The Clinton Climate Initiative, a programme of the William J Clinton Foundation, is in the process of setting up four ‘solar parks’ across the world with an overall capacity of 20,000 Mw. On Monday,it signed an agreement with the Gujarat government for setting up what is billed as the world’s largest solar project. IRA MAGAZINER, CCI’s chairman, talked to Maulik Pathak on his plans. Excerpts:
So, you have finally firmed your plans on Gujarat after exploring for over a year now. Have you identified the location?
We have identified three to four locations and will be finalising these in the next three to four weeks. About 5,000 hectares of land is required. We have been to many places where they talk and talk. Finally, we came to Gujarat, where people act. CCI is aiming to set up a solar park with a generation capacity of 3,000 Mw, which could go up to 5,000 Mw. The cost of the project would be about $8-10 billion for 3,000 Mw and for 5,000 Mw, it would be about $15 billion. The feasibility study will be over in 2010 and the plant will start in 2012.
How much of solar capacities has Clinton Climate Initiative planned worldwide?
We are planning four solar parks across the globe. We are looking at South Africa, California in the US, Australia and Gujarat. All these projects are of the same size, as of now. The overall capacity to be generated from solar energy in the four projects could go as high as 20,000 Mw.
From the progress made so far, we feel the Gujarat project will be the first to come up. And this would be the world’s largest solar project.
The cost of generation for solar power is very high as compared to other fossil fuel-fired units.
A solar park can decrease the cost of solar power significantly. The initial cost for setting up the project is very high. Once the plant is set up, its cost comes down. There is no extra cost, except managing the mirrors.
You don’t have to adjust to any fluctuations in cost. In fact, there is no fuel cost. It (solar plant) can go on as long as the sun shines. Of course, we have got to make arrangements when the weather is cloudy. By our calculations, the cost of solar power generation in India will come down to Rs 5-6 per kilo watt hour/unit in the next five years. And this will be lower than the cost of a coal-fired plant.
How do you propose to finance these projects? How many developers have shown interest in the Gujarat project so far?
As the project is very costly in the initial phases, we will arrange finance for the solar developers. We are already in talks with Asian Development Bank for this. As I said earlier, once the project takes off, the cost of generation goes down, so finance is initially essential. About 10 international developers have already shown interest.
The central government had recently written to the state to consider setting up a solar SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in Gujarat. Any plans to park your solar project in the SEZ? Also, do you propose to set up hybrid plants?
We have held talks with the central government on this. In fact, we are very hopeful about the National Solar Mission. Along with developers, research and development, even component manufacturers have shown interest in our project. So, there is a good export market. We can certainly consider that (SEZ).
Hybrid plants are something else that we are considering at the moment.
Source: Business Standard
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Land of the rising subsidy
Until five years ago Japan made around half of the world’s solar cells, thanks to its thirst for native energy and its expertise in the related fields of computer chips and flat screens for televisions. Sharp, which alone has made a quarter of all the solar cells ever produced, dominated the industry. But as solar technology matured and demand grew, new companies emerged, notably in China and Taiwan, eroding Japanese firms’ share of the market to around 20%. Sharp slipped to fourth place among manufacturers in 2008, after Q-Cells of Germany, First Solar of America and Suntech of China.
Factories have mushroomed all over the world in recent years, on the assumption that subsidies and loans for solar power would continue to grow, along with the world economy. Chinese manufacturers’ share grew sixfold from 2004 to 2008, capturing more than one-third of the global market. This prompted fears that Japan’s strength in solar would go the way of computer chips and television screens, in which Japanese firms have lost their dominance over rivals from elsewhere in Asia.
To avoid this fate, Japanese firms have concentrated on improving their technology and adjusting their business models. They have the most sophisticated kit, respected brands and healthy balance-sheets, notes Travis Bradford, president of the Prometheus Institute, a solar advocacy group. All this should spare them the worst amid the present solar glut. The entire industry’s sales are expected to be below 7,000 megawatts this year. That is roughly half of its capacity. The economic crisis has led to the cancellation of many big projects, and subsidies for solar power in Germany and Spain are being reduced.
Excess supply has forced the prices of solar panels down by more than 40% this year. In Asia factories that recently cropped up are running at 40% of capacity, with a huge shakeout expected, explains Joe Boyce of Gaia Consulting. But Japanese makers are protected because they can manufacture cells less expensively than European firms and have better technology than Chinese ones. They are also sheltered in their home market, where customers prefer domestic products.
