SolarQuarter- India Feb-Mar Issue 2022

Empowering, Insightful, Engaging

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SOLAR TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL

SPECIAL FEATURE

TOP TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES INVERTER & STRUCTURES COVER STORY

What is the latest technological breakthrough which has helped to

LOWER THE LCOE OF THE PROJECTS? OPINION

How Has Procurement Strategy Evolved Post Pandemic To Become More Efficient And Cost-Effective?

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CONTENT 06 06 07 08

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THE CHAMPIONS CORNER |

NEWS Policy Debrief Tender tracker Think Tank Project Monthly

INDIA ROOFTOP SOLAR CONGRESS AWARDS 2022

IN CONVERSATION

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MANOJ GUPTA

RABINDRAN SUNDERSINGH

COVER STORY 18

11 VP-Solar and Waste to Energy Business, Fortum India

CTO (Renewables), ACME Group

What Is The Latest Technological Breakthrough Which Has Helped To Lower The LCOE Of The Projects?

FEATURED TALKS

PERSPECTIVE 21 How Green Hydrogen Policy Will Help India's Transition to Clean Energy?

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FEATURED INSIGHT 23

Growatt’s New C&I PV Inverter is Now Available on Global Market

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Growatt unveils AXE LV battery system to empower off-grid solar energy storage

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Sineng Electric Supporting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with Its Trustworthy Solutions

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Solis Helps Beijing Achieve the First Carbon-Neutral Winter Olympics

13 DHARMIN SHETH

PRADEEP KUMAR

Director, Contendre Solar

Director of Business for India and Sri Lanka, Longi Solar

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OPINION

15 LEONARDO BOTTI

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Solar – The Road Unexplored

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Quality Material Sourcing for Indian PV Module Manufacturing

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Guidelines for selection of Power Plant Manager (PPM) “Reducing the RISK and improving the generation”

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RE-powering calls for a flexible framework

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Strong demand prospects for RE projects in the C&I segment, however regulatory risks a key challenge

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CROSS Border Trade of Electricity for RE Integration

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How Has Procurement Strategy Evolved Post Pandemic To Become More Efficient And Cost-Effective?

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Head of SCM, Krannich Solar

17 PUNEET KUMAR MAURYA

RAMESH KATHIRESAN

Senior Manager, Mitsui Chemicals

CEO & MD, RP Infra Services

SPECIAL FEATURE

COMPANY FEATURE

PRODUCT FEATURE

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Contendre Solar EnerMAN FIMER LONGi RP Infra Sungrow Trina Solar Sineng

PAVAN NAIGANDHI

Managing Director- Solar, FIMER

LONGi Krannich Avi Solar Trina Solar Sungrow Sineng

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Top Inverter Companies of 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

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Top Structure Companies of 2022

PUBLISHING

EDITING

CONTENT

DESIGNING

ADVERTISING

CIRCULATION

Firstview Media

Ashwini Chikkodi

Sadhana Raju Shenvekar

Radha Buddhadev

Smriti Charan

Sadhana Raju Shenvekar

Nikita Salkar

Twinkle Bhattacharya

Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

editorial@firstviewgroup.com publishing@firstviewgroup.com

Neha Barangali

Sangeeta Sridhar

design@firstviewgroup.com

Kawaldeep Marwah advertise@firstviewgroup.com

W W W . S O L A R Q U A R T E R . C O M

PRINTING Vaibhav Enterprises

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February 2022

POLICY DEBRIEF CENTRAL NEWS MNRE Simplifies Procedure To Install Rooftop Solar Plant for Residential Consumers Green Energy Push- IREDA & SECI Expenditure Budget Up By 143% Govt Extends Deadline for BIS Certification of Solar Inverters To 30 June 2022 India Hopes To Replace Diesel With Green Energy in its Farms by 2024: Power Ministry Ministry of Power Notifies Green Hydrogen/Green Ammonia Policy MNRE Issues Framework for Promotion of Decentralised Renewable Energy Livelihood Applications MoP Issues Amendments to Short Term Power Procurement Guidelines Power Minister Requests To Grandfather Solar Projects Tendered Before March 9, 2021 The Minister of Power Suggests a Standard 5% GST On All Renewable Energy Components Centre Approves Three Solar Parks for Odisha: R K Singh MNRE Implements Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II, Targets 4000 MW Capacity Addition in Residential Sector

MNRE Requests State Governments To Consider Its DRC Model for Intra State Disputes Fresh Bids To Be Invited For Rs 19,500 Crore PLI Solar Scheme Rooftop Solar Cost Down by 50 Percent in Last 7-8 years: MNRE MNRE Modifies Power Procurement Guidelines From SolarWind Hybrid Projects India Releases its Arctic Policy Focusing on Climate Change Power Ministry Sets Up Conciliation Committees To Settle Power Contractual Disputes MNRE Extends ALMM Compliance Date for Open Access, Net Metering Projects to 01.10.2022

STATE NEWS Rajasthan Govt to Sign MoUs of Rs 3.05 Lakh Crore for Renewable Energy SJVN Plans to Develop 10,000 MW Solar Projects in Rajasthan Over 5 Years Invest Rajasthan Campaign: 3.05 Lakh Cr MoUs Signed in Renewable Energy Solar Lights to Illuminate Rural Bihar Roads from Apr 15: Nitish Kumar

TENDER TRACKER TENDERS ISSUED BY CENTRAL AUTHORITIES

Authority

Tender Name

SECI

SECI Issues EPC Tender for 100 MW Floating Solar Project in Jharkhand

SECI

SECI Tenders First Saffron-Based Agro Solar Project Of 5 MW Capacity In J&K

TENDERS ISSUED BY PSU

Authority

Tender Name

NTPC

NTPC Tenders Carbon Standard Verification Of 610 MW Solar & Wind Projects

PFC Consulting Limited (PFCCL)

PFCCL Invites ISTS Bids to Evacuate 20 GW of Renewables Power

NTPC

NTPC Issues Tender To Explore Canal-top, Floating Solar Feasibility In Tanda

Indian Railways & Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL)

Indian Railways & RITES JV Requests Bids For 14 MW Rooftop Solar Project In UP

CIL Navikarniya Urja

CIL Navikarniya Urja Tenders 15 MW Of Solar Power Project In Pench, MP

TENDERS ISSUED BY STATE AUTHORITIES

Authority

Tender Name

Gujarat

GSECL Floats Two EPC Tenders For Solar Projects With 166 MW Total Capacity

Maharashtra

MSEDCL Invites Bids For Procuring Solar Power From 865 MW Projects

Gujarat

GPCL Floats Tender For 1 MW Rooftop Solar Projects On Sun Temple & Modhera

Chandigarh

CREST Floats EPC Tender To Set Up 2 MW Floating Solar Project

Rajasthan

REIL Tenders For 200,000 Mono/Multi Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Maharashtra

MSEDCL Issues Tender For 445 MW(AC) Of Solar Projects Under PM-KUSUM

Telangana

TSREDCO Tenders 50 MW Residential Rooftop Solar Projects Development

Jharkand

JREDA Issues Tender for Canal-top Solar Projects at Three Sites RECPDCL Invites Bids For Floating Solar Project In Delhi

REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL) Nagaland

Nagaland Govt Invite Tender for Empanelment of Vendors for 3.8 MW of Residential Rooftop Solar Systems

Karnataka

Ballari City Corporation Invites Consultants To Develop 10 MW Solar Project

Gujarat

GSECL Floats Tender To Build 40 MW Solar Projects At Two GETCO Substations

Daman & Diu

Daman & Diu Electricity Department Issues 10 MW Solar Projects Tender

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THINK TANK NEW RE CAPACITY ADDITION INCREASED BY 80% DURING Q3 FY2022: CEEW-CEF New capacity addition of non-hydro renewable energy increased to 3.4GW during the third quarter of FY22, compared to just 1.9GW installed in the same period last year, according to the latest edition of the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) Market Handbook. This is nearly an 80% rise in new renewable energy (RE) capacity addition on a year-onyear basis. However, compared to the preceding quarter, new non-hydro RE capacity additions fell by 27% on account of intensifying supply chain constraints.

PLI SCHEME TO UNLOCK INDIA’S MANUFACTURING CAPACITY: ICRA The Government of India with the intention of boosting India’s manufacturing, employment generation, import reduction, and exports growth has announced the Production-Linked Incentive scheme (PLI) covering 14 significant sectors of the economy involving a total outlay of Rs. 3 trillion. In its latest Sectoral Strategy Report, ICRA has analyzed the cumulative positive impact of the PLI scheme. It says that the sectors have been strategically selected by the Government, considering India’s surging demand (solar, semiconductors/electronics, automobiles, etc.), and are critical to developing manufacturing capabilities (semiconductors, telecom gears, medical devices).

INDIA ADDS RECORD 10 GIGAWATT SOLAR POWER CAPACITY IN 2021: REPORT In 2021, India installed a record 10 gigawatts of solar capacity, registering a 212 percent year-on-year increase, according to Mercom India Research. From the company’s latest report, India saw 3.2 GW of solar capacity from installations in 2020. By the end of December 2021, the cumulative installed solar capacity was around 49 GW. According to the report, solar accounted for 62 percent of annual growth. Rooftop installations recorded a 138 percent increase in 2021 compared to the previous year.

STRONG DEMAND OUTLOOK FOR DOMESTIC SOLAR OEMS AIDED BY POLICY MEASURES: ICRA Business prospects of domestic solar original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will remain strong aided by several policy measures over the medium-term, rating agency ICRA said.

However, it stated that timely commissioning and ramping up of ongoing Capex in module manufacturing value chain remains a critical factor in the near to medium-term. As a result, the adequacy of the modules from the domestic OEMs to meet the demand in the utility & non-utility segment as well as the quality of such modules remains monitorable.

PLI SCHEME TO ACCOUNT FOR 13-15% CAPEX IN KEY INDUSTRIAL SECTORS OVER NEXT 3-4 YEARS: REPORT PLI scheme will account for 13-15 percent of the average annual investment spending in key industrial sectors over the next three-four years, according to a report by Crisil. PLI is now poised for rapid on-the-ground execution, with almost 60 percent of the CAPEX already approved and major spending set to occur over FY23-FY26. While the CAPEX in mobile, pharma, and telecom has already kicked off, that in capital-intensive sectors such as automobile and solar photovoltaics — which form 70 percent of the committed investment — will kick off from April 2022, the agency said.

ANDHRA PRADESH HC ORDER UPHOLDING SANCTITY OF PPAS POSITIVE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCERS: ICRA The High Court of Andhra Pradesh upholding the sanctity of PPAs (power purchase agreements) is a positive development for the renewable energy sector, said ICRA. According to ICRA, pending resolution of PPA tariff renegotiation matters has been a key concern for the RE sector and in turn, affected the credit profile of wind and solar IPPs in AP. However, ICRA stated that timely implementation of the HC order by the discoms is a key factor, given the weak financial profile of the discoms in AP marked by continued losses and large debt dependence.

1.7 GW SOLAR ROOFTOP INSTALLATIONS ACCOUNT FOR HIGHEST JUMP OF 138% IN 2021 India added 1.7 GW of rooftop solar in a calendar year (CY) 2021, the most ever reported in a single year. According to Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Q4 and Annual Report 2021, installations increased by up to 138% compared to 2020. In 2021, residential installations accounted for the highest installed solar rooftop capacity, with 35% of total installations among all segments. The commercial and industrial categories contributed 33% and 26% of all installations, respectively, while the government segment accounted for 6%.

STRONG DEMAND PROSPECTS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS IN C&I SEGMENT: REPORT Rating agency ICRA said there are strong demand prospects for renewable energy projects in the commercial and industrial segment but regulatory risks pose challenges. The C&I segment itself accounts for about 40 to 45 percent share of all Indian energy demand. In a statement, ICRA said that even assuming 20 percent of the energy requirements are to be met by the C&I segment through RE, the RE capacity addition requirement is estimated to remain significant at about 75 GW by 2030.

GREEN BONDS IN BUDGET 2022 WILL EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW INVESTORS As India’s renewable energy sector growth continues to outpace all other global economies, as shown in a new report out by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the Budget announcement on issuing green bonds – which are among the most widely used instruments for funding green infrastructure – will massively support this trajectory. Report co-author, IEEFA’s Shantanu Srivastava says the sovereign issuance will assist green energy companies in India gain access to cost-effective financing.

GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES BRIGHTEN OUTLOOK FOR INDIAN SOLAR MANUFACTURING: REPORT According to a new report from JMK Research and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), for India to achieve the national target of 300 gigawatts (GW) of solar power generation capacity by 2030 requires a stronger push in output and strategy.

The report’s major findings deal with government incentives, local participation, and how India best responds to China’s dominance in all areas of photovoltaics.

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PROJECT MONTHLY RENEW POWER COMMISSIONS GUJARAT’S FIRST WINDSOLAR HYBRID PROJECT

ARCELORMITTAL PARTNERS WITH GREENKO GROUP TO DEVELOP A 975 MW RE PROJECT

ReNew Power has set up Gujarat’s first wind-solar hybrid project at the Chlor-Alkali unit of Grasim Industries Limited in Vilayat, Bharuch, in southern Gujarat. The first phase of the hybrid project, with 17.6 MW commercial-scale wind-solar, has already commenced operations and is expected to generate ~80 million units of renewable energy every year, mitigating ~75,000 tCO2e (carbon emissions) annually.

ArcelorMittal announced its strategic partnership with Greenko Group for developing a round-the-clock renewable energy project with 975 MW of nominal capacity. The project worth USD 600 million will combine solar and wind power. The project will be owned and funded by ArcelorMittal. Greenko will design, construct and operate the renewable energy facilities in Andhra Pradesh.

NHPC INKS PACT TO BUILD 10,000 MW RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY IN RAJASTHAN NHPC has signed a letter of intent to build renewable energy projects of 10,000 MW in Rajasthan. Under the leadership of A K Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of NHPC, the company is expanding its renewable energy portfolio and has taken up several projects under different modes.

THDC INDIA SIGNS LOI TO SET UP 10,000-MW SOLAR PROJECTS IN RAJASTHAN THDC India Limited (THDCIL) has signed a pact to build 10,000 MW solar power projects entailing an investment of ₹ 10,000 crores in Rajasthan. The RE parks will be implemented through a special purpose vehicle in the term of a joint venture with RRECL in the ratio of 74:26.

SJVN ROPES IN REIL TO BUILD SOLAR POWER PROJECTS State-owned SJVN has signed an initial pact with Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Ltd (REIL) for the development of solar projects. SJVN has a portfolio of 41 projects of 16,422 MW capacity and has already won 1,670 MW solar power capacity through a competitive bidding process.

SIFY DATA CENTERS PARTNERS WITH VIBRANT ENERGY TO DEVELOP 231 MW SOLAR AND WIND PROJECTS IN INDIA Sify Technologies Limited recently concluded PPAs with Vibrant Energy Holdings. The PPAs are for a total of 231 MW of solar and wind energy capacity to power Sify’s latest hyperscale data centers, of which 67 MW solar PPA had been signed in March 2021 and recently commissioned.

TIRUPATI TEMPLE, NTPC TO SIGN MOU FOR SOLAR PROJECTS The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) to commission solar PV power projects at Tirumala and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and purchase solar energy generated from these projects.

NAGALAND GOVT SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH HALO ENERGIES FOR 20 MW SOLAR PROJECT Nagaland Government signed a PPA with a private company for setting up the first greenfield solar power project in the Dimapur district of the state. Nagaland government would provide the land on lease while Halo Energie Pvt Ltd would take up the 20 MW power project estimated to cost around Rs 120 crore. The project envisages generating solar power close to 28 MU per year.

AZURE POWER REFINANCES 600 MW ISTS SOLAR PROJECT NTPC COMMISSIONS ADDITIONAL 42.5 MW CAPACITY AT RAMAGUNDAM FLOATING SOLAR PROJECT NTPC has made commercially operational an additional 42.5 MW of power generation capacity at Ramagundam floating solar project in Telangana. With the addition of 42.5MW, the total commercially operational power generation capacity of the Ramagundam project has reached 80 MW. The project is of 100 MW capacity.

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Azure Power has refinanced its 600 MW solar power project at the lowest rate of interest in its portfolio to date. The company has successfully refinanced its existing project finance facility of Rs 23.50 billion (USD 313 million or Rs 2,350 crore) utilized towards the construction of its largest project – 600 MW Interstate Transmission System-connected solar project implemented by Azure Power Forty Three Pvt Ltd. The refinancing has been completed at a rate of interest of 7.2 percent per annum, which is fixed for 42 months.

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IN CONVERSATION

ACME’s technology evolution has been in sync, and sometimes even a couple of years ahead of time.

RABINDRAN SUNDERSINGH CTO (Renewables), ACME Group In an exclusive interview with SolarQuarter India magazine, Rabindran Sundersingh, CTO (Renewables), ACME Group told us about how technology has evolved over the years in ACME Group and how their projects have performed technically and financially. He also told us about the latest technologies available today to improve project designing and planning along with the technical proficiency that can provide a balance between performance and cost.

How has the role of technology evolved in ACME Solar in the last few years?

Interestingly, ACME Solar has always been a tech-savvy company. In fact, technology is in the DNA of the Organisation. True to its logo “Leading through Innovation”, the Company is ever keen to adopt new technology well before its peers. Over the years, there have been many successful early adoptions of technology even in diverse areas far away from the core Solar business. Till today, technological advancement for the company and the country remains a primary objective of the Promoter.

In today’s fast-changing world, this approach has thrown up a number of opportunities. The global response to the threat of Climate change has fast-tracked technologies in myriad areas like RE, EV, energy storage, green hydrogen, green ammonia, fossil-fuel substitution, and Greening of the grid.

Governments around the world have also responded to the challenge by providing Regulatory support, developing new Policies, rolling out support schemes like PLI, imposing a Carbon tax, etc, to name a few. ACME’s technology evolution has been in sync, and sometimes even a couple of years ahead of time. For example, the pilot integrated green ammonia project was commissioned in December last year, paving the way for the development of a 1.2 MTPA green ammonia project in Oman.

In keeping with this awesome DNA, we are in constant discussion with technology institutions and innovators across the globe to develop more such pilots.

What are some latest technologies available today to improve project designing and planning?

These days, multiple design tools are available. Software is available for site selection across multiple geographies. Once a site is selected, drone-based surveys enable a quick design of the Layout as well as a good estimation of grading costs.

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New software is available now for automation of the plant design. Today’s design engineer has to choose between so many modules, each with a different rating and IV characteristic. Trackers too come in multiple options and lengths. Adding the usual possible variations of MMS height, pitch, and DCAC ratio, the designer must choose one design out of hundreds of options. The automated design software permits the design engineer to literally create dozens of Layouts and AC / DC / Civil BoQs in a matter of a few days. This is an important tool, enabling a quick determination of LCOE for each of the design options, and in arriving at the best LCOE. Other software/studies like Ray-tracing for Bifacial applications, CFD analysis, Electrical grid stability analysis, and Wind-tunnel simulation all have become mainstream.

How to provide technical proficiency in designing & constructing large-scale plants for maintaining a balance between performance and cost?

Solar plants are getting designed for 25 years of life, and sometimes for 30 years. The focus is necessarily on ensuring the Reliability of modules, trackers, and inverters. When choosing between the offerings of multiple manufacturers, it is the reliability testing that ensures the successful life of the project.

Therefore, the cost and time for testing are well spent. However, in other aspects of plant design, cost remains a dominant factor, especially in today’s low-margin high project risk environment. Luckily there are enough avenues for the creative engineer to reduce costs and maximize revenue without resorting to cost-cutting compromises.

How have your projects performed in 2021, financially and technically, especially with the Covid crisis?

Our O&M Projects have performed well in terms of reliable operation and revenue realization. We have several large projects under execution, and these have been hampered by the on-off situation with respect to the covid waves. Despite this, and with the active support of authorities, we have made good progress on the ground. We have recently commissioned our 5MW integrated green ammonia project as well.

How to provide technical proficiency in designing & constructing large-scale plants for maintaining a balance between performance and cost?

This year, one can expect to see Hydrogen Electrolysers coming to the market in a big way. Improvements are expected in the conversion efficiency (kWh/kg H2), current density, and expected life. The differentiating factors will be scalability, cost, and supply chain security (in terms of use of more commonly available raw material).

Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia are already getting a big push through the National Hydrogen Policy released by GoI. It is expected that many new ventures will be announced in the coming months leveraging the best RE sites and nearby infrastructure facilities for handling hydrogen and ammonia.

Non-lithium-based battery technologies, for example, Sodium-ion are expected to become commercially viable. Advances in battery storage (both EV and stationary) can be expected with support from Government Policy and Regulatory initiatives.

In the Solar PV sector, both Bifacial modules and Trackers have become mainstream and one will see a significant increase in their utilization.

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IN CONVERSATION

India has a plan to build 500 GW of renewable by 2030 and the majority of it will be driven by the Solar sector.

MANOJ GUPTA VP-Solar and Waste to Energy Business, Fortum India In an exciting interview with SolarQuarter India magazine, Mr. Manoj Gupta, VP-Solar and Waste to Energy Business, Fortum India spoke about the company’s progress in the current year, and its strategies for business growth. He also gave his views on the solar tariffs, financing of solar projects, and the future outlook of the sector.

How is the business progressing for Fortum in 2022?

