Volume No. 10 Issue No. 12 EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL

The demand for green energy continues to grow in India as well as globally, as countries PUBLISHER focus on mitigating climate change. The Covid-19 pandemic is further driving countries Alok Brara to look at sustainable ways of meeting their energy demand by designing economic EDITOR-IN-CHIEF recovery packages that accelerate the shift towards renewables rather than falling back Nandita Sardana Kochhar on fossil fuels. The European Green Deal, Germany’s Green Recovery Stimulus and The Republic of Korea’s New Green Deal are a few examples of this movement. EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Mudita Mehta (Senior Director) Global lenders and financial institutions are also shying away from financing coal- Devangshu Datta (Consultant) based power in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint and build an environment- Shyama Warner (Consultant) friendly portfolio. Japan-based Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. has decided not EDITORIAL to provide support to new coal-fired power projects with effect from May 1, 2020. The Rama Sudhakar Patnaik (Consultant) Japanese Mizuho Financial Group has made similar commitments. US-based Anagha Bhambri (Consultant) JPMorgan Chase announced that it would not provide project financing for coal-fired Sugandha Khurana (Associate Copy Editor) power projects unless they use carbon capture and sequestration technology. Simi- larly, the European Investment Bank plans to stop financing fossil fuel-based projects RESEARCH by the end of 2021. Director: Dolly Khattar

Senior Research Analyst: Khushboo Goyal With some of the largest investors in the world increasingly abandoning coal, it is but Research Analyst: Sarthak Takyar natural for companies in the power sector to accelerate the transformation process Research Analyst: Meghaa Gangahar and pivot towards green energy. For instance, early this year, global private equity BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT major BlackRock, which has stakes in various Indian companies such as Raman Dev Narang (Deputy CEO) Limited (CIL), NTPC Limited, , , and CESC Ashima Gupta (GM, Advertising Sales) Limited, announced plans to exit companies that earn over 25 per cent of their rev- enues from coal-related businesses, including power plants. As more such announce- DIGITAL MARKETING ments come to the fore, large conventional power players, which were traditionally Rashmi Mahajan (Manager) focused on thermal power, are now actively looking at diversifying their portfolios to DESIGN stay relevant in the future. Joybroto Dass (Art Director) Jaison Jose (Sr. Graphic Designer) Thermal power major NTPC, whose generation portfolio is currently dominated by fos- Manoj Singh (Graphic Designer) sil fuels (over 90 per cent of its total installed capacity of 62.9 GW), is taking significant strides towards meeting its target of adding 32 GW of renewable capacity and ADMINISTRATION accounting for a 30 per cent non-fossil fuel basket by 2032. Bharat Heavy Electricals Jose James, Saroj Kumar Limited (BHEL), the country’s largest equipment maker, is rapidly increasing its pres- CIRCULATION ence in the solar and battery equipment space. Leading private power producers such Mehak Taneja as the , Tata Power and JSW Energy are also going green in a big way by PRINTING/PROCESSING working towards ambitious renewable energy targets. Mining majors CIL and IPP Ltd NLC India Limited too have joined the renewables’ bandwagon as they realise the challenges to thermal generation. OFFICE B-17, Qutab Institutional Area, In the years to come, the power sector is bound to witness a massive change in busi- New Delhi 110 016 ness models as more companies move towards clean generation. Pure-play thermal Phone +91-11-4103 4600-01 power producers are likely to be limited, as coal-based power will increasingly play a Fax +91-11-2653 1196 more supportive role. Email: [email protected] Website: renewablewatch.in

Image courtesy: Shutterstock images October 2020 ● Renewable Watch ● 3 CONTENTS

16 28 Fixing the Interview with Weak Link K.V.S. Baba Discoms must “POSOCO has a power up to enable critical role in the renewables’ growth energy value chain”

42 52 Spotlight Technology Waste to Energy Focus Monocrystalline PV Technology

CONTENTS

NEWS BRIEFS 8 FINANCE Green finance: Innovative financial instruments needed 34 TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS to enhance private sector participation Fixing the weak link: Discoms must power up to enable 16 renewables’ growth PERSPECTIVE Clearing the way: Gujarat’s new policy aims to ensure 20 Interview with Dr Shawn Qu: “Energy storage will be 36 land availability, but has strings attached a game changer” Solar pump innovations: Efforts to improve efficiency 22 Bladeless wind turbines: Innovations focus on a 40 and costs lightweight, noiseless alternative Driving change: Automobile industry shifts gears to 24 procure renewable energy SPOTLIGHT: WASTE TO ENERGY Solar PV recycling: High potential for reuse of 26 Twin goals: Southeast Asian countries look to WtE plants 42 module waste for waste and energy management Opportunities in waste: Current status of WtE projects 44 COMPANIES and future potential Interview with K.V.S. Baba: “POSOCO has a critical role 28 Channelising waste: WtE programme is evolving, but 48 fundamental challenges remain in the energy value chain” Waste to use: Delhi’s attempts to ease the burden of 50 Greenko: Reinventing itself to become a leader in 30 its landfills the renewable energy space Efficient disposal: Jabalpur sets the bar for waste-to- 51 India: Growing presence in the solar cable market 32