Additionally, Japanese companies are following some American and European rivals into electricity generation. Sharp, for example, is negotiating a deal with Enel, Italy’s biggest power company, under which it will build solar panels for use in Enel’s solar-power plants. Enel will help to finance the panel factory and Sharp will take a stake in the
plants. In March Mitsubishi, a large trading company, acquired 34% of Amper Central Solar, a power plant in Portugal. Showa Shell, an oil distributor and panel-maker, plans to enter the generation business with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant.
Many Japanese solar firms are in fact expanding. The country’s four biggest—Sharp, Kyocera, Sanyo and Mitsubishi Electric—are investing billions of dollars to double their production, at least, over the next three years. They expect an increase in demand owing to growing subsidies for renewable energy in America and Japan. The Japanese government reintroduced generous handouts for solar power this year. These had stopped in 2006, when it had seemed that the market could support itself. Between April and June domestic sales increased by 80% in volume, while sales elsewhere slumped. Goldman Sachs says solar sales in Japan may double next year if the Democratic Party of Japan, an opposition party with green policies, wins a general election on August 30th, which it is expected to do.
At the Motosumiyoshi commuter-train station in Kawasaki, a suburb of Tokyo, sleek solar panels serve as an awning over the platform. On a recent sweltering day, they were producing 33 kilowatts of electricity, equivalent to the consumption of 40 homes. The system supplies 15% of the energy used by the station, and avoids many tons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually. As long as the state’s gravy-train keeps running, solar power’s future is bright in the land of the rising sun.
Source: Financialexpress
Factories have mushroomed all over the world in recent years, on the assumption that subsidies and loans for solar power would continue to grow, along with the world economy. Chinese manufacturers’ share grew sixfold from 2004 to 2008, capturing more than one-third of the global market. This prompted fears that Japan’s strength in solar would go the way of computer chips and television screens, in which Japanese firms have lost their dominance over rivals from elsewhere in Asia.
To avoid this fate, Japanese firms have concentrated on improving their technology and adjusting their business models. They have the most sophisticated kit, respected brands and healthy balance-sheets, notes Travis Bradford, president of the Prometheus Institute, a solar advocacy group. All this should spare them the worst amid the present solar glut. The entire industry’s sales are expected to be below 7,000 megawatts this year. That is roughly half of its capacity. The economic crisis has led to the cancellation of many big projects, and subsidies for solar power in Germany and Spain are being reduced.
Excess supply has forced the prices of solar panels down by more than 40% this year. In Asia factories that recently cropped up are running at 40% of capacity, with a huge shakeout expected, explains Joe Boyce of Gaia Consulting. But Japanese makers are protected because they can manufacture cells less expensively than European firms and have better technology than Chinese ones. They are also sheltered in their home market, where customers prefer domestic products.
Additionally, Japanese companies are following some American and European rivals into electricity generation. Sharp, for example, is negotiating a deal with Enel, Italy’s biggest power company, under which it will build solar panels for use in Enel’s solar-power plants. Enel will help to finance the panel factory and Sharp will take a stake in the
plants. In March Mitsubishi, a large trading company, acquired 34% of Amper Central Solar, a power plant in Portugal. Showa Shell, an oil distributor and panel-maker, plans to enter the generation business with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant.
Many Japanese solar firms are in fact expanding. The country’s four biggest—Sharp, Kyocera, Sanyo and Mitsubishi Electric—are investing billions of dollars to double their production, at least, over the next three years. They expect an increase in demand owing to growing subsidies for renewable energy in America and Japan. The Japanese government reintroduced generous handouts for solar power this year. These had stopped in 2006, when it had seemed that the market could support itself. Between April and June domestic sales increased by 80% in volume, while sales elsewhere slumped. Goldman Sachs says solar sales in Japan may double next year if the Democratic Party of Japan, an opposition party with green policies, wins a general election on August 30th, which it is expected to do.
At the Motosumiyoshi commuter-train station in Kawasaki, a suburb of Tokyo, sleek solar panels serve as an awning over the platform. On a recent sweltering day, they were producing 33 kilowatts of electricity, equivalent to the consumption of 40 homes. The system supplies 15% of the energy used by the station, and avoids many tons of greenhouse-gas emissions annually. As long as the state’s gravy-train keeps running, solar power’s future is bright in the land of the rising sun.