The year has been progressing well for our solar business. We recently won the right from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) to build a solar project with a total capacity of 200 MW in the state, of Gujarat, India. The solar project will be entitled to a fixed tariff for 25 years under the GUVNL PPA (power purchase agreement) of 2.29 INR/kWh and is expected to be commissioned by 2024. Another project that we won this year includes the right to build two solar power parks from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) with a total capacity of 600 MW in Karnataka, India. That, too, is expected to be commissioned by 2024. With these recent projects in our kitty, we believe that the progress is multifold and looking forward to doing more.

What is your view on the current solar tariffs? Do you see them falling more?

The solar tariffs in India are currently very competitive, with more and more players bidding for various projects in the country.

Currently, India’s solar tariffs are among the lowest in the world however it solely depends upon the site location, irradiation, and commissioning timeline.

Going forward, uncertainty in the market is growing due to the disruption created by the war. We need to have a close watch on global development happening and its impact of it on demand-supply. The closedown of many cities in China due to the new covid variant may also disrupt the market.

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How has financing for solar projects evolved over the years in India? Has the situation eased?

The solar sector’s early expansion stage was financed by concessional loans from multilateral agencies like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, but with renewable energy finding stability, commercial financing options have expanded. While currently a major chunk of solar energy projects are financed through the syndicated commercial loan market. The sector has become attractive to investors, with increased support from the government and improved economics of the renewable energy sector.

How do you see the solar sector progressing in the next 5 years?

THE SOLAR PROJECT WILL BE ENTITLED TO A FIXED TARIFF FOR 25 YEARS UNDER THE GUVNL PPA (POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT) OF 2.29 INR/KWH AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMMISSIONED BY 2024."

What are some of your strategies for business growth in 2022?

We have now secured 800 MW solar projects to be executed during 2024. The next focus will be to have a proper execution planning of these projects.

Securing land, Power evacuation infra, and supply chain will be at the top of our agenda list. Once we control it then will again start building up the future pipeline.

India’s inclination towards renewable energy is increasing gradually year by year. The solar segment is likely to have the largest market share during the forecast period, owing to the declining tariff of Solar projects due to advancements in technology and improved efficiency of solar modules. The versatility of Solar systems for various applications, like electricity generation, water heating, etc is another plus point for the growth of solar in India. India has a plan to build 500 GW of renewable by 2030 and the majority of it will be driven by the Solar sector. Solar is planned to be 35% of the overall Energy mix by 2030. To achieve this goal, there will be lots of focus on new solar tenders in different modes like plain Vanilla, wind-solar Hybrid, with storage, etc in the next 5 years. I expect more than 100-150 GW of solar tenders in different form coming up in the next 5 years to achieve the 2030 goal. I see lots of development happening on the Power evacuation infrastructure front and changes in policy and regulation for smooth execution of solar projects.

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FEATURED TALKS

DHARMIN SHETH Director, Contendre Solar

"Contendre Solar has very well evolved and stabilised its position in this competitive renewable industry."

Please brief our readers about the products and services offered by your esteemed company.

According to you, what is going to be the impact of BCD and ALMM on the industry as a whole?

We, Contendre Grenergy Pvt. Ltd also known as Contendre Solar is a leading provider for photovoltaic (PV) modules and smart energy solutions. We deliver best-inclass solar PV products, applications and services to promote global sustainable development. With our strong vision of providing easy access to cost-effective, high-quality and high-performance renewable energy solutions to all, we thrive towards constant innovation along with best-in-class customer service.

BCD and ALMM are crucial steps taken by our government to support the booming solar manufacturing industry in India. It is a welcome step for our country as it will lead to huge employment creation in our country as many job opportunities will be created in this sector.

What have been some recent m̀ilestones achieved by the company that you wish to highlight?

Contendre Solar has very well evolved and stabilised its position in this competitive renewable industry. Along with earning goodwill for ourselves, we have also managed to achieve a few great feats which have strengthened our value proposition in the market.

Contendre Greenergy Pvt. Ltd. has been included in the Approved list of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Our PV modules were approved by and supplied to many esteemed Government PSUs like Steel Authority India Limited, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, South East Central Railway, Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited, Kerela State Electricity Board and many more. Coming to the Service Sector, apart from the execution of many good solar projects under the CAPEX model, we were successful in establishing our boot model services and signing our first MOU for the same with one of the world’s biggest logistics companies, DHL for their multiple warehousing locations across India.

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Dependency on other countries will be minimised leading to more forex reserves and lesser dependency on imports.

Although it will be a bit difficult on the project developers’ part for the transitional period but will surely create a positive impact in the long run.

BCD AND ALMM ARE CRUCIAL STEPS TAKEN BY OUR GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT THE BOOMING SOLAR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN INDIA. IT IS A WELCOME STEP FOR OUR COUNTRY AS IT WILL LEAD TO HUGE EMPLOYMENT CREATION IN OUR COUNTRY AS MANY JOB OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE CREATED IN THIS SECTOR.

What are the company’s plans regarding expansion to other regions outside India?

Following up on our company’s success in the domestic market, we are very keen and very focused on making ourselves a global player. With many export orders been already executed by us and we have already been certified under IEC CB Scheme, it allows us easy access to the global PV market.

What are your growth and future development plans for the coming years?

With the visible boom and growth in the renewable energy sector of India and especially the solar industry in particular and also with the Government’s support and initiatives towards domestic manufacturing, it becomes a no-brainer for an established player like us to expand ourselves further. We have already initiated the updating and expansion of our existing manufacturing facility with a plan to add another 500Mw along with an ability to produce all the high-end products within a short period of time.

Apart from the volumetric expansion of the existing facility, we plan to revolutionize our existing corporate model with a more refined experience-oriented approach which will be revealed soon along with more product verticals to support our mission of easing the access to renewable energy for all.

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FEATURED TALKS

PRADEEP KUMAR

Director of Business for India and Sri Lanka, Longi Solar

"C&I market growing well and in the future Indian solar industry may see a major contribution from this segment."

With BCD getting implemented from April, what do you think its impact will be on LONGi's India business?

LONGi is not the direct recipient of the effect that it will cause economically on the implementation of BCD. But we are worried about the impact on the bottom-line of our EPC customers and on the overall project viability of small developers.

The impact LONGi will have to take, is a shrink of top-line growth on a temporary basis. But we all know that technology and quality always prevailed. So, in due time the industry will adjust itself and make its choices wisely. The solar module is the heart of an energy generating plant that will have to survive for a long time. To complete its lifetime the heart will have to be durable.

While we respect the intent behind the decision, which is for the greater good of the industry. But only time will say how the energy supplement will leave its side effects on the industry. I am sure the authorities will closely monitor that and will make any course corrections if needed.

The greater goal as a county is to achieve energy independence while leaving a better world for the next generations. To achieve that we need more solar projects in the present economic framework. Any abrupt change can harm economic harmony with a long-term effect on viability. Any disruption in the supply chain can be counterproductive to the industry.

What are the ALMM effects and how are you foreseeing overcoming the challenges posed by them?

We understand the intent behind the ALMM to ensure the quality of the modules being installed on Indian soil. In past, we have seen such measures as BIS. While the intent is good, due to the cumbersome implementation process the industry gets deprived of the latest

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technology. The rest of the developed markets receive the latest technology products than India. By the time modules with the latest technology gets BIS approval the global solar market already started embracing the next generation products. In the case of ALMM, we are seeing the same trend. In the end, because of the implementation issue, the good intent becomes counterproductive and ends up depriving the whole industry.

Although we understand that implementation of ALMM is not a Non-Tariff barrier, we would like to see some out of box measures to prove that.

We as a company are respectful of the regulatory policies. To substantiate that we applied, completed our documentation, and made payment to enlist us on the ALMM list much before many domestic manufacturers.

We are confident implementation authorities will reciprocate by taking the necessary measures to enlist us.

Any industry will only become mature if healthy competition is in place. If we take an example of the automobile industry, it only prospered when renowned global manufacturers got a chance to compete in India. The global manufactures and domestic manufacturers both grew and still growing parallelly. We all know how the industry was before that. Improper implementation of any good regulatory measure can push us towards that era of the automobile industry. We should learn from our success and abstain from repeating our mistakes.

How much capacity is lined up for the current year 2022?

For Mono PERC Modules – 75GW* and Mono PERC Cell capacity is about 4550GW* and with Wafer capacity, about 100GW* of wafer capacity has been planned cumulatively for this year. *numbers mentioned are estimated capacity planned not a confirmed capacity.

What have been some latest technological advancements in terms of your products?

Longi has always proved itself as a technology leader. We allocate the highest amount of funds for Research and Development. On a broad base, we have seen the major technological shift that happened in the industry was from Poly Crystalline to Mono-PERC. Post that changes there has been a trend among manufacturers is to move towards larger size modules. Due to a lack of long-term vision, many manufacturers are running towards launching a size higher module without assessing the boundary conditions of a module’s performance. Longi does not believe in a hurry or does not launch a product without assessing the greater good for the global energy sustainability initiatives. Presently we are focusing on optimizing our bi-facial technology which we know will be next to go to market product. Along with that internally we are evaluating various technology innovations of ours to deliver the best pathbreaking product for the future.

What are your growth and future development plans for the coming years?

Recovering from slowdown because of the SGD tariff barrier the Indian solar industry performed well in 2021 and we are expecting in 2022 it will remain as vibrant as it should be.

While the pipeline is about 28GW, practically implementable capacity addition should be around 14~16GW C&I market growing well and in the future Indian solar industry may see a major contribution from this segment.

-While the Govt Institutional business is shrinking the residential rooftop business is growing in a promising way. Way forward Govts should investigate pulling out subsidies and focus on a smooth approval process

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 13

FEATURED TALKS

LEONARDO BOTTI Managing Director- Solar, FIMER

"Our technology, our products and our knowledge are well appreciated by market and Customers, we count a lot on those ones."

How is the year 2022 progressing for FIMER? Have there been any key developments?

Please give us the USPs of your inverters and their key highlights.

The year 2022 started with several challenges on our side coming from the end of 2021. We are working hard to over cross all those and we are confident to have the opportunity to do so. Our technology, our products and our knowledge are well appreciated by market and Customers, we count a lot on those ones.

Since ever we are keen in technological advantages, and we are also recognized as such. In the last platforms we have already launched and the ones which we are going to launch in the coming months, digitalization and flexibility are our main targets. Digitalization to fully support every smartest way to manage and control the energy flow as well as the communication of all data to other devices. Flexibility as it helps our partners to simplify and make easier their job at the site.

With the ongoing Ukraine Russia war, how do you see the impact on the solar industry in general and FIMER’s business in particular?

This conflict is a disaster. All wars are bad but this one it’s even worse considering how it’s going. Under these circumstances, this conflict is highlighting even more the crucial role of energy as a primary value, and the importance of investments in renewable energies, which are becoming increasingly crucial for the near future.

Difficult to foresee the evolutions of the conflicts.

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With BCD implementation, how do you see the solar component prices fluctuating and the impact on the industry?

Regrettably, we are experiencing cost increases on many different raw materials and components, as a consequence this trend may apply to prices too but the overall geopolitical dynamics are still changing.

What can we look forward to from FIMER in 2022?

The market is expecting FIMER to come back stronger than before and we are all working in this direction, confident to succeed.

WE ARE WORKING HARD TO OVER CROSS ALL THOSE AND WE ARE CONFIDENT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. OUR TECHNOLOGY, OUR PRODUCTS AND OUR KNOWLEDGE ARE WELL APPRECIATED BY MARKET AND CUSTOMERS, WE COUNT A LOT ON THOSE ONES."

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 14

FEATURED TALKS

PAVAN NAIGANDHI Head of SCM, Krannich Solar

People are buying more and more from distributors because it makes their life easy.

Distribution is a complex business.

Please brief our readers about the services Krannich Solar provides.

Krannich Solar is today the world’s most trusted global solar distributor. It comes with 25 + years of purely distribution experience in the Solar industry. We offer a full portfolio of components and plenty of experience for rooftop or free-standing photovoltaic systems. The wide range of revolutionary products under our portfolio conforms to the highest global standards and carries a host of national and international quality certifications.

We supply a full range of products for realizing PV projects.

For private households, commercial enterprises, or even solar parks, as individual sections or all-in-one solutions. And our services involve far more than simply shipping products. They enable our customers to rely on outstanding availability and prompt provision. Along with PV distribution, we provide technical support in project design and development and give training sessions to EPCs.

Please tell us, why are more and more people buying products from distributors these days?

Purchasing directly from the manufacturer is a great deal of the operational challenges one has to face. All the burden falls on your shoulders like logistical headache, transit damage risk, risk of exchange rate and govt duties, customs clearance and warehousing etc. People don’t want to take these risks rather want to focus more on project installation and getting new projects. Direct procurement involves an investment of huge capital stuck for a longer period that may cost you if you lose the project for some reason.

People are buying from a distributor because it makes their life easy as all these operational headaches are taken care of by the distributor letting them concentrate on their project.

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Purchasing from distributors gives them access to a variety of brands with quick and immediate delivery. The cost of investment is also absorbed by the distributors which gives EPCs more liquid cash to get new projects.

Why should a consumer buy from the distributor directly?

What are the benefits?

Distribution is a very complex business.

While the business is complex it aims to ensure ease of business for its customer and that is where Krannich plays a very important role as a distributor. As mentioned above KRANNICH has huge experience in PV distribution and with the help of that experience, we help our customers to overcome the challenges they face. We as distributors can give them a variety of products, top brands, price advantage, immediate material availability, doorstep delivery and overall we absorb the headache of operational challenges that the customer may have to face otherwise.

The customer need not worry about any risk of in-transit damage as all our shipments are insured. The customer will get a price advantage and the ability to purchase in smaller quantities.

IN INDIA, WE STARTED WITH ONE OFFICE AND A WAREHOUSE IN PUNE IN 2018. CURRENTLY, WE ARE OPERATING FROM 3 OFFICES IN PUNE, AHMEDABAD AND DELHI AND HAVE 8 WAREHOUSES ACROSS THE

What is your current presence across the country? How are you planning to scale it up?

Our roots are in Germany, but our success as a photovoltaics specialist extends across all continents. We do it with passion! A passion for solar power. In India, we started with one office and a warehouse in Pune in 2018. Currently, we are operating from 3 offices in Pune, Ahmedabad and Delhi and have 8 warehouses across the country.

We are conquering one milestone at a time and going local with global expertise.

We are planning to extend our reach by opening more warehouses in the northern and southern part of the country where there is a huge potential but lacking in expertise. This will ensure even more immediate delivery and effective fulfillment of the small requirement.

What is your outlook on the Indian solar market for 2022?

The Indian solar market is in a very exciting phase. While the applicability of customs duty and ALMM coming into effect will have its challenges, it will also open doors of opportunity for the Indian market and Indian manufacturers. The government is also encouraging the Indian manufacturers with PLI schemes of 24k Cr for the solar sector.

While the decision is awaited on both the factors of duty and ALMM as of date, once in effect it will give the Indian manufacturers a lot of opportunities and at the same time, they will have to adopt new technologies and upgrade their manufacturing capacity. This will also keep the Chinese manufacturers on their toes in terms of quality, pricing and the overall competition that will face from quality Indian products in the future.

COUNTRY."

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 15

FEATURED TALKS

PUNEET KUMAR MAURYA Senior Manager, Mitsui Chemicals

The long-term vision of Mitsui Chemicals Group aligns with these government initiatives.

What is the vision of Mitsui Chemicals Group behind establishing this laboratory in Ahmedabad?

Recently, the prime minister addressed in a plenary session related to sustainable growth, how a circular economy is the need of the hour. The long-term vision of Mitsui Chemicals Group aligns with these government initiatives. We foresee the potential of Solar Module Testing and Advisory Services benefitting the segment as a whole. Gujarat is one of the top solar manufacturing states. Setting up a NABLaccredited laboratory in Ahmedabad is one big step ahead to become the superlative provider of solar testing and advisory services in India.

Please tell us about the spectrum of PV services you provide in India.

There are mainly 2 parts of our services – Lab Testing Services and Power Plant Advisory Services. Under Lab Testing Services, we provide a range of module and component testing services, starting from BIS standards for design qualification and safety, IEC standards like PID, LeTID, Energy Rating, PAN file, IAM etc. and accelerate IEC testing for ensuring module reliability by following IEC Standards. Most of these tests are covered under our NABL Scope of accreditation.

Another unique testing which we offer is for Robotic Cleaning System Efficiency.

This testing sequence is developed by PI Berlin and we have developed our own testing for the Indian market based on that.

Under Power Plant Advisory, we are offering Technical Due Diligence services which mainly include Energy Yield Assessment (EYA) and Historical Yield Data Assessment (HYA). HYA service is a unique offering that we are doing in Japan by utilizing weather data.

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Tell us a bit more about these services.

The services we offer comply with the BIS standard of design qualification & safety and IEC certifications. Keeping in mind the module safety and performance, we outdo component tests such as site assessment, routine testing, inspections. In addition, we serve technical due-diligence services, energy assessment, procurement support, historical yield data assessment, and many other advisory services for solar developers and manufacturers.

What are your USPs in this segment?

In Testing services: Measurement Uncertainty is among the lowest in the world. This ensures the higher accuracy of the results.

Japanese work culture and ethics – Japanese companies are known for their high quality and keeping compliances.

The same is adopted into our lab organization.

In Advisory services: HYA service is a unique service, currently, we are working with the oldest weather data available, which we are updating and correcting regularly.

How has your experience been in leading the solar PV advisory business in India?

Could you tell us about Mitsui’s world-class BIS testing lab set up in Ahmedabad?

Our Solar Testing Lab in Ahmedabad is an excellent NABL-accredited module testing facility technically supported by PI Berlin.

PI Berlin has assisted the lab in the selection of class-apart equipment, quality management system, and lab design. In association with the world’s renowned technical advisor, the technicians and employees are provided with specialized Japanese training serving the most reliable technical solutions.

What can we look forward to from Mitsui this year?

In this fast pacing business segment, we are committed to serving reliability by innovating our processes and not becoming redundant. We gain reliability through NABL-accreditation and BIS approval for testing services. Our team is working incessantly towards setting lab operations and providing high-quality testing services –module reliability, component testing, robot cleaning, etc.

We are going above and beyond consulting to serve not just manufacturers and EPC developers, but also investors and policy-makers for solar power projects.

Through several government initiatives aiming at the improvement of power generation facilities and the adoption of solar energy, the Indian market exhibits favorable policies, making it a smooth sail for the energy transition. The Solar PV Technical Advisory Services help manage risk and serve assured quality. Although the pandemic has affected the pace of activities, it is progressively recovering.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 16

FEATURED TALKS

RAMESH KATHIRESAN CEO & MD, RP Infra Services

The focus is on serving the needs of clients and ensuring resources are adequately leveled & meet their expectations.

Please brief our readers about RP Infra Services World’s Net Zero Emission Targets can be achieved by Solarization of Power Needs and moving out of using fossil fuels.

Executing Large Solar Projects in a short span needs sudden ramp-up and rampdown of resources right from project managers to lead managers to block engineers and last-mile supervisors. RP Infra Services (RPIS), has created a large pool of trained, talented & specialist staff, ready for deployment in utility-scale solar power projects, PV modules manufacturing units and also for rooftop solar.

Since 2018, RPIS has been focused on providing an exclusive, high-quality solar permanent & contingent Staff-force PAN India. The focus is on serving the needs of clients and ensuring resources are adequately leveled & meet their expectations.

RPIS has training modules developed by solar domain experts and the candidates churned out of these programs are equipped with theoretical and hands-on knowledge such as Project Managers, Planning & Package Engineers ( Civil, Structural, Electrical, Instrumentation ), QC, EHS, O&M, Testing, Commissioning, front line engineers & supervisors. RPIS also abides by strict compliances to all statutory rules, regulations.

What are some of the recent projects that RPIS has executed?

RPIS is proud to be an instrumental staff force behind project management, commissioning 900+ MW of solar/wind projects. Our staff has teamed up with esteemed clientele (IPPs, EPCs, OEMs including L&T, Juniper Green, Kanoda Energy, Game Change Solar, Solar Square and so on).

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What makes RPIS different?

RPIS provides customized services, resources based on the project’s needs and requirements. Our niche is that all our candidates are well trained on specific modules based on clients’ needs, we also suggest ideal candidates and offer tailormade solutions. RPIS pitches in as complementary need-based staffing which relieves the end customer of the hassle of carrying high headcounts on their payrolls.

This improves employee turnaround, increases efficiency & effectiveness and peak shave the project resource requirements and leads to happy customers also ensuring RPIS resources are valued and move from one project to another promoting continuity of employment despite being a contingent workforce.

What are some key practices that you follow to ensure customer delight?

RPIS is in-sync with the core values of their customer.

Keeping commitments, authenticity, integrity, empathy and compliance to laws of landform form its cruces.

Transparency & Enhancing customer experience has been the RPIS’s motto

What can we look forward to from RPIS in 2022?

RPIS has plans of foraying into providing trained staff for projects like energy storage, hydrogen and hybrid. We have huge expansion plans and aspire to achieve deployment of 35000+ manmonths by 2024. RPIS plans to network with Colleges/Polytechnics and use this engagement to shine the student’s careers along with greening India.

You mentioned RP Structural Solutions & RP Solar, Kindly explain about them.

RP Structural Solutions is one of the leading Installation & Commissioning service providers for Solar EPC Companies from concept to commissioning to operations & maintenance. RPS is a prefab and light roofed structure EPC provider along with structures for buildings.

