Renewable Energy News Compiled on 19-07-2016

40% of wind power capacity under cloud

Leading wind power producers are facing problems over payments and
demand that has affected close to 11,000 Mw, or 40 per cent of the wind
power generating capacity in the country.
Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are yet to clear payments to wind
power producers. Industry executives said the combined backlog was close to
Rs 5,000 crore. Rajasthan owes Rs 1,500 crore and has not disbursed
payments since last August. Maharashtras payments are pending for six
months and Tamil Nadu has not made any significant payment since January.
These states, along with Madhya Pradesh (MP), have also asked power
producers to curtail generation by 50 per cent or more. Rajasthan has asked
producers to curtail generation by close to 40 per cent and Tamil Nadu by 2030 per cent.
Lack of inter-state transmission capacity is hurting our generation plans. The
consumer cannot make most of the surplus wind power available during
summer, said an industry executive.
Though the Supreme Court last July directed the Tamil Nadu Generation and
Distribution Corporation to disburse 12 per cent of the delayed payments
based on a petition filed by the Indian Wind Power Producers Association, no
payment has been received yet, the association said.
The decline in interest from states is partly due to the falling tariffs
of solar power. No state wants to pay more than Rs 5 per unit for
wind power as competitive bids in solar projects spiral down. MP
recently decreased its feed-in tariff for wind power to below Rs 4.5 per unit,
said Amit Kumar, partner (energy and utilities), PwC India.
From next year, the industry will stop receiving the 50 paise per unit
generation-based incentive as well.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan are not signing new
power purchase agreements, leaving investors in a limbo. We might see
some agreements from Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, but the
existing capacity faces threats, said an industry executive.
The Maharashtra government was also mulling a surcharge on captive wind
power generation, said companies operating in the state. Officials said the
matter was under consideration and no decision had been taken.

India doubles down on solar parks after SunEdison setback

India will double the target for energy to be generated from solar parks by
2020, a top government official said, as roof-top installations progress slower
than anticipated and U.S. company SunEdison's projects are threatened by its
bankruptcy.

Debt-heavy SunEdison was one of the first companies to be drawn into the
programme to encourage solar use, bidding aggressively to win a 500
megawatt (MW) project in Andhra Pradesh state in India's south last
November. But after its bankruptcy, SunEdison has been forced to initiate
stake-sale talks with companies like Adani Group (ADEL.NS) and Finland's
Fortum Oyj (FUM1V.HE) for funds, according to sources.

"We are adding 25 more solar parks to create a buffer for exigencies like
SunEdison," Upendra Tripathy, secretary at the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy, told Reuters on Monday. "Solar parks are a hit with
companies. A lot of them are interested."

The new generation target of 40,000 megawatts for solar parks (is) likely to
be approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet in two months, he
said in an interview in his office.

Analysts are doubtful of rivals picking up SunEdisons Andhra Pradesh project

given the aggressive bid.

Japan's Softbank Corp (9984.T), Taiwan's Foxconn (2354.TW) and India's

Bharti Enterprises have pledged to invest a total of about $20 billion in India's
renewable sector. Global solar giants like First Solar Inc (FSLR.O), Trina Solar
Ltd (TSL.N) and Fortum are also expanding their presence.

Modi wants India's solar capacity to jump nearly 30 times from 2014/15's
levels to 100 gigawatts by 2020. Total investment needed for the solar goal is
around $89 billion, according the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Last
month India secured a loan of more than $1 billion from the World Bank for its
ambitious solar programme.

Solar Imports Dramatically Increase in India

Indian imports of solar PV cells and modules from outside manufacturers

multiplied by more than three times from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016, as the
solar industry in the country experiences a radical growth, there are even
plans for the country's railways to be powered by PV technology.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) revealed that imports of
solar cells and modules rose from Rs 5,051 crore (US$752 million) in 20142015 to Rs 15,523 crore (US$2.3 billion) in 2015-2016.

India is still heavily reliant on solar manufacturers from outside the country to
complete the installations in an economically viable manner.

Karnataka state has huge potential: ISRO

In a bid to scale up the country's solar energy harvest, the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) has identified Karnataka as one of the hotspots
in

the

country

for

assured

solar

energy.

Most parts of Karnataka receive high assured solar energy annually (2,0002,500 kilowatt-hours per square metre), while some pockets receive very high
radiation more than 2,500 kWh per square metre per year.

According to scientists from the Space Applications Centre of ISRO,

Ahmedabad, quantification of assured solar energy potential is essential in
selecting locations for solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal power plants. The
present assessment would help with "site selection for installation of new
large-scale, solar-based power generation systems and also to compute rooftop solar energy potential" in urban and rural India.

The study by ISRO has helped identify solar hotspots through remote sensing
observation from geostationary meteorological satellite. According to the
results, high-density solar energy pockets were diagnosed in western, central
and southern India, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, which had an annual solar energy exposure
ranging from 2500 to 3500 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per square metre annually.

Out of the total assured solar energy over Indian landmass, grasslands
receive about 39 per cent, followed by desert (29 per cent) land. The
wasteland and shrub lands receive 21 per cent and 14 per cent of assured
energy, respectively.