Blogs
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...
Weekly Update: Is India’s National Solar Mission becoming even more ambitious?
16 September 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
The new government in India is considering revamping the country’s flagship National Solar Mission (NSM) and making it considerably more ambitious. The recently announced draft scheme for solar parks (refer) is only a part...
Realizable solar potential in India is 110 GW to 144 GW by 2024
11 September 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Today, the contribution of solar to India’s power generation is less than 0.5%. This needs to grow significantly to help meet India’s growing power requirements. A recent BRIDGE TO INDIA analysis suggests that India’s realizable solar potential is 110 GW to 144 GW by 2024. For further details, please refer to ‘India Solar Decision Brief’ titled- “India’s Solar Transformation:...
Delhi announces net-metering regulations
09 September 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
After nearly two years of waiting, Delhi’s net-metering policy is finally in place. Delhiites with solar rooftop systems, will be able to supply excess solar energy to the grid. This will earn them energy credits, which can be adjusted against their electricity bills. On September 2, 2014 the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) announced the “Net Metering for Renewable Energy...
Thin Film modules lose considerable market share in 2014 in India
09 September 2014 | Jyoti Gulia
According to BRIDGE TO INDIA’s latest publication, the India Solar Map 2014 (download here), only about 4% of the capacity installed in 2014 (until August 2014) in India has used thin-film modules. This accounts for 18 MW of the 446 MW installed until now (depicted in the figure below). During 2011-13, the market...
What the landmark Supreme Court judgment on coal allocations means for solar and for doing business in India
04 September 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
On August 25th, India’s supreme court judged all coal block allocations to private parties after 14th July 1993 to be illegal due to “arbitrariness and legal flaws” (see ruling here). While it is not clear what will follow next – i.e. how these transaction will be either untangled or made...
How should India drive its solar transformation?
03 September 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
Today, India’s power mix is still dominated by coal, which makes up around 60% of installed capacity. Solar stands at just around 1%. With the National Solar Mission, launched in 2010, India defined an ambitious national goal of installing 20 GW of grid connected solar power by 2022. Since 2010, however, the fundamentals of energy supply in India have changed significantly. Solar was around...
Weekly Update:Telangana releases tender for 500 MW of solar PV capacity
02 September 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
The newly created south Indian state of Telangana, which was carved out of the state of Andhra Pradesh, has announced a 500 MW solar PV tender (refer). This comes within a month of the now smaller, remaining part of Andhra Pradesh announcing its own 500 MW tender (refer). While the Andhra Pradesh tender is based on the district wise L1 method of bidding, where all the perspective bidders need to...
Is Karnataka the next big destination for solar?
28 August 2014 | Srikanth Kumar
Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) issued an order on August 18th 2014 exempting open access charges for solar projects within the state (refer). Karnataka is the first state in India to give a long-term visibility on the open access charges. This is a very good precedent. Uncertainty around grid charges is a key...
How to provide energy access in India: Mini-grids or grid extension?
27 August 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
The new Indian government seeks to provide all Indians with reliable 24×7 power before the next elections in 2019. According to estimates, there are still 300-400 million Indians without access to electricity. The government has two broad options in trying to meet the target. It can extend the grid to un-electrified households (and ensure there is sufficient power supply in the grid) or...