RP Solar provides EPC services for Residential/Commercial solar rooftop solutions and acts as a channel partner for many solar PV module OEMs.

RPIS RESOURCES ARE VALUED AND MOVE FROM ONE PROJECT TO ANOTHER PROMOTING CONTINUITY OF EMPLOYMENT DESPITE BEING A CONTINGENT WORKFORCE"

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 17

COVER STORY What is the latest technological breakthrough which has helped to lower the LCOE of the projects?

Prelude The solar sector has evolved enormously over the past decade. With declining prices, we have seen that solar is a viable energy source for widespread and large-scale power production. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, the solar sector has continued to grow despite all the challenges. For solar sites to perform to the best of their capacity, the solar panels need to be perfectly aligned for optimal sun exposure on perfectly flat terrain. This type of arrangement is difficult to find as sites vary topographically. This is where technology comes into the picture as it always acts as the core supporting pillar for the continuous evolution and progression of the solar industry. With fastpaced advances in intelligent software and data, along with the utilization of large-format photovoltaic modules, and two-in-portrait (2P) solar tracker designs, it is possible to increase the performance while reducing the LCOE. Thus technological innovations like these will account for the site-specific variations and can help produce more solar energy from the investment made into the plant and at the same time unlock maximum cost savings.

PRADEEP CHAUHAN

changer due to its much higher grid availability & evacuation capacity from high yield zones such as Rajasthan/Gujarat with a cluster of projects planned in less inhabited places with common evacuation infrastructure.

COUNTRY MANAGER-INDIAN SUBCONTINENT, SOLARPACK

Much of the reduction in the cost of power generation is contributed by the scale of projects, more efficient devices, however going forward it looks difficult to continue similar reductions substantially, the focus would be shifting to generating energy with a more stable generation curve that matches the grid conditions to balance between demand and availability.

In recent times, there have been global realization & appreciation of clean energy development & its localized production, more important in times of pandemic where the supply chain can heavily impact the availability of fuel supply.

Automation & AI tools implementation would be the key to improving plant uptime and power dispatch as per grid demand in the renewable RTC type of contracts, which will be crucial to optimize value from the investments.

Clean Energy development worldwide and its usage has been the flavor of the new investment commitment by nations & corporates, for example, ESG funds have emerged as a new theme in the last 2years, which is dedicated towards investments into businesses with Renewable Energy as their source of supply.

Solar modules prices have been under pressure for quite some time and look like would remain in the higher zone until a few more quarters, trackers usage may be wise in certain geographic areas, however, due to metal commodities prices also are not very favorable yet makes a good business case for improving the yield.

Further investments into new technology-driven by advancements in Research & Development into Storage through Batteries, a hybrid form of Renewable Energy generation such as Solar + Wind makes a good case for having a more reliable power curve, which reduces the dependence on conventional baseload generators, so avoiding paying fixed costs by utilities/discoms.

In recent years, O&M costs have also shown significant reduction due to increased reliability of equipment & quality of installation, trends of O&M cost are inversely proportional to the size of the installation. As the technology is maturing, there are fewer variations from the assumptions in the yield assessment and lower uncertainty factors used for midlife replacements, spares, etc than the previously conceived projects, for example, lenders consider ~1% modules replacements due to damages per year, however in a real-life scenario, it generally is negligible and that help more accurately forecasting OPEX with trends from last decade of experience.

The industry has seen a global transition to new forms of clean energy technologies playing a crucial role, also in the case of Solar PV, the waterless robotic cleaning method, hi efficiency bifacial solar modules, solar inverters enhanced efficiency, mounting trackers systems.

On the development side, the scale of large individual projects has also played a major role in lowering the LCOE, especially on high voltage networks eg. ISTS part of Green Corridor is a game-

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LCOE seems to be bottomed out for the present typical design & configuration of the energy generations facilities for Solar & Wind installations, next level of breakthrough needs a quantum leap in technology.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 18

developers can be able to use branch connector with higher 600 Wp module as well.

RAJESH TIWARI LEAD- CENTRAL DESIGN & ENGG (SOLAR GRID), HERO FUTURE ENERGIES

India is now enough mature for the selection of technology and adopting a reliable system for producing electricity, after 17 years of my renewable experience from 14 % efficiency of solar modules to now 23% solar modules I saw, technology changes from boron-doped to gallium doped that improved product quality as well.

In the current scenario, the country has 50 GW of experience. Let me explain to you what is (LCOE) Levelized Cost of Electricity through which we compare the lifetime costs of generating electricity across various generation technologies.

For the betterment of LCOE, there are various components involved Solar module – availability of 600 wp above solar panel, now constraints are different frame size with different Voc & Isc, few module OEMs having higher voltage and few having higher current that changes entire string design, of course, land requirement reduce with saving on MMS (Module mounting structure ) and cable length. Module OEMs should standardize their design so that various design changes are not required.

Inverters, technology transfer from the central inverter to string inverter from one MPPT to multiple MPPTs improved generation gain reduced mismatch loss in the ground level Inverter suppliers are providing IV curve diagnostic which helping O&M for troubleshooting quickly, uptime of utilityscale projects improved that also contributed to reduction of LCOE.

Considering the fact that 1 KWp module will come then we will have 46 Volt Voc & 22 Amp Isc on that scenario internal one input should be able to take 52 to 55 Amp. For battery storage still, lots of improvement & new R&D required in PCS end OEMs should establish those R&D facilities in INDIA. BOS part like Inverter duty transformer developers is looking for big block size by utilizing aluminum-based IDT which coast is much stable compared to copper-based, by increasing block size and using a high size of module reduction in AC & DC cable expected which is also contributing lowering down the LCOE Developers are adopting a new designing method by using CFD analysis for Module mounting structures with higher yield strength material from 250 MPA to 350 MPA to 550 MPA even more now developers are exploring 750 MPA to reduce the MMS weight considering allowable deflection limits As a hero Future energy our new nonpenetrating solution becoming our USP which makes leakage proof system.

There is various other cost optimization area like civil infra with boundary wall, internal road, peripheral road, robotic cleaning.

The pain point for a designer is that we have no standard guideline for state-level for behind meter type of project, that needs to be developed and followed by every Nodal Agency with Chief Electrical officer.

Non-standardization of the metering scheme vis-à-vis protection and earthing guideline complicates the small capacity system.

My request to Govt that they should provide guidance similar to CEA or PGCIL guidelines for the big utility-scale projects.

In conclusion note we can say with technological advancement defiantly solar industry is achieving new tariffs would like to get support from Govt for the standardization of Single line diagram with commercial controls over critical components like solar modules, steel, Copper, inverters, and so on.

For the inverter, input side inverter OEMs should check compatibility with Bifacial module or higher current based module so that

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 19

SHANKER PATHE DGM- OPERATION & MAINTENANCE, AZURE POWER

Industry shall be achieving new rock bottom of solar energy pricing with every bid and it’s time to achieve the next level of lower LCOE to increase the IRR and profit. Though the current challenges like logistics, an increase of equipment price remain at its place and off course uncontrolled because It’s driven by demand and raw material respectively. However, still, there are opportunities to optimize the cost by mechanizing the project execution, dronebased project progress monitoring, project documentation, and reporting automation, robotic cleaning, and technology-driven condition-based operation and maintenance approach. We should move from concrete-based piling to screw piling which shall be rammed by robotics with a high level of precision and quality. The market knows that most of the construction activities happen within a couple of months before COD due to challenges in land procurement, stakeholder management, uncertainty in grid connectivity and global logistics/supply challenges, etc. Due to the narrow margin of execution timelines, it's mandatory to build the capability and competency to execute the project with a high pace and quality at the same time. In the current scenario, more than

ANIL TANDON DGM - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, RAYS POWER INFRA PRIVATE LIMITED

For a Solar PV project, LCOE is the term used for final bid evaluation or is the criteria for the winning / losing a bid, generally depends upon 2 factors – 1. Overall Project Cost 2. Generation To better the LCOE, the primary focus is to increase the generation and decrease the project cost.

The major project cost is generally contributed (approx. 65%) by three items namely – 1. Module 2. MMS 3. Inverter The rest 35 % is distributed among Cables / HT Switchgear / Other supplies / Project Management / Logistic / Erection / Civil. For the first part of the LCOE, the scope for optimization of the project cost is basically handling the design part of the project in the pre-bid stage, as unlike other industrial / power project which has the scope of correction/alternation during the post-bid stage, the Solar PV Project is mostly based on the pre-bid design. Various Technology / AI application / Machine applications that can be employed in the pre-bid and post-bid stage to optimize the design and in turn control the Project cost is – Efficient planning, designing, and managing of infrastructure using Building Information Modelling (BIM).

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30% time the project execution team spends time on paperwork.

Process automation, the adoption of new technologies are going to play a vital role. Another improvement factor to improve LCOE would be to make the best use of fully automatic module cleaning robots which convert the risk into opportunity and generate more energy, reduction in cleaning time, limit human dependency, no waste of potable water, and much more. The manual cleaning using the water-based or dry method takes huge time as well as it does not achieve the constant optimum/uniform soiling loss at the site. With the plant at the remote site and the limitation of resources, it's always challenging to clean the plant within a short time span.

Scenario for example sandstorm covers the whole plant and manual cleaning or semi-automatic module cleaning robotics does not clean the plant in a few hours. Limitation of manual module cleaning resources at the plant takes more than a week to complete the cleaning cycle because it’s designed likewise and not for emergencies like sandstorms etc.

If the industry is able to achieve the finest quality projects within a narrow time span, maintaining the plant with the most competitive cost during O&M would be beneficial. The plants in the same vicinity can be grouped in such a way that they can be maintained with minimum human resources or with no manpower like distributed solar segment. The O&M manual is required to be reviewed by the manufacturers considering the mean time between failures and rate of failure instead of the oldfangled approach. Frequent physical inspection is required to replace with available technologies. In summary, enhancement in design, execution automation, and implementation of best industrial and international O&M practices are the key milestone that is possible to improve to achieve a lower LCOE.

Artificial Neural Network for predicting properties of concrete mix design and also technology like differential evolution optimization algorithm can help in optimizing the structural weight The application of the AI and machine learning has the potential to impact or optimize cost implications for the Civil and Plant installation which are in the range of 10% and also optimize the module structural design/weight which impacts the cost for Fix Tilt (8%) and Trackers (14%).

Secondly, on generation, the combination of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning has the potential to gather information or to create a better Data Pool of generations/ consumptions / Power Grid Flow / Irradiance/weather data, and the collected data pool can be used to Analyze the past, Evaluate/Optimized the present and Control the future. Better forecasting and algorithms as prepared by the AI and machine learning helps in enhancing the efficiency and balancing the losses with respect to grid power outflow thereby increasing the reliability of the solar power plant. Various Trackers manufacturers are employing AI / Machine Learning to enhance plant generation by introducing methods like Cloud Strategy Bifacial Strategy Inverter flow control The above helps in increasing the generation up to 5 % as by employing the cloud strategy (algorithm) the tilting of the trackers can vary as per the cloud cover based on the real data over the solar plant, i.e different row/arrays responds according to the cloud shadow which in the earlier case could have even and uniform for the total plant, thus increasing the generation. Apart from the generation and BOS cost, AI / Machine learning can be employed in the O&M stage to detect and identify manufacturing defects, cracks through special thermal cameras installed in drones and thereby increase the operational efficiency or stop the leakages and increase the generation. However, still, AI / Machine learning has the scope of playing its part in supply chain management to resolve the uncertainty in supply/logistics and better the project schedule.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 20

PERSPECTIVE

HOW GREEN HYDROGEN POLICY WILL HELP INDIA'S TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY?

Prelude The recent COP 26 Climate Conference in Glasgow has demonstrated that as a country, India is dedicated to achieving the set targets for achieving the net-zero goals. The government has already set the wheels in motion toward India’s major energy transition with the rollout of the Green Hydrogen Policy.

Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements on the planet and will play a key role in climate action globally. With a manifold increase in the demand for hydrogen recently, the Green Hydrogen Policy promises to be a gamechanger for India's energy market. There are 2 objectives that can be achieved with the help of this policy: first will be the creation of demand for green hydrogen and second, the installed capacity of renewable energy will increase.

The policy will enable India to drive the point that hydrogen is an alternate fuel and thus lead to a reduction in dependency on fossil fuels. Our energy sector is heavily import-dependent. Also, the volatility in the prices of these fuels has a huge impact on the import bill which is likely to double over the next decade as demand grows. India has the potential to completely re-imagine and restructure its energy economy in consonance with the demand for clean and sustainable products and Green Hydrogen is going to play a significant role in the same.

HIMANGSHU SAHA GENERAL MANAGER, NHPC RENEWABLE ENERGY LIMITED(NREL)

The impact on Earth’s environment can be already felt and seen due to the increase of Green House Gases (GHG) as the world realizes that climate change due to global warming now is a major concern for the present and future generations to come.

While no one can predict how much global warming will ultimately occur by burning fossil fuels, there are ways and means to mitigate the effects of climate change by adopting more mature technologies and processes to meet our energy demands and at the same time save the planet. More robust and mature technology is by utilizing “hydrogen production” for our future energy needs.

India as a responsible country with its National Hydrogen Mission aims to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a GREEN HYDROGEN HUB. Hydrogen is a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water, electricity, and heat. When burned, it releases no greenhouse gases. If the electricity comes from renewable sources

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such as wind, solar or hydro, then the hydrogen is effectively green. Due to their high efficiency and zero-or near-zeroemissions operation, hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in many applications.

Hydrogen and fuel cells can play an important role in our national energy strategy, with the potential for use in a broad range of applications, across virtually all sectors—transportation, commercial, industrial, residential, and portable.

Hydrogen is abundant and its supply is virtually limitless. It can be used where it is produced or transported elsewhere. Unlike batteries that are unable to store large quantities of electricity for extended periods of time, hydrogen can be produced from excess renewable energy and stored in large amounts for a long time.

And a particular advantage of green hydrogen is that it can be produced wherever there is water and electricity to generate more electricity or heat. The greatest challenge for hydrogen production, particularly from renewable resources, is providing hydrogen at a lower cost.

Hydrogen is one of the leading options for storing energy from renewables and looks promising to be the lowest-cost option for storing electricity over days, weeks, or even months. Hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels can transport energy from renewables over long distances – from regions with abundant solar and wind resources.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 21

The Hydrogen policy clearly spells out producing Hydrogen by electrolysis of water by using renewable energy including renewable energy that is banked. Apart from utilizing battery storage energy systems (BSES) to bank renewable energy up to 30 days as provided in the policy, this also makes way for a more mature technology called natural batteries i.e., Pumped Hydropower Energy Storage (PHES) which can be integrated with Renewable Energy like wind and solar to produce round-the-clock clean power. India is blessed with abundant pumped hydropower potential yet to be harnessed. These sites can also act as potential hydrogen-producing locations because of the availability of water. Hydrogen production plants can be co-located with Hydropower/Pumped storage projects.

The hydrogen plants are also granted open access to sourcing renewable energy from the market. We are all aware that the cost of producing hydrogen can be optimized if we are able to inject cheaper renewable energy to run the electrolyzer, therefor granting of InterState Transmission System (ISTS) connectivity on priority is one major

DR. JOYDEV MANNA SENIOR SCIENTIST, HYDROGEN ENERGY DIVISION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOLAR ENERGY(NISE)

On Independence Day 2021, Honorable PM Sh. Narendra Modi announced the implementation of the Hydrogen Energy Mission to make India more energy secure as well as minimize GHG emissions.

The first phase of the Green Hydrogen Policy was notified on 17th Feb 2022, which primarily aims at the production of 5 MMTPA of green hydrogen by 2030 and ultimately making India a green hydrogen export hub.

highlight of the policy which does this. The government is set to provide a single portal for all clearances required for setting up green hydrogen production as well as a facility for producers to bank any surplus renewable energy generated with discoms for up to 30 days and use it as required. The requirement of time-bound clearances for these projects would spur investment while grid connectivity on priority will ease operational processes. Under the policy port authorities will also provide land at applicable charges to green hydrogen and green ammonia producers to set up bunkers near ports for storage prior to export.

Moreover, the land in Renewable Energy Parks can be allotted to set up Hydrogen Plants making it more convenient in terms of infrastructure and grid connectivity. The renewable energy so consumed is counted as Renewable Purchase Obligations wherein it’s a win-win situation for both the plant owner consuming energy and the Discom in whose area the project is located. All these major policy initiatives will go in a long way in achieving India’s transition to clean energy.

and the generated electricity can be used to produce green hydrogen in any other state. This will reduce the cost of renewable electricity consumed for hydrogen production as well as green hydrogen so produced and lure the industrialist to invest in the green hydrogen business model.

The provision of a single portal and easy clearance process for setting up of green hydrogen production facility will facilitate the installation and commissioning of green hydrogen plants. The policy also mentions that grid connectivity for the renewable electricity plants and green hydrogen facility will be provided on a priority basis as well.

These factors will surely smoothen the development of the green hydrogen market in the country.

For exporting hydrogen, it is notified in the policy that port authorities will provide land at applicable charges to green hydrogen suppliers to set up storage bunkers near the ports. This will open up the international hydrogen markets (UK, Germany, and Japan) to the Indian hydrogen producers.

Primary consumers of hydrogen

Prospects of Green Hydrogen

Petroleum refining and fertilizer industries are the principal consumers of hydrogen. In petroleum refineries, hydrogen is used for transforming crude oils into valuable products such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha, etc., and also for desulphurization. In fertilizer industries, hydrogen is used to produce ammonia. Other industries using hydrogen include vegetable oils; metal extraction; industries involved in the production of methanol, steel, float glass, semiconductors, and synthetic fuel; cooling of generators of thermal power plants; and food processing, etc.

Currently, most of the hydrogen consumed in the industrial sector is generated by reforming fossil fuels (natural gas and naphtha), and accordingly, import expenses and GHG emissions of the country are impacted adversely.

The first phase of the notified policy addresses various key issues such as leverage of inter-state transmission charge, easy clearance process, and grid banking for the development of green hydrogen production facilities in the country.

Features of the Green Hydrogen policy The notified policy mainly offers various incentives to the investors such that they can participate in the development of green hydrogen production facilities in India.

It has stated that any inter-state transmission charges will not be required for green hydrogen production. Solar PV or wind power plants can be installed in any state having rich renewable resources

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As the installed renewable capacity of India has already increased more than 100 GW by 2021 and also cost of renewable electricity (especially SPV) has come down to around Rs. 2 per unit, it is the perfect time to replace the dependency on fossil fuels-based energy and switch to greener fuels. Green hydrogen not only offers the decarbonization of the industrial sector but it can also be utilized in the transport sector, power sector, and household applications. In the transport sector, hydrogen can be used in fuel cell vehicles (FCV) as well as hydrogenfuelled IC engine-based vehicles for transportation applications. Many FCVs and long-haul transport vehicles are already in operation in the international market. Hydrogen can be used in the generation of electricity using fuel cells and some R&D work is going on on the development of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines. It has been reported that gas turbines that can withstand the burning of 20% of hydrogen have already been developed. It can further be injected into the existing LPG pipelines for cooking as well as heating and cooling purposes. An overall ecosystem based on hydrogen, commonly known as the “Hydrogen Economy”, could be developed in the country which can give us energy security, and a relatively clean environment.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 22

FEATUREDINSIGHT

Growatt’s New C&I PV Inverter is Now Available on Global Market

Growatt, the global TOP 5 C&I PV inverter supplier officially announces the availability of MAX 100-125KTL3-X LV PV inverter on the global market. Since its debut last year, it has attracted a lot of attention in the industry with its outstanding features.

“Managing a large number of inverters may be a little tricky, thus to make the management smarter and easier, we also supplemented various system solutions of monitoring and smart energy management for C&I PV projects”, Lisa Zhang added.

“Designed especially for C&I PV application, the new MAX model is set with 125kW output power, which is the highest power of string inverter with multiple MPPTs at 400Vac level,” said Lisa Zhang, Marketing Director of Growatt.

Growatt simplifies the management of multiple inverters with Smart Energy Manager, thus to realize export limitation and PF control of the system. Besides that, the company also developed various platforms for differentiated users. For example, ShinePhone and ShineServer for end-users to monitor the system operation anytime, and OSS (Online Smart Service) system for installers and distributors to take easy and quick online service, such as online smart IV scan and diagnosis, remote configuration and firmware upgrade, which can have 60% of issues solved without on-site traveling.

With the maximum DC input current reaching 32A for each MPPT and 16A for each string, this new MAX inverter matches well with high power and bi-facial solar modules. Its 10 MPP trackers support 20 strings connection at most, which significantly reduces the energy loss caused by shadow effect and module mismatch. Besides that, MAX also supports up to 150% DC/AC ratio, which can get the lowest LCOE for the PV plant. With the wide MPPT working range from 180V to 1000V, the inverter can start to work earlier in the morning and switch off later in the afternoon, realizing a longer operation time and harvesting much more solar energy.

Apart from higher yields, Growatt also enhanced the operational safety with Type II SPD on DC&AC side, Fuse Free Design, Integrated DC Switch, IP66 Protection as well as optional Active Arcing Protection (AFCI) and Build-in PID Recovery to provide allround protection for the inverter and even the whole solar system.

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“Since its launch in the international market, this new MAX model inverter has accumulated over 500MW shipments globally, especially in China and Latin American countries. Now we are ready to bring this excellent C&I PV solution to more countries worldwide”, Lisa Zhang explained.

