Blogs
Solar electricity for all? Modi’s idea for electrifying India
26 May 2014 | Indukalpa Saikia
India’s new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that it wants to provide electricity to all households by 2019. This is a challenging task, considering that only 55.3% rural households and 67.2% households across the country have access to electricity as per the 2011 Census
Innovative Indian cleantech companies show their mettle at the 2014 International Ashden Awards
21 May 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
Here are two facts about renewables in India: They make fundamental sense without any kind of government support and they are already being deployed across the country in numerous innovative ways. India is a fantastic laboratory. Of this year’s ten Ashden Awards (link) finalists, five are from India....
Weekly Update: Can the levy of anti-dumping duties be stopped now?
20 May 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
The Indian Ministry of Commerce has concluded that certain foreign suppliers dumped solar cells and modules in the Indian market in the first half of 2012. The ministry is now likely to recommend dumping tariffs for solar cells and modules. As discussed last week, BRIDGE TO INDIA believes that the imposition of such duties will be counterproductive and can be a ‘market killer’ (
A renewable energy agenda for the next Prime Minister: Part 2
15 May 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
This is part two of a blog series in which I propose a renewable energy agenda for the next Prime Minister of India. Part one outlined how the current energy strategy (or perhaps the lack of it) is damaging the economy (Click here to read part one). In this part, I outline the solutions. Reduce India’s dependence on imported energy by primarily focusing on solar energy – a widely...
A renewable energy agenda for the next Prime Minister: Part 1
14 May 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
In this two-part blog piece, I propose a renewable energy agenda for the next Prime Minister of India. In the first part, the influence of the current energy consumption patterns on the economy of India is discussed. In the second part, the recommendations and potential solutions are outlined. India’s GDP growth is being restrained by an acute shortage of energy Our energy supply is...
Weekly Update: Anti-dumping duties can kill the Indian solar market
13 May 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
Sometime before 21st May 2014, the Directorate General of Anti-dumping Duties (DGAD) under the Ministry of Commerce is expected to give its recommendations on the PV cells and module dumping investigations that started on 21st May 2012, based on a complaint by four Indian cell manufacturers. There have been contradictory reports as to which way the results of the investigation may lean...
Training program on ‘Standalone Solar Power Supply Systems’ by GSES
07 May 2014 | Vinay Rustagi
I attended the GSES training programme on Standalone power supply systems in Delhi last week. The five-day training program was focused on technical and operational aspects of off-grid solar PV projects with a guided site visit to a standalone solar plant to give participants an informative tour of a typical PV with batteries installation. Participants included system integrators, MNRE...
Weekly Update: Delays designed to kill solar anti-dumping investigations
06 May 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
Recent reports (refer) suggest that in view of the large number of solar PV projects under development in India, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has asked the Ministry of Commerce to...
Why opening up ‘Open Access’ is crucial to the success of India’s solar story
01 May 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
Gujarat recently announced a ban on private power consumers sourcing electricity from outside the state (refer). This is detrimental to India’s power sector reforms and hinders with the deployment of...
A renewed thrust for solar? – What to expect from a Congress-led government
29 April 2014 | Karan Raj Chaudri
The election season in India is drawing to a conclusion. Most observers agree that while the overall performance of the UPA-II government has been checkered at best, one area where it has had some degree of success, is solar. The party manifesto takes credit for launching the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (‘NSM’) and aims to lead a renewed push for renewables. Although unlikely as...
Weekly Update: India to invite bids for another 1,500 MW of solar PV under the NSM this year
29 April 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
BRIDGE TO INDIA understands that Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) plans to allocate 1,500 MW of solar PV projects under the National Solar Mission (NSM) towards the end of this year. These new projects are likely to follow the bundling mechanism, similar to phase one of the NSM and unlike the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) mechanism used for the recent 750 MW of NSM projects, where Power...
Why is India’s renewables sector underachieving?
24 April 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
India is an ideal market for renewable energy. The country is immensely energy hungry but has a supply shortage: It has coal, but of low quality. There is hardly any gas or oil. Importing fossil fuels is difficult and increasingly expensive. At the same time, it has a vast potential for generating power from the sun, from wind, from small hydropower and from biomass. And yet, according to a new...
