the latest addition to TMEIC’s portfolio of PV utility- scale solar inverters for industrial markets, offering 3.2MW at 1500V. Unique features include:

Proprietary 3 Level Inverter Topology uilt on decades Wide MPPT range (875Vdc – 1300Vdc) allowing of engi- B forMaximized best-in-class and optimized DC/AC Ratios efficiency neering experience with power electronics, SOLAR WARE DesignedFlexible DC-input for extreme configuration environments, to meet including complex SAMURAI™ in- desertarray configuration heat and salt prevention verters offer the industry’s most Designed to meet utility scale grid interconnec- advanced grid tion requirements management in an efficient, “The SOLAR WARE SAMURAI™ 3.2MW model advances compact foot- the revolutionary design of the SOLAR WARE™ series, print. The new providing greater power and efficiency to the solar inverters will be industry,” Donn Samsa, TMEIC Renewable Energy General available in mid- Manager said. “This next generation inverter is the result 2017. of decades of research and development to create the most advanced inverters in the industry.”

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