SINCE ITS DEBUT LAST YEAR, IT HAS ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION IN THE INDUSTRY WITH ITS OUTSTANDING FEATURES."

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 23

FEATUREDINSIGHT

Growatt unveils AXE LV battery system to empower offgrid solar energy storage

Global leading PV inverter and energy storage system provider Growatt adds AXE LV battery system to its smart energy product portfolios, expanding market reach to meet the growing demand for residential off-grid lithium battery storage systems.

“The new AXE LV battery system covers a wide range of capabilities extending from 5kWh to 400kWh, which caters to differentiated needs from daily households to large businesses and industrial scenarios,” said Lisa Zhang, Marketing Director at Growatt.

The modularity of the AXE LV battery system makes it easy to be installed with internal plugs, requiring no extra cable connections, while with all the external cables integrated onto one plug, its connection to the inverter is much more simplified. In short, this unique design greatly reduces installation difficulty and time.

In terms of safety, it enjoys multi-level protections from the inverter and BMS, such as cell security monitoring and balancing. Meanwhile, as a cobalt-free LFP battery, it stands out for its high-temperature resistance, strong safety and stability as well as better performance of up to 5,000 charge cycles. It also has a longer life span of more than 10 years while traditional lead-acid batteries can only last 2-3 years.

Generally, it holds more advantages in terms of the TCO (total cost of ownership) for customers.

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With regard to compatibility, the AXE LV battery system can be used with all Growatt’s SPF off-grid series inverters. Moreover, it also works perfectly along with the SPH and SPA series storage inverters.

Growatt offers one-stop services to deliver better customer experiences. The company provides technical support upon installation for faster completion. For daily use and maintenance, it provides a whole-system warranty including the battery system and storage inverters. Any system issue, if it occurs, can be quickly located and solved more efficiently. Additionally, Growatt allows installers to upgrade the firmware of the battery system remotely, which can help reduce the O&M cost and improve service efficiency.

About Growatt Established in 2010, Growatt is a global leader in smart energy solutions. According to IHS Markit and Wood Mackenzie, the company is the world's No.1 residential inverter supplier and also ranks among the global top 5 suppliers of commercial inverters. For storage hybrid inverters, Growatt is the second largest supplier in the world according to Wood Mackenzie.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 24

FEATUREDINSIGHT

Sineng Electric Supporting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics with Its Trustworthy Solutions

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is in full swing now! How about let’s pause for a while and shift our attention from the field to the backstage?

In 2020, China made a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2060.

Adhering to the motto of ‘Together for a shared future’, Beijing Winter Olympics employs renewable energy as fulfillment to that pledge.

During the event period, Beijing Winter Olympics realizes carbon neutrality with hydrogen fueling the Olympic torch and powering over 800 vehicles, 100% renewable energy plants to support the event venues, and 1.7 million carbon credits to offset emissions. It sets a template for how future global events can be held more environment friendly, showing the world that China willingly undertakes the obligations to promote a sustainable future as a great power.

According to IOC, Beijing Winter Olympics is the first Olympic Games in history to have all venues powered by renewable energy, with solar and wind as primary energy sources. The power comes from Zhangjiakou Renewable Energy Zone in Hebei, adjacent to Beijing, which is rich in wind and solar resources. As an emerging renewable energy hub in northern China, Zhangjiakou released its energy development plan in 2015, the same year that Beijing won its bid to host the Winter Olympics.

As a global high-tech enterprise with renowned performance in both PV and ESS industry, Sineng Electric is proud to be part of the contribution towards a cleaner world. This time, the company supplied three projects in total.

The 250MW PV project integrates multiple types of renewable energy, which consists of 100 units of 2.5MW, each adopting 4 sets of Sineng Electric 630kW inverters. The project demonstrates cutting-edge technologies for power generation, transmission, storage, utilization and operation control, marking another major breakthrough in grid access and large scale energy transmission.

Being one of the company’s flagship products, Sineng Electric 3.125MW central inverter has been applauded by customers worldwide. Combined with 37kV MV turnkey stations, Sineng powers a part of this 500MWp PV project. After being put into operation, it’s expected to increase local use of clean energy, helping build a low-carbon, safe and efficient modern energy consumption system.

Zhangjiakou Olympic Wind Solar City, a demonstration project designed to function as an innovation base combining solar power, wind power and energy storage. The project has a capacity of 10MW/10MWh, powered by 4 sets of Sineng Electric 2.5MW/2.5MWh medium voltage PCS + ESS battery container system.

As the world's leading PV inverter solution provider, by virtue of the company’s accumulation in power electronics technology, Sineng Electric is able to provide state-of-the-art solutions in the full power range for various scenarios. In the future, Sineng Electric will further explore technological innovations, develop more and better products to create value for customers and boost the realization of a greener earth.

IN THE FUTURE, SINENG ELECTRIC WILL FURTHER EXPLORE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS, DEVELOP MORE AND BETTER PRODUCTS TO CREATE VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS AND BOOST THE REALIZATION OF A GREENER EARTH."

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 25

FEATUREDINSIGHT

Solis Helps Beijing Achieve the First Carbon-Neutral Winter Olympics

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing, and the newly completed Olympic venues and supporting facilities are unveiled.

Among them, the Mountain Press Center in the Yanqing competition zone looks particularly “special". This zone will stage all the alpine skiing events as well as bobsled, luge, and skeleton.

The installed capacity of this project is 128kW, with an annual power generation of 140,000 kWh. The green energy generated by the solar roof can offset about 90 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

inclination of the skylights, the design has enabled the dual function of the building's lighting and solar power generation. Any excess power is then sold back to the local grid network.

Integrating modern architectural design and realizing the innovative application of solar power generation, this project will become a green energy hub of the Yanqing competition zone and contribute to China's efforts to host a green Olympics.

Solis continues to focus on the key technical problems of distributed solar power projects, to speed up the iterative innovation and upgrading of products. The aim is to make more and more application scenarios become a reality to boost high- quality urban development, and enable distributed solar to reach new heights.

About Ginlong Technologies:

The project uses Solis 70kW inverters and was installed by Ningbo Lightyear Solar Energy Technology Development Co., Ltd. The project uses black monocrystalline silicon double glass modules integrated into the building’s roof and featuring 64 square skylights over the media hall.

Combined with the

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Established in 2005, Ginlong (Solis) Technologies (Stock Code: 300763.SZ) is one of the most experienced and largest manufacturers of solar PV string inverters.

Presented globally under the Solis brand, the company's portfolio uses innovative string inverter technology to deliver first-class reliability that has been validated under the most stringent international certifications. Armed with a global supply chain, world-class R&D and manufacturing capabilities, Ginlong optimizes its inverters for each regional market, servicing and supporting its customers with its team of local experts.

For more information visit www.solisinverters.com

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 26

OPINION

SOLAR – THE ROAD UNEXPLORED

GAUTHAM MOLLETI RESEARCH ENGINEER, ENERGY & POWER SECTOR, CSTEP

DHRUV RAJEEV RESEARCH ENGINEER, ENERGY & POWER SECTOR, CSTEP

On-road solar integrates PV panels onto the road surface. This consists of the base layer of bitumen (asphalt) upon which the PV module is attached through an adhesive. Additional glass layers (for supporting the impact load) and transparent anti-skid layers are added above the PV module. The solar panel efficiency itself is directly dependent on the panel type used, but the effective capacity factor is also highly dependent on local factors such as irradiation, shading, the volume of vehicular traffic, thermal performance, etc.

These designs can essentially integrate solar PV into existing infrastructure where the electricity generated can be used to charge electric vehicles, and provide street lighting and shading of roads. They can also act as noise barriers when set up along city limits. Despite these advantages, the initial capital cost would be higher than usual owing to the modified linear design. On-road solar, in particular, costs INR 33,750 – 1.3 Lakh per m ² in pilot projects, far higher than the INR 1,500 – 7,500 per m2 for asphalt roads. These technologies also face increased maintenance costs, concerns of panel theft, and multiple environmental factors that could affect the structural integrity of the road.

India continues to champion solar power in its future plans of a 500 GW non-fossil fuel energy installation target for 2030. One major challenge is the procurement of suitable land free of socioecological constraints for renewable energy capacity. An innovative solution is the integration of solar PV systems either along the side of roads or above (highway solar) or directly on their surface (on-road solar). These approaches have the potential to be utilized on all national highways and expressways.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced plans to install solar PV systems on any viable unused land not allotted for transport, highway-related services, or plantation. A similar modeling study, placing solar panels above the highway along with the Golden Quadrilateral highway network (spanning 5,839 km), estimated a capacity of 4,418 MW. A 2017 project in China aimed to produce 1 GWh annually from on-road solar on a 1 km stretch. Given the extensive network of national highways in India (1.4 lakh kilometres), there is significant potential for large-scale RE generation.

Highway solar places solar PV systems either along the guard rails, the divider of the road, or placed in an elevated position covering the highway. This effectively utilizes the available vacant land, which is already procured for infrastructure. The system can be modeled to generate electricity for the entire stretch, thereby serving multiple uses. This design would have similar efficiency levels to that of ground-mounted systems, the only difference being a higher level of exposure to dust particles. This is a longterm investment, which is ideal for locations with extensive road networks, scarcity of conflict-free land, and high solar insolation.

A large-scale deployment requires tremendous technical advancements, policy guidance, and sustained financial support.

The cost of implementing these technologies is higher than conventional solar power projects and requires initial backing to disseminate into the market. To achieve this, the first step is further research and implementing pilot projects to address the numerous technical concerns. A cautious approach is required to evaluate these technologies, as the potential is too large to be ignored and warrants a deeper study.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 27

OPINION

QUALITY MATERIAL SOURCING FOR INDIAN PV MODULE MANUFACTURING

SOLAR CELL PRE-SHIPMENT INSPECTION AT A CHINESE FACTORY

RAHUL VASHIST BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, SOLAR & STORAGE, INDIA AND MIDDLE-EAST, STS

Indian PV module manufacturing landscape

India has made significant improvements in its PV module manufacturing sector in recent years. However, the country needs some herculean measures to achieve the target of 300 GW of solar installations by 2030, which boils down to an average of 30 GW/year. India has a manufacturing capacity of 18 GW modules and 4.3 GW cells. However, these are nameplates capacities and the Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) of these factories is currently around 50%. Also, the current manufacturing setup is comprised of 50-60% multi-Si technology that is on the verge of extinction. With no capabilities in manufacturing silica, ingots, and wafer, India is highly dependent on imports for sourcing raw materials (90% imports are from China).

India has made significant improvements in its PV module manufacturing sector in recent years. However, the country needs some herculean measures to achieve the target of 300 GW of solar installations by 2030, which boils down to an average of 30 GW/year.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 28

OPINION

The Indian government has been at the forefront for supporting the Indian module manufacturing industry. With the implementation of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) of 40% on imported modules and 25% on imported cells, clubbed with the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) scheme, the government is clearly trying to discourage imports. Additionally, the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has garnered a huge interest amongst stakeholders (existing and new) to focus on integrated manufacturing and producing highefficiency modules.

Sourcing solar cells from China – What do you need to know?

We may see that in the near future India’s domestic PV module manufacturing will ramp up significantly, but its dependence on the modules’ raw materials imported from China, for instance, cells, will not change very soon.

To those module manufacturers seeking high-quality monocrystalline cells in China to feed their lines, quality assurance for solar cell procurement is highly recommended, including factory audit and supplier assessment & qualification before production, production record check during manufacturing, and pre-shipment inspection before delivery to the destination.

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DURING MANUFACTURING, AN ACCREDITED INSPECTION BODY IS WELL ADVISED TO BE POSITIONED AT EVERY CORNER A MANUFACTURER MAY BE TEMPTED TO CUT."

Supplier assessment scores are most actionable if the audits are performed before contractual engagement with a manufacturer.

Thorough supply chain audit is also a very common request today.

During manufacturing, an accredited inspection body is well advised to be positioned at every corner a manufacturer may be tempted to cut.

In the current seller’s market, potential pitfalls in your purchasing agreement may exist in a relatively frequent way, such as quality control plan details. Seeking professional technical support from an accredited inspection body can be a good choice to help you evaluate, clarify, and decide on the variations requested by the component manufacturers.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 29

OPINION GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF POWER PLANT MANAGER (PPM) “REDUCING THE RISK AND IMPROVING THE GENERATION”

ATUL PACHAURI HEAD O&M, O2 POWER

The component of Renewable Energy in the Indian Grid is increasing day by day which is a positive sign towards reaching us for making our planet safer for future generations. The responsibility of a renewable energy generator is also increasing towards keeping our grid safe and sustainable, for doing so a reliable and efficient Power Plant Manager becomes a critical component for Renewable Energy Plants. This is applicable for Solar, Wind, Storage, or a combination of all. We need to consider below critical items while finalizing the Power Plant Manager (PPM) for our plants. This will not only keep the Grid requirements on top but also minimize the Energy losses and hence higher revenue.

We also need to understand the requirements framed by CEA for the renewable energy plants, and the same should be understood well while finalizing the PPM. PPM should be flexible with communication protocols including Modbus TCP/IP, Modbus RTU, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104, OPC. PPM should be capable to integrate with Digital and Analogue Inputs and Digital Output for direct communication.

PPM should be capable to send individual commands to each Inverter (Solar), Wind Turbine Generator, Capacitor Banks (Solar and Wind) as well as Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This is over and above the concept of sending a common set-point to all at the same time.

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The selection of Power Quality Meter (PQM) should be precise, the PPM should be able to communicate with PQM directly and at a fast speed.

PPM should be able to able to communicate with OLTC/ AVR relay for driving the Tap changing of power transformer as per requirements while Reactive Power (Q) and Voltage control.

PPM should be able to perform: Active Power (P) Control Ramp rate (RR) control Reactive Power (Q) Droop Control (D) Frequency (f) Response Power Factor (pf) control Q at night PPM should follow the fail-safe mechanism as: Loss of communication with PQM (installed at Point of interconnection).

During P Control During pf, V, or Q Control Loss of communication with Inverter/ Inverters Loss of communication with Grid Operator (SLDC/ NLDC) PPM should be Engineered with dead bands of P, Q, V & f in a precise manner.

PPM should be able to record curtailment instructions for quantifying the Energy Losses PPM should be able to create and record all events and alarms PPM while acting as Hybrid Controller for Solar and Wind- same should be able to prioritize the control philosophy between Solar and Wind.

PPM should be modeled on PSSE/ PSCAD and further same should be synchronized with Solar/ Wind PSSE/ PSCAD for modeling of the complete plant.

PPM interoperability should be checked in advance with Inverters, WTGs, IEDs, BESS, and other associated items for smooth operations.

PPM should comply with Cyber Security Requirements as per ISO/ IEC 27001 and comply with IEC 62443 for system protection.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 30

OPINION RE-POWERING CALLS FOR A FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK JAIDEEP N. MALAVIYA MANAGING DIRECTOR, MALAVIYA SOLAR ENERGY CONSULTANCY

The concept of revamping and repowering is one of the newest terms in the solar industry transition. As the installed Solar PV systems age, the perception of upgrading becomes gradually relevant. Solar repowering replaces old components of the solar power plant, which are outdated, old, or damaged to technology, with new ones. However, it is essential the regulatory framework permits to substitute outdated components, particularly Solar PV modules.

While it is a known fact that inverters and batteries have a very less life cycle in comparison to PV modules hence imminent to replace. But can PV modules be replaced with superior technologies surfacing if their investment is recovered despite a life of 25 years?

The Indian government has drawn a ‘Mission 500 GW’ ambitious plan of producing renewable energy by the year 2030 of which the share of Solar PV is likely to be 300 gigawatts (GW). For such colossal goal availability of land for developing Solar farms poses a challenge. A typical 1 megawatt (MW) requires about 100,000 square feet (ft2) area. The 300 GW translates to 30 billion ft2, twice the size of Delhi. This may instead transpire in the future to define targets in gigawatt-hour (GWh) instead of GW. This means in a given area if more power can be produced then the land area can be condensed.

Flexibility in the regulatory framework will be essential to enable RE-powering to encourage superior technologies. Manufacturers may in the future revise their warranty terms in the event REpowering becomes attractive. Several European countries have realized this situation and have already relaxed their policies to enable RE-powering. Gone are the days to calculate the economics of Solar PV over 25 years. Instead, it may be prudent to devise power purchase agreements Pay As Your Generate (PAYG) and do away with the feed-in-tariff (FiT) regime. The higher the yield faster can be the return on investment (RoI).

Retiring a module before its end of life is termed ‘Early Loss’ and this phenomenon is likely to become business as usual. That raises another difficulty, where to dispose of the older module?

Should it be refurbished and sold for rural applications or be recycled to reclaim the materials? Needs however a deeper thought to understand economic attractiveness.

Captive Rooftop projects by commercial and industrial prosumers will be the best gainers as they can increase their yield and keep up with the pace of their growing energy demands. Some of the leading developers in India are already receiving requests to consider RE-powering and many have also announced it as an additional service they can extend.

In theory, boosting the output of existing plants with higher yields by replacing components at today’s prices and performance, sounds like a straightforward opportunity should the intent be to meet the intended nationally determined targets (INDC) instead of chasing the net installed capacity. It won’t be a surprise if REpowering becomes a business as usual scenario and is a blessing for achieving the defined target by the government.

STRONG DEMAND PROSPECTS FOR RE PROJECTS IN THE C&I SEGMENT, HOWEVER REGULATORY RISKS A KEY CHALLENGE GIRISHKUMAR KADAM SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & COGROUP HEAD – CORPORATE RATINGS, ICRA LIMITED

With the commercial & industrial (C&I) segment accounting for about 40-45% share of all of India's energy demand, the demand prospects for renewable energy (RE) capacity addition by the C&I segment remain solid. This is given the improved tariff competitiveness and strong sustainability/green initiatives by C&I players to meet their energy requirements through renewables, going forward. Even assuming 20% of the energy requirements to be met by the C&I segment through RE, the capacity addition requirement of RE is estimated to remain significant at about 75 GW by 2030. Further, the policy focus by the Government of India on RE remains strong, with a net-zero energy transition target by 2070. From the C&I off-taker’s perspective, the cost of sourcing RE through open access remains at discount to grid tariffs after factoring in the applicable open access charges. The grid tariffs have shown a rise and the energy charge in the same also varies widely between Rs. 6-7/unit and Rs. 6-10/unit for HT industrial and commercial segment respectively, across the states.

Nonetheless, the regulatory risk remains inherent for open accessbased RE projects, due to dependency on open access and banking requirements. The open-access & banking charges/norms also vary

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widely with effective costs ranging between Rs. 1.5 to 5/unit across key states, with an increasing trend seen due to upward pressure on the cost of power supply and continued high level of cross-subsidization in the tariff structure for the discoms. Cross-subsidy surcharge (CSS) varies widely between Rs 0.7 to 2.2 /unit as observed across the key states, with the removal of concessions/exemptions by SERCs – which were earlier available for RE projects in third party open access routes.

In addition to CSS, an additional surcharge (AS) has also been in place in most states for open access-based RE projects, and the same varies widely between Rs. 0.25 to 1.3/unit across the states. As a result, the captive or group captive projects are being preferred due to relatively lower regulatory risk (i.e. non-applicability of CSS and AS) as compared with third party sale route.

On the positive, the recent directive by the Supreme Court in December 2021 for non-applicability of additional surcharge for captive projects however remains positive for captive RE projects. The clarity on waiver of inter-state transmission charges (ISTS) for projects to be commissioned by FY2028 also remains positive. Moreover, draft rules on RE open access by the Ministry of Power, dated August 2021 are yet to be notified and would benefit RE players if the same is notified & implemented by SERCs given the certainty and clarity proposed in open access and banking norms.

Overall, the credit profile of the majority of the rated RE entities having a third party/group captive PPAs continues to remain supported by the availability of long-term PPAs with the creditworthy C&I customers, adequate liquidity buffer, support available from the respective sponsor groups as well as strengths arising from the operating track record.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 31

OPINION

CROSS BORDER TRADE OF ELECTRICITY FOR RE INTEGRATION

PRAVEEN KUMAR AGARWAL FORMER DIRECTOR & CISO, POSOCO LTD.

In 2018, the Indian government came up with updated guidelines for the export/import of electricity. Subsequently, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) published its regulation on Cross Border Trade of Electricity (CBTE) in the year 2019, paving the way for neighboring countries to take part in the power market of India.

Though, the primary driver for CBTE was economic benefits, in particular lowering the power purchase cost for the utilities. But, the security benefits and help in integration of increasing shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources are the other reasons. This is because larger power systems can integrate higher shares of variable renewables. Moreover, with larger balancing areas, there is a natural smoothing of the underlying resource (e.g.the, wind blows, and the sun shines with different intensity levels across large geographic areas).

India is connected with its neighboring countries; Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, with high capacity transmission lines, and connections with others are also being planned. The figure below shows the present links for cross border export/import of electricity:India’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity as of 28-Feb-2022 stands at 152.9 GW as per CEA data. If we add a nuclear capacity of 6.78 GW, the non-fossil fuel capacity stands at 40.36% of the total installed capacity of 395.6 GW. The Indian government is committed to achieving 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, about 50% from non-fossil fuel. This means penetration of VRE sources is bound to increase in the future. However, as the penetration of VRE sources increases, their relative impact on power systems increases as well. This is one of the vital benefits of promoting cross-border power system integration.

