Cochin International Airport to Inaugurate 12MWp PV Project.

An airport in the Indian state of Kerala will become “absolutely power neutral” when it inaugurates a 12MWp solar power plant onsite next week.

Cochin International Airport will unveil its green initiative on 18 August with Kerala’s chief minister, Ooomman Chandy, in attendance, according to local reports.

The commissioning of the PV plant is the third and biggest move so far in this direction by the airport, which installed a 100kWp rooftop plant in 2013 and another shortly after that with 1MWp capacity. According to the airport this was the first megawatt-scale solar PV plant in Kerala.

The latest move adds 45 acres of ground-mounted array, using 265Wp modules by Chinese manufacturer ReneSola and 1MW inverters by ABB India. The project was executed by German engineering company Bosch.

Cochin International Airport’s press release said that the array, when combined with the existing 1.1MW of installed capacity will “technically” make the airport “’absolutely power neutral’”, meaning the PV plants will produce as much electricity as the entire facility demands.  

Other significant airport PV installations in Asia include an 11.6MW PV plant at Kansai Airport in Japan, commissioned in March 2014 and a 19MW plant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

New Materials Could Provide High-density, Energy-efficient Memory Sorage

A team of scientists from Rice University have designed a new technology for solid-state memory storage, using tantalum oxide, which could potentially be a dramatic improvement on current technologies in terms of both the density of storage and the efficiency of energy consumption. The journal Nano Letters, of the American Chemical Society, has the details.

Two platinum electrodes sandwich layers consisting of multi-layer graphene, nanoporous tantalum oxide, and tantalum. The tantalum oxide loses its oxygen ions over time, turning from oxygen-rich at the top of this layer to oxygen-poor at the bottom of the layer. When all the oxygen ions are lost, it turns into pure tantalum.

The lead-author Gunuk Wang explained that, “The exchange of contact barriers causes the bipolar switching”.

In contrast to flash technology used at present, this design only requires two electrodes for each circuit, rather than three.

Rice University's professor of materials science, nanoengineering, and computer science, James Tour, said, “This tantalum memory is based on two-terminal memory systems, so it's all set for 3D memory stacks,” adding, “And it doesn't even need diodes or selectors, making it one of the easiest ultradense memories to construct.”

According to the researchers, this design could store up to 162 gigabits (approximately 20GB) using crossbar array memories, and could use one hundredth of the energy required by devices currently in use. If these claims were to be realised consistently on a large, commercial scale, this would be a significant breakthrough in the field of memory storage.

Gunuk Wang cites certain obstacles such as the need to control nanopore size, and the need to make a crossbar device which is dense enough for individual bits, as concerns which will have to be addressed before the technology gets to that point.

However, while a few details still need to be ironed out, this design sounds, at least in theory, very promising.

Tantalum oxide, or strictly speaking tantalum(V)oxide, otherwise known as tantalum pentoxide, is used in capacitors in a range of electronic equipment, including computers, mobile phones, DVD players, and game consoles. It replaced aluminium oxide in this capacity, thus allowing the 'brick' phones of the 1980s to be replaced by smaller, lighter mobile phones.

Some may see potential ethical issues surrounding the sourcing of the rare element tantalum. One of the sources of tantalum is the mineral known as coltan, found in relative abundance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire). While Congo represents a only small proportion of the world tantalum market, coltan mining is significant in terms of the country's economy. The coltan trade has been linked to ongoing warfare in the region, leading to tantalum being viewed as a conflict resource.

However, there's hope for such ethical questions regarding tantalum from the Congo to be resolved. One initiative, aptly named the Solutions for Hope Project, aims to preserve the coltan mining trade's contribution to the local economy, while ensuring that it doesn't fund the conflict.

Source: the stack

Mangaluru Firm Installs 2 Solar Power Systems

The Mangaluru-based Solar Trade Links has set up two rooftop solar power generation systems in the city.

