Installations

If implemented, the huge tendering exercise would dwarf anything that has gone before it. Minister explains bidding will also include solar manufacturing and storage elements.

India saw 1.8 GW of corporate solar power purchase agreements in place by the end of 2017. There was a rush of installations for PV projects due to open access waivers. The market is expected to contract slightly this year as waivers are rolled back, but there will be sustained market growth through 2023.

Underlining India’s commitment to becoming the global renewable energy leader, Shri Anand Kumar, secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said the country plans 500 GW of capacity by 2030. He also underlined plans to become a solar and storage manufacturing hub; and said the International Solar Alliance needs to widen its membership.

The MNRE has removed a layer of bureaucracy by lifting the requirement of proposed projects to be registered with power bodies at sub-national level.

There was incredulity in some quarters as the federal government raised its renewables ambition another 22%, but the stellar performance of the past four years points to the new target being a realizable one.

Global newly installed capacity for 2018 is forecast to reach 102.6 GW, of which “only” 39 GW are expected to come from China. Fourteen countries are expected to cross the GW threshold this year.

Lightsource BP has announced the completion of its first solar project in India. The 60 MWp solar farm is located in Wagdari, Maharashtra.

India saw the issuance of 13 new utility-scale solar PV tenders totaling 11,945 MW in the quarter ending March 31, 2018, which is 68% more than in the entire of 2017. However, tender capacity for rooftop solar PV (greater than 1 MW in size) was down 50%, at 102 MW.

Global solar PV demand this year will be less than in 2017, on the back of China’s latest policy decision, says TrendForce. Overall, it sees new installs dropping 40% in China to 31.6 GW. The protectionist measures taken by the U.S. will also be weakened by the resulting falling module prices.

The first order for installing a 20 MW PV power plant has been placed by Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL), while the other, for a 10 MW PV power plant, has been received from the Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (GSFC). Both of the solar PV power plants will be installed at the Gujarat Solar Park in Charanka, Gujarat.