Source: Financialexpress
Solar industry interaction on MNRE’s solar PV program for 2009-10
MNRE along with the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA) and IREDA organized a one-day seminar in New Delhi to share the details of the recently announced Unified Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Program to promote the use of decentralized SPV systems for various applications in rural/ urban areas and SPV roof top systems for diesel saving in urban areas.
The seminar was organized to share the view of the concerned stakeholders such as manufacturers of solar PV modules and equipment, system integrators, service providers, consultants, banks and financial institutions, and reputed NGOs on the programme. The main objective of the seminar was to initiate a government-industry interaction.
Welcoming the delegates, Mr. B.V. Naidu, Chairman, ISA said that it was good to be part of a new revolution taking place in India. He added: “We have seen the success of the Indian IT industry and the Indian semiconductor design sector. That the MNRE is organizing an industry interaction on solar photovoltaics is a step in the right direction.” Naidu noted that India has all the features required for becoming a successful solar country.
Addressing the delegates, Ms Gauri Singh, IAS, Joint Secretary, MNRE said that the purpose of this interaction between the government and the industry is to give a loud and clear message to industry that “we would like to work with you as partners.” She said, “A large portion of the solar mission target will come from grid connected solar power. However, the off-grid opportunity is also huge. We have tried to open up our policy slightly and take the whole process forward by taking inputs from you and open up the policy for suggestions.” She further added that the MNRE was also working to see whether it could get the IREDA into a refinance operation with banks. There are schemes in place, where if anyone wants to work with a bank, a lot of incentives are available to the banks. Now, the ministry would like to see incentives being given to the manufacturers. She also called for a need to put out a third party monitoring system.
Dr B.M.S. Bist, Advisor, MNRE, said that solar PV is going to play a big role in assuring green technology in the country. He said that significant targets have been set for the SPV systems. The ministry has now tried to make new schemes. These will be presented to the delegates and their views are welcome. Those views will be compiled and the ministry will revert to the industry, so both of them can march together. Solar Mission will also be active from 14th November 2009.
Mr. Debashish Majumdar, Chairman and Managing Director, IREDA, said “When solar PV started about 15 years ago in India, we had small manufacturers starting in garages, etc., and who have now grown to become very large companies. It gives us a lot of hope that things can be done very well here as well.”
“We look at solar from two aspects — off-grid and on-grid. We would like to see what kind of demand we can convert in the off-grid applications. The policy by MNRE has been made keeping the best interests of the industry in mind. We would like to get your feedback and see how best to get the market going.”
There were presentations on the following topics as well:
* Details of the solar PV off-grid program (rooftop systems) — Dr. AK Varshney, MNRE
* Details of the solar PV off-grid program (other applications) — Dr. A. Raza, MNRE
* Financing of IREDA schemes for solar — BV Rao, IREDA
Dr. A K Varshney, Director, MNRE spoke about the Solar PV off-grid program on Roof Top Systems which was announced in February 2009. He said that main focus of these systems was commercial complexes, malls, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes etc. Ministry has a set target of 4.35 MW rooftop SPV systems for the remaining period of 11th plan. Regarding the Central Financial Assistance (CFA), he said, “With the submission of a copy of DPR and delivery of the material at the site, ministry grants 50% of the subsidy amount in advance and rest of the subsidy amount is given after the commissioning of the project.” Recently, the ministry has sanctioned two projects - in Dehradun (100 Kwp) and in Serco BPO in Gurgaon (25 Kwp).
Dr. Ahmar Raza, Director, MNRE shared the scheme of Solar PV off-grid program on other applications which was announced in July 2009. He told about various financial assistance provided by the ministry for setting up Solar PV roof top systems. He also told about the incentives to Banks/Micro financing institutions for capacity building and other specified activities to extend loans to consumers for Home lights and other small SPV systems in villages.
Mr. B.V. Rao from IREDA told about various financial schemes provided by IREDA on solar. He mentioned various kind of loans provide by IREDA to different players in the industry. Like for manufacturers, IREDA provides a loan of upto 80% of the total investment and 20% is to be paid by the manufacturer himself. The interest rate is 12.75% and repayment has to be made in 10 years.
These presentations were followed by questions and views shared by the industry delegates with officials from the ministry.
The seminar was organized to share the view of the concerned stakeholders such as manufacturers of solar PV modules and equipment, system integrators, service providers, consultants, banks and financial institutions, and reputed NGOs on the programme. The main objective of the seminar was to initiate a government-industry interaction.