Kumble Narasimha Prabhu, Managing Partner, said his firm had installed and commissioned rooftop solar plants of 10 kw and 12 kw capacity at Ramanath Enterprises at Karangalpady and at Ajith Enterprises at Baikampady Industrial Area in Mangaluru, respectively.

Stating that these are the first two net-metering rooftop solar projects in coastal Karnataka, he said both units save 2,700 units of power a month and ₹2.58 lakh a year in electricity bill.

He said these two independent solar power producers have power purchase agreements with Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) at ₹9.56 a unit for the next 25 years.

These two enterprises now meet their power requirements through solar plants. The excess power is supplied to Mescom, Prabhu said.

Terming it as a small step towards the energy self-sufficiency of the city, he said another four rooftop solar power installations of a combined capacity of 50 kw would be commissioned by October.

He told Business Line that the target is to set up a combined capacity of 100 kw in Mangaluru by the end of December.

Prabhu said that industrial units and hospitals can make use of rooftop solar power plants, as these power plants are also eligible for tax benefits.

Now Solar Cells made of Animal Blood to Tap Energy

In a move to optimise the cost of solar power, researchers of the premier S N Bose Institute of Basic Sciences have come up with an idea to lessen over-dependence on silicon for creation of solar panels. 

The research by a group of scientists of the internationally known institute has stumbled upon element of hematoporphyrin, a component in Haemoglobin in animal blood or any other type of blood. 

The very component aids in creation of solar panels which can in turn tap solar energy, a senior scientist of the institute elaborated about the project financed by the Centre's Science and Technology Department. 

"Our main aim was to find out a component which would help to tap solar energy and would also bring down the cost of solar panels," Samir Kumar Pal, the lead scientist of the project, told PTI adding this project was set off years back. 

"This component is derived from a blood available from slaughter house. The solar panels built from these component of blood has the same ability as that of solar panels made from silicone. Rather they can work also under cloudy sky," Pal said. 

The solar panel or cells are one cm in breath and one cm in width.

Source : the business standard. 

Kerala University Goes Green with Solar Power

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  The biggest grid-connected solar power project by the Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) was inaugurated at the Kerala University, Karyavattom campus on Tuesday.

 The power plant, inaugurated by Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed, is capable of generating 1.46 lakh units of electricity a year. The 100 kWp unit, fixed atop the golden jubilee building of the university, was set up under the deposit work scheme of ANERT as part of the university’s solar energy generation and energy conservation programmes, ANERT officials said. 

 Approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the unit consists of 400 solar panels each of which has a capacity of 250 Wp. The project cost Rs 99,80,000 and was built with the assistance of an approved ‘channel partner’ of the MNRE. The Power Minister had said that Kerala requires 3700 MW a day, but hydel stations in the state are capable of generating only 1600-1750 MW. The rest is met through power purchases. By 2017, the daily demand would soar to 4670 MW, he said.

 Aryadan Mohammed pointed out that the 200 MW solar power park planned in Kasargode district would be a reality soon. This project is being implemented with the help of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). Kerala University vice chancellor P K Radhakrishnan presided over the function. Power secretary M Sivasankar delivered the keynote address.

Mysuru Cheluvamba Park to be Lit up with Solar Power Soon

Mysuru's famous landmark, Cheluvamba Park, will soon stop buying power from government agencies, and instead, start harnessing solar energy to light up the 4-acre park in west Mysuru. This will be the second park managed by Mysuru City Corporation installed with a solar panel. MCC authorities installed solar panels at Nishat Bagh, popularly known as Kuppanna Park in the city centre in April 2014.…  read more Waaree Launches 'Sunbless' - Plug and Play Solar Park in Maharashtra.

