SolarQuarter Magazine May 2017 Issue

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Volume 06. #5. May 2017

Special Focus- Solar PV Utility Scale

and

Solar Parks

INR 300

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News at Glance

Indian News......................................................................Pg 4 Global EPC Market Updates................................Pg 6, 13, 21

Industry Insights The Grid Parity Race: Will Solar Make It................................................................................................................................................................... Pg 9 Tender Results: India's 500 MW Solar Park Bhadla Tender Results, New Record Lows..........................................................................Pg 10 Big Story: Historic low Tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit discovered in Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park in auction by SECI..........................Pg 10 Hartek Group’s Growth Story In Solar Domain......................................................................................................................................................Pg 28 Expediting Renewable Energy Adoption India.......................................................................................................................................................Pg13 Rewa Bathes Solar Sector in New Sunshine............................................................................................................................................................Pg 14 Excelsior has carried out Plant Audits & Quality check exercises for various ground mount MW and rooftop kW projects....... .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Pg 15 Latest analysis of EnergySage Solar Marketplace data reveals accelerating decrease in solar prices, and how more quotes results in a greater probability of purchase............................................................................................................................................................Pg 16 Should you buy or lease solar panels? The answer is yes................................................................................................................................Pg 32 Solar Energy Can Save the Environment but Protective Measures Are Needed To Get Better Energy Yield..............................Pg 23 ZNSHINE SOLAR innovate products to win the Indian market.....................................................................................................................Pg 33 Setting MIP for Imported Solar Modules in India Can Help Domestic Manufacturers Survive.......................................................Pg 27

Product Feature.......Pg 29

Exclusive Interviews

Index

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Pg 17

Mr. Parag Sharma, COO, ReNew Power

Pg 18 Mr Rajsekhar Budhavarapu, CTO, IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited

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- Ganges Internationale - Meco

Mr. Rajesh Bhat, Managing Director, Juwi India Renewable Energies Pvt. Ltd.

Industry Perspective Effects of Choosing The Right Type of Wires on the Overall Performance of the Product/Project.........Pg 22 Price V/S Quality: A Tough Choice.....................................Pg 31

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Mr. David Hurwitt, Vice President, Global Marketing and Product Management, NRG Systems

Company Feature.....Pg24 - Insolation Energy - Jinko

India's Most Read Solar Energy Magazine To book your space in the upcoming issue, please contact: Smriti Singh / Aishwarya Baile M: +91 7718877513 / 7718877514 E: bd.firstviewgroup.com

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Mr. Girish Gelli Director, Mytrah Energy India Pvt Ltd

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INDIAN NEWS

Emmvee Commissioned 1mw Roof-Top Solar Power Plant At It’s Solar Water Heater Manufacturing Facility In Dabaspet, Karnataka Emmvee solar heating system state of the art manufacturing facilities at Dabaspet, Karnataka, India, has a production area of 25,000 square metres. These extremely ecological masterpieces that feature sophisticated processes, environment friendly materials, and an exceptional energy concept ensure sustainable production.

Emmvee Coming Up With 3 Pv Power Plants In Karnataka With 40mw Power Generation Emmvee is also a successful bidder for developing 3 power projects of total capacity of 40MW in Karnataka. These projects are being developed at the cost of around 280 crores.

Emmvee's Joint Venture With Reddy’s Lab, Hyderabad We have formed a joint venture with Reddy’s Lab located at Hyderabad for the supply of solar power for their facilities. For this Emmvee& Reddy’s Lab have formed a new company which will operate and maintain the solar power plant and supply electricity exclusively to their facilities. The capacity of solar power plant is 15 MW NTPC leading India's renewable energy revolution The country's largest power producer NTPC, long associated with coal-fired power generation, is now all set to lead the country's charge for renewable energy production.

With NTPC accounting for a major chunk of renewabale power projects coming up across the country, state-owned NTPC Ltd is poised to facilitate India's bid to achieve its ambitious national renewable energy targets, says a report.

India Willing To Share Latest Renewable Technology With Africa The government of India said it is keen to share the latest technology in renewable energy with Africa to power the remotest and poorest corners of the second largest continent in the world, Africa. The Indo-African partnership is based on empathy, rather than sympathy, as the countries face similar challenges, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Goyal was speaking at the recent launch of the third International Solar Alliance (ISA) Program on “Scaling Up Minigrids and Microgrids.”

The session on “Africa-India Cooperation on Powering Africa–Strengthening ISA and Africa-India RE Partnerships” was organized in Ahmedabad by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as part of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank.

Renewable Energy Surges Globally with China and India in the Lead If the Trump administration’s anti-climate shenanigans have you down, maybe it’s time to take a break for some good news: the incredible progress on renewable energy in the US and world-wide. Clean energy momentum in US states and cities, as well as businesses support, is building rapidly. This blogpost is about the latest global developments—focusing on China and India, two large and growing economies that many experts think will play a decisive role in the future of global carbon emissions.

India to witness 90 per cent growth in solar capacity in 2017: CII Lauding the efforts of the Modi government in setting up renewable energy capacity, industry body Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has said the country is likely to witness 90 per cent jump in green energy generation capacity by the end of the current calendar year.

Ratul Puri, Chairman of CII Northern Region Committee on Power said that India has been systematically progressing towards achieving the 175 gigawatt (GW) renewable target with solar contributing to most of the incremental capacity. “2017 started with a pipeline of 14 Gigawatt (GW) of utility-scale solar projects, of which about 8 GW is expected to be commissioned this year. This is a 90 per cent growth over the previous year’s capacity addition,” he said speaking at an event here.

ELCOM becomes the only Indian Manufacturer who has upgraded its solar connector with TUV certificate for 1500 VDC - as per the latest version of IEC 62852:2014 standard

As per TUV engineers, presently Elcom is the only company in India who has the PV connector approval as per above IEC standard.

Ilios Power commissions 12.5 MW for Cybercity Builders & Developers In times when EPC space in solar Industry is consolidating every year, few are creating their niche.Ilios Power a 5 year old start-up by IIT Madras Alumni has been offering EPC services for Solar PV developers all over the country. Their most recent project commissioned in December 2016 for Cybercity Builders and Developers was a 12.5 MW power plant under Telangana government 1000 MW policy.

Speaking on this, CEO and Managing Director, Mr. Naveen Vunnam said “While many developers are turning into EPC companies, only a few are able to achieve the quality and returns which an experienced EPC company can deliver. We at Ilios Power believe that EPC is about Ease, Pricing and the Commitment. We execute with ease at quality conscious pricing to deliver a commitment of lifetime durability. At Ilios Power we provide handholding services right from the stage of bidding and being a one stop solution we have been the preferred in-house consultant and constructor for companies across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh” Solarpack raises USD$104 million in financing for projects in Chile and India A group of Chilean banks has financed three of the company’s Chilean Small Means of Distributed Generation projects for $35 million. Meanwhile, an Indian financial entity has financed six plants in India for $69 million. The total capacity of the plants is 135.5 MWp, which will help both countries meet their growing energy needs without increasing pollution levels.

Comprehensive relaunch of the IBC SOLAR Online Shop IBC SOLAR AG, a globally leading system service provider for photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage solutions, has completely revised its online shop for German and international customers, equipped it with useful additional functions and optimised it for mobile use.German-speaking customers have already been comfortably ordering via the new system since the start of March. Since the beginning of May, the international customers also have access to the English version of the new online shop.

Waaree Energies successfully commissions Solar Thermal Project of 210,000 LPD at Leh Ladakh We are pleased to announce Waaree’s incredible achievement of completing the biggest Solar Thermal Systems Project at Leh Ladakh (J&K) territory. Leh, Ladakh has one of the most extreme atmospheric conditions where temperature ranges between -28°C to +34°C, it has limited resource of oxygen. Here Team Waaree has managed to install the solar thermal project on the highest Altitude. It has blessed 1250 + households with indigenous systems & made available near about 2,10,000 + Liters of Hot Water Per day to the local residents thus bringing smile on the human faces.

Team Waaree’s implementation of project has resulted in average replacement of over 8,400 KW electrical unit equivalents & average reduction of 31,50,000 Kg of Carbon Dioxide Emission along with preservation of Natural Resources like Wood, Oil, Diesel in huge quantities.

Xago Africa and Alevo Analytics Partner with US Trade and Development Agency to Provide Technical Assistance for Energy Storage in Kenya USTDA is partnering with Kenyan renewable energy developer Xago Africa and US battery storage manufacturer Alevo USA, Inc and analytics service provider Alevo Analytics to support the development of a utility scale solar photovoltaic power plant with integrated battery storage in Siaya County, Kenya. The project will utilize battery storage technology from Alevo and will be among the first utility-scale battery storage installations in Africa.

PM’s statement prior to his departure to Germany, Spain, Russia and France Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s departure statement prior to his visit to Germany, Spain, Russia and France. “I will visit Germany on 29-30 May 2017 on the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the Fourth IndiaGermany Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC). India and Germany are large democracies, major economies and important players in regional and global affairs. Our strategic partnership is based on democratic values and commitment to an open, inclusive and rules-based global order. Germany is a valuable partner in our development initiatives and German competencies fit well with my vision for India’s transformation.

Elcom International, an Electromechanical & Electronics (EM&E) company, based in India, is pleased to announce the milestone, it achieved in its solar offering. Elcom has received a TUV certificate for the upgraded version of its PV cable connector, ESC-4, which can now operate at 1500 V DC.

Solar firm Rays Power Experts in talks to raise Rs100 crore

The ESC-4 Photovoltaic connectors were approved as per EN 50521:2008+A1 standard for 1000 VDC rating which has now been upgraded to the voltage rating of 1500 VDC. Also the PV connector is revised and approved as per the latest version of IEC 62852:2014 standard.

The funding, which is expected to close in the next few months, will help the company expand its solar rooftop and solar EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) business.

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Solar parks developer Rays Power Experts Pvt. Ltd is in advanced talks with overseas funds to raise about Rs100 crore for growth capital, managing director Rahul Gupta said.

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India Contact: Arjun Prasad Sah Mobile: +91- 88267 48995 E-mail: arjun@linuo.com

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GLOBAL EPC MARKET UPDATES Financial Agreements of Sweihan Photovoltaic Independent Power Project in Abu Dhabi Were Signed JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., a global leader in the photovoltaic (“PV”) industry, today announced that in a signing ceremony held at the Emirates Palace, the financial agreementsfor the debt and equity fundingfor the Sweihan Solar PV Independent Power Project (the “Project”) were signed by the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (“ADWEA”), Sweihan Solar Holding Company Limited (“Sweihan”), a joint venture between JinkoSolar and Marubeni Corporation (“Marubeni”), and a syndicate of international and local banks.

The agreements closed a US$870 million financing for the Project, an1,177 MW (DC) solar PV project with a 25-year PPA signed with ADWEA.The Project is expected to reach commercialoperation datein April 2019.

together, the changes make a rooftop solar system from SolarCity an attractive addition to a home or business instead of an eyesore. Production of the new Panasonic solar panels is expected to begin soon.

Array Technologies Provides Solar Trackers for Facebook Facility, Opens New Office in Europe Array Technologies, Inc., the global leader in cumulative solar tracking experience, today announced that it will partner with Affordable Solar to install trackers at Facebook's upcoming data center located in Los Lunas, New Mexico, USA. The company also announced that it has opened a new office in Madrid, Spain to better serve its growing global customer base in Europe. The Intersolar AWARD finalist will be onsite at the upcoming Intersolar Europe event and can be found at exhibition booth A4.380.

Ratch appoints EPC Contractor for Collinsville Solar Project

Jakson to participate at Intersolar Europe2017 in Munich Germany JaksonGroup, a leading energy and engineering solutions company today announced that it will participate in the upcoming edition of Intersolar Europe, one of the world’s leading exhibitions for the solar industry scheduled May 31 to June 2, 2017 in Munich, Germany.At the event, Jaksonwill showcase its innovative engineering skills and expertise in building highly efficient solar power plants. Senior company officials will be present at Booth # 520, Hall A4to discuss project partnerships and new business opportunities.

Hanwha Q CELLS ready to equip solar tenders in France with high power and low carbon footprint solar modules Certisolis has certified that solar modules of the company´s Q CELLS brand have a very low carbon footprint and fulfill all criteria for CRE3 and CRE4 tenders in France. To receive the certificate, Q CELLS modules were tested along the entire life cycle and reached outstanding results against the criteria of the French Energy Regulation Commission (CRE). The new product will use Panasonic solar panels produced at “Gigafactory 2” near Buffalo, New York. It features an integrated front skirt and a mounting system with hidden clamps and rail ends. It also has a redesigned plumbing vent system. Taken

Ratch Australia Corporation announced today that it has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for its $100 million Collinsville Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Project in central Queensland to global diversified services company UGL, a member of CIMIC Group. In addition, UGL will provide operation and maintenance (O&M) services for five years upon completion of the 42.5 megawatt (MW) project.