The relative share of VRE in large and interconnected systems may be lower than the total share in isolated systems, particularly when India has deployed significantly more VRE than the neighbors. Cross-border power system integration helps with VRE integration in the following ways:Increasing the size of the total balancing area allows system operators to take advantage of the natural diversity of weather patterns across larger geographies.

Interconnections give system operators access to a greater diversity of resources and additional pools of demand, making it easier to balance local VRE generation.

Interconnections can provide flexibility, for example, contributing to frequency response or, between synchronized grids, providing system inertia.

A more significant benefit of the interconnections is that they give system operators access to a greater quantity and variety of flexibility resources.

Larger power systems require proportionally fewer reserves than smaller power systems.

However, a critical area relates to the security implications of crossborder integration. Though there are many security benefits to crossborder integration, at the same time, however, interconnected power systems are exposed to external risks. As a result, the impact can be much broader when outages occur and the recovery time longer. The critical point here is that when power systems are coupled, the reliability of one system is dependent on the reliability of all systems.

This means that individual system operators must respond to unexpected events both within their service territories and outside of them. Extra efforts should be acceptable to drive the benefits of crossborder connections.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 32

OPINION

HOW HAS PROCUREMENT STRATEGY EVOLVED POST PANDEMIC TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE?

AMRESH MAHAJAN VICE PRESIDENT (TECHNOLOGY/QA/HSESUSTAINABILITY), O2 POWER PVT LTD

The solar industry in India has come a long way from the erstwhile tariff of Rs. 17/kWh to under Rs. 2/kWh now. The journey saw its share of speed-breakers, innovations, policy changes but has been, by and large, smooth, and fast-paced.

The Pandemic’s Windfall Covid-19, which has otherwise been a growth dampener, did bring the RE industry two positive impacts. One, with the Government of India’s thrust on the Make in India manufacturing policy, PLI schemes / BCD (Basic Customs Duty) on solar cells and panels are witnessing welcome policy shifts. Two, tariffs in many bids have gone below Rs. 2/kWh. Mathematically, lower tariffs and increased duties are inversely proportional to each other – this has prompted many a wise man to question the viability of the projects in the long run as it potentially means some extent of compromise on the project’s IRR (Internal Rate of Return). My counterargument is lower tariffs and increased duties also provide opportunities to be more innovative in terms of scientific temper and more realistic in terms of return management. Industry, in general, has embraced the latter option rather than the former which has set the trend for the so-called post-pandemic scenario.

Global solar markets have always been very volatile. Recent events have intensified the volatility by three counts out of which one has been resolved to some extent. These factors include -- surge in module process by almost 30% from 2020 prices; the Great Indian Bustard

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(GIB) issue w.r.t transmission lines which bring some uncertainty and exceptionally high logistic charges; the third issue of BCD has broadly been subsided but is increasingly likely to be replaced with another global issue arising out of the Ukraine–Russia war with huge ramifications on metal prices as well as EVA / Backsheet prices which are bi-products of the petroleum industry.

In addition to the above-mentioned global and policy-related factors, there has been one big technological revolution that has taken place in the solar module industry. It is the shift from traditional Poly 330w modules to Mono PERC Bifacial modules with M10/M12 wafers that will offer power to the tune of 540/630w. Modules lines in India have been going through changes to accommodate this technological advancement in addition to massive expansion both in terms of cell and module capacity. It gives IPPs like us at O2 Power a lot of space to play with and find the best manufacturing lines in India that can make the latest cutting-edge product.

02 Power has been a firm believer of the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative and has modeled all its strategies on the bedrock of the ‘Make In India’ concept.

In fact, O2 Power has been one of the first movers to opt for Mono PERC bifacial products in ongoing projects. Many peers are still content with conventional Poly /Mono PERC offerings. In the future too, embracing technologically superior products backed by a highly-skilled supply chain management team will be the key to achieving our goals, and our entire project efficiency and viability strategy will revolve around it.

Going forward, not only solar modules but engineering/technology also must work tirelessly to develop the latest robotic cleaning systems to reduce OPEX, develop low-cost trackers to increase generation with bifacial modules which eventually reduce LCOE (Levelized Cost of energy).

The next few years will be very crucial in terms of projects’ viability. Our consumption-driven economy will play a key role in getting the latest technology with the right price tag.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 33

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Established in 1942, FIMER is an Italian company, one of the largest, tier one, renewable energy equipment supplier in the world. Specializing in solar inverters and electric mobility systems and it offers a comprehensive solar solutions portfolio across all applications: residential, commercial & industrial, Utility scale. Since 2017, FIMER also develops and manufactures charging solutions for electric vehicles with a complete line of products, for any charging need. FIMER’s skills are further strengthened by its bold and agile approach that sees it consistently invest in R&D. With a presence in over 20 countries together with local training centers and manufacturing hubs, FIMER remains close to its customers and the everevolving dynamics of the energy industry. FIMER’s vision is to shape a new and powerful energy model that uses the power of the sun to drive progress and prosperity for a cleaner and sustainable world. FIMER is committed to leveraging the energy playing field to serve growing demands with clean, affordable energy which truly benefits people and places.

Global repair centers: 12 in 5 continents Active in EV charging: since 2017 R&D based in Italy, Production sites based in Italy & India.

Installed Capacity: 55GW+

FIMER’s vision is to shape a new and powerful energy model that uses the power of the sun to drive progress and prosperity for a cleaner and sustainable world.

Geographic distribution

Employees

Direct presence

Production sites

Research centers

+100 Countries

+1100

20+ Countries in 5 Continents

3

3

PRODUCT FEATURE : PVS 10/33 (10 KW TO 33 KW) Launched in 2021, FIMER’s PVS-10/33-TL comes with the most advanced digital capabilities which makes it an ideal solution for commercial and industrial (C&I) applications. It is flexible enough to fit anywhere and can be easily installed in new or existing plants to provide lower installation and maintenance costs. Some of its key features include quick installation, fast commissioning and fuse-free design, which eliminates the need for maintenance and on-site interventions. Available in outputs from 10 kW to 33 kW, the string inverters offer high power density and strong energy harvesting potential. With most advanced in-built digital capabilities PVS10/33-TL is designed for simplicity. This inverter family guarantees maximum integration with the latest PV technologies, including bifacial modules.

The fuse-free design guarantees further savings on maintenance costs and time, reducing on site interventions to a minimum. For installers, the PVS10/33-TL platforms offer key benefits, including quick installation, easy handling and maintenance and fast commissioning with FIMER’s Installer for Solar Inverters app.

For more details visit flex 10/33 or fimer.com Email : info@fimer.com

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 34

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION GoodWe is a world leader in PV inverter and energy storage solutions manufacturing. GoodWe solar inverters have been used in residential and commercial rooftops, industrial and utility scale systems and range from 0.7kW to 250kW. GoodWe has more than 3000 employees situated in 20 different countries and is regarded as the Global No.1 storage by Wood Mackenzie in 2020.

GoodWe has also ranked as one of the Top 10 inverter suppliers by IHS Markit and has achieved 6 consecutive TUV Rheinland ‘All Quality Matters’ Awards If we review the last 5 years GoodWe entered India- the country has been one of the most important markets to GoodWe. GoodWe products have been taken by famous companies like TATA Power, Sterling & Wilson, Fourth Partner, Renew, Amplus, Adani etc.

HT1500V Series 250KW Inverter – The perfect choice for UtilityScale Centralized PV Plants The new HT1500V Series (225/250kW) is GoodWe’s top inverter with an extensive list of features designed to reduce system and O&M costs. It is a perfect choice for the utilization of utility-scale centralized PV plants to maximize the return of investment. The HT1500V Series boasts options of 6 MPPTs and 12 MPPTs, power line communication 2.0, and is compatible with bifacial 182mm/210mm modules. It features string level monitoring and incorporated I-V curve diagnosis for intelligent detection of voltage and current issues. The series is also equipped with optional PID recovery function and can realize 24-hour monitoring. For GW225KN-HT & GW250KN-HT, the unique mechanism of smart string protection switch will minimalize the energy generation loss when a short circuit or reverse connection occurs. The configuration of the HT1500V can be easily done via Bluetooth, while firmware diagnosis and upgrading can be operated remotely. These outstanding sets of features were conceived to ensure the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and a utility that runs efficiently.

GoodWe has finished plethora of ambitious projects in India like: Rajkot15MW, Cochin Airport-10MW, MRPL6MW, Bosch-4MW, Simens-2MW, etc.

For more information connect with us: https://en.goodwe.com/

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 35

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION As a global leader of smart energy solutions, Growatt provides an extensive portfolio of products and solutions including PV inverters, energy storage systems, EV chargers and smart energy management solutions. The company is dedicated to becoming the world’s largest supplier of smart energy solutions.

Established in 2010, Growatt has built strong and experienced local teams in key solar markets with an extensive service network of 23 offices worldwide. The company has an advanced manufacturing plant in Huizhou, China. The facility covers an area of 200,000 square meters and has an annual output of 20GW inverters and 400,000 battery modules. To promote the use of clean energy, Growatt is committed to providing comprehensive and professional training in the technologies of solar PV, battery storage, and smart energy management.

Growatt is the second largest supplier in the world according to Wood Mackenzie. By the end of 2021, Growatt had shipped over 3.5 million inverters to more than 100 countries.

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Dedicated to technology and product innovations, Growatt invests heavily in research and development. The R&D team at Growatt has more than 400 professional engineers. Growatt has received ‘All Quality Matters’ awards

by TÜV Rheinland for its commercial and industrial (C&I) inverter - MAX series and residential storage battery – ARK series, both of which achieve first-rate performance in the organization’s PVE Test Program.

Having its strong competitive advantages in distributed solar, Growatt is the world’s No.1 residential inverter supplier according to IHS Markit. The company also ranks among the global top 5 suppliers of commercial inverters. Additionally, for storage hybrid inverters, Growatt is the second largest supplier in the world according to Wood Mackenzie. By the end of 2021, Growatt had shipped over 3.5 million inverters to more than 100 countries.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 38

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION About FusionSolar Huawei offers leading Smart PV solutions harnessing more than 30 years of expertise in digital information technology.

By integrating AI and Cloud, Huawei further incorporates many latest ICT technologies with PV for optimal power generation, thus making the solar power plant to be Highly Efficient, Safe & Reliable with Smart O&M and Grid Supporting capabilities and building the foundation for solar to become the main energy source.

For solar energy users, Huawei launched an advanced solution for C&I and Utility segment, By improving the utilization of solar power, Huawei has helped to power millions of residents and hundreds of industries globally. Huawei will continue to innovate and enable renewable energy to empower each individual, home, and organization. Taking a step ahead for India Market Huawei has started manufacturing inverters at a local facility near Chennai.

Huawei smart PV controller is used in PV plants to convert DC power to AC power and feedback to the grid. SUN2000-200KTL model is a revolutionary product for the next generation String-inverter solution, with the advantages of high yields, smart operation and maintenance, safety and reliability, and grid friendly. It adopts Huawei's patented three-level topology and advanced IGBT technology jointly innovated with the world's top IGBT module manufacturers to achieve a maximum conversion efficiency of 99%.

Integrating digital technology, and communication technology with electronic electronics technology, introducing MBUS communication to achieve fast and stable data transmission while ensuring high reliability

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of the product while ensuring high reliability of the product and high reliability. Smart IV diagnosis improves operation and maintenance efficiency by more than 50%, and the smart SDS algorithm can further improve plant yields by 1%.

Looking at the demand for solutions to match high current modules specifications, we have launched the SUN-200KTL-H3 model equipped with a Smart string level disconnector(SSLD), this feature is the first time used in the industry, and achieve a cumulative global shipment of 4GW with 6 months, highly recognized by global customers. Revolutionizing O&M, Smart IV diagnosis is playing a major role in giving long-term benefits to Investors, key technology can complete the health status inspection of 100MW PV plant module within 20 minutes by using Big data and Edge computing technology, and can determine up to 14 types of faults.

Huawei offers leading Smart PV solutions harnessing more than 30 years of expertise in digital information technology.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 39

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Kehua is the world’s leading electronics technology expert with over 34 years of experience. The renewable energy business covers PV and ESS for residential, C&I and utility. As early as 2017, with the insight of market development, Kehua began to implement the concept of PV + ESS for the Future. The cutting-edge technology and the quality system of nuclear products enable the business to develop rapidly.

No.5 World storage inverter supplier-2021 IHS Markit Top 10 solar inverter brands used in term-loan financed projects-2021 Bloomberg

The Undoubtable Dominant Role for C&I PV System Kehua 1100V series inverter SPI125K-B, with its excellent design, high DC/AC ratio and intelligent O&M, fully meets the current market demand for lower LCOE, higher yield, grid-friendly solar inverter, it becomes the undoubtedly dominant role for C&I PV system.

Lower LCOE, higher power generation revenue It perfectly matched 182/210 high-power bi-facial PV modules 1.5 times DC/AC ratio

Meeting design standards for nuclear-grade products, boasting all-round excellence Strictly selected components IP66 protection/IP68 protection of key components C5 anti-corrosion protection

The renewable energy business covers PV and ESS for residential, C&I and utility. As early as 2017, with the insight of market development, Kehua began to implement the concept of PV + ESS for the Future.

Intelligent and high-efficiency provides stability throughout the life cycle Intelligent AFCI function.

Integrating three key features “prevention, rapid troubleshooting, data analysis”, it can reduce LCOE by 1%.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 40

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Sineng Electric is a leading global high-tech enterprise specialized in power electronics products covering the business in power generation, power supply, distribution and power utilization. With advanced R&D, manufacturing, marketing, maintenance and service departments, the company offers customers a full range of solar inverters, energy storage systems and power quality control solutions.

Sineng Electric has R&D centers located in Shenzhen, Wuxi and Chengdu, China.

The company has successively established an Enterprise Technology Center, an Enterprise Academician Workstation, a Post-Doctoral Innovation Practice Base and an advanced PV Inverter Engineering Technology Research Center.

Meanwhile, Sineng Electric has established 3 manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, China, Wuzhong, China, and Bangalore, India, reaching a total of 30GW annual production capacity. The factory in Wuxi has been awarded “Green Factory” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China and has been contracted as the core supplier of inverter solutions for “Chinese Photovoltaic Top Runner Program” for 3 consecutive years.

Adhering to the philosophy of “Sincerity, Unity and Progress”, Sineng Electric has been working relentlessly to ensure state-of-the-art power electronics products and solutions. Sineng is always committed to providing the world with green energy and advanced solutions, thus leading the market of power electronics and renewable energy products.

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Adhering to the philosophy of “Sincerity, Unity and Progress”, Sineng Electric has been working relentlessly to ensure state-of-the-art power electronics products and solutions.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 41

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION SOFARSOLAR Inverters First Obtaining BIS (String +Hybrid) and Completing Market Layout in India. SOFARSOLAR focuses on the Rooftop inverter, industrial and commercial inverter, 1500V inverter, energy storage inverter, battery and intelligent energy solution of PV storage integration with the theme of PV Storage Integration and Intelligent Future”.

We are committed to ‘Build quality and Offer quality’. Focus on renewable energy has been gaining momentum across the world and India is gradually catching up in the race. As the global leader of energy storage inverters and batteries, SOFARSOLAR follows the market development trend and rapidly begins its layout in India’s energy storage market.

New versions of Inverters which are very compact in size make SOFARSOLAR different from others.

SOFARSOLAR is positioned to play an important and leading role in the Indian solar industry.

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SOFARSOLAR is focusing on building strong competitiveness in product and service development, which contributes to raising standards and helps SOFARSOLAR become a renowned inverter brand in the PV market.

New versions of Inverters which are very compact in size make SOFARSOLAR different from others. SOFARSOLAR is positioned to play an important and leading role in the Indian solar industry. As a high–tech international corporation, SOFARSOLAR is equipped with the leading technology of grid-tied inverters.

Production capacity to 10GW annually. Our range of gird tied inverters include 1KW to 6KW in single and 3KW to 250KW in three phases, Support zero export solution. 3kW power storage inverters and 3-6kW hybrid inverters in Single Phase & 5-20kW hybrid inverters in Three Phase, Li-Ion Batteries.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 42

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Solis 255K-EHV-5G Renewable industries in India have witnessing aggressive bidding, so looking at current trends and requirement moving toward higher capacity PV module and opting advance technology string inverter to maximized plant generation to achieve faster return on investments (ROI).

The new technologies adaptation either it is in PV module or solar inverter, which helps PV plant to achieve better result and many other advantages in terms of easy of design, project installation, and ease of operation and maintenances which also an added advantage with string inverter technologies S olis-255K-EHV-5G ultra-high-power inverter is designed with advanced technology and multiple features, which are helpful to maintain low LCOE along with following features.

DC overloading can do up-to 150% to maintain low LCOE and highperformance ratio at same AC BOS cost.

Higher Short circuit current 40A per MPPT is allow to use of higher watt peak and Bifacial PV Panel.

Renewable industries in India have witnessing aggressive bidding, so looking at current trends and requirement moving toward higher capacity PV module and opting advance technology string inverter to maximized plant generation to achieve faster return on investments (ROI).

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Max no. of MPPT is offering in this model (14MPPT), which is helpful to minimize the mismatch losses and increase the flexibility of string configuration.

“Q at Night” feature is available to support the reactive power compensation towards the grid.

AFCI feature is available, which is useful to protect the inverter at DC side from the series arc.

PID repairing kit is integrated in the Inverter to minimize the PID effect.

RS485 Modbus and Power Line Communication are available for data-fetching.

String monitoring and IV curve scanning feature is available to diagnose and observe each string performance.

All major components are used of Tier 1 brand to maintain the sustainability.

This model has integrated LCD display with keypads to monitor and set the parameters.

All required IECs and CEA compliance is done.

The above points does not limit the features of said Inverters.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 43

TOP INVERTER COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ltd is the world’s most bankable inverter brand with over 224 GW installed worldwide as of December 2021.

Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions.

The new market-leading SG320HX features a maximum output power of 352 kW, which redefines high-powered string inverters. It guarantees an incomparable return of investment for stakeholders while ensuring compatibility with large-format modules and tracking systems, as well as leading in safety.

The SG320HX is highly compatible with 182 mm and 210 mm largeformat high-efficiency bifacial modules with a maximum input current of 20A for each string. This allows using solar modules with power ratings of 600W and higher.

The SG320HX solution is also incorporated with both DC and AC insulation monitoring functions. Any potential insulation faults could be detected in a timely manner, facilitating on-site maintenance and operation. The strong inverter also possesses the advantages of a protection rating of IP66 and an anti-corrosion rating of C5, making it durable and stable in harsher conditions. It includes smart-forced aircooling technology; thus, allowing the inverter to operate without derating in extreme heat environments, such as deserts.

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The new market-leading SG320HX features a maximum output power of 352 kW, which redefines high-powered string inverters. It guarantees an incomparable return of investment for stakeholders while ensuring compatibility with large-format modules and tracking systems, as well as leading in safety.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 44

TOP STRUCTURE COMPANIES OF 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE

INTRODUCTION Founded in 2009, Arctech (SSE-STAR:688408) is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of intelligent solar trackers, fixed-tilt structures, and BIPV solutions for utility-scale and commercial solar projects worldwide. It was listed among the top 4 tracker suppliers by IHS Markit and Wood Mackenzie from 2017 to 2020. The company went public on China’s Nasdaq-style STAR market in 2020.

Arctech has a 6.4GW production capacity in China, 2.8GW production capacity in trial operation, and a capacity of 3GW from the Indian manufacturing base, which is set to enter operation in the first half of 2022.

The company has also partnered with global OEMs to enhance its global supply chain diversification.

Arctech has a 6.4GW production capacity in China, 2.8GW production capacity in trial operation, and a capacity of 3GW from the Indian manufacturing base, which is set to enter operation in the first half of 2022

SkyLine II

With a diversified workforce of over 1,000 employees, the company has established local offices in China, Japan, India, the U.S., Spain, Australia, UAE, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Vietnam, and Argentina.

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The company has three major product categories: solar tracking systems (2P SkySmart II and 1P SkyLine II), fixed-tilt structures including the adjustable fixed-tilt structure, fixed-tilt structures, and BIPV solutions including Smart Rooftop BIPV solution, Dual Rooftop BIPV solution, and Solar Carport solutions.

As of the end of 2020, Arctech has supplied over 32 GW of tracking and racking systems to nearly 1,100 PV plants in 40 countries. With a diversified workforce of over 1,000 employees, the company has established local offices in China, Japan, India, the U.S., Spain, Australia, UAE, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Vietnam, and Argentina.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 45

COMPANY FEATURE

At Contendre Solar, we are committed to improvement and welcome any comments you wish to share.

Contendre Solar has always believed in customer-first policy.

Every decision our organisation makes is considered according to the way it will impact our customer’s experience, even the decisions that only seem to be tangentially related to our customers. Be it the structuring of our organization for quick decision making and faster resolution to customer complaints or be it the user experience and personalized touch that we provide to our customers, everything is carefully curated for the best customer experience. With the evolution of fine-tuned products designed to solve real-world challenges, the company has a heritage of strong values. Contendre Solar puts a lot of emphasis on R&D and customer service, which in turn helps in improving our products too.

