Under the remote village electrification program, the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has invited bids for installing solar home lighting systems at various households in the state. Under the program, 151 power conditioning units, six solar home lighting systems, and 58 solar street lights will be set up. Developers will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of solar systems. They must also carry out comprehensive maintenance for five years. To be eligible, the developer must have had experience in the design, supply, and installation of solar systems of a minimum capacity of 100 kW. Further, the prospective bidder must have had an annual turnover of at least Rs 5 million in the last three financial years. The cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 6.8 million and it must be commissioned within 120 days of receipt of the work order. Interested bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of Rs 137,400. The deadline for submission of bids is January 7, 2021.
Decentralised solar systems have gained traction across the globe as they help local communities by providing social and monetary benefits. In July 2020, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) invited bids for around 9.35 million solar home lighting systems for member countries of the International Solar Alliance. More recently, in November 2020, EESL signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of New and Renewable Energy of Goa for the launch of India’s first convergence project. Under the program, EESL proposed to develop 100 MW of decentralised ground-mounted solar power projects with capacities ranging between 500 kW to 2 MW.