Welcoming the delegates, Mr. B.V. Naidu, Chairman, ISA said that it was good to be part of a new revolution taking place in India. He added: “We have seen the success of the Indian IT industry and the Indian semiconductor design sector. That the MNRE is organizing an industry interaction on solar photovoltaics is a step in the right direction.” Naidu noted that India has all the features required for becoming a successful solar country.
Addressing the delegates, Ms Gauri Singh, IAS, Joint Secretary, MNRE said that the purpose of this interaction between the government and the industry is to give a loud and clear message to industry that “we would like to work with you as partners.” She said, “A large portion of the solar mission target will come from grid connected solar power. However, the off-grid opportunity is also huge. We have tried to open up our policy slightly and take the whole process forward by taking inputs from you and open up the policy for suggestions.” She further added that the MNRE was also working to see whether it could get the IREDA into a refinance operation with banks. There are schemes in place, where if anyone wants to work with a bank, a lot of incentives are available to the banks. Now, the ministry would like to see incentives being given to the manufacturers. She also called for a need to put out a third party monitoring system.
Dr B.M.S. Bist, Advisor, MNRE, said that solar PV is going to play a big role in assuring green technology in the country. He said that significant targets have been set for the SPV systems. The ministry has now tried to make new schemes. These will be presented to the delegates and their views are welcome. Those views will be compiled and the ministry will revert to the industry, so both of them can march together. Solar Mission will also be active from 14th November 2009.
Mr. Debashish Majumdar, Chairman and Managing Director, IREDA, said “When solar PV started about 15 years ago in India, we had small manufacturers starting in garages, etc., and who have now grown to become very large companies. It gives us a lot of hope that things can be done very well here as well.”
“We look at solar from two aspects — off-grid and on-grid. We would like to see what kind of demand we can convert in the off-grid applications. The policy by MNRE has been made keeping the best interests of the industry in mind. We would like to get your feedback and see how best to get the market going.”
There were presentations on the following topics as well:
* Details of the solar PV off-grid program (rooftop systems) — Dr. AK Varshney, MNRE
* Details of the solar PV off-grid program (other applications) — Dr. A. Raza, MNRE
* Financing of IREDA schemes for solar — BV Rao, IREDA
Dr. A K Varshney, Director, MNRE spoke about the Solar PV off-grid program on Roof Top Systems which was announced in February 2009. He said that main focus of these systems was commercial complexes, malls, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes etc. Ministry has a set target of 4.35 MW rooftop SPV systems for the remaining period of 11th plan. Regarding the Central Financial Assistance (CFA), he said, “With the submission of a copy of DPR and delivery of the material at the site, ministry grants 50% of the subsidy amount in advance and rest of the subsidy amount is given after the commissioning of the project.” Recently, the ministry has sanctioned two projects - in Dehradun (100 Kwp) and in Serco BPO in Gurgaon (25 Kwp).
Dr. Ahmar Raza, Director, MNRE shared the scheme of Solar PV off-grid program on other applications which was announced in July 2009. He told about various financial assistance provided by the ministry for setting up Solar PV roof top systems. He also told about the incentives to Banks/Micro financing institutions for capacity building and other specified activities to extend loans to consumers for Home lights and other small SPV systems in villages.
Mr. B.V. Rao from IREDA told about various financial schemes provided by IREDA on solar. He mentioned various kind of loans provide by IREDA to different players in the industry. Like for manufacturers, IREDA provides a loan of upto 80% of the total investment and 20% is to be paid by the manufacturer himself. The interest rate is 12.75% and repayment has to be made in 10 years.
These presentations were followed by questions and views shared by the industry delegates with officials from the ministry.
Slowdown dims solar panel prices 40-50%
Inventory build-up can brighten power project prospects.
Solar panel prices have fallen 40-50 per cent in the international markets in the last 6-9 months, triggered by the global liquidity crunch. This has led to tighter funding for solar farm power projects and a consequent build-up in inventory of panels.
Despite an improvement in global liquidity and revival of orders, there is no imminent prospect of prices returning to mid-2008 levels, say industry experts.
Solar panel manufacturers say prices are unlikely to return to the early 2008 levels even though some large projects are getting off the ground, particularly in western and southern Europe, the largest market for solar power projects.
The crash in prices has substantially brought down the delivered cost of electricity from solar projects.
Inventory build-up
According to industry experts, a number of reasons contributed to the price crash. Solar panels cost around $3.75-4 a Watt till the third quarter of 2008, after which they started falling. The prices are about $1.9-2 a Watt now, according to Mr Yogesh Mathur, Chief Financial Officer, Moser Baer India Ltd, which has subsidiaries that manufacture photovoltaic cells and modules and develop integrated photovoltaic systems.
