NSEFI

Bhagwanth Khuba, minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, recently inaugurated industry body National Solar Energy Federation of India’s new office at Saket in New Delhi. 

The Delhi-based Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) has directed Tamil Nadu State Load Despatch Centre (TNSLDC) and The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to compensate developers at 75% of PPA tariff per kWh on solar curtailment.

The power ministry has announced that the exemption on grid charges is now available to solar and wind projects to be commissioned up to June 30, 2025. The waiver is also allowed for pumped-hydro storage and battery energy storage system projects.

The 500 MW solar auction cancellation by Uttar Pradesh comes as the latest blow to developers after a similar experience in Gujarat recently. Industry body NSEFI wants the central government to direct the state government to stop cancellation and issue the capacity to winning developers.     

A new report compares the European Union and Indian regulatory frameworks for managing end-of-life solar panels. It also assesses and analyses the PV waste market and processing capacities in India and shares recommendations for the Indian stakeholders.

The state electricity regulator has passed the order in Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd’s favor, allowing it to retender the 700 MW capacity to seek lower tariffs than the INR 2.78-2.81/kWh levels awarded to developers. Developers’ body says the move will impact investors’ sentiment as arranging finance starts soon after developers win a capacity.

The developers’ body has sought the power minister’s intervention to withdraw the restriction of 10 kW capacity for net metering under the recently notified Electricity (Amendment) Rules, 2020, saying the provision will prevent high-load industrial consumers from switching to solar.

The National Solar Energy Federation has asked the State to consider a 15-year electricity duty exemption, transmission charges on the entire capacity instead of per-kWh basis, and delinking of the secondary RE source capacity from the rated power capacity of the primary RE source to promote hybrid project deployment.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India, NTPC, NHPC and other state-owned organizations have been directed to reduce RE contracts’ performance security from 5-10% to 3% of the contract value under the Finance ministry’s order dated November 12, 2020

The minimum solar tariffs discovered fell by 131.5% over the last five years, with an 18% drop achieved in the last five months alone.