Ratch Business Development Manager, Anthony Yeates, said the EPC tender process had been exhaustive but UGL had been selected based on their successful track record of solar farm project delivery in Australia.

Neoen enters framework agreement with Schneider Electric for 750 MW of solar solutions and services worldwide Neoen, the premier French independent power producer and Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, have signed a 750 MW Conext SmartGenTM multi-year framework agreement on three continents. The scope includes: conversion stations composed of 1500V inverters, medium voltage switchgear, transformers, and complete monitoring and control system, as well as lifecycle maintenance services.

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IN CONVERSATION

"Indian developers are factoring in a broad range of meteorological data into their project development"

Mr. David Hurwitt, Vice President, Global Marketing and Product Management, NRG Systems Let’s begin with a glimpse of your company’s presence and offerings in India?

We have had a presence in India since 2001 when we sold our first Wind Resource Assessment system in the region through our partner, RK Systems (http://www. rkwindmast.com/). Our Wind Resource Assessment solutions combine a range of met sensors, like anemometers and wind vanes, with a data logger and met mast to measure the precise suitability of a given site for wind development. Over the years, we have grown this business significantly, adding to our wind product line and introducing similar project siting and optimization tools for solar.

For example, we sell a turnkey Solar Resource Assessment (SRA) system that includes all of the sensors and the tower needed to assess different sites for solar development.

This includes all of the field-tested sensors and instruments required to capture data relating to solar radiation, wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, humidity, and precipitation. Building on the success of the SRA system, we have introduced our Solar Resource Monitoring (SRM) system.

Outfitted with the SymphonieiPackACCESS communications module, our SRM system seamlessly integrates into your SCADA network to monitor and accurately forecast the performance of your solar PV plants.

All of this comes with our industry leading SymphoniePRO data logger that securely stores and transmits your data so you can develop sites with exceptional and predictable returns.

What have been some of the recent developments at your organisation?

We are very excited to have been acquired this May by ESCO Technologies, a publicly traded, diverse manufacturing company based in the USA. After 35 years of excellent growth under private ownership, we are looking forward to working with our partners within ESCO to accelerate this growth. This will include significant new product introductions and even closer relationships with our customers in India and beyond.

Tell us a bit about the recent technology advancements in your sector?

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We have recently launched two exciting new products in India that we are confident will help improve project predictability, security, and ROI for our customers. The first is the release of the latest addition to our industry leading Symphonie data logger line – the SymphoniePRO. With unparalleled data capture integrity, security, and simplicity, our customers have responded extremely positively to the enhanced capabilities of the PRO line. In particular, the versatility of 26 channels, coupled with 1-second data sampling, and our incredibly intuitive SymphoniePRO Desktop Application software, make this our best logger ever.

The second great development for our customers is our introduction of the Soiling Measurement Kit to our SRA and SRM systems. This simple system allows you to precisely monitor and understand the impact of dust and dirt build-up on your panels so that you can make highly informed decisions on both project siting (some locations attract more dust and dirt than others) and post-construction panel cleaning investments (imagine knowing the precise timing and ROI for cleaning your panels).

These systems are also extremely effective as a part of your post-construction power monitoring regime, allowing you to know when power output declines are being driven by soiled panels and when there are other mechanical factors that require maintenance. With this simple and high-value addition to your SRA system, you can now take much of the guesswork out of these important functions.

What are your growth plans for the Indian market? What are the milestones you wish to achieve by the end of this fiscal?

Our growth in India remains strong and is coming from new product innovation, organic growth with our customers, and our ongoing efforts to connect with new customers. In particular, our new Soiling Measurement Kit and SymphoniePRO data logger are proving to be extremely popular in the Indian market due to their high reliability, intuitive operation, and value pricing.

In addition, we continue to see very strong interest from our wind customers as they begin to develop solar projects as well. This has led to a lot of crossover of best practice application in the resource assessment and

"With unparalleled data capture integrity, security, and simplicity, our customers have responded extremely positively to the enhanced capabilities of the PRO line"

resource monitoring markets in particular. Utility-scale solar developers are now demanding the same level of sophistication of data that has long been required in the wind market. This primary data driven approach is leading to more profitable and efficient solar projects across India and is an important trend for the industry as it matures.

What have been the latest trends in demand for your products & services in India? Where do you see the next demand growth coming from?

The importance of both pre- and postdevelopment measurement of the precise solar resource on a given site has become an essential element for new projects across India. More than ever, Indian developers are factoring in a broad range of meteorological data into their project development and we have seen site outputs increase from 3-5% simply by using ground data in site selection. To aid in this, we have included even greater precision in our new SymphoniePRO data logger and will be rolling out several new met sensors in the coming year.

As we look to the future, we hear more and more of our customers asking for help in increasing their Annual Energy Production (AEP) from current and future projects.

As our market grows more competitive and as the requirement to drive more and more cost out of solar plants increases, it is incumbent on all participants in the value chain to contribute. From smarter siting, to cheaper installation, more efficient generation systems, and more efficient O&M, we are still in the early stages of maximizing the value potential of solar.

Anything else you would like to add for our readers?

It is very exciting for us to see and participate in the continued solar growth in India.

We are fortunate enough to work with customers in over 150 countries around the world and every day we see the Indian market distinguish itself with a unique combination of corporate sophistication, government leadership, and strong end-customer demand. This is a rare and dynamic combination that marks India as a global leader.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Grid Parity Race: Will Solar Make It

The 100 GW by 2022 target has created an urgency driving up the solar capacity of the country. Besides highlighting India’s step to curb carbon emissions in the UN, this move towards green energy shift has also given India the opportunity to bridge its continuously increasing gap between energy generation and demand. India’s electricity consumption per capita has reached to 1010 kWh in 2015. And with booming population, (1,326,801,576 in 2016) the power demand is expected to rise significantly in 2017. In this scenario, trusting green energy rather than limited reserves of fossil fuel can help develop India into an energy rich country. However, regardless of the environmental benefits, solar has to match the pricing structure of conventional energy to win the race, encouraging common man to opt for green energy.

growing demand for solar, it is easy to understand that a stabilized solar tariff can attract power companies as the shift towards large-scale solar projects, increase in efficiency, and improvement in technology promises a better pay out for developers.

Rooftop solar industry has also shown incredible growth contributing to raising awareness and reaching grid parity of solar.

Rooftop solar growth reached more than 100 per cent in 2016 (crossing 1 GW capacity), than that of 2015, helping India to now cross 10 GW mark. New tenders amounting to 900 MW for rooftop solar systems have been introduced to be completed within 2017. Commercial and Industrial consumers are surprised to see that energy bills can be saved between 20-30% by adopting rooftop solar. And this revelation

has increased Commercial and Industrial consumers in the solar sector, amounting to 63 per cent of the total solar energy consumers in 17 out of the 19 largest states in India. Although, states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have huge rooftop capacities (involving Commercial and Industrial consumers), the Government’s pursuit to progress on installing solar on Government buildings is also adding to the capacity nationally. Rapid demand and development in this sector is creating cost competitiveness with solar and conventional energy.

The influx of clean energy targets, pursuit towards energy decentralization, strong government-backed policies and subsidies, and technical innovation in the solar industry are leading the solar sector to ultimately

reach grid parity by 2020. However, to keep the growth on track and to supplement it for a faster adoption of green energy, focus on domestic manufacturing, stabilizing solar tariff, and easy financing choices are needed.

"Commercial and Industrial consumers are surprised to see that energy bills can be saved between 20-30% by adopting rooftop solar"

Grid Parity: Current Scenario Solar panel prices have fallen by more than 80 per cent since 2008, and it has given the leg up for more installations. Drastic price fall of solar panels has also helped India in reaching cost parity with conventional energy sources. With technology getting cheaper, and involvement of new subsidies and incentives, solar installation will continue to get traction in the future.

However, the turning point for the Indian energy scene would be when solar would be able to generate electricity at the same or lower price than thermal power.

And such a scene is not a far flung theory anymore, as solar tariff in India continues to fall below USD 0.07/ kWh. The reducing cost has made solar the preference of power companies. However, there is the question of sustainability and return on investment if the solar tariff continues to fall. With

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Tender Results: India's 500 MW Solar Park Bhadla Tender Results, New Record Lows Indian solar tariffs are in a state of free fall. New record lows are created in the recent round of auctions of 500MW solar projects.

ACME Solar emerged as the lowest bidder followed by SBG Cleantech. The auction was a very tightly fought one with Hero Solar Energy and Renew Power missing out by 0.02 paise and 0.03 paise respectively.

Here are the details

Big Story: Historic low Tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit discovered in Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park in auction by SECI It is understood that this fall in solar tariffs is the result of combination of various factors, most important being the decision of the Government of India to cover solar power by SECI under the ambit of Tripartite Agreement for payment security against defaults by State distribution companies.

Other factors contributing are about 7-8% higher yield in Rajasthan due to better solar radiation conditions, drop in module prices in International market, and strengthening of Indian rupee against US dollar.

For the present bid, the bids were submitted by 24 bidders for a capacity of 5500 MW which is 11 times of the bid capacity.

Bid received overwhelming global response including developers from Finland, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Japan. This became possible only due to constant endeavor at SECI to streamline the bidding process with highest level of transparency and integrity under the guidance of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

History is created today, as the record low tariffs achieved in the auction concluded on 09.05.2017 for Bhadla Phase-IV Solar Park, Rajasthan has been broken, with even lower tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit discovered in the auction carried out by Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) for 500 MW capacity in Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park, Rajasthan. The park is being set up

by M/s Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan Limited, a joint venture between the Govt. of Rajasthan and M/s IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited. This tariff

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is fixed for 25 years with no escalation and the bidders have sought no VGF from the Government. The winners are M/s ACME Solar Holdings Pvt. Ltd. (200 MW) at a tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit and M/s SBG Cleantech One Ltd. (300 MW), quoting a tariff of Rs. 2.45 per unit.

ing sub-station of solar park. The developers will be paying solar park charges of Rs.45.2 lakh per megawatt towards land, connectivity (from pooling substation to state network) and other infrastructural facilities. The projects are likely to be completed in about 12-13 months.

The entire solar power will be consumed in the State of Rajasthan and power sale agreement with the State Distribution Companies is already tied up. The developers are responsible to connect to the pool-

The earlier lowest tariff of Rs. 2.62 per kWh, was discovered recently in the auction conducted by SECI for 250 MW Bhadla PhaseIV Solar Park in Rajasthan.

"The developers will be paying solar park charges of Rs.45.2 lakh per megawatt towards land, connectivity (from pooling substation to state network) and other infrastructural facilities. The projects are likely to be completed in about 12-13 months."

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GLOBAL EPC MARKET UPDATES IBC Solar completes eight German tender projects IBC Solar has completed 23.5 MW of projects across eight sites in Germany. The PV power plants were developed under Germany’s large-scale solar tender program and will receive the full FIT awarded under the tender process, as they have been completed within 18 months of having been awarded.

public grid and prevent the release of around 7.000 tons of CO2 each year. In one part of the solar park, the modules are constructed in an east-west orientation to ensure the highest possible electricity production and generate the best possible return for the investor. The project is the first one in all of Turkey with not only south oriented modules.

GameChange Solar Ranking Rises for Racking, Tracking

Canadian Solar Supplies 10MW to Uganda Power Project One of the largest global solar power companies, Canadian Solar Inc. has supplied 10 MW of PV Modules to the Soroti Photovoltaic Plant in Uganda. Soroti, the largest project of its kind in East Africa, is also the first solar plant connected to Uganda’s grid. It consists of 32, 000 pieces of Canadian Solar high-efficiency poly panels and generates clean, low-carbon electricity for 40, 000 homes, schools and businesses in the area.

“We are happy to be part of the energy transition on the African continent,” Dr.Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO, Canadian Solar said. The company hopes the development will stimulate the economy and create local employment. The 10 MW solar system is developed under the Global Energy Transfer cooperation program- Feed in Tariff (GET FiT), a support scheme for the development of renewable energy projects in East Africa managed by the German Development Bank (KfW). More than 1, 500 MW are installed in the project that was executed by solar EPC contractor TSK Spain ET Energy Commissions 26 MWp of Solar Projects in the UK English ET Energy, a global leading clean energy developer and operator, announces that it has built six solar power projects totaling 26 MWp in the United Kingdom on behalf of funds managed by Octopus Energy Investments. The plants were constructed on a turnkey basis, and were all successfully completed and producing energy by March 31st, 2017, meeting the deadline to be eligible for 1.2 Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROC).

