Blogs
DERC releases implementation guidelines for rooftop solar
13 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Last week, the Delhi Electricity Regulator Commission (DERC) released the guidelines for implementation of solar energy systems on rooftops in the city. The document details the procedure for application, registration and connectivity. These guidelines bring clarity to the nitty-gritties of installing solar on rooftops and greatly simplifies the approach for people looking to go solar. The key...
How uniform net-metering regulations will help the distributed solar PV market accelerate
10 October 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
There are currently nine states (Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi and Punjab) that have announced net-metering policies in India. These policies are aimed at encouraging the adoption of distributed solar PV generation in the country. A careful examination of the policies, indicate that the technical pre-requisites of the solar system...
“Surya Ganga”, a great movie idea on the power of solar in India – can become a reality with your support
10 October 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
Solar energy in India has a great, intuitive appeal: everyone knows that there is a lack of power and sees the sun shine almost every day. In fact, the more the sun shines, the more people consume or yearn for electricity to provide relief. However, when it comes to the “how?”, there is a vast lack of knowledge and understanding. The more people in India can learn about how solar works, the...
India’s residential solar market could create around 325,000 jobs in the next ten years
08 October 2014 | Mudit Jain
The residential rooftop solar market is still at a nascent stage in India. However, as grid-parity nears and net-metering is offered in more and more states, the segment is poised for fast growth. Residential rooftop installations would be on average small and geographically dispersed. Both are good things. BRIDGE TO INDIA estimates refer that around 325,000 jobs will be created, if India...
Weekly update : As solar targets become larger, the spotlight turns on policy delivery
07 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Several new announcements at the central and state level are creating a lot of excitement in the Indian solar market (read the October 2014 edition of the India Solar Compass). Last week, Rajasthan notified that it is looking to revamp its solar policy to achieve 25 GW of solar capacity in five years (
Coming up: an electricity shock to Maharashtra’s industries
06 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
In January 2014, the Congress led government of Maharashtra (GoM) issued a subsidy of INR 1.60/kWh on industrial electricity tariffs to compensate for a tariff hike approved by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) (refer here). But as the legislative assembly election in...
Weekly update : India to seek US technology and finance assistance for 100 GW solar program
30 September 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Following the U.N. climate week, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is meeting US President Barack Obama on the 29th and 30th September 2014. According to reports (refer), one of the items on the agenda is...
Cost of solar for residential sector could be as low as INR 10/kWh
25 September 2014 | Mudit Jain
The residential rooftop solar market in India has a huge potential customer base. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is currently in the range of INR 10/kWh to 13/kWh. This is still much higher than the (subsidized) tariffs paid by households. But the two figures are rapidly moving towards convergence. For further details, please refer to ‘India Solar Decision Brief’ titled- “India’s...
Intentional islanding functionality of solar PV inverters – what it is and why it can help the Indian grid
24 September 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
The current regulations for distributed solar PV generation in India are issued by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Currently, the regulations do not allow intentional islanding of inverters. Islanding is a mode of the inverter that allows it to operate independently of the grid. This is frequently used when the grid goes down and one requires the solar system to cater to the local...
Weekly update: Tamil Nadu – an example of how the Indian solar market is stymied in processes
23 September 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Around this time last year, after a lot of mid-course process changes, quick fixes and haggling, Tamil Nadu’s power generation company TANGEDCO (acting as a process manager) signed power purchase agreements for 708 MW. They had a “workable” tariff of INR 6.48/kWh and a 5% escalation (equivalent to around INR 8.3/kWh on a levelized basis). However, this tariff was rejected by the...
India’s distribution grid is capable of handling up to 30% distributed solar without any upgrades
22 September 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
India is on the verge of a distributed solar PV boom. The total distributed solar capacity in India today stands at only 160 MW. However, BRIDGE TO INDIA predicts that this could reach 2.9 GW by 2018. That’s an 18-fold increase! Is the distribution grid prepared for such a rapid increase? The current distribution grid was planned for the one-way flow of power i.e. from source to the...
Small rooftop solar systems can generate 4 times the employment than utility scale projects
17 September 2014 | Mudit Jain
Utility scale projects have dominated the solar landscape in India until now. Distributed generation has remained in the backstage. But with net metering guidelines in several states, demand for distributed solar systems will increase. A recent BRIDGE TO INDIA analysis suggests that job creation will be highest in the case of installation of small rooftops. For further details, please refer to...
