India

The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC) has followed the lead of the authorities in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Maharashtra in setting generic levelised tariffs for PV projects.

Chinese solar modules currently meet around 80% of India’s demand. Domestic modules face stiff competition from those imported from China, which cost 10-20% less, even after the imposition of safeguard duties.

With Narendra Modi’s government stunning pollsters with another huge victory, the solar industry expects renewable power momentum to be maintained with steps including anti-dumping duty on solar module imports, a national policy for rooftop solar and an emphasis on easing private-sector participation in the power sector.

The fund will be used for a broad modernization program that will help Indian railways to transition from dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy.

With Turkey now deemed too developed to qualify for exemption from import tariffs, the nascent Indian solar manufacturing sector is one of the few markets left whose cells and modules can be shipped to the U.S. free of tariffs.

CNG distributor Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has invited bids for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 1 KWp solar PV system (4x260W panels) along with Lithium-ion batteries and inverter for 12 hours backup. A total of 76 such system combinations are to be supplied. Bidding closes on May 30.

Gujarati utility GUVNL hoped to allocate 1 GW of capacity at the solar park but ended up awarding just a quarter of that figure, with Tata Power Renewable Energy the beneficiary. A bid for 50 MW of capacity by the state-owned Gujarat Industries Power Company Ltd was rejected.

Currently, the Mumbai-based solar EPC firm is executing 134.5 MWp project capacity to be commissioned by September 2019. It expects to surpass cumulative installation of 350 MWp by the end of FY 2019-20.

The contraction in Chinese trade flows to the U.S. is likely to result in the dumping in India of Far Eastern electronic and electrical components as well as steel, iron, chemicals and plastic products.

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids for development of 2 MW solar PV power projects—1 MW each for Siachen and Partapur army posts—in Leh region of Jammu & Kashmir. The projects are to be developed on ‘build, own operate’ basis.