Waaree Energies Limited has announced the launch of its first plug and play solar park in India. The 150-acre 'Sunbless Solar Park' at Murtizapur, near Akola, Maharashtra, has a capacity of up to 30 MW. This park provides land and evacuation facility to the nearest 132/33 kV GSS via double circuit transmission line. It offers facilities such as approach road, fencing, water supply, common infrastructure support and resources. The area receives a GHI of 1881.8 kWh/m² . The park location offers excellent connectivity by road/rail and provides great economies of scale resulting in reduced total cost of ownership. Presently, a 5 MW project is under construction and is set to be commissioned by September 2015.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Hitesh Doshi, Chairman and Managing Director, said, "Commissioning a solar project within the deadline is critical for its profitability. At times our clients have faced challenges with land acquisition and securing evacuation facilities. Waaree's Sunbless Solar Park will mitigate such risks for our clients and significantly reduce the lead time from concept to commissioning." 

About 35K Solar Water Pumps Installed in India

As many as 34,941 solar water pumps have been installed so far in the country as against the 1,38,267 sanctioned ,Parliament was informed today. 

"A total of 1,38,267 solar pumps have been sanctioned throughout the country and 34,941 pumps have been installed," New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. 

Goyal said that the ministry has issued supplementary guidelines for one lakh solar pumps during 2014-15 fiscal and Rs 353.50 crore was released to various agencies. 

"Some states are subsidising solar pumps, so that farmers take this up in a big way. The ministry has also made provision in guidelines for injecting surplus power in the grid so that farmers can get some returns on the investment," the minister told the House. 

According to the statement, the maximum number of solar water pumps for irrigation were installed in Rajasthan. As many as 23,603 pumps were installed in the state against the sanctioned 31,505 so far, followed by Punjab (1857), Madhya Pradesh (1806) and Uttar Pradesh (1653). 

However, Jharkhand and Telangana have not installed any solar water pump against the 1,400 and 4,225 sanctioned, respectively. 

No solar water pump has been sanctioned for Sikkim as per the minister's statement in the House. 

Government has sanctioned 15,330 solar water pumps for drinking in 15 states. However, only 200 such pumps are installed so far. 

The ministry has empanelled 53 solar pump system integrators to operate through NABARD. However, out of the 30,000 solar pumps for irrigation to be installed through NABARD, only 100 have been installed so far.

Ahmedabad based SEWA, IFC to provide energy-efficient cooking stoves and solar lanterns to over 2 lakh.

Ahmedabad-based Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide energy-efficient cooking stoves and solar lanterns to more than two lakh people in the state. The exercise is part of a World Bank initiative. 

The move will cut down on costs, improve the health, reduce the dependence on the conventional sources of energy and give more flexibility to women at work, said a SEWA official. Most women use traditional stove known as 'chulha' suffer from headache, breathing & skin problems. 

"The project will address the health, environmental and energy challenges faced by people at the base of the pyramid," IFC vice president for Asia Pacific Karin Finkelston told ET. 

A pilot project, supported by Clinton Global Initiative Forum, was recently conducted covering 6,000 women. A final model is being prepared based on the feedback. Philips and Pegasus Semiconductors Limited (Ahmedabad) have started manufacturing solar lantern, while Alpha Renewables (Borsad, Gujarat) and Gautum Polymers (Uttarakhand) will make stoves for the project. 

SEWA director Reema Nanavaty said, "The Hariyali project will provide green livelihoods to poor rural women members of SEWA." The project will be replicated in South Asia and other parts of Asia as well as Africa. SEWA currently has 13 lakh members across nine states. 

Each stove and solar lantern will cost Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000. IFC will provide 25% bank guarantee and advisory service while ICICI will provide the loans that will be repaid in 16 installments of Rs 300 each. As against the prevalent interest rate of 40% for micro finance for the unorganised sector, the rate for SEWA members will be 15% as IFC is involved in the project. 

Annual market for solar lanterns and cooking stoves in India is estimated at $500 million and $400 million, respectively. IFC will provide a partial credit guarantee for a $5 million loan that ICICI bank is providing to SEWA-sponsored Grassroots Trading Network for Women (GTNW). 

It is also advising GTNW on building a loan product line, setting up information systems and processes for managing loans, and on training staff to serve the low-income customer better. 

Solar textile collaboration weaves chemistry and design.