GameChange Solar announced that it reached an approximate 20% U.S. marketshare for fixed-tilt ground mount racking in 2016, a 5% marketshare for flat roof commercial racking, and the ranks of Top 10 among single-axis trackers vendors. Andrew Worden, CEO of GameChange Solar, told pv magazine, “We are not at liberty to mention the name of the two leading independent analysts who made the comparisons, but the information is available for purchase from them.” He noted that one of the proprietary reports went on sale in April, and that the other is now in draft form.

Lamesa Solar Facility in Texas begins commercial operation Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power today announced the commercial operation of the 102-megawatt (MW) Lamesa Solar Facility in Dawson County, Texas.

With three large-scale solar projects operating in the state, Southern Power owns one of the largest utility-scale solar portfolios in Texas. "The Lamesa Solar Facility is an important addition to our growing renewable fleet, and we look forward to operating it for the benefit of our customer," said Southern Power President and CEO Buzz Miller. "By providing clean, affordable, wholesale generation, we are able to deliver on our promise to help build the future of energy." Southern Power acquired the facility in July 2016 from Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES), which provided full project EPC services and is serving as the operations and maintenance contractor for the facility.

Mott MacDonald named owner's engineer on 258-MW solar project in Japan

ET Energy acquired the development rights to these projects during 2016 and sold them to funds managed by Octopus Energy Investments at the end of the year.

Mott MacDonald has been appointed owner's engineer by Pacifico Energy KK on the 257.7-MW Sakuto photovoltaic (PV) project in Japan, the consultancy said this week.

IBC Solar Turkey has commissioned a 5.9 MWp PV project in Gaziantep IBC SOLAR Turkey, a subsidiary of IBC SOLAR AG, who is a global leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy storage, has completed a large-scale solar energy project with a total capacity of 5.9 MWp in the province of Gaziantep, Turkey.

The produced amount of approx. 11 million kWh solar power per year will be fed into the

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The project, described as the largest PV scheme under construction in Japan to date, is expected to start operations in the autumn of 2019. Pacifico Energy announced the start of construction on the solar park in April. Japanese engineering group JGC Corp (TYO:1963) said earlier this month it will provide the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Expediting Renewable Energy Adoption India

India’s INDC1 outlines a 40% nonfossil fuel based power by 2030 including 175 GW of RE by 2022, of which solar is expected to contribute 100 GW, and wind 60 GW. The policy thrust to renewables has been significant, and specific targets have been announced to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008) envisages a dynamic Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) target of 10% at the national level for 2015 with an annual increase of 1% in order to reach around 15% by 2020. The new electricity tariff policy is a step in the right direction for increased RE adoption.

Key Hurdles in Rapid Adoption The key hurdles perceived by stakeholders interviewed via the survey method cover 5 areas: 1. Anticipation of new RE technology, lack of awareness: This has an impact in form of deferred investment as corporates are still waiting for prices to lower further.

2. Gaps in technical evaluation and feasibility have been identified as the main technical constraints the implementation of RE, such as: (a) Variability of resource availability, (b) Storage of excess power generated by RE, and (c) Feeding of power to the grid 3. Policy implementation & Government clearances: Single window clearances and ease of navigating through maze of disparate policies is definitely a turnoff. Unlike states like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu where the timeline for the approval and clearance has been specified, the renewable energy policy of Maharashtra does not specify any time line or turn around period for the application, approval and clearance. Though open access has been allowed in Maharashtra, no exemption is provided in wheeling and transmission charges of renewable energy power. This is slated for change with the open access policy.

Net metering: Government of Maharashtra has approved the net-metering policy in 2015, whereas, Tamil Nadu has approved and started promoting its net-metering policy from 2012. Due to late initiation of the net metering in Maharashtra, Solar rooftop PV system in Maharashtra has encountered

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set-backs. Moreover, Open Access permission will not be granted to the consumers availing single point supply and sub distributing it further to multiple consumers.

E.g. Commercial Malls, IT parks, commercial complexes, software technology parks etc.

Such consumers are required to apply for Distribution Franchisee through MoU route or take separate individual connections as per relevant Regulations & Orders of MERC. (Refer Procedure for grant of open access permission, MAH govt. order)

increase.

2. Analysis of current RE policy scenario in India revealed that the government of India has taken several steps which will boost RE adoption. However, there is a concern regarding weak governance, and on ground implementation support.

Strengthening these will be key to RE adoption.

The Western Region comprising of states of Maharashtra and Gujarat has the largest

concentration of business houses. Textiles, pharma, petroleum, IT, chemicals, electronics, heavy chemicals, automobiles, food, and plastics are some of the major industries in the region. Infosys and Tata Motors are the two Indian companies that figure in the global list of over 55 companies3 which have signed up for RE 100 program, it is in the interest of all to see more companies declare their commitment in a similar fashion. This will help India transition to a low carbon economy.

5. High initial project financing costs: Upfront project costs scares several investors, and leads them to believe that open access of RE through grid-procured power purchase agreements would be the most viable option 6. Project Implementation related issues: Implementation phase of RE generation encounters hurdles in: • Land acquisition and space availability; • Identification of vendor & EPC(Engineering & Procurement Service Provider) service provider; • Lack of awareness of the related policies at the ground level • Discouraging attitude of utility companies towards commercial consumers, • No incentives for project developers Conclusion Falling cost of renewables, new progressive policies have set the tone for larger RE adoption. This will be hastened if the key asks are well received and addressed by the government. Key asks by Corporates from Government in context of RE are as follows: • Strict monitoring of RPOs and RGOs for a robust REC market • Implementation of the tariff policy on the ground through a clear guidance at all levels. Seamless facilitation of access to Renewable Energy via grid through PPA • Simplification and standardisation of policies across states.

• Single window clearances.

• Availability and awareness of various viable financial models for off grid and grid based RE. The two key outcomes of this work are: 1. Results of the Survey on Renewable Energy Perspectives from corporate India indicated that variety of hurdles exist, however overall adoption is expected to

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Rewa Bathes Solar Sector in New Sunshine Equity IRR seen at 12-13% despite bidding aggression; modules prices a key monitorable The tendering out of 750 MW (250 x 3 blocks) of capacity at Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park (RUMSL), a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd and Solar Energy Corporation of India, in Madhya Pradesh on February 10, 2017, saw aggressive bids under Rs 3 perunit.

Up front, this reflects a newfound enthusiasm among the players, though we believe the low quotes can be attributed to the players’ quest for making a significant foray or building a large portfolio.

Besides, the PPA is one of its kind in India, as it offsets the construction and operational risks via solar park infrastructure, a three-tier payment safety mechanism, guaranteed offtake of power and 5 paisa p.a. escalation in tariffs (for the first 15 years). Assuming that future PPAs are as sweet or better, and that the optimism sustains, this is good augury for the country.

The government plans to allocate 40 GW of ground-mounted solar-photovoltaic projects under the solar parks scheme, with an eye on faster execution of projects and a reduction in issues related to land availability, power evacuation and other allied infrastructure/utilities. As of January 2017, 34 solar parks had been identified for this across 21 states. Of these, three states with high solar irradiation and a high number of sunny days –Madhya Pradesh (2.7 GW), Andhra Pradesh (4 GW) and Rajasthan (3.3 GW) – are expected to host half, or 10 GW, of capacity.

We have assessed the economics of the bid winners, whichhave quoted Rs 2.97/unit, Rs 2.979/unit and Rs 2.974/unit, respectively, for the three 250 MW units: Successful bids in the recent 750 MW allocations in RUMSL

for the first 15 years, guaranteed offtake, three-tier payment security and ready solar park infrastructure – that significantly lower the construction and operational risks, lending some support to economics.

Solar tariffs competitive versus coalbased power; grid integration cost a key monitorable Solar power scores over coal-based power in terms of tariff competitiveness, thanks to the declining module prices, interest cost and the foray of large players. However, while looking at solar tariffs, one should also factor in the grid-integration cost.

In the European Union, for instance, the estimated average integration cost (limited to the distribution system) is USD 0.02 per unit for 10% solar PV penetration and USD 0.025 per unit for 18% solar PV penetration.

the land to the developer. The PPAs are signed in April 2017 and solar park infrastrucure is on the verge of completion.

Considering this, the commissioning timeline for these projects is expected to be around September 2018.

Given the low lead time for procurement of solar equipment (1.5 month, if imported from Asia) and low time required for project commissioning, modules are expected to be procured during January-March 2018.

Considering the decline in solar module prices and large volume discounts on the contract prices for developers, the landed cost of solar modules is expected to be USD0.25-0.27 per watt during JanuaryMarch 2018.

the next 15 years, there will be an Rs 0.05 / unit escalation in tariffs.

Source: Industry; CRISIL Research Despite aggressive bids, CRISIL Research expects an equity IRR of 12 - 13% for the winners Our view is backed by the expected drop in solar module prices, to $0.25-0.27/Watt Peak (Wp)during January-March 2018,from $0.35/Wp currently.Large players are expected to get a volume discount from manufacturers. Further, the deployment of latest technologies (use of 1500V systems and high efficiency modules) and effective designing (including single axis trackers) lower the levelised cost of energy.Also, such players have access to global markets for funding,resulting in a low interest cost of 9-9.5% (including hedging cost).

Additionally, the scheme has several other features – Rs 0.05/unit escalation in tariff

c. The Madhya Pradesh government has extended the guarantee (approved by its Cabinet) for solar projects in RUMSL. 4. Guaranteed offtake from MPPMCL and DMRC MPPMCL has agreed to procure 411 million units of solar energy generated from each unit (250 MW) and delivered by the solar power developer (SPD) at the delivery point in each contract year. In case of a purchase shortfall, MPPMCL will compensate the developer within 30 days (after annual reconciliation) at the PPA tariffs for the unpurchased energy.

DMRC has also agreed to procure at least 115 million units of solar power in each contract year. In case its requirement is less than 115 million units in acontract year (after annual reconciliation), it will compensate the developer for the power contracted but not procured at the prevalent-year tariffs. Further, in case of overdrawal by DMRC (if generation exceeds 525 million units), the developer would be compensated at 75% of the price applicable for that year.

Note: Quoted tariff is for the first year. For the next 15 years, there will be an Rs 0.05 / unit escalation in tariffs.

Source: Industry; CRISIL Research

Key factors that contributed to the aggressive bidding:

2. Cheaper interest rates Most solar developers with established execution and operational track record tie up funding at a relatively low interest rate of 10% from domestic banks and also have access to low-cost funding from the global markets. They also get the benefit of longer loan tenures, of up to 18-20 years. Indeed, we expect financing available to winners in these bids at 9%, which has supported the remarkably low bid prices.

3. Payment security mechanism

Note: Quoted tariff is for the first year. For

b. RUMSL will set up a payment security fund of Rs 4.8 billion (sufficient to make payment to for 1,500 million units) in favour of the developer. The developer can be paid from this fund if it fails to get payment/gets inadequate payment from the LC.

1. Declining module prices and long commissioning timeline CRISIL Research expects an anticipated dip in capacity addition in China and European nations to beat down module prices. Capacity addition and technological improvements are expected put pressure on solar module prices.

Developers will get a three-tier payment security, significantly lowering the risk. The guarantees are: a. The procurers of power, i.e., MPPCL and DMRC, will have to open an irrevocable and revolving 12-month letter of credit (LC).

Hence, there is a guaranteed offtake of power from the project producing energy at 19% PLF. 5. Ready Infrastructure Developers will have access to ready solar park infrastructure, butthey will have to pay a comprehensive cost (including a project development fee of Rs 7.4 million, to be paid 30 days from the signing of Letter of Award (LoA) for a 250 MW project. The cost staggered as annual fee as opposed to the lumpsum payment for land required, in case the project is set up outside the solar park.

Further, a comprehensive charge of Rs 29-64 million per developer (for a 250 MW unit) has to be paid annually, including charges towards land and transmission infrastructure.

Credits: Crisil

Under the solar park scheme, projects have a commissioning deadline of 18 months after thesigning of power-purchase agreements (PPAs) and handing over of 90% of Source: Industry; CRISIL Research

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Excelsior has carried out Plant Audits & Quality check exercises for various ground mount MW and rooftop kW projects Plant Audit is a service designed and developed around the plant owner/investor`s need to identify, record and locate the primary source of anomalies in a solar power plant. To achieve optimum generation and maintain a higher performance ratio, it is imperative to study the active performance of the system in reference with designed energy output to understand the health of the plant.