The service aspect is very critical in the Solar industry and it does not only limit to repairing or warranty claims on the products but it also includes technical support, product support, documentation support both before and after sales, dispatch and transit tracking, providing proper guidance to the customers on product usage for the best results, etc. With advancements in products and technology and supply across multiple locations around the globe with various different climatic conditions makes ‘support’ is a very crucial aspect on the product manufacturer’s side. Lack of service support on such occasions can impact the consumers severely and may lead to dissatisfaction. The importance of such support becomes much more significant when seen in the context of the current pace of developments in the Solar Sector across the globe, especially in India.

For Contendre Solar, robust service support is complementary to our best-in-class product range. In order to have a ready connection between the company representatives and customers, Contendre Solar follows a unique futarchy system in our organisational structuring in order to reduce the turnaround time and to provide flexibility to the consumers. And in order to make this system a success, we constantly keep the team updated with the latest practices and techniques and host various training programs all-round the year.

CONTENDRE SOLAR HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED IN CUSTOMER-FIRST POLICY. EVERY DECISION OUR ORGANISATION MAKES IS CONSIDERED ACCORDING TO THE WAY IT WILL IMPACT OUR CUSTOMER’S EXPERIENCE, EVEN THE DECISIONS THAT ONLY SEEM TO BE TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO OUR CUSTOMERS." Our dedication to service drives our corporate culture and prompts us to expand our operations. We hold ourselves to the highest standards, with after-sales key performance indicators after conventional regional acceptance including: Quick response time Case registration and report within 24Hrs. (for Warranty Claims) Problem-Solving within 72hrs. (for Warranty Claims) Our goal is to be as prompt as we possibly can and provide the best solution or resolution in the shortest time span possible, as we understand the importance of every minute in this business.

Following this Contendre Solar has enjoyed a momentous year in 2021-22. These strategies proved successful, with an annual year on year growth rate of more than 500% accompanied with a prestigious award Outstanding Team Performance of the Year: After Sales – Modules appreciating the same.

Maintaining this success means we cannot be complacent. At Contendre Solar, we are committed to improvement and welcome any comments you wish to share. You can reach us anytime at info@contendresolar.com. Your feedback will be very much appreciated.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 46

COMPANY FEATURE

EnerMAN is on a mission to be a global leader for Energy Monitoring & Managing Products and solutions.

EnerMAN Technologies Pvt Ltd provides innovative IOT based SCADA / Remote monitoring & control solutions for Solar PV plants.

EnerMAN was incorporated in July - 2019 and within a span of 3 years, we have achieved a remarkable milestone of monitoring a portfolio of over 1200MW (1.2GW) plus Solar PV plants In India and around the world.

From data acquisition at the site equipment level to analysis of data that provides insights to plant generation & health, EnerMAN provides end-to-end solutions to digitize and manage your PV asset.

Our vision is to “Provide Innovative Solutions to Save Energy and Reduce Carbon Footprint, digitize every PV plant” in the Renewable Space.

EnerMAN is on a mission to be a global leader for Energy Monitoring & Managing Products and solutions. Our constant efforts are to enable and provide a comprehensive, easy to use and affordable Energy Management product to customers which gives actionable insights about the solar plant.

In the first year of operations, EnerMAN did a lot of retrofit projects – replacing a few expensive SCADA systems which lacked service support and were also very expensive to maintain. Now that we have proven our technical competitiveness, we are poised to enter the global market with our affordable solutions.

Be it retrofit or new plants – EnerMAN fits in with precision.

Business Concept EnerMAN provides an end-to-end solution – Hardware, Firmware and Software systems that are developed in-house enabling us to optimize the cost without depending on third-party suppliers.

We provide all types of products and solutions to Solar PV plants/rooftops for Performance Monitoring, Controlling, Analysis and Reporting at an affordable price. Our Software product is hardware agnostic; it can work with 3rd party Data logger.

ETi-SOL is a cloud-based software product that collects data from the field IoT devices for Monitoring, Controlling, Analysis and Reporting of Solar PV plants/rooftops.

ETi- EDGE is a software product that can be installed in Local PCs/Servers at PV plants/Rooftops and can collect data from the data loggers connected to the PV Plant equipment to Monitor, Control, Analyse and Report the Solar PV plant’s performance.

ETi-PPC is a Power Plant Controller Software product that can be installed in Local PCs/Servers at PV plants/Rooftops. Interfaces with Solar plants equipment and controls active and reactive power and power output based on the set rules/SLDC guidelines.

ETi-CONNECT is a CMS Software product that can interface ETiSOL/ETi-EDGE with a third-party Plant SCADA using REST API or FTP data access. ETi-LOG is an IIoT Data logger, which collects the data through RS 485 (RTU/TCP) from PV plants’ end equipment and sends data to Local PC/Servers or to the cloud Servers through RS485 (RTU/TCP) or RF or Wi-Fi. We will ensure that there is no data loss through local storage in our ETi-LOG IoT data logger during any communication issues at the plant.

Team & Management Ashok DM & Somashekar TH co-founded EnerMAN with a highperforming team of elite members from Avi Solar with a passion to build global products.

Our team comes with a rich experience and proficiency in developing products for Networking, Telecom and semiconductors in various MNCs. We as a team with intrinsic knowledge, technical know-how and strong processes have built the most reliable EnerMAN monitoring solutions with global standards.

Our Product Development team is adroit with real-time and hands-on experience by visiting the Solar PV plants on the data acquisition methodology at the plants.

Customers & Projects Our projects scale from Rooftops to large Utility PV plants with diversified clientele. Our Customers are the Solar PV industry leaders with whom we are proud to associate with BHEL, Focal Energy, LNB Renewables, Hinduja Renewables, Atria Power, AMP energy, Cleantech Solar, Fourth Partner Energy, SIMCON & Think Energy. Vikram Solar, Madhav Corp, Kushal Power Nepal, Mahawa Solar (SriLanka), Distributed Energy, Rwanda.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 47

COMPANY FEATURE

FIMER today is a company that is 100 percent involved in sustainability and committed to Innovation and Customer centricity FIMER is a global leader in Solar Inverter Technology for solar systems and E-mobility solutions.With one of the broadest portfolios of solar and storage solutions for all solar applications, we shape the future of renewable energy. For us investing and working in the solar and e-mobility sectors is a strategic choice for building a better world to leave to future generations. We are committed to leveraging the energy playing field to serve growing demands with clean, affordable energy which truly benefits people and places.

FIMER is proudly “Made in Italy” with its headquarters based out of Italy. At FIMER, commitment to sustainability is our mission. We are working at zero impact headquarters in Vimercate (Italy), with an installation of 1MW systems, highly sustainable materials and the best technologies in the field of geothermal energy have been our practice so far.

Global inverter installed base: 55GW+ Global repair centers: 12 in 5 continents Active in EV charging: since 2017, over 54,000+ charging stations installed globally Production, R&D sites based out of Italy & India.

Vision Our vision is to shape a new and powerful energy model that uses the power of the sun to drive progress and prosperity for a cleaner and sustainable world.

Mission As a global leader in solar inverter technology, we have the energy to make positive change happen.

We are committed to leveraging the energy playing field to serve growing demands with clean, affordable energy which truly benefits people and places.

Business Goals & objectives Geographic distribution

Employees

Direct presence

+100 Countries

+1100

20+ Countries in 5 Continents

Production sites

Research centers

3

3

A History of Growth The evolution of our brand reflects a history of growth. Ambition for continuous growth, passion for innovation, and foresight is part of our tradition and so the small business founded in 1942 has become a leading global company in a future-oriented business.

In 2020 our identity has been significantly renewed, in line with an extraordinary moment of transformation.

Our DNA and our values are the same, but with the acquisition of ABB’s solar inverter business, FIMER has evolved into a new dimension and celebrates this occasion with a new visual brand appearance.

FIMER is the right partner, with advanced solar and EVC solutions that can help drive your business forward. The powerful combination of agility and experience allows you to expand your offering and deliver bigger and better solar installations. With a high future focus on investment in R&D, service experience and company brand recognition, FIMER, as a European brand, will take a leading role in the solar inverter business and will help you make your business more successful and profitable.

FIMER today is a company that is 100 percent involved in sustainability and committed to Innovation and Customer centricity. We are now a strong player in the energy transition market with an ambition to come the solar sector’s technology leader. With our work, we want to enable our customers to successfully provide a greener and smarter energy solutions leading the way. We work every day to improve our solutions, providing customer support and developing new technologies that respond better and better to the challenges of the future. Thanks to the continuous evolution of our offer, our inverters guarantee such high yields that they produce more energy than the market average.

Preserving our leading position in the market, with an innovative approach, we offer highly reliable solutions, thanks to the continuous technological development of our portfolio carried out in R&D centers.

We place customers at the heart of our day-today work creating a unique collaborative relationship with unrivaled post-sales assistance.

In the e-mobility sector, our research and development activities assure cutting-edge technologies to offer reliable and innovative solutions, that meet the growing needs of the market.

We are shaking up the future of mobility, leading the way to a New Electric Era. In general, we will see a strong distinction between distributed energy and the centralized model and storage will be one of the stronger players in the market in the next year or so.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 48

A History of Growth

AC and DC) for residential and commercial and public applications: FIMER FLEXA and FIMER ELECTRA.

Business Concept FIMER has one of the widest portfolios of solar inverters ranging from single and three-phase string inverters up to megawatt-sized central inverters, to meet the needs of any PV application.The offering is complemented by a series of AC and DC EV charging stations and advanced monitoring solutions Our solutions are suitable for the following applications:

Residential: Product offering includes UNO- DM-PlusQ String Inverter and REACT2 (Hybrid inverter PV+ Storage ). A special 10year warranty is available in selected regions.

1. Usually projects below 10kW 2. All about rooftop, typically single phase, one or very few inverters 3. High value to connectivity, user-friendly Commercial: Product offering includes PVS 10/33-TL, PVS 50/60-TL, PVS 100/120-TL string inverters. The offering includes a powerful line of three-phase string inverters for photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in C&I applications, as well as a series of AC and DC EV chargers. The products guarantee high total efficiency and reliability while optimizing the total cost of ownership in PV projects.The solutions are complemented by a series of cloud-based advanced communication services which simplify the integration in smart environments.

1. Between 10 to 5000kW 2. C&I roofs, all three phases, some or many inverters 3. Flexibility, compactness and performances the keys Utility: Product offering includes PVS 175-TL and PVS-350-TL in String inverter. In Central inverter available PVS980-58 up to 5MVA and PVS -980-Cs upto 5MVA (with skid solution). FIMER’s offering for utility-scale applications includes best-in-class indoor and outdoor central inverters supplemented with stations for indoor inverters as well as medium voltage stations suitable for a variety of site conditions and local requirements.

1. Above 5000kW 2. Massively ground-mounted 3. From LV to MV, always big and many units 4. $/W, performances and O&M on top

FIMER has launched a new, upgraded aftersales portfolio for installers, providing an industry-leading service package for its range of solutions across the utility-scale, C&I and residential markets.

New features include faster customer response and turnaround times, 24-hour shipment of parts, and full technical support for any retrofit, upgrades or on-site repairs.

FIMER is also introducing a new easy-to-use online ticketing system to make the process as simple and streamlined as possible, as well as offering installers the opportunity for online and on-site training, extended warranties, and a full post-service survey to ensure all of the project‘s objectives have been fulfilled.

Team & Management FIMER headquarters are based out of Vimercate, Italy. The organization is headed by Filippo Carzaniga, Operative Director.

India operations are headed by KN Sreevatsa, Country Managing Director, based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Customers & Projects FIMER has an installed base of > 55GW+ worldwide, spread across 100 countries, From powering India’s biggest 750MW Solar REWA park to electrifying over 400 villas in Dubai, from solarizing airports in Africa to powering up energy projects in cold regions like Antarctica and Finland; from brining in easy access to energy in smaller countries like Nepal to revolutionizing entertainment places like breweries in Australia--FIMER has touched the lives of a billion people across the world!

Microgrids: product offering MGS100, Suitable for On/Off-grid projects 1. From kw up to MW 2. Rural installations primarily in Emerging countries E-mobility. Over 54,000+ EV charging stations are installed worldwide. We have developed two lines of charging stations (both

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 49

COMPANY FEATURE

LONGi leads the solar PV industry to new heights with product innovations and optimized LCOE with breakthrough monocrystalline technologies.

LONGi, founded in 2000, is a world-leading solar technology company.

The company has had a long-term, unswerving commitment to monocrystalline technology. LONGi has more than 60,000 employees, 30 branches, and 15 manufacturing bases around the world.

LONGi produces monocrystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules, delivering solutions for distributed and ground mount power station systems, promoting the development of the global PV industry and driving energy transformation. On March 31, 2021, LONGi established the Hydrogen BU, promoting hydrogen energy industrialization.

Business branches have been set up in countries including the USA, Japan, Germany, India, Australia, UAE and Thailand etc. with its business covering more than 150 countries.

In 2020, LONGi’s annual production capacity was 85 GW for wafers and 50 GW for modules. In 2021, LONGi plans to increase the capacity for wafers and modules to 105 GW and 65 GW.

Hi-MO N, Propelling the Transformation with N-type Energy HPC cell technology Optimal module size Smart soldering without cracks

Business Competitiveness The World Leading Mono Silicon Wafer Manufacturer. LONGi took the industry lead in standardizing wafer size and achieving 100% diamond wire cutting of mono silicon wafer Leading Capacity and Shipment. In 2020, LONGi became the 1st solar technology company to ship more than 20GW of modules in one year.

LONGi Innovation set up the Benchmark For The Entire Industry LONGi Lifecycle QualityRuns Through Every Stage

In 2020, LONGi ranked first in terms of the shipment of both wafers and modules. The annual shipment was 58.15GW for monocrystalline wafers and 24.53 GW for modules, and the global market share of modules is 19% in the year.

Vision: The World's Most Valuable Solar Technology Company

Mission: Utilizing Solar Energy Powering into Green World LONGi leads the solar PV industry to new heights with product innovations and optimized LCOE with breakthrough monocrystalline technologies. LONGi is recognized as the world's leading solar technology company with the highest market value. Innovation and sustainable development are two of LONGi’s core values.

Company’s Products & Services LONGi Hi-MO series modules, Unlock More Application Scenarios.

Hi-MO4, Higher Power, Lower LCOE Backside power generation gain Good electrical performance under shaded conditions Resistant to hot spots Optimized for high temperature and high radiation environments

Hi-MO 4m, Maximize Power Density and Flexibility M6 gallium doped silicon wafer Standard size, flexible applications Symmetric design, aesthetic outlook

Hi-MO 5, Delivering True Value M10 wafer with gallium-doped technology P-mono PERC cell technology Half-cut cell with multi-busbars

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SPECIFICALLY, LONGI HAS INTRODUCED SEVERAL ADVANCED DIGITAL MANAGEMENT PLATFORMS THAT ARE PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS, MAKING THE IMPLEMENTATION AND TRACEABILITY OF MANAGEMENT STANDARDS MORE EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT."

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 50

Quality Policy Of The Company: Reliable manufacturing: comprehensive quality control ensuring lean manufacturing Quality control systems, including ISO9001, ISO45001, ISO14000 and IEC TS 62941, are observed to comprehensively control LONGi’s manufacturing quality. The company has also established a comprehensive quality control system covering raw material control, manufacturing process and end-product reliability monitoring.

Specifically, LONGi has introduced several advanced digital management platforms that are present throughout the whole quality control process, making the implementation and traceability of management standards more efficient and transparent. With LONGi module factories being based around the world, the process has allowed consistent control of materials, quality and testing standards to ensure that all modules are manufactured to the same standard and quality, regardless of location.

In LONGi's automated and intelligent workshops, by delicacy management, there are 22 manufacturing procedures, 153 items under quality inspection to ensure standardization of the production process, ensuring that every module produced by the company is of the same excellent quality.

LONGI IS RECOGNIZED AS THE WORLD'S LEADING SOLAR TECHNOLOGY COMPANY WITH THE HIGHEST MARKET VALUE. INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ARE TWO OF LONGI’S CORE VALUES."

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Service Pledge: During SNEC 2021, LONGi launched LONGi Lifecycle Quality, the first such standard for the solar PV industry, aiming to provide global customers with access to the highest levels of quality and reliability throughout the lifecycle of the company’s product portfolio. From module design, through mass production to post-sales support, LONGi adheres to its core concept of 'Customer Value First' and ensures that quality practices are incorporated at every stage of production and application.

More details refers lifecycle-20210720/

to:

https://www.longi.com/en/news/longi-

We have about 20 people supporting India & Srilanka Business and which is headed by Managing Director – Mr. Pradeepkumar M.

Customers & Projects.

All major developers including Adani, Renew, Tata Power Solar, Juniper, Amplus, Hero Future energies, Azure Power, Mahindra Susten, Fourth partner, Dexler Energy, Harsha Abakus, Gensol, and other leading C&I and Roof top customer for their group captive projects.

Many of Bifacial module based projects with leading and largest Indian Developers and EPCs.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 51

COMPANY FEATURE

RP Infra Services – The Next Generation Contingent Workforce For Your Solar Projects Introduction

Business Goals & Objectives:

Based in Chennai, RP Infra Services (RPIS) is a boutique solar staffing company serving the bay area since 2018. Set up by Mr. Ramesh Kathiresan it is run by an all-women team.

RPIS has been immensely successful in creating a global network of a highly adept and smart workforce that can help a company achieve its mission-critical projects and goals. Keeping pace with projects and being on the lookout for extremely talented individuals has become ever more challenging. Here is where RP Infra Services comes into play to bring the best-suited talent for your company d. Business Strategy: Project Resource Curve Compatibility: Distribution of resource units according to the requirement at apt stages of the project from start till end.

RPIS focuses on providing an exclusive and high-quality solar contingent workforce- PAN India. We focus on serving the needs of clients, bringing the finest professional staffing in the areas of Construction Engineers, Project Executors, the labour workforce and so on, the best in the renewable industry.

We take care of PF, ESI, Professional tax and all other Government Statutory. We Train and conduct induction programs for all staff before joining the company which helps in getting on to their job from the first day.

With us, you can Hire 2X Faster Hire Experienced Best Solar Talent Hire on Project Based Deputation Training PAN India Presence

Vision Statement:

Resource Surge /Peak Assistance: Sudden increase in resource demand will be dealt with utmost care.

Cost-efficient Solutions: Since RPIS takes care of the employee’s salary and other backend processes the client can enjoy cost-efficiency Wide Resource Spectrum: Wide Array of resources from an internal database and other platforms.

Company’s Products & Services Contract Hires One Time Placements Temp to permanent Freelancers

Business Competitiveness

RPIS aspires to become India’s leading hub of manpower sourcing in the renewable energy sector.

Mission Statement: Empowering solar projects across India with the finest workforce at the right time with efficient recruitment solutions

RPIS has a highly skilled set of talents.

Our recruiters are skilled in identifying top talent and matching them with the client’s needs.

The Contract renewal rate for our consultant is 90%.

60% of our consultants are converted to full-time employees.

Deputation Training PAN India Presence

Quality Policy Of The Company: ISO 9001:2015 Certified & AIAO- BAR Accredited.

Service Pledge Consultative Approach Ready to Go On Payroll Staff Sourcing and Training Consistent Service Performance Improvement Plan On Ground Problem Solvers

Customers & Projects Our Clientele includes esteemed customers like L&T, Juniper Green Energy, Kanoda Energy, Game Change Solar, Solar Square amongst many others.

Ambitious projects We are proud to supply manpower to more than 750 + MW solar and wind projects.

RPIS ASPIRES TO BECOME INDIA’S LEADING HUB OF MANPOWER SOURCING IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR."

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 52

COMPANY FEATURE

Sungrow India has now completed more than 13 GW shipments in India. It has been supplying inverters from Indian factories to various markets including India, the Middle East and other overseas markets to cater to the demands.

Sungrow is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 224 GW installed worldwide as of December 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries.

Sungrow has also a 10 GW manufacturing unit which is the largest in the PV Inverter segment here in India. Sungrow India has now completed more than 13 GW shipments in India. It has been supplying inverters from Indian factories to various markets including India, the Middle East and other overseas markets to cater to the demands.

WITH A STRONG 25-YEAR TRACK RECORD IN THE PV SPACE, SUNGROW PRODUCTS POWER INSTALLATIONS IN OVER 150 COUNTRIES." Offering a wide range of solutions and services, Sungrow is committed to providing clean power for all and is steadfast in its efforts to become the global leader of clean power conversion technology After 16 years of growth, Sungrow is on the path to becoming the world leader in the supply of ESS equipment and integrated system solutions, with zero security incidents. Last year, Sungrow shipped 3 GWh ESS worldwide, ranging from islands and high altitude plateaus to ports and residential installations.

Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 53

COMPANY FEATURE

Trina Solar - The Shining Star Of The Global Solar Industry Trina Solar, which was founded in 1997, is the world-leading PV and smart energy total solutions provider. The company engages in PV products R&D, manufacture and sales; PV projects development, EPC, O&M, smart micro-grid, and multi-energy complementary systems development and sales, as well as energy cloud-platform operation.

The company promotes global sustainable development, for which it delivers PV products, applications, and services. In 2018, Trina Solar first launched the Energy IoT brand and is now aiming to be a global leader in smart energy. As of June 30 2021, Trina Solar delivered more than 77 GW of solar modules worldwide and ranked on the list of "Top 500 Private Enterprises in China”. In addition, Trina's downstream business includes solar PV project development, financing, design, construction, operations and management, and one-stop system integration solutions for customers. Trina Solar has connected over 5.5GW of solar power plants to the grid worldwide.