Solar farm projects are large in size, about 1-5 MW, which is quite significant in terms of volume and value. A 5-MW solar farm typically used to cost about $30 million and this has now dropped to around $20 million. Till mid-to- late-2008 the market was booming and order books for all manufacturers were full, according to Mr Mathur.
Mr Shankar Rao Chodagam, Managing Director of the Hyderabad-based Titan Energy Systems Ltd, says that up to September 2008, the supply of panels was less than demand. Many companies, based on the earlier high growth projections, built up inventories, which also contributed to a fall in prices.
Attractive costs
Apart from Germany, which is Europe’s largest solar power market, Spain too is getting active in solar power, followed by Italy. Japan and the US too are growing solar power markets.
Mr Hari Surapaneni, CEO, Solar Semiconductor, a major player, said that with manufacturers trying to get rid of inventories, prices softened appreciably. “It is good for the consumer and the Indian industries involved in the solar business,” said Mr Surapaneni, whose company has orders over $3 billion from European customers of solar PV modules.
Chinese competition
Despite the high capital cost, solar farm projects were attractive both for investors and lenders because of the incentives offered by various European governments. Hence, even at the high costs, investors were assured of reasonable internal rate of return. “Because of the government support, the attractiveness to leverage, to borrow and to invest in that farm was quite high. The investors got a 10/20-year tariff,” said Mr Mathur.
Credit used to be available in plenty, but between the latter part of 2008 and early this year it dried up, resulting in a number of solar farm projects being put on hold.
Combined with this, says Mr K.E. Raghunathan, Managing Director of the Chennai-based Solkar Solar Industry Ltd, a manufacturer of solar products, Chinese manufacturers of panels also started dumping products in the global markets at rock-bottom prices. The Chinese manufacturers were able to do this due to various reasons, principal among which is the huge government support they get for exports.
Industry players say credit availability is improving and solar projects are slowly taking off, resulting in growing demand for solar panels.
Mr Mathur says that as the credit crunch eases, it has become attractive for banks to lend to the sector, especially with the lower overall system costs and consequently lower cost of energy. He does not expect prices to go back to the 2008 peak levels even though inventories are getting reduced. “As scale builds up in manufacturing, costs will come down. There could be a price uptick, but not to the extent as last year,” he says.
Grid parity
Along with scale economies, increase in cell efficiency — the quantum of incidental solar rays that gets converted to electricity — from 15 per cent to 17-18 per cent, should result in prices dropping over the next couple of years to grid parity.
According to Mr Chodagam, the developments augur well for Indian players as the current prices are better than diesel parity. “By 2011, it is expected to come to grid parity for the production of solar power.” Simultaneously, the country’s grid connection policy and the Solar Energy Mission will get a boost as the rate of return will improve.
Adds Mr Surapaneni, “we believe this trend (of lower prices) will continue and the cost will come down to Rs 10-12 crore a MW, bringing solar power closer to other forms of power.” On Thursday, Moser Baer said it got a contract to install a 1 MW solar project for Mahagenco, Maharashtra’s State-owned generation utility, for Rs 12.5 crore.
Indian manufacturers are confident that this means good business, as apart from the domestic market, Europe, Japan and the US will once again become large markets.
Solar panel prices have fallen 40-50 per cent in the international markets in the last 6-9 months, triggered by the global liquidity crunch. This has led to tighter funding for solar farm power projects and a consequent build-up in inventory of panels.
Despite an improvement in global liquidity and revival of orders, there is no imminent prospect of prices returning to mid-2008 levels, say industry experts.
Solar panel manufacturers say prices are unlikely to return to the early 2008 levels even though some large projects are getting off the ground, particularly in western and southern Europe, the largest market for solar power projects.
The crash in prices has substantially brought down the delivered cost of electricity from solar projects.
Inventory build-up
According to industry experts, a number of reasons contributed to the price crash. Solar panels cost around $3.75-4 a Watt till the third quarter of 2008, after which they started falling. The prices are about $1.9-2 a Watt now, according to Mr Yogesh Mathur, Chief Financial Officer, Moser Baer India Ltd, which has subsidiaries that manufacture photovoltaic cells and modules and develop integrated photovoltaic systems.
