Installations

The state has issued expressions of interest for the two forms of battery-powered vehicle which each attract a subsidy for purchasers. The two-wheeler inititiave has been extended from secondary school to college students.

The Gujarat-based independent power producer has signed power purchase agreements with three paper mills—two in Vapi and one in Surat—for sale of solar power totaling 3.05 MW for a period of 15 years.

Grid-connected solar plants in capacities ranging from 250 KW to 3.5 MW are to be installed at various sub-stations of state-owned Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited. Bidding closes on August 12.

The captive solar plants in Metro depots and on station rooftops will meet 15% of its total electricity consumption.

Currently, the independent power producer has over 500 MW of open access solar portfolio, with leading IT and manufacturing giants among its client base.

RK Singh told the upper house of the Indian parliament yesterday the nation had added 780 MW of new generation capacity in the last two years. The share of renewables in India’s power mix is rising too, but not fast enough to ensure electricity supply for all.

If China could travel back to the 1960s with its 2016 PV generation capacity it could harvest an additional 14 TWh of solar power, according to a study by academics at universities in Switzerland and the Netherlands. With a mixed record for reducing pollution, the country’s solar fleet output appears to be drastically affected by dimmed solar radiation.

Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has invited bids to set up an aggregate 25 MW capacity of grid-connected rooftop solar systems at government/semi-government buildings in the state. The systems—in individual capacities of 25 kWp to 500 kWp—are to be installed under RESCO model on gross-metering basis. Bidding closes on August 12.

Private-sector utility Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited has invited global bids to set up 350 MW of grid-connected wind-solar hybrid power projects. There is also the Greenshoe option to add another 350 MW. The projects—to be developed on build-own-operate basis—can be set up anywhere in India. Bidding closes on August 9.

As the country races to add or upgrade infrastructure for electricity transmission, it needs to take steps to encourage private investments as also lower consumer prices—according to a white paper by Confederation of Indian Industry that includes recommendations on planning, operations and costs for a robust transmission system.