India

The German EPC contractor is also building a 250 MW AC ground-mounted solar farm in Karnataka. Overall, with an already installed capacity of more than 370 MWp and other projects under implementation, it expects to cross 1 GW of installed capacity in India by the year end.

India’s leading solar region has been forced to apply the brakes to new solar with its power distribution companies having fulfilled their renewable purchase obligations for the next two years. Projects driven by federal agencies will continue, however.

As the nation aims for 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 it is staring at up to 1.8 million tons of PV waste by 2050. A solar waste management seminar organized by consultancy Bridge To India in New Delhi brought stakeholders together to discuss how a PV waste management system could help.

KKR has also applied to become a co-sponsor of the power infrastructure investment trust and plans to acquire additional 15% stake in it. The deal marks KKR’s first infrastructure investment in Asia.

State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has invited bids for supply, installation and commissioning of grid-connected solar rooftop PV plants of cumulative capacity 170 KWp at four locations in Haryana. The projects would be awarded through bidding followed by reverse auction. The last date for bid submission is May 10.

The company has identified renewables, transmission and distribution, and value-added businesses such as rooftop solar, smart metering, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and micro grids in rural areas as key growth areas.

The power company needs to secure PV energy for 11-18 hours per day this month and in September in order to meet its renewable purchase obligation. Solar energy from outside the state of West Bengal will be considered.

Reduction in solar park charges was not enough to attract developers in the same numbers that flocked to a separate 500 MW exercise two months earlier. The Raghanesda Solar Park continues to be a headache after a previous attempt was cancelled because the tariffs were deemed too costly.

Founded in 2006, Bengaluru-based Orb is a rooftop solar provider that manufactures panels and provides finance for SMEs through a collateral-free loan that matches the payback period for its solar systems. Orb has sold more than 160,000 units in India, with cumulative installations of around 65 MW of PV rooftop capacity.

Bidding for 27 MW solar project at Haripura dam and 13 MW project at Tumariya dam could not be completed as scheduled due to implementation of code of conduct for General Elections Lok Sabha 2019. The revised bid submission deadline is now May 25.