Solar farm projects are large in size, about 1-5 MW, which is quite significant in terms of volume and value. A 5-MW solar farm typically used to cost about $30 million and this has now dropped to around $20 million. Till mid-to- late-2008 the market was booming and order books for all manufacturers were full, according to Mr Mathur.
Mr Shankar Rao Chodagam, Managing Director of the Hyderabad-based Titan Energy Systems Ltd, says that up to September 2008, the supply of panels was less than demand. Many companies, based on the earlier high growth projections, built up inventories, which also contributed to a fall in prices.
Attractive costs
Apart from Germany, which is Europe’s largest solar power market, Spain too is getting active in solar power, followed by Italy. Japan and the US too are growing solar power markets.
Mr Hari Surapaneni, CEO, Solar Semiconductor, a major player, said that with manufacturers trying to get rid of inventories, prices softened appreciably. “It is good for the consumer and the Indian industries involved in the solar business,” said Mr Surapaneni, whose company has orders over $3 billion from European customers of solar PV modules.
Chinese competition
Despite the high capital cost, solar farm projects were attractive both for investors and lenders because of the incentives offered by various European governments. Hence, even at the high costs, investors were assured of reasonable internal rate of return. “Because of the government support, the attractiveness to leverage, to borrow and to invest in that farm was quite high. The investors got a 10/20-year tariff,” said Mr Mathur.
Credit used to be available in plenty, but between the latter part of 2008 and early this year it dried up, resulting in a number of solar farm projects being put on hold.
Combined with this, says Mr K.E. Raghunathan, Managing Director of the Chennai-based Solkar Solar Industry Ltd, a manufacturer of solar products, Chinese manufacturers of panels also started dumping products in the global markets at rock-bottom prices. The Chinese manufacturers were able to do this due to various reasons, principal among which is the huge government support they get for exports.
Industry players say credit availability is improving and solar projects are slowly taking off, resulting in growing demand for solar panels.
Mr Mathur says that as the credit crunch eases, it has become attractive for banks to lend to the sector, especially with the lower overall system costs and consequently lower cost of energy. He does not expect prices to go back to the 2008 peak levels even though inventories are getting reduced. “As scale builds up in manufacturing, costs will come down. There could be a price uptick, but not to the extent as last year,” he says.
Grid parity
Along with scale economies, increase in cell efficiency — the quantum of incidental solar rays that gets converted to electricity — from 15 per cent to 17-18 per cent, should result in prices dropping over the next couple of years to grid parity.
According to Mr Chodagam, the developments augur well for Indian players as the current prices are better than diesel parity. “By 2011, it is expected to come to grid parity for the production of solar power.” Simultaneously, the country’s grid connection policy and the Solar Energy Mission will get a boost as the rate of return will improve.
Adds Mr Surapaneni, “we believe this trend (of lower prices) will continue and the cost will come down to Rs 10-12 crore a MW, bringing solar power closer to other forms of power.” On Thursday, Moser Baer said it got a contract to install a 1 MW solar project for Mahagenco, Maharashtra’s State-owned generation utility, for Rs 12.5 crore.
Indian manufacturers are confident that this means good business, as apart from the domestic market, Europe, Japan and the US will once again become large markets.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
BHEL augments Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Facility to 8 MW per annum
Sh. Vilasrao Deshmukh dedicates the new state-of-the-art plant to the nation
As another step towards supporting the Government of India’s Green Energy Initiative, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has enhanced the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Module manufacturing facility at its Electronics Division, Bangalore, from 3 MW to 8 MW per annum.
The company’s new state-of-the-art, upgraded unit was dedicated to the nation today by Sh. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Hon’ble Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, in the presence of Sh. Arun Yadav, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Sh. Ananth Kumar, Member of Parliament. Sh. M. Krishnappa and Sh. D.K. Shivakumar, MLAs; Dr. Satyanarayana Dash, Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Govt. of India; Sh. Sudhakar Rao, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka and Sh. K. Ravi Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, BHEL, were also present on the occasion, in addition to the Board of Directors and senior officials of BHEL.
The additional photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility has enabled BHEL to handle larger (156x156-mm) and thinner (200-mm) solar-grade mono/multi-crystalline silicon wafers, for which process optimisation trials have been successfully completed.
BHEL has been committed to promoting eco-friendly sources of energy and has reinforced its commitment towards renewable energy by upgrading its Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Capacity.