4 ● Renewable Watch ● October 2020 Delivering true value 丨 Higher power, lower LCOE

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36 Interview with Dr Shawn Qu “Energy storage will be a game changer”

58 State Focus Kerala

CONTENTS

energy conversion PEOPLE Ramesh Babu V., NTPC 64 TECHNOLOGY FOCUS: MONOCRYSTALLINE PV TECHNOLOGY Amit Kumar, Indian Energy Exchange Limited 64 Growth spurt: Monocrystalline solar gains ground across 52 leading PV markets PRODUCT RELEASE Monocrystalline advantage: Technology innovations 54 Products in the market 65 pave the way for achieving higher panel efficiency DATA AND STATISTICS Making inroads: Monocrystalline technology makes its 56 Renewable energy statistics: Achievements, by fuel source 66 presence felt in the Indian market CPSU statistics: Renewable energy generation data 67 Biogas statistics: Project deployments, by state 68 STATE FOCUS: KERALA Tender update: Recent issues and bid extensions 70 New frontiers: Kerala explores rooftop and floating 58 solar to optimise space For advertising in the magazine, please email us at WORLD VIEW [email protected] or call +91 8130 919 700 Power networking: Tunisia focuses on grid expansion 60 for integrating renewables FORM IV Publisher: Alok Brara Printer: Alok Brara Owner: India Infrastructure Publishing Private Limited Editor: Alok Brara UP AND COMING Printing Press: International Print-o-Pac Limited, Going to the grassroots: SunMoksha’s smart technologies 62 C-4 to C-11, Hosiery Complex, Phase-II Extension, Noida 201305 help alleviate rural energy poverty Place of Publication: B-17, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi 110 016

6 ● Renewable Watch ● October 2020 UP AND COMING Going to the Grassroots SunMoksha’s smart technologies help alleviate rural energy poverty

By Sarthak Takyar

eadquartered in Bengaluru, Karna- access to finance and a sustainable busi- sponsors, government agencies, impleme- taka, SunMoksha was set up by Dr ness model is a problem. nters, O&M providers, and remote expe- HAshok Das with a vision to improve rts, for monitoring and timely interventions. energy access for rural and poor commu- To address these issues, SunMoksha nities in non-electrified villages across has developed Smart Nanogrid™ tech- The technology also allows for the utilisa- India. While the national grid has expand- nology, which allows automated remote tion of the existing grid infrastructure to ed at a good pace, several challenges monitoring, management and mainte- improve efficiency. The company partners remain. One, power generation has not nance of microgrids, and demand-supp- with grassroots-level organisations to pro- kept pace with increased grid access. This ly management on mobile devices. It as- vide a scalable and sustainable business is especially evident in rural areas, where sists in dynamic balancing of different re- model. It also partners with technical, vo- electricity demand has been increasing newable energy sources, including solar, cational and business institutions to but villagers do not receive regular supply wind and bioenergy. develop skill-sets and entrepreneurial of electricity. Moreover, there is an ongoing capacity in villagers. debate over the massive investments It also helps with metering, billing and required to build grid infrastructure in order payment, and sending alerts. The softwa- Renewable Watch takes a look at four key to reach remote villages. Apart from the re cuts off power supply automatically if projects implemented by SunMoksha in high upfront investment involved, trans- bills are unpaid, or if a consumer exceeds India… mission and distribution losses add to the the maximum power allocated to them. running costs of grid infrastructure. Often Moreover, the software provides differen- Smart village at Chhotkei village, the grid infrastructure remains idle after it tial tariffs for business, irrigation, and hou- Odisha has been developed, thereby leading to sehold consumers. It schedules demand SunMoksha set up India’s first Smart Na- wasteful expenditure. Also, power genera- for microenterprises, irrigation pumps and nogrid™ village at Chhotkei in Angul dis- tion in villages happens at a very low scale street lights. In addition, the time and trict, Odisha. While thermal power plants across India. amount of irrigation can be controlled by have been set up in Angul district, grid measuring the moisture of the soil in the electricity was unable to reach Chhotkei As a solution to all these issues, decen- region. The software also manages before SunMoksha set up its Smart Na- tralised renewable energy systems and demand vis-a-vis available energy supply nogrid™, leaving approximately 600 vil- microgrids are becoming popular. How- and storage capacity. lagers, living in 140 households, without ever, the uptake of these systems has access to electricity. been low due to several challenges. One, The data collected by the software is avail- the traditional approach is to focus on en- able to all remote stakeholders, such as SunMoksha set up a 30 kWp solar-pow- ergy supply rather than demand ma- ered Smart Nanogrid™ in Chhotkei. nagement, which makes microgrids Of this, 20 kWp was designed to meet inefficient. Two, there is a focus on sin- the energy demands of the house- gle source of power generation, which holds and power the streetlights, a reduces the scope of microgrids. Th- temple, and community centres. The ree, there are operational issues related Picture source: SunMoksha remaining 10 kWp was designed for to the collection of electricity bills from daytime to run irrigation pumps and customers; the rate of non-payment of microenterprises, including stitching, bills by villagers is also high due to low rice-puff machines, provision stores use of technology. Four, getting skilled and refrigerators. personnel to teach the necessary tech- nology to villagers is difficult. Five, lack of Smart irrigation project at Rengalpadu, Odisha According to the company, within a year

