Residential PV

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.

According to Mercom India, the Indian solar PV industry has recorded its strongest quarter since the launch of the National Solar Mission. In addition to declining module prices, both rooftop and utility-scale installations saw strong growth. Clarity is needed, however, on the ongoing safeguard duty saga, to drive the industry forward.

The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) says the nation will exceed 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity as plans for bidding for 115 GW of renewable power projects to March 2020 were announced. The target for PV parks has been increased from 20 GW to 40 GW with some 41 parks in 21 states – with aggregate capacity of more than 26 GW – already sanctioned.

In the past financial year, India missed its rooftop solar PV targets, although it did exceed those for both grid-connected ground-mounted and off-grid systems, reports the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Bridge to India believes the government’s rooftop targets have been set at the wrong level and that around 10 GW will be installed by 2022, rather than 40 GW.

According to a tracking report from five international agencies, the world is lagging behind its sustainable development goals for the period 2015-2030, although significant progress has been made in reducing electrification deficit in the least developed countries, and industrial energy efficiency. Off-grid solar solutions, meanwhile, are emerging as one of the key drivers of rural energy access.

Chennai has the potential to install 1.38 GW of rooftop solar PV which, if realized, could meet around 10% of the city’s electricity demand, according to a new study by Greenpeace and the Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute.

The combination of a 9 MW solar park developed over its rocky barren land and rooftop PV panels installed on 79 government buildings generate enough solar power to meet Diu’s daytime electricity needs.

New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd has issued a rooftop solar installations tender for 15 MW on government buildings, and 20 MW for residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The single project size should be in the range of 1 kW to 500 kW.