In another step forward in this direction, the Joint Venture between BHEL and BEL for establishing a 250 MW PV production facility for processing Silicon Wafers, Solar Cells and PV Modules is under finalisation. With this JV, BHEL and BEL are expected to assume a leading position in the area of Photovoltaics in the country.
BHEL has been actively contributing to the application of Solar Photovoltaics in remote and rural parts of the country for over 3 decades. The company’s Grid Interactive/Stand Alone Solar Power Plants as well as independent systems have enabled the people of Lakshadweep, Sagar Islands of West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, etc., to vastly improve their quality of life. Solar cells and modules manufactured by BHEL are also exported to countries like Germany, Australia and Italy. The company’s PV modules are certified to international standards by JRC, Ispra, Italy.
BHEL has been committed to the nation’s power development programme and has reaffirmed its commitment to the Indian Power Sector by equipping itself for the future, by way of technology, facilities and trained manpower to meet the country’s power forecast for the 11th Plan and beyond. For this, it has already enhanced its manufacturing capacity to 10,000 MW per annum and is further augmenting it to 15,000 MW per annum which is proceeding apace and plans are afoot to hike it further to 20,000 MW by 2011-12.
Source: BHEL
As another step towards supporting the Government of India’s Green Energy Initiative, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has enhanced the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Module manufacturing facility at its Electronics Division, Bangalore, from 3 MW to 8 MW per annum.
The company’s new state-of-the-art, upgraded unit was dedicated to the nation today by Sh. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Hon’ble Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, in the presence of Sh. Arun Yadav, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Sh. Ananth Kumar, Member of Parliament. Sh. M. Krishnappa and Sh. D.K. Shivakumar, MLAs; Dr. Satyanarayana Dash, Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Govt. of India; Sh. Sudhakar Rao, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Karnataka and Sh. K. Ravi Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, BHEL, were also present on the occasion, in addition to the Board of Directors and senior officials of BHEL.
The additional photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility has enabled BHEL to handle larger (156x156-mm) and thinner (200-mm) solar-grade mono/multi-crystalline silicon wafers, for which process optimisation trials have been successfully completed.
BHEL has been committed to promoting eco-friendly sources of energy and has reinforced its commitment towards renewable energy by upgrading its Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Capacity.
In another step forward in this direction, the Joint Venture between BHEL and BEL for establishing a 250 MW PV production facility for processing Silicon Wafers, Solar Cells and PV Modules is under finalisation. With this JV, BHEL and BEL are expected to assume a leading position in the area of Photovoltaics in the country.
BHEL has been actively contributing to the application of Solar Photovoltaics in remote and rural parts of the country for over 3 decades. The company’s Grid Interactive/Stand Alone Solar Power Plants as well as independent systems have enabled the people of Lakshadweep, Sagar Islands of West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, etc., to vastly improve their quality of life. Solar cells and modules manufactured by BHEL are also exported to countries like Germany, Australia and Italy. The company’s PV modules are certified to international standards by JRC, Ispra, Italy.
BHEL has been committed to the nation’s power development programme and has reaffirmed its commitment to the Indian Power Sector by equipping itself for the future, by way of technology, facilities and trained manpower to meet the country’s power forecast for the 11th Plan and beyond. For this, it has already enhanced its manufacturing capacity to 10,000 MW per annum and is further augmenting it to 15,000 MW per annum which is proceeding apace and plans are afoot to hike it further to 20,000 MW by 2011-12.
Source: BHEL
Monday, August 31, 2009
Two missions on climate change ready for implementation, says Shyam Saran
Two of the eight missions in the National Action Plan on Climate Change were ready for implementation through the cabinet-level decisions regulatory mechanisms and even through legislation if necessary, said Shyam Saran, the special envoy of the Prime Minister on climate change, here on Friday.
The National Solar Mission and the National Mission for Enhanced Energy have already been through by discussions and evaluation by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate change, Mr. Saran said at the Environment and Energy Conclave 2009 hosted by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“The Prime Minister has said that the National Solar Mission will be in operation by November 14,” Mr. Saran said.
Experts were considering the possibility of producing solar power with a threshold capacity of 20,000 MW, which could result in grid parity by 2020 and parity in pricing with coal-generated power in 2030, he said.
Grid parity was the point at which electricity from renewable sources is equal to or cheaper than grid power. Reiterating India’s stand that no legally binding restrictions on emissions would be acceptable, Mr. Saran also outlined the expectations of India and other developing countries from the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen (COP15) in December this year.
