Sunshine state, Gujarat

Published: May 5, 2013 02:09 IST | Updated: May 5, 2013 08:04 IST
Sunny future

Sujay Mehdudia

The Hindu The domestic manufacturers of solar equipment are livid at the government’s failure to protect the interests of the solar industry from cheap imports.

As a sun-swept country, India should have been a pioneer in the use of solar power with a photovoltaic panel on every roof. Good policy can help make up for lost time.

Solar is the most secure of all energy sources, since it is abundantly available in India. With crippling electricity shortages, the price of electricity traded internally touched Rs. 7 a unit for base loads and Rs. 8.50 during peak periods.

The 12th Plan envisages 29,800 megawatts (MW) in capacity addition through renewable sources. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2010, anticipates that grid parity will be achieved by 2022 and parity with coal-based thermal power by 2030.

The domestic manufacturers of solar equipment are livid at the government’s failure to protect the interests of the solar industry from cheap imports, despite policy guidelines providing for such measures.

According to V. Saibaba, CEO, Lanco Solar, the lack of access to energy is a key challenge in India’s growth story, with approximately 400 million people having no access to electricity and another 400 million having limited access. Solar energy, with its inherent applicability of being modular and environment friendly, can help in transforming the lives of millions.

However, Mr. Saibaba underscores the need for serious intervention from various regulatory agencies (government, quasi-government and non-government) to alter market behaviour by removing specific barriers and introducing measures to make quality solar appliances affordable and viable.

Another hurdle faced by solar power developers is the lack of financing for companies, and difficulties in priority sector lending for household solar appliances, despite approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

“Compulsory solar installation must be mandated in new buildings without which water and electricity connections should not be given; The States should offer additional subsidy as in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh for widespread adoption by all income groups,” he adds.

Tata Solar Power, a leading player in the solar market, feels solar energy should be treated as a key solution to boosting economic growth and not just as an alternative energy source. “Look at solar as a sunrise industry and not just as a part of the larger power industry. Actively promote solar energy as a viable alternative in urban India and not just as a solution to power-deprived rural or remote regions,” says its CEO Ajay K. Goel.

The government must protect and nurture the industry, including the domestic solar manufacturing sector. It will ensure the country is not dependent on imports. “The government has taken some steps to achieve this, but the steps have been either poorly executed or have loopholes,” Mr. Goel adds.

Mission flaw

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which is responsible for administering the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, did mandate in Phase-I of the Mission a domestic content requirement for both cells and modules; but it was applicable only for crystalline PV technology and not thin film. However, more than 75 per cent of the projects used imported thin-film technology. In contrast, thin-films account for less than 15 per cent of the total solar installations worldwide. While thin-films have their specific application, in India the choice was made not for technological, but financial, reasons.

“The lack of clarity is evident in Phase-II too; the government stated that a percentage of the overall power projects worth 750 MW to be tendered for competitive bidding under the Viability Gap Funding Scheme would be reserved for projects with domestic content norms, while the rest of the projects would be free to procure components from any country. What was not specified is the quantum of reservation for domestic content and any exception as in Phase-I. This ambiguity and lack of commitment to protect the domestic solar industry will have an immediate and far-reaching impact on its sustainability,” Mr. Goel remarks.

Even in the States, several governments are promoting solar energy. While Gujarat and Rajasthan are at the forefront, other States too are moving. Together, Gujarat and Rajasthan have a capacity of more than 1,110 MW.

Solar manufacturers are of the view that solutions should be implemented at two levels: through comprehensive domestic content requirement and anti-dumping and/or countervailing duties.

Similarly, support should be extended by way of incentives and subsidies to help them compete in global markets and earn valuable foreign exchange. This model is followed by several countries, including the U.S. and China, to promote their domestic players globally.

Gyanesh Chaoudhary of Kolkata-based Vikram Solar says wind power is a different ballgame. India does not have good wind potential, except in some coastal areas. Solar is a more proven technology, and given that India has long sunshine hours throughout the year, the productivity of such plants is higher.

(sujaymehdudia@thehindu.co.in)

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/sunny-future/article4684169.ece?homepage=true&css=print

Workers walk past solar panels at the Gujarat Solar Park at Charanka in Patan district, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Ahmadabad, India

Wednesday 2 May 2012 11.58 BST
Gujarat Solar Park the largest solar park in the world - big picture
It's the biggest solar farm in the world, covering 2,000 ha of northern Gujarat, India, and it has the capacity to generate 600MW of power. Gujarat Solar Park is estimated to save 8m tonnes of CO2 emissions every year

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/picture/2012/may/02/gujarat-solar-power-park-india

Published: May 5, 2013 02:17 IST | Updated: May 5, 2013 08:05 IST
The sunshine State

Darshan Desai
Launched towards the end of 2010, the Rs. 9,000-crore Gujarat Solar Park, set up on government wasteland in north Gujarat, has already been producing 214 MW from the sun, making it the first State to generate such capacity at a single location.

And when expanded to 5,000 acres from the present 2,669 acres, the Charanka Park, located at a village of Patan district, will generate 500 MW. This will make it Asia’s largest solar farm. In all, Gujarat’s total installed capacity is 605 MW, and projects are operational in 10 districts.

The entire solar power project would produce 30 lakh units of clean energy every day, capable of electrifying 10 lakh households, and avoid 10 lakh tonnes equivalent of carbon dioxide emissions annually, officials say.

Gujarat, which accounts for two-thirds of national solar power production, has attracted an investment of Rs. 8,000 crore. Buoyed by the success of the project, the government is looking at acquiring some more wasteland in north Gujarat’s Banaskantha district for setting up another solar park.

Meanwhile, the government has evolved a rooftop solar plant policy to enable people to produce their own power and encash it by selling the surplus to the grid.

The capital Gandhinagar, being envisioned as the country’s first model solar city, already has solar rooftop systems ranging from 1 kilowatt (kW) to 150 kW at more than 150 locations, aggregating a capacity of 1.39 MW. This covers a total of two acres of rooftop area, providing 1 per cent of the total energy consumption in the capital. Also, the new building of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board is completely powered by solar energy.

The State government recently floated a 5-MW rooftop programme on the public-private-partnership model in the capital, and that is now being extended to five more cities and towns.

(darshan207@gmail.com)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-sunshine-state/article4684164.ece?homepage=true&css=print

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat_Solar_Park

 

CHARANKA SOLAR PARK OVERVIEW – PV MODULES & INVERTER TECHNOLOGY DETAILS OF GUJARAT SOLAR PARK PROJECTS !