Grids & Integration

The state-owned power generator has invited bids for operations and maintenance of 10 MWp solar plant at Unchahar in district Rai Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh, and also for setting up of 3 MW plant at its Kahalgaon plant in Bhagalpur district of the state of Bihar.

The independent power producer now has 1.6 GW of operational solar assets. Other recently commissioned Azure projects include the final phase of a 260 MW solar project in Gujarat and a 100 MW facility in Karnataka.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids for setting up of 100 MW (AC) grid-interactive solar PV power plants at the premises of state-owned coal mining company Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in the state of Telangana. The project would be awarded through reverse auction. The deadline for bid submission is June 7.

Themed around “Right to Energy,” the 4th TILA International Conference on Energy (TICE 4) held recently in New Delhi aimed to accelerate the pace of energy revolution through intensive deliberations and concerted initiatives among countries. Well attended by over 400 delegates, the international event highlighted that energy is going to be the next big revolution after telecom.

Mobility company Shuttl will also set up more than 50 EV charging points in prime locations and state-run power distributor BSES Rajdhani Power Limited will invest in testing facilities to support stabilizing the grid for EV charging, as well as pilot schemes on effectively integrating renewable electricity into its network.

Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, has invited bids for setting up of 500 KW of rooftop solar PV capacity on various buildings of its plant for Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Project in Bihar. The project will be awarded based on domestic competitive bidding. The deadline for bid submission is May 8.

An emphasis on grid-parity PV has been hammered out in the latest policy document to emerge after several weeks of haggling in Beijing. Chinese analyst AECEA says the success of the subsidy-free effort will hinge on the ability of power companies to transmit and guarantee consumption of the power generated by new projects.

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has invited online bids for development of 40 MW grid-connected crystalline PV solar power project in District Ganjam of Odisha. The project will be awarded through domestic competitive bidding followed by reverse action.

Market-based scheduling will enable flexibility in grids to facilitate renewable energy generation. However, the framework proposed by Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) doesn’t indicate any change in the payments mechanism for renewable projects, says the ratings agency.

India needs to adopt renewable energy and electric vehicles in a big way to meet the twin goals of energy security and climate protection.