62 ● Renewable Watch ● October 2020 UP AND COMING of project implementation, significant the solar pump, farmers are able to positive developments took place at cultivate three crops per year. This has Chhotkei. One, children started study- led to a ten-fold increase in the income ing in the evening. Two, reverse migra- of the farmers. The technology also

tion took place, as the youth now had Picture source: SunMoksha helps in the responsible use of water access to opportunities to set up new by assisting precision agriculture. microenterprises. Three, agricultural output increased, as farmers started Smart irrigation project in acquiring irrigation pumps to grow Rengalpadu, Odisha more crops. Four, social interaction in- In Rengalpadu, Odisha, SunMoksha creased with the installation of street has set up another 3 HP solar pump, lights. The company also hired and which uses the Smart AQUAnet™ tech- trained local villagers for project imple- nology and serves over 28 farmers. mentation and O&M of the system. Here, the company wanted to use the technology for fertigation, through The project received financial assis- which the right quantity of fertilisers co- tance from Wartsila India, a Finland- uld be delivered to the right farmland Smart microgrid project at Kudagaon island, Odisha. based multinational corporation, under its with the right mix of water. To this end, the corporate social responsibility initiative. Significant changes in the lifestyle of the concept of shared irrigation as a paid util- The initial setup costs were provided by villagers were observed within a few ity service for the farmers was introduced Wartsila India, while SunMoksha handled months of the plant’s installation. Like in in the village. the ongoing expenses. The Odisha Chhotkei village, many families started Renewable Energy Development Agency setting evening studying hours for their The way forward helped SunMoksha in interacting with children. Household lights and street- Despite building innovative technology local government agencies, gathering lights enabled movement, socialising and for renewable energy-based microgrids support from villagers, and receiving the entertainment in the evenings. Moreover, and irrigation, the company faces tough necessary permissions and bureaucratic farmers could now have a steady source challenges going forward. This is so support. SunMoksha also collaborated of water supply through electric pumps, because the entire renewable microgrid with the National Institute of Science and however, unavailability of underground space in India faces a grim future. One, Technology (NIST) to set up a laboratory water is causing hurdles. Villagers also there is a lack of proper policy arrange- at NIST for conducting research and want to start flour mills, rice mills and cold ments providing long-term visibility to development activities for the project. storages in the village, thereby leading to microgrid companies. Two, these compa- village development. nies have to compete with the national Smart Island at Kudagaon, Odisha grid, which is now reaching even the SunMoksha has implemented a smart- Smart irrigation project in Maudiguda, most remote villages. Still, rural commu- microgrid project at Kudagaon Island in Odisha nities are slowly shifting to microgrids as Angul district, Odisha. As the island is cut SunMoksha set up a 3 HP solar pumping they are experiencing the perils of irregu- off from the mainland, distribution compa- solution in Maudigudi, Odisha. The pump lar grid power supply. Keeping this in nies cannot operate in the village. More- uses the Smart AQUAnet™ technology mind, large companies such as Tata over, due to lack of irrigation facilities, the developed by the company and serves Power plan to invest heavily in the micro- villagers could only engage in agricultural over 41 farmers. Prior to this, the farmers grid space in India. These positive devel- activities during the monsoon season. would cultivate only one crop, during the opments will undoubtedly help SunMok- rainy season. Now, with the installation of sha expand its portfolio. However, more To solve this issue, SunMoksha ins- work needs to be done on the policy talled a 20 kW solar power plant with 72 side to give a fillip to the renewable kWh battery backup. Apart from provid- microgrid segment before it is too late. ing lighting, the power plant has been This is because SunMoksha, which designed to support the development developed its entire technology in of microeconomic zone. Now, sufficient Picture source: SunMoksha India to solve energy poverty in the electricity is available to support irriga- country’s villages, is looking to expand tion and other microenterprises during its operations to African countries, the day, and provide reliable power for where it feels the policy landscape is lighting, fans, and TVs at night. Smart microgrid project at Kudagaon island, Odisha much more favourable. ■

October 2020 ● Renewable Watch ● 63