A new faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marianne Fairbanks is bringing decades of experience with dyes, fibers and design to the development of a technology she's been dreaming of for years: the solar textile.   "I found myself on a campus full of brilliant people of all disciplines so I just Googled 'solar research UW-Madison," says Fairbanks, assistant professor in the School of Human Ecology's design studies program and co-founder of Noon Solar, a Chicago-based company that made solar-charging handbags.   

That search led her to Trisha Andrew, a rising star in energy research and assistant professor of chemistry at UW-Madison. Andrew draws from the fields of chemistry, materials science and electrical engineering to develop low-cost, lightweight solar cells. 

Her most recent innovation is an organic dye-based solar cell deposited onto paper.   "The idea of building solar cells on fabric is potentially transformative," Andrew says. "If we take this technology to grow devices on material, then we could talk wearable technology, as well as solar curtains, solar umbrellas, solar tents, or applications for the military."   Though Fairbanks and Andrew are not the first to conceive of solar textiles, their collaboration overcomes a manufacturing challenge that Andrew says is slowing the rollout of cheap, consumer-friendly solar cells, namely the early integration of technologies emerging from the lab with actual manufacturing processes. 

"There's no one out there, there's no designer working with a device person trying to do this that's us and that's what really excites me about this project even today," says Andrew.   With a recent grant funded by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and awarded by UW-Madison's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, Fairbanks and Andrew have begun experimenting with different ways to create solar textiles.   

One project has materials science and engineering graduate student Lushuai Zhang using vapor phase chemistry to coat different fabric weave types and structures with a polymer that increases its conductivity. Once the weave is at least 10 times more conductive than it was before coating, the fabric will act as the bottom electrode on which Zhang will deposit two different dyes and a top electrode the contact between the four deposits making up a complete and functional solar cell.  

 A second idea grew from Fairbanks' knowledge of weaving. Since the four layers of a dye-based solar cell actually don't need to be placed down in sequence the point being only to create the right contact between the four components  Fairbanks suggested they try creating a spool of thread for each of the components. If Fairbanks could then weave those threads together, two electrodes and two dyes, the weave's cross-sections would also create the contact points necessary for a fully functional device.
"I thought that was brilliant," Andrew says. "I never would've thought of that. If we could literally weave together a solar cell: mind blowing. We're really integrating each step of the process, on the textile side, on the device side."   By this time next year, Fairbanks and Andrew hope to have developed a prototype using the coating technique as well as proof of concept for what Andrew affectionately calls "our harebrained weaving idea." Either technique could mean many more years of translating their different disciplinary languages to each other for the purpose of creating usable, even wearable, technologies. "Science and art aren't too different," Fairbanks says of the project. "We're all experimenting. To get to do it together is a dream come true."  


Source and top image: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Abdul kalam called for Space- based Solar research

It is never easy to reconcile to the passing away of genuinely wonderful people.

And thus it would be with the sudden passing away of former India president APJ Abdul Kalam.

What a man!

In addition to his pioneering work on missiles, and later still his equally pioneering thoughts on a range of social and economic challenges, Abdul Kalam also called for space-based solar power.

If you think about it for a moment, you will realise what a genuinely good concept it is, if only somehow we could make it happen.

Sunlight at any point on earth is available only for 8-9 hours. And even that could be partially hindered owing to a variety of atmospheric conditions.

Now, consider for a moment solar panels in space. Sunlight is available to them at full irradiance for 24 hours. None of the atmospheric hitches would create any much trouble, because the panels are placed above the atmosphere.

A 1 kW solar panel in a sunny country like India generates about 4 kWh (units) in a day, in spite of the fact it lies outside for 24 hours.

A 1 kW solar panel in space will generate 24 kWh or close to it, because almost all the time, the solar panels will be generating near peak capacity. At this rate, solar power will be incredibly cheaper than what it is right now. And we might be able to get all our electricity without really needing to worry about fuel.

Now, you might justifiably ask: How on earth do we bring the electricity tens of thousands of meters below to our dear homes? That is not an easy one. But if you thought no one has a clue, read this: JAXA Scientists Transmit Wireless Power Through 170 Feet Of Air

Sure, it is going to be a while before we find large solar farms floating in space. But, when we do, we can all be proud that an Indian thought it up way ahead of most others.