Over the last few years, we have carried out Plant Audits & Quality check exercises for various ground mount MW and rooftop kW projects spread across different parts of India. The outcome of these audits unraveled certain findings that were quite universal/familiar/characteristic. Even though the projects were installed in different locations by various competing vendors for a diverse clientele with dissimilar technologies, we found several findings to be identical. In this article, we would like to focus on the common issues that have plagued several solar projects across the country over their operational history.

communication and DC cables in the same trench

Civil works:

Grounding: • Shearing of the bonding between the earth strip and the earth rod • Structure grounding disconnected from the earth strip • Interconnected AC & DC earthing • Post installation verification of earth resistance values not carried out

• Due to the use of local and un-skilled workers site, there were several issues with the civil works of control room, equipment foundations, peripheral walls etc • Proper compacting of the ground not being carried out causes the building or equipment to tilt post the monsoon • High speed winds damaging doors and causing street lights to fall

Cables: • Cables missing proper tagging/ferruling making it difficult to trace the cables during fault finding • Improper crimping of lugs at the equipment • Cable insulation is not tested post installation to find if any damage took place done during laying of cables. This results in faults occurring in the system • Use of inferior quality cable

O&M: • It is a common notion by several clients that cleaning modules regularly is the sole O&M practise to be carried out • Preventive and predictive maintenance activities of equipment’s are hardly carried out • No proper record of spare parts consumption, fault analysis, grid shutdown are found • Personnel’s on site are not given profes-

sional training to handle the equipment and safety procedures to be followed These observations are not the findings of an individual project. These are common observations made by our site team; learnings of which are to be shared with everyone in our industry.The future holds in store for us an utopia where we successfully execute long term power purchase rates cheaper than conventional thermal power or be left with a graveyard of Megawatts of under-performing, inferior quality solar power plants.

To counteract aggressive bidding by cutting corners for small savings, will always be met with a negative impact on the project. The solar projects will not be able to withstand 25years of working life cycle if we compromise on the material and workmanship quality.

Credits: Excelsior

Solar Modules: • Formation of hot spots within the cells • Snail trails on the modules • Failure of bypass diodes in the module junction box • Sagging of frameless thin film modules MMS: • Lack of code compliance in the design criteria of the structure • Utilization of smaller/lighter sections that are not in keeping with the design to reduce overall material utilization per MW • Absence of concreate or re-bars below the pile foundations • Inconsistency in the mixing ofconcrete used • Inaccurate pile foundations leading to misalignment of the structure columns • Pile caps of column post missing • Holes drilled on the purlins at the fabrication shop being inaccurate leads to on-site drilling; workmanship of such fixes tend to be poor • Rusting of parts due to improper galvanization • Sagging and buckling of structures • Aluminium sections of inadequate load bearing capacity being used for rooftop installation • Rusting of fastenersand the threading of the boltsbeing worn off • Nut bolts mounting the module to the structure are found loose • Necessary grade of fasteners not being used Inverter: • Central Inverters not maintained properly. Layers of dust are found inside the equipment • Inadequate equipment earthing Trench: • Route markers essential to identify cable routing missing • Inconsistent depth of trench in reference with design drawings • Bricks, safety tapes, non-rocky sands missing in the trenches • Mixing of AC cables along with

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Latest analysis of EnergySage Solar Marketplace data reveals accelerating decrease in solar prices, and how more quotes results in a greater probability of purchase Insights Form Solar Marketplace: More Quotes Result In Greater Purchase Probability Latest analysis of EnergySage Solar Marketplace data reveals accelerating decrease in solar prices, and how more quotes results in a greater probability of purchase. EnergySage published its fourth semiannual Solar Marketplace Intel Report™, providing a comprehensive analysis of consumer behavior, demographics, and preferences, as well as a complete account of industry trends in the U.S. residential solar market in 2016.

54. In addition to the solar category, users were also in-market for a variety of products and services, including financial and investment services, residential real estate, home improvement products, and home appliances – revealing a customer segment that is extremely valuable to a range of industries.

Three out of every four solar shoppers are male 77% of 2016 users were male, a significant disparity indicating that the solar product category, while growing rapidly, still has a ways to go before it can reach true mass-market appeal in the United States.

This latest edition of the industry-leading report presents several new datasets and analyses including an expanded list of new states, a review of the community solar landscape, and greater insights into solar shopper demographics. According to EnergySage data, the typical solar shopper is a mid-career male in his mid-40s with interests in real estate, financial services, and home services in addition to solar energy.

"For the consumer, getting more quotes empowers them to make betterinformed decisions. For the installer, more quotes results in increased consumer confidence, which in turn results in a higher likelihood of purchase" This most recent report also features a new section analyzing residential solar data by utility territory. EnergySage compared the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of solar to today’s electricity rates in territories served by Commonwealth Edison Co., Consolidated Edison (ConEd), Dominion Power, Florida Power & Light Co., Southern California Edison, and Xcel Energy. In all service areas, the LCOE of solar is lower than the 2016 residential electricity rate offered by the utility, affirming the comparative benefits of solar as a low-cost energy source.

Profile of the Typical Solar Shopper EnergySage compiled Solar Marketplace demographic data and user preferences to develop a profile of the solar-interested consumers in 2016. The typical solar shopper is a mid-career homeowner and is interested in a variety of real estate products & home services. More than threequarters of solar shoppers are male.

Typical Energy Sage solar shopper is a midcareer homeowner, interested in financial and home services 71% of solar shoppers on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace in 2016 were between the ages of 25 and

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"This latest edition of the industry-leading report presents several new datasets and analyses including an expanded list of new states, a review of the community solar landscape, and greater insights into solar shopper demographics" More quotes result in more sales Consumers who receive offers from multiple solar installers are significantly more likely to complete a solar purchase. EnergySage users who received 5+ quotes in 2016 were nearly eight times more likely to buy

Solar prices are falling at accelerating rate Between H1 2016 and H2 2016, gross cost per watt on EnergySage dropped by 6.25%. That is more than triple the rate of decline from the first EnergySage Solar Marketplace Intel Report from July 2014 to June 2015, and the greatest rate of decline measured in any of the reports to date. This trend may reflect improved operational efficiencies at solar companies, lower customer acquisition costs via online channels like EnergySage, increased competition, and the low cost of solar panels and inverters.

"EnergySage compiled Solar Marketplace demographic data and user preferences to develop a profile of the solar-interested consumers in 2016"

than those who received only one quote.

These results offer a clear message: quotes from multiple installers will increase consumer confidence, and solar shoppers should be encouraged to seek multiple quotes.

Solar shoppers are mostly male EnergySage used Solar Marketplace demographic data to develop a profile of today’s solar-interested consumers, and found that three out of every four solar shoppers (77%) are male. This gender imbalance presents an opportunity for the solar industry to develop new messaging and outreach strategies to attract more female shoppers, and expand the product category to achieve true mass-market appeal.

"EnergySage is a leading online comparisonshopping marketplace for rooftop solar, community solar, and solar financing, and is uniquely positioned to share solar market insights" “This latest report speaks to the importance of transparency and comparison-shopping in residential solar,” said EnergySage CEO and founder Vikram Aggarwal. “For the consumer, getting more quotes empowers them to make better-informed decisions.

For the installer, more quotes results in increased consumer confidence, which in turn results in a higher likelihood of purchase. Comparison-shopping platforms like EnergySage make win-win situations like this possible.”

EnergySage is a leading online comparisonshopping marketplace for rooftop solar, community solar, and solar financing, and is uniquely positioned to share solar market insights. This report furthers EnergySage’s mission to support the healthy growth of the solar industry via consumer education and empowerment, price transparency, and greater information sharing among all stakeholders.

"These results offer a clear message: quotes from multiple installers will increase consumer confidence, and solar shoppers should be encouraged to seek multiple quotes" www.solarquarter.com

IN CONVERSATION

"Having Wind-Solar hybrids with co-located storage batteries should be one of the crucial energy infrastructure strategies to be adopted by the country" SECI CTU connected wind bid,the Rs. 3.46/ kWh,is infact cheaper than that of solar bids. This is because everything at this Wind bid was done by the private sector with no institutional or government help as provided/done at the solar parks at the REWA or at the NTPC Kadapa solar park.

What are your views on way forward for solar park tenders in India?

Mr. Rajsekhar Budhavarapu, COO, IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited What are your views on the recent results of REWA & Kadapa Solar Park Tender and how this will impact the future bidding rounds for solar tenders in India?

I think it’s brilliant what has happened at REWA solar park and also at NTPC Kadapa Solar Park. The prices that were discovered are ground breaking. And, they are going to drop even further. But if you compare it with the recent bid that happened at the

I think it is a very robust way to structure power infrastructure projects as it provides lesser risks for investors, developers and manufactures to participate. But also, one needs to reflect for a smarter approach to adopt, if you are going to spend 20,000 crores for 20GWs new Solar Parksfor power evacuation. How best can we utilize the transmission lines at the Solar Parks between sunset and sunrise?

We should consider integrating Wind into Solar parks (or vice-versa) so that you have a better utilization of external power evacuation so that the cost of generation realised would be lower. Additionally, by co-locating modern energy storage batteries at these hybrid projects, one will be able to time shift the generation dispatch

from Wind and Solar to match the grid peak demand and also be providing a lot many grid ancillary benefits. Having WindSolar hybrids with co-located storage batteries should be one of the crucial energy infrastructure strategies to be adopted by the country, in its efforts to meet COP21 commitments of adding 160 GW of variable renewable energy generation by 2022 in a peak 240-260 GW peak system. Only such an approach will not destabilize the grid and cause grid power management issues (a.k.a Californian Duck Curve – which may be a Giraffe curve kind of an enhanced problem for India).

"We could consider integrating Wind into Solar parks (or vice-versa) so that you have a better utilization of external power evacuation so that the cost of generation realised would be lower"

Sara Freed, NRG Systems Mechanical Engineer

We may look different, but we are still the same company you know and trust.

Our turnkey solar solutions are suited for all stages of project development and operation and thanks to our new Technical Services Partner Network, we are with you every step of the way, no matter where you are. nrgsystems.com

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IN CONVERSATION

"We would like to do is at least about 4-5 projects varying from 10MWs to 200 MWs, completing about 400MWs to 500MWs projects this year"

Mr. Rajesh Bhat, Managing Director, Juwi India Renewable Energies Pvt. Ltd. Let’s start with the recent developments at your organisation in last one year.

As we know, solar industry has had ups and downs and we did extremely well in first three to four years of our operation since 2011. In the two years there has been downtrend because we are seeing very low return from the Indian market. Although we had LOIs worth of 250 MW by various investors, the same could not be executed as we the customers could not get financial closures or get their PPA approved by regulatory authorities. Also there are lots of compromises that have been done.

So we shifted our attention to projects in other parts of Asia Pacific in countries like Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia and built with our Asian colleagues 200 MWp worth of projects in last years. Since then we have again come back to understand what are the market requirements in India and how we have to gear up to the needs of the market without compromising on the quality. So we have understood the market requirements and have done quite a few innovations in our Design which we have already proposed to the customers by

"States such as Karnataka has come out very aggressively and wants to do about 6GWs and also I think UP will be another player that has got the real need of renewable energy or any other form of RE" virtue of which we have currently a pipeline of approximately 300MWp worth of projects to be executed this year. In addition to this our business model now focusses on providing one stop solution of development, access to funds and Executing the project which enable us to increase our pipeline. The other addition is that our group in Australia has now executed a 10 MWp tracker project with 6 MWh of Li-on battery with electronics for Energy management connected to Copper mines DG

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set enabling us to gain lot of experience in Large Grid connect projects. So We believe we should be able to do reasonably well this year and for the coming years As an EPC player, what key challenges do you face today?

As an EPC player we have challenges from the perspective of uncertainty which comes from developers. Earlier, the entire project used to be awarded to us, now of course all developers have started to supply modules themselves ,which means that our project cost comes down to almost 60%. In addition to that the project cost has itself come down by almost 1/4th since the time we have started the business in India. So the value we need to achieve in terms of revenue has almost increased by 7 to 8 times to achieve the same volume or revenue that we had achieved in 2011 or 2012. Of course when we start working on a project, we have some of the challenges like the land acquisition and in some states procurement of land itself is cumbersome. These are the challenges that we see consistently. And most of the IPP’s and the developers want to put the problem onto the EPC’s court.

