Blogs
Renewable energy policies in India are getting smarter
26 March 2012 | Tobias Engelmeier
India is moving rapidly from direct government support for renewable energies to more market-driven mechanisms. Soon no support will be needed. This opens up the Indian market to growth in a completely new dimension.
Accelerated Depreciation was the early choice for government support for renewables. It allowed the Indian wind power sector to take off
The National Solar Mission – Loopholes and Consequences
22 March 2012 | Tobias Engelmeier
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) was launched in 2008 with a goal of installing 22,000MW of solar power in India by 2022. The first phase, first batch bidding guidelines stated that a company is allowed to bid for only one 5MW solar PV and 100 MW solar thermal project. This was done to foster competition among project developers. These guidelines were allegedly flouted by...
Solar thermal will now be exempt from import duty in India
16 March 2012 | Jasmeet Khurana
India’s finance minister, Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, declared that solar thermal plant and equipment in India will now be exempt from import duty. “In order to fully realize our potential in the realm of solar energy, solar thermal projects need encouragement. I propose to fully exempt plant and equipment etc. for the initial setting up of such projects from special countervailing duties...
Alex Green Energy wins 25MW at INR 7 per kWh
25 February 2012 | Jasmeet Khurana
In December of 2011, the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) had released an invitation for Request for Selection (RfS) for 25MW worth of solar projects in the state. The last date for submitting the bids was February 7th 2012. Our sources reveal that the results of the reverse bidding process have now been finalized. The winning bid is a record INR7 per kWh as a...
What exactly is a ‘Smart’ Grid?
03 February 2012 | Akhilesh Magal
There is a lot of talk on how smart grids are needed to solve intermittency in power generation introduced by renewable sources of energy. But what does a smart grid mean? An excellent paper from Carnegie Mellon University titled The Many Meanings of Smart Grid sums up the different aspects. Image from ecotechninja.com At the level of the customer: 1) Meters that can be read...
Open Access – Not really an open and shut case
26 December 2011 | Akhilesh Magal
The Electricity Act of 2003, allows power consumers to purchase electricity from any power producer not limited to the distribution company (DISCOM) in that area. The term open access refers to the distribution and transmission lines being open to all somewhat similar to our highways where anybody can use it as long as they pay a toll. This regulation was meant to allow power consumers to...
National Solar Mission (NSM) Phase 1 Batch 2 Bid Results: Why they are more than just numbers
12 December 2011 | Akhilesh Magal
The results of the round two of the NSM surprised everyone with the price of solar energy falling to INR 7.49 per unit. A large part of the success of the NSM must be attributed to the government. However, the larger implications of this would be outside solar projects driven by government subsidies. The next few years would see a boom in entrepreneurs riding the “captive wave”. The major...
India needs more power – Germany has excellent technology to help the subcontinent
06 December 2011 | Tobias Engelmeier
India is facing a green revolution. Government and business leaders recognize that the scarcity of fossil fuels is one of the major risks for economic growth and understand the urgent need to take countermeasures and make green energy viable. German companies have many of the solutions India needs and they in turn need the Indian market. Key points: India has a huge potential for...
Juwi India completes three solar projects, its first in India
24 November 2011 | Tobias Engelmeier
According to the latest information available to BRIDGE TO INDIA, Juwi India Renewable Energies Pvt. Ltd., the Indian subsidiary of the Juwi Group, has completed the construction of three solar PV projects worth a cumulative 17.7MW in India. These projects are of 10MW in Rajkot and 2.5MW in Surendernagar, both in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and a 5.2MW plant located in Jodhpur in the...
Why solar captive consumption is the way forward for the Indian solar market
23 November 2011 | Tobias Engelmeier
India’s hidden solar opportunity lies in captive consumption – and this is starting to make sense right now, far away from the fanfare of the NSM and other government programs. Key points: India’s electricity shortage is not going to be met by conventional power, least by government driven policies The government solar policies, like the National Solar Mission, although...