APJ Abdul Kalam was ahead of his time in this, like he had been in most other things in his life.

Swedish scientists: Nanowires made of Indium Phosphate improve solar cell efficiency

The Swedish research team have published the results of their study in the journal Science in which they show how they have managed to achieve an efficiency level of 13.8 percent using nanowires. The scientists believe this result could pave the way for even more efficient solar cells. “Our findings are the first to show that it really is possible to use nanowires to manufacture solar cells” said Magnus Borgström, the author of the research paper and a specialist in semiconductor physics. “The right size is essential for the nanowires to absorb as many photons as possible. If they are just a few tenths of a nanometre too small their function is significantly impaired.”

New Solar Cells Use Perovskite to Turn Water into Energy

A new, highly efficient process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen has been demonstrated by researchers in Switzerland. The process combines a stable catalyst with a highly efficient perovskite solar cell. The perovskite solar cells do have a major drawback in that they breakdown after a few hours, but the researchers believe further advances in solar cell technology should take care of this problem.

As the most abundant energy source on the planet, solar energy is extremely attractive for weaning the human race off fossil fuels, but making the switch is problematic. The energy captured has to be stored until it is needed and, as the most abundant solar resources are often where few people live, a way needs to be found to transport it to people’s homes and businesses. One option is to use solar power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. However, for this process to be efficient, two things are needed: a catalyst that can lower the activation energy barrier of splitting water enough to allow the reaction to proceed at a sufficient rate and a photovoltaic cell that provides sufficient voltage to surmount this energy barrier.

Conventional solar cells use silicon as the photovoltaic material. As silicon is relatively cheap, the raw materials for such devices are inexpensive. However, silicon is an indirect band gap semiconductor, which makes it an inefficient absorber of light and means a thick layer is required. Such a thick layer cannot be deposited from solution so has to be cut from a wafer. This makes silicon solar cells quite expensive to assemble, although prices have dropped drastically with automation. Furthermore, the open circuit voltage, the potential difference generated between the positive and negative electrodes when they are not connected together, of a traditional silicon solar cell is limited to about 0.75V or less, which means three or sometimes four such cells need to be connected in series to drive the water splitting process. This reduces the efficiency of the process and increases the cost. Newer, more expensive solar cells, such as those made from several stacked junctions, can address this problem, but they too add to the cost of the process.

India’s largest Solar Power Plant planned in Madhya Pradesh

Plans are afoot to set up the country’s largest ultra mega solar plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, a senior official said on Thursday.

The plant, to produce 700 MW of electricity, would require an investment of Rs 4,000 crore, State’s Additional Chief Secretary for New and Renewable Energy S R Mohanty told PTI.

The electricity from the plant would be available at Rs 5.40 paise per unit, which would be the lowest in the country, he added.

Thirteen hectares of land spread over four villages of Barseta, Ramnagar, Latar and Badwaar has been chosen for locating the plant in Gurh tehsil of Rewa, which is the home district of state Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla.

The State government would set up the plant as a joint venture with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Power Grip Corporation and the Solar Energy Corporation of India, he said.

The country’s biggest solar plant with a capacity of 130 MW is situated in Neemuch district of the state.

Minister of State for Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal told Lok Sabha last week that the government is promoting generation of renewable energy by providing various fiscal and financial incentives such as capital and interest subsidy, concessional excise and customs duties to encourage Indian and foreign investors to invest in new renewable energy sector.

“Ultra mega solar power projects have been planned in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The capacity will depend upon availability of land. On an average 1 MW of solar photovoltaic power project generates about 1.6 million units of electricity per annum,” he said during Question Hour.

Village that Uses Solar Power BUT No Water Pipelines.

Navi Mumbai: They have solar panels but no gas connections. There are electricity lines but no water pipelines. They have satellite dishes but no utility shops. This is Phanaswadi, a hamlet of 50-odd houses perched upon a Belapur hillock.