There is a constant battle between the EPC’s and the IPP’s as to whose responsibility is what. Added to that, another is sizes of projects, earlier in 2011 we were doing the projects of size of 5 or 10 or 20MWs. Currently the sizes of projects that we are

"I think cost has got some relation to quality and the safest way that any investor can put his egg in the basket is just by ensuring that he goes to the right and conscious EPC Company like us"

executing is 50MWs-100MW with time line shrinking. That means we are expected to deliver these projects in 3-4 months time and if we have challenges like land being not available or one piece of land not being acquired then the project deliverable suffers a lot. Lot of times its thought that it is a simple problem but it plays a major role in terms of what we want to deliver as an EPC company. For example, sometimes because of land acquisition process or wrong inputs we need to redesign the entire layout 8 to 10 times just to ensure that we meet the project requirements and this is not something which is budgeted.

Which states do you believe lead see maximum solar energy investments this year?

States such as Karnataka has come out very aggressively and wants to do about 6GWs and also I think UP will be another player that has got the real need of renewable energy or any other form of RE. And there are other states like Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, M.P that will do pretty well in time to come.

What is the impact of aggressive bidding on EPC players? Does cost v/s quality come into the picture?

Yes, If you just look at the country, we have about 5-6 players who are known as the tier 1 EPC players including us. We are under constant pressure; the reason is the investors or the IPPS comes to us with belief that we can deliver quality on the project.

But at the same time because of the situation of the reverse bidding the investor or IPP who is in competition with any other normal non conscious investor or an IPP, the cost becomes the paramount factor for them and it isnaive on everybody’s part to expect delivery of projects with quality at the same cost. Our request to the fraternity is not to compromise on the quality of the projects. For example, if 100 is the cost of the project and somebody’s bidding at 90, unless he has got preferential cost of up to 10% it’s no way that he can deliver the project in the same Quality project.

So that’s why you see that in the country

we have 5-6 tier one EPC companies and then probably we have fifty or hundreds of others who are compromising on quality just to meet the cost of agenda that is required. You can definitely reduce the cost if you are ready to compromise on quality; there is no doubt in that. And it is so true for all infrastructure projects, just not for solar. For example, if you look at the bill of materials of various components that you as an IPP or Investor bought or will buy and if you have compromised on the bills of material definitely you’ll get a reduced cost.

But will that plantlast for 25 years is anybody’s guess. So I think cost has got some relation to quality and the safest way that any investor can put his egg in the basket is just by ensuring that he goes to the right and conscious EPC Company like us where we are governed by methodical process of choosing right Quality components for the project.

What are the milestones you wish to achieve by the end of this fiscal?

We would like to do is at least about 4-5 projects varying from 10MWs to 200 MWs, completing about 400MWs to 500MWs projects this year.

Anything else you would like to add for our readers.

Yes, I would like to say that of course we are seeing this reverse bidding putting a lot of pressure on the EPC players to a larger extent. Since most of the bidders have taken away modules from EPC player’s scope, hence would urge Investors or IPP’s to not compromise on the BOS of the project including modules. We also have along way to go for achieving Make in India with right cost, price and Qualityand Standards

"Our request to the fraternity is not to compromise on the quality of the projects"

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IN CONVERSATION

"The industry has contributed its fair share for bringing the solar tariffs down and making renewable energy competitive as a mainstream power" Today we are amongst the few companies in the country that does projects from A to Z without having to depend on external resources.

As a developer, what key challenges do you face today?

Mr. Girish Gelli Director, Mytrah Energy India Pvt Ltd Let’s start with the developments at your organisation in the last one year.

It has been an exciting year for the solar business at Mytrah. Having signed PPAs with Punjab, Telangana and Karnataka for about 420mw, we developed solar-specific capabilities within the organization over the last year. Full fledged abilitities covering Bidding, Land acquisition, Design & Engineering, Funding, Procurement and Project Execution are now in place, we even developed our own Solar Tracker.

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Recruiting skilled solar resources has been difficult; it is a nascent industry yet growing rapidly hence depth and breadth of experience is hard to come by at all levels of the organization. Land acquisition in solar is always challenging and also presents a risk since vast quantities of land need to be acquired within a short time frame. Looking forward declining tariffs is also a challenge.

As the assets become older, will aggressive bidding today become a pain point for the industry a few years down the line?

The industry has contributed its fair share for bringing the solar tariffs down and making renewable energy competitive as a mainstream power. This has meant having to do value engineering. However value engineering in a few cases has turned into

cutting corners which will undoubtedly reduce the reliability of the project over time. In such cases reduction in Capex will have to be compensated by increased maintenance, higher Opex and short-term equipment replacement which defeats the purpose of reduced Capex. Cost optimization is a necessity, however bringing the specifications or quality down beyond a point will have undesirable consequences over the long operating life of the projects.

Which states do you believe will lead and see maximum solar energy investments this year?

Some of the traditionally pro-solar states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will continue to see significant growth in their solar capacities this year.

Further, as the benefits of solar are becoming apparent to everyone, and as the Centre starts insisting on states to meet their RPO obligations we expect more states will join the solar bandwagon. Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and J&K are amongst many states that will add solar capacities.

What are the milestones you wish to achieve by the end of this fiscal?

We intend to execute our projects in a timely manner, and we will have 500mw of operating solar assets before the end of this year. We would also like to add 300mw to our projects pipeline, increase our rooftop portfolio, commence B2B projects and go overseas.

What is your view on the proposed GST rates and impact on the Solar Business?

The Government has proposed a tax rate of 5% for Solar Systems which shows the seriousness and strong impetus for the growth of renewable energy. However components of the Solar Systems include significant quantities of Steel, Cables, Inverters, Transformers etc which are to be taxed at 18% - 28% which is not in line with the intention to support the renewable energy growth. We do hope the GST council comes up with a clarification or a mechanism to support the intended tax rate of 5%. This is especially important for projects currently under development.

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IN CONVERSATION

"India has so far done exceedingly well in its solar program and is now recognised as one of the favourite destinations for foreign investment" ReNew Power being well funded and ready to deploy capital, the opportunities appear to be drying up. For this to change, the pipeline needs to be maintained along with a strong RPO enforcement mechanism to ensure that the obligated entities purchase the required units of green power.

Mr. Parag Sharma, COO, ReNew Power

Let’s start with the recent developments at Renew Power in last one year.

ReNew Power commissioned 1 GW of Solar and Wind assets in FY’17. It took us close to 5 years to add the initial 1 GW and we were able to double our existing capacity by adding another 1 GW in just one year thereafter. Last year was particularly special because ReNew Power transitioned into an EPC organisation as all our solar projects we were installed and commissioned on the back of an internal EPC organisation.

Moreover, we were able to deliver these top quality projects well before the committed timelines. Infact an important point of note is that under the projects awarded under the Karnataka State Policy, ReNew Power was the only IPP that was able to deliver projects in the last fiscal. ReNew Power looks to continue this impressive growth in the coming years and is committed to delivering best-in-class projects on time.

"ReNew Power was the only IPP that was able to deliver projects in the last fiscal, ReNew Power looks to continue this impressive growth in the coming years"

It is also critical for the MNRE to set up the process for more independent bids and not focus purely on solar park bids. Significant capacity addition in the short term can be built if the responsibility of land and evacuation is left to bidder and large scale non-solar park bid is called. Another area of concern is the health of discoms. The UDAY scheme has undoubtedly helped in this regard but it is important that processes are put in place for the strong monitoring and compliance of targets set under it. If the discoms don’t improve their financial health, the entire sector is at risk.

"India’s energy requirements in the future. India has made binding commitments under the INDCs at the COP 21 and we are well on target to achieve them" An area of definite concern and one that requires urgent intervention is the integration of renewables on the grid. If steps are not taken, in the very near future, we could be faced with the problem of not being able to manage the renewable capacity on stream despite getting more than sufficient energy harnessed from the sun and the wind. Policy flip flops and delays in signing of PPAs once the bid process is concluded are also two areas where change will be welcome.

Which states do you believe we will see maximum solar energy investments this year?

We will see a significant overspill of capacities where tenders that were conducted over the last two fiscals will get commissioned in FY17-18. Some of the states where this could happen are Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

These states also incidentally have very conducive policies in terms of ease of doing business and where investors are happy to invest their funds. However, some of the states where significant gap exists between current capacity and the total RPO targets are Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Uttar Pradesh is a state that ReNew Power is looking at with renewed interest as the new dispensation has an ambitious target to revamp the power sector. With the state having recently signed the ‘power for all’ document, we can expect to see some traction there.

As the assets become older, will aggressive bidding today become a pain point for the industry a few years down the line?

Typically, in solar tenders in India, at the time of bidding the tariff looks very aggressive. But with time becausedue to the decrease in the prices of modules and inverters along with the option of attractive financing, the bid tariff starts to look reasonable. However, in the last 2-3 bids, with tariff dropping to 2.44 Rs/u, it seems lot of that a lot of the upside on financing and module pricing have already been factored in resulting in hardly any cushion left for any surprises in the 25-year useful life of the project.

What are the milestones you wish to achieve by the end of this fiscal?

We want to continue with our growth path and keep adding capacity in a responsible and sustainable manner. ReNew Power has consistently been able to maintain our

position among the top three renewable IPPs and we will strive to consolidate our position as the leading wind and solar IPP in the country. In the long term, we would also like to be recognised as an employer of choice and provide opportunities to our employees to excel. As a trusted partner for our vendors ReNew Power will look to strengthen these very important relationships and commit to execute all our businesses with highest standards of quality in line with our motto of “Transforming Energy and Transforming Lives” Anything else you would like to add for our readers.

As India’s leading IPP, we believe that the solar sector is going to be the mainstay of India’s energy requirements in the future.

India has made binding commitments under the INDCs at the COP 21 and we are well on target to achieve them. What we need from Government is policy stability and assurance that the renewable energy industry should be protected from any issues related to grid availability. Last but not least, I would like to add that ReNew Power is totally committed to supporting the government in its agenda of providing green, reliable and good quality power to the people at the bottom of the pyramid.

"As a trusted partner for our vendors ReNew Power will look to strengthen these very important relationships and commit to execute all our businesses with highest standards of quality in line with our motto of “Transforming Energy and Transforming Lives”"

As a developer, what key challenges do you face today?

India has so far done exceedingly well in its solar program and is now recognised as one of the favourite destinations for foreign investment. This is particularly true in the renewable energy sector. However, maintaining this momentum needs going forward can prove to be challenging as we do not foresee a lot of bids happening in the near future.

Beyond the recently concluded bid for the Bhadla solar power project, we see no clarity as to when the next solar power bid will take place. Despite developers like

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GLOBAL EPC MARKET UPDATES NEXTracker Pairs Solar Trackers With Flow Batteries, Rides India’s Booming PV Market NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar has been a force in the solar industry for over 20 years. He spoke at a recent angel investor meeting in Silicon Valley, revealing more details about partnerships and market expansion.

Shugar is two for three when it comes to startup exits. He was president of PowerLight when it was sold to SunPower for $332.5 million; and his solar tracker company NEXTracker sold to Flex for $330 million. After spinning out NEXTracker from Solaria, the firm has delivered more than 8 gigawatts worldwide in a few years.

Toshiba wins EPC contract for 33.5MW solar in Japan from Gunkul

Etrion Announces Completion of 24.7 MW Solar Park in Japan Etrion Corporation ("Etrion") (TSX: ETX) (OMX: ETX) announced today that it has commenced full commercial operation of the 24.7 MW Shizukuishi solar power plant located on one site in the Iwate Prefecture of northern Japan. Etrion's partner and EPC contractor, Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation ("HHT"), delivered the project on-time and on-budget.

The Shizukuishi solar project is selling electricity to Tohoku Electric Power Co. Ltd. under a 20-year fixed-price take-or-pay power purchase agreement at ¥40 per kilowatthour ("kWh") (approximately US$0.37 per kWh). The solar park is expected to produce approximately 25.6 gigawatt-hours ("GWh") of solar electricity per year, enough to supply electricity to approximately 7,300 households.

Toshiba has won an EPC contract to build a 33.5MW solar PV project in Kimitsu, Chiba prefecture, Japan, from Thailand-based firm Gunkul Engineering.

Downer scores EPC, O&M deal for 148 MW in Australia

The ¥9 billion (US$88 million) project will produce 45 million kWh of electricity to power the equivalent of 10,000 households.

Palisade Investment Partners (Palisade) and ESCO Pacific (ESCO) have selected Sydneybased Downer EDI to handle EPC duties for the A$200 million ($150.5 million) Ross River solar project in the state of Queensland.

