Blogs
Indian solar tariffs fall 25% in three months
15 May 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Last week, Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) 750 MW utility scale auction in Bhadla solar park saw tariffs fall to a new astounding low of INR 2.44 (US¢ 3.79)/ kWh. This comes after much brouhaha over tariffs falling to INR 3.25/ kWh (levelized) and INR 3.15/ kWh in
Which states will drive India’s next round of solar demand?
08 May 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The pace of new tender announcements and completed auctions has slowed down significantly in the last year (-68% and -59% respectively). Southern states have frontloaded capacity buildout – Andhra Pradesh (installed plus tendered capacity of 74% as against March 2022 target),...
India wants all new cars beyond 2030 to be electric
01 May 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
“We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way,” India’s Minister of Power, Piyush Goyal, stated last week. The Ministry of Heavy Industries and the NITI Aayog are working on a comprehensive policy for promotion...
Competition in the Indian solar market intensifies further
24 April 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
First round of bids was submitted for Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI’s) 750 MW tender in Bhadla Solar Park, Rajasthan last week. A total of 33 developers are believed to have submitted bids for an aggregate capacity of 8,750 MW – an oversubscription of almost 12x. Coming in the wake of intensely competitive bidding in
More to Indian solar tariffs than meets the eye
17 April 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
India achieved a record low solar tariff of INR 3.29 (US¢ 5.1)/kWh in the Rewa tender in February. That record was surpassed last week in an auction conducted by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for a 250 MW project in Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh, where Engie’s Solairedirect submitted the winning bid...
Renewable capacity addition catches up with thermal power in India
10 April 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Energy transformation has arrived in India. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s total renewable capacity including solar, wind, bio-mass and small hydro grew by around 11.2 GW in FY 2016-17, at par with thermal capacity addition, which registered a decline of 50% in the year. The country added 5,526 MW of new solar capacity (up 83% over FY 2015-16) and...
UDAY has been successful in achieving its most important objective
03 April 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
It has been nearly eighteen months since the Ministry of Power announced the vital Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme for financial and operational reform of power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in India (refer,
Urgent reform needed to achieve energy sector transformation in India
27 March 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The Indian power sector is in early stages of transformation from coal-centric generation to variable renewable power generation (refer). This transformation will pose several daunting commercial and technical challenges for both policy makers and market players. It will also inevitably...
Launching BTI India Solar Price indices
22 March 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
BRIDGE TO INDIA is launching India Solar Price Indices, a series of indices to track and monitor key price trends in the Indian solar market. Our objective is to publish pricing data specifically applicable to the Indian solar market – devoid of exchange rate movements or source of equipment. We expect the indices to bring more transparency to the sector and provide reliable, independent...
Bidding behavior in the Indian solar sector not sustainable
20 March 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Last week, BRIDGE TO INDIA launched its latest report: “Analysis of utility scale solar tenders in India”. This report examines recent bidding history for all PPA-based, open category tendered projects to understand risk-return relationship in the sector. From July 2015 to December 2016, India allocated 12.6 GW of solar projects to private developers through...
India not doing enough to capture energy storage opportunity
14 March 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
After squeezing global solar module manufacturers out of business, China is at it again. It is using every trick available – government subsidies, domestic quotas, restriction on foreign players and cornering raw material supplies – to dominate energy storage industry, which has been so far led by Japanese and Korean manufacturers such as Panasonic, Samsung SDI and LG Chem. The country is...
Another year from hell for module suppliers
06 March 2017 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Solar module prices are expected to continue declining in 2017 as global supply continues to exceed demand. As the largest supplier and installer of solar modules, China will continue to drive global pricing. The country’s demand is expected to be up to 20% lower than in 2016 – as against a record 34 GW of installations in 2016, it is expected to add only about 28 GW in 2017 – putting...