“We are not negotiating a new Climate Change treaty at Copenhagen,” said Mr. Saran, adding that the measures deliberated at previous international summits had not been implemented by developed countries.
“Under the National Action Plan India has a certain vision, but if developing countries have to take mitigation actions beyond their resources, they must be aided by developed countries with technology transfers and financial resources,” he said.
On the question of climate change, the impact of accumulated emissions must be considered, which was the position of all developing nations and stated in the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), he said.
“The Prime Minister has already made a commitment that at no point in time will India’s per capita emission be higher than those of the developed countries,” he said.
Source: The Hindu
The National Solar Mission and the National Mission for Enhanced Energy have already been through by discussions and evaluation by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate change, Mr. Saran said at the Environment and Energy Conclave 2009 hosted by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“The Prime Minister has said that the National Solar Mission will be in operation by November 14,” Mr. Saran said.
Experts were considering the possibility of producing solar power with a threshold capacity of 20,000 MW, which could result in grid parity by 2020 and parity in pricing with coal-generated power in 2030, he said.
Grid parity was the point at which electricity from renewable sources is equal to or cheaper than grid power. Reiterating India’s stand that no legally binding restrictions on emissions would be acceptable, Mr. Saran also outlined the expectations of India and other developing countries from the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen (COP15) in December this year.
“We are not negotiating a new Climate Change treaty at Copenhagen,” said Mr. Saran, adding that the measures deliberated at previous international summits had not been implemented by developed countries.
“Under the National Action Plan India has a certain vision, but if developing countries have to take mitigation actions beyond their resources, they must be aided by developed countries with technology transfers and financial resources,” he said.
On the question of climate change, the impact of accumulated emissions must be considered, which was the position of all developing nations and stated in the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), he said.
“The Prime Minister has already made a commitment that at no point in time will India’s per capita emission be higher than those of the developed countries,” he said.
Source: The Hindu
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Solar power system to be installed at railway stations
To find alternative sources of energy, everybody is on the lookout for better options. As such, solar power equipments are picking up fast as apart from several government departments, private institutions are also coming forward for the same.
Joining the list of new entrants are the railway authorities, who have also started installing solar equipments in railway running rooms, hospitals and even at crossings, where solar lamps were being used. This has helped them to get rid of kerosene lamps which were being earlier used.
According to information, the authorities have installed solar geysers in railway running rooms at Amritsar and Jalandhar, whereas the running room at the city station is presently under construction where solar geysers would be installed.
Sources in the railway department revealed that authorities are also planning to install solar lights by replacing the existing streetlights at the station and in railway colonies.
Earlier, it was the duty of the gatekeeper at the railway crossings to light the kerosene lamps, but now the authorities have installed solar lamps which will get charged during the day and provide light during the night hours.
While talking to the TOI, divisional railway manager Satish Chander said, "We had started installing solar geysers on an experimental basis but now we are getting a positive response and have decided to expand it at other places."
He said they would now install solar lights at railway crossings and city railway station, while the running room for guards and drivers was under construction where they would also install solar geysers like it had been done at Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ferozepur.
Discussing the issue, Rajinder Singh joint director Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) said, "The demand for solar equipments has increased manifold. We have forwarded a demand to the Centre for 500-kilowatt power plants which are being demanded by various private institutions across the state."
Source: Times of India
Joining the list of new entrants are the railway authorities, who have also started installing solar equipments in railway running rooms, hospitals and even at crossings, where solar lamps were being used. This has helped them to get rid of kerosene lamps which were being earlier used.
According to information, the authorities have installed solar geysers in railway running rooms at Amritsar and Jalandhar, whereas the running room at the city station is presently under construction where solar geysers would be installed.
Sources in the railway department revealed that authorities are also planning to install solar lights by replacing the existing streetlights at the station and in railway colonies.
Earlier, it was the duty of the gatekeeper at the railway crossings to light the kerosene lamps, but now the authorities have installed solar lamps which will get charged during the day and provide light during the night hours.
While talking to the TOI, divisional railway manager Satish Chander said, "We had started installing solar geysers on an experimental basis but now we are getting a positive response and have decided to expand it at other places."
He said they would now install solar lights at railway crossings and city railway station, while the running room for guards and drivers was under construction where they would also install solar geysers like it had been done at Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ferozepur.
Discussing the issue, Rajinder Singh joint director Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) said, "The demand for solar equipments has increased manifold. We have forwarded a demand to the Centre for 500-kilowatt power plants which are being demanded by various private institutions across the state."
Source: Times of India
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