It is due to start operation by March 2019. The Kimitsu Mega-Solar Plant will be operated by a specific purpose company for the electricity business in Japan, financed by Gunkul. The project will be located over 47 hectares.

LG CNS to develop 55MW PV project in Japan for Canadian Solar

Palisade and ESCO did not reveal the supplier of the 420,000 monocrystalline PV modules that will be used for the 148 MW array near Townsville. They have signed a 13-year PPA with EnergyAustralia.

RCR wins EPC contract for 110 MW in Australia

LG CNS announced Tuesday that it has a won the contract to develop a 55MW solar project in Shin Mine of Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.

The project amounts to approximately US$142 million, with construction expected to last 18 months. As a result, commercial operation is expected to begin in May 2018.

The installation was ordered by Canadian Solar. With this contract, LG CNS boasts a pipeline of 162MW worth of construction in Japan, which is the highest among Korean companies. The Shin Mine Project is the fifth solar power plant project run by LG CNS in Japan. Currently, LG CNS is negotiating an additional 100MW solar power plant project in Japan.

Sydney-based energy infrastructure specialist APA Group has selected RCR Tomlinson as the EPC contractor for a 110 MW solar project in the town of Dalby, Queensland. The contract is valued at roughly A$175 million ($129.3 million).

RCR Tomlinson will design and build the PV array in southern Queensland’s Darling Downs region, approximately 210 kilometres west of Brisbane. The Perth-based engineering services firm will also work on related substations for the project and oversee the grid-connection process, according to an online statement.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Effects of Choosing The Right Type of Wires on the Overall Performance of the Product/Project

Mr. Marc Jarrault, Managing Director, Lapp India

In the PhotoVoltaic industry, the desirable features of a cable are its UV resistance, its mechanical and chemical properties to be whether resistance. The cable also needs to be thin, light and robust in its construction for better service life.

Lapp being a pioneer in PV cable and connection technology, uses the electron beam cross linking method while curing, which is by far the latest technology which enables us to produce cables which offers superior and consistent performance during its lifetime. The double insulated construction (inner and outer sheaths) in a cable showcases superior di-electric capabilities.

The cables are routed through conduits during installations. Depending on how its installed, the PV cables are likely to be exposed to water for a longer duration and repeatedly, which can damage the cables. Also, cables are the most vulnerable during the time of flood or natural calamity. To such applications, we at LAPP Group have developed the Ă–LFLEXÂŽ SOLAR XLR WP PV cables that guarantees continuous system performance - particularly in areas which are prone to flooding, or where cables are installed underground in protective conduits where water, heat and moisture can accumulate. These cables are certified are are in accordance with the TUV and the latest EN 50618 standards.

In Asia Pacific, we have supplied these cables to floating PV stations and canal top PV projects, where the ambient humidity levels are very high.

Mr. Vijay Karia Chairman & Managing Director, Ravin Group of Companies

Cables are the lifeline of any project, i.e. the arteries and veins of the place where they are put to use. With the advent of specialization and growing demands for specific use of products and growing use of technology for manufacturing not just these products but also wires and cables, specialization has crept in more than ever before.

Earlier the demand for wires and cables was more generic in nature and the purpose was very limited that means easy carrying of electricity from point A to point B. Differentiating factor was only voltage. Now there is a much greater demand in terms of safety measures, more specific usages and area and weight available for such purposes.

For example an underground metro railway system or a large convention centre or airport where many people are present at any given time , require specialized fire survival cables for the safety of life and property. A motor vehicle where every gram counts requires high temperature and light weight cables. Solar application cables have demands of high temperature withstanding facility & great resistance to external aging a defenceship or an aircraft requires low cross-section as well as highly reliable performance and resistance to vastly different atmospheric conditions.

Cables which carry large amount of current need to be designed to ensure minimum losses. Apart from all these factors cables also need to have longevity, durability and design aspects keeping in consideration over loading, severe electrical stresses as well as mishandling and rough usage.

Hence choosing not just the right cable but the right specification, right design and right construction specifications is very important. Companies like ours give you the right kind of conductor construction even when not specified by the customer so that the losses in the cable are vastly reduced.

Similarly we find that multi core medium voltage and high voltage cables are manufactured with PVC fillers, which actually cause cables to deteriorate and malfunction. We manufacture cables only with PP fillers.

Hence like a petrol engine car can vastly underperform or even break down if the right kind of people not used, the same can happen to your electrical system if correct cables are not used.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Solar Energy Can Save the Environment but Protective Measures Are Needed To Get Better Energy Yield India’s pursuit towards green energy, upholding solar as the tool to build an energy rich future has translated into nearly 12 GW cumulative installed solar capacity in 2017. Considering, that the country stood at 5 GW of capacity in 2015, it is commendable how Indian solar industry has progressed more than doubling the capacity within a bit more than a year.

With set targets being achieved, India is constantly trying to increase the capacity of installation for faster green energy transition. It is a smart decision considering the demand for solar in the whole world to save the environment and reduce raising energy cost.

Solar Can save The Environment

to our environment, it is also halting solar growth, which is the only viable option for us to build an energy rich future. In order to ensure continued efficiency of performance for the solar power system, the best possible solution would be to frequently clean the panels, wiping out the barrier created of fine dust particles that are rarely visible to the naked eye. As studies show a whopping 50 per cent increase on energy generation after every clean up, the process would be more than enough to solve the yield reduction problem.

In an ideal world, we all would have taken aggressive steps to phase out fossil fuel much sooner than expected, to help clean, green, solar grow. But in the present cir-

cumstances, the best alternative would be to increasingly adopt solar energy with a futuristic outlook, and bearing in mind the broader benefits that it would entail, including the environmental implications.

Hopefully, with the phenomenal growth

of solar and renewable energy across the globe, the use of fossil fuels could become a distant memory in time, for green energy (mainly solar) to acquire the mainstay position.

Global energy supply through fossil fuels have reached from 6,100 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 1977 to 13,700 Mtoe by 2014. Moreover, alongside China, and the United States of America, India is one of the top coal-related CO2 emitters, speculated to contribute more than 70% of global CO2 emissions cumulatively in future. Research shows that energy-related CO2 emissions in the world will increase from 32.3 billion metric tons in 2012 to ultimately reaching 43.2 billion metric tons in 2040, if we continue using fossil fuels.

On the other hand, utilizing renewable energy has helped Japan to phase out fossil fuel usage, displaying a decline in CO2 emission by 0.4%/year. Research also suggests that increase in renewable energy (mainly solar) has reduced fossil fuel share by 22 per cent. In the same breath we need to highlight that 1 KW of green energy can reduce more than 3,000 pounds of CO2 annually. So, it is pretty clear that green energy shift is the only thing that can protect us for a dystopian energy starved future.

Pollution Curbing Solar Growth Although solar is growing globally, a new study has revealed that dust and particulate matter (PM) may be reducing energy yield by 17-25 per cent annually in Northern parts of India. The dust particles create a barrier between sunrays and the solar panels, reducing the exposure to the sun, thus declining energy yield. Since the simple enough technology of solar panels depend on ambiance to capture and harvest energy, ambient pollution can create significant problem for solar yield generation.

In the same breath, we can highlight that similar issues have been identified around the world. For instance, solar panels in Baghdad were seen to be producing less and less energy due to dust particles blocking the sunrays and creating a layer over the panel. Even a fine layer of dust, practically unnoticeable on the solar panels are shown to decline the energy generation by 18.74% annually. Studies also show that poor air quality was the reason behind 15-25% yield loses in Singapore in 2013.

The Solution At this point of discussion, it is crystal clear that pollution is not just an eminent threat

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COMPANY FEATURE

We provide flexible & customized high-tech PV solutions and reliable support to fit your specific needs Inspired from ‘make in India’ campaign, Insolation Energy has been formed by the combined efforts of senior industrialists Mr. Manish Gupta and Mr. Vikas Jain having experience of more than 17 years in various sectors like Steel, Industrial Solutions, Real Estates, Health & Fitness and Independent Solar Power Producer Business. Their aim is to provide clean and green electricity at affordable price to one and all.

Insolation Energy, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company has state-of-the-art fully automatic manufacturing facility of 60MW per annum for Solar PV Modules in the range of 3Wp to 350Wp using poly & mono crystalline cells. We have most modern production line with a robotic plant in a very hygienic and fully airconditioned environment where enough care is taken to avoid manual handling of material as well as finished products.

Vision Statement: - To manufacture Solar PV Modules with high quality, long lasting, reliable and prudent practices under “Make in India” Campaign.

-Strive & leverage the solar energy technology for greener, sustainable and better future Mission Statement: - We at Insolation Energy aim to achieve the goal of clean, environmental friendly, cost effective and easily available energy

to each and every citizen of the country.

Our aim is to provide clean and green electricity at affordable price to one and all.

- We provide flexible & customized hightech PV solutions and reliable support to fit your specific needs Business Goals & Objectives: Due to consistent quality & committed delivery schedules Insolation Energy has become one of the emerging key players amongst Photovoltaic Modules across India & focuses on to export to Nepal, Dubai, Africa, Japan & many other countries. Also we are committed to come up with value added products in solar Industry with constant efforts to engage in qualitative research. We also focus at the tradition and values of our promoter to contribute our bit in the upliftmen & well being of our people and the society at large.

Business Strategy: We are focusing on our modules particularly the High Efficiency modules also now moving towards deploying more retail and distribution channels which we have recently done with the newspapers and we have got really good response. On the EPC side also, Insolation is very keen to look at the rooftop segment for our high efficiency modules and looking forward to getting into the utility market to be a dominant EPC company as well.

Enhancing the existing technology under consideration Insolation is always in the fore front to upgrade the technology and new solutions Above all accreditations & Product certifications, we invite most of the customers to witness the in line process quality and test facilities available before they start journey with us.

List Company’s Products & Services: Insolation Energy Pvt Ltd has been offering both Multi-crystalline & Mono-crystalline in various sizes from 3Wp to 350Wp. Made in India with highest grade raw materials from international suppliers. Our manufacturing facility certified for ISO 9001: 2015 qualities. Some of our most popular Modules this year include: - Sapphire Series 72 Poly Crystalline - Sapphire Series 60 Poly Crystalline

PID free. Multiple EL testing for defect free modules & high conversion Efficiency due to ARC coated glass.

We strive to provide our customer with product & services which and exceed their expectations. We shall use preventive processes & testing to drive the highest quality standards and to ship products that meet our stated quality goal.

Service Pledge: We shall strive to enhance effectiveness of Quality Management System through continuous improvement of our processes. Each employee shall be motivated & trained to do their job right, the first time and every time to deliver defects free product & services at the most competitive prices.

Team & Management

We also offer customized OEM Solutions Quality Policy Of The Company: Insolation Energy, an ISO Certified, MNRE approved & MNRE Channel Partner company with state–of-the-art fully automatic manufacturing unit in Jaipur. Modules also certified for UL at underwriters laboratory for USA. Up to 18% module efficiency &

A very young but same time experienced management team has consciously employed & trained more than 100 youngsters (Out of total workforce of 150) How the company functions & its reporting structure from the tribal & rural as a part of their committed towards skill India.

In less than a year this team has already bagged many good projects.

Going forward, Jinko will ensure best-in-class product delivery to its customers and strive to maintain no. 1 position JinkoSolar was established in 2006 and has undertaken over a decade’s journey to become the world’s no. 1 PV module manufacturer today. The company started out with ingot and wafer manufacturing and eventually turned around to provide integrated photovoltaic solutions with wafer, cell, O&M, module, systems and financing under one roof.

The company has 6 production facilities spread over 4 countries and employs over 16,000 employees in major countries of the world. Since the start, JinkoSolar excelled in quality, technology and delivery. In 2016, Jinko recorded no. 1 shipment around the world with 6.5 GW capacity.

Going forward, Jinko will ensure best-inclass product delivery to its customers and

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strive to maintain no. 1 position.

JinkoSolar is a global leader in the solar industry and distributes its solar products and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in more than 70 countries and regions worldwide.JinkoSolar is a pioneer in successfully building vertically integrated solar product value chain with a verticall annual capacity of 3 GW of silicon ingots and wafers, 2.5 GW of solar cells and 6.5 GW of solar modules as of 2016.

Strategy Vision Statement: JinkoSolar aims to change the way we generate and use electricity, optimize

energy portfolio, take responsibility of enabling a sustainable future by delivering the cleanest, most efficient and economic solar energy solutions.

Mission Statement:

Team & Management

- identifying the customers, critical processes and performance levels - To provide one–stop solution of clean energy and become industry leader.

