Utility-scale PV

The Irrigation Department of Uttarakhand, Dehradun, has retendered 27 MW solar PV project at Haripura dam and 13 MW project at Tumariya dam in district Udham Singh Nagar of the state. The project–to be developed under ‘build-own-operate-transfer’ (BOOT) model–would now be awarded through tariff-based international competitive bidding.

SECI’s 1.2 GW solar auction saw four companies – Ayana Renewable, ReNew Power, Azure Power and Mahindra Susten – secure a combined capacity of 1.15 GW at Rs2.54/kWh. Avaada Energy won the remaining 50 MW, at Rs2.55.

Federal trade authorities in the U.S. have ruled bifacial solar modules will no longer be subject to the Section 201 ruling which applies a 25% tariff to solar panel imports.

State-owned power generator NTPC has invited bids for development of 1 GW grid-connected solar PV projects under Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) scheme Phase-II (Tranche-I). The projects are to be set up on turnkey basis under domestic content requirement category, anywhere in India. These will be awarded through domestic competitive bidding followed by reverse auction.

The NYSE-listed developer appears to have turned the corner after reporting a full year profit of Rs138,493 after a Rs10 lakh loss a year ago. Borrowings are on the rise though, as the company plans to drum up an ever larger project portfolio.

Easy access to finance topped the agenda of the minister’s meeting with various stakeholders, wherein issues related to land acquisition and Goods and Services Tax (GST) were also discussed.

Cumulatively valued at Rs 520 crore, the projects include a 50 MW plant for Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd, a 75 MW plant for Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd and a 10 MW plant for Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd.

With PV’s cost declines, the growing question is: where to put it all, particularly in densely populated areas. Ingenuity to the rescue – a technology that took its first steps in 2007 is entering full market maturity. And its potential is rather impressive.

With continuous decline in costs of solar power generation, the chorus for shortening the 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) period is growing louder.

Solar installations picked up significantly in the January-March period, with 1.89 GW of utility-scale PV projects providing 76% of the quarterly total. Rooftop PV accounted for the remaining 590 MW of new capacity additions. Looking ahead, Bridge to India expects the uptrend to continue, as the first quarter ended with a record amount of capacity in the national pipeline.