The year 2021 has been a very successful one at Trina Solar with some remarkable and noteworthy achievements.

The amalgamation of operating excellence with innovation: Trina Solar has set a total of 22 world records in terms of photovoltaic (PV) cell conversion efficiency and module output power. The company achieved a historical breakthrough by winning the "State Technological Invention Award" for its "Key Technology and Application of High-efficiency and Low-cost Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Surface Interface Manufacturing" program. The highlight is that this award is the first state science and technology award won by China's PV industry.

Extraordinary shipments and worldwide applications of Trina Solar’s modules: Trina Solar has put its best foot forward and expedited China’s progress towards achieving national carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. Within China itself, the company has made shipments of 210 mm 670 W Vertex ultra-high power modules with the special train “Vertex 670”, the first of its kind, to help develop large wind power and PV bases in China. The company launched the “Zero-Carbon Wharf” Demonstration Project for the Expo 2025 Osaka, the world’s largest inland floating power plant project in Singapore, and administered Trina Solar technology across rooftops in different countries like Belgium, India, Sri Lanka, and many others, thus winning accolades from various country heads!

Establishing further advancements through comprehensive strategic cooperation agreements: Trina Solar has signed multiple comprehensive strategic cooperation agreements with many leading partners in the industry. The company has accomplished win-win results by signing such agreements with companies like Sinopec, Maersk, COSCO Shipping, and CET (China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Co., Ltd.), to name a few. Trina Solar truly believes that together with its industry chain partners, the company can make its commitment stronger towards achieving carbon neutrality. These agreements clearly indicate that each party’s strengths can be leveraged towards progressing and reconstructing new business and building a new ecology with a model where competition and cooperation can coexist and prosper!

Forward is the way to go: Other initiatives taken by Trina Solar are: 1. The company joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to contribute towards limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

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1.

2. The company worked selflessly and assisted the flood-affected 1. gareas in Henan, China.

2. f 3. The company jointly launched the Global Sustainable Energy Alliance to establish a new model of sustainable development, to promote China’s progress in building a PV-empowered moderately prosperous society in all respects, and to build a global home with PV solutions.

In the year 2021, Trina Solar has been awarded as bankable by all survey respondents in the 2021 PV Module and Inverter Bankability report issued by BloombergNEF. With the release of this report, Trina Solar is now the only module manufacturer to be rated as bankable for six consecutive years by 100% of the industry respondents participating in the annual BloombergNEF survey.

The BloombergNEF report has researched Trina Solar’s financial health, a record of its modules in the field, and manufacturer warranties while awarding the company. The BloombergNEF 2021 Module and Inverter Bankability Report also cited the annual photovoltaic module reliability scorecard report issued by the internationally authoritative certification body PV Evolution Labs. The PVEL report affirmed the outstanding performance of Trina Solar’s modules in terms of reliability and power generation capacity. The 2021 scorecard marked the 7th consecutive recognition for Trina as "Top Performer" among global module manufacturers.

In 2022, Trina Solar will be celebrating its 25th year of entrepreneurship and will endeavor to move forward by continuing to build a world-class leading enterprise that integrates solar energy, energy storage, hydrogen energy, and intelligent energy internet to create a world of carbon-free new energy.

For more information, please visit www.trinasolar.com.

Vision Leading global energy transformation with standardized and highvalue PV smart energy solutions

Mission: Solar energy for all

Business Goals & Objectives: Trina Solar believes in constant innovation and always strives to push the PV industry forward by creating greater grid parity of PV power and popularizing renewable energy. The company’s mission and aim are to boost global renewable energy development around the world for the benefit of all of humanity.

Business Strategy: Trina Solar has always adhered to the six strategies of Innovation, Branding, Globalization, Platformization, Intellectualization, and Industry-Finance Synergy, leading development in terms of innovation level, economic benefits, product quality, and environmental safety.

With its outstanding technological innovation capability and leading globalization level, it has accumulated excellent brand reputation and public praise and won numerous domestic and international awards.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 54

Company’s Products & Services: As a global leading provider for PV modules and smart energy solutions, Trina Solar delivers PV products, applications, and services to promote global sustainable development.

Ultra-high power modules significantly reduce project costs Trina’s Vertex module series, using 210 mm silicon wafers, boasts high power, high efficiency, high reliability, and high power generation. The modules can be used in any setting, such as residential or industrial and commercial rooftops, or large-scale power stations. Whether in terms of the supply chain at the manufacturing end, inverter and tracker compatibility at the system’s end, or even in terms of customer value aspects such as BOS or LCOE performance, Trina’s Vertex series of ultra-high-power modules is ahead of the game: the non-destructive cutting + high-density interconnection + MBB(multi-Bus bar) combination forms a high-efficiency, high-reliability foundation, while low voltage and high string power boost single-string power by over 40%. With clear product value and hugely reduced BOS costs, customers get greater value, and our 600W+ ultra-high-power modules come with mature technical specifications and industry approval. The production capacity of 210 mm Vertex modules is expected to exceed 40 GW in 2021.

High-reliability tracker system solutions TrinaTracker is Trina Solar’s tracker brand, which offers four key advantages—high reliability, low O&M costs, greater yield, and unified module-tracker channels, contributing to the core component of our smart energy integrated solutions. Globally, PV power generation is currently in the final mile towards grid parity. TrinaTracker's Vanguard 600W+ series trackers perfectly match the mainstream 210 ultra-highpower modules up to 600W+ and 550W, massively increasing the energy yield, reducing LCOE, and improving the returns of the PV power station. TrinaTracker's global installation has now exceeded 5 GW with production capacity up to 7 GW in 2021.

Utility projects & EPCM Trina Solar has been positioned as a world-leading provider of integrated smart PV energy solutions, and it continues to strengthen

our business systems, especially core products such as PV cells and modules; Trina Solar is also furthering the expansion of integrated solutions toward the whole PV system, in order to provide higherquality services to end-users. Following two decades of hard work, Trina Solar is now a leading global developer of PV power station projects, offering customers one-stop system-integrated solutions comprising development, financing, design, works, and O&M. As of December 2020, the company’s global projects had a cumulative ongrid capacity of over 5 GW, with over 7 GW of top-quality project reserves.

Leading the energy transition through storage Trina Storage, a business unit of Trina Solar, is a global energy storage solution provider dedicated to enabling governments, corporates, societies, and communities to achieve a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable world. Using a sophisticated and advanced solution platform, Trina Storage is ready to solve today's complex renewable energy integration challenges.

As the world's leading provider of PV smart energy and energy solutions, Trina Solar is committed to accelerating the global application of smart energy to create a new world of carbon-free energy.

Business Competitiveness: In 2014, Trina Solar realized the milestone of shipping over 1GW in one quarter. The company also broke the solar cell efficiency world record 7 times that year. To date, Trina Solar’s State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology has broken 21 world records on solar cell efficiency and module power. Trina Solar continues to set industry standards and benchmarks for performance and sustainability. The company boasts of robust and rigorous R&D, which facilitates Trina Solar's rapid rate of innovation and has led to over 2000 patent applications, including over 1000 invention patents. With world records of 23.22% with n-type i-TOPCon Solar Cell on Cast-mono substrate in Nov. 2019 and aperture module efficiency of 23.03% for larger-area industrial silicon p-type modules in June 2021, Trina continues to set the standard for solar efficiency. The unmatched level of innovation and technological capabilities of Trina Solar has allowed the company to become a global leader by setting industry benchmarks for both quality and efficiency.

TRINA SOLAR’S FACTORY IN CHANGZHOU, CHINA

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 55

MR. JIFAN GAO, CHAIRMAN AND GENERAL MANAGER OF TRINA SOLAR

Quality Policy Of The Company: Photovoltaic projects rely on high quality products that stand the test of time for inputs ranging from engineering design to financing and more. Trina Solar’s products have always maintained high reliability and solid performance based on its commitment to the quality-first policy. In the company’s upstream business model, Trina Solar tightly controls quality over every step of the manufacturing process, from silicon crystallization to module deployment in the field. The company guarantees the quality of its products with an industry-leading 25-year lifetime warranty.

In its downstream business model ,Trina Solar follows strict compliance with national regulations and industry standards, including Chinese National Standards GB 50797 “Photovoltaic Power Station Design Specifications,” GB 50794 “Photovoltaic Power Plant Construction Specifications,” GBT 50866 “Design Code for Photovoltaic Power Station Connection to Power System” and GBT 19939 “Photovoltaic system Grid technology requirements,” among others. With an innovative solar design team, rigorous procurement procedures and experienced construction and operation team, Trina Solar has more than 15 years’ worth of hands-on expertise in PV project development.

Service Pledge: Trina Solar ensures the highest quality standards for its PV products across the entire supply chain. This mitigates risks and increases return on investment. Because of the company’s dedication to delivering high-quality PV products, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) named Trina Solar as a top bankable module supplier, five times in a row since 2016. Trina Solar is the only module manufacturer to be rated as fully bankable for five consecutive years by 100% of the experts participating in the BNEF survey.

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As part of Trina Solar’s commitment to quality and reliability in its own products and across the solar industry, Trina Solar has partnered with third-party testing groups, including TUV Rheinland Group, China General Certification Center, China Quality Certification Center and UL. In 2012, Trina Solar became the first solar PV company to obtain UL’s Client Test Data Program certification after undergoing a rigorous inspection and audit process. In 2017, Trina Solar received the first CQC’s witnessed Manufacturer’s Testing certification in the Solar Industry.

Ownership Structure: As a solar pioneer, Trina Solar helped change this solar industry, rapidly growing from one of the first PV enterprises in China to become a world leader in solar technology and manufacture. Trina Solar reached a milestone in 2020 when it was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Mr. Jifan Gao, Chairman and General Manager of Trina Solar, founded the company in 1997. At Trina Solar, the team is tackling the world’s energy challenges. The global community at Trina works passionately to bring smarter solar energy solutions to the world, ranging from modules to balance systems to full power plants for its partners.

Trina Solar has regional headquarters in Switzerland, United States, Japan, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. It has also set up offices and branches in Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, South Korea, India etc. It has also set up production and manufacturing bases in Thailand and Vietnam, with operations in more than 100 countries and regions. The company is committed to working with installers, distributors, utilities and project developers worldwide to build a sustainable solar energy industry, constantly leading the industry in technological innovation, product quality, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility, bringing clean and reliable solar clean energy to households and to commercial and large public facilities.

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 56

COMPANY FEATURE

Sineng Electric is pledged to the concept of market oriented and innovation driven product development.

Sineng Electric Co., Ltd. (stock code: 300827) is a leading global hightech enterprise specialized in power electronic products R&D, manufacturing, marketing and maintenance, covering its business in PV inverter, energy storage system, power quality control, plant development and other fields, committed to promoting the construction of a cleaner, safer and better future on the basis of cutting-edge green technology solutions.

Sineng Electric is pledged to the concept of market oriented and innovation driven product development. With comprehensive construction of the production, education and research system, now the company has 3 R&D centers in Shenzhen, Wuxi and Chengdu, China, as well as 3 manufacturing facilities in Wuxi, China, Wuzhong, China, and Bangalore, India, reaching a total of 30GW annual production capacity. Meanwhile, Sineng Electric has successively established a CNAS National Laboratory, an Enterprise Academician Workstation and a Post-Doctoral Research Workstation.

Over the years, Sineng Electric has always been adhering to Endless Energy for Limitless Green, deeply engaged in power electronics energy conversion and control, empowering global sustainable development with innovative technologies, excellent products and solutions. In the field of PV, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario power generation solutions, covering 8kW~6800kW central, string and central distributed inverters, which are widely adopted in ground mounted, water mounted, complex terrain, C&I rooftop and residential projects to meet the diverse demands of customers. In the field of energy storage, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario ESS solutions, including 1000V/1500V central and string PCS as well as system integration products, applicable to multiple scenarios such as power generation side, power grid side, user side and micro-grid. In the field of power quality control, Sineng Electric provides all-scenario power quality management solutions, including a full range of active power filters, static var generators, smart power quality correction devices and other products, which are employed in various industries like communications, medical, rail transit, petroleum and petrochemical, metallurgy, tobacco, etc.

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Adhering to the philosophy of “Sincerity, Unity and Progress”, Sineng Electric has been working relentlessly to ensure state-of-the-art power electronics products and solutions. Being a product-focused company, Sineng Electric is always committed to providing the world with green energy and advanced power electronics products, thus leading the market of power electronics and renewable energy products.

Centered around enhancing customer values, Sineng Electric insists on product and technology innovation, constantly improving the internationalization strategy. With the business covering Asia-pacific, Middle East, South America, Europe and other markets, Sineng Electric plays an active role in global competition, striving to build a world-class green technology enterprise and make more contributions towards a better earth.

IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY STORAGE, SINENG ELECTRIC PROVIDES ALL-SCENARIO ESS SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING 1000V/1500V CENTRAL AND STRING PCS AS WELL AS SYSTEM INTEGRATION PRODUCTS, APPLICABLE TO MULTIPLE SCENARIOS SUCH AS POWER GENERATION SIDE, POWER GRID SIDE, USER SIDE AND MICRO-GRID."

FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 57

PRODUCT FEATURE

LONGi's smart soldering’ technology uses integrated segmented ribbons.

LONGi closely monitors PV industry technology trends and market demand, taking customer value as the overriding criterion. The company actively carries out research into and development of innovations, patent applications and process improvements, while promoting product quality optimization and continuous cost reduction, all with a view to accelerating the development of new efficient product technologies in order to maintain its technology leadership position.

Mono PERC Technology. LONGi’s commitment to the promotion of mono PERC technology successfully opened the door to the PV 3.0 era. Since then, the industry trend has undergone significant change, with monocrystalline now dominating with a market share of 90%. It also promoted the industrialization application of mono PERC technology, rapidly improved product efficiency, greatly reduced LCOE. The shipment of mono PERC modules has been the TOP1 for many years.

Gallium-doped Technology. Compared with the boron-doped option, PERC cells adopting gallium-doped silicon wafers have improved efficiency and performance in anti-LID and LeTID, reducing investment in process and equipment.

LONGi promotes the benefit of gallium-doped wafers to the whole industry, contributing to a reduction in degradation.

Smart Soldering. LONGi's smart soldering’ technology uses integrated segmented ribbons. The triangular section maximizes light capture, while the flat section connects cells with a reduced gap. Smart soldering technology reduces the tensile stress of the cell, enabling higher efficiency, reliability.

Diamond Wire Cutting of Mono Silicon. In 2015, LONGi took the industry lead in achieving 100% diamond wire cutting of mono silicon, increasing cutting speed by 90% and saving the industry over $4 billion each year, the monetary equivalent of the annual construction of 5 Beijing Olympic Stadiums and National Aquatic Centers.

accepted by global customers. Until now, over 20GW bifacial modules have been shipped to global customers. Bifacial modules account for 30-40% of the global market share now. A bifacial module can utilize the backside light and generate more power and the double glass structure is more reliable, thus can deliver more value to our customers. We can see this year more and more Indian customers begin to choose bifacial modules.

Another key innovation is LONGi’s Hi-MO 5 based on M10(182mm) wafer, which also got the 2021 Intersolar award. It is also powerful evidence of technology innovation. Hi-MO5 adopts unique smart soldering technology, which can increase module efficiency by 0.3% and also reduce the stress applied on the cells resulting in better reliability. Over the past few years, we have seen a rapid advancement in technology. I think this trend will continue for the next few years and as the technology improves we will see higher reliability and efficiency.

We are constantly working on new technologies such as P and Ntype, mono HIT, BIPV solutions etc – we believe our job is to bring the best product which can be produced on a large scale to satisfy our customer’s needs.

Hi MO5 Series – Mono facial and Bifacial with Power bin from 530 Wp to 545Wp. In terms of technology innovations, LONGi's technological innovation will quickly be transformed to mass production and be promoted and applied on the consumer side, promoting the continuous reduction of the cost of PV power. From the monocrystalline technology, PERC cell, Bifacial PERC, Half-cut, M6 standard wafer and M10 ultimate size, we all did a great contribution to the PV industry by improving the quality and reliability of solar PV systems. For example, Diamond-wire slicing was introduced into mass production to the PV industry by LONGi, which saved almost 4 billion dollars every year in the PV industry.

It can increase production capacity significantly and also reduce the wafer manufacturing cost. Also, LONGi’s bifacial module has been well

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PRODUCT FEATURE

Maximize ROI With Solarium Jasper 540wp Mono Perc Module Exclusively Available With Krannich Think about photovoltaics, and you usually think of a roof covered with solar panels. These products are still central to Krannich's product portfolio. But there’s more. Krannich has always supplied the full range of products for realising PV projects. We offer a wide range of revolutionary products that conform to the highest global standards and carry a host of national and international quality certifications. Their services involve far more than simply shipping products. They enable the customers to rely on outstanding availability and prompt provision. Along with PV distribution, they provide technical support in project design and development and give training sessions to EPCs. Solarium Jasper 540Wp 144 Cell Mono PERC Multi Bus-bar Half Cut Module Technologies have been rapidly evolving in solar with manufacturers aiming at the high Watt peak, higher efficiency modules. In order to bring the technology to India after rigorous R&D, Solarium launched Jasper 530 – 550W module, which is a new addition to the Krannich portfolio.

Durability and quality check The modules are tested against various durability tests and certified for IS, IEC, PID and Salt Mist corrosion. It is also built to withstand mechanical loads up to 5400 Pa. Also, the 100% EL testing before and after the lamination gives 100% reliability on the product.

Benefitted Customer segment The product is the perfect fit for commercial and industrial projects as it generates high power and reduces the BOS cost. By using Solarium 540Wp one can efficiently maximize the ROI of the plant.

The first shipment is expected to be available by the mid of 2022.

Contact your Krannich representative today or drop your inquiry at info@in.krannich-solar.com.

Cutting Edge cell technology with state of art design The i module is manufactured with the latest Mono PERC technology that enables up to 20% more power output per square meter resulting in a larger capacity in smaller space.

The module incorporates half-cut cells and multi-busbar technology, reducing the resistive loss and shading loss due to two independent section designs. This helps to decreases the risk of Hot Spot and improve module reliability by achieving a maximum power output of 550Wp at 21.30 % maximum efficiency.

It provides the system voltage of 1500V reducing the overall project BOS cost and lowering LCOE(Levelized Cost of Electricity) generating a shorter Payback Period.

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THE MODULE INCORPORATES HALF-CUT CELLS AND MULTI-BUSBAR TECHNOLOGY, REDUCING THE RESISTIVE LOSS AND SHADING LOSS DUE TO TWO INDEPENDENT SECTION DESIGNS."

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PRODUCT FEATURE

Avi Solar Energy Pvt Ltd is a leading O&M service provider for Solar PV power plants with cumulative experience of more than 3GW, providing O&M services across India for both ground-mounted and rooftop solar PV power plants.

Solar Asset Management System Solar Asset Management ( SAM ) can be defined as the pro-active management of Technical, Commercial and Financial activities (over and above site level core O&M activities) to ensure the optimal performance of a solar PV plant or portfolio of plants.

SAM services become very important to bring down the operational cost, increase generation and overall operational efficiency.

Avi Solar Energy is developing its own proprietary asset operating system which will help to encompass all the technical, commercial and financial functions of the solar power plants.

Major activities of our Technical, Commercial and Financial Asset Management services are explained below.

Technical Asset management (TAM) Services The Technical Asset Management team (TAM) is responsible for improving the generation, availability, safety and integrity of the site.

The technical AM team monitors the site/s on a continuous basis using the proprietary asset operating system which through its Machine learning algorithms detects and reports the defects/underperformance to the site O&M team for rectification.

Through this tool, preventive maintenance plans are reviewed on regular basis to improve the availability of the equipment.

TAM is also responsible to manage the safety at the site. The safety practices of the site are regularly reviewed, improved and optimized, with intelligence developed over time.

Looking at the performance and site practices, the technical AM team also suggests operational or Capex improvements.

The major work of the technical asset management team can be summarised as follow: O&M Management Budgeting i Spares Management Reporting EHS

Commercial Asset management (CAM) Services Commercial and contract management is an integrated part of Commercial asset management services (CAM) and covers end-toend services for managing commercial activities of the Solar power plant. CAM identifies and manages all the commercial & contracting functionalities, applicable statutory & compliances along with revenue management, while also, developing and implementing processes and standards to deliver the outcome.

The purpose of CAM is to ensure compliance at all times and minimize/eliminate operational risks and shocks.

The core activities covered under commercial asset management are (“including but not limited to”) revenue management, contract management, vendor management, risk management, third-party stakeholder/ government interface, Insurance & warranty management, CSR / CDP / ESG management and Local ROW. Commercial asset management overlaps with technical & finance asset management supporting pre/post-service activities. CAM, acts and performs the entire commercial operation function and acts as dedicated owner and operator of the solar plant/portfolio, leaving the asset owner free from maintaining any separate team.

Scope of Commercial asset management (Including but not limited to the following): Revenue Management Contract Management Third-Party / Government Interface Insurance Management CSR / ESG Management Our objective here is not merely taking care of the commercial operations of the solar plant, we are required to provide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the CXO Dashboards for better and informed decision making and precise information on the performance of the solar plant.

CAM IDENTIFIES AND MANAGES ALL THE COMMERCIAL & CONTRACTING FUNCTIONALITIES, APPLICABLE STATUTORY & COMPLIANCES ALONG WITH REVENUE MANAGEMENT, WHILE ALSO, DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING PROCESSES AND STANDARDS TO DELIVER THE OUTCOME."

