Utility Scale PV

The company’s revenue from EPC and operations and maintenance business stood at INR 1,195 crore, a 12% growth over the same period in the previous fiscal year. The gross margins remained suppressed owing to an increase in module and commodity prices.

The New Delhi-based independent power producer has issued its third green bond as it looks to raise US$414 million. The coupon rate is the lowest ever for any renewable energy company in India.

The latest addition takes Tata Power Renewable Energy’s total installed capacity to 2,797 MW, including 1,865 MW of solar and 932 MW wind.

Solar’s share in the installed 100 GW renewable energy capacity stands at around 44%, and wind’s 40% as per the data available with the Central Electricity Authority.

The company’s arm Tata Power Solar has received the notice of award to build a 50 MW (DC) solar plant integrated with a 50 MWh battery energy storage system at Phyang village in the Leh district. The project’s order value is approximately ÌNR 386 crore (US$ 52 million). 

The New York-headquartered solar racking solutions provider supplied its single-axis Genius Tracker equipment to a 394 MW PV project set up by Tata Power in Gujarat. This is the largest solar project utilizing single-axis trackers in India.

UPC-AC Energy Solar, a joint venture of UPC Solar and AC Energy, has commissioned two solar farms aggregating to 210 MW (150 MW AC) capacity, including 140 MW (100 MW AC) in Rajasthan and 70 MW (50 MW AC) in Gujarat. It has a further 420 MW (300 MW AC) solar assets scheduled for construction in Madhya Pradesh as it aims for about 1 GW of operating PV capacity in India by 2023.

Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GESCL) has tendered the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) work for an aggregate 224 MW of grid-connected solar projects in the State. The projects, to be set up in 10-55 MW sizes, shall come up in Surendranagar, Morbi, Kutchh, Jamnagar, and Surat districts. Bidding closes on September 8.

Researchers from the TNO in the Netherlands have proposed two novel east-west PV plant designs that are claimed to increase soil quality underneath the solar panels. Both approaches are said to provide a 77% ground coverage ratio, which compares to a 90% ratio in conventional east-west oriented projects.

Large-scale solar parks will be key to India’s transition to clean and green energy. Such parks are already being built or planned in States like Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. However, there is still scope for forward-looking and well-aligned policies across States to make the most of this global phenomenon.