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Blogs


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....

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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’ (

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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...

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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...

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Bridge To India

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Bridge To India

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...

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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...

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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...

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Why utilities need to wake up to the distributed solar boom

23 April 2014 | Akhilesh Magal

Utilities across the world have so far overlooked or ignored the wave of distributed generation, based on cheap solar power. This, however, represents nothing short of a revolution: it transfers power (actual and economic) from suppliers to consumers. Utilities are at a crossroads. They can focus on protecting their existing business or on mastering the new opportunities as they arise. They are...

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