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i

Finance Asset management (FAM) Services Finance Asset management (FAM) services encompass end-toend financial management of the Solar Plant/portfolio. With the knowledge of the entire project life cycle and the business modeling, FAM identifies and manages all finance and accounting activities and applicable statutory compliances and implement fine processes and standards to deliver the same.

From the accounting and day-to-day bookkeeping, and up to the preparation of period financial statements, assistance with lenders and refinancing, and audit support, FAM team performs the entire finance, control and accounting operations of solar power plant/portfolio leaving the asset owner free from maintaining any separate finance team.

Avi Solar Energy Pvt Limited is an ISO9001 Company founded in 2010 with its headquarters in Bangalore with a vision to contribute to the environment and society by harvesting energy from sunlight.

Avi Solar Energy Pvt Ltd is a leading O&M service provider for Solar PV power plants with cumulative experience of more than 3GW providing O&M services across India for both groundmounted and rooftop solar PV power plants.

For more details please contact sales@avisolar.com

Our objective here is not merely taking care of the finance operations of a solar plant but to give the investors prompt and precise information on the performance of the solar plant; provide Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and the CFO Dashboards for better and informed decision making.

The scope of the Asset Management Service for finance includes but is not limited to the following: Invoicing and Receivables Management Vendor Management Finance and Accounting Lender Management Budgets and Budgetary Control Financial Reporting Tax Compliances Secretarial Compliances Payroll Management

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PRODUCT FEATURE

PRODUCT FEATURE: TRINA TRACKER VANGUARD 2P

Introduction:

Featured Product: Vanguard 2P

Trina Solar, founded in 1997, is the world-leading PV and smart energy total solutions provider. The company engages in PV products R&D, manufacture and sales; PV projects development, EPC, O&M, smart micro-grid, and multi-energy complementary systems development and sales, as well as energy cloud-platform operation. As of June 30, 2021, Trina Solar delivered more than 80 GW of solar modules worldwide and ranked on the list of "Top 500 Private Enterprises in China”. In addition, Trina's downstream business includes solar PV project development, financing, design, construction, operations and management, and one-stop system integration solutions for customers. Trina Solar has connected over 5.5GW of solar power plants to the grid worldwide.

About TrinaTracker TrinaTracker specializes in the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of fixed tilts and solar trackers.

With more than 5 GW developed worldwide, the company has offices on the five continents and has more than 300 projects carried out. TrinaTracker is thus the perfect partner for largescale solar projects. Trina trackers offer flexible solutions adapted to the client's needs. We offer customized services and the widest portfolio of products across the entire value chain.

The highly qualified team and state-of-the-art R&D department offer responsive support to our clients' needs. TrinaTracker has a worldwide reputation for delivering high-quality and reliable solutions. TrinaTracker’s in-house production facility and worldwide supply chain network offer the highest quality with reduced lead times ensuring the best client support.

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Product Introduction: Trina Tracker’s Vanguard 2P is a 2 in portrait independent tracker with very high flexibility to suit different complex terrains. It reduces piles by 45% thus remarkably diminishing construction costs and difficulty. Vanguard 2P is equipped with a wireless communicator for the effective implementation of extreme weather protection. SCADA system enables Vanguard 2P to perform system monitoring, early warning, smart diagnosis, and troubleshooting facilitating cost reduction and increase in the energy output. Vanguard 2P thus increases reliability and reduces O&M costs significantly.

Technology Specifications Trina Tracker’s Vanguard 2P is an ultra-advanced tracker which delivers optimized performance for large-scale solar projects.

The extraordinary features of Vanguard 2P are: Extremely Compatible with Larger Modules: Vanguard 2P is compatible with modules up to 670W+. The tracker is designed such that it helps to reduce LCOE by 2.4%~4.5% with larger modules.

Upgraded Multidrive System: Vanguard 2P is equipped with an upgraded multidrive system that helps in better wind tolerance, high adaptability, and synchronization. This system is adopted to effectively reduce torsional loads from buffeting.

Therefore, the upgraded multidrive system greatly improves the stability of the system.

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Innovative SuperTrack Technology: The smart algorithm of the tracking system optimizes tracking angle (up to 30% angle adjustability) according to the real-time weather and actual terrain conditions (Optimized terrain adaptability up to 15% N/S). This leads to an increase in receiving radiation and a reduction in shading loss. A total tracking yield gain of up to 8% can be derived! Vanguard 2P is thus the best for challenging sites such as irregular layout, undulated terrain, and high wind regions.

More Modules Per Tracker: Vanguard 2P is designed with a two-in-portrait configuration (2P), with up to 4 strings of 1500V system per row. A total of up to 120 modules per tracker can be accommodated.

Fewer Piles Per MW: The standard configuration is 7 piles per row (standard configuration), the number of piles per MW has thus been optimized in Vanguard 2P. Up to 45% fewer piles!

Optimized Bearing Design : The global patented spherical bearings offer up to 30% angle adjustability. They alleviate the damage caused by uneven foundation settlement during operation. They also release the extra stress caused by the deformation of the tracker system, which leads to a significant reduction in the load and failure rate of each component.

Wind tunnel tested by RWDI: TrinaTracker collaborated with prestigious agency RWDI to conduct a series of wind tunnel tests for continuous tracker design improvement. The optimized components and reinforced structure guarantee lower failure risk and better system stability.

Technology Advancements: TrinaTracker has achieved a considerable reduction in the failure rates by upgrading its previous 2P model with a new tracker design in Vanguard 2P that incorporates a smaller number of components. This means that the upgraded Vanguard 2P requires fewer maintenance activities, lower O&M expenditure, and lower power loss!

Each Vanguard 2P tracker can handle 0.062 MW (+101%) compared to 0.031 MW installed in the previous 2P series.

17 Vanguard 2P trackers are enough to complete 1 MW (-50%), compared with 33 previous model 2P trackers required to complete the same capacity.

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Tracker weight was reduced (-16%) per MW, from the previous 2P model (≈ 59.60 ton) to Vanguard 2P (≈ 49.60 ton).

The reduction of critical tracker components per MW is: 1. Bearings (-49%) 2. Motors (-50%) There is a 26% decrease in the bolted joints per MW (which are potential failure points) in the new Vanguard 2P. Vanguard 2P design is compatible with large-format modules 670+W. Therefore, less number of modules are needed for the same installed capacity.

Hence, Vanguard 2P leads to a remarkable increase in reliability and reduction in the O&M costs The estimated O&M cost reduction achieved with TrinaTracker Vanguard 2P with regard to the previous 2P tracker model, is -33%!

Vanguard 2P Suits Any & Every Terrain And Weather Conditions: Vanguard 2P can withstand extreme weather conditions like severe wind and heavy snow scenarios. Vanguard 2P trackers perform exceptionally well even in harsh environments such as hot and humid places, chilly regions, and corrosive areas. Time and again, the Vanguard 2P trackers have proved to be reliable under high wind speed, hailstorms, heavy snow, rugged and mountainous terrains, in the most humid climes, and even in deserts.

The 400MW agricultural photovoltaic solar plant in China’s Hebei Province adopts Trina Solar's 210 Vertex 550W series modules and TrinaTracker Vanguard 2P trackers to further increase the power generation and reduce the LCOE through the integrated advantages of "modules + trackers".

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PRODUCT FEATURE

Sungrow India Launches “1+X” Modular Inverter in a Grand Event at Delhi Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, officially launches the brand-new central inverter -“1+X” Modular Inverter in a grand event hosted in Aerocity, New Delhi. “1+X” Modular Inverter is the most innovative central inverter solution that Sungrow is promoting worldwide, and it is expected to lead the next generation central inverter designation for large-scale utility solar plants. The cutting-edge technologies of this product center one keyword— “Modularization”.

“1+X” inverter solution boasts modularization at the inverter level, the system level and the component level. Three-level modularization makes power plant design more flexible and post O&M more convenient in the future. Firstly, the “1+X” modular inverter features a 1.1MW single unit as the minimum, but the block capacity can be expanded to the max. 8.8 MW by combining 8 units just like building blocks. Customers can choose from 1.1MW to 8.8 MW to meet their best demands.

Secondly, the system modularization makes PV module configuration more flexible to extend. The inverter supports a maximum of 2 times DC/AC ratio. 1+X modular inverter has 42% more MPPT than the traditional central inverters, and it realizes the string-level management by the new wireless DC combiner.

Increased MPPT and more refined management lead to higher electricity generation. The DC/ESS

interface built in this solution also supports connecting to an energy storage system, enabling customers to enjoy the storage function for future energy usage. Thirdly, the component modularization realizes the plug and play function, reducing the maintenance from 6h to 2h. Moreover, since each inverter also works in an individual unit, it can be directly replaced by an onsite backup inverter if a failure occurred. Hence, the three-level modularization, once again, sets this gigantic product apart from others.

“1+X” MODULAR INVERTER IS THE MOST INNOVATIVE CENTRAL INVERTER SOLUTION THAT SUNGROW IS PROMOTING WORLDWIDE, AND IT IS EXPECTED TO LEAD THE NEXT GENERATION CENTRAL INVERTER DESIGNATION FOR LARGE-SCALE UTILITY SOLAR PLANTS."

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PRODUCT FEATURE

Sineng Electric is one of the few companies who manufactures both central and string inverters for utility projects.

Sineng Electric offers a wide range of smart inverter solutions tailored for customers worldwide, committed to a cleaner future for all.

Sineng Electric is a leading global high-tech enterprise specialized in power electronics products covering its business in power generation, power supply, distribution and power utilization. With advanced R&D, manufacturing, marketing, maintenance and service departments, it provides customers with a full range of solar inverters, energy storage systems and power quality control solutions.

Constant innovation and optimization at each level is the only way to exist in the present competitive environment. In recent years, the market has shifted from small block size to 6.5/12.5MW block size and 1000V to 1500V. Presently, our R&D team is working on a higher voltage solution than 1500V for the future.

Storage is also going to happen at a big scale in near future. We have been providing DC/AC and DC/DC coupled PCS and integrated solutions in China and the global market.

Sineng Electric is one of the few companies who manufactures both central and string inverters for utility projects. We launched a wide range of string inverters in order to satisfy the growing demands of global customers. Now the company’s string inverter technology is already mature and has been extensively adopted by many customers.

PQ, VF, SVG, VSG and other functions; Off-grid operation and black start etc.

String PCS Solution (EH-0200-HA-M) Max. 220kW; IP66 + C5 protection; Pack level management; Independent charging and discharging etc.

DC-DC Converter (EH-0182-HA-M ) Max. 200kW; IP66 + C5 protection; Pack level management; Independent charging and discharging etc.

Battery Container Outdoor design; Smaller footprint; Liquid cooling system; Three level BMS protection etc.

As a technology-driven company, Sineng strives to bring innovative solutions that can offer more competitive advantages in the form of more power generation and BOS saving. Sineng has been and will always be holding on to its mission “high quality is low cost”, thus coping with the demands of the evolving market.

Our string inverters are able to turn customers’ attention and that’s why we have set up production lines for string inverters in India manufacturing base this year. In 2020, we have added a new string model (SP-275K-INH) in our string inverter product line which gives an ease-to-design array with the larger wafer 210 mm high power module.

The maximum current for each string input of this inverter is 20A.On the other side, Sineng is also working to come up with higher capacity compact central inverter solutions in near future.

Central PCS Solution (EH-2.5/3.15/3.45-HA-UD) Max. efficiency 99.0%; IP65 protection;

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Recognizing & Honoring The Top Achievers Of Indian Rooftop Solar Industry

INDIA ROOFTOP SOLAR CONGRESS AWARDS 2022

Unveiling the proud winners: INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARDS Project Developer of the Year: Commercial - Amplus Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd. It is Asia’s leading distributed energy company providing low carbon solutions to Industrial and Commercial customers through both on-site solar projects (rooftop and groundmounted) and off-site solar farms. It owns a portfolio of 1GW MWp of distributed solar assets.

Project Developer of the Year: Industrial - Fourth Partner Energy

Leaders & Corporates Share The Secret Behind Their Success At India Rooftop Solar Congress Awards 2022 Awards do not only acknowledge success; they recognize many other qualities: ability, struggle, effort, and, above all, excellence. It is an acknowledgment of appreciation for your Team's hard work and dedication to achieve the milestone.

SolarQuarter set the stage to honor and award some of the finest achievers in the Indian Rooftop Solar Industry. The award ceremony was, even more, grander than before as industry peers got the opportunity to meet and greet in person. This physical event was celebrated with much zeal and enthusiasm in New Delhi.

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP AWARDS EPC Company of the Year: Industrial - Prozeal Infra Engineering Pvt Ltd In the Solar EPC space, the company has commissioned more than 180 projects across 18 states with a cumulative capacity of 180 MWs in Rooftop and 470 MWs of Ground Mounted Projects. It has a team strength of 125+ professionals and other well-experienced individuals with 10+ years of experience across India

EPC Company of the Year: Residential - Grace Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd.

The company is India’s #1 ranked C&I Solar energy company with operations pan-India and international operations across 7 countries. The company has a distributed capacity of 490 MW and a 350 MW open access capacity.

The company is a leading solar EPC solution provider company in India and offers end-to-end EPC services to install solar systems with the use of only high precision products and components from globally recognized technology providers. It has a rich experience of handling 2500+ projects and has successfully commissioned 12 MW Residential Solar Projects.

Project Developer of the Year: RESCO - HFM Solar Power Private Limited

EPC Company of the Year: Commercial - Vikram Solar Limited

The company is a solar power developer providing reliable, low carbon solar energy solutions to a diverse customer base of government, commercial & industrial, and residential clients. They develop, finance, construct, own, and operate solar energy assets. They also deliver customized solar energy solutions at competitive prices with a zero-hassle process for our customers.

The company is a fully forward-integrated Solar EPC contractor and deploys world-class technology to design, install and commission benchmark solar projects worldwide. Their total EPC capacity portfolio is 1441 MW (commissioned + under execution) (Rooftop + Ground-mounted) in India and a cumulative capacity of 48 MW in the commercial segment.

Project Developer of the Year: Captive - Surat Municipal Corporation Surat Municipal Corporation is local self-government that has come into being under the Bombay Provincial Municipal Act, 1949. It carries out all the obligatory functions and discretionary functions entrusted by the BPMC Act,1949 with the mission: to make Surat a dynamic, vibrant, beautiful, selfreliant, and sustainable city with all basic amenities, to provide a better quality of life.

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Rising Star Company of the Year: EPC - Sunkind India Private Limited The company is professionally managed and provides single window solutions for the Design, Installation, and Commissioning of the Solar Energy Projects PAN India. The company works in the CAPEX model Only. It has installed about 20+ MW- Industrial rooftop projects.

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System Integrator of the Year: East Zone SUNGREEN POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY PRIVATE LIMITED The company has executed 20+ Mw of Solar EPC CAPEX & OPEX Projects and has in-house solutions for designing, execution, drawing, and survey. Currently, 8MW+ projects are under execution, the maximum of which is CAPEX industrial projects. The company is a service provider as well as an integrator for all these projects.

System Integrator of the Year: North East Zone NATSAKEE INCORPORATION The firm is one of the most reputed companies in the Northeast in the solar region having executed more than 5MW solar power projects in CAPEX Mode and 50000 solar lighting products sold.

Channel Partner Of The Year - STAR POWER DISTRIBUTION PRIVATE LIMITED The company has been a Channel Partner of Tata Power Solar System since 2015 and has executed Rooftop solar projects of 50 MW+ capacity in the Commercial and residential sectors.

They are also dealing in solar pumps, Micro Grids, EV chargers, Home Automation, and manufacturing solar structures and portacabins.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Company of the Year: Module - Vikram Solar Limited The company is a globally recognized leading solar energy solutions provider, specializing in high-efficiency PV module manufacturing and comprehensive EPC solutions. It is the first company to gain recognition as a Tier 1 Module manufacturing company in India by Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Company of the Year: Inverter (Industrial) - Solis India The company is one of the most experienced and largest manufacturers of solar inverters. They are the only String inverter Company Who have achieved 2GW+ Shipment in India and is the Highest rated String inverter(Solis 255 EHV) in India, with its unique features which no other competitors have.

Company of the Year: Inverter (Residential) - Sofar Solar The company is a leading solar hybrid inverter manufacturer. It is a popular name in residential solar projects. The company’s inverters are equipped with advanced communication protocols, are capable of storing 25 years of data, and operate safely in challenging weather conditions.

Distributor Of The Year - J. S. Solartech India Private Limited

Company of the Year: Inverter (Smart Energy Solutions)- Shenzhen Growatt New Energy Co., Ltd

The company over a period of these 5 years evolved as a leading importer, Distributor for Tier-1 solar products such as Solar PV Inverters and Solar Modules. The company as a Distributor & Channel Sales Partner provides a great opportunity for EPC customers PAN India to choose the best available Solar Products in the industry. The company has seen an 83% increase Year on Year with a figure of 49.52 Cr for 2021.

The company is a global leader in smart energy solutions and provides residential, commercial, and utility-scale PV inverters, energy storage, microgrid systems, and smart energy management solutions. Over the years, the company has built strong and experienced local teams in key solar markets.

Rising Star Company of the Year: Inverter (Smart & Intelligent Solutions) - Ningbo Deye Inverter Technology Co., Ltd Smart and intelligent is the company’s innovation. Space vector pulse width modulation and three-level topology is a unique features of this company. It is the fastest reliable smart intelligent feature in hybrid inverters. These are the highlights which are brought for the First time in the inverters industry.

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Company of the Year: Operations & Maintenance Amplus Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd

INNOVATION EXCELLENCE AWARDS

In terms of the Operation and Maintenance segment, the entire Distributed Generation portfolio of the company is divided into regions. Regional Managers look after the Operation and Maintenance of their respective regions and Engineers are responsible for individual projects assigned to them. The entire O&M process of the projects is handled efficiently and effectively.

Smart Technology Innovation of the Year- Solar Module - Vikram Solar Limited

Company of the Year: Offgrid Systems - NATSAKEE INCORPORATION The company is an MSE Unit from the Northeast with 17 years of experience and a premier enterprise in Solar Energy. They have procured orders for approx. 12000 solar home lighting systems under Saubhagya scheme in Assam and have 25000 system capacity.

Company of the Year: Data Analytics - Amplus Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd Hawk AI is the company’s in-house monitoring system software, which is designed, developed, and entirely maintained by it. Hawk-AI is a state-of-the-art cloud-based web platform for extensive monitoring, maintenance, and analytics of solar power plants that have been built on modern technology infrastructure.

Company of the Year: Structural Engineering SWELECT Energy Systems Limited.

The company offers a complete range of Electrical and Mechanical Balance of Systems (BOS) including Solar PCUs, Module Mounting Structures (MMS), AJBs, ACDBs, DCDBs, etc. from its State-of-the-art facility in Salem. The Roll-forming machines installed at the plant have a production capacity of 10 MW per month of MMS with a throughput of 1 MW every 3 days with a lifetime of 20+ years.

High Power Modules for Rooftop Projects - Trina Vertex Module Series The Vertex Super Factory is home to the intelligent manufacturing of modules and the application of advanced technologies that are compatible with 210mm large-size wafers. The module ranges from 400 - 670 Watts high performing for solar rooftop projects

Most Bankable Module Supplier - LONGi Solar Technology Co., Ltd. The company’s technological and manufacturing leadership in solar wafers, cells, and modules underscore their commitment to helping accelerate the clean energy transition. By offering high-quality, reliable products and systems, they provide holistic solutions for the solar and renewables industry.

The winning technology is the new M6 series in Mono & Bifacial module types which come with Mono PERC technology and Multi Bus Bars features, which offer efficiency and high performance to the projects.

Smart Technology Innovation of the Year- Asset Management Solutions - SuryaLogix Pvt Ltd It is a product development company in the field of renewables and working with cutting-edge technologies like IoT, AI, and wireless communication and provides both Hardware & Software Renewable Asset management Solutions in Rooftop & Ground Segment.

BUSINESS TEAMS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Outstanding Team Performance of the Year: Project O&M - SUNGREEN POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY PRIVATE LIMITED For the last fiscal year, they have taken over 13MW capacity projects in 10 locations, 80% capacity of the projects are OPEX and the rest 20% have generation warranty. The O&M team performed outstandingly well and achieved all generation targets.

Outstanding Team Performance of the Year: After Sales (Modules) - Contendre Greenergy Pvt. Ltd The key feature of this customer-oriented organization is the dedicated after-sales team. Customer Feedback is taken after every order. 24Hrs Resolution of any product-related issues and 72Hrs Replacement Guarantee for products with manufacturing defects are being delivered.

Outstanding Team Performance of the Year: Project Engineering - Prozeal Infra Engineering Pvt Ltd The eminent team members of this company have worked extensively to provide the best results, even when there was a huge challenge of Pandemic COVID-19 and following the safety protocols, they completed the project before the deadline.

Outstanding Team Performance of the Year: Project Designing - SUNGREEN POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY PRIVATE In 2020-21 the company designed more than 100 projects in presales. It had a chance to attempt 20 cases for a negotiation which were converted to business at a ratio of 25%, even with not a very big team the company has accomplished all requirements for drawing and designing.

To know more about our awards visit us at:https://solarquarter.com/studio/

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FEB-MAR ISSUE 2022 | PG 70

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