SunEdison installs 1.9 MW solar system for Delhi Metro

U.S. solar power developer completes construction of eight rooftop arrays at stations along the Indian city's Badarpur-Fariadabad line; two more PV systems on the way for further lines.

The Delhi Metro system is now partly solar-powered, with further arrays planned for more sections of the network.

EveryStockPhoto/dlisbona.

SunEdison – a U.S.-headquartered developer of solar modules and downstream projects – has completed a 1.9 MW PV project for India’s Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the first of its kind for the Indian capital.

SunEdison has installed solar panels at eight stations on the Badarpur-Faridabad line, making it the first metropolitan line in DMRC’s network to be completely solar-powered. SunEdison is also working on solar power stations for the Yamuna Bank station and Yamuna Bank yard. Collectively, these two arrays will have a capacity of 1.9 MW.

The completed arrays will power lighting and other auxiliary requirements at the station and depot buildings where they are sited. Construction took just two months, says SunEdison, and the arrays will deliver clean electricity for the next 25-30 years with little-to-no maintenance required.

In addition to the 2.8 MW of solar PV capacity already commissioned to SunEdison, the DMRC has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for a further 7 MW of rooftop capacity across its vast network of lines, depots and stations. In total, the corporation hopes to add 50 MW of solar capacity to its stations and other buildings.

"Millions of people rely on the Delhi Metro each day, and by installing SunEdison’s solar system in eight of the metro lines, we are excited that these commuters will be able to benefit from a clean and reliable source of electricity,"said SunEdison’s president of Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa Pashupathy Gopalan.

These efforts by the DMRC to adopt and embrace renewable energy have been recognized by India’s Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has also praised DMRC’s approach, registering its green initiative as the world’s first transport sector project under its Program of Activities.

Original Post: 07. SEPTEMBER 2015 |  BY:  IAN CLOVER

India: Coal plants to subsidize solar

The Indian government has ordered state utility giant NTPC to sell more expensive solar generated electricity with cheaper coal power as a single unit in an effort to increase solar uptake. As part of the initiative, the NTPC will build 15 GW of solar plants by 2019.

The government plan supports Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious target of 100 GW solar capacity by 2022.

GE

The government of  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi  has ordered state utility NTPC to bundle and sell electricity from coal-fired power plants and solar farms to the grid -- a move aimed at making PV more competitive, according to Bloomberg.

The order, issued on July 17, is expected to reduce the price distribution companies pay for solar power and force them to purchase more renewable energy.

"The lower price ensures the competitiveness of this power in the wholesale market, thus easing the search for alternative buyers," Bharat Bhushan Agrawal, a solar analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance in New Delhi, told the news agency.

The ruling makes it easier for India’s state-run distribution companies, which have had difficulties covering the costs of electricity bought in the market, to acquire solar power and support Modi’s ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022. India’s current solar capacity stands at just over 4 GW. The NTPC is to build 15 GW of solar plants by 2019 as part of the program, according to Bloomberg.

The government’s push to increase the use of solar power may meet with opposition, however. Praveer Sinha, CEO and executive director of Tata Power Delhi Distribution, told Bloomberg that distribution companies may resist purchasing bundled power, pointing out that “the average cost of procurement is already higher than the billing rate” and bundling coal and solar power would increase prices.

Five coal plants in the country with a total capacity of 8,960 MW will take part in the program. The Singrauli plant in northern India will be the first to begin bundling its electricity with solar power. The 1.7 GW plant’s output will be sold along with electricity from 3 GW of solar installations, according to the Bloomberg report.

The news agency quoted A.K. Jha, chairman and managing director of NTPC, who explained in an earnings call that, in the case of Singrauli, if the present tariff was INR 1.80 ($0.0269), the combined tariff would be INR 3.12 ($0.0467) or INR 3.15 (0.0471). Jha added, however, that bundled price might be cheaper than the current market price of power from thermal plants.

Currently, the price of solar power in wholesale markets ranges between INR 5 ($0.0748) and INR 6 ($0.0898).

