Producing Own Solar Energy is Beneficial

Fed up with constant electricity cuts and government-enforced "power holidays", Indian IT firm Value Labs has turned to the sun beaming down on its head office for help.
In July, it finished building a 13 megawatt solar plant - enough to power 6,000 homes - to keep the lights on and computers humming for more than 3,000 employees at its base in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
It is even selling surplus electricity back to the grid.
"We plan to use the entire quantum of power generated from these plants in the coming years for our existing and upcoming campus," said Krishna Reddy, a senior Value Labs executive.
Factories and businesses have installed over 30 MW of rooftop solar panels in the last year, data compiled by New Delhi-based consultancy Bridge To India shows. That is a small amount compared with India's solar capacity of 2,700 MW, but demand may accelerate under Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has made renewable energy a priority.
Bridge to India forecasts compound annual growth will hit more than 60 percent in the next five years, as falling panel prices make installations more alluring.
In a sign that even big business is warming up to alternative energy sources, India's second-largest IT exporter Infosys Ltd is building a 50 MW solar plant in southern Karnataka state to meet 30 percent of the company's power needs.
Bridge To India estimates that commercial rooftop and smaller utility plants have the potential to provide up to 83,000 MW of solar energy, more than half of India's potential solar capacity out to 2024.(credit-Reuters)
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Electrification of Villages and Hamlets

The Government is implementing Decentralised Distributed Generation (DDG) under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) for electrification of villages where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effective. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. In XII Plan period, DDG has also been extended to the grid connected area where supply of electricity is less than 6 hours a day. Decentralized Distributed Generation (DDG) can be from conventional or renewable sources such as Biomass, Biofuels, Biogas, Mini hydro, Solar etc. Rs.900 crore as subsidy has been earmarked for DDG projects. However, the allocation under DDG would be flexible to meet any additional requirements within the overall cost of the scheme. DDG scheme provides a subsidy towards 90% of the project cost. The balance 10% is to be arranged by the Implementing Agency at their own or arrange from any FI/REC. The Minister further stated that Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has been implementing Remote Village Electrification (RVE) Programme for providing financial support for lighting/basic electrification in those remote unelectrified census villages and unelectrified hamlets of electrified census villages where grid extension is not found feasible by the State Governments and hence are not covered under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY). Such villages are provided basic facilities for lighting/electricity through various renewable energy sources. Under the Programme, Central Financial Assistance of up to 90% of the costs of systems, subject to pre specified maximum amount, is provided for approved projects to the states. The balance cost of projects is financed through contribution from State Plans, beneficiaries, or other sources. The Minister further stated that during the last 5 years, REC has sanctioned 775 DDG projects for a total project cost of Rs.349.38 crore in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha. Out of these 775 projects, 164 projects have already been commissioned and remaining are at the various stages of Tendering & Execution. REC has so far disbursed an amount of Rs.43.68 crore for the implementation of the DDG projects. The RVE scheme is based on proposal submitted by states for coverage of left out villages/hamlets from the RGGVY Scheme of Ministry of Power; therefore, target is not relevant. During the last five years, 3704 number of villages and hamlets have been sanctioned and around 259.60 Crore fund has been released to various states under the programme, the Minister added.

Cost of Renewable Energy Projects

The cost of renewable energy power generation in India is competitive compared to the cost in other countries. In India, the solar power installation cost has reduced significantly over last three years. The installation cost of wind power projects in India is also competitive in comparison of other countries. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The Minister further stated that the India has signed 39 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) / Agreements in the field of Renewable Energy, under which there are a number of Joint Working Groups (JWG). The cooperation also includes issues of developing renewable energy sources in the country. The 12th Five Year Plan targets a cumulative renewable power installed capacity of 55 GW by end of March 2017. Rs.19,113/- Crore has been allocated in the Five Year Plan for the purpose, the Minister added.

Scheme Approved for 750 MW Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the implementation of a scheme for setting up of 750 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects under Batch-I of Phase-II (2013-17) of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF).

The total VGF requirement for implementation of the scheme is estimated as Rs. 1,875 crore at the rate of Rs.2.5 crore/ MW The actual requirement will, however, depend on the bid prices. This VGF support is estimated to leverage private investment to the tune of Rs. 5000 crore in setting up of the projects.

The VGF scheme will facilitate setting up of the 750 MW grid connected solar power projects, in mainly the private sector on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis at various locations, which will help supplement grid power generation in the country. These projects will also lead to an associated development of their surrounding areas with positive impact on the socio-economic conditions of the local population.