JinkoSolar is led by Chairman Xiande Li since it was founded in 2006 and has spent 11 strong years in the industry.

Globally JinkoSolar has 13 sales offices and 11 overseas’ subsidiaries. Jinko’s steady volume growth, broad product portfolio, growing internalization and the development of new technologies have built a solid foundation for the company, all under the able leadership of Mr. Xiande Li.

Business Goals & Objectives: JinkoSolar aims to continually improve customer experience by providing high efficiency best-in-class products and thereby maintain the world leader position in future.

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Commissioned 30MW and currently executing 60.49MW across 3 states

275MW

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PRESENTS 2nd ANNUAL EDITION

FOR REGISTRATIONS VISIT www.indiasolarweek.com SUPPORTING PARTNERS

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Setting MIP for Imported Solar Modules in India Can Help Domestic Manufacturers Survive

Indian solar industry has scaled great heights surpassing 10 GW in 2017, from a meagre 10 MW in 2010. Even without huge industrial muscles that other countries keep on flexing, India braved all odds showing continued growth in the solar vertical. From 2015 to the beginning of 2017, Indian solar sector has successfully doubled its solar capacity (5GW in 201510GW in 2017), earning commendations in the global podium and inspiring developing countries to venture ahead. Obviously, Hon’ble Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi created the urgency in the green energy shift by announcing development of 100 GW solar-installed capacity by 2022, which served as the ignition for upward growth that the Indian solar sector is displaying.

And it is easy to understand that this much needed boost will bring numerous opportunities.

However, the obvious question surfacing from this equation is- ‘whether the opportunities will be for domestic manufacturers or not?’ The legitimacy or relevance of this question is absolute, since Indian solar reliance and the foundation of an energy rich future is closely tied to the improvement of domestic manufacturers (for details on how domestic manufacturing and Indian solar success is connected click here). Therefore, it is important to understand how this growth is shaping our future.

Understanding the Glitches Subsidies and rebates on capital expenditures, additional one-time allowance, taxfree grants, and acceptance to foreign investments have helped domestic manufacturing to flourish in India. And continuous support from the Indian Government (through a plethora of policies) has led these initiatives into success. However, India is spending more in importing solar modules (USD 980 million) than gaining from exporting them (USD 50 million, Sept 2016). This is surprising since India wants to claim a sizable portion of the global solar market and kick back the profits (of exports) for socio-economic reform.

Chinese module suppliers have increased their market share in Indian PV market to 75 per cent from 50 per cent last year. And recent market analysis reveals that 8 out of top 10 module suppliers in the Indian mar-

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ket are Chinese. All of this points towards growth devoid of domestic manufacturing progress, which is another way of saying ‘a sound yet unstable solar energy future for India’.

China can produce and sell solar modules at a price range cheaper by INR 5-6 per panel than domestic products (aggressive pricing is the main reason behind India importing Chinese modules), because of volume scale, cheap energy and access to low-cost capital. Additionally, the lack of a uniform quality control for solar modules in India makes it easier for China and other foreign suppliers to introduce low quality modules in our energy mix. Low quality imported modules will untimely add extra expenses in repair or replacement processes, slowing down ‘power for all’ initiatives and affect the trust on the green energy shift.

guard the domestic manufacturers and sellers. Moreover, judging from domestic steel manufacturers’ recent request to Government for continuation of MIPs, we can speculate that it has benefited the industry. The same can be done for the solar industry, mirroring EU’s steps to utilize International trade and competition rules to create a standard quality for import modules and assuring a better future for

India uses MIPs to regulate the access of imported steel in its market, to safe-

Imposing MIP is just one of the many remedies that can help India’s internal solar growth to centralize industry within borderlines. Current growth has paved a path for a better future, but domestic manufacturing is needed to turn the possibilities into reality.

ASSESS EQUIPMENT HEALTH

CARRY OUT ADVANCED TESTS

GENERATION ANALYSIS

SOL AR PL ANT

The Remedy To ensure India’s vision of self-reliance besides reaching 100 GW target, Government should consider placing MIPs (minimum import price) on imported solar modules. Foreign solar players are selling their modules in India at a lower rate than their actual (global) price. And as India lacks a uniform quality assessment regulation, importers are finding it very easy to dump low quality modules in the market.

This practice is recognized by the industry leaders as ‘e-waste dumping’. Having scale and Government subsidies, Chinese solar players can afford to sell their modules at a lower cost than domestic companies do; ultimately, curbing demand for domestic modules and shrinking Indian solar growth.

However, making sure that imported modules cannot be sold in the Indian market below a certain price limit, can bottleneck low quality product access in the country; and help domestic manufacturers to compete on a level playing field. We can look at EU’s MIP imposition on imported solar equipment for example. European Union has changed the MIPs from time to time, going back and forth from 0.56 Euro/Wp to 0.53 Euro/Wp to maintain a healthy demand for domestic manufacturers.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Hartek Group’s Growth Story In Solar Domain

Mr Hartek Singh, CMD, Hartek Group Aggressively capitalising on India’s solar overdrive to match its growth with that of the industry, the Hartek Group is rapidly advancing on the solar front. Known for its unmatched expertise in connecting solar power to the grid, it has commissioned substations for close to 600-MW solar projects since it entered the solar EPC domain four years ago. The Hartek Group is also riding the solar wave to tap the huge market for rooftop solar plants.

Having commissioned 13.75-MW rooftop plants across the country in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Punjab and Chandigarh, the Hartek Group has been rated among the notable rooftop solar installers in India with a 2% market share by Mercom Capital Group, a leading market analyst.

Solar EPC peaked for us at the right time, and this growth was part of a well-calculated business strategy. We were quick to latch on to the business opportunities that the National Solar Mission brought our way.

In fact, we are proud to be associated with the country’s first utility-scale solar plant, which came up in Amritsar four years ago.

Competing with several well-established players, we faced our share of challenges, but we overcame them all by focusing on our core strengths—world-class quality standards and timely execution.

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What also worked in our favour was our prior experience as an EPC company specialising in high-voltage and extra highvoltage substation projects. Associated with the power sector for the past 25 years, we had already executed more than 100 projects all over the country when we entered solar EPC. This experience stood us in good stead. Since we were also into manufacturing of power distribution equipments like medium-voltage switchboards, control relay panels and low-voltage switchboards, we were able to manage our supply chain in record time and complete projects well before the stipulated deadline.

What has helped our flagship company, Hartek Power, emerge as one of India’s fastest growing solar EPC companies is our reputation as a company which unfailingly delivers world-class quality by using worldclass project management techniques and completes projects in time, every time.

Entering the solar EPC domain in 2013, Hartek Power commissioned substations for 45-MW solar projects in the very first year. In the following year (2014-15), the company executed EPC orders for 90-MW solar projects, taking the figure to 135 MW, a threefold increase. Hartek Power further consolidated its position in FY 2015-16 by providing grid connectivity to 123-MW solar projects spread across Punjab, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka, thus enabling the company to register a nearly twofold increase as compared to the overall figure in the previous year.

In pursuit of the 100-GW target, the focus has now shifted to bigger solar projects and Mega Solar Parks, presenting a plethora of business opportunities to private companies like Hartek Power. Having cruised to its target of connecting 500-MW solar projects to the grid, Hartek Power has bagged 1,025-MW solar grid EPC orders in 201617, thus registering a phenomenal increase of 733% as compared to the company’s order size in the previous year when it had secured just 123-MW orders.

The 1,025-MW solar grid EPC projects won by the company, which mark an eightfold increase as compared to the company’s order size in 2015-16, include 30 substation projects of up to 220 KV spread across 10 states, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. Specialising in executing high-voltage turnkey substations and power infrastructure projects, Hartek Power will provide complete turnkey solutions for these projects and execute postinverter works covering the design, engineering, supply, installation, automation and commissioning of the power plant electrification. We have prevailed over many big players to bag these orders.

Having connected 340 MW of solar power to the grid in 2016-17, Hartek Power has commissioned substations for 598-MW solar projects so far. In contrast, the company had executed just 123-MW projects in 2015-16. Incidentally, Hartek Power has executed more projects in 2016-17 than the previous three years put together. The company had connected 258 MW of solar power to the grid till 2015-16.

But we will continue to be selective about our orders. Known for our commitment to quality and timely execution of projects, which has won us the trust and admiration of key developers in the Indian solar space, we will take up an order only when we are sure about delivering it in time with no compromise on quality whatsoever.

A pan-India company with presence in 17 states, Hartek Power is especially focusing on consolidating its position in South Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, which offer immense business opportunities in the form of bigger projects, as well as traditionally well-performing states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

We are also expanding our operations to new geographies like Jharkhand, which closed the bids for 1.2-GW projects in 2016-17. At the same time, we will further strengthen our hold in states like Punjab

and Uttar Pradesh.

Taking our rooftop solar business division to the next level to tap the huge opportunities brought by the rapidly growing market for rooftop photovoltaic plants, we recently launched Hartek Solar Pvt Ltd with industry veteran Ravinder Shan at its helm as Chief Executive Officer. Hartek Solar has been inspired by the idea of building a sustainable future through energy-efficient rooftop solutions. There is immense scope for rooftop solar, given the 40-GW target for 2022, out of which not even 1 GW has been achieved so far. We are working towards consolidating the company’s foothold in the rooftop solar domain by coming up with innovative solutions and attractive business models to capitalise on the emerging trends. We will strive to give Hartek Solar a competitive edge in developing and providing complete rooftop solutions, right from installation of solar panels and inverters to supply, design, engineering and commissioning.

The immediate focus of Hartek Solar will be on commercial spaces and industries, but it will also tap the residential market, which will drive much of the growth in the rooftop solar space in years to come, by offering customised solutions based on electricity usage and availability of space.

In May 2016, the company had executed its first rooftop project in Chandigarh, a 436-kWp project spread over six buildings at Chandigarh Technology Park which happens to be the city’s first rooftop project in the commercial category.

Hartek Solar is also in the process of creating a unique state-of-the-art technology interface to provide operation and maintenance (O&M) services for solar plants.

Equipped with a sizeable technical workforce fully trained in O&M and installation, the company provides in-house training for solar skill development.

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PRODUCT FEATURE

Solar Rooftop Mounting Solution

MECO “Handheld Thermal Imaging Camera (Model: TIC300)”

Solar technology is an Eco-friendly, cost effective solution to generate electricity. With limited space availability in urban areas rooftop becomes the most attractive place to place your solar panels.

Roof top solar system once installed, supplies uninterrupted power to meet most household demands in addition to being long lasting (25 years), green and pollution free.

MECO Handheld Thermal Imaging Camera, TIC300 is combined with functions of surface temperature measurement and real-time thermal imaging.

Polar Bear® III, one of the low cost rooftop mounting solution, which reduces the potential long-term roof damage with fully captured ballast (Concrete block), integrated with roof protection pads and a system design that allows for free water flow.

Meter is useful for Predictive Maintenance of Electrical Equipment, Transport Industry and Car Maintenance, Electronic & Electrical Manufacturing, Archaeological Study, Automotive manufacturing and Furnace & Smelting.

Traditional Thermal Imaging Cameras measure each component one by one but TIC300 does it together thus saving customer’s time.

Meter has a 2.4” Color Display with the resolution of 60 x 60 and total pixels of 3600.

Temperature range is -20°C to 300°C and comes with various color Palettes like Iron Red, Rainbow, Rainbow High Contrast, Grey Scale (White Glow) and Grey Scale (Black Glow).

TIC300 comes with inbuilt Micro SD Card installed which is useful to store the images and then downloading in PC.

The solution is anchor free which avoids the process of doing any puncturing in the roof; helping low-cost mounting components to provide savings early in the project development process.

The overall design is engineered for faster installation i.e the system has only three major components which are light- weight and easy to move, with pre-installed bolts to quickly mount ballast trays and single-module tilt-up to facilitate must-have access to roof, wiring and for easy maintenance.

These three components are: 1. Support legs: Easy-to-handle components that weigh less than 1.1Kgs, Integrated with recycled rubber roof protection pads, pre-drilled holes for wire management cabling options.

2. Ballast Tray: Angled fit with end-tab to fully capture ballast hemmed edges and chamfered prevent wiring from coming into with sharp edges

locking blocks, corners contact

3. Claw: Attachment to module using standard module mounting holes, UL 2703 certified for electric bonding and grounding Rooftop design is patented and fabricated as a result of strict data-driven test program to improve PV reliability. Polar Bear III is proven technology based on hundreds of megawatts of project experience completed worldwide. Solution is available for different angles 10 and 12 degrees for different geographies. As per the research conducted globally, lower tilt angles gives almost similar energy generation as compared to higher tilt system with better Ground Coverage Ration (I.e. availability of more space which can be utilized to install more solar panels) All leading module brands can be installed on such system, which has capability of handling wind load upto 190KMph. The solution also includes integrated roof protection pads to securely position racking while at the same time protect the roof membrane against any damage.

