Blogs
Weekly update: MNRE revises subsidy benchmarks for off-grid and decentralized solar
11 November 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Last week, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced revised subsidy benchmarks for various off-grid and decentralized solar applications (refer). The subsidy amounts have been fixed in absolute Rupee terms instead of as...
Utility scale projects are easiest to implement in India due to an existing track record
06 November 2014 | Mudit Jain
We believe that India could easily add 100 GW of solar power in the next ten years.[1] Such a capacity addition would likely be divided into different segments: small rooftop (solar bees), large rooftop (solar...
Climate Change: how close are we to the point of no return?
05 November 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Since the 1950’s, the world has witnessed (and recorded) global warming at an unprecedented speed. This radical change in the climatic system has been attributed to massive emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, due to industrialization and related, modern lifestyles. While there have been debates in the past over the reality and validity of global warming, there is now an overwhelming...
Weekly Update: Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh allocate 1 GW solar PV projects
04 November 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Last week, Karnataka opened financial bids for 500 MW solar PV projects, just a few days after financial bids for another 500 MW solar PV projects were opened in Andhra Pradesh. The bidding process in both the states was based on reverse bidding: on the basis of flat tariff in Karnataka; 3% escalation per year until the 10th year in Andhra Pradesh. The median winning bid in Karnataka is INR...
Andhra Pradesh: solar tariffs very close to new, imported coal
29 October 2014 | Mudit Jain
Andhra Pradesh has opened the financial bids for allocation of 500 MW solar projects. Developers have quoted a tariff for the first year, which will then increase at 3% every year till the 10th year. The term of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is 25 years. First Solar has quoted the lowest bid at INR 5.25/kWh (levelized at INR 6/kWh) and has shown the way to reach parity with imported...
Weekly Update:What do the latest coal and power sector reforms mean for solar in India?
28 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing the various positive and ambitious announcements of the new Indian government on the solar sector (refer blog 1, blog...
Madhya Pradesh: The preferred new investment destination for solar in India
24 October 2014 | Jyoti Gulia
Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the preferred state for new solar investments, overtaking earlier favorites Gujarat and Rajasthan. With close to 322 MW[1] of solar capacity installed, MP is now ranked third after Gujarat and Rajasthan in...
Weekly Update: Is India working on a comprehensive “Renewable Energy Act 2015”?
20 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
Statements by Mr. Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), suggest that the government is thinking about a “Renewable Energy Act 2015” to create a comprehensive framework for investment in the sector (refer). Such an act would be a part of...
MNRE releases draft guidelines for 3,000 MW solar under NSM
16 October 2014 | Mudit Jain
India’s new government is revamping the National Solar Mission (NSM). The planned allocation of 1,500 MW under batch II of phase II has been cancelled. Instead, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has now issued draft guidelines for a more ambitious 3,000 MW for tranche-I. The guidelines clarify the allotment for part-I of this tranche, for 1,000 MW, located at a solar park in...
Weekly Update: Can the proposed change in REC pricing revive a dysfunctional market?
14 October 2014 | BRIDGE TO INDIA
The Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism was introduced three years ago as a market tool to support the policy of Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). However, since then, the mechanism has attracted little interest from investors. Projects that counted on REC income have made losses as there were not enough takers for RECs. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has now...
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...
