Blogs
Weekly Update: The new government is making all the right noises about renewable energy
10 June 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
India’s solar sector has been grossly underperforming vis-à-vis other countries as well as the potential for the energy source in the country. The wish list for the sector broadly comprises the following – strengthening of RPO mechanism, regulations to facilitate distributed generation, promotion of domestic manufacturing, rural electrification and availability of cheaper finance. It is...
Market projection for solar rooftop projects in India
06 June 2014 | Mudit Jain
Until now, the Indian solar market has been driven by incentive based utility scale projects. The contribution from the rooftop segment has been minimal. However, rising grid tariffs and frequent load shedding are now encouraging consumers to install solar in commercial, industrial and residential segments. For an overview, download our latest India Solar Handbook [
Asia takes over from Europe to lead the solar market
05 June 2014 | Mudit Jain
Asia has registered unprecedented growth in 2013. China and Japan have become the largest solar markets in the world. With an over 200% increase in new solar installation in 2013, both China and Japan more than doubled their cumulative capacities. European countries such as Germany and Italy will likely lose their leading positions. For an overview, download our latest India Solar Handbook [
Is India a great solar market?
04 June 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
The answer is yes. India is a very good market for solar. In fact, going by its vast population, high irradiation, the growing energy demand and power deficit, limited access to fossil fuels and the large number of un-electrified villages, it should be one of the best markets. However, it is also a difficult market. For an overview, download our latest India Solar Handbook (download...
Weekly Update: Managing uncertainties in the Indian solar market
03 June 2014 | Jasmeet Khurana
The global markets are gung-ho on solar PV. The US aims to bring the cost of distributed solar power down to USD 0.06/kWh (INR 3.5/kWh) in the next six years under its SunShot program (refer). China wants to increase its installed capacity to 70 GW in the...
Anti-dumping duties on solar PV cells and modules will bring the Indian solar market to a halt
30 May 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
Anti-dumping duties threaten to torpedo the Indian solar market at a time when the new government has made clear its intention to grow solar. They are an ill-conceived and ill-timed vestige of the previous government and serve a very small section of the Indian solar industry at the detriment of the majority of the rest, the power consumers and the taxpayers. Solar will become more expensive...
BRIDGE TO INDIA introduces the first ‘SOLAR CASE STUDY’
28 May 2014 | Akhilesh Magal
We are pleased to announce a new addition to our portfolio of publications – BRIDGE TO INDIA ‘SOLAR CASE STUDY’. This is an effort to bring a greater degree of depth and transparency to the solar market in India. Our case studies are aimed at EPCs, project developers, lenders, investors and policy-makers and intend to disseminate knowledge on solar projects that have already been...
Weekly Update: What Modi’s victory means for solar in India
27 May 2014 | Tobias Engelmeier
Modi’s election victory was overwhelming. His party, the BJP, has won a clear majority in the lower house with 282 out of 543 seats. Previously, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi had presided over the most successful Indian solar policy. So is Modi good news for solar in India? With the election results barely more than a week past, it is still early to take that call. But let us look at what...
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...