More than a century old, this place gives you a to-die-for bird's eye view of Belapur's skyline. But the village is steeped in an interesting blend of modernity and old world charm. The road to the village is well tarred and the interior roads are lined with paver blocks courtesy the local grampanchayat. But that's more or less the end of the development story. Other than a primary Marathi medium school, the village boasts of no other amenities. 

The stretch of road leading to Phanaswadi is beautiful— lush green, with sporadic waterfalls and banana trees. However, boulders from the top of the hill tend to roll down, and this stretch remains shut to visitors till September-end. 

"The waterfalls tend to loosen the rocks so it is best they shut it down during these months," said Sapna Pathare. 

While many in Phanaswadi travel to Belapur for work, there are others content with collecting firewood from the nearby hilly areas. Although the village is provided with electricity connections, some of the houses are still holding on to their solar panels for energy. The panels were fitted around five years ago. 

Said Baliram Aliya Pardi, a resident, "We either go to Belapur or Nerul for our provisions. Many of the residents have bikes or cycles, the other option is a good 90-minute walk down the hill." Some of the families own fields a little ahead of the village where rice is grown, he added. 

"Some of the families have been living here for generations. It is peaceful and we lead simple lives. The one borewell in the village is adequate to meet our daily requirement," said another resident Arun Ganpat. 

This is the season when the womenfolk walk through the stretch of road picking kantarle and bana, two locally grown vegetables. A life of modernity runs cheek by jowl with a rather primitive way of life in this village and they are not complainig. "This is how we have always lived and if we need to adopt a new way of life, we adjust," came some simple-speak from Baliram. 

6500 Solar Streetlights; 1950 Solar Water Pumps Installed in Punjab

Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has successfully implemented Bio gas Development & Solar Water Heating Programme under which 1.6 lakh bio gas plants and 29 lakh liter per day solar water heating systems have been installed in the state, informed chief parliamentary secretary Des raj Singh Dhugga. He also informed that besides, 6,500 solar street lights, 1,950 solar water pumps have also been installed in the state. Dhugga said that solar power projects of 250MW were under execution and scheduled to complete during 2014-15. He said that state government had also successfully partnered the completion of 7.5MW solar plant on a single roof which is the largest such plant in India. 

Anti-dumping duty on solar gear imports won't hurt consumers: ISMA

Solar power gear makers have rejected the argument put forth by developers that imposition of anti-dumping duty on imported solar power equipment will double the cost of solar power in the country, saying the cost escalation will not be even 10 per cent.

"With imposition of anti-dumping duty, the price of solar power is expected to rise by only 6-8 per cent," said a spokesperson for Indian Solar Manufacturers' Association (ISMA), which represents 25 solar manufacturers. "The overall price of power at the billing point of the consumer will be a mere 2 to 3 paise more based on the current energy mix." The price of unsubsidised solar power is in the range of Rs 7.5-8.5 per unit.

The statement came after developers opposed a commerce ministry move to levy anti-dumping duty on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Taiwan to protect domestic manufacturers.

Following representations by developers, the ministry of new and renewable energy has asked the commerce ministry to review its proposal.

Union minister for power, coal and renewable energy Piyush Goyal had recently said that domestic equipment capacity is inadequate to meet the demands of the country's ambitious solar power mission. He, however, added that India needs to promote its own manufacturing capabilities.

ISMA says the government's target to raise solar power capacity to 20,000 MW by 2022 from the current 1,200 MW will attract investments worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore. Companies such as Tata Power Solar Systems,Moser Baer Solar, Jupiter Solar Power and Indosolar are members of ISMA.

"There is a strong international and domestic investor interest in solar manufacturing in India. Investors are awaiting a clear message from government to ramp up their manufacturing programme," ISMA said.

