Technology

The plant was conceived under viability gap funding scheme for Ministry of Defence establishment to set up 300 MW of grid-connected and off-grid solar power projects at their locations.

The projects — solar, wind or a combination thereof — are expected to supply power for a minimum of six hours per day during periods of peak demand. The last date for bids is Sept. 17.

The winning developer will be able to use solar modules and cells of any origin for the plant, which will be built in Auraiya district, Uttar Pradesh. Bidding closes on Sept. 5.

Few in the industry predicted the speed at which monocrystalline technology would develop, or the impressive cost reductions it would achieve by 2019. This has left producers of multicrystalline products facing rapidly shrinking market share and struggling to compete on a cost per watt basis. Many are now turning to cast mono processes, essentially creating a monocrystalline, or ‘mono-like’ silicon ingot in a multicrystalline furnace, to reach higher efficiencies and extend equipment lifetimes.

Micro and mini grid-connected projects will also be considered. The projects—to be developed on ‘build-own-operate’ basis—can be set up anywhere in India for self-use or use by government entities at maximum fixed tariffs of Rs 3.50/kWh. Bidding will close on August 23.

The NYSE-listed solar developer now has 1.5 GW of interstate transmission system projects with sovereign counterparties—the largest such portfolio in India.

After High Court’s stay on tariff revision, the state government has resorted to unprecedented curtailment of wind and solar power projects.

With this win, the company’s capacity under implementation would become 650 MW, which is in addition to the operating capacity of 2,476 MW (comprising 932 MW wind and 1544 MW solar capacity at utility scale).

The projects—to be set up in capacities of 100 KW and 5000 KW on the barren and uncultivatable lands—will generate an estimated 148.85 MW of solar power.

“Solar cells prefer to operate in a refrigerator,” says UNSW Professor Martin Green. His global research team is now identifying viable ways to cool down solar PV modules while amping up energy production to an unprecedented level.