Installations

The solar electricity price in India has dipped further to an all-time low of INR 1.99/kWh in a 500 MW Gujarat auction held recently, which is 0.5% lower than the previous record of INR 2/kWh set a month ago.

The work includes consultancy for demand aggregation and implementation of 1060 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems. Applications can be submitted until January 1, 2021.

An analysis by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) says improvements in PV panel designs and costs, lower financing costs, and state-specific sectors such as the location’s solar potential and certain waivers have driven the decline in Indian solar tariffs.

Bids are invited to set up 30 MW grid-connected solar capacity across various locations in the State. The projects shall be awarded through domestic competitive bidding. Bidding closes on January 7.

The developer claims that its 10.5 MW on-site solar plant for Tata Hitachi’s Kharagpur facility in West Bengal is the largest behind-the-meter renewable energy project in Eastern India.

The project—to be set up on a 90-acre vacant Railway land at Dahod in Gujarat—shall be awarded through competitive bidding. Western Railways shall be the offtaker for 25 years at a price discovered through the bidding process.

A new report looks at the rising dependence of India’s DISCOMs on electricity subsidies, despite concerted bailout efforts by the central government. It assesses various states’ performance in reining in DISCOMs’ financial losses and enhancing their overall efficiency over the last five years. Building on these findings, the study suggests reforms in the distribution and design of subsidies to increase power companies’ revenues as consumption surges.

The selected applicants are required to execute projects across categories like solar-powered cold storage, solar water pumps, solar-powered reverse-osmosis water systems and off-grid solar systems for primary health care centers on a turnkey basis. The work includes engineering, supply, erection, commissioning along with maintenance support for three years.

The intra-state transmission infrastructure is the weakest link in the grid. The introduction of competition from private players can help drive down construction costs and promote timely completion of projects, assisting the absorption of low-cost, domestic renewable energy generation.

The solar plant, installed at Devdaithan village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, will provide eight hours of uninterrupted electricity for agricultural loads served by the respective feeder.