ISMA says imposition of anti-dumping duty on imported gear will not affect the ongoing 975 MW capacity addition as claimed by the developers.
"USA and European Union have already imposed anti-dumping duties on solar cells and modules from China. Now, a two-year Indian investigation has also recommended the same. The Indian renewable energy policy should be based on well-established principles of self-sufficiency, conservation of foreign exchange and promotion of Indian manufacturing," ISMA said.

Stressing on the possibility of bringing down the cost of domestic solar panels, ISMA said India has abundant resources of silica to manufacture silicon wafer and its members have the ability to repeat the success story of telecom and information technology if the government provides it adequate protection from dumping of cheaper supplies.

Su-kam makes its first solar installation in Tripura

Su-Kam Power Systems, a power back up solutions provider, has made its first solar installation at Agartala in Tripura. 

The off grid Solar PV (photovoltaic) plant has been installed in the Ujjayanta Market Complex in the city recently, Su-Kam said in a statement. 

The company was assigned to commission, install and maintain this solar project by Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) in Agartala. 

"As part of our solar plan this fiscal, we shall continue making solar power available to both the residentialas well as commercial sector in North East India," Ashish Sethi, Vice President, Solar Business, Su-Kam said in a statement.

French developer EDF commissions 30 MW solar project in Madhya Pradesh

French developer EDF Energies Nouvelles is commissioning the 30MW Khilchipur solar project in India.

The facility in Madhya Pradesh is the developer’s first PV installation in the country and five further PV projects totalling 120MW are under development in Rajasthan.

EDF won the quintet in a call for tenders by the Indian government and the schemes are all due to be commissioned during 2015.

Work is being led by ACME Solar Energy Private Limited, in which EDF Energies Nouvelles has a 25% interest.

Tata Power, L&T keen to set up rooftop solar projects in Odisha

At least five companies including Tata Power and engineering major L&T have shown interest to develop rooftop solar power project in Odisha, according to official sources.

The companies have enquired about the the request for qualification (RFQ) tender floated by Green Energy Development Company Ltd (Gedcol), the nodal agency of the state government to develop on grid solar power in the state.

“About 4-5 companies have come, including Tata Power and L&T to discuss about the project details. We have not received any written communication from them so far,” said a senior official of Gedcol.

The rooftop solar energy project would cost around Rs 50 crore for installing equipment to generate 5 Mw power. The Gedcol will be providing the money from loan assistance financed by International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The last date for applying to the RFQ proposal of the state undertaking is April 29. The interested bidders would be responsible for operation and maintenance of the project, which will be installed ‘on buildings to be specified by Govt of Odisha in the cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack’, the RFQ paper said. The solar project is aimed at reducing ever-increasing power bills of government offices.The government has been criticised by the high court for not clearing large amount of pending power bills in a tariff hike case.

In October 2012, it was decided to set up solar lighting systems on rooftop of all government establishments, including offices, agencies, directorates and state PSUs situated in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, in order to trim power bills. Later the scheme would be expanded to other districts.

To tap the potential of solar energy production, the state government has formulated Odisha Solar Policy 2013, in line with National Solar Mission, to facilitate solar power projects inside the state.

As per data provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), almost all districts of Odisha receive an average solar radiation of 5.5 kWh/ Sqm area with around 300 sunny days every year. The feasible potential for power generation in the solar photovoltaic route has been roughly estimated as 8000 Mw.

AP to sign PPAs with solar power developers soon

Andhra Pradesh will soon sign power purchase agreements with solar photovoltaic project developers under the State’s solar power policy a top Government official said.

“The letters of intent have been issued to the developers and PPAs will be shortly signed. We expect at least 500 MW capacity to come up by early next year under the State solar policy,” said M Sahoo, Special Chief Secretary, Department of Energy.

“We are trying to sort out the evacuation issue which will enable solar power plants to function normally even in areas where there is no power supply,” he added.

Referring to the demand-supply mismatch, he said the Government plans to generate an additional 200 MW using naphtha and 500 MW using LNG. Some of the concerns expressed by them (developers) in terms of evacuation of power in rural areas are being addressed, and we expect to resolve them through a representation to the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission,” Sahoo pointed out.