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Solar PV ModuleTech

India 2017

21 July 2017, The Pride, Aerocity, New Delhi India’s Largest and Only Event For Indian Solar PV Module Industry Focus Areas: Module Technology, Project Procurement, Manufacturing CO-HOSTED EVENTS

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Price v/s Quality: A Tough Choice Mr Naveen Vunnam, CEO, Ilios Power Pvt Ltd

Pr

ice

The Price-Quality optimum is not a singular decision, it is a result of prudent processes and professional values at every step. For India's solar industry this is the era of tremendous growth coupled with intense competition, illogical reverse auctions and breaking records. While there have been numerous reasons why prices fell drastically, fortunately, compromise in quality was not one of them.

Qu

ali

ty

Optimisation is the key to reducing system costs and improving quality, given that the market prices are uncontrollable. EPC companies need to rely on better analytical tools to understand the exact customer requirement which is key to an optimal solution and to provide the best price for an unquestionable quality. Ilios being an EPCO&M partner has developed in-house capabilities of continuous data gathering via a new SCADA system which helps us in a postpartum analysis of the deployed system to make any amendments in future. Going forward data is the key to optimise for cost reduction and quality improvement.

Shailendra Bebortha, Managing Director, IBC SOLAR Projects Private Limited The recent Indian solar tenders have resulted in low (not surprising!) tariffs. Though, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not an India specific phenomenon, the sharp reduction in prices leads to questions about the quality of projects being implemented. A large component of reduction in the PPA prices can be attributed to the reduction of main equipment price. Reduction in the commodity prices globally and reduction of cost of capital has also contributed to the fall in prices.

In India the PPA allocation process is transparent. It is being done through an electronic reverse auction process. It has witnessed participation from leading developers from all over the globe. It would be fair to assume that the leading companies take due care to maintain the quality of the project. The payments under the PPA are also linked to pre-defined performance parameters. It would be naĂŻve to think that developers/EPCs compromising the quality to large extent to stay competitive.

We have not witnessed large-scale quality related underperformance as yet.

When we talk about quality for a solar project, we must keep in mind that we are looking at a very large horizon spreading up to 20-25 years. Hence, while the projects might meet performance standards over a limited period of 5-10 years, the long term performance is still questionable. In absence of long term historical performance data, it shall depend on the provisions/reserves allocated for replacement or modification of equipmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s while determining the tariff initially.

The key to ensure quality is to allow the EPCs necessary scope/freedom to procure, design and construct the plant as per global standards. IBC SOLAR has implemented more than 50 MWp projects in India and have ensured quality through a transparent dialogue process with developers.

Often, more than the price pressure, the timeline pressure to implement the project (within 12 months from PPA) puts pressure on developers and EPCs to take shortcuts and skip protocols.

Falling prices leads to lower margins as a principle. Hence, care should be taken to understand the quality we choose from, the compromises we make and the margin sacrifice we undertake while deciding the project boundaries. This can be ensured by transparent business practices and lowering down expectations at every step of value chain.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Should you buy or lease solar panels? The answer is yes.

More than a million American families and businesses have installed solar panels – and with each passing day, thousands more are joining them.

People across the country are using solar power to save money, reduce carbon pollution, increase energy independence, conserve water, and create a more resilient electric grid.

There are more ways than ever to adopt solar technology. Beyond buying a panel system outright, a homeowner can choose among solar loans, leases, power purchase agreements, or other customized payment plans. These options have helped solar become commonplace, but myths and misconceptions about them still abound, from online marketplaces to mainstream media outlets.

SolarCity has installed more than 9 million solar panels for upwards of 285,000 customers under all the options listed above.

What we’ve learned is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach; the best option depends on the customer’s situation.

One of the most common questions we get about financing solar panels, however, is a pretty simple one: buy or lease?

Should you buy your solar panels?

Purchasing a solar power system – especially through a loan – is the fastest-growing way to go solar in the U.S. Cash purchases and loan options can be very attractive if you are looking to maximize the long-term financial benefits of going solar.

Solar loans offer a range of payment terms — the most popular tend to be $0-down with fixed monthly payments. One way to differentiate among loan options is by looking at the services that are included.

The best loans include a full 20-year system warranty and a performance guarantee (which encourages the provider to ensure the system is always delivering on expectations). While some service plans don’t amount to much in practice, a full built-in warranty is extremely valuable: replacing a power inverter, for example, can alone be worth more than a thousand dollars for a typical household.

When considering a loan, it’s also important to look for a low interest rate that allows you to pay off the system over a reasonable time period (e.g. 10 to 20 years), with an option to pay it off sooner if you’d like (at no penalty).

purchase a solar power system. If your federal taxes are high enough to qualify for the tax credit yourself, then buying a solar power system is likely to produce greater long-term energy cost savings than a lease.

The chart below shows this comparison for an example home in California: buying a solar power system outright is likely to yield the greatest long-term savings (relative to paying your same old utility bill), followed by the loan option, and then the lease option (check out the next section to learn more about solar leasing).

warming pollution from power plants.

While the exact financial outcome is naturally different for each option, the key point is that the money saved by any of the options in this example can reach many thousands of dollars.

Consider, too, that after you pay off a purchased system, it’s yours to keep – so things can get even better down the road.

In particular, customers that own their system can look forward to using solar electricity that doesn’t require any monthly payments to anyone.

To make sure you realize the full benefits of solar ownership, it’s crucial to carefully review your provider’s terms and conditions. You should make sure you are protected in all cases of equipment failure (including the power inverter), as well as protected against unfair circumstances like a lender putting a primary lien on your house.

Should you lease your solar panels?

Solar leases – and similar arrangements called Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s) – have made solar power more accessible for a wider range of homeowners, and have driven a tremendous amount of growth in residential solar. Their popularity is rooted in delivering instant gratification: they allow many customers to immediately pay less for solar electricity than utility electricity.

While lease customers typically are unlikely to save as much as loan customers over the long term, many solar lease customers can start saving money right away.

These savings can add up to thousands of dollars over the life of the system, while also preventing thousands of pounds of global

A key reason that buying a solar power system (whether outright or through a loan) can help Why should you BUY solar panels (cash or $0 down you maximize loan)? financial ben- You want to pay less for electricity, be more energy efits is the independent, and save the planet. opportunity to - You want to own your solar panels. claim a valu- Your federal taxes are high enough to qualify for the able tax credit. solar investment tax credit.

The U.S. gov- You are focused on maximizing the financial benefits ernment curof going solar. rently offers a - Full 20-year system warranty, monitoring, and perfor30% tax credit mance guarantee to people who

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A common reason that a solar lease may suit a particular household is simply related to taxes. As mentioned previously, the U.S. government currently offers a 30% tax credit to people who purchase a solar power system. But if your yearly tax bill is quite low, you may be ineligible to claim the tax credit yourself. In this case, a lease is almost certain to be a better choice.

Regardless, the availability of the tax credit can still benefit you, since a solar provider can use it to reduce your monthly lease payments.

The industry’s best leases are offered with $0 down and fixed monthly payments, as well as service packages that are often more robust than those offered with loans.

This not only includes strong repair and equipment replacement services and performance guarantees, but expansive insurance coverage. SolarCity’s lease includes insurance that protects against the elements, theft, and even earthquake – coverage that goes above and beyond the vast majority of homeowner insurance policies.

In all cases, solar leases should adhere to consumer protection guidelines published by the Solar Energy Industries Association, and contracts should comply with Solar Energy Finance Association standards.

Solar leases can give homeowners extensive benefits, all without entailing personal ownership of solar panels. After a 20-year lease term, the homeowner has the option to renew their lease agreement at a 10% discount relative to average utility rates at that time.

Regardless of how you pay to get solar power – lease or buy – you‘ll want a panel system that is built to last. The best systems

Why should you LEASE solar panels ($0 down)?

- You want to pay less for electricity, be more energy independent, and save the planet.

- You want to use solar power, but don’t care about owning the panels.

- Your federal taxes are too low to qualify for the solar investment tax credit.

- You value immediate financial savings over larger longterm savings - Full 20-year system warranty, monitoring, and performance guarantee

hold up well for 35 years or more. The amount of money you save by going solar – and your positive impact on the planet – depends on how much power your panels produce. To make sure your system goes strong for decades, it’s important to select an attentive solar provider that can honor its warranty decades from now.

With a solar lease or loan from a reputable provider, you also have full control in deciding on your final system design and placement, and you can transfer your lease or loan to the next owner in case you sell your house. A common misconception is that a solar lease or loan can make it difficult to sell your house, but that’s simply not true if you have a responsible solar provider. SolarCity alone has transferred more than 11,000 solar agreements, and seamlessly facilitates dozens of transfers per day. If a buyer qualifies to purchase a home with solar from one of our customers, the buyer can qualify to assume the solar service agreement.

Should you buy or lease your solar panels?

The answer is yes.

Buying or leasing a solar panel system are both excellent options to pay less for electricity, be more energy independent, and do the right thing for the environment.

It’s important you pick a trusted and highquality solar provider, and it’s important to select the financing option that works best for you.

Here’s a summary of side-by-side considerations of buying versus leasing a solar power system: Why should you buy solar panels?

- You want to own your solar panels.

- Your federal taxes are high enough to qualify for the solar investment tax credit.

-

You want to maximize the financial

benefits of going solar.

Why should you

lease

solar pan-

els?

- You don’t care about owning the panels.

- Your federal taxes are too low to qualify for the solar investment tax credit.

- You value immediate financial savings over larger long-term savings.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

ZNSHINE SOLAR innovate products to win the Indian market ZNSHINE SOLAR brings 12-busbar module and Self-cleaning module It was observed that a) policy changes give way to all three market segments: utility, commercial & industrial and residential; b) under extreme and diverse climatic conditions in India, it’s critical to consider modules with higher specifications such as PID free, low temperature coefficient, higher efficiency, good Low light performance, minimum micro crack and hot sports, etc.

These factors create a direct impact on consistent energy yields over the lifetime of power plant.

been approved by the CQC (China Quality Certificate Center), and the efficiency is up to 17.3%. Comparing to the regular ones, it has a good weak-light performance.

With dense bus bars, current conduction distances between bars can be much shortened and serial resistance can be reduced, giving rise to 3% power output more over all. Besides, internal crack effect can be reduced to the minimum, which makes the downstream systems more reliable and last longer.

India is a huge country with extreme and diverse climatic conditions. Under such extreme environmental conditions, it’s important to consider modules with higher specifications such as PID free, low temperature coefficient, Higher efficiency, Good Low light performance, minimizing Micro crack and hot sports, etc. These factors create a direct impact on consistent energy yields over the lifetime of the power plant.

ZNNSHINE SOLAR is one of very few manufacturers that can guarantee all the above features under all climate conditions with their new 12-busbar modules.It is with the maximum power output at 325W has

Depending on the type of installation and in response to the challenges to keep the solar panels dust-free, the use of ‘selfcleaning’ modules will substantially reduces the O&M cost. For this, we are introducing Graphene-coated modules. Combining of graphene and PV glass can increase the transmission properties of the glass itself, raising around 5% module efficiency. It has a good weak-light performance and can effectively reduce the heat resistance, prolonging product life and increasing power output. The core of this technology is that the graphene film is with high hydrophilicity, which endowed the PV glass with

33

self-cleaning function, reducing the maintenance cost. Graphene coating technology can be applied to any module.

ZNSHINE SOLAR has been dedicated to module technology innovation for many years, aiming to reach higher efficiency in the downstream systems and finally help clients to achieve better profits. It has launched bi-facial module, double-glass module, smart module, 12-busbar module and self-cleaning module in less than two years. The belief “innovation wins the market” pushes this company to fight for 29 years and gain the PV market share world-

wide. It is especiallythe top brand in Japan that is a market with most strict requirement for products and services.

ZNSHINE SOLAR (NEEQ Code: 838463), founded in 1988, is one of the Tier 1 PV companies and also in the Top 20 bankable PV company list worldwide, evaluated by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. It covers a wide range of business including projects investment & operation, EPC services and module manufacturing with a module capacity of 1.6MW. The company owns a full-automatic production line, bringing the best value for global customers and the company itself.

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MINISTRY OF EW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

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