Majority of India's 13 GW solar projects to wrap up by early 2017

India currently has 13 GW of solar projects in progress, most of which are to be hooked to the grid by end-2016 or the start of 2017, according to estimates by consultancy firm Bridge To India.

The calculations include both photovoltaic (PV) schemes with secured power purchase agreements (PPA) and projects for which tenders have already been signed. In other words, the country may triple its installed solar capacity in just one year, putting it among the leaders on the global market.

Over 8.8 GW of the capacity falls under the state solar policies of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka alone. In turn, central allocations such as the second phase of the National Solar Mission programme are responsible for 3.6 GW.

The fight against growing power deficits and limited power transfer from other regions have pushed South India in the leading position in terms of solar development. Nearly half of the cumulative solar capacity planned for 2017 will be in four southern states, namely Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This means that they could surpass the current leaders Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Original Post: by Militsa Mancheva

State coal mining firm plans 1GW of solar in India

State-owned coal mining company Coal India Limited (CIL) plans to develop 1GW of solar power projects across India in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint.

Nagendra Kumar, technical director of CIL, told PV Tech that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to carry out the solar projects. SECI was recently renamed Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI) as it became a commercial entity.

Kumar said: “We are trying to locate new states, but at the first stage we are looking at Madhya Pradesh.”

CIL plans to complete at least one 250MW project within one year in Madhya Pradesh. Kumar added that to complete 1GW of installations there is a problem with land acquisition currently. Land in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh were cited as potential options.

Kumar said the entrance into the solar market is “one step” the company is taking to reduce its carbon footprint.

Yesterday multinational conglomerate Aditya Birla Group also announced its partnership with private equity investor Abraaj Group to develop utility-scale solar power plants in India. The new renewable energy platform, Aditya Birla Renewables Limited, plans to bid for projects tendered in both state and national auctions in India. For example, there are state auctions coming up in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Original Post :Tom Kenning