Critics of the government plan argue that it makes little sense to extend the lives of ageing coal-fired plants in order to subsidize solar energy when PV is becoming increasingly competitive on a stand-alone basis.   

Original post: 07. SEPTEMBER 2015 |  | BY:  EDGAR MEZA

Delhi MetroCommissions Its First Rooftop Solar Power Project

www.aws-india.co.in 

Indian capital city’s pride, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has earned yet another achievement by commissioning its first rooftop solar power project at one of its stations.

The project, with an installed capacity of 500 kW, is expected to start generating power from next month. The project is located at a station near the Delhi international airport.

The project will be commissioned and operated under the RESCO — renewable energy services company — model where the Delhi Metro will provide the site for the project while the developer will invest the capital cost for project development. The project operation and maintenance cost will also be borne by the developer. The project has been hailed as the largest rooftop project in the capital under the RESCO model. 

Delhi Metro has signed a power purchase agreement with the project developer. However, the terms of this agreement have not been made public. Delhi Metro might get power free of cost after the developer has recovered its capital investment. 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation intends to implement similar pilot projects at a few stations before replicating the same across all stations and yards on the network. With the support of GIZ, the DMRC found that its stations and yards can accommodate solar power projects with capacity between 90 kW and 2,500 kW with a network-wide potential of about 52 MW. 

The study also suggested the various monetization avenues that DMRC may consider with respect to these power plants. The power generated could be used for in-house use at the stations, sold to nearby advertising hoardings or used for charging electric vehicles in the near the future. 

Electricity is a major component of Delhi Metro’s operations. The lifeline of India’s capital city came to a halt during the infamous July 2012 blackout in north India. Due to the commercial nature of its operations, the Delhi Metro attracts a significantly high electricity tariff from the city’s power distribution companies. With a potential to install 52 MW, DMRC could end up generating about 86.5 million units of electricity every year. At current power tariff, DMRC would save about $8 million (₹47.6 crore) every year. 

DMRC has been known to take innovative sustainability measures. It has implemented an energy recovery mechanism in the braking system of its trains. It was also the first project of its kind to be registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism for cutting emissions by replacing a large number of private vehicles as means of transport. Recently, it allowed college students to install micro wind turbines at some of the metro stations in a pilot project to harness the wind generated from the fast-moving trains.

 Original Post: by Mridul Chadha 

Delhi Metro Eyes 100% Solar Dream

     

 www.aws-india.co.in

 Amit Thussu: 31st September 2015

The Delhi based Hindustan Times recently reported that Delhi Metro is looking to meet its entire electricity needs using solar power.

As per a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official, the metro is interested in buying solar electricity from a project developer rather than putting up one by itself.  DMRC is currently buying electricity at ₹6.94 (~$0.11) per kilowatt hour.

DMRC is the biggest consumer of electricity in the Indian state of Delhi. Its traction system is completely electricity driven, and in addition, electricity is required for signalling, communication, air-conditioning, and lighting, amongst other things. 

As of now, Delhi metro has a peak power requirement of 150 MW which is expected to shoot up to 250 MW by the time the third phase goes operational. Over the past five years, power prices in Delhi have increased at the rate of 20 percent per annum; solar power can help the company to free itself from future price rise.

The report mentions that the metro might be looking at a solar plant of 500 MW installed capacity, possibly in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan.

DMRC has also been focusing on solar rooftops in a big way. Currently it operates a 1.2 MW solar rooftop capacity system, with the metro is hoping to implement a few more pilots before rolling it out on a large scale to cover all stations and yards on the network.

A GIZ supported study estimates a network-wide potential of about 52 MW solar rooftop capacity.

The rooftop projects are being commissioned and operated under the RESCO — REnewable Energy Services COmpany — model where the Delhi Metro provides the site for the project while the developer takes care of capital cost and project operation and maintenance. The utility-scale plant will also be developed under a similar model, and is expected to entail an initial investment of ₹30 billion (~$500 million).

Check out this presentation for an overview of several initiatives taken by Delhi metro for its sustainable growth.

Meanwhile Indian Railways has been experimenting with solar powered coaches, and have got promising results. 

 Original Postby: Anand Upadhyay