The scheme will be implemented through the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI, a Section 25 company set up by the Ministry) in close association with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN). The power generated shall be purchased by SECI at a fixed levelised tariff of Rs.5.45 per kWh for 25 years and sold to willing State Utilities/ Discoms at a fixed tariff of Rs.5.50 per unit for 25 years.

The selection of projects would be done through a process of open competitive bidding for their VGF requirement in order to enable them to supply the solar power to SECI at the fixed tariff of Rs.5.45 per kWh for 25 years.

Background:

The JNNSM was launched by the Government in January 2010. The main objective of this Mission is to create a policy and regulatory environment for large scale diffusion of solar energy technologies across the country as quickly as possible. It has laid down, a long-term goal of adding 20,000 MW of grid-connected solar power by 2022, to be achieved in three phases (Phase-I up to 2012-13, Phase-II from 2013 to 2017 and Phase-III from 2017 to 2022).

Solar Water Heating Systems

Power cut is a consistent problem at the peak hours in summers as well as winters in most of the North Indian cities. In such cases, switching the heating load over to non-conventional sources of energy from the conventional type of resources can eradicate this problem and inconvenience that arise especially during early hours of peak winter season when the hot water is needed the most. The gap between the demand and supply of electricity can be bridged to a great extent by using solar energy based appliances such as Solar Water Heater.

China stands at the top position in the world in the Installations of Solar Water Heating Systems with approx. 80.3% of total installations in the world.

Solar Energy Appliances not only bridge the gap between demand and supply of the electricity but also save a lot of money due to their negligible running cost and also they help in maintaining the ecological balance by reducing pollution.

Solar Water Heaters are designed to heat water by using the solar energy which is available on earth free of cost. Water can be easily heated to a temp. of 60-70˚C.

A typical solar water heater

Main components of solar water heater system are:

A) Solar Collector (to collect solar energy)

B) Insulated tank (to store hot water)

C) Supporting stand

D) Connecting pipes and instrumentation etc. 

Solar Water Heaters can be of following two types:

1- FPC :Flat Plate Collector based

2- ETC :Evacuated Tube Collector based

In FPC based Solar Water Heaters the solar radiation is absorbed by Flat Plate Collectors which consist of an insulated outer metallic box covered on the top with  tempered glass sheet. Inside there are blackened metallic absorber sheets with built in channels or riser tubes to carry water. The absorber absorbs the solar radiation and transfers the heat to the flowing water. Most flat plate collectors have two horizontal pipes at the top and bottom, called headers, and many smaller vertical pipes connecting them, called risers. The risers are welded to thin absorber fins. Heat-transfer fluid (either water or water-antifreeze mixture) is pumped from the hot water storage tank (direct system) or heat exchanger (indirect system) into the collectors' bottom header, and it travels up the risers, collects heat from the absorber fins, and then exits the collector out of the top header.

In ETC based Solar Water Heaters Evacuated Tube Collector is made of double layer concentric borosilicate glass tubes evacuated for providing insulation. Since heat loss due to convection cannot cross a  vacuum, it forms an efficient isolation to keep heat inside the collector pipes.The outer wall of the inner tube is coated with selective absorbing material. This helps absorption of solar radiation and transfers the heat to the water which flows through the inner tube.

Flat plate collectors are generally more efficient than ETC in full sunshine conditions. However, the energy output of flat plate collectors is reduced slightly more than evacuated tube collectors in cloudy or extremely cold conditions.

FPC based systems with metallic collectors are costlier than the ETC based systems with glass tubes for the same system capacity (Ltr/Day).

Odisha Govternment : Harnessing Solar Power

The Odisha state government has approved a proposal for installation of solar panel in roof top of all government establishments in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack area under PPP model and has directed the implementing agency to sign agreements with International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

Last week, the government declared the newly floated company GEDCOL (Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd ) as the nodal agency for on-grid solar energy projects in the state whereas off-grid generation such as solar cooking, pumping, refrigeration, heating and industrial process will be Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA)’s responsibility . 

In the first year of the implementation, the government has decided to use the office rooftops of government offices, agencies, directorates and state PSUs situated in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and later the scheme will be planned for other districts. read more..

The Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar will generate 100 KW electricity from solar power plant to meet the daily electricity requirements.

This was an eco-friendly initiative of the airport to generate electricity.

The airport has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a Gurgaon-based private firm, Lanco, for setting up the plant. The firm will sell power to the airport. About 360 solar photo voltaic (SPV) panels have been installed near the airport. Each panel will generate 300 W electricity. 
"The solar power plant will supplement the power requirement of the airport, which requires 3,000 KW of electricity, to run both the new domestic and proposed international terminals," said airport director Sharad Kumar.read more..