Blogs
RPO mechanism takes another beating
18 April 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
As part of the memorandum of understanding signed under the UDAY scheme, the Ministry of Power has allowed a roll forward of the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) for Uttar Pradesh by seven years (refer). Meanwhile, state power distribution companies in Odisha have got a stay on enforcement of...
Indian solar market running on fumes?
11 April 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
India received 263 GW of private sector renewable investment commitments at Re-Invest last year. New developers continue to enter the market on an on-going basis resulting in over-subscription for most bids and dramatic falls in tariffs. On the face of it, with so much interest in the market, shortage of equity investors should not be an issue. But many developers seem to be bidding for projects...
Haryana announces a highly ambitious solar policy
11 April 2016 | Jyoti Gulia
In March 2016, the Government of Haryana revised its state solar power policy which was launched two years back. The new solar policy is a six-year policy spanning 2016 to 2022. Under the new policy the target is to add 3200 MW of solar power by 2022. This target is in line with central government target to add 100 GW of solar power by 2022 for which the state renewable purchase obligation (RPO)...
Madhya Pradesh launches a unique 750 MW solar power project
04 April 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited (MPPM), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) have announced a tender for a 3 x 250 MW solar project in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. MPPM, a holding company for all power distribution companies in the state, will buy most of the power from the proposed project but interestingly, DMRC will procure 363 million units...
SECI tender for Uttar Pradesh 440 MW solar projects gets a lukewarm response
31 March 2016 | Shaurya Bajaj
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) recently conducted reverse auctions for 125 MW of the aggregate 440 MW capacity (390 MW capacity under open and 50 MW capacity under Domestic content requirement category) tendered under government solar park projects in Uttar Pradesh as part of its viability gap funding (VGF) scheme. In this scheme, developers sell power at a fixed tariff of INR 4.43/kWh...
CERC reduces solar capital cost benchmark by 12% for FY 2016-17
28 March 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) passed a final order for determination of benchmark capital cost for solar PV projects for FY 2016-17 last week (refer). It has established the capital cost of solar PV projects including equipment, construction, land, transmission and pre-operative costs...
Indian solar industry gets busy as the financial year draws to a close
21 March 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
As we come to the end of the financial year, a rush to meet allocation and announcement targets has made the Indian solar market fairly frantic. Just last week, bid results were announced for a cumulative capacity of 1,425 MW including a 1,200 MW state allocation in Jharkhand, a 125 MW allocation in Uttar Pradesh by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and a 100 MW allocation in Rajasthan by...
Kerala launches a tender for 200 MW of PV capacity; a first for the state
18 March 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) issued a Request for Selection (RFS) for allocating 200 MW of ground-mounted, grid connected solar PV power on 17th February 2016. This is the first large scale RFS issued by KSEB for consumer use. So far, Kerala has only 13 MW of installed solar capacity, most of which (12 MW) is deployed onsite at the Kochi International Airport. Salient features of the...
GST poses a big risk for the Indian solar industry
14 March 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Recent reports suggest that the changing numbers in India’s upper house of Parliament may mean that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill could be passed by July 2016 (refer)....
Karnataka bid results raise important questions
07 March 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Karnataka announced results for its 1,200 MW solar project tender last week. This tender was very unique as it sought bids for up to 20 MW capacity on a taluk-by-taluk basis in 60 taluks (refer) in an effort to distribute solar capacity evenly across the state. 100 MW of capacity was reserved for solar cell...
With a focus on financing, FY 17 budget increases fund allocation to IREDA
29 February 2016 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The Finance Minister of India presented the union budget for the financial year 2016-17 (April 16 – Mar 17) earlier today. As predicted by us earlier this month, there is no substantial change in central government outlay for the sector (refer). The most significant announcement is about an investment...
Is mandatory rooftop solar the key to rapid deployment? Chandigarh to take the test.
26 February 2016 | Shaurya Bajaj
The Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) is likely to issue a notification making rooftop solar mandatory in the union territory. If that happens, Chandigarh would follow the neighboring state Haryana and become the second region in the country to make rooftop solar compulsory. The mandate targets commercial, government and residential...
