Policy

The industry body wrote the State’s new bill to redetermine solar tariffs will render the already operating projects unviable and power producers will find it difficult to repay their loans. It sought the law minister’s intervention in highlighting their concerns to the President with whom the Bill is presently pending approval.

Given 60% of India’s land area is farmed, agrivoltaics (pairing solar with farming) holds special promise for the nation to accelerate its transition to clean energy. However, the roll-out of agrivoltaics in India cannot proceed without addressing the various policy and regulatory challenges. 

After stagnant annual growth for a couple of years, the rooftop PV market is showing signs of improvement with the usual obstacles no longer so daunting.

The successful contractor will install the arrays in blocks of 2-10 MW and will carry out all stages of installation, from site surveys through to 12 years’ operation and maintenance.

A report has stated the renewable-plus-fossil fuel model is the best short term option to meet the assured supply conditions in the Solar Energy Corporation of India’s round-the-clock power tenders. Further out, as the cost of batteries decline, that technology is likely to become the most viable option for providing critical, non-intermittent power.

The International Energy Agency predicts that India will record the world’s fastest growth in energy consumption from buildings through 2040. The energy demand could create a big market for solar installers and equipment providers, particularly in the commercial and industrial sector. While building codes now include provisions for renewable energy integration, effective implementation will be key to ensuring compliance.

The gains from the bundling of cheaper renewable energy with high-cost thermal will be shared between the generator and distribution companies on a 50:50 basis.

At the Renewable Leadership Summit 2021 held recently in New Delhi, Dinesh Jagdale, joint secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, also asserted the ministry is working on addressing stakeholders’ concerns to ensure the investments keep flowing into RE capacity expansion and equipment manufacturing. The Summit, organized by Solar Association, also saw Solis launch its new-generation PV plant monitoring platform and off-grid hybrid inverters. 

Solar, like wind, has evolved into a more viable bilateral arrangement business model as prices have decreased and favorable legislation has emerged. Due to significant technical advancements, the solar industry has overtaken wind and has emerged as the favored option.

The renewable energy developer had an operational capacity of 5,410 MW (4,763 MW solar and 647 MW wind) as of September 30.