Solar Power
Spotlight
EPC and O&M for Solar Projects
Emerging O&M Practices: Move towards better technologies and cost-optimised models
The cost of solar energy has changed dramatically over the years, with module prices plummeting from $4 per watt in 2008 to $0.34 per watt in October 2017. Similarly, solar operations and maintenance (O&M) practices […]
EPC and O&M for Solar Projects
Strategic Shift: EPC players evolve from contractors to solution providers
Shrinking revenues owing to low solar power tariffs are exerting a downward pressure on developer margins. This calls for a change in project development strategies at all levels in order to reduce costs and improve […]
EPC and O&M for Solar Projects
Solar EPC Contracts: Projects awarded during 2017-18
Solar projects in India have mostly been constructed through the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) route. From new entrants to established players, project owners typically prefer to pass on time and cost overrun risks to […]
Interviews
Discom Finances: Cost coverage, tariffs and profitability trends
Renewable Watch recently organised a workshop, “Offtake Risks for Re-newable Energy”, to examine the financial health of discoms, discuss the risks and challenges pertaining to power offtake, study the alternatives and propose solutions. The workshop […]
Wind Power
Offtake Concerns: Regulators attempt to balance industry and consumer interests
As part of its efforts to meet the 175 GW renewable energy target by 2022, the government has released a series of central- and state-level tenders over the past few years. However, the actual capacity […]
Wind Power
Legal Perspective: Stringent guidelines and penalties required for PPAs
The Indian renewable energy sector is facing many challenges despite witnessing significant growth. The annual installed capacity has increased considerably owing to the competitive bidding regime that led to a tariff reduction in subsequent auctions. […]
Offtake Risks for Renewable Energy
Preferential Treatment: Declining renewable energy tariffs to alter merit order dispatch
With multiple sources generating power at various costs, power procurement from the grid is based on the merit order despatch mechanism, wherein electricity is supplied as per the cost of generation. As a result, power […]
Offtake Risks for Renewable Energy
Limited Uptake: Renewable open access market faces regulatory constraints
The open access (OA) market has been restrained largely because of policy and regulatory constraints, which stem from discoms’ unwillingness to part with their high-paying customers. As a result, the renewable energy OA market accounts […]
Tracking Solutions and Mounting Structures
Panel Support: Mounting structure market expands with emerging solar applications
The Indian solar power industry has grown rapidly over the past two years. This has increased investor confidence in the segment, leading to greater capacity additions and new solar power applications. The growth is also […]
Tracking Solutions and Mounting Structures
Gaining Ground: Growing uptake of solar trackers for improved power output
Solar trackers have emerged as a popular technology to increase the power output of a solar plant. By tracking the path of the sun, single- and dual-axis tracking systems can deliver a performance gain of […]
EVs & Energy Storage
Taking Stock: Energy storage technologies for electric vehicle applications
Running parallel to the evolution of the renewable energy sector is the innovation in energy storage technologies, which has caught the attention of the industry as well as policymakers across countries. The importance of efficient […]
EVs & Energy Storage
Powering EVs: Renewable energy could facilitate the transition to electric mobility
In a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet climate change targets and reduce pollution in urban areas, the government has announced ambitious plans to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) and thus also change the face […]
Spotlight
Attractive Alternative: High grid tariffs drive commercial and industrial users towards rooftop solar
The rooftop solar segment grew by 81 per cent in 2016-17 over 2015-16. As opposed to other rooftop-rich countries that have grown on the back of high capacity addition in the residential rooftop segment, the […]
Spotlight
Emerging Business Models
With a target of 100 GW of installed solar power capacity by 2022, the government is counting on all segments to achieve its ambitious plans. Of the total 100 GW, 40 GW has been earmarked […]
Spotlight
Attracting Equity: Changing risk profile calls for innovative financing mechanisms
India’s ambitious targets, record capacity additions and a steep fall in tariffs in 2016-17 have attracted global attention, with domestic as well as international investors and developers expressing interest in the country’s renewable energy sector. […]
Trends
Debt Surge: Bonds and borrowings drive capital influx in the renewables market
With the constantly evolving ecosystem of the Indian renewable energy market, financial instruments too have developed over the years. The government envisages an investment requirement of $100 billion to realise the renewable energy targets over […]
Spotlight
Treading Cautiously: Lenders adopt a wait-and-watch approach amidst uncertainty in wind regime
The wind energy segment has undergone a number of significant changes in the recent past, such as a move from the feed-in tariff (FiT) regime to competitive bidding for project allocation. As such, the segment […]
Spotlight
Solar Power
Patchy Progress
Over the past 12 months, there has been a growing impetus to rooftop solar deployments, which has translated into a sharp increase in installed capacity. According to BRIDGE TO INDIA, the installed rooftop solar capacity […]